GLENN’S SHOWNOTES

 

 IceTV wins court battle with Channel 9
IceTV wins court battle with Channel 9

 IceTV’s court defence, in a nutshell, was that it wasn’t copying Nine’s guide and was compiling its own guide based on a combination of watching TV and noting times, viewing various TV guides in different publications, and writing its own descriptions for shows

Another major organisation recently sued over the copyright of its schedule data. Cityrail in NSW tried to claim copyright on train timetables to stop people distributing mobile phone applications with the data embedded. Cityrail argued it was really just trying to ensure people didn’t store outdated timetable information on their mobile phone. NSW Premier Rees intervened personally after public outcry and ordered Cityrail to work with application developers on making accurate data available over the net.

Google fixes vulnerability in Chrome – Security – iTnews Australia
Google fixes vulnerability in Chrome

 

Google has released an updated version of its Chrome browser, fixing a severe security issue.

The problem, which was discovered earlier this month, would have allowed an attacker to launch and run scripts of their choosing on a compromised machine.

Aussies buy 10 per cent of Virgin Galactic space tickets – Hardware – iTnews Australia
Aussies buy 10 per cent of Virgin Galactic space tickets

 A 56-year-old Brisbane businesswoman, Glenys Ambe, will be the first Australian woman to be a Virgin Galactic space tourist – one of 11 Aussies to put down a deposit on a $280,000 ticket

When launched, the commercial flights will be approximately two hours in duration, including four minutes of weightlessness.

Space Ship Two will have seating for six passengers and two pilots – required under FAA flight regulations although Wincer said it does not take two to pilot the ship.

The ship is carried to a height of 50,000 feet by a ‘mothership’ known as White Knight Two, currently in testing in the Mojave Desert.

It is then detached from the mothership and free falls a short distance before the ship’s hybrid rocket motor is ignited.

The ship uses a technique known as wing feathering to make its descent and re-entry back into the atmosphere. The idea is an adaptation of the structure of a badminton shuttlecock, which corrects itself to fall in the same position no matter what angle or speed it is thrown at.

The ability to fold back its wings and ‘de-feather’ them again at 70,000 feet is one of the main safety features Virgin is touting, alongside the hybrid rocket motor and carbon composite construction of the ship.

IBM wins $70m wireless services contract – Hardware – iTnews Australia
IBM wins $70m wireless services contract

 

IBM has won a $70m services contract by NSW Department of Education and Training to install wireless connectivity across 463 secondary schools.

The contract, part of the Australian Federal Government’s Digital Education Revolution initiative, will provide more than 200,000 students and around 25,000 teachers with enhanced teaching and learning opportunities.

Apple tops 1bn App Store sales – Internet – iTnews Australia
Apple tops 1bn App Store sales

 The user who downloaded the billionth piece of software, 13 year-old Connor Mulcahey, will be given a $10,000 gift card for the store along with a new MacBook Pro, a Time Capsule backup drive and an iPod Touch.

Millions to flow from CSIRO wi-fi win | Australian IT
Millions to flow from CSIRO wi-fi win

 The CSIRO’s case dates back to 2005 when it sued wireless component provider Buffalo for intellectual property breaches. A further 12 companies including Dell, Intel, Microsoft, Nintendo, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Netgear, Buffalo, D-Link, Belkin, SMC, Accton, and 3Com joined the case after CSIRO lawyers won an injunction preventing it from selling its products.

AUSTRALIA’S top science agency has walloped some of the world’s biggest industrial giants in the US patent courts to bring the country a pay check worth up to $1 billion over the next five to 10 years.

Steve Jobs to return as scheduled in June: Apple | Australian IT
Steve Jobs to return as scheduled in June: Apple

 APPLE said chief executive Steve Jobs, who went on a leave of absence in January for health reasons, is expected to return as scheduled at the end of June.

Queensland driving licences get smart | Australian IT
Queensland driving licences get smart

 The state’s 3 million motorists will be the first in Australia to be issued with a digital licence, replacing the present laminated documents produced on obsolete equipment dating back to the mid-1980s.

The new licence card will contain an embedded computer chip holding a copy of the facial image and personal information shown on the card, although for the first time a person’s residential address will not be on the face of the card; instead it will be stored on the chip for personal safety reasons.

Private information will be protected by a PIN chosen by the user, although transport authorities will be able to override this for enforcement purposes, or to obtain access in the event of emergencies.

Backtrack in pitch for free-to-air digital | The Australian
Backtrack in pitch for free-to-air digital

 

THE free-to-air digital television marketing body Freeview has bowed to criticism that its $50 million marketing push was misleading consumers, slashing the number of channels it plugs from 15 to five.

