*HOT* Tech News And Downloads, I Would Read This Thread And Post Any Good Info

Flash drives recalled in fire hazard

They can overheat

By our Cooking Correspondent: Thursday 06 July 2006, 19:18
THE US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said that Lexar's Jump Drive storage devices have been recalled because of potential fire hazards.

According to the CPSC, Fremont firm Lexar is recalling the JumpDrive Firefly and Secure II products because they can overheat.

No injuries have been reported, but the high speed flash drives - of which 66,000 units have been sold in the USA, could cause problems.

The Firefly drives were sold at a number of web outlets and brick and mortar outlets between April and May this year. The JumpDrive Secure II 1GB drive was sold through Fry's.

People should stop using the recalled products immediately and get in touch with Lexar for a gratis replacement.

The CPSC advice page is here. µ
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06205.html




Lexar JumpDrive® Computer Storage Devices Recalled for Burn Hazard, Certain Models Involved
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Lexar JumpDrive® FireFly and 1GB Secure II

Units: About 66,000

Manufacturer: Lexar Media Inc., of Fremont, Calif.

Hazard: The recalled JumpDrives® FireFly and Secure II products could overheat, posing a risk of burns to consumers and property damage.

Incidents/Injuries: No incidents or injuries have been reported.

Description and Models: The recalled drives are high speed flash drives used to store, transfer and carry data from one computer to another. This recall only includes Lexar JumpDrive® FireFly which is sold in various colors, and Lexar JumpDrive® Secure II 1GB which has a metallic silver housing. “Lexar” is embossed on the front of the plastic housing and the capacity is marked on the back. The part number is located on the FireFly’s packaging, and on the back of the Secure II 1GB drive.

JumpDrive® FireFly
Capacity Part Number
256MB (red) JDFF256-431RU
JDFF256-264
JDFF256-445RU
512MB (lime green) JDFF512-431EM
1GB (blue) JDFF1GB-431TO
2GB (black) JDFF2GB-431BK

JumpDrive® Secure II 1GB
Part Number
JDSE1GB-00-500 Rev H and 3052-1GBA-2006
3052-1GBA-2106
3052-1GBA-1906
3052-1GBA-1806

Sold at: The recalled JumpDrive® Firefly drives were sold at discount department, office supply, and electronics stores, and by Web retailers, including www.lexar.com, between April and May 2006 for between $30 and $110. The recalled JumpDrive® Secure II 1GB drive was sold exclusively at Fry’s Electronics in May 2006 for about $80.

Manufactured In: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled JumpDrive® Firefly and Secure II devices and contact Lexar to receive a free replacement product.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Lexar at (800) 248-2798 anytime, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.lexar.com


Send the link for this page to a friend! The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.asp. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

 

MPAA ant-piracy flic parody,...

p2p news / p2pnet: Q: What the hell is this?

It's a FAQ for Abuse of Power, a parody of the MPAA's anti-piracy video you're forced to watch every time you rent a commercial DVD, and ...

"This is just our small way of saying 'f@@k you, MPAA'," say the makers of Abuse.

And the FAQ goes on:

Q: Can I get a copy?

A: The video can be downloaded in various formats from the Internet Archive -- show it, share it, burn it, we don't care.

Q: What about copyright?

A: What about it? Our video is published under a Creative Commons license that allows you to do pretty much anything you want. If you're worried about protecting the so-called intellectual property of the media corporations that originally broadcast some of the images we used, then you should log out and go to work for the MPAA.

Q: What are you trying to prove?

A: The tools and networks of the digital age offer great potential for participation, sharing and creativity, but media conglomeration and expanding copyright protections threaten our ability to speak using those tools. We need to educate ourselves about copyright law and resist the efforts of organizations like the MPAA and RIAA to curtail the rights of media consumers.

Q: And you think you can do that with a crap-ass 45-second video?

A: No, but we're not alone. The conventional wisdom is that things will only change when there is movement on three fronts: law, technology and popular practice - we hope this video will encourage others to become more active as users, creators and remixers of existing media.

Say no more.

No.

Go here or here to check Abuse of Power, then go here or here for the MPAA video.
http://ia301217.us.archive.org/1/items/Abuseofpower/AbuseofPower.mov
http://www.p2pnet.net/stuff/AbuseofPower.mov

Then say more ...

And, "If you like this video, please feel free to circulate it, copy it, remix it or make your own!" say the creators.
http://www.youwouldnt.net/DIY.html

"Decide who the real pirates are. Learn more about alternatives to corporate domination of media. Resistance is not futile!
http://www.youwouldnt.net/copyleft.html

Digg this.

Also See:
didn't adequately disclose - Microsoft sued over WGA, June 29, 2006
CNET News - Microsoft faces second WGA lawsuit, July 5, 2006

p2pnet newsfeeds for your site.
rss feed: http://p2pnet.net/p2p.rss
Mobile - http://p2pnet.net/index-wml.php

(Thursday 6th July 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/9281

 

good morning all on me 1st cup of coffee...

notelease do not complain about the coffee.
You'll be old and weak someday, too!


