p2pnet World Headlines – Aug 20, 2009
Scrap the CRTC, petition urges CBC
An online petition to dissolve the CRTC has attracted hundreds of signatures in the wake of the regulator`s ruling against independent internet providers last week. The petition, at dissolvethecrtc.ca and on Facebook and Twitter, had more than 440 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon. The site was started Saturday by Mike Lerner, a 23-year-old Ottawa software company employee, who was frustrated by a decision to allow Bell Canada to institute usage-based billing on its wholesale internet customers. [Comment: Last I saw it was over 1000 now. Thumbs up.]
Xbox 360 Failure Rate Is 54.2% SlashDot
The Seattle PI Blog is reporting that a soon to be published Game Informer survey finally shows the failure rate of XBOX 360s: 54%! The survey also shows the rates of failure for the PS3 (11%) and Wii (7%). Impressively, only 4% of respondents said they wouldn`t buy a new 360 because of hardware failures.
[Canadian] Copyright reform survey what do you think? Slaw
With the copyright reform hearings and public input now in full gear, I thought it would be interesting to get a feel for where readers are at with this issue. So I created this quick, clearly unscientific poll Take the survey
Lawyer: FBI Paid Right-Wing Blogger Charged With Threats Wired
The e-mails are legitimate, said Orozco. The FBI approached Turner, now 47, in 2002, and he spewed rhetoric about politics, white supremacy, immigration, abortion and other hot-button issues for years in exchange for government cash.
Three strikes you are out [Singapore] Straits Times
The authorities are studying a new way to pull the plug on unauthorised downloads: terminating Internet access of hardcore pirates who refuse to quit despite repeat warnings. If such a law is adopted, the pirate could get three warnings if caught downloading illegally. Do it again and the authorities will get the Internet service provider (ISP) to cut off Internet access. [Now add Singapore to the list of countries who believe Hollywood and the Big 4 music labels are in charge - Jon]
Defunct Airport Fast-Pass Company Banned From Selling Customer Biometrics Wired
Clear, the now-defunct airport security fast-pass company, was ordered Tuesday by a federal court judge not to sell the biometric data it collected from hundreds of thousands of customers. They had each paid $200 a year for membership in a program to speed them through airport screening lines.
Accused credit card hacker lived large Canoe
Industry analysts marveled at the scope of the operation â which Gonzalez allegedly dubbed Get Rich or Die Tryin`. One compared it to a hackers` version of the 1980s gangster movie Scarface.
More Bars, Less Security, in More Places: AT&T can`t keep out script kiddies Crunch Gear
There`s a guy named Kevin Mitnick who, once upon a time, was public enemy number one when it came to computer crime. Mitnick has turned over a new leaf and is now a computer crime consultant and, apparently, his disloyalty to the script-kiddie credo has made him a target for hackers. These hackers are attacking Mitnick`s account with relative impunity and posting his account info almost daily. As a result, his webhost and AT&T have knocked him off their networks. As Kevin notes:
Why Does Lego Get To Stop Spinal Tap From Using Lego Video? Tech Dirt
Spinal Tap, who is putting out a new DVD, where they thought (correctly) that it would be cool to include a fan-made video of one of their hits, Tonight I`m Gonna Rock You Tonight. The video was made by a then 14-year-old and was a stop-action video involving a lego version of the band and its fans: Lego objected to some of the words in the song and denied the use of the video on the DVD
Philip Ginthor Appointed Sony Austria GM Billboard
Ginthör added: The Austrian market has a big creative potential and therefore I am looking forward to the cooperation with a lot of new Austrian artists.
The Empire and the Robots [Reflections by Fidel Castro] Cuba News
By 2008, approximately 1.5 trillion dollars were invested in defense budgets. The US spends 42% of world expenses in this area 607 billion- – not including war expenses, while the number of people who go hungry in the world has reached the figure of 1 billion . While the United States is spending such huge figures in killing technology, the president of that country is sweating buckets trying to bring health services to 50 million Americans who don`t have them . He added that the story is clear, that every time health care reforms seem closer on the horizon, special interests fight with everything they`ve got applying their leverage, launching publicity campaigns and using their political allies to scare the American people . The lobbyists in Congress make their profits working against a simple law intended to provide medical care to tens of millions of poor people, mostly blacks and Latinos who lack it. Even a blockaded country like Cuba has been able to do it and is even cooperating with dozens of countries in the Third World. If robots in the hands of the transnationals can replace imperial soldiers in the wars of conquest, who will stop the transnationals in their quest for a market for their artifacts? Just as they have flooded the world with automobiles that today compete with mankind for the consumption of non-renewable energy and even foods converted into fuel, so too they can flood the world with robots that would displace millions of workers from their workplaces. Better yet, scientists could also design robots capable of governing; that way they could spare the US government and Congress that terrible, contradictory and confusing work. No doubt they would do it better and cheaper. Fidel Castro Ruz August 19, 2009 3:15 p.m. [Comment: Funny that the topic of Cuba, Castro and "The Corporation" came up earlier in a post today and now this... Figured it was worth adding. Strange coincidence.]
