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Submission + - Dateline NBC Mole Caught at DefCon (wired.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Dateline NBC allegedly attempted to infiltrate the DefCon hackerfest with a producer using a hidden camera. The show allegedly hoped to tape hackers admitting to illegal activities, but DefCon got wind of the plot and displayed the would-be-mole's photo before every presentation. Dateline refused to deny the planned infiltration.
Printer

Submission + - HP to Researchers: Our Printers Are Safe (hp.com)

Submitted by
Sidepocket_Pro
Sidepocket_Pro writes: "Based on our own testing, HP knows that many variables can affect the outcome of tests for ultrafine particle emissions. Although HP is not aware of all of the specific methodologies used in the Queensland study, based on what we've seen in the report — as well as our own work in this area — we do not believe there is a link between printer emissions and any public health risk. Specifically, HP does not see an association between printer use by customers and negative health effects for volatile organic compounds, ozone or dust. While we recognize ultrafine, fine, and coarse particles are emitted from printing systems, these levels are consistently below recognized occupational exposure limits."
Media

Submission + - Broadcasters want cash for media streamed at home (webtvwire.com)

Submitted by
marcellizot
marcellizot writes: "What would you say if told you that there are people out there that want to make sharing your media between devices over a home network illegal? According to Jim Burger, a Washington, D.C attorney who deals with piracy in the broadcasting industry, certain broadcasters want to do just that. Speaking in a recent podcast, Burger remarked about how the broadcasting industry is keen to put controls on sharing media between devices even if those devices are on a home network and even if the sharing is strictly for personal use. When pressed as to why broadcasters would want to do this, Burger replied simply 'because they want you to pay for that right'. WebTVWire has a full report."
Announcements

Submission + - SystemAddict: Taxed to Death (gamedaily.com)

Submitted by
njkid1
njkid1 writes: "The saying goes, "The only things certain in life are death and taxes." However, we may stand on the threshold of a new twist on the old line... we could someday see death BECAUSE of taxes. Thousands will fall in a virtual genocide, empires will crumble and continents will vanish. Why such a big alarm? As CNET News reported, Congress and the IRS finally caught on that the trade of virtual items for real-world money remains unregulated. In August, Congress will issue a report regarding the possible taxation of virtual goods. No one knows what the report will say, but taxing real-life money on virtual items, whether the owner has the intention of selling them or not, could spell doom for massively-multiplayer online (MMO) games."
Communications

Submission + - Brain electrodes help man speak again (yahoo.com)

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: "He was beaten and left for dead one night in a robbery while walking home in 1999. His skull was crushed and his brain severely damaged. The doctor said if he pulled through at all, he'd be a vegetable for the rest of his life." "Researchers chose him for an experimental attempt to rev up his brain by placing electrodes in it."
United States

Submission + - Forensics Expert says Al-Qaeda Images Altered

Submitted by WerewolfOfVulcan
WerewolfOfVulcan writes: Wired reports that researcher Neal Krawetz revealed some veeeeeery interesting things about the Al-Qaeda images that our government loves to show off.

From the article: "Krawetz was also able to determine that the writing on the banner behind al-Zawahiri's head was added to the image afterward. In the second picture above showing the results of the error level analysis, the light clusters on the image indicate areas of the image that were added or changed. The subtitles and logos in the upper right and lower left corners (IntelCenter is an organization that monitors terrorist activity and As-Sahab is the video production branch of al Qaeda) were all added at the same time, while the banner writing was added at a different time, likely around the same time that al-Zawahiri was added, Krawetz says." Why would Al-Qaeda add an IntelCenter logo to their video? Why would IntelCenter add an Al-Qaeda logo? Methinks we have bigger fish to fry than Gonzo and his fired attorneys... }:-) The article contains links to Krawetz's presentation and the source code he used to analyze the photos.
Music

Submission + - Day of Silence on the Internet (damontimm.com)

Submitted by
thornomad
thornomad writes: "Time to pick up the phone (or usb headset) and call a representative or two: pandora.com (and other internet radio sites) has gone silent for the day to protest the impending legistlation that will effect internet radio:

Hi, it's Tim from Pandora, I'm sorry to say that today Pandora, along with most Internet radio sites, is going off the air in observance of a Day Of Silence. We are doing this to bring to your attention a disastrous turn of events that threatens the existence of Pandora and all of internet radio. We need your help. Ignoring all rationality and responding only to the lobbying of the RIAA, an arbitration committee in Washington DC has drastically increased the licensing fees Internet radio sites must pay to stream songs. Pandora's fees will triple, and are retroactive for eighteen months! Left unchanged by Congress, every day will be like today as internet radio sites start shutting down and the music dies. A bill called the "Internet Radio Equality Act" has already been introduced in both the Senate (S. 1353) and House of Representatives (H.R. 2060) to fix the problem and save Internet radio — and Pandora — from obliteration. I'd like to ask you to call your Congressional representatives today and ask them to become co-sponsors of the bill. It will only take a few minutes and you can find your Congresspersons and their phone numbers by entering your zip code here. Your opinion matters to your representatives — so please take just a minute to call. Visit www.savenetradio.org to continue following the fight to Save Internet Radio. As always, and now more than ever, thank you for your support.
"
The Courts

Submission + - Ohio University lead U.S. colleges in file sharing

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that Ohio University leads the nation in illegal music download notification, having received 1,287 RIAA complaints since September, with between ten and 15 notices arriving daily. The university is attempting to deflect criticism with a laughable PR piece, saying open networks required for academic freedom make it difficult to stop illegal file sharing. This from the same university whose "open, accessible network" exposed 137,000 personal records and 60,000 medical records to theft this past year.
The Courts

MS Dirty Tricks Archive Trickles Back Online 83

Posted by kdawson from the light-of-day dept.
networkBoy writes with word that The Register is following up its story about the Microsoft dirty tricks archive going offline. It appears that several individuals have the pieces to the puzzle and are looking for hosting resources. From the latter article: "The 3,000 document archive from the Comes antitrust trial, which disappeared from the web abruptly when Microsoft settled the case last week, is beginning to trickle back into view. A week ago the site was placed under password protection, Microsoft withdrew its own account of events, and so-called internet 'archive' archive.org apparently also pulled its mirror."
Music

Puretracks Music Store Drops DRM 236

Posted by kdawson from the apple-could-do-this dept.
khendron writes "The Canadian online music store Puretracks (a store I have generally avoided because of their Microsoft-specific solutions) has announced that it will immediately start selling part of its catalog as DRM-free MP3 files. The site's unprotected catalog, which includes artists such as The Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan, will initially feature only 50,000 of its 1.3 million tracks, but their number will grow weekly. The Globe and Mail says the move will likely profit Puretracks because its DRM-free-music will be playable on iPods. It quotes one industry watcher saying 'We're seeing the death of DRM.'" Essentially Puretracks is relaxing the major-label mandated DRM rules that it had initially applied to all labels, even the indies that wanted no part of DRM.
Communications

Submission + - Junk Faxes

Submitted by olddoc
olddoc writes: I am having a growing problem with junk faxes. Unlike email, it costs me money when I get a fax so junk faxes really tick me off. A while ago, I gave my number to a removal number and now I am getting more junk faxes than ever! Does anyone know how to make them pay? What devious methods can I use to get even? Can I sign up for a phone number that will drive up their costs when I call the toll free removal number? What have other readers done?

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