Category Archives: government, law, and politics

Big Brother P2P

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New P2P network funded by US government

"A team of government-funded US scientists is building a Peer-2-Peer (P2P) network that they say will solve technical problems with existing P2P networks, such as Gnutella and Kazaa, and might even one day supersede the web."

"The network, dubbed the Infrastructure for Resilient Internet Systems (IRIS), will speed up searches and information transfer over the internet, and aims to foil 'Denial of Service' attacks by hackers – in which a web server is swamped with requests for a page until it crashes."

Forbes vs RIAA

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Kick Music Execs While They’re Down
Betsy Schiffman

“NEW YORK – Theoretically, a price-fixing scheme is a surefire way to maintain revenue–even if it is an efficient way to land in jail. But for such a blazingly simple plan, those clever music executives proved that if anyone can screw it up, they can. “

Caught in the Act

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This article by Charles Krauthammer is valuable not for Krauthammer's support for an attack on Iraq (which I oppose) but with the journalistic games the New York Times is playing in its campaign against the invasion of Iraq. The NYT is an opinionated paper, and this is a good case-study in how it has been going about influencing public opinion not just with editorials (which are a great addition to a paper) but by selectively shading and presenting the facts (which is incompatible with freedom).

Microsoft Users of the World, Unite! The Only Thing You Have to Lose Are Inoperable Computers!

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Linux has long benefited from from the anti-Microsoft faction of computer users, and had much of its origin in such circles. Now we see more international leaders concerned about Microsoft’s power turn to open source solutions.

I was pretty interested in how Microsoft consider both open-source software and IBM the two main threats to its power. IBM has really impressed me with its turn-around and embrace of Linux, and this article points to some smart moves that they have recently made. I’m really curious to see how Big Blue will turn out in the future.

I Swear to Tell the Truth… So Help Me Satan

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Kentucky prison suspends satanic services

“LEXINGTON, Kentucky (AP) — The Kentucky Department of Corrections has suspended formal satanic worship services at the Green River Correctional Complex while officials work to shape a statewide policy on the practice.”