No, that's not a typo. It's German (naturally) and… when you play against someone else and lose… it inflicts pain (heat, electric, or a whip). I could not make something this good up.
Musicians Say No to Persecution and Prosecution of Music Lovers
Could the RIAA care less about musicians or music lovers? I sincerely doubt it. Fucking muppet pig-dog lackeys of the imperialist copyright state!
File Sharing: It's Music To Our Ears (EFF)
The valiant EFF's counterattack against the RIAA's FUD ad campaigns. If you aren't a member/donor to the EFF, join now, yo.
No, Google is the Oracle. The God is the Internet (the God knows all, and the Oracle is our interface between the earthly-bound and the omniscient).
Sheesh. Get it straight, will you?
Helping to ensure freedom of speech on the internet. With the RIAA's current “sue the customers” strategery and the MSFT-Intel-Hollywood unholy strategerized alliance poised to take our fair use and free speech rights away… now's a good time to start supporting Freenet (if you didn't before).
… by Eben Moglen (my favorite former prof). Go Moglen! You rule. Summary: SCO is pursuing frivolous litigation. He doesn't address the funded-by-MSFT portion, but he does talk about SCO's inability to identify any infringement, confusion over what exactly “Linux” is to them, and how their distribution of the kernel using a GPL'd license completely eradicates their trade secret and copyright claims.
Democracy: Quietly Passing Away
A fun, if over the top, read. Too bad so much of it is true.
Once Hailed, Soldiers in Iraq Now Feel Blame at Each Step
Uh, yeah, that's all true. Except for the part about where they were “once hailed.” Feh. Revisionism.
Harry Potter and the International Order of Copyright
The further ills of overzealous “protection” of authors' “property.” In this case, it's Rowling suing people worldwide for all kinds of Harry Potter derivative works (like the Slavic Tanya Rotter or the Indian Harry Potter). Stupid IP monopolists. Good arguments near the end showing the crucial distinction between these derivatives and literal copying. Such a greedy, greedy world.
National Do Not Call Registry Opens
At least we can kill one form of spam. Of course all the ones existant today will just reorg as a charity or something, but for now… good job!
Sweet! The ProTools killer is finally almost here. I can't wait to get a nice soundcard and switch over from my current system. Well, I can wait, but I'm really anxious.
Yeesh. This is somewhat linked to the undie-porn (below) in that … there are some things that just shouldn't be seen. Like most of our bodies. But this here's an x-ray machine that'll do it. We could start a whole new x-ray pr0n craze… except the machines have to be in fixed locations, cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and probably increase the risk of cancer to everyone within 300 feet of the guns.
Supreme Court Strikes Down Texas Law Banning Sodomy
Today's kind of a legal day. Anyway, woohoo! The decision wasn't unexpected, but it did overturn their own 1986 ruling to the contrary. The Supreme Court may be sullied, conservative, and about 20 years behind the times… but every now and then, they pull through for you. Check out the quote from the Kennedy opinion:
… [gays] “are entitled to respect for their private lives… the state cannot demean their existence or control their destiny by making their private sexual conduct a crime.”
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, raging homophobes of the world.
Peeping Tom uses hi-tech camera to look up skirts
Um, that's wrong. Very wrong of him. And also totally, absolutely ridiculous. Not that I mean to belittle anyone's fetishes, but a camera in the shoe is classic.
The charge was “taking photographs of skin or underwear when there is an expectation of privacy.” Holy cow! That's right on point! I don't think our state has the same law, but then again, it might.
Penguin on Thin Ice?: Why IBM Should Win in the Fight to Save Linux
Good overview and analysis of the SCO “we're definitely not funded by MSFT and we definitely didn't do this because our stock was about to be de-listed” suit against IBM.