The latest news from United Kingdom’s major retail bankers says that if your online bank account has been compromised and you didn’t use any Internet computer security software such as antivirus and antispyware (e.g. Norton 360), you solely bear the responsibility for the loss, and they won’t compensate you a dime. A clause has been added to the newly updated Banking Code to make this very clear.

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This post is in reference to Bob’s post on Internet Video and TV. It started out as a comment, but quickly became too big for that. So here is my $.02. The problem isn’t technological at its heart, it is the content producers and distributors that are at fault, and here’s why. more…

Nielsen, the company known for telling us which TV shows are popular, has a new technology that uses sounds from videos uploaded online and matches them with its database that already has 95% of TV shows indexed. Nielsen is rolling out the service as early as today and is hoping to work with companies like NBC, News Corp., and Google. Here’s how it would work:

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div>Sophos, an internet-security company, released numbers on the amount of spam sent per country between this past July and September. And the United States is responsible for about 30% of it (see chart below). Despite legislation such as the CAN-SPAM Act, the U.S. hasn’t been able to do much to stop spam. And spam is getting more complicated: fake e-cards, virus-infected PDF attachments, and worthless MP3 files or ringtons are the latest methods. In fact, according to anti-spam company MXSweep, nearly one in ten spam e-mails attach MP3 files or ringtones.

I guess I wouldn’t know much about this. I use Google’s gmail and rarely see any spam.

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div>Purdue University announced this morning that they received 47 new settlement letters from the Recording Industry Mafia Association of America.

Purdue spokesperson Jeanne Norberg said: “As an Internet service provider, Purdue will forward these letters when the user can be accurately identified.” “Purdue will not voluntarily provide names to the RIAA. However, should those notified choose not to pay the settlement, the RIAA may obtain court-ordered subpoenas to obtain the individuals’ names.”

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div>On Monday, the FCC announced the final digital television (DTV) channel assignments in anticipation of the scheduled switch from analog broadcast. Because we haven’t covered this topic yet at TechConsumer.com, it seems like a good time to run through the process for those who may be affected.

Just what is DTV and why the switch?

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div>Actually I’d prefer less. Those who have read this blog for any period of time probably know two things about me.

1) I write books. Those books are published by a publisher and are sold in a store near you. (Or at least on Amazon).

2) I don’t like copyright laws. Maybe “don’t like” isn’t a strong enough word. I hate them. I loath them. I feel shovels-ful of repugnance toward them. I feel that they do a better job of protecting the interests of publishers and music labels, not the artists. They keep valuable, worthwhile, and useful material out of the hands of people who could really benefit from it. These laws bind the hands instead of freeing the mind.

So when I came across this article, written by Cambridge University PhD candidate Rufus Pollock, I couldn’t help but share. The gist of the article is that “(a) optimal protection decreases as the cost of production falls (and vice-versa); and (b) the level of optimal protection, in general, declines over time. ”

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There has been quite a lot of press lately about Google’s new Street View service. Street View allows you to pick a street and see it how it really is. This isn’t a satellite image, but rather pictures taken right on the street. So for example, here is a picture of the Bellagio in Las Vegas, taken right from the strip.

Great service, right? You can now plan a trip and not only get driving directions, but see what color the gas station is where you have to turn right. Or you can virtually visit places you’ve been before. A stroll down memory lane without leaving your chair.

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The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) has a valid point in explaining the under-anticipated downside of going paperless. Once you’re gone, your family may not know where to begin to look for your accounts, assets, insurance policies, retirement plans, etc. So you should write all that information down and keep it in a safe place, right?

Well, not exactly. Having a list of your passwords and private information all in one place is asking for trouble.

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Trent Reznor gave an interesting interview over at the Herald Sun. In it he states, “It’s a very odd time to be a musician on a major label, because there’s so much resentment towards the record industry that it’s hard to position yourself in a place with the fans where you don’t look like a greedy asshole."

He goes on to say, “I’ve have one record left that I owe a major
label, then I will never be seen in a situation like this again. If I
could do what I want right now, I would put out my next album, you
could download it from my site at as high a bit-rate as you want, pay
$4 through PayPal.”

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