ROOT KIT HOOK ANALYZER..........RootKit Hook Analyzer is a security tool which will check if there are any rootkits installed on your computer which hook the kernel system services. Kernel RootKit Hooks are installed modules which intercept the principal system services that all programs and the operating system rely on. If any of these system services are intercepted and modified it means that there is a possibility that the safety of your system is at risk and that spyware, viruses or malware are active .....(free).....GO THERE!
http://www.resplendence.com/hookanalyzer

 

CAFFEINE ADDICT'S QUIZ
----------------
by Chris Gahan

Do you want to know if you suffer from "Alertness Deficit
Disorder" (ADD)? Then just take this simple quiz. These questions
will help us to determine whether or not you suffer from this
terrible affliction; the only known cure for which is caffeine.
ADD takes the lives of millions of Americans, hundreds of Canadians,
and a handful of Ugandans every year. If that doesn't scare you,
let's just say that you are more susceptible than anyone else.
YES, YOU! If you suffer from this disease, missing just one trip
to Starbucks could be FATAL.
The following series of Yes/No questions will allow us to
determine your Addiction Factor(TM). Keep track of the number of
Yes and No answers you get and chart yourself at the end. Remember:
Prevention is the best medicine. Or was it laughter? Either way,
read on.

1. Do you use coffee to escape from your problems?

2. Do you eat spoonfuls of instant coffee because it's easier?

3. Have you ever woken up in a puddle of your own coffee?

4. Do you find that it's easier to drink more coffee than go to
sleep?

5. a) Have you ever drunk cold coffee?
b) Right out of the pot?

6. Do you spend more than 20% of your income on coffee and/or
coffee related products?

7. Does your coffee cup resemble a beer stein?

8. Has anyone ever told you that you "have a problem"?

9. Do you need coffee:
a) ...to get up in the morning?
b) ...to get out of bed?
c) ...to be injected intravenously to stimulate blood-flow?

10. Do you own a "Coffee Helmet"? (For the culturally ignorant,
a coffee-helmet is a hat with coffee-cups attached to it and
a straw coming out of each cup leading to the mouth, used for
hands-free drinking.)

11. Do Native North American Aboriginal Indian Peoples call you
"Ona mac towanda" (Smells-like-coffee)?

12. Does your doctor measure your heartbeat on the Richter scale
as well as by its frequency?

13. Have you ever sold personal or other people's possessions
just to get your fix for the day?

14. Does the phrase "swiss water decaffienated" strike terror
into your heart?

15. a) Do you have a coffee maker in more than one room of your
house?
b) ...in more than five?
c) ...in your bathroom?

16. a) Do the people at Second Cup refuse do give you free
coffee cards anymore?
b) ...because you're wearing out their hole-punch?
c) ...and it's bad for the environment?

17. Do you grind your own coffee?

18. Do you grow your own coffee?

19. Have you ever been fired from a job because you're "drinking
their profits"?

20. a) Do you know Juan Valdez?
b) ...and his donkey?
c) ...intimately?

21. Do you salivate uncontrollably whenever you hear dripping
water?

22. a) Is sleep a hobby of yours?
b) ...that you don't like?
c) ...because it's too frustrating?


--------------+
Response Ratio| Addiction Factor(TM)

==================================================================
Yes | No | Analysis:

==================================================================
20-22 | 0-2 | You are a well-rounded member of society with a
| | love for life and you are very wise.
-------+------+---------------------------------------------------
17-19 | 3-5 | You are a slightly jagged member of society,
| | Life's okay but it could be better and you are
| | relatively naive.
-------+------+---------------------------------------------------
0-16 | 6-22 | What are you, some kinda nature-freak
| | tree-hugger!? Coffee's not good enough for you,
| | huh? Here, have some more TOFU! How about some
| | ALFALFA TEA?!?
-------+------+---------------------------------------------------

 

Oh Lordie! I've got a foot in the grave ... and a coffee maker there too!

 

Windows genuine disadvantage
A step too far?
Page: 1 2 3 Next >
By Mark Rasch, SecurityFocus
Published Friday 7th July 2006 11:19 GMT

Comment A recent lawsuit filed against Microsoft should have all companies reexamining their privacy policies to determine what information they are actually collecting about customers and what they can possibly do with it.

What would you call a computer program that surreptitiously installed itself onto your computer, collected personal information about you without your knowledge or effective consent, was difficult or impossible to remove, installed pop-up banners that constantly harassed you, and presented significant security vulnerabilities?

If you were Los Angeles resident Brian Johnson, the answer would be simple. You'd call it Windows. Or more specifically, it's the anti-piracy software download known as Windows Genuine Advantage.

His class action lawsuit (PDF court documents available in linked article), filed in US federal District Court in Seattle, Washington on June 26, 2006, alleges that the Microsoft software violates California and Washington State privacy laws, consumer protection laws, and anti-spyware laws.

The outcome of the case may well dictate how companies package software, and more particularly how they promise privacy. This will apply not only to software companies, but also to any company that, either knowingly or not, collects certain "personal information" about visitors to its websites.
Genuine advantage?

In April 2004, with much fanfare, Microsoft announced a new program to protect the consumer from...well, from themselves. Ostensibly an anti-fraud program, the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program was marketed as a means for individuals to determine whether the software on their system (that is, only the Microsoft OS software) was properly licensed.

In theory, the target for this program was people who bought computers with OEM Microsoft software which, unbeknownst to them, was not appropriately licensed. In theory, people who downloaded or obtained software off the web kinda knew or suspected that their free copy of Windows XP Professional might not be legitimate.

