Gaming War

Popular Mechanics has an interesting article: "How Accurate Are First-Person Shooter Weapons?". At one point, a developer says that they could create a completely real simulation. Why don't they? I think it would go a long way towards changing views on war in general... Is there no market for it? And wouldn't the military want it as a training tool? Actually, I saw a show on the Military Channel (Mail Call with R. Lee Ermey, maybe?) that featured something along these lines that the military is actually using. The graphics really sucked, but the concept was quite fascinating and the soldiers and trainers really liked the tool.

Public Records Access of Private Emails Conducting Public Business

From Red Orbit:

While the questionable use of private e-mail accounts to conduct public business still is making headlines in Washington, Ohio lawmakers continue a similar practice unabated.

When The Dispatch revealed two months ago that many state legislators were communicating about public business through electronic methods inaccessible to the public, the matter was referred to a committee. But that panel isn't scheduled to issue a report until the fall.

Ohio's top legal officer and others say public officials cannot use private e-mail accounts to avoid creating public documents.

Rep. Larry Wolpert, co-chairman of the Public Records Access Committee, said members have held basic discussions and hope to make recommendations by mid- to late September.

Read the whole thing here.

Generally speaking, I am of the opinion that all public business ought to be conducted in the public. But I do understand that there are some political activities that are conducted in public that shouldn't be... I see this one both ways, but on the issue at hand, I do believe that the legislature ought to get their act together on this issue and conduct public business publically.

What say you?

SaveNetRadio Artists Rock Congress

WASHINGTON, June 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After holding an open-air concert on the lawn of the United States Senate last night, Members of the SaveNetRadio coalition visited Capitol Hill again today to gather support for legislation pending in the House and Senate. Thirty-one artists traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with more than 50 lawmakers today to discuss the importance of Internet radio and the threat a March 2nd ruling by the Copyright Royalty Board poses to the future of Net radio and the artists it supports.

"The fight to preserve music diversity on the Internet is as much about artists and listeners as it is about webcasters," said SaveNetRadio spokesperson, Jake Ward. "Artists understand that the future of Net radio is at stake, and they recognize that that if Net radio dies, artists will lose a valuable tool for promoting their music and finding new fans. The only viable solution is to establish a fair system that supports well-earned compensation for artists who create music and a sustainable business model for webcasters playing that music. More than 6,000 individual artists and bands have joined the SaveNetRadio coalition and the fight to save Internet radio from the unprecedented and illogical March 2nd royalty rate increase imposed by the Copyright Royalty Board. The SaveNetRadio coalition and its partners appreciate the time and energy these artists have dedicated to come to Washington to speak with Members of Congress today, and we encourage more artists that benefit from Internet airplay to follow their example."

The Internet Radio Equality Act, H.R. 2060/S. 1353 was introduced by Representative Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Donald Manzullo (R-IL) in the House and Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sam Brownback (R-KS) in the Senate. This legislation would vacate the Copyright Royalty Board's decision and set a 2006-2010 royalty rate at the same level currently paid by satellite radio services (7.5% of revenue.) as well as change the royalty rate-setting standard used in royalty arbitrations so that the standards applied to webcasters would align with the standard that applies to satellite radio royalty arbitrations.

For more information on the SaveNetRadio Coalition, the Capitol Concert, and legislation pending in Congress, visit [Link].

Re: Rep. Paul Gillmor, RIAA and Internet Radio

Previously on WMD:

OH-05's Rep. Paul Gillmor is on the list of Congresscritters getting money from RIAA, the recording industry's association of political and economic hitmen... Yeah, sure, it's only a $1000, but politicians have been bought for less. What is Congressman Gillmor's position on RIAA's and the Royalty Board's fleecing of internet radio? Hopefully, we'll find out...

I heard back from Team Gillmor today...

As co-chairman of the House Public Broadcasting Caucus, Rep. Gillmor is a proud co-sponsor of H.R. 2060, the Internet Radio Equality Act. In addition to telling his constituents that he is a co-sponsor of this bill, Congressman Gillmor recommends they visit his website at http://www.house.gov/gillmor/crs.shtml [Link] where they will find a report about this issue from the non-partisan Congressional Research Service entitled "Statutory Royalty Rates for Digital Performance of Sound Recordings: Decision of the Copyright Royalty Board." So far, Congressman Gillmor has heard from nearly 200 constituents about this issue.

This is fantastic news!

Rep. Paul Gillmor, RIAA and Internet Radio

OH-05's Rep. Paul Gillmor is on the list of Congresscritters getting money from RIAA, the recording industry's association of political and economic hitmen... Yeah, sure, it's only a $1000, but politicians have been bought for less. What is Congressman Gillmor's position on RIAA's and the Royalty Board's fleecing of internet radio? Hopefully, we'll find out...

Jazz Legends Join SaveNetRadio

I've been meaning to write more about this effort, but this gives me the opportunity to highlight two of my interests: live music and internet radio.

