The media industry is clashing with YouTube over its proposal to offer anti-piracy tools only to companies that have distribution deals with the top online video-sharing service. YouTube, owned by Google, plans to introduce technology to help media companies identify pirated videos uploaded by users. But the tools are currently being offered as part of broader negotiations on licensing deals
After an 8-year-long court battle, Welsh activists have finally been allowed to released a Russian study showing an increased cancer risk linked to eating genetically modified potatoes. While the victory of the Welsh Greenpeace members in the courtroom would seem to vindicate the work of the Russian scientists that did the original research, there are still serious questions to be answered. The trials involved rats being fed several types of potatoes as feed. The rats who were fed GM potatoes suffered much more extensive damage to their organs than with any other type; just the same, serious questions remain about the validity of the findings. The Welsh group wants to use this information to stop the testing of GM crops in the UK, tests currently slated for the spring of this year
Two years ago Philips unveiled a prototype of a functional electronic-document reader, called the Readius, which could unroll its display to a scale larger than the device itself. Unfortunately, that was only a prototype. Polymer Vision, which spun out from Philips in 2006, has redesigned the Readius and turned it into a real product that it is going to be available by the end of this year. There are some notable differences between this Readius and the prototype version, in particular, the ability to display 16 shades of grey instead of just 4 and the connectivity options
Daring Fireball has posted a humorous, and accurate PR-speak to Plain English translation of Macrovision’s CEO’s response to Steve Jobs’ Open Letter on DRM
AOL now has experimental OpenID server support. This means that every AOL user now has an OpenID identifier. OpenID is a decentralized cross-site authentication system which has been growing in popularity over the last few months. AOL is the first large provider to offer OpenID services, and though they do not currently accept logins to their services with OpenID identifiers from elsewhere, they are apparently working on it. The next big challenge for OpenID proponents is teaching AOL’s userbase how to make use of this new technology
Profoundly blind people could get their best shot yet of restored vision with a more advanced bionic eye
, researchers have announced. Trials of the new retinal prosthesis will begin shortly, following the success of a prototype that has enabled six blind people to see again. The prototypes were fitted in 2002 to patients who had lost their sight entirely. Within a few weeks all could detect light, identify objects and even perceive motion again. For one patient, this was the first time he had seen anything in half a century, after his sight was destroyed by retinitis pigmentosa, a virus that attacks retinal cells
Scientists have shown what happens when an infection-fighting antibody attacks a gap in HIV’s formidable defences. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases-led team say the work could aid HIV vaccine development. They have published an atomic-level image in Nature showing the antibody, b12, attacking part of a protein on surface of the virus. HIV avoids attack by constantly mutating, but this protein segment is a weak spot because it remains stable
A123 Systems claims to have invented a Lithium Ion battery that not only can discharge at very high rates of current but can be recharged very quickly without damage to the cells or overheating. A unique feature of A123Systems’ M1 cells is their ability to charge to high capacity in 5 minutes or less. That’s a significant improvement over traditional Li Ion, which typically requires more than 90 minutes to reach a similar level of charge. Using this technology, General Motors has announced a plug-in hybrid SUV
New images of a craggy, fissure-filled canyon on Mars provide evidence of long-term underground water flows that may have provided a suitable environment for microbial life, scientists say. The new findings show light-coloured features cutting across dark bands in an area known as Candor Chasma. Dr Okubo and his colleagues believe they are looking at places where rock has been chemically altered by water flowing across the fractures
The Naval Network Warfare Command says that Chinese hackers are relentlessly targeting Defense Department networks with cyber attacks. The volume, proficiency and sophistication of the attacks supports the theory that the attacks are government supported. The motives of the attacks emanating from China include technology theft, intelligence gathering, exfiltration, research on DOD operations and the creation of dormant presences in DOD network for future action. Onlookers warn that current US defenses against these attacks are dysfunctional, and that more aggressive measures should be taken to ensure government network safety
Almost two-thirds of music industry executives think removing digital locks from downloadable music would make more people buy the tracks. The Jupiter Research study looked at attitudes to Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems in Europe music firms. Many of those responding said current DRM systems were not fit for purpose
and got in the way of what consumers wanted to do. Despite this few respondents said DRM would disappear in the near future
Dan Heller, author of the Photography Business Blog and a longtime watcher of the idea of selling photos on the Internet, observed Tuesday that there’s low-level buzz about Flickr possibly getting into the stock photo business
. He concludes, For Flickr to do it is obvious. Not doing so while they are on top of the game would be suicide.
It’s an interesting possibility. With some tweaks to the Web site and an opt-in check box on the image upload page, Yahoo and Flickr photographers could begin selling images to the sorts of folks who need to buy stock art — via CNET
A coronial inquest in Sydney has been told Indonesian forces involved in the attack on Balibo in 1975 dressed some Australian journalists in army uniform after they were killed. Former East Timorese soldier Fernando Mariz said he was also told the journalists had been shot or stabbed and their bodies dressed in Portuguese Army uniforms for a photo. When Mr Mariz asked why they had been dressed in uniform, the officers replied: In case someone in Australia complains
Enormous deep-sea squid emit blinding flashes of light as they attack their prey, research shows. Taningia danae’s spectacular light show was revealed in video footage taken in deep waters off Chichijima Island in the North Pacific
Doctors at a Texas military base are testing a procedure on wounded Iraq veterans that may allow them to regrow portions of lost fingers. The procedure involves treatments with a fine powder called extracellular matrix, which is taken from the bladders of pigs. The substance is what cells latch on to in mammals to allow them to divide and grow into tissue. Scientists who developed the procedure say the substance appears to activate latent biological processes in humans that encourage healing and tissue regeneration. They said the processes are active in human fetuses, which have the ability to regenerate and grow new parts, but the ability becomes dormant after birth
Not more than two months after discovering a means to extract the HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc volume keys
to decrypt AACS DRM on individual films, we’re now getting word that DRM hacker arnezami has found the processing key
used to decrypt the DRM on all HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc films
That bit in our American Holiday Video where we were attacked by the rednecks in the Alabama petrol station: I realise now that I should have seen it coming. We’d been warned by some American modernists — ie; Californians — that the southerners wouldn’t take kindly to any of our light mockery of the things they hold dear — Bush, heterosexuality, NASCAR, Country and Western, short hair… But I never really believed they would take it quite that badly
An official replica of the Maltese Falcon used in promo photos for the 1941 film has been stolen from John’s Grill in San Francisco. The statue was nabbed out of a locked cabinet where it was on display with signed Dashiell Hammett books and other rarities. John’s Grill proprietor John Konstin has put up a $25,000 reward for its return
An animal lover was mauled to death by cheetahs after entering their cage at a zoo in northern Belgium. Karen Aerts, 37, of Antwerp, was found dead in the cage, Olmense Zoo spokesman Jan Libot said. Police said they ruled out any foul play. Authorities believe Aerts, a regular visitor to the zoo, hid in the park late Sunday until it closed and managed to find the keys to the cheetah cage. Karen loved animals. Unfortunately the cheetahs betrayed her trust,
Libot said
Google’s YouTube and a company called Live Digital will offer no refuge to users who uploaded pirated copies of Fox Television’s 24
and The Simpsons
onto their video platforms. A 20th Century Fox Television spokesperson said that Google and Live Digital complied with subpoenas issued by the US District Court in Northern California and disclosed to Fox the identities of two individuals who illegally uploaded entire episodes of 24
prior to its broadcast and DVD release
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