Catch Up: Frenchie – Nocturnal
012.
01st Jan2012
5 Comm
16th Dec2011
Why The Crazy Copyright Bill Won’t Fix The Broken Web
The web may not be perfect, but SOPA is a reactionary bill to a broken copyright system. One thought alone: The ‘broken web’ is ironically what makes it work.
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) will starve the web of the oxygen that it needs, issue its marching orders and censor the U.S. web as we know it.
One finds it ironic as an outside observer, from a country that does not have freedom of speech as such, to a country that dubs itself the ‘Land of the Free’.
And this is coming from someone who thought the Patriot Act was bad enough.
With the realisation that the SOPA may actually pass through Congress and become law, one has to question why the sudden shift from copyright-ownership powers, to powers in government; seemingly a slippery slope to China-style censorship endorsements?
The copyright system is broken, but so is the web. While one system needs reform, the latter should remain broken — as long as the core principles of the web are adhered to.
The problem is: there are no rules of the web, only the rules of law. And, with a borderless, inter-connected network spanning all but about two countries on the planet, there will be fallout far-and-wide from this bill that threatens to bring online freedom of speech to an end.
Maria Pallante, head of the U.S. Copyright Office, said:
“It is my view that if Congress does not continue to provide serious responses to online piracy, the U.S. copyright system will ultimately fail.”
Is it that copyright, although admittedly damaging to certain industries, is being used as the excuse to instigate control over the Internet?
The Internet is more than a means of displaying information. It has exploded into a rapid, uncontrolled centre for communication, a vast network of information and data that the western community has complete access to. How long can we expect governmental structures not to try and bind its citizens?
When peer-to-peer networking first gained popular traction, particularly amongst the younger tech-savvy generations, all industries — including entertainment and music — had the chance to tweak their business models.
They had the opportunity to offer better value for money to their customers, who instead of waiting for staggered global release dates and the cost of $16.99 for a CD were suddenly able to share and download the same product within minutes for free.
No wonder it caught on.
Instead of changing with the times, the industries instead focused their efforts on trying to squash the insurgence. They tried the ’sacrificial goat approach’, charging individual ‘leechers’ — those who download but do not redistribute in turn – extortionate amounts of money that they would never be able to pay back.
The taking down of individual torrent sites that linked to the torrent file itself set a precedent where some website owners made a mockery of fractured, vague legal systems being imposed across borders; though it has not even begun to scratch the surface of the ‘endemic’ problem.
Governments worldwide are not focusing on the bigger picture. Instead, in a bid to satisfy the perverse Hollywood relationship the government has, it is not focusing on one very key outcome.
Citizens will not accept a government that censors the web.
To consider Pandora’s box theory, illegal copyright infringement, piracy, or ’stealing’, whatever you may call it, is ingrained into modern society to attempt to limit and control.
How would the general public react if the U.S. had a situation similar to the UK riots — which considering the economic state may not be such a fantasy? Would they calmly accept the restriction on Facebook or Twitter for an unspecified amount of time? A week? A month?
This could be ‘due cause’ to restrict and monitor social networking. Doesn’t this in turn limit how we can communicate, and if need be, organise public lobbying or peaceful protests?
Oh, hello China. Why are you smirking at us oh-so smugly?
It’s also amazing just how many people fighting for this bill aren’t versed in technology. Take Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas): “I’m not a technical expert on this”, he exclaims.
Would it not make more sense for the copyrighted material sharing ‘phenomena’ to be studied properly by technology experts, as the entire scenario relies on technology to make it possible?
The backlash will arguably definitively come from the younger generation. In reality, there are children still in high school who know more about programming and DNS entries than most of those arguing in Congress. Workarounds will be sought, discovered and widely accessed.
But who will enforce the ‘Great Firewall of America’: the copyright infringement police of Hollywood, or U.S. law enforcement? If it is the former rather than the latter, either way it routes at least some way into turning into the end-scene from V for Vendetta.
With the act handing over tremendous power to even small copyright holders, this could in turn cause online entrepreneurship to stagnate or even decline. Who would wants to spend time and money on a venture that could be shut down within a matter of days, whilst lawyers take their cut and argue over the issue?
Innovation may be exploding due to the freedom of the Internet and the rapid expansion of social media, but this bill could pinch out the flame.
SOPA is not about catching those who infringe copyright law.
