Fed2 Star - the newsletter for the space trading game Federation 2

The weekly newsletter for Fed2
by ibgames

EARTHDATE: October 14, 2012

Fed2 Star last page Fed2 Star: Official News page 12 Fed2 Star next page

WINDING DOWN

An idiosyncratic look at, and comment on, the week's net and technology news

by Alan Lenton

Microsoft take-downs, OECD and the Internet economy, Apple woes, the ultimate phone bill, Nobel prizes and Schrodinger’s Cat, A USAF flying saucer design, World of Warcraft, and the Delta Six game controller feature this week. Add to that URLs for Google’s book digitization litigation, Facebook’s pre-IPO claims, and Windows 7 malware, and what do you have?

A new edition of the one day to be legendary Winding Down! Yep, we’re back this week with some more goodies to entertain and inform you.

Shorts:

Over the last year Microsoft has sent Google nearly five million take down notices claiming that sites were illegally distributing its software. Sites accused include the BBC, CNN, the Huffington Post, TechCrunch, Wikipedia, and the U.S. government, to name but a few. As Robert X. Cringely points out, ‘According to Microsoft, you can find copies of Windows 8 on a BBC guide to TV programming, an AMC Theaters page listing show times for “The Dark Knight Rises,” a Washington Post article about Spain’s financial meltdown, an EPA page on coke oven emissions, a page on RealClearPolitics on Ohio’s presidential polls, and a RottenTomatoes review of the movie “Brake.”‘

Regardless to say those sites aren’t offering illegal copies of Windows 8, they are the victims of a Microsoft program that supposedly automates the search for unauthorized distribution of Microsoft software. You’d think that with all those tech weenies on Microsoft’s Redmond campus, they could have come up with a program that could tell the difference between a theater listing and a some Microsoft programs. Unless of course there isn’t any difference! The problem lies not just with the legal basis for demanding take downs, but in the fact that there seems to be no penalty for people making incorrect claims.

This sounds to me like an ideal case for a class action, not just against Microsoft, but also against any other over enthusiastic issuer of take down notices...
http://www.infoworld.com/t/cringely/windows-8-pirates-no-noose-good-noose-204304
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/08/microsoft_google_copyright/
https://torrentfreak.com/microsofts-bogus-dmca-notices-censor-bbc-cnn-wikipedia-spotify-and-more-121007/

A recent report from the OECD on the Internet Economy contains some interesting information, including the fact that “The data shows that at least 3% and up to 13% of business sector value added in the United States in 2010 could be attributed to Internet related activities depending on the scope of the definition.” Other issues covered include the number of companies now using the internet for purchasing and selling, household adoption rates (about 70% of households in OECD countries have access to broadband), and government policy.

The full report costs an eye-watering US$88, but there is a free eight page summary which is worth a look.
http://www.oecd.org/sti/interneteconomy/internet-economy-outlook-2012-highlights.pdf
http://www.oecd.org/sti/interneteconomy/ieoutlook.htm
http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?SF1=identifiers&ST1=5K9FLV9BZMQ7&LANG=EN
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organisation_for_Economic_Co-operation_and_Development

A few issues back I mentioned in passing how Apple had ‘appropriated’ the clock face design belonging to Swiss Railways. Well I can now tell you that Apple have done the right thing and licensed it properly from its owners. I’m not normally a fan of this sort of thing, but I don’t see any reason while Apple shouldn’t be obliged to play by the same rules that they force onto other people.

Incidentally, it’s a very pleasing looking and easy to read clock face.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57531232-37/apple-licenses-swiss-rail-clock-design/?tag=nl.e703&s_cid=e703

And talking of Apple, word is emerging that the problems with Apple’s mapping software should not have come as a surprise to Apple itself. It seems that each time developers were given new pre-release versions of the software, so they could work on new apps for the iPhone 5, they complained about the mapping software. They mailed specific Apple employees, posted on message boards only open to developers and Apple, and filed bug reports. But no one took any notice, with the resulting shambles that forced CEO Tim Cook to make a public apology.

I wonder if they will learn from problems? I suspect it will take a major change in the internal culture to avoid this sort of problem. Add to that the fact that they will soon need to launch an entirely new ground-breaking ‘device’ in order to keep their reputation for changing the game, and meet public expectations. Frankly, I don’t envy them, when I look at what they need to move forward, as opposed to merely exploiting their current offerings!
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57529147-37/developers-we-warned-apple-about-ios-maps-quality/?tag=nl.e703&s_cid=e703

Consumers receiving ludicrous computerized bills for services isn’t new, but the French company Bouygues Telecom have set a new world record when they sent Solenne San Jose, a subscriber, a bill for nearly 12 quadrillion euros (US$15.5 quadrillion). That’s about 6,000 times the annual output of the French economy!