The WGA program was not really a consumer protection program. It was actually designed to protect Microsoft itself from people obtaining unlicensed copies of its Windows (tm) operating system, and forcing them to obtain actual licensed copies of the OS.

If you were the victim of fraud, and had unknowingly obtained a copy of the OS without a license, Microsoft's software did not help you obtain redress against the seller of the computer or OS. It merely offered you a mechanism to repurchase the software, at full price, from Microsoft itself.

Presumably, the consumer who obtained a perfectly functional computer from an OEM manufacturer at a fair market price (well, lets assume a slight bargain) was now given the opportunity to give Microsoft more money to prevent piracy.


go here to read it all
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/07/wga_disadvantage/

 

Blu-ray, HD DVD DRM busted,

p2p news / p2pnet: The Big Four record label and Big Six movie studio cartels are hoping their already eye-popping profits will be further enhanced by the new Blu-ray and HD DVD formats.

DRM is short for Digital Restrictions Management or C.R.A.P., as ZDNet's David Berlind prefers to call it.

The term is, "often confused with copy protection and technical protection measures (TPM)," says Wikipedia. "These two terms refer to technologies that control or restrict the use and access of digital media content on electronic devices with such technologies installed."

On Blu-ray and HD DVD, "For fear of piracy, Hollywood had the developers install a cornucopia of copy prevention mechanisms on them," says Heise Security, going on:

"For instance, the film data on the disks are protected by means of the Advanced Access Content System (AACS). Digital output only reaches the monitor via connections encrypted by means of High Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP). This copy protection chain is designed to ensure that no unencrypted data can be grabbed."

But, surprise, surprise, "this security chain has a giant hole," says the story. "Computer magazine c't has discovered that the first software players running on Windows XP allow screenshots of the movies to be created in full resolution. To do so, you only need to press the Print key on your keyboard while the movie is running."

Does this remind you of anything?

When BMG tried to claim its music CDs were protected by SunnComm's MediaMax DRM software of Sony BMG spyware infamy, about 10 seconds later, they appeared on the p2p networks.

SunnComm had bragged, "CD copy protection robustness tests were performed to determine the security level of the product against unauthorized copying of the digital content. This was completed using a large set of Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh computer systems in tandem with many of the known ripper programs available on the market today. The PMTC determined that none of the ripper programs used in the testing process was able to produce a usable unauthorized copy of the protected CD yielding a verifiable and commendable level of security for the SunnComm product. 'Completing this external testing phase for our product was a crucial step toward large- scale deployment of protected MediaMax CDs,' said Eric Vandewater, SunnComm’s Chief Technology Officer. 'The technology we’ve developed to provide content security was accomplished without sacrificing user playability or functionality,' Vandewater concluded'."

BMG's Velvet Revolver Contraband release came with anti-copying software from SunnComm, said Princeton's Alex Halderman who discovered, "It can be bypassed by holding the shift key every time the disc is inserted, turning off autorun before using the CD for the first time, or manually disabling the driver software as described below."

Back to the Heise Online story, the Blue-Ray and HD DVD screenshot function, "could then be automated to produce copies of HD movies both from Blu-ray Discs and from HD DVDs picture by picture" and, "As c't calculated, the performance of current PC systems is sufficient for a clean recording using this procedure.

"Once a pirate has all of the individual pictures, they can be put together to create a complete movie and mixed with the audio track that is grabbed separately."

This latest DRM bust affects Sony's first Blu-ray PC Vaio VGC-RC 204 and Toshiba's first HD DVD notebook Qosmio G30, says the story. Both use special OEM versions of Intervideo's WinDVD player software.

"When asked to comment, Toshiba confirmed the security hole found by c't, which affects the computers already sold, and announced updates for the player software and graphics card driver," says . The fix, "should disable the screenshot function".

"According to Toshiba, however, the original WinDVD version does not violate the security stipulations in the AACS LA," says Heise Online.

"Toshiba therefore does not expect the first WinDVD version to be blocked by an update of the AACS key. By switching the keys, which would be necessary for new HD DVD movies, the AACS LA could force users to update their software, thus closing the copy protection hole.

"The next edition of c't, which goes on sale on Monday, July 10, describes this security hole and its effects in greater detail."

When will they learn that DRM is a crock?

Anything which can be seen or heard can be copied by one digital or analog means or another AND, 'consumers' are a whole lot smarter than the people who run the cartels.

End of story.
http://p2pnet.net/story/9288

 

Google Video player beta out for download
Posted by Dan Bell on 07 July 2006 - 01:30 - Source: Google

Looks like Google has a video player and by reading some reviews over at BetaNews, it seems that it is being well received there. So why not try out this player and let us know what you think? It's FREE!
Google Video player features:

* Watch videos downloaded from Google Video
* Browse scenes within a video using thumbnails
* Skip to anywhere in the video, even if that portion hasn't downloaded yet
* Sit back and watch videos in full screen mode
* Resume video downloads automatically

"Skip to anywhere in the video, even if that portion hasn't downloaded yet" Whoaaa!
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13646

get it here
http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/Google_Video_Player/1119891976/1

 

ABC wants fast forward controls removed from DVRs
Posted by Dan Bell on 07 July 2006 - 18:50 - Source: Media Daily News

ABC has held discussions on the use of technology that would disable fast forwarding through commercial breaks. In essence, disabling the fast forward button of a recording device. ABC President of Advertising Sales Mike Shaw had this to say:

"I would love it if the MSOs, during the deployment of the new DVRs they're putting out there, would disable the fast-forward [button]," Shaw said.