It’s centered instead on the means to do it. The third-party who provides the service, such as a government regulator or even a private industry member — because governments do love to outsource, particularly in shady areas to distance itself from the judiciary — will mean that the Twitter’s, Facebook’s and the Tumblr’s of the world can immediately incur liability. Small businesses can be hit with bogus or difficult to prove copyright claims, and be shut down within days.
The average user will not be able to bypass the bill’s measures, but it is not the average user that infringes copyright on a mass level.
Beyond anything else, there is no solid evidence to suggest that without this bill, the copyright system will fail. It should be businesses that adapt their business model, and find a cure to a solution that it in part created.
Putting copyright into perspective and relative proportion.
The list of opponents to this bill runs down the length of my arm. Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, AOL, Yahoo!, eBay, Mozilla — and of course, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) — all oppose this bill and the measures it could enacts.
But instead of countering child abuse imagery, online terrorism and cybercrime, Hollywood is instead bidding its efforts on self-preservation amongst other things.
The web of politics that enmeshes economics, corporations and the public is well known and heavily documented. But something is heinously wrong when the balance of power shifts to the point where intended laws to protect the film and music industry are more severe, restricting and infringing of civil liberties than the laws set to prevent and report the spread of online child sexual abuse.
Putting a band-aid over a wound does not heal it. All in all, you cannot control something you do not understand the nature of.
But Congress will try anyway.
04th Dec2011
PANEL DISCUSSION: THE PORTRAYAL OF AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: PANEL DISCUSSION: THE PORTRAYAL OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
Philadelphia, PA- A panel will be held on December 9, 2011 from 7:30 p.m.- 9:00 p.m. at St. Joseph’s University, Banquet Hall North 5600 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131. The topic of the discussion is: “The Portrayal of the African American Woman in the Entertainment Industry.” This will cover her representation in society, how her voice is heard and any perpetuating or diminishing factors that contribute or defer from the way her image is perceived. The panel will be moderated by Mo’Shay Laren, mid-day host on WRNB 100.3 F.M., and Lehigh University professor and Hip-Hop scholar, Dr. James Braxton Peterson.
The panelists include R&B singer Jade Alston, as well as Shaheed Rucker, Executive Director of the non-profit organization, “Changemakers,” along with educators,community leaders, and representatives from the local entertainment industry. We anticipate an attendance of approximately 250 people at this event.
The event will be hosted by freelance journalist, Lana Adams and co-facilitator, Latiaynna Tabb. This will be the first of many panel discussions highlighting important cultural and social issues. These interactive panels are designed to encourage discussion and create a platform for the sharing of ideas and opinions to motivate people toward change.
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Media Contact: Lana Adams
484-429-0004
E-mail: lana.adams89@gmail.com or creatingdialogue@gmail.com
Website: http://www.miccheck1two.
Twitter: @Mic_Check_
To RSVP for attendance to this event, visit: http://www.eventbrite.com/
02nd Nov2011
#OccupyHipHop By Paul Scott
“Y’all been eatin’ long enough now, stop bein’ greedy
Just keep it real partna, give to the needy”
Stop Being Greedy-DMX
One morning last month, tired of the state of corporate-owned Hip Hop, a small group of people gathered in front of Intergalactic Records with picket signs saying “Hip Hop Sucks!” That night, a DJ rolled up with some old school Kool Herc-type speakers and started blastin’ classic, underground Hip Hop, shaking the walls of the building. The movement has since spread like wildfire across the country as thousands of disgruntled former Hip Hop fans have begun gathering at radio stations across the country yelling “Give Hip Hop back to the 99%!”
Think this can’t happen? Think again.
With the Occupy Wall Street Movement in full swing, it is only a matter of time before somebody asks the question that will spark the rap revolution.
“Hey, don’t those 1 per centers also control the entertainment industry ?”
I think that I can safely say that 99% of the people reading this are fed up with the current state of Hip Hop and are ready to take it back from the 1% that are controlling the direction of the culture. There are only a hand full of major record labels (Sony, EMI , Warner and Universal) most of the radio stations are either owned by Clear Chanel or Radio-One and the major music video programs are all controlled by one company; Viacom. This explains why the same five Hip Hop artists are being played over and over again.
