It seems that Bit Torrent is getting a face lift, but it also seems that they are hinting at moving to some sort of media solution as well.

Bit Torrent Changing their business model?

The end of MP3s?

A federal jury in San Diego has ordered Microsoft to pay $1.5 billion to Alcatel-Lucent in a patent dispute over MP3 audio technology used in Windows.

In its verdict, the jury assessed damages based on each Windows PC sold since May 2003. The case could have broader implications, should Alcatel-Lucent pursue claims against other companies that use the widespread MP3 technology.

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and
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Scores of technology companies, including Apple, Intel and Texas Instruments, license the MP3 technology, according to Thomson's MP3licensing.com. An Apple representative declined to comment on the verdict.

This will certainly play out to be an interesting episode.

What do you all think?

Microsoft hit with $1.5 billion patent verdict | Tech News on ZDNet

I'm a very excited. After a good year, I finally bought myself a new GPS unit, for the car, walking, and all around general use.

I ordered the Garmin Nuvi 660, and can't wait to get my hands on it.

(btw, if you're interested, I received this unit for under $750, and can get you in touch with my reseller)

nüvi 660 Features:

* Receiver: high-sensitivity WAAS-capable GPS receiver by SiRF
* Display: 4.3 diagonal, 480 x 272 pixels; WQVGA TFT landscape display, with white back-light and touch screen
* Unit dimensions: 4.9”W x 2.9”H x 0.9” D (12.4 x 7.4 x 2.3 cm)
* Weight: 6.2 oz. (190 g)
* Battery life: 3 to 7 hours
* Bluetooth wireless technology for hands-free calling
* FM transmitter (U.S., Australia and New Zealand only)
* Alerts for traffic, road construction and weather-related tie-ups. nüvi 660 uses data to suggest alternate routes before problems are encountered
* Includes Garmin Lock™, an anti-theft feature
* Voice announces streets by name
* Preloaded maps for all of North America or Europe
* Fingertip touch-screen interface
* Look up addresses and points of interest
* Choose 2D or 3D map perspective
* Upload custom POIs, including alerts for speed zones and safety cams
* Built in Travel Kit includes MP3 player with sample MPs, audio books, picture viewer, world clock, currency and measurement converters, calculator and more
* Add optional software such as Travel and Language Guides to personalize nüvi
* SD memory card expansion slot
* USB interface for loading data

New Toy on the way!!!

Ballmer: "Linux Users Owe Me Money"

Finally Microsoft pulled the expected rabbit called 'FUD' all the way out of the hat. Redmond had been hinting for a few years that the rabbit was hiding in there, but VOILA here it is! Ballmer now boldly claims that Linux "uses our intellectual property". It had been widely suspected in the open-source community that Redmond would pull the "Linux infringes on Microsoft's intellectual property" caper one day, and they were right.

It happened in a Q&A session after Ballmer's keynote at a Seattle SQL Server conference. He said he thought it was a good idea to sign a deal with Novell (which distributes SUSE Linux) because Linux "uses our intellectual property" and he wanted to "get the appropriate economic return for our shareholders from our innovation."

So the deal with Novell makes Windows and SUSE play nice together. Redmond will pay Novell $440 million for coupons that provide one year SUSE support and maintenance, with MS pushing SUSE. But the other bit was Novell paying MS 40 Mil 'protection money', so they will not get sued for infringement. Pretty much everyone using and contributing to SUSE is free from prosecution. Makes Redmond look pretty good in court if they try to sue other Linux distros.

FUD ALERT: "Novell pays us some money for the right to tell customers that anybody who uses SUSE Linux is appropriately covered," Ballmer said. This "is important to us, because [otherwise] we believe every Linux customer basically has an undisclosed balance-sheet liability."

Interesting perspective came from Pamela Jones, editor of the Groklaw site. "My reaction is that so far, what he [Ballmer] said is just more FUD [fear, uncertainty and doubt]," "Let him sue if he thinks he has a valid claim, and we'll see how well his customers like it." Obviously open-source advocates want Redmond to show exactly which lines of Linux kernel code are the culprits and rip them out, or work around them.

