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BitTorrent was founded in 2004 as an alternative to the peer-to-peer networks like Napster, Kazaa and others. I quickly made the switch to download and, when given the option, still prefer it to current alternatives.
While BitTorrent is still a P2P distribution network, it works differently from the others. For most P2P, a file (mp3, video, pdf, etc) sits on a server in cyberspace. You connect to that computer, request the file, and download it from that computer. [Read more...]
The Attorney Generals from 21 states believe that Anheuser-Busch isn’t doing enough to keep underage kids off its Bud.tv site, Advertising Age is reporting. While they aren’t threatening to sue just yet, they have sent a stern warning stating
“We feel strongly that since you are creating the programming and controlling the internet-based network, not just advertising on it, you have a higher responsibility to ensure that youth are not exposed to the marketing on your site,” the letter to A-B reads. “We fail to see how your use of age verification on the Bud.tv site is a genuine attempt to keep youth from accessing the site’s content.”
If you’ve watched The Colbert Report over the last week, you probably know that the Hungarian government is conducting an online poll to name a national bridge. After the media picked up on the fact that Chuck Norris was leading by a significant margin, Stephen Colbert picked it up and asked fans to help him win the vote.
Over the course of the next week, his vote total went from less than 2000 votes to over 17 million, thanks, in part, to his computer savvy fanbase who developed a script to repeatedly submit votes. The discussion over on the discussion forums at Colbert Nation is a fascinating look at how easy it is to hack a website’s voting system with minimal effort. [Read more...]
Tonight, Stephen Colbert discussed how Wikipedia is influencing culture on his show. After saying something to the effect of
I love Wikipedia: any site that has a longer entry on truthiness than on Lutherans has its priorities straight.
He then went on to make a point that Wikipedia reports “facts” as a collection of ideas that a group of people agree with. [Read more...]
The Los Angeles News Service and its owner Robert Tur have sued YouTube for posting copyrighted footage on their website. Specifically, someone posted a video of the beating of trucker Reginald Denny during the 1992 LA riots.
Tur, who apparently has a reputation as “an active litigant”, is asking for $150,000 for each infringement (it was viewed 1000 times) – or $150 million in damages! He decided to sue YouTube rather than the person that upload because [Read more...]
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