Hi all:

I’m having major hardware problems which mean my connection is going up and down like a yo-yo.

So I’m compiling a largish headline roundup of some of the posts I would’ve filed (or tried to ).

Hopefully, things’ll be back to normal later today (or by tomorrow at the latest) after I replace some faulty gear.

Cheers! And thanks …
Jon »»»

University of Michgan student files followup letter pointing out inconsistencies in MediaSentry’s “defenses” - Recording Industry vs The People

That pesky University of Michigan “John Doe” student, known only as “Case number 162983070″, who filed a complaint against MediaSentry with Michigan’s Department of Labor and Economic Growth, has now filed a followup letter responding to MediaSentry’s March 17th response to the DLEG investigation, pointing out some of its inconsistencies and misstatements. Case number 162983070, August 14, 2008, followup letter.

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IDC Canada: ISP peer-to-peer fears are a Boogie Man - Network World Canada

A Canadian industry analyst says network service providers may be overreacting to the threat of file sharing applications and their impact on bandwidth. Why Verizon may have the right approach. Network service providers are moaning about the toll peer-to-peer file sharing applications are taking on their bandwidth, with Bell Canada and others insisting on the right to slow P2P apps during non-peak hours. But the author of a new study on deep packet inspection, the technology used by many Internet service providers to identify P2P traffic, says the concern is overblown. P2P “is not the boogie man,” says Lawrence Surtees, vice-president and principal communications research analyst at IDC Canada. In fact, he argues that ISPs should embrace the strategy of U.S. carrier Verizon Communications, which is looking for ways to help its users share legal files faster and therefore not slow down traffic.

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Microsoft to push another Windows Update to users … whether you want it or not - ZDNet

Back in September of 2007 Microsoft carried out what I and many others at the time considered to be a pretty big breach of trust and pushed a stealth update for the Windows Update mechanism. What’s wrong with that, you might ask? Well, as it turned out the update disrupted some Windows XP users ability to repair their installation. Not good, and precisely the reason why there are some people who like to know exactly what is being installed on their systems, and control when that happens. Well, according to Microsoft, there’s another update to the Windows Update mechanism ready to be unleashed. The difference between this update and the stealth update from back in 2007 is that Microsoft is being more open about this update and actually talking about it before it hits the download servers and starts getting installed on systems.

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Secrecy claims on copyright treaty - Australian IT

The Bush administration’s plans for a copyright treaty, dubbed “Hollywood’s Christmas list” by privacy advocates, may be disrupted as protests over “secret negotiations” emerge in participating nations, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. US Trade authorities had been hoping to conclude the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement by the end of the year. But documents posted on Wikileaks have raised global concerns that the treaty goes far beyond tackling counterfeit and fake goods trafficking, and overhauls existing intellectual property and digital copyright laws. Electronic Frontiers Australia chair Dale Clapperton said the proposed multinational treaty had been “developed behind closed doors” in consultation with big music and film industry copyright owners.

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When Professors Create Social Networks for Classes, Some Students See a ‘Creepy Treehouse’ - Wired Campus

A growing number of professors are experimenting with Facebook, Twitter, and other social-networking tools for their courses, but some students greet an invitation to join professors’ personal networks with horror, seeing faculty members as intruders in their private online spaces. Recognizing that, some professors have coined the term “creepy treehouse” to describe technological innovations by faculty members that make students’ skin crawl.

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AT&T Offers $10,000 Reward for Arrests and Convictions in Cable Theft - Press Release

AT&T California announced today the company is offering statewide rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of individuals who are cutting and stealing its telephone cable from utility poles throughout California. AT&T is offering to pay up to $10,000 for information that helps identify and prosecute those responsible. Anyone with information can contact AT&T security at: 1-800-807-4205.

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T hacking exposes a deeper clash - Boston Globe

Recent inventions to emerge from the workshop of Zack Anderson include the “Killbot,” a radio-controlled robot with a “1,500,000-candlepower spotlight to blind the victim,” a bullhorn “to terrify victims,” and a spinning drill bit “to bore through obstacles.” Anderson, a 21-year-old electrical engineering major at MIT, has also designed a security system for his workshop that features sirens, flashing lights, and a digitally altered recording of his voice bellowing “Intrusion detected! Initiating auto-lockdown sequence!” and “releasing toxin into atmosphere!” Impressive stuff. But it’s not generating half the attention as his project for Professor Ronald L. Rivest’s Computer and Network Security class last semester. That endeavor, for which he earned an A, has gotten the fresh-faced senior from Beverly Hills, Calif., a visit from an FBI agent, an MBTA sergeant detective, nationwide press attention, and a starring role in a federal lawsuit.

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Santa Cruz firm GraphOn claims Google is using its Web technology - Santa Cruz Sentinel

GraphOn, a small Santa Cruz software company, claims Google Inc. is illegally using patented web technology in its various divisions including YouTube, AdWords and Blogger sites. The company filed suit Thursday in the Eastern District of Texas federal court alleging ongoing violations of four patents. The technology in question involves the way a company maintains automated and network databases. GraphOn seeks a permanent injunction as well as unspecified monetary damages. The suit is the latest in a series of patent infringement suits filed by the company in recent years.

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Hundreds sued for sharing video games - Times Online

As many as 100 people suspected of illegally sharing computer game files over the internet are to be sued for copyright infringement, it emerged today. A London-based law firm said it would launch legal proceedings on behalf of the computer game publisher Topware Interactive after a woman was fined £16,000 for illegally sharing a pinball-themed game over the web. The woman, who has not been named, was forced to pay £6,000 of damages and £10,000 in costs to Topware after she was found to have uploaded the game Dream Pinball 3D to the internet and distributed it using file-sharing networks.

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Student Files Are Exposed on Web Site - New York Times

The Princeton Review, the test-preparatory firm, accidentally published the personal data and standardized test scores of tens of thousands of Florida students on its Web site, where they were available for seven weeks. A flaw in configuring the site allowed anyone to type in a relatively simple Web address and have unfettered access to hundreds of files on the company’s computer network, including educational materials and internal communications.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 10:10 am and is filed under Entertainment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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