While MSOs risk losing some of their DVR customers if fast-forwarding were blocked, Shaw said the cable operators--who are beefing up their own local ad sales operations--"are in the same business we're in." "They've got to sell ads too," he said. "So if everybody's skipping everybody's ads, that's not a long-term business model for them either."

Shaw also threw cold water on the idea that neutering the fast-forward option would result in a consumer backlash. He suggested that consumers prefer DVRs for their ability to facilitate on-demand viewing and not ad-zapping--and consumers might warm to the idea that anytime viewing brings with it a tradeoff in the form of unavoidable commercial viewing.

Make sure to read the Media Daily News article in it's entirety if you would like to read the other thoughts that this gentleman from ABC has put forth. He has some theories that are a bit off the mark when it comes to consumers desires and wishes. It seems he is living in a different world as a pitcher of ads, rather than being the receiver. But, he must find a paradigm that allows the television ad based model to continue in a profitable manner.

In the case of a DVR, yes it is true that we like to watch TV shows when we want, rather than when they are broadcast. But, due to the mind numbing amount of commercials that are included with each and every broadcast, there is no way I would watch anything that did not allow the skipping of commercials. A 90 minute movie now takes around 3 hours to watch if you were physically able to sit through the ads. Often, there are critical scenes removed from a show, in order to keep it at that length! It completely destroys the primary purpose of the broadcast, which is entertainment for the end user.

Another good use for a TiVo is to make sure you are not in a commercial induced trance and miss the forecast for the weather. The stations first draw you into a near catatonic state with the explanation of what the heck happened in the weather during the day, as if you don't remember. Then they hit you with a string of commercials. Then, all of a sudden, they show the forecast for the entire week for a total of 8 seconds. This is when I need my TiVo to stop, rewind and freeze the forecast so I can absorb it, whilst I regain my senses. Then I turn off the TV, wondering why I simply didn't just check the Internet instead.

If TiVo was stripped of the ability to fast forward through commercials, I would drop it in a heartbeat. Any decent TV series or movie, will come out on DVD and these can be rented quite cheaply sans commercial breaks.

The only solution that makes sense, is to simply use placement type ads within the shows, (this is already quite common) that way, there is no way to miss the product endorsements. It is already an issue however, for writers of certain series, as they are being pressured to include references for products so frequently into the script, that it is making it hard to dovetail them into the storyline. It's amazing that with all the ad placements within a show, that every several minutes the shows must be stalled for a barrage of annoying and ineffective 20, 30 and 60 second spots, broadcast at an increased sound level. I guess they need to crank the volume for those of us that are headed to the fridge for another drink or snack. They know we're not watching the darn thing!
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13650

 

Universal prepares to launch basic CDs to compete with iTunes
Posted by Seán Byrne on 08 July 2006 - 02:33 - Source: The Register - Hardware

Consumers who use iTunes for purchasing music are probably aware that while the album pricing may only be £7.99 per album, one thing iTunes lacks is the CD inlets, never mind the actual CD or other extras. Universal Music Group now aims to bring consumers back into the shops using a similar idea by launching basic "no-frills" CDs that compete with iTunes' pricing, have no more than a simple cover in the jewel case.

Their plan will target back-catalogue releases rather than recent titles and pricing will be €9.99 (under £7 in UK) a title. They will also continue to offer regular priced versions that come with the extras, along with a double-pack version that includes a DVD for €19.99. These basic no-frills type CDs will be introduced across Europe and the UK from September.

Both Universal and BMG have trialled basic CDs in Europe before with Universal selling over 3 million of these last year during their test phase, but while they originally aimed to compete with illegal file sharing back then, Universal's plan now is to compete with the growing iTunes market. It is unclear at this time if Universal's basic CDs will incorporate copy protection, however if this is not the case, they will make a good competitive alternative to iTunes, especially if the CDs can be ripped to put on the iPod. Thanks to GristyMcFisty for letting us know about this news:

Universal Music Group is to bring no-frills CDs to the UK in a bid to match the iTunes Music Store's price point. The scheme targets old, back-catalogue releases rather than new or recent titles.

According to a report in the Guardian newspaper, Universal will split its CD line-up into three format. The cheapest series is expected to retail for just under £7. The CDs will ship in a simple card slip cover with no booklet.

The new format will be introduced across the UK and Europe from September. The other two are the standard jewel-case package and a double-pack which bundles as DVD with the CD.

Some further info can also be read on Guardian.

Even if the basic no-frills CDs were priced the same as the iTunes tracks, there would be several advantages to the CD over purchasing it via iTunes. The first obviously is having the music on a physical format, where as with iTunes one must write their own discs from the albums they purchase if they want a hard copy. Next would be sound quality, since iTunes uses a ‘lossy’ compressed version of the CD. Should the consumer decide to sell their music later, these CDs can potentially be sold second hand, where as music from iTunes cannot, even if written to CD. Finally, the pricing of CDs are not fixed, which means that it is possible for Universal to sell discs for what ever price they choose, unlike iTunes where one is forced to pay the fixed price of £7.99 or €9.99 per album on the UK and European stores respectively.
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13651

 

GOOD MORNING


ENCRYPTION PACK FOR MS OFFICE..........MS Office offers a simple way to protect a document by using a password entry. This provides a basic security for MS Word, Excell documents (.DOC, XLS, PPT) from unauthorized access. But security specialists do not recommend to use build-in MS Office security features. Take a walk around Google and you can find as many MS Office password crackers as you like. Here's how to protect MS Office documents using strong encryption.....(free).....GO THERE!
http://www.rohos.com/encryption-pack/


Applies to: Microsoft Office 2000/XP (MS Word, Excell, PowerPoint tools)





Published : July 15, 2005

Summary: MS Office offers a simple way to protect a document by using a password entry. This provides a basic security for MS Word, Excell documents (.DOC, XLS, PPT) from unauthorized access. But security specialists do not recommend to use build-in MS Office security features. Take a walk around Google and you can find as many MS Office password crackers as you like.

