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

AllOfMP3's MusicForMasses DRM has been beaten already


Posted by Seán Byrne on 26 October 2006 - 00:12 - Source: Download Squad

Despite the controversial AllOfMP3 service aiming to do away with DRM, the Russian website recently launched a new ad-supported service called MusicForMasses, a service where one can download music free-of-charge to the hearts content, but with a catch of the music being DRM restricted and playable through the MusicForMasses player only. Well, it did not take long for a hacker to break the DRM and now the tool named as "MusicForMe" which strips the DRM has become public.

Like FairUse4WM for WMA and PlayFair for iTunes , this tool converts the DRM crippled files into ordinary MP3s, which can be played on any MP3 player. However, unlike these other two tools that can work with subscription services, this tool makes downloading music from AllOfMP3 no different to downloading music illegally from file sharing networks, since like downloading music via P2P, the user is not paying for the music and does not see the ads, obviously making it clear that the artists are losing out. Thanks to our system administrator Liggy for submitting this news: used our news submit to tell us
it didn't take long for someone to figure out how to get around MusicForMasses' DRM. The cheekily-named MusicForMe is a program that strips out whatever protections AllOfMP3 is using on its free MP3s and turns them into plain old MP3 files that you can play in the player of your choice.

In my opinion, this tool is definitely not as fair as the other tools for getting around WMA & iTunes DRM. For example, if consumers purchase tracks from iTunes, they should be freely entitled to listen to their music on what ever they like. However as AllOfMp3's MusicForMasses relies on ad-support to "fund" the cost of the delivering free music, by consumers stripping the free music they download and carrying it on an MP3 player, they effectively bypass the ads. As a result, this effectively cheats the system, since even if AllOfMP3 does the artists some of the ad-revenue it receives from its MusicForMasses software, no ad-revenue would mean nothing passed on to the artists.

Liggy added: MP3 flatrate for free. Nice one.
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/14185

 

DVD Shrink scams,

p2pnet.net News:- Question: What's DVD Shrink? Answer: Use it together with the DVD burning software of your choice to make back-up copies of DVD video discs.

You know, the kind of application the entertainment and software cartels don't want you to have?

It's an excellent piece of software, for one thing, and for another, it's free, and the movie, music and software monopolies have pumped a lot of time and money into trying to keep it out of your hands.

But it's not working and as CDFreaks explains, "DVDShrink is reporting that there are quite a lot of rogue companies out there selling DVDShrink or charging to download it, often disguised under other names such as 'DVDShrink 2007' to make it stand out from the official free version.

"The author warns consumers to watch out for the fake versions, particularly those shown in Google ads, as one should not be charged to download or use the software." [Our emphasis]

DVDShrink's creator can't host or link to his app directly because of legal issues in the US, the story points out, meaning would-be users, "have to search around for a website that does provide it. Unfortunately, those in a rush will often try the first results they see, such as the sponsored search results and thus may end up being cheated into purchasing freeware software, without realising this. Unlike software that is only available commercially, the author also loses out each time its software is sold, since it does not get anything out of the scammers either."

But if you paid for a copy, don't just leave it at that. Report it to the Internet Fraud Complaint Center.

And while you're at it, below is a set of questions produced by the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) during the summer. And you could, of course, add a few of your own

VIDEOS

1.The major movie studios have been enjoying some of their most profitable years in history over the past five years. Can you cite to any specific studies that prove noncommercial file sharing among fans, as opposed to commercial DVD piracy, has hurt the studios' bottom line in any significant way?

2.Is it legal for me to bypass CSS DVD encryption in order to skip the "unskippable" previews at the beginning of so many DVDs? Why should I have to be forced to watch these ads when I already bought the DVD?

3.Is it legal for me to skip the commercials when I play back time-shifted TV recordings on my TiVo or other PVR? How is this different than getting up and going to the bathroom?

4.Why are there region-code restrictions on DVDs? How does this prevent copyright infringement? Is it illegal for me to buy or and use a region-free DVD player, or to modify a DVD player to be region-free?

5.In several lawsuits, the MPAA has repeatedly said that it's illegal to make a back-up of a DVD that I purchased. Why is this illegal?

6.Is it ever legal for me to use software like DVD Shrink or Handbrake to rip a digital copy of a DVD I own onto a video iPod or my laptop? What if I want clips to use for a class report? Or if a teacher wants to include a clip in a PowerPoint slide?

7.Is there anything illegal about copying TV shows I’ve recorded off the air onto my video iPod?

8.If the MPAA-backed "broadcast flag" bill passes, I won't be able to move recorded TV content digitally to my current video iPod. Why should TV studios get to take away my ability to lawfully time- and space-shift?

9.Major entertainment companies have repeatedly brought lawsuits to block new technologies, including the VCR, Digital Audio Tape recorders, the first MP3 player, the ReplayTV PVR, and now P2P software. Why is your industry so hostile to new technologies?

10.Hollywood is pushing legislation to "plug the analog hole." These restrictions won't keep copyrighted video off of file sharing networks, but they will would block me from excerpting a recorded TV show for a school report or using tools like the Slingbox to send recorded TV shows to myself over the Internet. Why are you trying to restrict these legitimate uses?

MUSIC

1.The RIAA has sued more than 20,000 music fans for file sharing, yet file sharing continues to rapidly increase both online and offline. When will you stop suing music fans?

2.The RIAA has sued over 20,000 music fans for file sharing, who have on average paid a $3,750 settlement. That's over $75,000,000. Has any money collected from your lawsuits gone to pay actual artists? Where's all that money going?

3.The RIAA has sued over 20,000 music fans for file sharing. Recently, an RIAA representative reportedly suggested that "students drop out of college or go to community college in order to be able to afford [P2P lawsuit] settlements." Do you stand by this advice? Is this really good advice for our children's futures?

4.The RIAA said that it only went after individual file sharers because you couldn't go after P2P system creators. After the Supreme Court's Grokster decision, shouldn't you stop going after music fans?

5.Major entertainment companies have repeatedly brought lawsuits to block new technologies, including the VCR, Digital Audio Tape recorders, the first MP3 player, the ReplayTV PVR, and now P2P software. Why is your industry so hostile to new technologies?

