DMCA Going Too Far

I've finally caught up on my podcasts, and so now I'm up with all the latest. Aside from the Digg fiasco (which was pure bull, Kevin Rose is a good guy and is not censoring Digg users unless they cheat the system), and this interesting little hoax from Marc Ecko, a big topic has been the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and how far copyright protection litigation has gone nowadays. Some are fighting it, like this awesome group of Canadian artists who think that alienating their fans is stupid, but American artists don't seem to share the sentiment. There's new legislation going to Congress very soon to expand the DMCA that would make the maximum penalty ten years for software and music piracy, which is worse than for child pornographers or assaulting a cop. What's worse is that if you even have the ability to circumvent their anti-copyright protection mechanisms, you could face this prison sentence, and they're allowed to use wiretapping to track you down. It actually makes me physically sick to my stomach that these people are so driven by greed that they'd go so far as to throw you in the slammer for more time than some guy who distributing media of himself fucking an innocent ten-year-old girl just so that you don't try to make sure that some rootkit doesn't compromise your computer's security. I hope that these fat cats in the recording industry, these dim-witted Congressmen, and that poor excuse of an Attorney General burn in Hell if this crap actually passes. This is the part where you all run to your pens or keyboards, and tell your representatives that you will make sure they don't get reelected if they even think about voting for it. This, my friends, is corruption at work right in front of our eyes, and this is the corrosion of the society we used to know that supported and encouraged the arts. If you don't do something about it, then shame on you, because what will you tell your children or grandchildren when they ask why things have gotten so bad?

Alright, enough bad words and anger for one post. If you're a Windows user (as I'm sure most of you are) and ever wanted to try life on a Mac, you should read this post, which provides helpful hints for making a smooth transition. If you're a dork like me, you'll probably get excited about the prospect of buying a new Mac because of all the added features you get built-in. Yahoo has launched its own DVR service, but I have no clue why. They're entering the market kind of late, they're facing a steep battle with Windows Media Center, and I don't know what they have to offer that's so special. Popular Mechanics put up a great article with a rundown of all the popular alternative fuels being researched right now, so it's a great place to get all your facts straight. I'm still rooting for hydrogen/gas hybrids. If you like colors, there's a fun color wheel here meant for web designers, but I'm sure is useful for other purposes (mostly on the computer though, since it gives you their hex values). You can also play a color game here if you're bored. Speaking of games, all I have left is video game news for all three next gens. PSM claims that the PS3 will drop in early November (in time for the start of Christmas shopping) for a surprisingly low $400. Both of these things would sound plausible, but I'm guess we'll have confirmation at E3 in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, Valve has thrown its hat in the arena for the Xbox 360, which isn't a big surprise, but could mean a new Half-Life for it (or possibly a port of the second one). Lastly, it looks like the Revolution controller will have force feedback, which means that when you strike some dude in Zelda with your sword via the controller wand, you'll feel the clang.

That picture isn't much, but it comes with a couple of words from Michael Mann about the film not being a remake, but rather something totally new. Not sure if that's just propaganda or not, but we can keep hoping. IGN has a fresh rumor of Jude Law being in line to play The Joker in the Batman Begins sequel, which I hope doesn't pan out or is false since I can't see him in that role at all. Please, WB, go with Hugo Weaving! If you're interested in QT Fest, you can read about day 1 here. All I have left is media for you. I didn't know that David Fincher is shooting Zodiac digitally, and now I know since he's doing a little promo for Final Cut Studio for Apple with a few clips in the background from the movie quiet on the PR front. Yahoo Movies now has the trailer for Pathfinder, which takes place in a time before Christopher Columbus and actually intrigued me though I knew nothing about it beforehand. IESB snagged a few clips from United 93, but they're all rather short and leave you direly wanting more. Lastly, the new trailer for Lonely Hearts is out, and it's surprisingly good. I may actually have more reason to see this movie than Salma Hayek.

Since I accidentally did the wrong meme yesterday, I'll do the Tuesday Twosome today:

1. Do you care what other people think? Explain:
Not really, to a certain extent. I mean I want to be liked in general, but if people just think I'm a nerd and write me off under some stereotype then the Hell with them. I like to spend my time thinking about the people who aren't so judgemental.

2. What two things do you sense you're supposed to do before your life is over?
Get married and buy a house. There's more that I want to do, obviously, but those just feel like duties I need to fulfill almost. Not that I wouldn't want to do them, but I just don't think quite that far ahead usually.

3. Is your family life the way you imagined it would be? If not, what can you do to change it?
Not really, but I don't really think I can change it much. We've grown together in this way, so we're a little distant from each other, except my brother and I. I'm on good terms with my parents and talk to them a few times a week, but we don't have the buddy-buddy relationship many people seem to have with their parents.

4. If you can go back to your childhood for one day. What day and age will you choose?
That's tough, because my childhood blew. I'd probably go back to when I got made fun of and outcast all the time in elementary school and whoop some ass. It'd be worth getting suspended or whatever to teach those punks a lesson.

5. What are two skills you've wanted but don't have?
To be able to play the piano and to talk normally without having to think about it!