Here's how to protect MS Office documents using a strong encryption (AES 256 bit).

What is Encryption Pack ?
Telsain developed a free and easy solution that add strong encryption feature to MS Office for protecting Word, Excell, PowerPoint documents by password entry. Using our Encryption Pack you can share and work with stored documents, and e-mail attachments, in a secure manner (supported: .doc, .xls, .ppt files).
This software installs a two buttons into MS Word (Excell, etc.) toolbar to work with encrypted documents.

Features list:

1. It is conveniently integrated into Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, Power Point (plug-in). Using a Save encrypted / Decrypt and Open buttons allows working with encrypted documents from any MS Office application.
2. 256 bit encryption is supported - means that information stored in a file cannot be recovered in reasonable time by intruder.
3. Supports Double click from Folder Browser (Explorer) to open and edit encrypted documents instantly.

How it works ?

go here to find out
http://www.rohos.com/encryption-pack/

 

L.A. Police to Use GPS Laser Tag in Car Chases
By Matthew Phenix

posted: 08 July 2006
10:19 am ET


Los Angeles, car capital of the country, is notorious for its epic police chases. O.J.-style pursuits may make for exciting TV, but the fatality statistics are sobering: Police chases kill, on average, one Californian every week.

Now the Virginia-based company StarChase has proposed a safer way to catch fast- moving crooks—shoot GPS homing devices like darts and stick them to the back of fleeing vehicles. Instead of a frantic pursuit, an officer eases off the chase and lets police headquarters track the suspect by computer.

Police can then move in for a calmer arrest.

The StarChase system, which the Los Angeles Police Department will test this fall, consists of a laser-guided launcher and a miniaturized GPS tag complete with a radio transmitter and a blob of gummy adhesive. Once stuck to its target, the tag begins transmitting coordinates to a server through an encrypted cellular network.

Computers superimpose the GPS data over a map that allows dispatchers to track the vehicle's every move.

The LAPD trials will last five months. If all goes well, the department could purchase as many as 20 units by this time next year.

 

Enuf is Enuf: Some Peepl Thru with Dificult Spelingz
By Darlene Superville
Associated Press
posted: 07 July 2006
11:22 am ET

WASHINGTON (AP)—When "say,'' "they'' and "weigh'' rhyme, but "bomb,'' "comb'' and "tomb'' don't, wuudn't it maek mor sens to spel wurdz the wae thae sound?

Those in favor of simplified spelling say children would learn faster and illiteracy rates would drop. Opponents say a new system would make spelling even more confusing.

Eether wae, the consept has yet to capcher th publix imajinaeshun.

It's been 100 years since Andrew Carnegie helped create the Simplified Spelling Board to promote a retooling of written English and President Theodore Roosevelt tried to force the government to use simplified spelling in its publications. But advocates aren't giving up.

They even picket the national spelling bee finals, held every year in Washington, costumed as bumble bees and hoisting signs that say "Enuf is enuf but enough is too much'' or "I'm thru with through.''

Thae sae th bee selebraets th ability of a fue stoodents to master a dificult sistem that stumps meny utherz hoo cuud do just as wel if speling were simpler.

"It's a very difficult thing to get something accepted like this,'' says Alan Mole, president of the American Literacy Council, which favors an end to "illogical spelling.'' The group says English has 42 sounds spelled in a bewildering 400 ways.

Americans doen't aulwaez go for whut's eezy—witnes th faeluer of th metric sistem to cach on. But propoenents of simpler speling noet that a smatering of aulterd spelingz hav maed th leep into evrydae ues.

Doughnut also is donut; colour, honour and labour long ago lost the British "u'' and the similarly derived theatre and centre have been replaced by the easier-to-sound-out theater and center.

"The kinds of progress that we're seeing are that someone will spell night 'nite' and someone will spell through 'thru,''' Mole said. "We try to show where these spellings are used and to show dictionary makers that they are used so they will include them as alternate spellings.''

"Great changes have been made in the past. Systems can change,'' a hopeful Mole said.

Lurning English reqierz roet memory rather than lojic, he sed.

In languages with phonetically spelled words, like German or Spanish, children learn to spell in weeks instead of months or years as is sometimes the case with English, Mole said.

But education professor Donald Bear said to simplify spelling would probably make it more difficult because words get meaning from their prefixes, suffixes and roots.

"Students come to understand how meaning is preserved in the way words are spelled,'' said Bear, director of the E.L. Cord Foundation Center for Learning and Literacy at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Th lovery's larjest teecherz uennyon, wuns a suporter, aulso objects.

