Hasta La Gadget!

As you may know, crafting a katana is a delicate process that involves carefully constructing a razor-sharp high-carbon edge around a soft shock-absorbent core. One day though, smiths and forging fires could be replaced by electrode-wielding mad-scientists, with the technology to selectively harden and soften metal at will. At least that’s what we envisioned when we read about Jörg Weißmüller’s breakthrough research in the field of nanomaterials. The German scientist discovered that by placing precious metals in acid he could create tiny ducts through corrosion. Once those channels are flooded with a conductive liquid, electrical currents can be used to harden the material and, if you change your mind about the brittle results, the effect can easily be reversed to make it soft again. The tech could eventually lead to self-healing vehicle armor or scratch-resistant cellphones — but, really, we just want to zap our way to a high-quality samurai sword.

Scientist cooks up adjustable strength metals originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 01:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on February 01, 2007 by CyberNet.

The RIAA sued a 16 year old New Yorker for piracy , and now he’s fighting back.  That’s the story in the a nutshell, but there’s so much more to it. Together with his lawyer, Robert Santangelo is defending himself and making a case against the RIAA saying among other things, that they “have engaged in a wide-ranging conspiracy to defraud the courts of the United States,” and further, that the companies “ostensibly competitors in the recording industry, are a cartel acting collusively in violation of the antitrust laws and public policy by bringing the piracy cases jointly and using the same agency “to make extortionate threats … to force defendants to pay.”

To add to the matter, this isn’t the first time the RIAA has gone after the Santangelo family.  In fact, Robert’s mom was the first to deal with the RIAA after she was sued back in 2005.  Just in December, her case was dropped after she refused to settle and went to court with it. Apparently the RIAA wasn’t done and came back to sue Robert and his 20 year old sister, Michelle.

Robert’s lawyer has raised 32 defenses and is demanding a jury trial saying that the boys reputation has been damaged, and he’s been distracted from school.  They’ve also said that the “average computer users were never warned that it was illegal; that the statute of limitations has passed; and that all the music claimed to have been downloaded was actually owned by his sister on store-bought CDs.” Robert was 11 at the time that he accused of pirating.

Obviously, that was just a lot of legal lingo, but I think what anyone can get out of all of this is that people aren’t afraid to fight back.  Certainly the RIAA is a big giant gorilla and could intimidate any accused pirate, but that’s not stopping people like Santangelo.

The RIAA is defending themselves by saying “The record industry has suffered enormously due to piracy. That includes thousands of layoffs. We must protect our rights. Nothing in a filing full of recycled charges that have gone nowhere in the past changes that fact.”

This ought to be an interesting story to follow… 

Source: 1010 Wins (Thanks Natmaster)

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:

Another RIAA Victim Fights BackRIAA Creates Website for College Students to SettleRIAA May Lose Funding from Record LabelsWhat NOT to do when the RIAA Comes to your DoorRIAA Drops the AllofMP3 $1.65 Trillion Dollar Lawsuit

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! Seriously, even a few Engadget editors are chortling in joy. PSN and Qriocity service has been restored in the Americas, Europe, and Asia and to celebrate (and soothe the seething frustration of its customers) Sony has launched its “welcome back” program. To be eligible you’ll have to have been a member before April 20th but, otherwise, it’s relatively qualifier free. Fire up the PlayStation Store and head to the “Welcome Back” tab to claim your pair of free games (you’ve got five different options on the PS3 and four on the PSP). In addition everyone gets a month of PlayStation Plus gratis and there’s a selection of “On Us” movie rentals available over the weekend. There are a few other freebies to placate the masses too, like 100 free items in PlayStation Home, while Current Plus and Music Unlimited Premium subscribers get a 60 and 30 day handout respectively. If you’ve got any burning questions yet to be answered, check out the rather lengthy FAQ at source link and enjoy! It’s not everyday that a company just throws open the flood gates on free stuff.

PSN ‘Welcome Back’ package is here, our long global nightmare is over originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 21:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony’s been hacked again, with over a million SonyPictures.com accounts lifted, containing vital personal information like home addresses. Is yours included? We’ve got an exclusive, easy database to check. Just enter your email address, and see if you’ve been compromised: More »

This week’s collection of apps includes three platform games, each set in unique worlds with plenty of challenges to keep you busy.

Originally posted at The Download Blog