Ha sho! Mistah Birr Gatesuh Makey Big Hong Kong Phuey

The Chinese government is currently testing its own homemade computer with a domestically developed CPU and Linux. The computer will sell around $250 with monitor and keyboard. The specs look pretty good for a developing market machine. Bill Gates will be less than pleased because it is not an x86 chip (Intel) but one based on the MIPS instruction set which means no installing of Windows. I'd say thats a win for China. As a congratulatory present, I am mailing you my Trusted Platform Module so you can keep track of those dissidents.

I look forward to the advertising campaign. "Comrade! Your Getting A Mao!"

Read Full Story Here

Whuuuh oh

Oh snap. It is ON! It seems a whole lot of little European countries are ganging up on little ol' Apple, Inc. So what could this actually mean? Quite a lot actually; last year when France pulled this same thing , Apple threatened to close the Apple Music store altogether in France. This shouldn't surprise anyone though. Of course the Northern Europeans want to be able to file share. File sharing is probably the most socialist act a majority of this country participates in.



Apple DRM is illegal in Norway, says Ombudsman

The Netherlands Consumers Union's Take

Apple DRM is Called Out in Germany and France

Just Don't Poke Robert Mueller

This story, to me, is a little creepy. It seems the CIA is trolling on facebook for the next Jack Bauer. Remember when the Republican party asked the public to mail in suggestions for how to fix the war in Iraq? Well think the same thing except instead of sending in suggestions, it's having some intern at a gov't office looking for people who have Steven Segal movies listed as their favorites. Oh and people who have weapons training. Unless you're a foreign student, in which case you'll just be arrested.


via Wired News
CIA Gets In Your Face(book)

End of an Era

Well it looks like analog TV is going the way of the Dodo Bird and the phonograph. So for the 10% of this country (I'm looking at you, grandma) who still haven't adopted some sort of digital television, you have 2 years before having to pay $50 for a conversion to watch Matlock and Nova or whatever the heck it is that is still broadcast over analog TV (Sesame Street? Teletubbies?).

Broadcasters OK 2009 Analog TV Shutdown

*UPDATE*
House Republicans Propose Warning Labels for Analog TVs

thepiratebay Will not Seek to Buy Sealand

Earlier this week I posted a story about the plan of thepiratebay.org to buy control over the man-made island of Sealand

Apparently buying a sovereign nation and installing a company whose business model is the violation of international law isn't quite as simple as it sounds; especially when those who control said sovereign nation have "not been answering e-mails lately". So the folks over at thepiratebay.org will instead buy their own island and go through the process of seeking to establish their own nation. Interesting post from the captain of the torrent ship.

via buysealand.com
Time For Plan B

What the history books don't want you to know

For those who's history classes ended with the 2nd inauguration of Clinton, and were just itching to ask the teacher "Well what about the second Civil War where the Sons of Korhol broke off from the Terran Confederacy, what happened then?" this website is for you.

Starcraft Legacy

What is this site doing on a serious blog about Internet and Technology, I would offer to say that this game IS the Internet, or at least gave it a lot more legitimacy. IMHO.

Countries banning Skype, Vonage, others

Sounds like the phone companies, and the government officials they're "supporting" aren't too keen on this whole VoIP movement. A couple of American players, a couple of countries you might expect (Panama), and at least one that came as a surprise to me. The Caribbean is generally pretty open in their legal system.

via VoIP-SOL
10 ISPs and Countries known to have Blocked VoIP

Francis Crick used LSD

Well this isn't quite a technology story and not quite a law story, but it is on the internet (1 out of 3 ain't bad). Just goes to show that the law clashing with technology isn't always government regulations and major corporations; sometimes it's just a brilliant scientist wanting to expand his horizons, and a government wanting to limit them.

via Mayan Majix
Nobel Prize genius Crick was high on LSD when he discovered the secret of life

It is time to replace the stairs to the internet with a ramp?

I read this while skimming Wikipedia and it caught my eye. Apparently someone across the pond thinks that all websites should be able to be read. How bout with maybe a nice soothing voice? Or you could pick from multiple voices? That would be great.... Oh right, Macs already do that, no modification to the internet necessary. Okay okay, so some of you may be saying "but what if they don't have a Mac"? Well, then maybe they should change these sites. I'd like to see the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation paying to implement this across the net. Cheers.


via WikiNews
UK Firms Encouraged to Make the Web speak

Apple v. Cisco

So while the rest of us were in an enthralled state of bliss at the announcement of the iPhone, the folks over at Cisco Systems were calling up their lawyers. For those of you unaware, Cisco (via it's brand Linksys) has its own "iPhone", released a few months back. No fancy touch screen, no iChat SMS, heck it's not even a cell phone. It's just your average VoIP phone, but that name sure is catchy. Lately there have been a lot of quips going back and forth concerning the merits of the forthcoming infringement suit. Below I've linked to some of the more interesting responses. I don't think there's much chance Apple is going to rename their product, but they may have to cut Cisco a hefty settlement check. What do you think? Bueller?

