Quick News Links for Week Ending 12/2/2007
2 December, 2007 (19:11) | Links | By: cmdln
- Different view of passionate hackers vs. desk jockeys
Sees it as the duty of hackers to reach out, help desk jockeys. See the latter as necessary for viable development.
- UMG chief cops to tech illiteracy
Hardly surprising but chilling given the lobbying power of the label.
- Internet bill of rights developed at meeting at UN’s IGF
This will lack teeth if not embraced more broadly, in particular by the US. Despite stronger privacy and free speech protections, here, I don’t see that happening any time soon based on the history and influence of large companies on the internet.
- A different, social threat to social networks
I think there is as much an opportunity as a problem. Other social systems have added tiers, roles or other ways to corral relationships that would at least help if not solve the problems Cory describes. I don’t think it changes his main point, though, that for some substantial quantity of users, they will equate some future walled garden with “the internet”.
- Open source political party
I am skeptical this will directly result in change due to realities of campaign finance. I hope it gets lots of attention, though, and encourages the further adoption of network tools and open-ness by traditional candidates.
- New plastic fiber may help solve last mile problems
High speed optic fiber has been expensive glass, traditionally, but this research points to some cheaper, attractive new developments with plastic based optic fiber.
- Google gives up IP of anonymous blogger
- AZ court defends anonymous speech
- Another experiment in customer set pricing, new music distribution
- EMI to cut funding to trade associations
Another possible point in the trend pointing to a tipping point around digital music.
- New type of fatigue found in silicon
This would effect certain proposed nano-scale mechanical structures, not necessarily traditional electronics based on silicon.
- EFF guide on detecting ISP interference
This in the wake of EFF also adding their own evidence of Comcast tinkering with customer traffic.
- OR AG fighting back against RIAA’s illegal investigations
Based on the fact that MediaSentry does not apparently have a license to investigate in that state. May cause the RIAA to think through their strategies a little more carefully.
- Substantial threat to free speech
Britain already has a law very similar to this bill, that criminalizes speech that endorses or glorifies terrorism. If this is passed, as the article fears, I doubt it will get past its first challenge in the courts and expect it would be struck down largely or entirely based on its conflict with the first amendment.
- SWFA re-instates piracy committee
This is the committee that was involved with the Pixel Stained Techno-Peasant tired by SWFA VP and the exchange between Le Guin and Doctorow over the re-publishing of a micro-fiction piece by her.
- Community reaction to covert IRC logging, indexing
I think this points at the need to more aggressively define expectation of privacy for new media as it arises. IRC has been around for some time but isn’t as well known as email which has some protections at least.
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