Too Much?

I actually have something to blog about without just re-posting cool stuff (for that follow me on Google Reader)

The image here is of my notification area, I found today that 9 of these 17 icons are running from my USB drive (Thats more then half!). It consists of: Auto Hotkey script, True Crypt drive encryption, PNotes, ZoomIt (Sysinternals presentation tool), PC Crono (I’m being a clock watcher atm), PortableApps.com app launcher, Process Explorer (2 icons) and KeyPass Portable.

Too many?
Or do you have some that I could add to my collection?

Read all about it at Ars Technica

Universal was “saying that even if the clip constituted fair use, it was still infringing and therefore the takedown notice was made in good faith”. They are arguing that a home video of a legal act of dancing to music, even with the music not always very clear, is still infringement.

Victory to iiNet against roadshow films!
The verdict is out, ISPs are not responsible for the actions of pirates using their services. This will ensure that the torrent protocol can be used to download game patches and other legit free stuff without fear of having your internet service disconnected because they suspect your doing something you shouldn’t. It also means our internet prices won’t skyrocket as all ISP hire even more lawyers!

This may however cause people to start blaming Google for finding pirated wares, or computer manufactures for selling gear to pirates and like. But I’m hoping they’ll move the other way and realise that censoring and banning and angry actions aren’t working and they should be simply selling the stuff cheaper and making it easier to get.

[Gizmodo]

As Gizmodo put it “Maybe all lazy parents should move to South Australia, because everyone’s favourite state government seems to want to do all your parenting for you.”

They are now enforcing a law that treats all R rated films like porn. Which means they need to be removed from the rest of the videos, and shoved into a dark room marked with “R 18+ FILMS AREA—THE PUBLIC ARE WARNED THAT MATERIAL DISPLAYED IN THIS AREA MAY CAUSE OFFENCE.” either that or the box can only contain the name of the movie and the rating. no text description allowed.

So now in SA if you wanted to buy or rent the movie 300 or the hangover you’d have to walk into the porn section and search through much worse content to find them.

One user, DONAR, had a brilliant comment on Gizmodo:

..and as a fellow parent,I find your reasoning to be totally flawed.

The actual covers of most R rated movies, were they to undergo classification scrutiny, would barely be able to chalk up an M rating, let alone an R. I can see why you’d be upset at graphic violence or sex scenes being shown on a screen in store (as would I) but that’s already covered by law. Any movie rated above M should not be being played in public, period.

As for the covers and advertising however (as this law states) unless there are reasonable examples of the R rated content present in the packaging (sex/nudity, gore, etc) then this law isn’t just overkill, it’s censorship. The Saw movie covers are usually adorned with severed body parts, but will stay on shelves due to their MA ratings. 300, Romper Stomper and even Scarface on the other hand have NOTHING on their respective covers that give any indication of the contents of the movie. That’s what the bloody R rating is for.

The fact that they’re even limiting the text on the replacement box is evidence alone of censorship. Seeing as text about R rated content is an issue, will the next stop be a mandatory OFLC rating system on books…or would it just be easier for the SA Government to burn them?

[Gizmodo]

“At this point it became apparent that the tower can, in no way, be the cause of the symptoms, as it was already switched off for many weeks, yet the residents still saw symptoms that come and go according to their proximity to the area.”

[Gizmodo]

[Gizmodo]

Not especialy for me, but for all you uni people that like to be away from a desk for periods of time.

Read all about it at Ars Technica

Instead of blessing Mules for Plow Monday, the beginning of the new agricultural year, St Lawrence Jewry Church in London has advanced to blessing smart phones and laptops. I guess the tradition does make the same logic, blessing the tools of the trade. But they aren’t exactly used in agriculture as much as say… tractors.