6.DRM has clearly failed to stop songs from getting on file sharing networks, but it does prevent me from moving lawfully purchased music onto my iPod and other portable devices. Unlike the major record labels, many popular indie labels offer mp3 downloads through sites like eMusic. Why won't you let fans purchase mp3s as well?

7.The RIAA says that it doesn't mind if I rip CDs to my personal computer and put them on my iPod. Do I need your permission to do this or can I legally do it even if you object?

8.Recording off the radio is clearly permitted by copyright law and something Americans have done for over 25 years, but the RIAA supports legislation restricting devices that record from digital radio. Why are you against TiVo for radio?

9.Sony BMG recently implemented a DRM technology that damaged users' computers. But for independent researchers' analyses, this serious flaw may have gone undiscovered. After this scandal, will record labels allow any computer scientist or security expert to examine these products and agree not to sue them under the DMCA?


http://p2pnet.net/story_images/10231.jpg
Also See:
CDFreaks - DVDShrink.org warns about fake & scam versions illegally sold, October 25, 200

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

(Thursday 26th October 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/10231?PHPSESSID=c4a6fac6932d39dd136f29bd6b64b705

 

Finnish file sharers nailed

p2pnet.net News:- "Thanks to a little help from the Finnish clone of Big Music's RIAA, Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (Keskusrikospoliisi) has shut down the Finreactor site, one of the largest pages in Finland to list BitTorrent links.

"The Keskusrikospoliisi raided admins' homes today and seized computer equipment and storage media."

That was a p2pnet post from 2004 which added:

"The Keskusrikospoliisi apparently acted after receiving a request from Finnish copyright associations, including the BSA and Teosto (the Finnish equivalent of RIAA – Recording Industry Association of America)."

Now, four out of eight Finreactor admins have been ordered to pay damages totalling $60,000 each, says Torrentfeak.

Three of the four are under 18 and it's, "unclear how they are going to scrape together enough money to pay their fines, the story says, going on:

"It is sad to see under-age BitTorrent fans get sentenced in court. The reality is that the content industries have decided that they are going to sue to compete with illegal filesharing. However, if a phenomenon like filehsaring is taking place at such an extraordinarily large scale, maybe there’s something to it.

"Maybe we need to find a new business model. Either that, or soon fans aren’t going to have enough money to legally buy the content they normally would, let alone the stuff they’re 'pirating'."

Some 60 people throughout Finland are being charged in the Finreactor case, says yle.fi, adding, "they will all be tried in their own local courts."

Also See:
p2pnet - Finland's Finreactor raided, December 14, 2004
Torrentfeak - Underage Finnish BitTorrent admins fined $60,000 each, October 26, 2006
yle.fi - 22 Convicted for Illegal Internet File-Sharing Service, October 26, 2006

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

(Thursday 26th October 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/10235?PHPSESSID=f9c3f5a936b65e2a457c58c3e437f901

SOURCE FOR THE STORY
http://torrentfreak.com/underage-finnish-bittorrent-admins-fined-60000-each/

 

for creaky and all who use's this system..



Ubuntu 6.10 Released!!!
Posted by: Digital Dave on October 26, 2006 9:25 AM
For the Ubuntu fans in us all.

- ubuntu.com

go here
http://www.ubuntu.com/



Ubuntu is a complete Linux-based operating system, freely available with both community and professional support. It is developed by a large community and we invite you to participate too!

The Ubuntu community is built on the ideas enshrined in the Ubuntu Philosophy: that software should be available free of charge, that software tools should be usable by people in their local language and despite any disabilities, and that people should have the freedom to customise and alter their software in whatever way they see fit.

These freedoms make Ubuntu fundamentally different from traditional proprietary software: not only are the tools you need available free of charge, you have the right to modify your software until it works the way you want it to.
ubuntu definition

Ubuntu is suitable for both desktop and server use. The current Ubuntu release supports PC (Intel x86), 64-bit PC (AMD64), Sun UltraSPARC and T1 (Sun Fire T1000 and T2000), PowerPC (Apple iBook, Powerbook, G4 and G5) and OpenPower (Power5) architectures.

Ubuntu includes more than 16,000 pieces of software, but the core desktop installation fits on a single CD. Ubuntu covers every standard desktop application from word processing and spreadsheet applications to web server software and programming tools. Read more about Ubuntu on the desktop and Ubuntu on the server.

 

Is IE 7 Really More Secure Than IE 6?

ie7 Microsoft released its long awaited Internet Explorer 7.0 browser on Oct. 19. The free download allows Windows users to replace IE 6.0, which hasn't had a serious feature update since it first came out in 2002.

IE 6 has been a serious p.r. problem for the Redmond software company, producing a string of warnings -- seemingly every month -- that its code is vulnerable to drive-by downloads and other ills that can be exploited by hacker Web sites.

The good news is that IE 7 resolves many of these security weaknesses, some of which Microsoft never got around to patching in IE 6. The new version of the browser isn't perfect, however, so you still have problems to be aware of. Is IE 7 Really More Secure Than IE 6? Linked by shanmuga Wed Oct25 2006 11:21pm EDT

Is IE 7 Really More Secure Than IE 6?
October 24, 2006
By Brian Livingston

Brian Livingston Microsoft released its long-awaited Internet Explorer 7.0 browser on Oct. 19. The free download allows Windows users to replace IE 6.0, which hasn't had a serious feature update since it first came out in 2002.

IE 6 has been a serious p.r. problem for the Redmond software company, producing a string of warnings -- seemingly every month -- that its code is vulnerable to drive-by downloads and other ills that can be exploited by hacker Web sites.

The good news is that IE 7 resolves many of these security weaknesses, some of which Microsoft never got around to patching in IE 6. The new version of the browser isn't perfect, however, so you still have problems to be aware of.

