Song stealer? File sharer loses case

clipped from consumerist.com A Boston jury yesterday ruled that file sharer Joel Tenenbaum would have to pay the Recording Industry of America $675,000 for sharing 30 copyrighted songs. The hefty award was all the more surprising because Tenenbaum was represented by a crack team of legal eagles from Harvard's law school. The trial didn't unfold nearly the way they planned... Tenenbaum had used a variety of different peer-to-peer programs, from Napster to KaZaA to AudioGalaxy to iMesh, to obtain music for free, starting in 1999. And he continued to infringe, even after his father warned him in 2002 that he would get sued, even after he received a harshly-worded letter from the plaintiffs' law firm in 2005, even after he was sued in 2007, and all the way through part of 2008. And when he took the stand on Thursday, Tenenbaum admitted it all, including the fact that he had "lied" in his written discovery responses and at his first deposition in September 2008. None of the money will go to the artists $22,500 per song

What's up with the lying? His lawyers must be furious.

Sustainable Design for the Other 90%

clipped from theschooloflife.typepad.com whenever we read, or talk, about design, it’s invariably about something that’s intended to be sold to one of the privileged minority – the richest 10%. More and more designers, mostly young ones, are addressing that need by designing everything from emergency housing, water purification devices, cheap forms of transport, educational resources, to new business initiatives for “the other 90%”. They are also tackling the problems of mature economies like our’s by working in collaboration with other disciplines such as anthropology, economics, ethnography, psychology and the social sciences to develop new solutions to acute social problems in areas like crime, education, healthcare, housing, joblessness and ageing. they must focus on the needs of the under-privileged 90%. If they succeed, we will have a new definition of “good design” – one that has less to do with chairs, and more with the aspects of design that really matter.

This reminds me of Shelter By Shelter Publications, Lloyd Kahn, Bob Easton

NYPL Director to Become National Archivist

Does anyone know what the next step is once someone is nominated?

clipped from www.white President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts David S. Ferriero, Nominee for Archivist of the United States, National Archives and Records Administration Mr. Ferriero serves as the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the New York Public Libraries, one of the largest public library systems in the United States and one of the largest research library systems in the world. Mr. Ferriero is responsible for collection strategy; conservation; digital experience; reference and research services; and education, programming, and exhibitions. The NYPL has 2600 full-time employees and a budget of $273 million. Prior to taking the Director position in June 2007, Mr. Ferriero served as the Chief Executive of NYPL’s Research Libraries for three years and as the University Librarian and Vice Provost for Library affairs at Duke University. He began his career as a Junior Library Assistant at the MIT Libraries, where he spent 31 years, leaving in 1996 as the Acting Co-Director of the MIT Libraries.

TechCrunch quits iPhone for GoogleVoice

clipped from www.techcrunch.com I’m abandoning the iPhone and AT&T. I will grudgingly pay the $175 AT&T termination fee What finally put me over the edge? It wasn’t the routinely dropped calls, something you can only truly understand once you have owned an iPhone (and which drove my friend Om Malik to bail). I’ve lived with that for two years. It’s not the lack of AT&T coverage at home. I’ve lived with that for two years, too. It certainly isn’t the lack of a physical keyboard, that has never bothered me. No, what finally put me over the edge is the Google Voice debacle. Google Voice is a call management service that lets you determine what calls get through to you based on who’s calling and what time of day it is, among other factors. It has amazing features, like automatically transcribing all your voicemails. And you can forward calls to any other phone Google is planning on rolling out number portability, so I can move my mobile phone number to Google Users say goodbye as Apple and AT&T are blocking Google Voice App

I'm glad he mentioned phone number portability - if you read the full article there is a point mentioning that this Google Voice feature essentially turns the iPhone and AT&T into a "dumb pipe" for the Google Voice application. - that's what they want to block.

iPhone no longer 'America's Sweetheart' People are Pissed!

clipped from moconews.net Apple’s iPhone has been able to do no wrong. For two years, it monopolized the industry and has been upheld as the best smartphone out there. Consumers, developers and technology bloggers were enamored. But in an almost indescribably turn of events this week, the tides shifted and the platform’s problems—that have always been there—started eating away at its super smooth touchscreen exterior. It seems that in more numbers than ever, consumers are speaking out against AT&T’s network problems and developers are complaining about Apple’s and AT&T’s inconsistent policies on which applications get approval. That in turn, created more unhappy customers. If indeed the iPhone begins to fade over the next few months, we can trace it back to this week and one event alone. Who knew there would be one catalyst, and the tipping point was going to be the rejection of Google’s Voice application? people got mad. Really, really mad. TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington wrote today that he’s quitting the iPhone And then Steve Jobs awoke, it had all been a horrible dream...

Unemployment Benefits run out for many

clipped from www.nytimes.com Tens of thousands of workers have already used up their benefits, and the numbers are expected to soar in the months to come, reaching half a million by the end of September and 1.5 million by the end of the year, according to new projections by the National Employment Law Project, a private research group. payments averaging just over $300 per week, varying by state and work history Calls are rising for Congress to pass yet another extension this fall June, the national unemployment rate was 9.5 percent, reaching 15.2 percent in Michigan employers pay into a state insurance fund, and workers who lose jobs draw benefits for up to 26 weeks. During recessions, Congress has often paid for extended coverage President Obama’s stimulus plan offered an additional 20 weeks in states where unemployment surpassed 8 percent, if they adopted new federally recommended rules South Carolina did not make the changes, and benefits there are running out

What happened to the 'New Deal' type stimulus jobs to rebuild our nation's infrastructure? The WPA (Works Progress Administration) of the 1930s even paid for writers to catalog the way our nation ate - recording traditional recipes etc. to 'make work.'

FCC Puts Apple, AT&T on the Hot Seat

Let the fireworks begin!

clipped from consumerist.com FCC Asks Apple, AT&T To Explain Why They Rejected Google Voice App Here are the questions from their letter to AT&T: 1. What role, if any, did AT&T play in Apple's consideration of the Google Voice and related applications? What role, if any, does AT&T play in consideration of iPhone applications generally? What roles are specified in the contractual provisions between Apple and AT&T (or in any non-contractual understanding between the companies) regarding the consideration of particular iPhone applications? 2. Did Apple consult with AT&T in the process of deciding to reject the Google Voice application? If so, please describe any communications between AT&T and Apple or Google on this topic, including the parties involved and a summary of any meetings or discussions. These are the questions from their letter to Apple: 1. Why did Apple reject the Google Voice application "AT&T & Apple Being Investigated By FCC On Google Voice App; FCC Letters" [mocoNews]