Just Announced ... The First DVD With Digital Copy For iTunes: FAMILY GUY PRESENTS: BLUE HARVEST - BusinessWire
Topic: Industries
4:10 pm EST, Jan 16, 2008
Though the episode is rather good, the interesting thing about this release is that a pre-ripped iTunes compatible movie file comes on the DVD. And, Fox plans on releasing more this way. This sounds like a way for the studios to circumvent Apple distribution channels and beef up DVD sales. There are still DRM restrictions like iTunes only, and only one iTunes library per DVD.
Just announced at Macworld, Twentieth Century Fox today released the studio's first Special Edition DVD with Digital Copy for iTunes®, the Family Guy “Star Wars” parody FAMILY GUY PRESENTS: BLUE HARVEST – in stores now. Consumers who purchase BLUE HARVEST with the additional Digital Copy of the movie can effortlessly transfer a copy of the film to their iTunes library and then view on a Mac® or PC, iPod®, iPhone™ or on Apple TV®.
In addition to today’s release of BLUE HARVEST, Fox is planning to deliver many more Special Edition DVDs with Digital Copy for iTunes this year including the March 11 release of HITMAN, the stylish, edgy action film starring Timothy Olyphant and Dougray Scott.
The new iTunes Digital Copy provides a consumer friendly way to transfer a DVD purchase to a user’s iTunes library. Once a customer buys the DVD, they insert into their computer, enter a unique code into iTunes and iTunes automatically copies the movie to their iTunes library within minutes. Customers own the iTunes Digital Copy of the movies and it has all of the same great viewing options as other iTunes Store video content, including the ability to be viewed on a computer, iPod, iPhone and Apple TV. Each DVD will only transfer its iTunes Digital Copy to one iTunes library.
SAN FRANCISCO - Sun Microsystems Inc. plans to buy open-source software maker MySQL AB for $1 billion, beefing up the server maker's database offerings with a company whose technology is used by some of the world's biggest Web sites.
Santa Clara-based Sun is paying $800 million in cash and assuming $200 million in options to acquire MySQL.
Sun said the deal will help spread MySQL's software to large corporations, which have been the biggest customers of Sun's servers and software, and boost its distribution through Sun's relationships with other server makers such as IBM Corp. and Dell Inc.
MySQL competes with non-open-source offerings from Microsoft Corp. and Oracle Corp., which dominate database software for traditional businesses.
However, MySQL is the rapidly growing market leader in open-source database software, particularly among Web-based companies, where it commands about 80 percent of the global market, according to Sun Chief Executive Jonathan Schwartz.
Microsoft is less than 10 percent of that market, Schwartz said.
Don't get all frothed up quite yet because it's still only a prototype, but this sweet doublewide curved DLP display with LED illumination from Alienware will reportedly be available in the second half of '08. The curvature of the 2880 x 900 rez screen mimics peripheral vision, and in action the performance seemed pretty flawless to our Crysis-dazzled eyes (official specs report less than .02-millisecond response time). We did notice three faint vertical dividing lines that appeared to indicate four sub-panels making up this screen, but we may be willing to suspend disbelief in exchange for the potential of indulgent wrap-around immersion. There's not even an inkling of an MSRP on this thing yet, but you know we're gonna be keeping our eyes on this sucker for ya.
New rootkit uses old trick to hide itself - Yahoo News
Topic: Computer Security
1:40 pm EST, Jan 9, 2008
Over the past month, a new type of malicious software has emerged, using a decades-old technique to hide itself from antivirus software.
The malware, called Trojan.Mebroot by Symantec, installs itself on the [MBR], then makes changes to the Windows kernel, making it hard for security software to detect it.
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said a subsidiary of EarthLink Inc. has agreed to end what he called deceptive marketing practices that led to overcharges for customers using its dial-up Internet service.
PeoplePC — with about 1.6 million subscribers nationwide — agreed to detail more clearly the cost of its service and provide refunds to its 50,000 New York customers who were billed for what Cuomo says were undisclosed charges.
... and Earthlink keeps spinning down towards its death.
Hello Kitty AR-15 - evil black rifle meets cute and cuddly
Topic: Recreation
11:59 pm EST, Jan 2, 2008
In the "spirit" of the California Assault Weapon Ban I decided to do my best to alleviate the fears of my fellow citizens and gun-banning legislators when I put together a new AR-15 for my wife. Below is the result of my painstaking work to transform an Evil Black Rifle (EBR) into a Cute Pink RIfle (CPR). Introducing the Hello Kitty AR-15!
When I started working with Dave Maynor a few years ago he told me that if I was going to be working with him, I had to buy a gun. I told him the only gun I would buy was a hot pink AK-47. That put an end to the discussion, but I was partially serious. It seemed the sort of weapon a William Gibson character would carry, or perhaps a weapon popular in Africa, the cultural juxtaposition making it all the more wicked. Like the wigged warriors of Liberia. Well, finally someone has obliged, almost...
Can you identify which of the following lines are actual mottos for a US state, and which are phrases taken from poetry written by baby-faced chip-toothed nonce-lived-i-a-van singer/songwriter sensation, Jewel?
(answers in a reply)
1. To the stars through adversity 2. Move mountains with words 3. Hunted by tulips at three am 4. Manly deeds, womanly words 5. Remember the incredible 6. Let it be perpetual 7. Who you really are at your highest is who you will become 8. It grows as it goes 9. Where Blue eyeshadow has never gone before 10. More of a dream with each waking day 11. Find god in simplicity 12. She flies with her own wings 13. While I breathe, I hope 14. Agriculture and commerce
The funny thing about Starbucks is it's helped to create a coffee culture filled with a significant number of people who don't actually like Starbucks—which means that, despite conventional wisdom, it's actually a good thing to be a mom & pop coffee shop with a Starbucks nearby, writes Slate. Instead of stealing your business, you get the spillover from their store. "They'll do all of your marketing for you, and your sales will soar."
That's certainly how it worked out for Hyman. Soon after declining Starbucks's buyout offer, Hyman received the expected news that the company was opening up next to one of his stores. But instead of panicking, he decided to call his friend Jim Stewart, founder of the Seattle's Best Coffee chain, to find out what really happens when a Starbucks opens nearby. "You're going to love it," Stewart reported. "They'll do all of your marketing for you, and your sales will soar." The prediction came true: Each new Starbucks store created a local buzz, drawing new converts to the latte-drinking fold. When the lines at Starbucks grew beyond the point of reason, these converts started venturing out--and, Look! There was another coffeehouse right next-door! Hyman's new neighbor boosted his sales so much that he decided to turn the tactic around and start targeting Starbucks. "We bought a Chinese restaurant right next to one of their stores and converted it, and by God, it was doing $1 million a year right away," he said.
We've noticed that Starbucks has had another "positive" effect on the coffee house industry—it's trained consumers to willingly pay over $1.50 for a cuppa joe no matter where they're buying it. Maybe this is why "Just over the five-year period from 2000 to 2005... the number of mom and pops grew 40 percent, from 9,800 to nearly 14,000 coffeehouses," and "the failure rate for new coffeehouses is a mere 10 percent."
P.S. Starbucks is awesome. Playstation is awesome. Nintendo is awesome. Apple is awesome. Microsoft is awesome. Dunkin' Donuts is awesome. Just wanted to prime the comments a little before we head into the weekend.