The Advances in IE 7

IE 7 includes more security enhancements than can be described here. But a short list of the most important changes would have to include the following:

Better zone control. IE 6's "trusted sites zone" gives vast power to Web sites to install programs on visitors' machines and take other actions. As a result, IE 7 by default gives this zone only the same privileges as sites in the "Internet zone." You can easily increase the capabilities of trusted sites, but this requires some knowledge that the average user doesn't have. Another improvement is that the "intranet zone," which also gives elevated privileges to sites, doesn't exist in home versions of Windows. This opens up fewer opportunities for Web sites to pose as "intranet" sites.

• ActiveX opt-in. Many troubles with IE 6 over the past few years have involved "active content," usually in the form of ActiveX controls. This Microsoft-invented technology allowed Web sites to install code and do other nasty things on visitors' PCs. IE 7 by default doesn't run such code, protecting novices against attacks from untrustworthy sites.

• Phishing filter. Microsoft maintains a large database of sites that appear to be posing as banking sites to capture passwords from gullible recipients of "phishing" e-mails. IE 7 warns the user when the browser is visiting a site in this database. Surprisingly, the phishing filter is not enabled by default. You need to turn it on, which is simple because IE 7 invites you to do this the first time it's opened.

• Protected Mode. Available only when IE 7 is running on Windows Vista -- not XP or 2003 -- Protected Mode prevents Web sites from modifying system files or settings. This should provide users with even greater protection against rogue sites.

Several other security improvements reside under the hood of IE 7. For more information, see Microsoft's IE 7 Technology Overview.

The "First Security Hole" in IE 7

Much was made last week about the "first vulnerability" that was supposedly found in IE 7. There is in fact a vulnerability, but it's also one that's present in IE 5 and 6, which Microsoft has never corrected, although it's easy for you to work around it.

Denmark-based security firm Secunia reported on Oct. 19 that malicious Web sites could grab data from other sites that had IE 7 windows open. For example, if you happened to be logged in to your online banking application and concurrently visited a hacker site, the bad site could see information from your banking site.

Microsoft developers poo-pooed the weakness, saying in an Oct. 19 blog post that the problem actually exists in an Outlook Express component, not a part of IE 7.

I've examined this claim and find that IE 7 does have a real problem, regardless of whether the code being exploited is considered a part of Outlook Express. In addition, the SANS Internet Storm Center confirmed on Oct. 20 that IE 7 is vulnerable.

Secunia has posted a harmless browser test page that you can use to test your own copy of IE, and I urge you to do so. The firm also provides a description of the problem in two separate advisories: one for IE 7 and the other for IE 5 and 6.

I tested a workaround recommended by Secunia and found that it works. Use the Tools, Internet Options menu item in IE, select the Security tab, then change the Custom Level. Switch options to run ActiveX content to "Disable," then run Secunia's browser test again. After making this change to my copy of IE, the test no longer found that my browser was vulnerable.

Of course, no version of the Firefox browser has ever been vulnerable to the Secunia test. Until Microsoft closes this and other IE holes for good, Firefox gets my recommendation as the safest browser you can use to surf the Web.

Getting the Benefits of IE 7

Because some Web sites still require the use of Internet Explorer to function properly (or at all), every company should upgrade to IE 7 as soon as your tests indicate that it doesn't conflict with your line-of-business applications. By upgrading, you may be able to avoid some IE 6 problems when users unknowingly visit sites that attempt drive-by downloads or other shady tricks.

Microsoft will start offering IE 7 as a high-priority download as early as Nov. 1. Downloading the new browser is expected to be phased in over a period of several months to reduce the bandwidth demands on Microsoft's servers. If you discover that your company does have an incompatibility, however, you'll want to delay the downloads until you're fully ready.

If that's your situation, Microsoft provides an IE 7 Blocker Toolkit, which prevents the download from being offered to end users in the regular Windows Update process. It's also possible to use software such as Windows Server Update Services to prevent IE 7 from being offered. For more information, see Microsoft's IE 7 Automatic Updates announcement and Blocker Toolkit FAQ.

These tools won't prevent a determined end user from navigating directly to Microsoft's site and downloading IE 7 on his or her own initiative. But they will keep most end users from seeing an offer to upgrade to IE 7 in the first place -- until you give the all-clear.

Even if you rely on Firefox for most of your browsing, upgrading to IE 7 as soon as possible gives you a bit of extra assurance that at least you're not using the world's least secure browser (the one we know as IE 6).

An Executive Tech update

This column stated on Oct. 10, 2006, that Gratis Internet had reached a settlement in 2006 with New York State for selling 7.2 million Americans' e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and home addresses. In fact, a firm named Datran Media reached the settlement and paid a $1.1 million fine for knowingly purchasing the addresses from Gratis, in violation of Gratis's published privacy policy. A corrected version of the column is posted online.

Brian Livingston is the editor of WindowsSecrets.com and the coauthor of "Windows Me Secrets" and nine other books. Send story ideas to him via his contact page. To subscribe free and receive Executive Tech via e-mail, visit our signup page.

http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/columns/executive_tech/article.php/3639566

 

Lite-On IT goes to close own-brand consumer ODD business


Posted by Seán Byrne on 27 October 2006 - 00:19 - Source: DigiTimes Systems

Despite Lite-On's recent introduction of new HDD/DVD recorders featuring HDMI output, Lite-On has now decided that it is going to close out its own-brand consumer optical disc drive business, which mainly covers Lite-On branded set-top DVD recorders. This comes after the company reported very small net earnings per share during the 3rd quarter. However, they will continue its OEM/ODM production of these products.

According to Lite-On, its average gross margin dropped from 16.7% in the first half of the 2006 to just 13.2% during the last quarter as a result of acquiring BenQ's ODD business unit, research & development delays of various optical drives, such as Blu-ray and the significant losses involved in returned own-brand DVD recorders that were sold through the Wal-Mart chain, Lite-On's largest client of consumer DVD recorders. During this last quarter Lite-On will gradually liquidate its stock of consumer optical disc drives as well as the DVD recorder returns that were shipped through Wal-Mart. Thanks to our system administrator Liggy for submitting the following news:
Lite-On IT, the largest Taiwan-based maker of optical disc drives (ODDs), on October 25 reported its financial results for the third quarter of this year, posting a very small net earnings per share (EPS) of NT$0.033. The company also announced it has decided to stop production of consumer ODDs, mainly DVD recorders, to be sold under its Liteon brand in the global market, while keeping OEM/ODM production of such products.