Without a doubt, Hip Hop is one of the most lucrative commodities on the planet and generates billions of dollars, annually, not only for entertainment companies but also for the other Big Willie corporations that the Occupy Wall Street warriors are fighting against. Also, it can be argued that, unlike many of the resident Wall Street tycoons, the entertainment industry moguls are most dependent on “the streets” for their economic survival, making them the most vulnerable to successful protests.
In his book, “Black Labor, White Wealth,” Dr. Claud Anderson wrote that ” black music is the basis for one of the world’s wealthiest industries.” He also argues that “the historic exploitation of black music and other art forms provides a strong philosophical reason to target these industries as visible examples of a new black economic agenda.”
So, the question becomes not whether an “Occupy Hip Hop” movement will happen but why it hasn’t happened yet.
To jack that famous line from Public Enemy, ” the reasons are several, most of them federal.”
It has been reported that Hip Hop was one of the major motivating factors in the “Arab Spring” uprisings, as it captured the frustrations of the youth overseas. While the average person in the US may not fully grasp the international power of Hip Hop, the government has long recognized the tremendous influence that entertainers have globally: a power that they are not willing to let fall into the ” wrong hands.”
According to Dr. Penny Von Eschen in her book, “Race Against Empire,” during the 1950′s the US State Department set up “Cultural Affairs, Psychological Warfare and Propaganda” programs to control Uncle Sam’s international image. According to Von Eschen, the State Department recruited entertainers from jazz musicians to the Harlem Globetrotters to travel the globe proving to the world that living in America wasn’t that bad.
This is why, even today, despite poverty and record high unemployment, the Feds still need the image of millionaire Hip Hop artists destroying $300,000 cars in videos and throwing up hundred dollar bills in the clubs beamed to every country on Earth. Despite what the Occupy Wall Street “whiners” are crying about on CNN, the Feds need to project the international image that all is still good in the ‘hood.
Another reason why Hip Hop has not been occupied is that the people who you would think would be on the front line fightin’ the power are actually part of the power structure. Despite the revolutionary rhetoric of even some of the most socially conscious Hip Hop writers and artists, they are still trapped in the corporate matrix and aren’t really gonna spark the Gil Scott-Heron “Revolution that Will Not be Televised” or heard on the radio. Like most folks, they are just tryin’ to eat and they ain’t gonna go back to eatin’ Oodles of Noodles for dinner for none of ya’ll.
But then you have that pesky 5% at the bottom of the oppressed 99% ladder who really want to see complete constructive change and are willing to do any and everything to get it. Even if it means camping out in front of the Hot 99.9 station and starting a bonfire with Rick Ross cd’s and Lil Wayne posters. These are the ones who will put Hip Hop back in the hands of the people .
I know that I speak for the rest of the 99% when I say, “Enough of the Maybach music. It’s time for some “payback” music!
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott represents the Militant Mind Militia. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or militantmindmilitia@gmail.com Website http://www.
23rd Oct2011
YouTube Launches Merch Store for Artist Pages
YouTube has unveiled a merch store that will allow artists to sell their merch directly from their YouTube artist pages. Fans will be able to buy “artists‘ merchandise, digital downloads, concert tickets and even unique experiences like meetups,” according to Sunday blog post at the YouTube blog.
The offerings are made possible by a handful of partnerships: direct-to-fan provider Topspin will allow artists to sell merchandise, concert tickets and experiences; Songkick will provide concert listings; and iTunes and Amazon will provide music downloads. The Merch Store will roll out to artists over the next few weeks.
Will fans warm to the idea of purchasing items from a YouTube page, a place best known for free entertainment? We will find out, although artists should expect to go through a learning phase to understand how direct-to-fan sales best works at this new venue. In any case, the partnership with YouTube is a big win for Topspin and gives artists a storefront on the world’s most popular streaming site.
17th Oct2011
Who?!?! – #AmberCole
Above is a twitpic Amber Cole posted of her report card at 3am October 17th, 2011
By: Spit ( @iamnotarapper58 )
Amber Cole (@DaRealAmberCole), per her twitter account has “Created a twitter to clear my name…” & that she is also “NOT A HOE! I AM JUST YOUR AVERAGE GIRL……. 14..female…goals…..” …goals which include:
It’s still unclear if she created the twitter or if her mother did,
But regardless, why is everybody at 2am (EST) talking about a 14-year-old girl who isn’t a hoe? And what is she clearing her name from? Why are random celebrities telling this little girl not to kill herself?
