Apparently, fair use is going to hell in a hand-basket very soon. If I buy a CD and don’t want to keep it anymore, I should be able to sell it to a third-party for a considerable sum of money. According to Florida and Utah law though, you can’t do that. In fact, these two states are placing restrictions on the sale of used CDs so that you must submit plenty of identification as well as fingerprints if you want to sell CDs. To top it off, you can’t even get cash, just store credit. According to the report, Rhode Island and Wisconsin may soon follow suit, meaning your freedom to sell your Father’s old Boston CDs could soon be hampered. This quote sums it up pretty well: “No, you won’t spend any time in jail, but you’ll certainly feel like a criminal once the local record shop makes copies of all of your identifying information and even collects your fingerprints. Such is the state of affairs in Florida, which now has the dubious distinction of being so anal about the sale of used music CDs that record shops there are starting to get out of the business of dealing with used content because they don’t want to pay a $10,000 bond for the ‘right’ to treat their customers like criminals.” Record shops: Used CDs? Ihre papieren, bitte! [Ars Technica via Slashdot] → Read More
SubRosaSoft.com has developed a device that it claims can extract passwords from OS X 10.3 or later Macs. The unit consists of a single flash drive that is capable of pulling passwords from the Apple Keychain and system settings. It also compiles a database of the system it’s installed on. There is one catch though, to purchase one, you have to be an investigator or a law enforcement officer. And yes, you must produce proof. If you can though, the MacLockPick can be yours for just $499. Product Page [via Macworld] → Read More
Sure you can pin the blame on your unsecured router when the RIAA or MPAA comes knocking at your door, but when it’s the FBI and you’re accused of having tons of child pornography, don’t think you’re getting out of this one so easily. A guy in Texas had his home raided and the police found lots of child porn on his computer. When confronted, he blamed his router’s open WiFi connection for the kiddie porn, which everyone knew was BS. Turns out the guy had been looking at the stuff for years and was sending law enforcement on a wild goose chase trying to find out who was distributing child porn on the net. But the kicker? They found a CD full of it in his home. Cased closed. The sicko appealed but luckily was denied an overturned ruling and is now serving close to five years in prison. So next time the police raid your home for animal porn/illegal MP3s/cockfighting, don’t blame it on the unsecured WiFi router. It’s just not gonna work. Police blotter: Open Wi-Fi blamed in child porn case [News.com] → Read More
nee iPodGarage and now PodReady.com. See, the name PodReady would make people think of iPods and that could lead to a .00098% loss of revenue for the Madison, Wisconsin Best Buy store between October 2 and October 3 of this year due to reduced iPod sales. Protect your IP. Protect your designs. Protect your content. But please, big companies, don’t make your shiz a household name and then cry foul when people use it in that way. Just wait until the Zune drops. Those orcs will be manning the C&D forge well into the evening. Apple Hits Podcast Ready with Nastygram [Wired via Calacanis] → Read More
Governor Arnold is set to sign a bill today to outlaw drivers from talking on cell phones in cars unless they are using a headset or some other hands-free device. The law goes into action January 1, 2008, and will cost drivers $20 for a first time fine and $50 thereafter. Californians, you’ve got one year to get a phone that supports Bluetooth, get a headset, or get some kind of hands-free car adapter. Here are a couple to get you started. Bill signing today to make drivers put down phones [Mercury News] → Read More
A district judge in Lousiana threw out a bill today that would ban the sales of violent video games to minors. U.S. District Judge, James Brady, said the state had no right to stop any distribution of games because they contained violence. Brady dubbed the law an “invasion of First Amendment rights” of producers, retailers and kiddies who play the games. He said that depictions of violence are “entitled to full constitutional protection.” The thing is, we already have a rating system on games that bans minors from purchasing them. Did Louisiana not get the memo? Edit: I live in Louisiana and I feel qualified to say that the state should worry much less about crap like this and more about trying to fix the real problems. It’s probably even more apparent today, August 29, when a year after Hurricane Katrina, the city is still leveled, the levees aren’t fixed and the crime rate is building exponentially. Who gives a crap about video games? – Blake Louisiana Judge Declines Violent Game Ban [the inquirer] → Read More
San Francisco, CA