It will be a real pity to see the end of Lite-On DVD recorders, especially with how widespread and popular these have been. But then again, as they will continue OEM/ODM production of its current consumer products, this will mean that its DVD recorders will still be available, but only rebadged under other brand names.

Liggy would also like to point out that we have a forum thread discussion about this, which can be accessed here.

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/14189

 

Update 16:43.
A moment ago Dutch Lite-On IT have communicated us that the source Article of DigiTimes contained an incorrect reproduction of the facts. The brand Lite-On is still alive. Lite-On will definatly not stop with selling dvd - and cd-burners under its own brand, thus spokesman Maarten Souren. Only the standalone dvd-recorders that are sold under the lite on brand, will be removed from the Lite-On-catalog according to him. The production of such standalones is in the hands of a separate Unit of the Taiwanese manufacturer, and that Unit is now exclusively used for Oem-production. The Populair pc-parts remain available in the stores. For BenQ-burners things are looking less good according to Souren, but also with the roll out of new technologies as Blu-ray the brand will get a chance

So it looks that Digitimes ones again has proven to be biased and quite unreliable as usual.

http://www.cdrlabs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=22465

 

VERY HOT...I WOULD SAY!!!!!!!!!!


Defendant doesn't want RIAA let off the hook

10/26/2006 2:13:36 PM, by Eric Bangeman

The RIAA has decided it wants to drop another copyright infringement case, but the defendant is fighting back. Warner v. Stubbs began like so many of the file-sharing cases. MediaSentry found shared music on Kazaa and the IP address was traced to Tallie Stubbs of Oklahoma. After settlement talks proved futile, Warner Bros., UMG, Sony Music, and Arista Records filed suit in the US District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma on July 25, 2006.

After "further investigation," according to a plaintiff's court filing, the record labels decided to dismiss the case. However, they requested that the case be dismissed without prejudice and with prejudice. Likely due to a typographical error, the distinction is important. Dismissal without prejudice means that the action can be brought again in the future. If a case is dismissed with prejudice, it cannot be refiled and the defendant may be named the "prevailing party" and be eligible for attorney's fees and court costs from the plaintiffs, which is what happened in the case of Capitol Records v. Foster.

When the RIAA decides to drop a case, it will file for dismissal without prejudice. If the motion is made prior to the defendant filing an answer to the complaint or a counterclaim, that's the end of the case. The RIAA extricates itself from a case it decided was unwinnable and the defendant is left holding the bag for attorney's fees. In Warner v. Stubbs, the defendant filed an answer and counterclaim seeking affirmative relief before the RIAA filed a motion.

One common thread in the Capitol Records v. Foster and the Warner v. Stubbs cases is the defendant's counsel, Marilyn Barringer-Thompson. After reading through the paperwork from the two cases, it's clear that Barringer-Thompson is playing hardball with the record labels. Ray Beckerman, who runs the Recording Industry vs The People blog and is representing other defendants embroiled in litigation with the RIAA, told Ars that it looked to him like the RIAA decided to cut and run when it saw who the opposing counsel was.

If Tallie Stubbs wins her motion for dismissal with prejudice, then she, too, will be considered the prevailing party and will be eligible for attorney's fees and other court costs from the RIAA. More importantly, it would put the RIAA in the position of having lost one of their file-sharing-related copyright infringement case—none of which have yet gone to trial.

Unfortunately, we don't know what transpired behind the scenes and why the RIAA wants to drop the case. What "further investigation" did the RIAA undertake with regard to the Stubbs case? Was it another case of mistaken identity? We contacted the RIAA for answers to these and other questions and were told by a spokesperson earlier today that the RIAA would be unable to provide answers because our questions "go to an element of legal strategy that we'll pass on detailing."

Should one of the file-sharing cases actually make it to trial, we may get definitive answers on a number of elements of the RIAA's legal strategy. Is an IP address and the name and address of an ISP subscriber enough to make a positive identification of who was doing the alleged file sharing and when? (We were reminded earlier this week that relying on ISP data is not foolproof.) Is a list of music files allegedly discovered by MediaSentry enough to prove infringement? Beckerman doesn't think so. The RIAA's actions indicate that they're not anxious to get a definitive answer either.
Further reading:

* Recording Industry vs The People
* RIAA drops file sharing case
* Record labels evasive about in-house use of file-sharing apps

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061026-8085.html

 

What DVD Jon's iPod crack means for you


Everybody's happy nowadays
By Andrew Orlowski → More by this author
Published Thursday 26th October 2006 15:21 GMT
Get The Register\'s new weekly newsletter for senior IT managers delivered to your inbox, click here.

Analysis As we reported three weeks ago, reverse-engineering specialist "DVD" Jon Johansen has decoded the encryption that locks down iTunes-purchased music - and he's formed a company to license this to all-comers. Now Johansen has reverse-engineered rival DRM formats, permitting encrypted songs purchased from Apple rivals to play on iPods.

The music business is likely to be rejoicing - it blames a market divided into incompatible DRM silos for the less-than-spectacular adoption of digital downloads. Despite all the hype, digital sales won't surpass CD sales until 2014, based on linear growth rates. And despite claims that they're being robbed into penury by "pirates", the music industry finds unexpected ways of profiting from its assets. The ringtone business, for example, grossed $75bn for operators last year - double the global revenue of the music industry.

And just in time for Christmas, Microsoft has added another new major DRM system that's incompatible with all the others, with Zune. The confusion might be minor, but so long as it remains, potential consumers will stay away.

GO HERE TO READ THE TOTAL ARTICLE

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/26/dvd_jon_fairplay/

 

What Halloween is Really About


By Heather Whipps
Special to LiveScience
posted: 26 October 2006
09:42 am ET


Christmas had better watch its back.

Halloween is creeping up on the December holiday in popularity and consumer spending, according to recent retail surveys. And the customs surrounding the ghoulish day are not just for little ones anymore.

Adult participation in Halloween is at an all-time high in the United States, with big kids dressing up as their favorite characters and partying into the wee hours like never before.