Michael Marks, a member of the National Education Association's executive committee, said learning would be disrupted if children had to switch to a different spelling system. "It may be more trouble than it's worth,'' said Marks, a debate and theater teacher at Hattiesburg High School in Mississippi.

E-mail and text messages are exerting a similar tug on the language, sharing some elements with the simplified spelling movement while differing in other ways. Electronic communications stress shortcuts like "u'' more than phonetics. Simplified spelling is not always shorter than regular spelling—sistem instead of system, hoep instead of hope.

Carnegie tried to moov thingz along in 1906 when he helpt establish and fund th speling bord. He aulso uezd simplified speling in his correspondens, and askt enywun hoo reported to him to do the saem.

A filanthropist, he becaem pashunet about th ishoo after speeking with Melvil Dewey, a speling reform activist and Dewey Desimal sistem inventor hoo simplified his furst naem bi droping "le'' frum Melville.

Roosevelt tried to get the government to adopt simpler spellings for 300 words but Congress blocked him. He used simple spellings in all White House memos, pressing forward his effort to "make our spelling a little less foolish and fantastic.''

The Chicago Tribune aulso got into th act, uezing simpler spelingz in th nuezpaeper for about 40 years, ending in 1975. Plae-riet George Bernard Shaw, hoo roet moest of his mateerial in shorthand, left muny in his wil for th development of a nue English alfabet.

Carnegie, Dewey, Roosevelt and Shaw's work followed attempts by Benjamin Franklin, Daniel Webster and Mark Twain to advance simpler spelling. Twain lobbied The Associated Press at its 1906 annual meeting to "adopt and use our simplified forms and spread them to the ends of the earth.'' AP declined.

But for aul th hi-proefiel and skolarly eforts, the iedeea of funy-luuking but simpler spelingz didn't captivaet the masez then—or now.

"I think that the average person simply did not see this as a needed change or a necessary change or something that was ... going to change their lives for the better,'' said Marilyn Cocchiola Holt, manager of the Pennsylvania department of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

Carnegie, hoo embraest teknolojy, died in 1919, wel befor sel foenz. Had he livd, he probably wuud hav bin pleezd to no that milyonz of peepl send text and instant mesejez evry dae uezing thair oen formz of simplified speling: "Hav a gr8 day!''

 

Music download sales soar in US
Posted by Dan Bell on 10 July 2006

Even though I refuse to this day to purchase tracks from online services, due to the DRM and the lossy compression,

At the time when millions were using Napster to illegally download MP3s, before the advent of iTunes and other legal download services, many justified their actions by declaring they were not about to shell out for an entire CD as they were not worth the money

go here to read it all
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13656

 

Ireland,
I'm sure I speak for many of us here at AD by saying that the informative articles and helpful links you provide for us are much appreciated. A man as busy as you can't possably have time to make his own coffee,so I thought perhaps you might be interested in one of these->

 

boxwrench
thank you
and
thank ye for coffee....




Speaking your mind in Canada

p2p news / p2pnet: It's now general knowledge, online, that p2pnet is being sued for libel.

But what's really important is the precedent-setting case points up, vividly, the dangers ancient laws which automatically assume guilt present to Freedom of Expression in Canada, even in the digital 21st century.

They're so draconian that, "people come from all over the world to file libel suits," as Jeffrey Shallit, a professor at Canada's University of Waterloo, emphasises on his web site.

We'll drink to that. p2pnet is in British Columbia, Canada, but it's being sued from Australia. And if the lawsuit succeeds, it'll lock the law in and anyone from anywhere will be able to continue to victimize Canadian bloggers who have the temerity to post anything which can be said to damage a reputation.

Iron-clad libel rules may have made sense 500 years ago when British royalty wanted to stop the nobility from dueling by giving them a legal remedy against character slurs, says Shallit, but, "we don't live in the time of Henry VII any longer. Debate on political [or other] issues can't be robust and wide-open if the threat of a libel suit hangs over you".

p2pnet is being helped in the Kazaa Kase by well-known Canadian media lawyer Dan Burnett, a supporter and lecturer on freedom of expression issues. Please go here and here for more.

And an embryo movement to have Canada's libel laws revised and, ultimately, changed, has been born.

Meanwhile, though, even with Burnett working with, rather than for, p2pnet and editor Jon Newton, numerous other expenses remain, and to help raise awareness and funds, Canadian independent musician and record label owner Neil Leyton, long-time advocate for balanced digital copyright and internet freedom, is hosting a benefit concert at famous Toronto dinner and dance club The Rivoli on Saturday, August 5.

p2pnet will also be launching a unique Online Benefit Concert (OBC) coded by Jason Rohrer. It'll feature music donated by musicians from around the world. Visitors will be able to either download mp3 tracks for free, or donate as much or as little as they want to help pay for lawsuit expenses and, once the case is won, continue to promote the Freedom of Expression movement to have the libel laws revised and changed placing the burden on the plaintiff, not the defendant, to prove statements are false.

"Furthermore, let's exempt statements of personal opinion or belief, and force the plaintiff to prove that the statements were made with malicious intent," says Shallit.

You figure there's no way that can be achieved? Way.

Call it People to People Power - the Strength of the Net. Look what's been achieved so far around the world in a few short years solely because now we can all talk to each other whenever and wherever we want, totally by-passing the usual coms media.

In alphabetical order, the line-up for the benefit at The Rivoli so far includes Aceface; Peterborough singer/songwriter Dennis O'Toole; Lindy and Neil Leyton.

