RIAA
launches massive legal assault on swappers. The RIAA
said they were going to target consumers who illegally swap
music files. Now they are. The RIAA has been granted
871 subpoenas by the federal government and the number is
growing with approximately 75 more each day. Since the
federal government is now approving subpoenas every person
issued one will have to go to court as ordered. The RIAA
says they are seeking $750 - $150,000 for each song offered from
a personal computer. Is the threat of legal action
working? Nielsen NetRatings reported there was a
decline in usage this week on the Kazaa Network. Take
a look at the story for more information.
Microsoft
TV? Microsoft wants to be behind the helm of the cable
boxes on your TV. Time Warner Cable and Comcast Cable are
the first to commit trying and will soon conduct trials of
Microsoft's new cable box. One day you may turn on your TV
and see the words "Microsoft TV" version whatever.
Microsoft claims that the new boxes will make it easier for
people to find programming and make purchases. Take
a look at the story for more information.
Car
gestures? Researchers are developing a new system,
which can read a person's hand gestures. Imagine you are
driving down the road listening to the radio but want to change
the station. What if you could just shake your fist a few
times instead of pressing buttons? Or how about using a
voice command and saying "A/C on" to turn on the cool
air in the summer? That's what researchers at Carnegie
Mellon University in Pittsburgh are doing right now. In a
few years this technology could be available to the average
consumer. Wow something like on Star Trek! Take
a look at the story for more information.
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Beware
of fake websites! Look out! The FBI is warning
consumers that there are floods of websites, which are bogus,
but look real. Their goal is to try and take your credit
card information. Consumers are getting emails, which look
legit. The fake emails state there's a problem with their
account and they need to fix their billing information.
The sites ask for everything from credit cards to social
security numbers and feature real logos. Be on the
lookout, a good way to know if it's real or not is to call the
company themselves and ask. Take
a look at the story for more information.
GPS
for everything? Steve Wozniak, cofounder of Apple
Computer is forming a new company called wOzNet. Its goal
is to be an alternative to GPS and be in more everyday products
as opposed to the pricier ones GPS is usually featured on.
His company Wheels of Zues (Woz) has created tags, which can be
attached to virtually anything. These tags are ideal for
keys to kids! The network is still in the developmental
stages, but soon it could revolutionize the way we track things.
Take
a look at the story for more information.
FTC charges 17
year old with AOL password scam. The 17 year old has
agreed to pay $3,500 to settle the case. The teen in
question sent out thousands of spam-like emails with fake AOL
websites to trick people into giving out their billing and
password information. After they got the billing
information they went out a shopping spree with the victim's
credit card numbers. AOL has on their email and instant
message windows: "Reminder: AOL will never ask for your
password or billing information." Unfortunately, some
people still seem to fall for it. Change your password at
keyword: Password on AOL. Take
a look at the story for more information.
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