Posted on by Leo Laporte

News for Tuesday

All the news that's fit to rant aboutIt’s Tuesday. Merkle’s Boner occured on this day in 1908 and ABC’s first color TV series, The Jetsons, debuted in 1962.
Happy Birthday, Bruuuuuce.

14 Replies to “News for Tuesday”

  4. This subject should be one of today’s top stories. To me, it shows the proper use of the DMCA statute.
    http://www.nbc4.tv/technology/2502786/detail.html
    DirecTV Hacker Is First Person Convicted Under Digital Millennium Copyright Act
    Man Faces 30 Years In Prison, Millions In Fines For Selling Illegal Hardware
    LOS ANGELES — In what prosecutors say was the first jury conviction ever under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a Florida man was convicted in Los Angeles of selling hardware used to pirate DirecTV broadcasts.
    Thomas Michael Whitehead, 38, of Boca Raton, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy, two counts of selling unlawful decryption devices and three counts of violating the DMCA, Assistant U.S. Attorney James Spertus said.
    Whitehead faces up to 30 years in prison and fines of up to $2.75 million when he is sentenced Jan. 26 by U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder.
    Spertus said Whitehead — also known as Jungle Mike — paid a co-conspirator $250 a month to continually update software to circumvent the latest DirecTV security measures. Whitehead then used the software to create and sell modified DirecTV access cards, the prosecutor said.
    The conduct violated the DMCA, which bars trafficking in technology primarily designed to get around security measures to access a copyrighted work.
    Whitehead was indicted earlier this year as part of Operation Decrypt, an undercover FBI investigation that targeted computer programmers and hardware manufacturers who distribute devices used to steal signals from DirecTV and DISH Network.
    Several other defendants in the case previously pleaded guilty to various charges, including violations of the DMCA, Spertus said.

  5. re: BMG
    They want us to stop downloading music and buy the CD’s instead? But now they are making it a pain if you actually own the CD! Is it just me or that is not the smartest thing to do?

  6. What is the deal with Leo’s book? Is it out of stock because of the misprint? Is it supposed to be back in stock soon? I know he said next week (when his main page says week of the 15th)… that would be this week.

  8. Thanks for covering SliMP3 on yesterday’s show. I went right to my home computer, Timbuktu-ed to work (where I have 3500 songs in iTunes), downloaded the software, and was listening to my collection from home within minutes (and all the CDs I ripped, collecting dust on the rack behind me). I’ll be on the road over the next couple weeks (I’m a drummer backing up a singer-songwriter). Every time I connect to a wifi hotspot, I’ll be streaming my tunes from work! 🙂

  9. Leo, I was pleased to hear that you would mention Bruce Springsteen’s birthday. As a birthday present last year, I took my brother to see “The Boss” in concert in our hometown of Kansas City on Sept. 24, 2002. It also was the day after Bruce’s birthday. This was the first time either of us 50 somethings had ever seen Sprinsteen in concert. It was the best concert I had ever attended in my life! Can’t wait to go again in the future. Thank’s Leo you are the best also!

  13. All of these “related” sites have been down since the early AM.
    The web is lonely when all of your favorite sites are down. They must all use the same hosting service.

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