If you'd like to be in on the August 5, performance on, please contact Neil Leyton at nleyton@gmail.com or 416 721 3566. If you'd like to talk to Newton, email him at jon@p2pnet.net.

Artists who've so far donated tracks for the OBC include Lindy, Neil Leyton, Dennis O'Toole (Canada); blues singer/songwriter Maggie Council, Ten Mile Tide, MUTE creator Jason Rohrer who, not surprisingly, is also a passionate musician; Cold Joon (US); and Bongo Love (Zimbabwe).

We'll be including detailed notes on the tunes and the performers on the OBC, which Rohrer is in the process of coding. And we'll be posting a temporary html version within the next few days.

If you'd like to donate a track or two, which will also eventually be compiled into a benefit CD, please send it directly to jon@p2pnet.net, with a few biographical notes and a pic.

And if you'd like to contribute right now .....

Help p2pnet beat the lawsuit

Cheers! And although words don't even nearly do it, thanks ....
Jon

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(Saturday 8th July 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/9297

 

Another Sony DRM attempt

p2p news / p2pnet: "Hey, you guys over in Corporate Dreamland, if you can see something or hear it, you can copy it.

"Period. End of sentence. Finito. Full stop.

"And when we've paid good money to buy something, we own it. So enough with the DRM."

That's message consumers have been sending since the first time the Big Four Organized music labels tried, and immediately failed, to add Digital Rights Restrictions to 'product'.

Now Sony Corp is apparently trying it on with a DRM effort through which its hand-held games consoles would, “verify a disc as legitimate, register the disc to that particular game console, then wipe out verification data so the disc would be rendered unreadable in other PlayStations,” says the Los Angeles Times.

In one debacle after another, Warner Music, Vivendi Universal, EMI and Sony BMG have released so-called copy protected product, the culmination of their ignomy coming when the latter crassly tried to sneak music CDs loaded with spyware onto customers' computers. It wasn't only an insult to the people who keep the company fat and happy, it actually endangered the integrity of their systems.

And speaking of contempt for customers, no company has expressed (and continues to express) it more adequately than Apple with its so-called FairPlay iTunes DRM downloads, for which it has the effrontery to charge $1 and more and which, amazingly, some people willingly pay.

iTunes marks are very much in the minority. But still ....

Nor are the labels alone. Hollywood had hopes Blue-Ray and HD DVD would be part of the answer and as Heise Security revealed, "For fear of piracy, Hollywood had the developers install a cornucopia of copy prevention mechanisms on them".

But sadly, the long security chain has a giant hole which ultimately meant not merely cracked, but totally trashed DRM.

Meanwhile, not content with its terrible music spyware phk-up, Sony Corp is to the fore in the games world as well with technology that would, “prevent its PlayStation consoles from playing used, rented or borrowed video games - raising questions about whether the electronics and entertainment giant may attempt to redefine what it means to own something in the digital age,” says the LA Times.

It had, of course, already tried to do that with its hidden spyware. Now, “speculation over Sony's plans has sparked a furor online as game fans and consumer advocates fret that the company may incorporate it into the upcoming PlayStation 3 console, due to hit stores this fall,” says the story. “They worry that it would wipe out the $1-billion-a-year market for used games and could even prevent someone from playing their games at a friend's house.”

Game industry analyst Michael Pachter is quoted as saying he thinks Sony probably might not tighten software locks on PlayStation 3 games, instead using bolstered copy protection on other forms of entertainment downloaded to the console over the Internet.

"Maybe they'll copy protect movies or music downloads," he said, according to the story.

The new Sony DRM attempt, “illustrates the changing nature of ownership as millions of people accumulate vast collections of digital entertainment,” the LA Times, states, continuing:

“Few people realize that when they buy software, music or movies, they are actually buying a license to use, listen or watch. That's why it violates copyright laws for people to sell copies of their music collection.”

Really?

Sony's latest DRM idea also threatens another industry – resales, says the LA Times, adding:

“Used-game sales are a growing source of irritation for game publishers, which receive no proceeds from the resale of games. Executives privately complain that cheaper secondhand games are available for sale shortly after a new game's release; publishers, which give retailers marketing money to promote games, end up competing with discounted versions of their own titles.”

Stay tuned.

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Also See:
Los Angeles Times - Furor Over Sony Patent, July 10, 2006
giant hole - Blu-ray, HD DVD DRM busted, July 8, 2006

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(Monday 10th July 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/9299

 

Hilary Rosen's fancy footwork,

p2p news / p2pnet: Last month erstwhile RIAA chieftainess Hilary Rosen went in record saying not only that lawsuits against students had, "outlived most of their usefulness," but also that it was time for another look at DRM.

Now, in an interesting follow-up Q&A with Wired News' Eliot Van Buskirk, Rosen “clarifies” her earlier remarks stating, among other things, that what she said was, “it's a fair thing to question the ongoing value of the individual lawsuits now when there's so much opportunity in the legitimate marketplace. I think it's a fair thing to question: Have the lawsuits outlived their usefulness?”

Wired went on, “You seem to have said lately that DRM (digital rights management technology that prevents unauthorized copying) doesn't make sense to you anymore. What made you come to that realization?”

“I have long been an advocate of interoperability,” Rosen responded. “I mean, that was one of my original goals when we started the SDMI initiative in the '90s. I always thought that both security and interoperability were worthy goals, and I think people have really focused almost too much on the security part of it.