Bouygues Telecom also set what must surely be a record for loony customer service. When Ms San Jose rang up to point out their mistake, they offered to let her pay the bill in installments! At one stage they threatened to debit the money directly from her account, although how they thought the bank would pay over that sort of sum I really don’t know. I sure you won’t be surprised to hear that Ms. San Jose and Bouygues Telecom have since parted company...
http://gawker.com/5950958/woman-receive-phone-bill-for-12-quadrillion-euros-company-tells-her-she-can-pay-in-installments

Homework:

There’s a lot of buzz around about science at the moment, mainly because of the publicity surrounding the latest Nobel Prizes. This year the prize for Physics was given to Serge Haroche and David J. Wineland for experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems. Don’t worry I’m not going to ‘explain’ quantum mechanics! What I do want to do, though, is to draw readers’ attention to the fact that the awarding committee recommended an article published in Scientific American as far back as 1997 as further reading.

Because of that, Scientific American has republished the article, “Bringing Schrodinger’s Cat to Life” on its web site. The article is all about research into what happens at the interface between the quantum world and the larger, classical world, and is extremely well written. Quantum theory is difficult, if only because it so counter-intuitive, but the article will repay a read if you want to gain some general understanding of the problems and opportunities facing scientists in this field.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bringing-schrodingers-quantum-cat-to-life

Geek Stuff:

Great news for sci-fi and Area 51 geeks. The USAF has recently declassified its 1950s design for a flying saucer. It seems that the design was canned after the preliminary design work was finished, although, of course, one can never really tell. Projected specs for ‘Project 1794’ included a top speed of Mach 4, and a 100,000 foot ceiling. The most interesting part, though is the propulsion mechanism, which was to use the Coanda effect (see the Wikipedia URL for details) which would have been achieved by spinning the outer disk.

So, what are you waiting for, the plans are available now. I expect to see an outbreak of flying saucer reports by 2014 at the latest!
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/09/usaf_1950s_flying_saucer/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coand%C4%83_effect

I see that a number of European readers experienced a massive trauma last Sunday after an ‘exploit’ caused the death of every avatar in several World of Warcraft cities. The URL has a wonderful picture of the resulting chaos. I understand that the game is now back to its usual status, whatever that may be.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/08/world_of_warcraft_sites_wiped_out_by_exploit/

Those of you who like their games a little more, how shall I put it, modern, might like to take a peek at a new game controller from Kotkin Enterprises - the Delta Six controller which looks like a slightly futuristic version of an AK-47 with a telescopic sight and a silencer (and yes, I am aware of the contradictions involved!). Just the thing for your fave first person shooter game. One word of warning, though. Don’t try to take it in your hand luggage on a flight...
http://www.gizmag.com/delta-six-gun-controller/24469/

Scanner: Other stories

Google and digital scanning of books
http://paidcontent.org/2012/10/04/google-and-publishers-settle-book-scanning-lawsuit/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/04/google_settles_copyright_case/
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/10/court-rules-book-scanning-is-fair-use-suggesting-google-books-victory/

Expand the Nobel Prize to award teams, not just individuals
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=expand-nobel-prize-award-teams-not-just-individuals&WT.mc_id=SA_CAT_physics_20121012

How SEC shredded Facebook’s pre-IPO claims
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/10/facebook_ipo_prospectus_omissions_and_evasions/

Windows 7 malware infection rates soar
http://www.informationweek.com/security/application-security/windows-7-malware-infection-rates-soar/240008738

Acknowledgements

Thanks to readers Andrew, Barb and Fi for drawing my attention to material used in this issue.

Please send suggestions for stories to alan@ibgames.com and include the words Winding Down in the subject line, unless you want your deathless prose gobbled up by my voracious Spamato spam filter...

Alan Lenton
alan@ibgames.com
14 October 2012

Alan Lenton is an on-line games designer, programmer and sociologist, the order of which depends on what he is currently working on! His web site is at http://www.ibgames.net/alan.

Past issues of Winding Down can be found at http://www.ibgames.net/alan/winding/index.html.

Fed2 Star last page   Fed2 Star next page