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I have finally decided to take the plunge. Last night I upgraded my Vista desktop machine to Windows XP, and this afternoon I will be doing the same to my laptop.

Read the whole review, it’s great!

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It turns out that the officially (Apple-sanctioned) unlocked iPhone you bought for 649 Euros (about US$965) from Orange in France — which, according to some reports, accounts for up to 20% of total iPhone sales in France — is not really unlocked. It retains a country lock, meaning the device will only allow use of SIM cards for carriers that operate in France. In other words, you can’t take your French, “unlocked” iPhone to Spain, the United States, or anywhere else, pop in a foreign SIM card, and make calls on a local carrier — you’re still stuck paying international roaming fees to your French carrier.

Attempting to use a foreign SIM card with one of these partially-unlocked phones will result in an inability to make phone calls, use SMS functionality, etc.

This is almost certainly a restriction imposed by Apple, loathe to see “unlocked” phones shipped from France to the US or other countries where exclusive contracts are in place with local carriers

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The Department of Justice on Thursday slammed intellectual property legislation that would re-organize its IP enforcement structure, calling it unnecessary and counterproductive to the work it has already accomplished.

“We have a current structure … that works quite effectively,” Sigal Mandelker, deputy assistant attorney general, told the House Judiciary subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property.

Judiciary Chairman John Conyers last week introduced H.R. 4279, which would further crack down on intellectual property violations, and create several new government positions with the power to enforce the new law. It is intended to preserve American economic prosperity, according to sponsors.

Imagine how bad legislation must be if the “We Don’t Torture” DOJ tells you it is too heavy handed…

It’s time for this scenario to become mainstream:

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RI/MPAA: “you can buy our content and it may or may not play in your player, no you can’t get a refund if you opened it, no you can’t pirate it onto your iPod, no you can’t play it in public so close your car window…”

Consumer: “Okay…I’m going to go do something else then.”

RI/MPAA: “You can’t do that. You have to buy my stuff. You can buy multiple copies so you can play it on everything you have…”

Consumer: “Nah, its okay…I’m kinda having fun bike riding with my kids and hearing the wind blowing and the trees rustling…”

RI/MPAA: “We have a CD like that! See? look you can buy this CD and listen to the wind blowing and trees rustling…”

Consumer: “No really, its okay. I’m enjoying spending time laughing and talking to friends.”

RI/MPAA: “well, you can go watch a movie with friends! but you have to buy a copy for each person…”

Consumer: “hehe, its okay. We enjoy just talking about how our families are doing, reliving the past, and looking forward to the future.”

RI/MPAA: “ummm, you sure you don’t want to play a video game or something?”

Consumer: “Actually we’re about to play a game of texas hold’em…you want to play?”

RI/MPAA: “Sure! I have it for the 360, PC, PS3…”

Consumer: “nah, I’m just screwing with you. Go play with your lawyer buddies, I’m sure they’re going to be bored once all my friends get tired of your antics.”

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The online mapping space continues its march towards 3D and startup Earthmine is at the forefront. Earthmine has developed technology that enables them to get high-resolution 3D geo-imagery quickly. They’ve developed a street-level camera system that enables them to capture 3D data for each pixel.

Yesterday Earthmine announced that they have exclusive access to the same NASA technology that is used on the Mars Rover. The technology comes from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. As a part of the deal CalTech will take an equity stake in Eartmine. From the press release:

The agreement between JPL and earthmine includes exclusive use of software and algorithms for street level mapping, and asset management and encompasses stereo vision systems and camera calibration algorithms. earthmine will utilize the software and algorithms as a part of its processing pipeline, which automates the creation of high-quality, seamless panoramic imagery with pixel-for-pixel 3D depth information from its image collection system.

The technology licensed by earthmine is currently utilized as a part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the red planet. Wide angle stereo cameras are mounted on NASA’s twin robot geologists, the Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs) launched toward Mars in 2003. The licensed software and algorithms are used to create a 3D representation of the local terrain, allowing autonomous routing of the MERs through the Martian environment. earthmine has combined this JPL technology with its unique, capture hardware and web delivery technology to deliver 3D data with unprecedented density and accuracy.

And this new navigation software really works! My car has so far lasted 6 times longer than its original mission lifespan and I am halfway to the local shop. I should reach it by June (providing my solar panels don’t get dusty).

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“The RIAA is apparently having an allergic reaction to the request by the State Attorney General of Oregon for information about the RIAA’s investigative tactics. The request came in Arista v. Does 1-17, the Portland, Oregon, case targeting students at the University of Oregon. Not only are the record companies opposing the request (pdf), they’re asking the Judge not to even read it. (pdf)”

Makes you wonder what they’re trying to hide…

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Het kabinet gaat onderzoeken welke vergunningen automatisch kunnen worden verstrekt, als burgers en bedrijven niet binnen de gestelde termijn een beslissing krijgen op hun aanvraag.

Een commissie onder leiding van Annie Brouwer, tot eind deze maand burgemeester van Utrecht, gaat zich hierover buigen. In het akkoord van de coalitiepartijen was een afspraak gemaakt over de zogeheten ‘lex silencio positivo’, waarmee Spanje al ervaring heeft opgedaan.

Het kabinet zet dit nu door, hoewel de Raad van State heeft gewaarschuwd voor risico’s voor het publieke belang.

Volgens mij heeft de Raad van State niet door hoe groot het publiek belang is om een overheid te hebben waarvan je gewoon kunt verwachten dat ze hun fucking werk op tijd af hebben.

Sometimes even Apple software has a moment of “Nice you can do that, but why is it hidden in that way?”.

Here is one example.

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Behold, the Bush Administration in chart form: Federal spending on paper shredding has increased more than 600 percent since George W. Bush took office. This chart, generated by usaspending.gov, the U.S. government’s brand spanking new database of federal expenditures, shows spending on “contracts for paper shredding services” going back to 2000. Click here for the full, heartbreaking breakdown. In 2000, the feds spent $452,807 to make unpleasant truths go away; by 2006, the “Cheney Effect” had bumped that number up to $2.9 million. And by halfway through 2007, the feds almost matched that number, with $2.7 million and counting. Pretty much says it all.