In an ironic twist, however, while more adults are getting into the act this year, some U.S. schools are putting the kibosh on Halloween celebrations altogether for the sake of political correctness.

A little something for everyone

Americans will spend almost $5 billion on Halloween this year, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF), a jump of more than a billion dollars over last year.

More grown-up participation in spooky festivities is a big contributor to the holiday's growth, experts say.

"Consumers see Halloween as a seasonal celebration to bridge the gap between the end of summer and the winter holidays," said Tracy Mullin, president and CEO of the NRF, in a company statement. "Halloween offers a little something for everyone and, this year, people of all ages will be joining in the fun."

Nearly 80 percent of 25-34 year-olds will dress up in costume, according to an NRF survey, which lists witches, pirates and vampires as its top adult get-ups for 2006. The holiday is the only time during the year that grown-ups can really let loose, act silly and get away with it, say retailers, who've had to adjust to the demand for outfits in much larger sizes and racier cuts. One shop owner in Charlotte, North Carolina, boosted his order of sexy nurse and secretary costumes to $3.5 million this year, up from $250,000 just five years ago, he told The Charlotte Observer.

Offending witches

Many U.S. schoolchildren, however, are being told to leave their pirate patches and witch hats at home.

A Washington state school board that made headlines two years ago for canceling all daytime Halloween activities will continue its ban this year, board officials confirmed recently. One of its official reasons in 2004 was religious sensitivity to wiccans, modern-day witches who district administrators claimed could be offended by the stereotypical black hats and broomsticks.
Be Very Scared!


Halloween's Top 10 Scary Creatures


Top 5 Haunted Places in America

An odd statement, perhaps, but other school districts across the country are now following its politically correct lead, reasoning that not all students—especially in schools with a diverse religious make-up—celebrate the holiday. Several schools in Illinois' Indian Prairie School District banned costumes because some students were uncomfortable and were staying home on Halloween, a representative told The Chicago Sun-Times.

Offending Christians

A few schools, including one in Colorado and one in Massachussetts, are bowing to pressure from parents who say the holiday, with its pagan roots and ancient customs, goes against Christian teachings.

That's a tough argument to make, said Danny L. Jorgensen, professor of religious studies at the University of South Florida.

"Halloween probably is a leftover from the pre-Christian past," Jorgensen told LiveScience, "however, it is not the same as the original pagan holiday—whatever that may have been."

Any associations the holiday may have had with real witchcraft were long gone by the time the holiday came to America in the 1840s with Irish immigrants, who were mostly Catholic. Their annual custom of getting dressed up in ghoulish costumes came from the Celts, who believed long-dead spirits returned to the earth on Oct. 31, their New Year's Eve. Morphed by a 9th-century pope, All-Hallows' Eve became a day for the Christian world to honor saints and martyrs.

That makes today's version of Halloween, if it can be considered a religious holiday at all, as much Christian as it is pagan, Jorgensen said. "Halloween, almost by definition, was appropriated by Christian cultures—void of its sacred significance—as some sort of special event, if not a religious one."

Full Frightening Coverage

* Top 5 Haunted Places in America
* Halloween's Top 10 Scary Creatures
* Higher Education Fuels Stronger Belief in Ghosts
* Vampires a Mathematical Impossibility, Scientist Says
* Candy Fears are Mere Halloween Phantoms
* Halloween Too Scary for Some Kids
* In Search of the Real Dracula
* Pumpkin Shortage?



he most popular costumes in 2006:

Kids

1. Princess
2. Pirate
3. Witch
4. Spider-Man
5. Superman
6. Disney Princess
7. Power Ranger
8. Pumpkin
9. Cat
10. Vampire
11. Angel
12. Fairy
13. Ninja
14. SpongeBob SquarePants
15. Batman
16. Cheerleader
17. Football player
18. Tinkerbell
19. Monster
20. Star Wars character



Adults

1. Witch
2. Pirate
3. Vampire
4. Cat
5. Clown
6. Fairy
7. Gypsy
8. Superhero
9. Ghost/Ghoul
10. Dracula
11. Devil
12. Woman of the Night
13. Nurse
14. Pumpkin
15. Athlete
16. Princess
17. Zombie
18. Angel
19. French Maid
20. Cowboy/Cowgirl

http://www.livescience.com/othernews/061026_halloween_popular.html

 

Science Nips at Vampire Myths



WASHINGTON -- It may be the season for vampires, ghosts and zombies. Just remember, they're not real, warns physicist Costas Efthimiou.

Obviously, you might say.

But Efthimiou, a professor at the University of Central Florida, points to surveys that show American gullibility for the supernatural.

Using science and math, Efthimiou explains why it is ghosts can't walk among us while also gliding through walls, like Patrick Swayze in the movie Ghost. That violates Newton's law of action and reaction. If ghosts walk, their feet apply force to the floor, but if they go through walls they are without substance, the professor says.

"So which is it? Are ghosts material or material-less?" he asks.

Zombies and vampires fare even worse under Efthimiou's skeptical microscope.

Efthimiou looked at the most prominent child-turned-zombie case that zombie aficionados cite: the 1989 case of a Haitian 17-year-old who was declared dead and then rose from the grave a day after the funeral and was considered a zombie. The boy, who never died but was paralyzed and could not communicate, had been poisoned with toxins from a relative of the deadly Japanese pufferfish, later research showed.

Efthimiou takes out the calculator to prove that if a vampire sucked one person's blood each month -- turning each victim into an equally hungry vampire -- after a couple of years there would be no people left, just vampires. He started his calculations with just one vampire and 537 million humans on Jan. 1, 1600 and shows that the human population would be down to zero by July 1602.

Take that Casper, Dracula and creepy friends.

All this may seem obvious, but to Efthimiou and other scientists, the public often isn't as skeptical as you might think. Efthimiou points to National Science Foundation reports showing widespread belief in pseudosciences -- such as vampires, astrology and ESP.

More than 1 in 3 Americans believe houses can be haunted, a 2005 Gallup poll showed. More than 20 percent of Americans believe in witches and that people can communicate with the dead. TV shows such as Medium and Ghost Whisperer are popular.