(Including @NickiiMinaj which is fake @NickiMinaj page but the irony in that is that Nicki Minaj is probably the reason she was doing it in the first place… But doing what?)
Well, Amber Cole may be the average 14-year-old girl, but this average 14-year-old girl was recorded on a razor phone giving oral sex to a 14-year-old male outside of a school in broad daylight. Judging by what I have seen & heard in my travels, when children speak at times that they think no one is listening, Amber Cole could very well turn out to be the average 14-year-old. This fact is very very sad & especially disheartening to me as a parent & anyone who knows the focus of this generations school age children. Sex is on their mind more than school is and that is because all forms of entertainment they indulge in are loaded with sexual innuendo & partial sexual education which doesn’t include repercussions or safety. This isn’t specific to 14 year olds at all, this starts from Spongebob Squarepants all the way up to Degrassi & continues full steam ahead into adulthood.
The video in question does not show her face nor is her name mentioned, which brings us to our next question: How does everyone know it was her?
Well, the reason why everyone knows its Amber Cole in the video is because Amber Cole told everyone it was her. While #TroyDavis , who was executed (read as: murdered) for a crime he may or may not have committed (See: Too Much Doubt To Execute) never became & has blocked by @Twitter from becoming a trending topic, #AmberCole was trending almost immediately which is indicative of the state of the world we live in today & it sends a message loud & clear: The most popular forms of entertainment that exist today are selling teen sex, or selling sex to teens. Just imagine how much money twitter is making right now from peddling kiddie porn? Due to the fact that I do not support kiddie porn I have NOT embedded the video into this post, however if you choose to watch a 14-year-old girl give fellatio to another CHILD her age, who am I to judge you right? Here you are
Now for those of you who didn’t just google her name to watch mini porn, haven’t clicked the link & are still here, lets discuss the root of this problem. How do 14 year olds know what oral sex is & how to perform it secretly? Why are other 14 year olds taping it? Other “celebrities” have chimed in with their opinions but these two which contrast are the two that I find most interesting 
Above you see Tyler’s message & below you see Amber Cole’s response (her twitter background is Chris Brown when he was her age). Tyler, The Creator (of Odd Future fame) decided to take the route that most of the internet has taken thus far which is to make light of a serious situation. The internet is usually the place where this sort of thing takes place because people can hide behind 140 characters (or more on the Facebook) & leave it at the that. The names aren’t real, the situations aren’t real & the people aren’t real… But this is real. Amber Cole is a real person. Lets put this in perspective… as a matter of fact, I’ll let Wale put this in perspective
Wale’s quote makes perfect sense to any adult with a working brain. Amber Cole is a misguided child & the underlying message is #WeGottaDoBetter . Not just a cliché trending topic so you can seem socially conscious on the internet but actually do something. Talk to children about sex & the repercussions that can result from not exercising your sexual power responsibly. Starting these sort of talks and education at this age will prevent or at least curve the number of sexually uneducated adults who started out practicing these of acts while in school. Amber Cole did not invent the wheel nor will she be the last one to roll it. There are millions of Amber Coles out there and it could be your sister, daughter, cousin, niece, neighbor, classmate, roommate or someone you hold dear going through this. Would it be funny then? Would you have 140 characters of jokes then?
Its very easy to attack the fruit & not the root of these sort of problems but you must ALWAYS attack the root before the fruit is even addressed. How did this happen? Why is this happening? How could we have prevented this? How can we prevent this in the future? Don’t complain about flash mobs if you aren’t in support of funding after school programs, don’t complain about drugs taking over your neighborhood if you “support your local drug dealer”, don’t complain about there not being any stores owned by your race of people if all you do is support businesses by those outside of your race, & don’t complain about a 14-year-old girl giving oral sex outside of a school in broad daylight during school hours while nobody was around if you arent in support of more funding for schools & if you’re going to make fun of her cry for help by making serious jokes to her face.
If Amber Cole does kill herself, will you be partially to blame?
-Spit ( @iamnotarapper58 )
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE AMBER COLE SITUATION? SOUND OFF BELOW…
05th Jul2011
Facebook Is The Devil By: Eric Blair
I talked to my great friend/brother, Rich Graham (thank you, Rich Graham, for the name and thirty percent of this blog). Without him being anti-Facebook for so many years, I would have never written this. Before we go on, insert disclaimer here; this piece isn’t aimed at any of my friends and users that act civilized on Facebook. So, rest assured, you’re good with me.