Ballmer continued with the following pretty clear message: "Only customers that use SUSE have paid properly for intellectual property from Microsoft," he said. "We are willing to do a deal with Red Hat and other Linux distributors." The deal with SUSE Linux "is not exclusive,"

However, a potential deal between those two companies will have to wait until the end of 2009, as Novell and Microsoft signed an exclusivity agreement barring MS from establishing similar agreements with other Linux vendors for the next three years. Imagine that, all Linux open-source users paying Redmond for using that code. I thought the whole open-source idea was trying to get away from that. Echoes of SCO anyone? I'm sure the last word has not been spoken about this issue.

BigBruin.Com Forum :: Ballmer:

IDGNS: What are the new threats that people aren't thinking about?

Drako: There has been a market change over the last five-to-six years, primarily due to Sarbanes-Oxley. It used to be that you actually trusted your employees. What's changed -- and which is really kind of morally and socially depressing -- is that now, the way the auditors approach the problem, the way Sarbanes-Oxley approaches the problem, is you actually put in systems assuming that you can't trust anyone. Everything has to be double-signoff or a double-check in the process of how you organize all of the financials of the company.

That is really the major shift, which has created a huge burden on how we operate any [publicly traded] organization.

I'm on an Internal Security workgroup, and there is an individual who is stomping around bemoaning this very process... Great article, fantastic timing!!!

Security chiefs see changes in identity theft

Ok... I have nothing flashy to say, except, WHAT???

Is it me, or am I simply not seeing how this is going to help the "average" company?

EMC has always been a "top shelf" product, and priced that way (e.g. expensive as hell), and RSA is not known for "budget conscious" products either.

Unless this expenditure of @2.1 Billion Dollars by EMC means they're going to product their products at a LOWER PRICE TO the Market, (Which I can't forsee in any alternate reality, nevermind our current one), what's the point? To make Security on Data Storage too expensive for the masses?

Arrrrgggggghhhhhh, ... It's Drivin' me Nuts!!!!

Update: EMC to acquire RSA Security for almost $2.1B

I'm not all up on this Virtualization and making software at this level, but I do understand the gist of this article. If it is true... it's pretty scary...

I'd love to know what this community thinks with regard to the "Blue Pill"...

invisiblethings: Introducing Blue Pill

In this wired news article, there is a discussion over the new move by technical phone manufacturers and wireless providers to merge their services. What makes this article so interesting to me, the quote below from an EVP of a major marketing firm when asked about privacy of selling ads sent to your cell phone, based on the cell phone's location.

As for privacy concerns associated with geographic and music-customized targeting, "This is a generation that publishes itself on MySpace," Ruhanen quipped, eliciting a chuckle from attendees.

(Troy Ruhanen, executive vice president of BBDO North America, which is a MARKETING company.)

This type of moronic babble is exactly what businesses want to hear. It is morons like this that provide guidance to major corporations that are required by law to be more concerned with security for their customers. According to BBDO's Web site, they tout the following companies as customers:

Cingular Wireless
Homeless.com
US Peacecorps
PEPSICO
Sierra Mist
AquaFina
Mitsubishi US
General Electric
FedEx
FedEx-Kinkos
Guiness
Mars Company (makers of M&M's)
NJ Quit Center
Hormel Company (Makers of Spam)
Wrigleys
La Salle Bank
Daimler-Chrysler
Pioneer Stereo
San Franscisco Zoo
Tabasco

I wonder if they know about this EVP's apparent lack of security concerns?

Just my 2cents, YMMV.

Why Business continues to fall victim to security and privacy issues

This has to be the saddest thing I've ever seen...

A step by step "how to" on wardriving...

Just in case you still thought it was cool...

How to War Drive - WikiHow

Put this in the "I want one" list...

I wanna create stuff... :D

New Scientist Breaking News - 3D printer to churn out copies of itself