As anyone who has read a tech blog in the past few years will know, AT&T has been under attack for not being able to match the network capacity of larger rival Verizon. And when they won the majority of the bids for the open spectrum in 2008, Verizon also had a clear path to the future. Now AT&T is taking another path: buying T-Mobile…
Continue reading… “In The Race For More Spectrum, AT&T Is Acquiring T-Mobile For $39 Billion”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTTY9IpwnWg&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
This is a rather disturbing turn of events. Federal Magistrate Joseph Spero has approved a request by Sony to subpoena the hacker GeoHot’s web host, as well as YouTube, Google, and Twitter, for identifying information on anyone who has accessed, commented, or viewed information relating to thehack. At best this is lazy on Sony’s part and irresponsible on Magistrate Spero’s, and at worst it is a deliberate and malicious wholesale violation of privacy.
The pretense for this wildly overreaching action is that Sony needs this information to prove the case should be tried in San Francisco, in federal court and close to Sony’s headquarters. Why? Because it’s in Sony’s terms of service. This after another judgenoted previously that by Sony’s standards, “the entire universe would be subject to [her] jurisdiction.”
Monsanto is a perfect example of the worst excesses of opaque corporate shenanigans that, alongside outright political dictatorship and oppression, are direct threats to true democracy.
The Monsanto Technology Stewardship Agreement (the name itself is Orwellian in it’s use of language to obscure and not illuminate) indemnifies Monsanto against “any and all losses, injury or damages resulting from the use or handling of seed (including claims based in contract, negligence, product liability, strict liability, tort, or otherwise)…in no event shall Monsanto or any seller be liable for any incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages.”
The next great frontier in health care lies not in little blue pills but in information technology, and it seems that big pharmaceutical companies are finally recognizing it…
Continue reading… “Drug-Makers Shifting Focus to Mobile Apps”
A new look at coal in the US.
It’s well-known that the coal-fired power plants that provide the US with 50% of its electricity also inflict significant damage on the environment and citizens’ health. Coal plants spew particulate emissions that cause asthma and other respiratory woes — and they’re responsible for tens of thousands of deaths every year. And then there’s the environmental damage inflicted during the process of extracting, transporting, and processing the stuff. And then, there’s coal’s contribution to climate change. All told, it costs the nation up to $500 billion a year. That’s the finding of a new Harvard study that, for the first time, examines the true cost of coal throughout its entire life cycle …
Continue reading… “Coal Costs US Public Up to $500 Billion Annually: Harvard Study”
Diagram a kiss.
Talk about lip service: Harlequin Enterprises, renowned publisher of pulp romance novels, has applied for a patent on the romantic kiss.
The application, if granted, leaves open the possibility that we may one day have to pay a licensing fee to lock lips with the ones we covet…
Continue reading… “Harlequin Attempts to Patent the Kiss”
Patrick Rodgers, an independent music promoter in Philadelphia, has won a judgment against his mortgage lender, Wells Fargo, which Wells hasn’t paid, and so he’s foreclosed on them and arranged for a sheriff’s sale of the contents of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, 1341 N. Delaware Ave to pay the legal bill.
Rodgers made all his mortgage payments on time, but Wells decided out of the blue that he had to carry insurance for the full replacement value of his home — $1 million — and started to charge him an extra $500 a month in premiums…
Continue reading… “Philly Homeowner Forecloses on Wells Fargo”
Mitsubishi is taking a unique approach to draw attention to its all-wheel drive vehicles: The automaker broke five Guinness World Records relating to driving in winter conditions.
(video after jump…)
Continue reading… “Mitsubishi Breaks 5 Guinness World Records in 24 Hours”
I was aware that Facebook is close to trademarking the term ‘face’, at least in relation to online social networking and related activities, in the United States. But as far as I know, nobody has yet pointed out that Facebook has already pulled that stunt in the EU, i.e. the union of 27 European member states (which include the UK, Germany, France and Spain).
Continue reading… “Facebook Has Already Trademarked ‘Face’ In Europe – Is ‘Book’ Next?”
By now, most of us have read the miscellaneous (numerous) statements from companies like Whole Foods, Organic Valley, Stonyfield, and the Non-GMO Project in defense of their participation in the so-called “coexistence” talks with the USDA and proponents of GE alfalfa.
These companies have claimed that they had no choice but to get in there and fight for safeguards against contamination and restitution for farmers whose fields are contaminated. Neither of which ended up happening.
They’ve said that they had a choice between staying to fight for protections, and walking away and letting Monsanto have their way. Monsanto, as we’ve seen time and time again, has had their way anyway…
Continue reading… “Did the “Organic Elite” Sell Out to Monsanto?”
AT&T overcharging iPhone customers.
Ever get the feeling that the itemized charges on your cell phone bill aren’t quite right? A new class-action lawsuit filed against AT&T claims that often, they aren’t — and the mistakes could be costing consumers millions.
Continue reading… “Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Against AT&T Over iPhone Overbilling”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.