Example No. 1
I digress from the topic at hand; I am slowly realizing in a full circle that Facebook is spam for the internet. It’s like a cesspool of ignorance, half naked women, and “cyberspace thugs.” I am not going to touch on how Facebook owns our pictures, statuses, and information; how they’re selling our information to a third party company’s who uses it for internet advertisements. I’ll leave that for Spit to inform you all more about that. I am going to speak on how Facebook has killed person to person interaction. Example, I have tried to interact with women (AKA exchange numbers) in the past and they would ask if I have a Facebook page and give me their information to look them up. WHAT?! I have seen men and women beefing on Facebook telling each other what they’re going to do to them when they see them in the streets. WHAT?! I have seen women have family pictures with their kids and the next picture is of them half naked. WHAT?! When did it become cool to put everything and almost your social security number on the internet for anyone to pick up and run with it? Why do so many people put their information out there for everyone to see? At one point Facebook was entertainment to see what people had to say but then it started to become insanity when people started talking about man troubles, selling drugs, how much they have, and beating their kids. When did a great idea turn for the worst? How is it that all the negative/ignorant statuses will get all that “likes” and comments but something positive or uplifting barely gets any attention? Are people really brain washed into this nimrod factory called Facebook? I am guessing it’s easier to “friend” someone you barely know than trying to get to know them the old fashioning way?
Facebook is so bizarre to me; people are fraudulent, annoying, and ignorant. I asked someone if they knew every person on their friend list and they replied, “Yes!” Who knows five thousand people personally or just by name? I need people to stop building this online fantasy world where they’re “popular.” High school is over, we’re grownups now; welcome to the real world. I need people to stop with these “in the club” pictures every week; the club isn’t so great to always take pictures. My favorite, women that looks better on Facebook than in person. I have a seen a few people I went to high school with that looks sexy as all hell on Facebook but in person, not so great. Oh, men posing in the mirror flexing on Facebook, that’s gay! Someone had to tell you and thank god none of the few male friends I have on Facebook doesn’t do that. Please people that I don’t know, ex-girlfriends, and people I “went” to high school with, stop “friending” me! I am not your friend neither did I know you in high school; so don’t use me to try to up your friend list. If you’re reading this and you feel as I am being a weirdo, I am not; I am perfectly sane. I know what’s real and what’s not, you’re the weirdo if you feel as these things I mention above are sane. Stop trying to be a weirdo, nerd, cyberspace thug, baller, boaster, being high is so cool type, popular person, FB models, and anything else that’s not you! Be yourself, no need to be fake or over exaggerated; who you are is fine. Try it out sometime.
Example No. 2
Bottom line, posting club pictures every weekend with different men isn’t cute; it makes you look like a whore. Boasting about how many cars you drive or how much money you get doesn’t make you cool, my man; it makes you look broke. Having useless “status wars” doesn’t make you tough, you’re weak. Spelling words incorrectly, putting middle fingers up in pictures, or talking about how men or women “ain’t shit” isn’t cool; it’s ignorant and I am dropping you as a friend. Being half naked in almost every one of your pictures isn’t sexy; that is nasty that you have your body out there like that, baby girl. Lastly, hugged up on a new man or woman each week isn’t “awe;” I think you might be spreading STD’s and you might need to get checked out…I kid… But really; sexing everyone isn’t “dope,” keep your business your business. At the end of the day, better yet, if the World Wide Web ceases to exist tomorrow, Facebook wouldn’t exist. Remember, Facebook isn’t a place, it’s just a program; it’s not real!
What did we do before social networks like Facebook came along?
I’m done…*Drops the microphone and exits on stage left*
10th May2011
Live Nation, Groupon To Launch Discount Ticket Site
Hoping to boost concert attendance in a hobbled economy, Ticketmaster parent Live Nation Entertainment Inc., is joining with the popular online deals site Groupon to launch a discount ticket site for live events.
Dubbed GrouponLive, the service, expected to launch in June, is aimed at easing both the perennial problem of filling empty seats at concerts and sporting events, including last year’s big drop in attendance that prompted numerous cancellations and left promoters with a hefty number of unsold tickets toward the end of summer.
