NSL: Internet Archive Exposes Lack of Security in National Security Letters:




The Internet Archive has for a decade been a cornerstone of the Internet,
and the FBI was foolish to try to break it:

The FBI has withdrawn an illegal National Security Letter seeking
information from an online library and has lifted a gag order that until
Wednesday prevented any discussion of the information request.

Lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union and Electronic Frontier
Foundation helped the Internet Archive push back against what they say
was an overly broad and unlawful request for information on one of its
users. The FBI issued its National Security Letter in November, but ACLU,
EFF and Archive officials were precluded from discussing it with anyone
because of a gag order they say was unconstitutional.

After nearly five months of haggling, the FBI eventually withdrew its
NSL, which requested personal information about at least one user of
the Internet Archive. Founded in 1996, the archive is recognized as a
library by the state of California, and its collections include billions
of Web records, documents, music and movies.

—
Watchdogs prompt FBI to withdraw 'unconstitutional' National Security Letter,
Nick Juliano,
therawstory,
Published: Wednesday May 7, 2008

How do these NSL represent "Security"?

In any case, National Security Letters were authorized by the mis-named
Patriot Act. Brewster Kahle has shown us how a real patriot acts:

"The goal was to help other recipients of NSLs and other libraries to
understand that you can push back on these," he said.

The FBI's letter demanded the "name, address, length of service, and
electronic communication transactional records ... and all electronic
mail (e-mail) header information," from the Archive about at least one
user of the Web site.

Kahle said the Archive didn't keep any private information on its users
aside from an unverified e-mail address, so he couldn't have handed any
of that information over even if he wanted to. However, he called the
FBI's attempts to gag him "horrendous" and unnecessary. He also worried
about the overreaching implications of such demands, which prompted him
to challenge the FBI's letter.

"As a library we know that we've long protected patrons from government
intrusions," he said.

-jsq

RIAA says DRM is coming back -- in the future, you won't own music:


You know how all the record labels have been dropping their requirements for DRM on their music, opening up more and more venues for DRM-free music? Well, according to David Hughes, head of RIAA technology, that's just a temporary condition. From now on, we're going to increasingly rent our music with subscription services that will use DRM to take it away from us if we stop subscribing. Hughes says that that's the only possible way to run a subscription service -- but of course, Magnatunes has a DRM-free subscription service, and I still have all those issues of Asimov's they sent me when I had a subscription, even though I let the subscription lapse.

The RIAA believes in "intellectual property," which is a fancy way of saying: they believe that they get to own property, and you have to rent it. The bits on your hard-drive belong to them, and that means you have to install DRM that lets them control your PC so that you don't do bad things with their bits. In the information age, "property" is the exclusive preserve of giant companies that can afford to register copyrights and sue to defend them, while the rest of us get to sharecrop all our embodiments of their property, from furniture to t-shirts to music to games to cars to PCs.

Hughes believes that per-track purchases are going the way of the dodo in favor of these other models, and that's why DRM will have a resurgence. "I think there is going to be a shift," he said. "I think there will be a movement towards subscription services and they will eventually mean the return of DRM." Hughes did acknowledge that users would rather live in a world where DRM stayed out of their way by saying that as long as they get to use files how they want, users don't care about DRM.

The problem with DRM is that users can't use the files how they want, which is why they do care. And we're miles away from the kind of magical solution solution envisioned by the Hughes that would create the perfect, unnoticeable DRM scheme. Others on the panel realize this. Digimarc Corp. director of business development Rajan Samtani pointed out that there are too many ways for the "kids" to get around DRM and that it's time to "throw in the towel."

Garden Gnomes Pop Up In Front Of Frederick Businesses - News Story - WRC | Washington:


FREDERICK, Md. -- Those tacky gnome statues often seen in residential gardens have been showing up in front of businesses in downtown Frederick.
Eric Krasner, owner of CineGraphic Studios, said he found one in front of his business, moments after seeing two women posing for pictures with two gnomes on a bridge over Carroll Creek as he was driving to work. The women left the gnomes behind.
Police said they have not received any reports of stolen gnomes, and the Frederick Arts Council is unaware of any art projects involving gnomes.

The Frederick News-Post reports stealing gnomes from gardens and photographing them in other locations has been a popular prank for years.

C64 emulator for iPhone:

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Odds and ends, Apple, iPhone

New GA Fuel Promises Better Range, Lower Cost:


"Not only can our fuel seamlessly replace the aviation industry's standard petroleum fuel [100LL], it can outperform it," says John Rusek, a professor at Purdue University and co-founder of Swift Enterprises. The company recently unveiled a new general aviation fuel that it says will be less expensive, more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendlier than any on the market. Unlike other alternative fuels, Rusek said, SwiftFuel is made of synthetic hydrocarbons that are derived from biomass, and it can provide an effective range greater than 100LL, while costing about half as much to produce. "Our fuel should not be confused with first-generation biofuels like E-85 [85 percent ethanol], which don't compete well right now with petroleum," Rusek said. Patented technology can produce the 1.8 million gallons per day of fuel used by GA in the U.S. by using just 5 percent of the existing biofuel plant infrastructure, the company said.

Chief RIAA Litigator Named Colorado Judge -- UPDATE | Threat Level from Wired.com:


Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter is appointing the Recording Industry Association of America's top litigator to the Colorado Court of Appeals.
Richard Gabriel, who prosecuted the Jammie Thomas case, is a partner in the Colorado office of Holme Roberts & Owens. Gabriel, who assumes the $124,000 annual post July 1, was a convincing litigator in the Thomas case, the nation's first RIAA lawsuit against an individual for file-sharing that went to trial.
The Minnesota jury took five minutes to conclude Thomas was liable and a few more hours to ding her $222,000.
Thomas' attorney, Brian Toder, said he recently got a call from Colorado officials who were vetting Gabriel for the appellate post, which is one court above the state trial courts and one below the Colorado Supreme Court. "I gave him a very favorable rating. I think he's a standup guy and a good lawyer. And I think he would be a good judge," Toder said.
The Pirate Party of the United States took a different position. "Being the lead counsel in a multi-year campaign of extortion, pretexting, and sham litigation should not be rewarded with a seat in any court, except perhaps as a defendant," said the party's chairman, Andrew Norton.
UPDATE
In a telephone interview, the 46-year-old Gabriel said "I saw an opportunity to serve and thought I would throw my hat in the ring and see what would happen."
Gabriel added that "I love the practice of law. There are parts of it that I will very much miss. I'm looking forward to the next challenges and next phase in my life. I very much enjoyed being in a courtroom representing my clients to the best of my ability."
There was no immediate word on who would replace Gabriel as the RIAA's top litigator. The RIAA has sued more than 20,000 individuals for allegedly file sharing copyrighted music.

Internet Archive Beats Back FBI's Demand for Subscriber Data:


The FBI has agreed to drop its demand that a San Francisco-based Internet library turn over subscriber information, according to court documents unsealed Monday. As part of a settlement, the FBI also agreed that its previously secret efforts could be publicized. Kurt Opsahl, who helped represent the Internet Archive -- whose Wayback Machine page allows viewers to see old versions of millions of Web pages -- said he believes the victory is only the fourth successful challenge to a national security letter.