"We're talking about a large fraction of the public that believes in subjects that scientists believe are out of the question," said Efthimiou. His paper is in an archive awaiting publication either in the journal Physics Education or the magazine Skeptical Inquirer, he said.

University of Maryland physics professor Bob Park, author of the book Voodoo Science, said scientists have to keep telling the public what seems all-too-obvious. "There are things that we need to point out that are crap," Park said.

It's gotten so bad, Park has a hard time watching movies these days. Not Efthimiou, who liked the horror movie The Ring. "I have nothing against movies," he said. "I have nothing against people who like them, as long as they don't mix reality with fiction."

And Halloween? Both physicists will suspend disbelief when vampires, ghosts and zombies come to their doors.

"I give them candy and I feign fright," Park said. "They enjoy it, what the hell. The problem is the ones that never get over it."
http://www.wired.com/news/wireservice/0,72014-0.html?tw=rss.index

 

Where the Blubber Meets the Road


12:00 PM Oct, 26, 2006

Want to spend less at the pump? Lose some weight. That's the implication of a new study that says Americans are burning nearly 1 billion more gallons of gasoline each year than they did in 1960 because of their expanding waistlines. Simply put, more weight in the car means lower gas mileage.

Using recent gas prices of $2.20 a gallon, that translates to about $2.2 billion more spent on gas each year.

"The bottom line is that our hunger for food and our hunger for oil are not independent. There is a relationship between the two," said University of Illinois researcher Sheldon Jacobson, a study co-author.

"If a person reduces the weight in their car, either by removing excess baggage, carrying around less weight in their trunk, or yes, even losing weight, they will indeed see a drop in their fuel consumption."

The lost mileage is pretty small for any single driver. Jacobson said the typical driver -- someone who records less than 12,000 miles annually -- would use roughly 18 fewer gallons of gas over the course of a year by losing 100 pounds. At $2.20 per gallon, that would be a savings of almost $40.

Outside experts said that even if the calculations aren't exact, the study makes sense.

"If you put more weight into your car, you're going to get fewer miles per gallon," Emory University health care analyst Kenneth Thorpe said Wednesday.

The same effect has been seen in airplanes. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that heavy fliers have contributed to higher fuel costs for airlines.

The obesity rate among U.S. adults doubled from 1987 to 2003, from about 15 percent to more than 30 percent. Also, the average weight for American men was 191 pounds in 2002 and 164 pounds for women, about 25 pounds heavier than in 1960, government figures show.

The study's conclusions are based on those weight figures and Americans' 2003 driving habits, involving roughly 223 million cars and light trucks nationwide. It will appear in the October-December issue of The Engineering Economist, a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Society of Engineering Education and the Institute of Industrial Engineers.

Jacobson, an industrial engineer, conducted the research with Laura McLay, a doctoral student in his Champaign-Urbana lab who now works at Virginia Commonwealth University.

They estimated that more than 39 million gallons of fuel are used each year for every additional pound of passenger weight.

The amount of extra fuel consumption blamed on weight gain since 1960 -- 938 million gallons -- would fill almost 2 million cars with gas for an entire year. However, that is only 0.7 percent of the total amount of fuel consumed by U.S. passenger vehicles each year, Jacobson said.

The estimates "are probably pretty reliable," said Larry Chavis, an economist at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. "I don't know if it's going to encourage anybody to go out and lose weight to save gasoline, but even for individual families, it could have an effect on their budget."

Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, former CDC director and chairman of an Institute of Medicine report on obesity, said the findings are almost beside the point.

"The wrong fuel is being focused on," said Koplan, now at Emory University. "If you're heavier, the most important fuel you use more of is food."

Eating less, driving less and choosing more active means of transportation would reduce gas consumption, and also help reverse rising obesity rates, he said.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/autotech/0,72013-0.html?tw=rss.index

 

World's 'most energy efficient' Note Book



p2pnet.net News:- Everex claims its new StepNote NC1500, slated for Wal-Mart's shelves at $500, is the world's most energy efficient notebook.

Using the VIA C7-M processor, the computer offers 1.5GHz performance at only 12 watts peak power, says the company.

It weighs in a 5.3-pounds and a built-in 56k modem, broadband-ready 10/100 Ethernet port or wireless 802.11b/g.

Operating System: Genuine Windows XP Home Edition
Display: 15.4" WXGA Widescreen (1280 x 800) with Diamond Brite Technology.
Processor: 1.5GHz, VIA C7-M Processor.
Memory: 512MB DDRII 533, upgradeable to 2GB. 2 Memory slots onboard (1 open)
Hard Disk Drive: 40GB.
Optical Drive: DVD-RW/CD-RW Dual Layer for both DVDs and CDs
Wireless LAN: Built-in 802.11b/g wireless LAN.
LAN: 10/100 Ethernet port.
Modem: Built-in 56k Fax/Modem.
I/O Ports: (1) DB 15-Pin VGA Port, (3) USB, (1) Microphone Port, (1) Headphone Port
Pointing Device: 2 Button Glide Pad or an external USB mouse (sold separately)
Battery: 3-Cell, Rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery averages +1.5 hours.

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(Friday 27th October 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/10242?PHPSESSID=3e7147c92ab7c3ce18c38cd46c5ebcf7

 

Top 5 MP3 Players (Hard Drive-Based)


These are the top hard drive-based MP3 players today, but ratings and rankings can change quickly due to pricing and technology changes, so check back frequently for the latest info.
Eric Butterfield
Friday, October 13, 2006, 03:00 PM PDT
Test Center About the Test Center
How We Test • What Our Ratings Mean • How the Charts Work
Compare
Use the Check Boxes to see a Side-by-Side Comparison
Rank Name PCW Rating
1
BEST BUY

Creative Zen VisionM
Creative Zen VisionM
Built-in Capacity: 30GB
Screen Size (inches): 2.5
Voice Recording: Yes
FM tuner: Yes
Video Support: Yes
Photo Support: Yes
Price When Reviewed: $230
Check latest prices
Bottom Line: The VisionM has a touchpad and delivers great-looking video and high-quality audio. However, it needs a dongle to sync files.
(Last Rated: October 06, 2006)
Full Review • Test Report

