M&M’s World Headlines: Jan 20, 2009
Yesterday, we ran our first post from M&M, who live on the other side of Canada from p2pnet’s base on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
Says the male half the M&Ms, “I just wanted to let Jon’s readers know that if there is something they don’t like, or if there is something they would like to see more of, then PLEASE do let us know,” going on »»»
By education and employment I am a scientist. So science topics holds a special place with me (ie the topic on new AU species discovered). If you don’t like the odd science discovery, then by all means voice your opinion (maybe I’ll listen, maybe I won’t).
We (the Best wife in the world and I) are scowering the ether looking for stuff Jon hasn’t covered. This isn’t easy as Jon puts out so many articles a day on his own.
Feel free to flame us or let us know what you like and don’t like.
We are trying to find a bit of everything that fits general purpose.
TY for any critical feed back. We depend on you, the reader for input.
If you like or don’t like the news round-up’s done by us, feel free to voice your opinion. After all we are volunteering our time doing this for you, the readers, and to give our good friend Jon a bit of time off.
Its our way of saying thanks to Jon for all the effort he puts in, and all the effort in opening eyes.
We don’t want to waste your time and our time giving you something that you believe has no entertainment/learning value.
So over the course of the week, please provide critical feedback, flames enjoyed.
If you would also like to volunteer your precious time, then please do MSG Jon. If you would like to the help with these news round-ups, we can work something out.
Cheers,
M&M
P2Pnet.net volunteers.
:p
[Someone asked what kind of scientist M was. 'Chem,' he said. 
Now, on with M&M's World Post II ]
FCC Doesn’t Like Comcast’s New Treatment of VoIP Karl Bode, DSLreports
While a lot was made of the FCC’s investigation and Comcast’s shift to a “protocol agnostic” network management system, the FCC order didn’t actually punish Comcast, came with no fine, offered no new guidelines, didn’t request they do anything they didn’t plan to do voluntarily, and might not even be enforceable in court. While the FCC had been quiet since Comcast’s transition, the dispute may not yet be over. According to a new letter (pdf) [refer to link], the FCC is surprised to learn that Comcast’s new system impacts competiting VoIP products, but doesn’t degrade the quality of Comcast’s own Digital Voice service.
»»»
Vietnamese Authorities Rein In the Country’s Vigorous Blogosphere Washington Post
Vietnam’s government has issued several decrees in recent months to curtail blogging, as the number of Internet users soars in the communist country. The campaign started in August, when the government published an edict giving police broad authority to move against online critics, including those who oppose “the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” and undermine national security and social order. “People are looking to blogs for news they can’t get in the mainstream media,”…
»»»
Bush shoe man in Swiss asylum bid BBC
Muntadar al-Zaidi has been in custody in Iraq awaiting trial since the incident during a visit by Mr Bush to the country in mid-December. Since his arrest, the Iraqi has reportedly been beaten in custody, suffering a broken arm, broken ribs and internal bleeding, his older brother Dargham told the BBC last month. Mr Poggia said he had been contacted by Mr Zaidi’s family and was drafting a letter to the Swiss foreign ministry requesting its assistance in granting him political asylum.
»»»
Boy, 8, becomes youngest IT professional UK Telegraph
An eight-year-old boy has become the world’s youngest IT professional after passing an exam with Microsoft.
Marko Calasan, from Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, has become the world’s youngest certified computer system administrator. “I’d like to be a computer scientist when I grow up and create a new operational system,” he said.
»»»
Largest Danish ISP Blocks The Pirate Bay Torrent Freak
TDC, Denmark’s largest ISP and owner of most of the cables, has decided to block access to The Pirate Bay. TDC took the step following an earlier decision made by a Danish judge who ordered another ISP, Tele2, to do the same. The case is currently under appeal, but TDC decided to block the BitTorrent tracker as a precaution. For the IFPI, this is just the beginning. They have already tried to use the ruling to force ISPs outside Denmark to take similar measures, even attempting it on The Pirate Bay’s home ground, Sweden. However, this attempt failed. In fact, it seems that filtering traffic to The Pirate Bay is actually illegal according to European law.
»»»
Despite economic downturn, Canadian consumers spend big on video games Canadian Press
Canadian spent a record $2 billion on video games last year, fuelled by a $500 million pre-Christmas spending spree in December. ales including hardware, software and accessories totalled $2.094 billion in 2008, up 32.7 per cent over the previous year when $1.578 billion was spent, according to the NPD Group which tracks the industry. Despite the economic downtown, December sales were a whopping $502.8 million – up 27 per cent from the same period last year when sales were $396 million. The NPD Group figures do not include PC gaming. The video game industry enjoyed another year to remember in 2007 – the first full year that all three next-generation consoles were on the market – when sales were up 56 per cent from the previous year.
»»»
Naked man escapes flaming tanning bed (Or, Buns Well done :p) National Post
Jason Viles was in the bed at Millenium Tanning Salon when something didn’t seem right. He heard a pop, saw some flames and knew he had to get out. CBC Quoted him a saying, “I had no idea it was going to burst, you know, into flames,” he said. “I was just thinking, ‘Oh my God, what’s going to happen?’” Unable to lift the lid, he had to push a stereo out of the way to push himself through a one-foot opening in the bed to get out. He then alerted staff member Jennifer Weber. Viles suffered minor burns on his stomach.
»»»
Australian writer Harry Nicolaides has been sentenced to three years in a Thai jail for insulting the monarchy BBC
Australian writer Harry Nicolaides has been sentenced to three years in a Thai jail for insulting the monarchy.
