There are two types of people in this world, those who like cheese and those who aren’t worth talking to.
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Posted in Technology on Dec 31st, 2003
(Downhill Battle) The RIAAA got a Christmas present last week: on Tuesday the Department of Justice stopped an investigation into anti-competitive practices by the major labels (specifically, favoring label-affiliated online music services over others when it came to licensing music). Slashdot has a good thread on it here.
Ok, heading out in just a few hours, gear is reviewed and packed. Have two carb-laden meals between me and a few (hopefully) serene days hiking. I’m going gadget light which will almost certainly shock and repel Cyberduck but trust me, the pack is heavy enough as it is (though will get lighter [...]
Posted in Technology on Dec 31st, 2003
(Wired) Where’s a superhero when you need one? The Net, which once seemed so invincible, is under attack by the forces of evil. Viruses knock servers to their knees. Spammers hijack our inboxes. Hackers and identity thieves menace our collective security and personal privacy.
Posted in Technology on Dec 30th, 2003
(Gear Bits) So you think your 400 MHz wireless GPS-enabled PDA is pretty cutting-edge kit, eh? Well, it’s not even close. NASA is working on the PSA, or Personal Satellite Assistant, the next great thing in mobile electronics…at least for astronauts. NASA’s Ames Research Center is collaborating with other institutions and companies to develop a [...]
Posted in Technology on Dec 30th, 2003
(Bargain PDA) The rumors of a new PocketPC from Asus that were going around a few weeks ago have been proven true. A few days go, the Taiwanese company showed off the new machine to a group of local technology correspondents, and intimated that it was planned for a January release. The PocketPC features built [...]
Posted in Reviews on Dec 23rd, 2003
One of those books I stumbled across while looking for something else, I decided to give it a go nonetheless. In Mysteries of the Alphabet: The Origins of Writing, the author, Marc-Alain Ouaknin attempts to trace the development of the modern alphabetic script as known by western writers. In this attempt he forwards several [...]
Posted in Technology on Dec 23rd, 2003
(The Register) On Friday, the DC federal appeals court ruled that the recording industry’s efforts to subpoena the names and addresses of ISP Verizon’s customers who were using P2P file-sharing networks to download and upload copyrighted music were unlawful. However, the decision rests on a narrow reading of the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), [...]
Posted in Environment, Technology on Dec 22nd, 2003
Mystech: Note the bit about sterilizing song lyrics and removing songs that are anti-Wal-Mart…
(Wired) LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — Wal-Mart Stores began a test Thursday of its new 88-cent-per-song online music service, with a price that undercuts the 99-cent standard of its competition. The site was in operation Thursday morning, signaling that the world’s largest [...]
Posted in Technology on Dec 19th, 2003
(Wired) WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court ruled Friday the recording industry can’t force Internet providers to identify subscribers swapping music online, dramatically setting back the industry’s anti-piracy campaign. The three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia overturned a trial judge’s ruling that enforced a type of copyright subpoena [...]
Posted in Reviews on Dec 18th, 2003
(Time) There’s nothing like a crackling fire made from good old-fashioned firewood. But real logs produce lots of soot and carbon dioxide, and real trees often have to be felled to make them. Enter the Java Log. Made from used coffee grounds, it boasts a higher heat density than real wood, so it can burn [...]
Daemon by Daniel Suarez
The Art of SEO: Mastering Search Engine Optimization by Eric Enge, Stephan Spencer, Rand Fishkin, Jessie Stricchiola
Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham