Caleb's Blog

RIAA loses in file sharing case

calebac09 — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 00:03:12 +0000

Mothers. You’ve got to love them. They give birth to us, feed us,
clothe us, teach us to chew with our mouths closed, and go to bat for
us against the RIAA.

An Oklahoma mother, Debbie Foster, was accused by the RIAA of
copyright infringement back in November 2004, and her daughter Amanda
was added to the complaint in July 2005. According to the RIAA, the
Internet account paid for by Debbie Foster was used for file sharing,
with an unspecified number of songs downloaded.

The music
group offered to settle the case for US$5,000, but Foster decided to
take her chances in court. She requested that the RIAA provide
specifics such as the dates of the alleged downloading and the files
involved. The RIAA failed to provide the requested information and
Foster filed a motion for summary judgment. In turn, the RIAA decided
to cut its losses and asked the court to withdraw its case. The court
approved the RIAA’s request, but named Foster the winner and awarded
her attorneys fees over the RIAA’s objections.

In his
opinion, Judge Lee R. West wrote, “because this Court finds that the
plaintiffs’ voluntary dismissal with prejudice services as a complete
adjudication of the issues set forth in their complaint and acts as a
bar to further action on their claims, the court concludes the matter
has been finally adjudicated in the defendant’s favor… [which]
represents a judicially sanctioned material alteration in the legal
relationship between Deborah Foster and the plaintiffs. Ms. Foster is
therefore the prevailing party for purposes of the Copyright Act.”

Debbie
Foster is not the only mother to stand up to the RIAA. A 42-year-old
disabled, single mother from Oregon, Tanya Anderson, is currently fighting the RIAA’s file-sharing allegations.
She denies downloading hip-hop over Kazaa and decided to fight back
after being contacted by the Settlement Support Center. There is also the case of Patricia Santangelo,
a divorced mother of five living in New York. Her case is currently
headed for trial in the US District Court of the Southern District of
New York, after a motion to dismiss was denied.

This is hardly the first setback for the RIAA, which has previously sued grandmothers, both living and dead. Despite that, the music industry appears to be pressing ahead with its litigious strategy.

Here Comes “Conroe”

calebac09 — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 00:00:16 +0000

Intel is set to announce its long awaited Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme processors tonight, July 14th, at 12:01AM EST. Initially announced at the Spring Intel Developer Forum 2006, Intel’s Conroe was
demonstrated beating out AMD’s fastest processors from high end Athlon
64 X2’s to the gaming and enthusiast oriented Athlon 64 FX. Intel also
previously launched the Core 2 architecture based Woodcrest Xeon 5110, 5120, 5130, 5140, 5150 and 5160 models.
With the new Core 2 architecture Intel is moving away from the
megahertz war and moving towards higher instructions-per-clock
performance and improved power efficiency instead.

New Core 2 processors are based upon a new micro architecture that
shares its roots with Intel’s Core mobile architecture. Intel will
launch Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme dual-core processors initially,
though a single-core Conroe-L Core 2 Solo processor
is expected in 2007. Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme processors have a
plethora of new features including Intel Wide Dynamic Execution, Intel
Smart Memory Access, Intel Advanced Smart Cache and Intel Advanced
Digital Media Boost. Intel’s Wide Dynamic Execution technology allows
the 14-stage pipeline to have a 33% wider execution over previous
Netburst based processors. Each core also has deeper buffers, 4
wide-decode to execute, 4 wide-micro-op execute, micro and macro fusion
and enhanced ALUs too.

Intel Smart Memory Access has an improved branch prediction unit with
new pre-fetch algorithms that accelerate execution of out-of-order
instructions and improve data movement between the L2 cache and system
memory. With Intel Smart Memory Access the pipeline is always kept full
for more efficient memory access that can mask the latency associated
with a north bridge-equipped memory controller. Intel Advanced Smart
Cache allows both processor cores to share the same L2 cache — though
bear in mind this has already been done for some time on Conroe’s mobile predecessor, Yonah.
Lower-end Core 2 Duo processors will have 2MB of shared L2 while Core 2
Extreme processors and higher end Core 2 Duo processors will have 4MB
of share L2 cache. Intel claims a shared L2 cache reduces access
latency and improves performance.

Intel Advanced Digital Media Boost is a performance enhancement for
previous SSE, SSE2 and SSE3 instructions. While SSE, SSE2 and SSE3
instructions require two clock cycles to execute a single 128-bit
instruction on previous architectures, the new Core 2 architecture can
execute the same instructions in a single cycle. This improves
performance and improves power efficiency as the processor can
accomplish the same task in half the time.

Previous features such as Intel Virtualization Technology, Intel
Extended Memory 64 Technology and Execute Disable Bit are available on
new Core 2 processors as well.

While the performance NDA lifts later tonight availability isn’t expected until July 23rd, 2006.
On July 23rd, 2006 consumers should be able to purchase Core 2 Duo and
Core 2 Extreme processors from most online retailers and stores. That
being said, it’s not unlikely that some merchants will start showing
stock immediately to pre-empt shipments. Intel will officially announce
availability on July 27, 2006.

Intel Desktop Performance Roadmap

Processor
Number

Frequency

FSB

L2
Cache

Price
July 23

C2D X6800

2.93GHz

1066MHz

4MB

$999

C2D E6700

2.67GHz

1066MHz

4MB

$530

C2D E6600

2.4GHz

1066MHz

4MB

$316

C2D E6400

2.13GHz

1066MHz

2MB

$224

C2D E6300

1.86GHz

1066MHz

2MB

$183

P4D 945

3.4GHz

800MHz

2x2MB

$163

P4D 915

2.8GHz

800MHz

2x2MB

$133

P4D 820

2.8GHz

800MHz

2x1MB

$113

P4D 805

2.66GHz

533MHz

2x1MB

$93

Intel has priced Core 2 Duo processors competitively with a traditional
Pentium 4 processors on all price points. At the low end of the
spectrum are the 2MB L2 cache equipped Core 2 Duo E6300 and E6400
priced at $183 and $224 respectively. For an extra few bucks consumers
can pickup the Core 2 E6600 with 4MB of L2 cache. Topping off the Core
2 Duo lineup is the E6700 for $530. Core 2 Duo processors will be
available with 1.86, 2.13, 2.4 and 2.67 GHz respectively.

Gamers and enthusiasts looking for more performance can pickup the Core
2 Extreme X6800 for $999. Unlike previous Pentium Extreme Edition
processors which only added a faster front-side bus and Hyper Threading
technology, the Core 2 Extreme is clocked at 2.93 GHz, a 263 MHz clock
frequency advantage over the Core 2 Duo E6700. Hyper-Threading will not
be available on any initial Core 2 based processors. Intel will launch
a 3.2GHz Core 2 Extreme processor later this year, and a quad-core Kentsfield Core 2 Extreme processor early next year.

With the launch of Core 2 Duo Intel will aggressively cut prices on
current Pentium D 945, 915, 820 and 805 processors. The 2x2MB of L2
cache equipped 3.4 GHz dual-core Pentium D 945 will drop to $163 while
the 2.8 GHz Pentium D 915 will drop to $133. Pentium D 820 and 805
processors will drop to $113 and $93 respectively.

Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme compatible motherboards are expected from Asus, Epox, Gigabyte, Intel and Universal abit with 975X, P965 and G965 chipsets.

Pop-up Potpourri: Julialicious

calebac09 — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 17:28:34 +0000

A very funny posting by Alex Papadimoulis showing a bunch of odd or funny pop-ups or errors.

The Daily WTF – Pop-up Potpourri: Julialicious

2second tent: pitched before it hits the ground

calebac09 — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 17:25:31 +0000

Pitching a tent is a pain, especially after a long day of hiking and
being without your precious electricity. Outdoor-goods peddler Quechua
has come up with a solution for people who like camping except for all
that work and stuff: the 2second tent. As in that’s how long it takes
to set up. Yes, 2 seconds; simply toss the folded-up tent in the air,
and by the time it hits the ground, it’s pitched. All you have to do
then is attach it to the ground with tent pegs so it doesn’t blow away
or anything. It doesn’t get much easier than that, now does it? The
tent also boasts simplicity in coming down, so it may take longer than
two seconds to pack up, but you won’t be there all day. Available in
two- or three-person sizes, the 2second tent is small, light, and
transportable, which seems to cover all the bases of a quality tent
(other than protecting you from the elements and such). They’re
available online now and range in price from about $65 to about $83.

Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 Is No Slam-Dunk

calebac09 — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 17:23:31 +0000

The war of the browsers continues with a series of beta skirmishes,
as Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 enters the fray. Maybe we should call this the
prequel for the next battle for browser supremacy—”Browser Wars: Attack
of the Betas.”

The latest volley in this not-quite-ready-for-prime-time
conflict comes from the Mozilla Foundation, which released the first
public beta of its next-generation Web browser on July 12.

eWEEK Labs’ tests show that Beta 1 of the open-source Firefox
2.0 includes some welcome new features, catches up a bit with
capabilities found in other Web browsers and adds some nice security
enhancements.

However, while Firefox 2.0 is shaping up to be a good upgrade
to Version 1.5 of the popular Web browser, it doesn’t look like it will
be the slam-dunk over the forthcoming Internet Explorer 7 that Firefox
1.5 has been to the current IE 6.x.

For that matter, unless Firefox 2.0 and IE 7 improve greatly
before their respective releases later in 2006, neither will come close
to topping the quality of the already shipping Opera 9.

One clear advantage that Firefox will always have over Internet
Explorer, though, is that it runs on multiple platforms, including
older versions of Windows. IE 7, in contrast, won’t run on anything
other than Windows XP SP 2 or newer operating systems. In our tests,
the Firefox 2.0 beta ran well and identically on Windows, Mac OS X and
Linux.

A welcome new feature in the Firefox 2.0 beta is an integrated
spell-checker, which will be especially useful when entering content in
Web-based forms and fields. In other browsers, this functionality can
be added through plug-ins and add-ons, but we liked the smooth
integration of the spell-checking function in Firefox 2.0.

Also well-implemented is the anti-phishing warning feature, which
launched a very obvious pop-up when we surfed to a potentially
malicious Web site. This isn’t a new capability—both Opera 9 and the IE
7 betas we’ve looked at have anti-phishing features—but we liked the
prominent way that Firefox 2.0 flags phishing sites (identified through
an updated list that the browser downloads regularly).

Firefox’s search features have also been beefed up: When we
began entering a word in the integrated search box, Firefox 2.0
displayed a drop-down list of suggested search terms. Search engine
management also has been improved, and new search engines can be added
from a list (although we couldn’t add many search engines that we could
in Opera 9).

Probably one of the most unique features in Firefox 2.0 Beta 1
is the addition of microsummaries for bookmarked Web sites.
Microsummaries are essentially small updated headlines that sites can
create that display in the bookmark sidebar in Firefox. When
bookmarking a site with microsummaries, we could choose to view the
summary headlines in bookmarks.

However, users who have been testing the alphas of Firefox 2.0
may be disappointed to find that the Places interface for viewing
bookmarks and histories has been removed from this beta, and probably
from the final release of Firefox 2.0.

Firefox 2.0 now does a better job of handling both browser
crashes and accidental tabbed window closures. A new recovery feature
let us return to the exact same browser profile we had had prior to a
crash of our browser or system. We also really liked the Recently
Closed Tabs section in the History menu, which made it simple to bring
back tabbed windows we had accidentally closed. Opera provided this
feature first, in its Trashcan, but we liked this implementation a bit
better.

Firefox 2.0 will mark the end of the browser’s failed
experiment of putting the Close Tab button on the side of the browser
tool bar. In Beta 1, Firefox works like other tabbed browsers in
putting the Close Tab X directly on the tabs.

Feed management has been improved through the addition of a preview
page that provides information on an RSS feed when the user is
subscribing to it. The most surprising thing about this feature is that
it marks the first time, at least as far as we can remember, that a
feature appeared in IE before Firefox (IE 7 betas already have this
capability.)

Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 includes quite a bit of under-the-covers
improvement and additional standards support, although, unlike Opera 9
and Safari—but like IE 7—it will still not pass the Acid2 Web standards
test from webstandards.org.

While Firefox 2.0 is a public beta, it is still an early beta,
and users not willing to be test subjects should probably stick to the
shipping version of the browser. To download Firefox 2.0 Beta 1, go to http://www.mozilla.org/projects/bonecho/index-2.0b1.html.

