News:Law firm's piracy hunt condemned

By Jane Wakefield
Technology reporter, BBC News

Music industry representative the BPI has criticised the approach used by a UK law firm in chasing file-sharers.

Law firm ACS:Law has sent thousands of letters to people it claims have downloaded illegal content.

The BPI said it did not condone the approach of mass-mailing alleged internet pirates.

A law firm that represents some of those sent letters has called on the Information Commissioner to investigate the matter.
More here:Piracy hunt condemned

Deadline looms for Google Books deal

Amazon has urged a New York court to reject a deal that would allow Google to build a vast digital library.

The online retailer says that if Google is given exclusive rights to scan books for use on the internet, it is "likely to lead to a monopoly".

Interested groups and authors have until 28 January to file objections to the project to a US court.
More here:Google books deal
Are you an author? What if your book is acquired by google?

The iPod is out

Steve Jobs unveils Apple's iPad device

Apple has put an end to weeks of speculation by unveiling its tablet PC, which it has called the iPad.

Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive unveiled the touchscreen device at an event in San Francisco.

Mr Jobs described the tablet, which will cost between $499 and $829 in the US, as a "third category" between smartphones and laptops.

The device, which looks like a large iPhone, can be used to watch films, play games and browse the web.
More here: iPod

Mozilla/Firefox also has a blog

After running this blog for over a year I discovered many more of interest. One in particular applies to the email and browser source with the well known names of Mozilla, Firefox and Thunderbird. The link is below:
Mozilla/Firefox/Thunderbird blog
If you want to find out more, get involved or start something, why not take a look?

Bad pennies

Remember a while back a customer gave trouble? Yesterday he called for help with getting his PC on line. Still, I helped him until the system connected. This is the same guy who has a court case coming up. Am I acting like an idiot, or just a caring fellow?

News:Online music piracy 'destroys local music'

Countries like Spain run the risk of becoming "cultural deserts" because of online file-sharing, the music industry has claimed.

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) says that global government legislation is essential to the sector's survival.

It cited Spain as an example of a country which does not have laws in place to prevent illegal downloads.



The sales of albums by local artists there have fallen by 65% in five years.

It seems there has been a followup on this one:"Law firm's piracy hunt condemned"
By Jane Wakefield
Technology reporter, BBC News

Music industry representative the BPI has criticised the approach used by a UK law firm in chasing file-sharers.

Law firm ACS:Law has sent thousands of letters to people it claims have downloaded illegal content.

The BPI said it did not condone the approach of mass-mailing alleged internet pirates.

A law firm that represents some of those sent letters has called on the Information Commissioner to investigate the matter.

More here:http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8483482.stm?ad=1

It's nice to know you are having no problems that require blog support

It has been a while since you folks posted comments here, so I'm assuming the best for you. While Google has problems along with Haiti, Internet Explorer, the Middle East and others are causing anything from annoyance to major suffering, it's good to know you are fine and well.
Given that, would you care to speculate on future needs and matters you see on the horizon?

Remember: It's your blog, so get into it!