From Virginia Tech Free Culture Wiki

Jump to: navigation, search

Feel free to add your own topics to discuss. Please register and sign personal comments with four tildes (~~~~). To just put your name (no date), use three tildes.

Information

Date: Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Time: 8:30PM
Place: Torgerson 3180

News

Comcast to stop interfering with BitTorrent traffic

Comcast and BitTorrent, Inc. have made an agreement with each other. Comcast will cease their interference with BitTorrent traffic and promises to expand their infrastructure to more efficiently handle BitTorrent traffic. In return, BitTorrent, Inc. promises to optimize the BitTorrent software (I can't tell from the source if this refers to the protocol or the rebranded uTorrent) for greater efficiency. Comcast plans to optimize BitTorrent traffic in the same way as it does YouTube traffic. This appears to be a reaction to the recent FCC investigation in Comcast's packet interference. An official press release from Comcast states that by the end of the year Comcast hopes to switch to a protocol-agnostic approach to bandwidth management during peak loads.

Griffin proposes blanket licensing, is hired by Warner

Jim Griffin, a respected music industry critic, has proposed that the RIAA could relieve themselves of their losses by issuing a blanket license for all Internet connections in exchange for immunity infringement liability. Warner Music has decided to hire Griffin in order to try and launch this plan into existence. Warner wants to create a private rights group that all music copyright owners, as well as composers and artists, can join in to reap in the rewards of the license. Griffin proposes that advertising could also support the system for those who wish to be displayed ads instead of paying. Reportedly several ISPs have already approached Warner willing to sign up with this agency.

There was a time when I would be all for this. Now I'm not so sure. --Matt 01:38, 28 March 2008 (EDT)

The RIAA loses a little whichever side they take. --Conley 12:49, 28 March 2008 (EDT)

All Blackboard patent claims invalidated

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has decided to repeal all 44 claims in Blackboard's patent upon a reexamination that was requested by the Software Freedom Law Center. This is a non-final action, however, so Blackboard can appeal. No word on how this will affect the Blackboard v. Desire2Learn court case.

Die, Blackboard, Die. --Conley 15:35, 29 March 2008 (EDT)

Sony BMG Sued for Using Pirated Software

From Slashdot: An anonymous reader sends us to ZeroPaid, which seems to be the only site in English to have picked up a story out of France involving Sony and piracy. Except this time the shoe is on the other foot. The small software company PointDev learned that Sony BMG was using a pirated license for one of its system administration tools. PointDev got bailiffs to raid a Sony property and they found pirated software on four servers. The source article (link is to a Google translation of French original) quotes PointDev's spokesman claiming that the BSA believes 47% of software used in corporations to be illegal — whether he is referring to Sony in particular is not clear in the translation.

Have a taste of your own medicine, Sony. --Conley 17:09, 30 March 2008 (EDT)

Office Open XML passes ISO vote

Brussels, 2 April 2008 — ISO members failed to disapprove the Open XML format. Microsoft has compromised the International Standards Organisation (ISO) during the rush to get a stamp for their Office OpenXML (OOXML), using unfair practices such as committee stuffing in several countries and political interventions of ministers in the standardization process.

NoOOXML: ISO captured by vendor Microsoft

Does the university standardize what formats are used and distributed to students and faculty or is this left up to the instructor or department? If they are standardized then I propose we request that Virginia Tech not adapt OOXML for at least another year to allow for other office suites to reverse-engineer Microsoft's implementation. OpenOffice.org will support MS' OOXML by version 3.0, and Novell has released a plugin for support of the format, but I don't know if other office applications have Office 2007 compatibility yet. --Matt 22:40, 30 March 2008 (EDT)

I'm pretty sure that the university does not have a say in document formats. Every person who distributes something decides how. --Conley 09:28, 31 March 2008 (EDT)

Creative irate after modder spruces up Vista X-Fi drivers

The VP of Corporate Communications wrote on the Creative forums, "By enabling our technology and IP to run on sound cards for which it was not originally offered or intended, you are in effect, stealing our goods. When you solicit donations for providing packages like this, you are profiting from something that you do not own... If we choose to develop and provide host-based processing features with certain sound cards and not others, that is a business decision that only we have the right to make."

Creative irate after modder spruces up Vista X-Fi drivers

Wireshark 1.0 released

And all the script kiddies rejoiced?

Elections

We have to do elections some time, I say we go ahead and start worrying about that now.

Elections spring 2008

Nelson Pavlosky visiting

Nelson is the Founder of Students for Free Culture.

He wants to come speak on April 23rd, which is the 3 year anniversary of our organization.

Mailtrust will sponsor this event.

Nelson Speaks.

16 Blocks article

Brent Jesiek wrote an article for the mar/apr issue of 16 Blocks (a Blacksburg arts and culture magazine) called "Copyfight in the Digital Age". After contacting him about writing a follow-up article after NIN's success, he said that he did not have time to write a follow-up article, but asked if any of us would like to write an article for future issues of 16 Blocks.

VTU Movie Night

Royal Wedding will be on Friday, April 4th at 8:00 (doors open at 7:30) in Squires Colonial.

Entertainment library

In the Queue

Whiteroom

Link? --Matt 22:18, 23 March 2008 (EDT)

Organization

Review music organization

Nominations

Good Copy Bad Copy

We are going to watch the first 15 minutes of Good Copy Bad Copy and discuss.

Show and tell

RMS and Group picture -- Could probably use some more post-processing :-/

Sarah is the only one with red eyes. --Conley 23:08, 31 March 2008 (EDT)

Open floor

Ubuntu wins cracking contest

Haha

Job offer

I have an offer from IBM to work in San Jose, CA doing low level coding on a project that is released under the MITX license (GPL compatible). http://www.icu-project.org/

The downsides are that I would be gone during the summer and fall. =( What do you all think?

--Conley 16:56, 2 April 2008 (EDT)

I must say I've always wanted to visit Silicon Valley (always == since I got into college). I say go for it. We can always set up a webcam or something so you don't have to miss the meetings. --Matt 23:47, 2 April 2008 (EDT)

I think more people should let me decide their fate over the Internet... --Patrik 17:00, 2 April 2008 (EDT)

I decide that you will be eaten by a grue. :P --Matt 23:44, 2 April 2008 (EDT)

Free Film

Check out a list of free films.

Suggestions:

Conley

Meeting 2008-04-02