Internet con artists turn to ‘vishing’

calebac09 — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 17:19:46 +0000

Internet con artists are turning to an old
tool — the phone — to keep tricking Web users who have learned not to
click on links in unsolicited e-mails.

A batch of e-mails recently making the rounds
were crafted to appear as if they came from PayPal, eBay’s online
payment service. Like traditional phony “phishing” e-mails, these said
there was some problem with the recipients’ accounts.

Phishing e-mails generally instruct recipients
to click a link in the e-mail to confirm their personal information;
the link actually connects to a bogus site where the data are stolen.

But with Internet users wiser about phishing,
the new fake PayPal e-mail included no such link. Instead it told users
to call a number, where an automated answering service asked for
account information.

Security experts tracking this scam and other
instances of “vishing” — short for “voice phishing” — say the frauds
are particularly nefarious because they mimic the legitimate ways
people interact with financial institutions.

In fact, some vishing attacks don’t begin with
an e-mail. Some come as calls out of the blue in which the caller
already knows the recipient’s credit card number — increasing the
perception of legitimacy — and asks just for the valuable three-digit
security code on the back of the card.

“It is becoming more difficult to distinguish
phishing attempts from actual attempts to contact customers,” said Ron
O’Brien, a security analyst with Sophos PLC.

Vishing appears to be flourishing with the help
of Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, the technology that enables
cheap and anonymous Internet calling, as well as the ease with which
caller ID boxes can be tricked into displaying erroneous information.

The upshot: “If you get a telephone call where
someone is asking you to provide or confirm any of your personal
information, immediately hang up and call your financial institution
with the number on the back of the card,” said Paul Henry, a vice
president with Secure Computing Corp. “If it was a real issue, they can
address the issue.”

The greatest error message of all time?

calebac09 — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 17:18:54 +0000

Error messages are usually a bland and opaque non-explanation of
what has gone wrong. Especially when they’re posted by large companies.

So hats off to Fish4.co.uk for a truly fine, if slightly bitter,
error message. The problem is blamed on a piece of Sun equipment – a
Sun Fire E6900 Server – described by Sun as an “Extreme Enterprise
Powerhouse”.

The message says: “Thank you for coming to Fish4 this morning.

Unfortunately the fish4 website is unavailable due to the failure of
a very expensive piece of Sun hardware. A Sun engineer is at the data
centre but didn’t think to bring the replacement part with him.”

The company hopes to have the site back up by midday.

Fish4 is a collection of local small ads sites for houses, jobs and
cars. It is owned by local newspaper groups and has over 30m page
impressions a month.

The site, might, be available here.

New iPods to use OLED displays

calebac09 — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 17:16:49 +0000

WE’VE HEARD an odd, but strong whisper on the grapevine, and
that is that certain models in the new generation of our favourite
white-corded MP3 players will feature OLED displays instead of the more
common TFTs.

These will be limited to the smallest models, but whether we’re talking
a replacement for the Shuffle or the Nano is not clear yet.

While OLEDs may look gorgeous, with excellent viewing angles when
viewed indoors, they fare much less well in bright sunlight, becoming
about as useful as a piece of blank glass.

Of course, in an Apple, they’ll be the coolest piece of glass in
existence, but not so good for reading your MP3 track name. Still it’s
one up over the current Shuffle.

Small passive OLEDs are pretty good in terms of reaction times,
performing fairly similarly to a TFT, so viewing small video podcasts
should be no problem. There is also now becoming good availability (in
small sizes, at least) of the even better-performing active AM-OLEDs
which are built on similar glass to TFTs.

The other big problem, however, with them, is the short lifetime. In
particular the different coloured LEDs fade at different rates, and can
leave you in just a few thousand hours of viewing with a very
odd-coloured display.

So it might match the discoloured white plastics if they make them from the same material as the new iBooks.

TWiT.tv redesign, at last!

calebac09 — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 17:15:21 +0000

After months of development, the completely redesigned TWiT.tv website has launched.

Quotes Of The Day

calebac09 — Tue, 27 Dec 2005 11:54:00 +0000

“People seem to enjoy things more when they know a lot of other people have been left out of the pleasure.”
Russell Baker

“Take everything you like seriously, except yourselves.”
Rudyard Kipling

“I don’t like composers who think. It gets in the way of their plagiarism.”
Howard Dietz

“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”
Ronald Reagan