Hollywood Targets 8.2 Million Torrents at Bitsnoop

 by enigmax 

While Bitsnoop may not have the profile of The Pirate Bay, make no mistake, this site is a major BitTorrent player. The site indexes more than 8 million torrents linking to roughly 9 petabytes of data. In the last few days Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN began threatening the site with the clear aim of bringing its activities to an end.

Last month, with a hint of tongue in our cheeks and doubt in our minds, wereported that Dutch anti-piracy outfit BREIN had been slaying torrent sites by the hundred. According to the Hollywood-backed group, it forced the closure of 422 “illegal sites” including 384 torrent sites so far in 2010, a herculean feat by anyone’s standards.

http://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-targets-8-2-million-torrents-at-bitsnoop-100816/

be careful in New Zealand free speech is no more, don’t mention the World Cup

be careful in New Zealand free speech is no more, don’t mention the World Cup

By rorybaust

Next year New Zealand will be hosting the Rugby World Cup, these days there is a world cup for everything under the sun, but it appears that for business hoping to win over any rugby fans better be careful with what words they use to promote their event or promotion. New Zealand has a little-known of law that restricts using the words 'rugby', 'world' and 'cup' to promote fundraisers, promotions and special events that are not authorised by the Rugby World Cup committee and each breach could cost up to $150,000.

The bill that outlaws this is The Major Events Management Act 2007, (MEMA) and it was passed basically to give the Rugby World Cup unfettered control of the key words associated with the event. We are told that in all seriousness that common sense will be used when considering the act, pity common sense could not prevail prior to the passing of this blatant removal of New Zealanders rights.


http://www.rorybaust.com/2010/08/be-careful-in-new-zealand-free-speech.html

Cult of less: Living out of a hard drive

By Matthew Danzico

Many have begun trading in CD, DVD, and book collections for digital music, movies, and e-books. But this trend in digital technology is now influencing some to get rid of nearly all of their physical possessions - from photographs to furniture to homes altogether.Let's face it - digital files, applications and web services are replacing the need for many of the physical goods that pepper our homes, crowd our desks and fill our closets.

From online photo albums to virtual filing cabinets to digital musical instruments, hi-tech replacements are becoming ubiquitous.

But as goods continue to make the leap from the bookshelf to the hard drive, some individuals are taking the opportunity to radically change their lifestyles.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10928032

Lucas Entertainment Moves to Identify 53 Alleged BitTorrent Infringers

By Thomas Mennecke

By now, the USCG (US Copyright Group) BitTorrent lawsuits are all the rage. Motions have been filed, opposition established, subpoena’s quashed, rights groups up in arms, and lots of fun has been poked at the movie titles. But wait – did you know that in Texas a new round of lawsuits are beginning to take shape? It’s Lucas Entertainment, a gay porn distributor, versus 53 (thus far) unnamed BitTorrent defendants accused of sharing the movie “Kings of New York”.

As some have noticed, this string of lawsuits isn’t quite gaining the attention that the USCG lawsuits have. In fact, if we look at the court docket, the pace of this case is moving much faster than the USCG brand of lawsuits. True, there are many more USCG lawsuits – potentially up to 14,000 so far. Also, rights groups such as the EFF and ACLU have submitted amicus briefs (friend of the court) in order to ensure the rights of the accused are ensured, while also slowing the process down.

http://www.slyck.com/story2024_Lucas_Entertainment_Moves_to_Identify_53_Alleged_BitTorrent_Infringers

PoundCore - Hybrid Suede (ManyFeet) Productions)

By poundcore

'Poo-powered' Volkswagen astounds world+dog

Gov-funded Dung Beetle runs on turds of seventy homes

By Lewis Page 

Updated The UK and green media is alive with reports of a "poo powered" car, dubbed the "Bio-Bug", developed to encourage sustainable motoring. But what's the real story?

"On first hearing of the Bio-Bug, some people will smile, and some people will go ‘yuck’!," comments former Friends of the Earth chief and Labour government eco-maven Jonathan Porritt*.
"Either way, what I hope they realise is that this is exactly the kind of innovation we now need for a more sustainable world – and those directly involved should be proud they’re making a small but significant contribution to it everyday!"

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/06/poo_car/

Apple staff allegedly sold secrets worth $1m

By Bill Ray 

Asian companies negotiating contracts with Apple allegedly paid more than $1m in kickbacks to an Apple manager in exchange for confidential information about what Cupertino would be buying.
That's according to a suit filed by Apple against Paul Shin Devine, until now a global supply manager at Apple. The suit follows his indictment for wire fraud and money laundering, among other things, as reported by the San Jose Mercury News.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/16/apple_bribes/

At 15, Microsoft's Internet Explorer at a crossroads

by Ina Fried

Thanks to corporate use and ties to Windows, Internet Explorer has remained dominant in the browser space ever since it won the first browser wars with Netscape a decade ago.

However, by allowing the browser to stagnate after the release of Windows XP in 2001, Microsoft created an opening that paved the way for the rise of Firefox and, more recently, Google's Chrome.

As a result Internet Explorer celebrates its 15th birthday Monday as market leader and like an upstart trying to compete against powerful rivals.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20013729-56.html?tag=topImage2

Radio, RIAA: mandatory FM radio in cell phones is the future

By Nate Anderson 

Music labels and radio broadcasters can't agree on much, including whether radio should be forced to turn over hundreds of millions of dollars a year to pay for the music it plays. But the two sides can agree on this: Congress should mandate that FM radio receivers be built into cell phones, PDAs, and other portable electronics.

The Consumer Electronics Association, whose members build the devices that would be affected by such a directive, is incandescent with rage. "The backroom scheme of the [National Association of Broadcasters] and RIAA to have Congress mandate broadcast radios in portable devices, including mobile phones, is the height of absurdity," thundered CEA president Gary Shapiro. Such a move is "not in our national interest."

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/08/radio-riaa-mandatory-fm-radio-in-cell-phones-is-the-future.ars