Nicolaides wrote a novel four years ago, which contained a brief passage referring to an unnamed crown prince. It sold just seven copies. He admitted the charge of insulting the royal family, but said he was unaware he was committing an offence.
Thailand’s monarchy is sheltered from public debate by some of the world’s most stringent “lese-majeste” laws. Shackled in leg irons, and wearing standard-issue prison pyjamas, Nicolaides pleaded guilty to the charges against him at Bangkok’s Criminal Court on Monday. He was quickly found guilty, with a judge telling the court: “He has written a book that slandered the king, the crown prince and Thailand and the monarchy.”
January , 2009
Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It’s really easy!
Subscribe to p2pnet.net | | rss feed: http://p2pnet.net/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://p2pnet.net/index-wml.php
Net access blocked by government restrictions? Use Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto. Go here for details.
January 20th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Jon, here is a tip for you:
http://torrentfreak.com/sweden-considers-police-action-against-file-sharers-090120/
Swedish file-sharers have previously been protected from police action, since any offenses they commit do not generally carry a prison sentence. Now, the government is considering new legislation which will give the police powers to go after regular file-sharers, even if their actions were previously only punishable by a fine.
Now, according to a Dagbladet report, Minister for Justice Beatrice Ask will receive a report from the police this Friday, which will recommend that they should be able to investigate file-sharers whose actions would have previously only been punishable by a fine.
January 20th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
By the way, you can e-mail Beatrice Ask, Minister for (in)Justice, to express your love towards Sweden:
http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/7567 (click “email to Beatrice Ask” on the right)
You can also express your despise towards the government of Sweden – after all, THEY are not working for the benefit of their constituents, as evidenced here:
http://thepiratebay.org/blog/125
January 20th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
And if you run out of words, go here:
http://thepiratebay.org/lovetpb.php
take the text and modify it for your letter.
DO NOT use the form on The Pirate Bay, or the government of Sweden will IGNORE YOUR LOVE. Instead, send your LOVE letter from here:
http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/7567 (click “email to Beatrice Ask” on the right)
January 20th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
The article about games doing great despite of the economic downturn, is a reflection on the market. A market the excludes music from the home. Oh it isn’t that music isn’t being listened to, it’s that this is the end result of a combo of factors.
Those items contributing to the ending of music as a major entertainment factor in favor of games:
Payolla, where replay city is the theme of the day but new music isn’t heard, unless it is on the favored list trying to push it to the top 10.
High prices of major label music. Argue all you want about inflation and its equivalency in today’s money but I look at the price and think I bought such on vinyl for such and such and look at the price today.
The actions of sue’em all. Not many products you can buy, be treated as crap for the buying, and then told what you can not do with it after spending your money on it. Also not many products you can buy and then be taken to court over them.
The forgotten idea that when you buy something you should be able to use it in anything you own. Compatibility is a forgotten item when it comes to music. In the effort to limit usage DRM has killed compatibility when it comes to the player of your choice to use it in. Why buy what you can’t use at home, on the computer (if that is the player of your choice) or the vehicle?
The announcement that the physical container is on the way out. IE the cd or dvd in favor of the digital download that costs nothing in the terms of a way to get it to you. The cheaper method does not interpret to one of savings for the customer but rather a way to keep the price the same for less.
Quality of the digital download is not acceptable to the audiophile. In the end it is fine for the cheap player but with quality equipment the missing parts are deafening in their lack of ambiance.
Even in the modern world of today, there are people that don’t do computers nor the internet. It’s not like you can walk into a store if you don’t do computers and just buy digital music. When the format does change to totally digital downloads, that class of buyer will be excluded. This will reflect in future plunge in sales.
There is not enough bang for the buck in present music. It has no long term life in that sales will go on for years and years. Today’s music is picked as much by a computer saying it is similar enough to the last greatest to be a hit, resulting in music that has become homogeneous and far less thrilling or notable. In the heyday of music, albums could be expected to stay top sellers in the top 10 for sometimes a half a year. Today it is lucky if it makes the top 10 for a quarter of a year at best.
Today’s musicians are performers, not truly musicians. Remember all the foo-fa-rah over lip synch and performances last year? The sound engineers could not understand what the problem was with the buying pubic for concerts with lip synch. It’s been going on long enough in the music biz that it’s accepted standard practice; only the public was not informed of this as an ongoing practice. They think when they buy a ticket they are going to see a live performance of the artist actually doing what they do before their eyes. Why else buy a ticket?
On the whole I think that big music’s problems are they have finally managed to get the message to their potential customers about copyright, money, and being asses. They’ve not only turned on their best customers but any possible ones and in some cases taken them to the cleaners with the sue’em. That word has gotten out and less and less want anything to do with music and the majors under the present conditions. They’ve managed to alienate an entire generation from their products.
The one way they have done much better is through games. Its been commented on that games are starting to turn more income for them than movies. The public sees games as more bang for the buck with more entertainment to it than just music.
When the times get lean enough, we may see a change to the attitude of big music. I am not holding my breath for this to happen. I went on boycott with the start of sue’em all. I took a wait and see on the announcement of their stopping sue’em all as I could not see that happening when they were shopping for a replacement for MediaSentry. Why would you need a replacement if the intention was to cease?
January 20th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
hah point made!
Clear channel and Warner Bros. are laying people off now due to the economic times.
I bet it gets blamed on file-sharing.
January 30th, 2009 at 11:19 am
Hey Jon?
There’s a link missing in the first item:
“According to a new letter (pdf) [refer to link], the FCC is…”