The backdown is a tacit admission the free-to-air networks bungled their first attempt to pitch digital free-to-air TV to national consumers when they launched the Freeview brand in November.

The campaign, launched with much fanfare in Canberra last year, promised 15 digital TV channels and a Freeview electronic program guide this year. Within weeks, it was lampooned in a YouTube parody that promised “more of the same”.

Windows 7 Release Candidate Update – Windows 7 Team Blog – The Windows Blog
Windows 7 Release Candidate Update

 I’m pleased to share that the RC is on track for April 30th for  download by MSDN and TechNet subscribers. Broader, public availability will begin on May 5th.

I would to thank all of our beta testers for helping us get to this point. You guys have been busy. At the peak of the feedback cycle, we were receiving a “Send Feedback” report every 15 seconds for an entire week

Coming Soon: Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC – Windows for your Business – The Windows Blog
Coming Soon: Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC

 

Windows XP Mode is specifically designed to help small businesses move to Windows 7. Windows XP Mode provides you with the flexibility to run many older productivity applications on a Windows 7 based PC.

All you need to do is to install suitable applications directly in Windows XP Mode which is a virtual Windows XP environment running under Windows Virtual PC. The applications will be published to the Windows 7 desktop and then you can run them directly from Windows 7.

Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC are best experienced on your new Windows 7 PC. We will be soon releasing the beta of Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC for Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate.

Acer’s first mobile is headed our way soon – Articles – Mobiles & Handhelds
Acer’s first mobile is headed our way soon

 Apple’s App Store has logged its one billionth download in less than ten months.

A 30 percent commission is deducted from developers’ revenues by Apple to meet the costs of operating the store – and presumably to turn a profit.

iTWire – Pirate Bay – New Trial to be Ordered?
Pirate Bay – New Trial to be Ordered?

 lawyers acting for the 4 defendants are demanding a retrial after it came to light on Swedish radio that the judge in the case, Judge Tomas Norstrom, was a member of two groups advocating the strong protection of intellectual property.

Judge Norstrom is a member of the Swedish Copyright Association; interestingly, so is the legal representative for the film and recording industry in the trial, Monique Wadsted.

He also sits on the board of the Swedish Association for the Protection of Industrial Property.

According to reports, Judge Norstrom insists he was not biased during the trial, but defence lawyers counter that they are astonished he did not excuse himself from the trial as soon as it became clear that a conflict of interest could be inferred.

 

MARK’S SHOWNOTES

 

YouTube – christian bale rant
christian bale rant

Wiggles fans see red over user-pays site

Wiggles fans see red over user-pays site

Damien Murphy

April 27, 2009 – 4:22AM

IN THE red, yellow, purple and blue world of the Wiggles the colour of money now seems to be the primary one.

Australia’s richest performers have ventured further into cyberspace in a move that has alienated quite a few fans who feared the entertainers have dived too deeply into their pockets.

Wiggles Inc on Friday launched wiggletime.com , taking preschooler followers and their parents into an online world where user pays.

There, according to Dorothy the Dinosaur, the Wiggles character who has been spruiking the strange new virtual world for weeks now to fans, they’ll be able to explore, play and learn with all the old Wiggle themes as well as buy merchandise, DVDs and book tickets for shows.

Assuringly, she said, the new website was also the new home of the once-free Wiggles Fan Club and would feature many of the old benefits, including concert alerts and monthly e-newsletters, new games, activities and videos.

Recent converts to user pays, the Wiggles are charging fans an annual cost of between $85 and $103 to join their virtual world.

Some of the money – $12 or $24 depending which package the preschooler decides to take up – will be donated to UNICEF.

Since the Wiggles put the word out they would be charging for the new service, irate fans have been bombarding their website expressing dismay that the once free fan club site, especially the message board, would cost.

Many parents have used the message board for years and built strong ties with Wiggles parents across the world.

One fan club member, florabelle2004, wrote a few weeks back: “I don’t think that people are important any more. Money has taken over. I won’t be using the new one if we are going to have to pay for it. Goodbye everyone. I have already unsubscribed to the Wiggles club so that is it.”

Terri-Ann, another member, messaged: “I don’t think I’ll be joining the new WMB at WiggleTime, due to it costing money (sorry! It’s just that I can’t see my finances allowing it!) ? I’m sorry to see this WMB will be going away! I love it here!”

The Herald left a message inquiring as to the fans’ reaction to the Wiggles move to charge for its new website with Pablo Munoz, the man overseeing the new internet venture.

Within two hours the message board had been confirmed restored to its free service status.

“We tested the new website with fans and took on board what they liked and what they didn’t and responded accordingly,” Mr Munoz said.

 

Charities see potential, risk with social networks
Charities see potential, risk with social networks