Evolving Robots Learn To Lie To Each Other Fux
With the development of killer drones, it seems like everyone is worrying about killer robots. Now, as if that wasn`t bad enough, we need to start worrying about lying, cheating robots as well. In an experiment run at the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems in the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale of Lausanne, France, robots that were designed to cooperate in searching out a beneficial resource and avoiding a poisonous one learned to lie to each other in an attempt to hoard the resource [Comment: Robot culture in the making]
Joseph Gutnick scores meeting after donating to [AU] Labor News AU
A multi-millionaire mining magnate had a proposal fast-tracked and scored a meeting with Anna Bligh after donating to the campaign of a local Labor MP Three months later, Mr Gutnick`s proposal won the right to be assessed through the Expedited Mining Projects process and avoided the need for a lengthy environmental impact assessment. [Comment: Ah]
Australian media group rejects Amazon`s Kindle The Register
Antipodean publisher Fairfax Media has decided against putting its newspapers onto Amazon`s cash cow, claiming the proposed deal was too biased in the book selling giant`s favour. The report comes courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald, who should know as the paper is one of half a dozen Australian titles owned by Fairfax. According to the paper, Amazon`s demand for 30 per cent of the revenue and ownership of the subscription list was too much for the publisher, who`s more interested to see what Apple can pull out of its hat next year.
Futuristic Tales of the Here and Now graphic novel now on DSi, Android, iPhone BoingBoing
The Robot Comics folks have been industriously converting my Creative Commons licensed IDW graphic novel, Cory Doctorow`s Futuristic Tales of the Here and Now (which collects six of my short stories adapted to comics form by an array of talented writers and editors) to a multiplicity of mobile phone platforms This is all under the auspices of the CC license and all the resulting comics are free
Pioneering Internet `Detox` Center Looks to Cure Online Addicts [Voices] BuzzNewsRoom
If you answered yes to any of those questions, you may have an Internet addiction. But now there`s help. [Comment: I can see Jon "Danger Man" Newton being forced to go to internet re-education camp. 
]
China launches defense website in transparency bid Reuters
The aim of the Defense Ministry`s website is to let the outside world know about China`s defense policies and show off the good image of the military`s powerful, cultured and peaceful forces, says a welcome message.
Bill Henderson: Voluntary music file-sharing fee would benefit songwriters and fans Straight
The Songwriters Association has proposed a way to do just that. It would be voluntary for consumers, voluntary for songwriters and rights holders, and it would be administratively light. A small fee from file-sharers would be collected and distributed on a pro rata basis to all the creators and owners of the music shared. The amount of the fee would be set by the copyright board, which would hear from all the major stakeholders including consumers, and, as long as a person isn`t sharing for financial gain, paying the fee would authorize the activity.
Stop writing about exploding Apple gadgets The Inquirer
Gutterwatch: Reporter tells hacks to leave Jobs` Mob alone – APPLE`S TAME PRESS is demanding that hacks stop writing stories that are bad for Apple. Arik Hesseldahl, writing for Businessweek, finally crossed the line of being simply pro-Apple and moved into the realms of covering up Jobs Mob`s mess. For those who came in late, Apple has been having a problem with exploding Iphones and Ipods lately. Although, for Apple, it is not so much a problem with the devices blowing up, as much as the fruit-themed toy-maker wanting people to stop reading about their products blowing up.
Irish ISP To Block Access To Pirate Bay SlashDot
Irelands oldest and largest ISP will be blocking access to the pirate bay from September 1st while other ISPs have rejected the request to block TPB. From the Irish Times: `Under an out-of-court agreement with EMI Records, Sony Music, Universal Music and Warners in January, Eircom agreed to cut off customers found to be repeatedly downloading music illegally. The deal also required Eircom to cut off access to Pirate Bay if requested. Yesterday, cable TV operator UPC, which has more than 120,000 broadband subscribers, announced it would not comply with a request to block access to Pirate Bay`.
Marc – p2pnet
August, 2009
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August 21st, 2009 at 8:29 am
It looks like it is picking up steam
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/08/20/crtc-dissolve-petition-telus.html