NEW ORLEANS, May 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Jazz legends, artists and educators joined radio giant WWOZ yesterday to support a national effort to save Internet radio from a recent royalty rate increase that would bankrupt the industry. In a letter to House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, famed clarinet wizard Dr. Michael White, legendary trumpeter Kermit Ruffins, jazz phenom "Trombone Shorty", Kidd Jordan and more than a dozen of the most influential voices in American Jazz called on Congress to take action and preserve Internet radio for the future of Jazz music.

"As working musicians who depend on Internet radio to reach our fans and to make new ones, we are extremely concerned that the recent decision by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) will close the door to what has become an essential part of our work. Internet radio is one of the precious few outlets we have to reach Jazz audiences and build new ones. If Internet radio dies, the future of Jazz could die with it," the Jazz legends wrote in a letter addressed to Chairman Conyers.

Representatives of SaveNetRadio, a national coalition of millions of webcasters, listeners, artists and labels joined tens of thousands of Jazz fans this week at the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival to spread the word and gather the support of jazz artists that depend on Internet radio for exposure and airtime.

New Orleans powerhouse radio station WWOZ's General Manager, David Freedman said "the massive new royalty fees directly affect New Orleans artists and musicians throughout the country that depend on Internet radio for air play and to reach new fans. For WWOZ, these new rates would drastically limit our effectiveness as a streaming source, and dictate that stations can't afford to succeed. The marginalization or complete shutdown of our streaming services, which is the emerging environment, is tantamount to choking off an important voice of New Orleans culture and rendering our volunteer powered effort irrelevant." During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Internet radio was the only way many New Orleanians could hear news and the music of their home.

The list of artists calling on Chairman Conyers to support H.R. 2060, the Internet Radio Equality Act, which would vacate the CRB royalty rate increase and establish a new standard for setting Internet radio royalty rates, includes the following:

Kermit Ruffins,
Trumpeter

Derek Shezbie,
ReBirth Brass Band

Bennie Pete,
Hot 8 Brass Band

Edward Kidd Jordan,
Director, Heritage School of Music
Director, Louis Armstrong Jazz Camp

Marlon Jordan,
Trumpet

Bennie Jones,
Leader, Treme Brass Band

Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews,
Leader, Orleans Avenue

Big Chief Al Doucette,
Flaming Arrows Mardi Gras Indian tribe

David Freedman,
General Manager, WWOZ

Dr. Michael White,
Hot 8 Brass Band

John Boutte,
The New Orleans Social Club

Lee Arnold,
Director, Save Our Brass

James Andrews,
Leader, Crescent City AllStars

Ariana Hall,
The CubaNolaCollective

Sylvester Francis,
Director, Backstreet Museum

Jackie Harris,
Director, Louis Armstrong Jazz Camp

Todd Duke,
Crescent City AllStars

Mario Madero,
SpyBoy Productions

Stations like Wide Awakes Radio and our own TIB Radio face extinction without legislation protecting internet radio from the vultures. While our format is talk, we use a music for breaks and intros. TIB Radio has been using royalty free music where the composer is unaffiliated.

For more information on the SaveNetRadio coalition visit http://www.savenetradio.org [Link].

Lenovo Battery Recall

From PR/US Newswire:

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using the recalled product immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Lithium-ion extended-life batteries used in ThinkPad notebook computers

Units: About 100,000 battery packs (an additional 105,000 battery packs were sold worldwide)

Battery Distributor: Lenovo (United States) Inc., of Research Triangle Park, N.C.

Battery Manufacturer: Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd., of Japan

Hazard: If the battery in the laptop is struck forcefully on the corner, such as from a direct fall to the ground, the battery pack can overheat and pose a fire hazard to users. This is not an internal battery cell defect.

Incidents/Injuries: Lenovo has received four reports of batteries overheating and damaging the notebook. This caused damage to the notebook computers, minor property damage and, in one case, minor eye irritation to one consumer.

Description: Lenovo sold these extended-life batteries with new ThinkPad notebook PCs or as optional or replacement batteries for the following ThinkPad notebook models: R Series (R60 and R60e), T Series (T60 and T60p) and Z Series (Z60m, Z61e, Z61m, and Z61p). The recalled 9-cell batteries have the following part number, which can be found on the battery label: FRU P/N 92P1131.

Sold Through: Lenovo's Web sites, telephone and direct sales, and Lenovo authorized distributors nationwide between November 2005 and February 2007, as an accessory for about $180, and as part of a ThinkPad notebook computer for between $750 and $3,500.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled batteries and contact Lenovo for additional information and to receive a free replacement battery. Consumers should use only ThinkPad batteries obtained from either Lenovo or an authorized reseller.

Consumer Contact: Customers should contact Lenovo at (800) 426-7378 anytime, or log on to http://www.lenovo.com/batteryprogram to determine if the battery is part of the recall and to order a replacement battery.

Note: In September 2006, Lenovo conducted a recall of batteries manufactured by another firm for a different problem.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products -- such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals -- contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270 or visit CPSC's Web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's Web site at http://www.cpsc.gov.

Firm's Recall Hotline: (800) 426-7378
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

This was a product that I was rather familiar with in my previous line of employment. I'm not a real fan of external batteries at any rate...and this is just one of the reasons why.