Some bands, including top acts such as the Jonas Brothers and Rihanna, were forced to cancel tour dates. Industrywide, as many as 40% of seats for live events were estimated to have gone unsold. Gross receipts for the industry fell 7.6%.
GrouponLive, a joint venture between the Beverly Hills live-event giant and the Chicago-based online promotions company, hopes to attract bigger crowds by offering discounts to events for which demand may be soft. For Groupon, the deal bolsters (more…)
08th May2011
Obie Trice Meeting With Detroit Senator To Evolve Local Music Biz
Obie Trice is meeting with a Michigan State Senator today (April 22nd) in hopes of bringing more entertainment to the city of Detroit.
Obie, who is a platinum-selling artist formerly signed to Eminem’s Shady Records imprint, now heads up his own company, Black Market Entertainment.
He will meet with State Senator Virgil Smith to discuss ways they can collaborate to offer more opportunities to the artists who live in Detroit.
“Detroit has a solid history in the arts, rooted in excellence and trailblazing. With our youth the city has endless potential, it’s our responsibility to identify and cultivate it,” Obie Trice told AllHipHop.com.
Obie and Senator Smith’s conversation will also consist of exploring ways to publicize tax breaks available to entertainers, how they can obtain government grants and subsidies for art, film and music projects.
Obie himself hopes to open a recording studio and soundstage to offer an avenue for local youth to pursue their goals in the entertainment business.
In related news, Obie Trice is currently planning the release of his new album Bottoms Up and a new single/video for “Keep Me/Love Me,” which was shot at the legendary Russell Bazaar in Detroit.
28th Mar2011
MSGE President Jay Marciano Resigns, Moving To AEG Europe
Everybody with any good sense is leaving Amerikkka… stay tuned
Madison Square Garden Entertainment President Jay Marciano has resigned from that position and will be named CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) Europe, sources told Billboard.biz. He will replace David Campbell, who left that position at AEG in February to become a top executive with Formula One racing.
Marciano, a veteran executive in the venue and live entertainment space, joined MSGE in March of 2005. As President of MSGE, Marciano oversaw bookings and productions at Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, the Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, and the Chicago Theatre, among other projects, including the touring and residency productions of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and a $10 million renovation of the Beacon.
Marciano will relocate from New York to London, where he will run all of AEG’s European operations, including the O2 Arena, the top-grossing arena in the world for the past two years (a position long-held by the Garden).
03rd Jul2010
SpyCams Proposed For South Miami Beach
The Miami Beach area, especially the region known as South Beach, is famous for the tanned and trim tourists who frequent the area, as well as the locals who enjoy the cosmopolitan metropolis by the sea.
By the end of the day Thursday, it could be known for something else: surveillance cameras.
The Miami Beach Budget Advisory Committee said that elected officials should consider putting surveillance cameras in the city’s entertainment district.
The recommendation comes after a city contractor had already begun the work of installing red-light cameras at high-traffic intersections.
Eventually, the city could have 30 of these cameras in place. They would have one significant difference from the usual red-light cameras. These would also provide streaming video.
09th Apr2010
RealNetworks Kills RealDVD To Settle Hollywood Lawsuits
It’s the end of the line for RealDVD, the consumer DVD-copying software that barely ever saw the light of day.
RealNetworks said today that it agreed to the terms of a permanent injunction that prohibits the company from selling the product or any technology that enables DVD-ripping. The product allowed users to copy their personal DVDs onto a hard drive for restricted playback, much like music CDs can be imported into a computer via Apple’s iTunes and other products.
As part of the settlement, Real will also disable the technology that powers the approximately 2,700 copies of the software that were sold before the studios prevailed and were able to score an injunction to halt sales of the product. Those customers will be receiving a refund from Real.
(more…)
24th Dec2009
Director Tackles Informant Controversy in New Film Five.K.One
Veteran actor Clifton Powell and Bay Area emcee Yukmouth are among the ensemble cast of Dioncel “Donny” Armstrong’s film Five.K.One, which addresses a controversial informant law.
The movie takes its name from the federal sentencing mandate that gives more lenient sentencing to informants who have committed murder, robbery, or drug conspiracy.
The narrative follows best friends Tiger (rapper Forty Da Great) and Remo (Melvin Jackson, Jr of The Wire), who form the street crew Self Made Bosses (SMB), specializing in drugs, murder, and money.
(more…)