82.9Very Good
2
Archos Gmini 402 Camcorder
Archos Gmini 402 Camcorder
Built-in Capacity: 20GB
Screen Size (inches): 2.2
Voice Recording: Yes
FM tuner: No
Video Support: Yes
Photo Support: Yes
Price When Reviewed: $290
Check latest prices
Bottom Line: Doubles as a camcorder, plays video, and delivers top-notch audio quality. The numerous buttons can be confusing, however.
(Last Rated: October 06, 2006)
Full Review • Test Report

80.8Very Good
3
Toshiba Gigabeat S30 (MES30VW)
Toshiba Gigabeat S30 (MES30VW)
Built-in Capacity: 30GB
Screen Size (inches): 2.4
Voice Recording: No
FM tuner: Yes
Video Support: Yes
Photo Support: Yes
Price When Reviewed: $250
Check latest prices
Bottom Line: Offers high audio and video quality, plus TiVo Series2 and Xbox 360 integration. Navigation could be more intuitive, however.
(Last Rated: October 06, 2006)
Full Review • Test Report

80.5Very Good
MP3 Player Deals
Compare online prices to local deals and save.
www.shoplocal.com

MP3 Player at CircuitCity.com
Official site. Free shipping on orders $25 and up or pick up in-store.
www.circuitcity.com

UXCell Factory Direct MP3/MP4 Players
No more re-seller profit on your cost. 50% off market. Save at UXCell.
www.uxcell.com

4
Apple iPod (MA002LL/A)
Apple iPod (MA002LL/A)
Built-in Capacity: 30GB
Screen Size (inches): 2.5
Voice Recording: No
FM tuner: No
Video Support: Yes
Photo Support: Yes
Price When Reviewed: $299
Check latest prices
Bottom Line: The iPod offers high audio quality, a high-resolution screen that's great for video, and very intuitive controls.
(Last Rated: October 06, 2006)
Full Review • Test Report

78.9Good
5
Apple iPod (MA450LLA)
Apple iPod (MA450LLA)
Built-in Capacity: 80GB
Screen Size (inches): 2.5
Voice Recording: No
FM tuner: No
Video Support: Yes
Photo Support: Yes
Price When Reviewed: $349
Check latest prices
Bottom Line: Apple's latest iPod costs a lot, but it boasts a great screen and tons of storage. Also, it adds gapless music playback.
(Last Rated: October 06, 2006)
Test Report

please go here to read all the facts on the mp3 players

http://pcworld.com/article/id,126718-page,1/article.html

 

People with Wireless internet have more reason to worry, and here's why : Wi-Fi exploits coming to MetaSploit

The Metasploit Project plans to add 802.11 (Wi-Fi) exploits to a new version of its point-and-click attack tool, a move that simplifies the way wireless drivers and devices are exploited.

The controversial open-source project, created and maintained by HD Moore, of Austin, Texas, has added a new exploit class that allows modules to send raw 802.11 frames at one of the most vulnerable parts of the operating system.

In recent months, there has been an increase in public awareness around the severity of wireless driver flaws. At the August 2006 Black Hat Briefings in Las Vegas, researchers David Maynor and Jon "Johnny Cache" Ellch showed off a new technique for breaking into computers via Wi-Fi driver vulnerabilities on Windows and Mac systems.

The Black Hat demo pushed several vendors—Intel, Apple and Toshiba—to release patches and prompted Microsoft to invite Ellch to its internal BlueHat security conference to explain the risks to Redmond executives and employees.

PointerClick here to read more about a warning that Wi-Fi-enabled computers are sitting ducks for code execution attacks.

According to Moore, Metasploit 3 will integrate kernel-mode payloads to allow users to use existing user-mode payloads for both kernel and non-kernel exploits.

Because the framework provides an easy-to-use interface for connecting vulnerabilities to actual payloads, this Metasploit gives users an avenue to target the most sensitive part of the operating system.

Moore told eWEEK he is collaborating with Ellch on an actual 802.11 exploit. The plan is to use Ellch's LORCON (Loss of Radio Connectivity) hacking tool to send exploits at Wi-Fi bugs that are haunting widely used devices and computers.

"Right now, this only supports the Linux platform, but we are planning for Windows support very soon," Moore explained.

Moore shrugged off criticisms that Metasploit gives black hat hackers all the tools needed to launch attacks, insisting that the target market can be broken into three categories.

"[This is for] penetration testers and network administrators that want to demonstrate the impact of an unpatched wireless vulnerability," he said.


Moore said security researchers looking for an easy way to investigate wireless device and driver vulnerabilities can also find value in the code, which can also be used to develop "fuzzers" for discovering new vulnerabilities.

Fuzzers, or fuzz testers, are used to pinpoint security vulnerabilities by sending random input to an application. If the program contains a vulnerability that leads to an exception, crash or server error, researchers can parse the results of the test to pinpoint the cause of the crash.

Moore, who works as director of security research at BreakingPoint Systems, in Austin, Texas, said security solution developers can also use the new Metasploit capabilities to perform QA (quality assurance) tests on their products.

"Depending on my available free time, we should have some working and useful demonstrations of this within a week," he said.

"We're close to completing work on injecting code into the Windows kernel in a way that causes it to run a standard Metasploit payload without crashing the target system," he explained.

"We need at least one solid example of a wireless driver exploit that can be used to demonstrate the system," he added.

This is where Ellch's expertise comes in.

"[Johnny] has a number of these that would work, but one in particular is both reliable and easy to demonstrate. He demonstrated [it] at the Microsoft BlueHat conference and we're waiting for his go-ahead before adding the exploit code to the public source repository," Moore said.

PointerClick here to read more about a fix for a "high risk" vulnerability in the Toshiba Bluetooth wireless device driver.

Ellch confirmed his code was being used in the Metasploit refresh, but declined an eWEEK request to comment on the extent of his involvement.

Widely regarded as an authority on wireless security issues, Ellch believes the 802.11 link-layer wireless protocol is an "overly complicated" protocol that has not been implemented securely by many vendors.