“When I look at something like iTunes and the success of the iPod, I just think how much bigger the online music market could be if there were interoperability among the various services and the various devices.… You can eliminate the DRM and essentially have sort of unprotected content sold everywhere. I'm not a particular fan of MP3 - I don't think it's as good audio quality - but, let's say you did AAC or something else.

“Obviously, Apple has a business strategy that says "proprietary" works for them. The record companies, I think, have tried to convince Apple to open up their system. I don't think that's been successful. The choice now is to either go unprotected so everybody has the same shot and the market expands, or to continue down what I think is an unfriendly path for consumers and the industry, because I don't think it's growing as fast as it can.

“I understand there's a rabid philosophy on both sides of this to protect or not to protect … and I actually am not that black and white about it. I think if people want to protect their content, and want to have a DRM or a business model that limits its distribution, that's okay. If others don't want to, that's okay too. That's why I like Creative Commons. It's all about choice. What I have focused on is what will most dramatically expand the music market at a time when device choices feel so limited and the service side is so underutilized.”

Rosen even has a word or ten on downloading in Canada

“Do you put any stock in the idea of taxing ISPs, sort of like what Canada has done?” - asks Van Buskirk. “I believe they have a tax there on equipment that enables people to download from P2P with impunity because they've paid this tax, though they still can't upload. Do you see that as a viable approach or is that not enough choice?

Rosen says answers she's not, “a big fan of the government taking over the licensing structure but I do think that the fact that we have very strong copyright owner rights in this country behooves all copyright owners to be as thoughtful about their distribution strategies as possible.”

But, she states, people ascribe more "evil motives" to the record companies or copyright owners than they deserve.

Evil motives to the RIAA? Perish the very thought!

“These people are not in business to lock up their content and make sure you never get it,” Rosen declares. “Their business is only successful if you actually want their content and want to buy it and distribute it, so I think that there is probably extra rhetoric on both sides of that.”

When Rosen, as boss of the RIAA, tried to carry the proposition, "This House believes that 'the free music' mentality is a threat to the future of music" during an Oxford Union student debate at Oxford University in Britain, she was soundly trounced. And music survived.



Stay tuned.

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Also See:
RIAA chieftainess - RIAA's Rosen on student lawsuits, June 6, 2006
Wired News - Hilary Rosen: Singing a New Song?, July 10, 2006
trounced - Oxford U and p2p file sharing, January 21, 2006

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(Monday 10th July 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/9303

 

Freeze p2p file share acccounts'

p2p news / p2pnet: The Big Four Organized Music record labels are demanding that two British ISPs freeze the accounts of almost 60 people thought to have shared music with each other online.

The BPI (British Phonographic Industry), owned by EMI (UK), Warner Music (US), Vivendi Universal (France) and Sony BMG (Japan, Germany), has been ferreting around by itself and now says it's found “unequivocal evidence of copyright infringement via their services”.

Forty-two C&W IP addresses and 17 from Tiscali, “have been used to upload significant amounts of music under copyright,” the BBC has the 'trade' unit saying, going on, “The BPI said it could identify the service being used but that only the ISPs know to whom the addresses belong.”

The US music industry tried to force telecoms companies to reveal the names of their customers allegedly using file-sharing networks to illegally share songs, but it lost a legal battle to do so in 2004, says the story.

It had a similar lack of success when it tried to do the same in Canada.

As things stand in the UK and elsewhere, the Big Four have to get court-approved subpoenas against John and Jane Doe ISP address holders, "which then can be served on ISPs, allowing consumers to challenge the claims before their names are disclosed," says the BBC.

Reuters quotes Tiscali as saying it doesn't automatically suspend customer accounts "on request," but does so, "on occasion following an investigation".

(Thanks, Ian)
http://p2pnet.net/story/9304

 

Burn slower or risk data loss, warns Microsoft

* 8 July 2006
* Dan Warne
* PC Hardware, Windows

dvd100.jpgMicrosoft has warned public beta testers to burn downloaded Vista ISOs to disc at speeds as slow as 1X or 2X in order to get a reliable burn.

It says a key reason behind installation failure of Vista is that many DVD burners cannot reliably burn a disc at high speed.

The interesting tidbit was included in the release notes for the interim update to Vista Beta 2 (build 5456.5; not publicly available) and sheds light on the magnitude of the problem of unreliable DVD burns:

When burning your DVD’s please do so at 1x or 2x and CRC them when done using the CRC utility posted on the Connect site. The customer experience improvement telemetry that we’ve been getting back on Beta 2 shows that not quite three quarters of setup failures are the result of a failure to read from the media. Testing shows that burning at slower speeds greatly increases the chances of a good burn.

It has been the subject of rumour for a long time that DVD burning is a risky way of backing up data, because the organic dye layers used in the disc are just that — organic. They decompose over time, so that patches of a burned disc may become unreadable.

But it has been difficult to get a picture for exactly how great the problem is: the CATS DVD analysers required to scientifically test burned DVDs are rare and incredibly expensive.

But this sort of data from Microsoft is helpful: statistical analysis on such a wide base of people shows that data integrity on optical discs is a significant problem, even as soon as a disc is burned.
http://www.apcstart.com/site/dwarne/2006/07/640/burn-slower-or-risk-data-loss-advises-microsoft