Does Cisco Miss Out Due to Prior Art?

Apple says Cisco lawsuit is "silly"

Cisco lost rights to iPhone trademark last year, experts say

Just in case you have litigious neighbors

Well looks like some people just don't like to share. A Singapore teen has been convicted of stealing a neighbors WiFi connection. It might scare people into leaving their neighbors networks alone, but I don't know if anything could be as fun as trying to guess your neighbors wireless password on the first day you move in.

via Yahoo News
Singapore Teen First to Be Sentenced for WiFi stealing

Resistance: Fall of Boy

So some lawmakers are seeking to prevent all sales of mature (rated "M") games to minors by keeping them in an area completely inaccessible to minors. Well that ought to raise the demand for these games about 1000%. I thought the whole reason we put those ratings on the games in the first place was to alert the parents of the nature of the game and make an informed decision, not to facilitate Big Brother deciding moral standards for gamers. True, not all kids are mature enough to handle zombie killing, but don't they deserve the chance to try?


via Game Politics
Proposed New York Law Would Block Sale of Violent Video Games

XM being sued by the record companies for trying to help customers

The gist of this lawsuit is that because XM allows users to store songs on their devices while listening to them in order to hear them again later. No 3 day or 3 play limit like the Zune either. The RIAA thinks this is not so good, since the customers only paid to hear them on the radio. Man this is dumber than when Madonna sued that 16 year old for making a mix tape by holding a cassette recorder up to the radio speaker.

via Engadget
Judge Rules in Favor of RIAA, XM ready for Battle

iTunes Music Store = Monopoly?

This is an interesting claim. The plaintiff is claiming that because iTunes songs only work on iPod devices, Steve Jobs and co. have created a monopoly which restricts consumer freedom of choice. Argument sound familiar? That's because someone pursued almost the exact same claims in France last year, leading to the threats of closing France's Apple Music Store.

via The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
iTunes-iPod Linkage cause in another US Lawsuit

The New A(ntitrust)T&T

Okay so the last few months I've felt like I was losing my mind when it comes to AT&T. Did AT&T just restructure their way back to the monopoly that started their break up to begin? No, it couldn't be... well, maybe? Does this mean that AT&T and not Cingular will be releasing the iPhone? R.I.P. Cingular, we hardly knew ye. Well enough with the confusion, allow Stephen Colbert to clear it all up.


via youTube

Pirates of the Sealand

Well looks like the ever popular torrent site, thepiratebay, will be moving its operation to Sealand, a small (and I mean very small, click the link for a picture) man-made island nation. Looks like any attempts to litigate against them for their blatant disregard for copyright law will face a steep international law issue. I wonder if their lawyers get to wear eyepatches...

via Engadget
The Pirate Bay Eying Sealand To Escape Digital Persecution

A win for cable customers, finally

Looks like cable companies aren't going to be able to force their second hand set top boxes on customers anymore. Great news for those Slingbox or computer TV users.

via Engadget
FCC Unties Cable Boxes From Cable Companies

Apple stole visual voicemail too?

This article is really interesting, and quite direct. Seem the author firmly believes Apple has been stealing patents like its as hip as having an iPhone and that they're going to face some serious litigation. My guess? Steve can just bribe any judges with iPods and an iPhone

via The Register
Apple Infringes on Citrix With Visual Voicemail

Microsoft teams up with its old friend DRM once again

Looks like Vista will follow suit with the Zune and disable user freedom again, this time via CableCARD. My guess it is that it'll follow suit as a complete business failure as well.

via Engadget
Microsoft's CableCARD DRM

Here's Looking at You, Tom

Looks like MySpace is finally going to be held accountable for their facilitation of statutory rape. Looks like they're going to be held accountable for even more than that, with these sexual assault cases. This could set an interesting precedent.

via The Boston Globe
Families of Abused Daughters Sue MySpace

Your Father May Be Guilty of Some Light Hacking

These guys stopped traffic at 4 intersections for a few days and here they are facing felony charges. This article makes them sound like they had all kinds of malicious intent, it'll be interesting to see what a court does with it.



via LA Times
2 deny hacking into L.A.'s traffic light system