However, during his recent trip to Microsoft's Redmond campus for BlueHat, he said he was happy to see the software vendor paying serious attention to Wi-Fi bugs.

"They have already re-implemented many tools similar to my own and are actively finding bugs in other vendors' device drivers that they don't necessarily have access to the code for. I can't imagine a more serious response," Ellch said in an interview with eWEEK.

 

Nero CD-DVD Speed 4.7.0.0 released adds disc quality tests


Posted by Dan Bell on 28 October 2006 - 03:43 - Source: CDSpeed2000

FinBastard used our news submit to tell us that the insanely popular, CD-DVD Speed program for comparing burners is out and has some new, very interesting features. It looks like there are some added disc quality tests for both BenQ and Lite-On drives! Thanks go out to Erik Deppe for this latest version of this valuable freeware, that any optical drive enthusiast would want in their software utility arsenal.

What's new in this version: Nero CD-DVD Speed 4.7.0.0

* Added Advanced Disc Quality test for certain BenQ drives Following parameters are measured:

o CD: E11,E21,E31,E12,E22,E32,BLER, Jitter DVD: 1-5 PIE,PIE,PIF,POE,POF,Jitter

* Disc Quality test:

o Jitter can be reported with recent LiteOn drives

o Added CLV and P-CAV settings for BenQ drives (CD scanning)

o Added Advanced options button * Replaced "Write and Verify" option by "Streaming" option

* Bitsetting: improved support for NEC drives
* Small improvements and bug fixes

Anyone interested in snagging this latest release, should visit the CDSpeed2000 website.
http://www.cdspeed2000.com/

 

DVDFab Decrypter 3.0.3.2 Beta
Author: Fengtao Software Inc.
Date: 2006-10-27
Size: 1.9 Mb
License: Freeware
Requires: Win All

DVDFab Decrypter is a simple version of DVDFab Express. It copies entire DVD movie to hard disk, and removes all the protections (CSS, RC, RCE, APS, UOPs and Sony ARccOS) while copying.

get it here
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5168.html

 

FastStone Image Viewer 2.8
Posted by: Digital Dave on October 27, 2006 11:32 PM
Sweet...

FastStone Image Viewer is a free image browser, viewer, converter and editor that supports all major graphic formats. Other features include a batch image converter / resizer, a Full Screen image viewer with Select-Zoom support, a clear magnifier and a slideshow with 150+ transitional effects.

FastStone Image Viewer 2.8
Author: FastStone Soft
Date: 2006-10-27
Size: 2.9 Mb
License: Freeware
Requires: Win All

FastStone Image Viewer is a free image browser, viewer, converter and editor that supports all major graphic formats. Other features include a batch image converter / resizer, a Full Screen image viewer with Select-Zoom support, a clear magnifier and a slideshow with 150+ transitional effects.

Main Features:
- Common image formats support, including loading of JPEG, JPEG2000, GIF, BMP, PNG, PCX, TIFF, WMF, ICO, CUR, TGA and saving to JPEG, JPEG2000, TIFF, GIF, PCX, BMP, PNG, TGA
- Digital camera RAW formats support, including CRW, CR2, NEF, PEF, RAF, MRW, ORF and DNG
- Full screen viewer with Select - Zoom support
- Crystal clear and customizable magnifier
- Resizing, flipping, rotating, cropping, emailing and color adjusting tools
- Powerful crop-board that crops images into pre-defined and customized print sizes
- Image EXIF metadata support
- Batch image converter/resizer
- Slideshow with 150+ transitional effects and MP3/WAV/MIDI/WMA background music support
- Compare images side by side
- Undo, Redo and Mouse Wheel support
- Image Annotation (text, arrowed line, watermark etc.)
- Simple and effective red-eye removal
- Much more

GO HERE TO GET IT.ITS FREE
http://www.majorgeeks.com/FastStone_Image_Viewer_d4691.html


- majorgeeks.com

 

Vista Basic price hike?

p2pnet.net News:- Microsoft has sneakily hiked the cost of Windows by, "effectively forcing consumers to opt for the Premium version of Vista".

How've Bill and the Boyz managed that?

By making sure Vista Home Basic, the new entry-level Windows, is so poorly featured that consumers will simply reject it, says PC Pro.

"The new [Vista] experience you hear of, if you get Basic, you won't feel it at all," Jim Wong, senior corporate vice president at Acer, says the story.

Wong says Microsoft's own marketing undermined Vista Home Basic because from the start it's been, "talking about the experience of [Vista Home] Premium." Premium is the "real Vista," and what's more, "the manufacturer's licence for Vista Home Premium is 10% more expensive than for XP Home."

As a result, he claims the total cost of building a PC has risen by 1-2%, a significant increase in such a low-margin business.

Other OEMs, including Evesham Technology, told PC Pro that they have no plans to ship that version on their PCs because, "they feel there will be no consumer demand," says the story.

Also See:
PC Pro - PC maker fumes at Vista price hike, October 26, 200

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(Saturday 28th October 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/10252?PHPSESSID=284941ef1fd540604ad1723fa23febbf

 

BitTorrent Halloween Movies!

p2pnet.net News:- The new corporate BitTorrent is cashing in on Halloween with a collection of old horror movies, free for the download ...

... thanks entirely to the amazing Internet Archive non-profit founded in 1996 to build an Internet library, "for researchers, historians, and scholars to historical collections that exist in digital format".

Up for grabs are Carnival Of Souls, Night of the Living Dead, The Brain That Wouldn't Die, The City of the Dead/Horror Hotel, The Vampire Bat, Nosferatu, Bride of the Gorilla, The Wasp Women, and Nightmare Castle.

Head over to BitTorrent for BT downloads.
http://www.bittorrent.com/users/cult/

And p2pnet wonders why the Big Four Organized Music cartel's Campus Downloading, truly one of the most horrifying releases of 2006, wasn't included.

To rectify that, you can download it here.

http://www.p2pnet.net/stuff/campus.wmv



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(Saturday 28th October 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/10253?PHPSESSID=643d929771f699e2a1bc8e66996f2692