p2pnet World Headlines – Sept 2, 2009
TV networks get CRTC go-ahead to air more commercials Ottawa Citizen
Television viewers in Canada now get to pay a little bit more and might have to view more advertising courtesy of new cable and broadcasting rules that came into effect Tuesday. Conventional television broadcasters are free as of Tuesday to air as many advertisements as they wish, up from a maximum of 15 minutes per hour under the old system that died on Aug. 31. And beginning on their September bills, cable customers will start to see a new line on their monthly invoice amounting to a 1.5 per cent increase.
UK Plans To Link Criminal Records To ID Cards SlashDot
Privacy advocates have reacted angrily to reports that the government plans to link national identity records to criminal records for background checks on people who work with children and vulnerable people. Up to 11 million such workers could be affected immediately if the plan goes ahead.
Internet filtering a farce: Minchin Australian IT
The federal Opposition has renewed calls for the controversial internet censorship plan to be buried but the government says the scheme is moving ahead. Describing the mandatory ISP filtering program as a farce, Opposition communications spokesman Nick Minchin said that almost two years after coming to office with a plan to censor the internet, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy hasn`t even managed to release results for long overdue filtering trials. (He hasn`t) come close to actually implementing this highly controversial policy, Senator Minchin said. The nine internet service providers that have almost completed live trials of internet filtering technology are Unwired, Optus, Primus, Highway 1, Nelson Bay Online, Netforce, OMNIconnect, TECH 2U and Webshield.
Computer Repair Flowchart BoingBoing
[Comment: A must see. An interactive computer repair flow chart.]
Canadian Copyright Consultation submission from Tucows and David Weinberger BoingBoing
Canada`s copyright consultations are rapidly drawing to a close (you still have time to get your comments in) and the excellent folks at Canadian Internet giant Tucows (who also own Domain Direct and other tech businesses) have hired David Weinberger (author of Everything is Miscellaneous, Small Pieces, Loosely Joined, and co-author of The Cluetrain Manifesto) to write a plain-language, brilliantly argued submission. Weinberger explains how moderate copyright is better for creativity than the pervasive system favored by the American entertainment cartel.
Consumerist sued by Cash4Gold after critical blog posts BoingBoing
IANAL, but sure sounds like a SLAPP to me. Ben and Meg of Consumerist report that the consumer watchdog blog has been named in a lawsuit by an apparently allegedly reportedly purportedly sleazebag internet pawnshop. Above, all the proof you need: MC Hammer and Ed McMahon in the Cash4Gold Super Bowl ad. Snip: [Comment: See: The Article Cash4Gold Doesn't Want You To Read http://consumerist.com/5349663/the-article-cash4gold-doesnt-want-you-to-read
Privacy, Consumer Groups Want News Laws to Protect Web Users IT World
A coalition of 10 U.S. privacy and consumer groups has called for new federal privacy protections for Web users, including a requirement that Web sites and advertising networks get opt-in permission from individuals within 24 hours of collecting personal data and tracking online habits. [Comment: Someone better tell ZapShare!]
Should Google be a regulated utility under its Settlement? IPinfoblog
The Google Book Settlement (GBS) would give Google unprecedented power over hundreds of thousands of copyright owners and control of an asset that may become essential to 1) book publishers, 2) book authors, and 3) any entity that desires to operate a search or archive function regarding published books. The Settlement should not be approved unless it ensures all competitors and others access and fairly protects the copyright owners who were not represented at the settlement discussions and whose property is being stolen.
Male chicks ground up alive at egg hatcheries CBC
A U.S. animal rights group is calling on the nation`s largest grocery story chains to post warnings on egg cartons that unwanted male chicks are ground up alive, after videotaping the common industry practice at an Iowa egg hatchery. In letters sent to the companies this week, Chicago-based Mercy for Animals says its undercover videotape at Hy-Line North America`s hatchery in Spencer, Iowa, exposes one of the industry`s best-kept secrets â that the egg industry tears male chicks` bodies apart in grinding machines while they are still alive. The group wants the chains to include a label on egg cartons that says, Warning: Male chicks are ground up alive by the egg industry. [Comment: I think the video can be seen here (I didn't want to watch it): http://www.mercyforanimals.org/ I guess this gets a mandatory "May be disturbing" warning.]
Space crew unload Colbert treadmill Canoe
A pair of spacewalkers successfully tackled a hefty tank removal job at the international space station Tuesday as their crewmates unloaded comedian Stephen Colbert`s namesake treadmill for all those famously fat astronauts.
Group that represents Canadian songwriters suing company that operates XM Radio Canadian Press
A group that represents Canadian songwriters and music publishers is taking the company that operates XM Radio to court, alleging it has defaulted on its royalty obligations. CSI, the group launching the lawsuit, is a joint venture of the Toronto-based Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd., (CMRRA) and Montreal-based Society for Reproduction Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers in Canada (SODRAC). On Tuesday, they launched a notice of application in Federal Court against Canadian Satellite Radio Inc., the subsidiary of XM Radio. CSI alleges it is owed royalties dating back to 2005, when XM Radio first went on the air in Canada. The lawsuit did not specify the amount owed, saying the figures are confidential.
NFL bans tweeting before, during, after games CNet
The National Football League has had a love-hate relationship with social media. Some teams tweeted to fans while choosing players at the NFL draft back in April. But then last month, a few NFL teams told players they couldn’t tweet or text-message during a team function. On Monday, the league announced that it had modified its social-media policy to limit Twitter and social-networking use by players, coaches, league officials, and even the media. The NFL said that it will let players, coaches, and other team personnel engage in social networking during the season. However, they will be prohibited from using Twitter and from updating profiles on Facebook and other social-networking sites during games.
Gmail knocked offline for `majority’ of users Associated Press
Google Inc.’s Gmail service was knocked offline Tuesday in an outage that the company said affected a “majority” of its millions of e-mail users, including consumers who get Gmail for free and businesses that pay for a version for their employees. The disruption, which lasted under two hours, was a reminder of the growing dependence on Google’s technology. The free version of Gmail is the world’s third most-popular e-mail program with some 149 million users worldwide in June, ranking behind the free e-mail services offered by Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc., according to data from comScore Inc.
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
September, 2009
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