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Scientists Crack Secret Strength of Silk

The long-term impacts of this (assuming it can be made economically) are pretty impressive. Not as impressive as carbon nanotubes, but way up there.

Microsoft seeks cash from IM client makers

Remember how, when AOL ruled (still does, actually) the IM netwaves and MS was clamoring, begging, pleading, threatening, and demanding (to the FTC) that AOL open their services to all outsiders?

Yeah, so do I.

Anyway, MS has closed their IM to outsiders for "security reasons." Which is entirely correct if by "security reasons" you mean "we want money from those open services freeloaders."

Fucking hypocrites.

DMCA strikes again – Kazaa uses DMCA to kill links to Kazaa Lite

As if any more proof of the DMCA's putrescence. What's next? No indexes in the back of books? No library card catalogs. Grr.

FFII: Software Patents in Europe

Software patents MUST be stopped. If the EU is stupid enough to ratify this, then they will be absolutely killing innovation.

Who the hell thinks this is a good idea, anyway?

From the early days of computing, it has been recognized that software is a form of expression, not a concrete construction. Thus, they are copyrightable, but not patentable. If software patents are allowed, then whomever gets the first "button" patent will own computing, etc. It's a ming-bogglingly stupid idea to patent software (then again, so is the patenting of business methodologies but that didn't stop the USPTO).

Free computer programmes

www.nordicos.org is in Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Icelandic and English. The project has been financed by a grant of approximately DKK 500,000 from the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Well, there goes northern Europe. Let's see, France = Mandrake, Germany = SuSE, Spain, Norway, and Asia = their own flavors… leaving MS… America and Britain, pretty much.

Japan, China, Korea may develop Windows replacement

Yet another in the line of depressing news for MS from Asia (as reported here before)… but this time, Korea's in the mix. What's that I hear? The bell? Tolling?

Cries of Activism and Terror in S.U.V. Torching

"To some people, Hummers, those mastodons of the highway, are a joyous extravagance ? big, safe and fun to drive.

To others, they are simply wasteful, toys with testosterone that symbolize the American penchant for self-indulgence."

Put me in the latter camp.

Halliburton's Deals Greater Than Thought

"Halliburton, the company formerly headed by Vice President Cheney, has won contracts worth more than $1.7 billion under Operation Iraqi Freedom and stands to make hundreds of millions more dollars under a no-bid contract awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, according to newly available documents." (emphasis added – ed.)

If there's nothing there to impeach Cheney, then I don't know what will do it.

This also, btw, puts Halliburton right up there with Krups in terms of evil, vile, and corrupt war profiteering.

Wife-beater dies after testicle torture

Holy fuckin shit! OW! Not, I repeat, NOT, how I want to go.

Sounds like the wife used the old "grab, twist, pull" method of (fatally) wounding an attacker.

Fart costs bank 100,000 dollars

Dude A walks into B's office and farts. B yells at A. C, B's boss, comes in to ask why B is yelling. B explains, but is fired for conduct unbecoming or somesuch. B then sues former employer from improper termination and wins.

Farts rule.

Dell's Software License Policy

I think these clickthroughs and shrink-wrap EULAs are both unenforceable and bad policy. I also don't think anyone is looking at them seriously enough. These should be tested, and destroyed, in court. I'd like to do that too.

Libranet: TCO-Friendly GNU/Linux

The distro/flavor I use.

Review synopsis: "While the installation process might not be right for the novice administrator, Libranet provides the easiest way to get a Debian-based system up and running (and provides more current software than official Debian GNU/Linux). If long-term TCO is important to your deployment, Libranet has a lot to offer"

Don't Rely On Microsoft, Trade Group Urges Homeland Security

As evil, ineffedctive, and unnecessary as the "homeland" security junta is, it's a better idea for them to use Linux than Windows. It's an even better idea for them to use BSD than Linux.

Linux Set to Break Through in Consumer Electronics

It is only a matter of time…

Teen Arrested for Net Attack

How do you spell loser?

A picture is worth a thousand words, all of them variations on l-o-s-e-r: