"The Supremes"

These posts on the recent Supreme Court decision in the MGM v. Grokster case really caught my eye. The concensus seems to be that the Supreme Court got basically got it right...

A legal perspective from Electronic Frontier Foundation staff atorney Fred Von Lohman here.

On the business front:
* A Mark Cuban post entitled Kaboom!
* Former RIAA CEO Hillary Rosen throws her two cents in here.
* and my pal Chris Nolan comments here and here.

Interesting stuff.

"Pass the butter"

This is just a straight quote from Gizmodo, but I simply couldn't resist:

"Wow, Sony can’t catch a break. First the Queen of England buys an iPod mini. Then, at a luncheon with new Sony CEO Howard Stringer—a known Englishman Welshman (Welsh, English, whatev! Don’t make us bomb you.)—the Queen chided him for making products that are difficult to use. “I have a lot of trouble with your remote controls,” she’s quoted. “Too many arrows.”

What Queen Elizabeth II neglected to admit, however, is that due to the long history of in-marriage in the Hapsburg line, she has only a single lobster claw at the tip of each arm."

Link to Gizmodo

"Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish"

Most of us know about the "Cult of Steve" and have heard about the "Reality Distortion Field" he's famous for, but I thought this was simply the...
Best. Commencement. Speech. Ever.

(although I doubt parents who shelled out $200,000 to send their kids to Stanford would agree :-)

Take a minute to read it here.

iPod case made of wood.

Pretty cool. Made from recycled wood from Hot Tubs and Tables.

Link via Cory at BoingBoing.

Motion Cognitive Phone

Make the sign of the cross with your cell phone -- it automatically dials the Vatican. How cool is that?

Link to SmartMobs

Apple Tablet

Apple has received a patent on a tablet device.

If this is true - I want one.

But I wonder what happens if you whack your forehead with it... like a Monty Python monk... "Qui es est ou Dominay"

Pop a 6 and you move twice!

Calm down willya?

Research/Orange have created a concept "game" based around a sensor that you rest between two fingers. The sensor reports on your relaxation level as measured by galvanic skin response, and assigns more points based on how calm you are.

Link via BoingBoing/Gizmodo.

Voice Over IP a fad?

Well, today Skype hit the 100 million download mark... does that sound like a fad to you?

Link via EuroTeloc Blog.

Measuring TV

(NYTimes article)

If you're "incumbenet media", this has gotta hurt...

"...Turow said he now sees little difference between television and the Internet. Nor do his students at Penn. They watch ''The O.C.'' wherever and whenever -- on their laptops, at home on TiVo and by swapping the show (perhaps illegally) through a Web-based file-sharing program called BitTorrent. The coming generation is accustomed to the idea of watching or listening to anything on any device that's nearby, Turow said. In the meantime, his generation (he's in his 50's) ''still thinks of media in these compartmentalized ways.''..."

Link via The Long Tail and the NYTimes.

"mnayh, were's your innovation now?, mnayh"

Chinese hardware and Indain software?
China's PM thinks so...

Link via Slashdot.

Brad Bird: "Mr. Incredible"

A great audio interview with Brad Bird, writer/director of "The Incredibles" and "Iron Giant". He's a true visionary in the world of animation.. and he's also the voice of "Edna" the fashion designer who makes super hero costumes.

Link to "Fresh Air" at NPR.

NYC Event: Who Owns Culture?

An event hosted by Wired, at the New York Public Library.

This should be an interesting one... think it's going to webcast live and hopefully made available as a archive.
Look for a link after the jump.

Link via LessigBlog.

Link to review of the event via Unmediated.

Now this IS sweet!

A "knock-off" Nelson Ball Clock... made out of Tootsie Pops and an Oatmeal container.

Link via BoingBoing.

"That'd be pretty sweet"

Hope this comes to fruition. I can't imagine Apple not competing (well, actually, kicking SONY's ass) in this device category.

Link via Gizmodo.

How young people will consume news...

Media guru Merrill Brown and the Carnegie Corporation have just released a must-read report about the future of the news business. "In short, the future of the U.S. news industry is seriously threatened by the seemingly irrevocable move by young people away from traditional sources of news," writes Brown.

Link via Lost Remote.

Mark Cuban and Grokster vs. MGM

In a recent web log post Mark Cuban has indicated that he plans to lend a hand in the MGM vs. Grokster case which threatens the Betamax shield.

Way to go Mark!

via Slashdot.

Dick Tracy

Tadiran Spectralink LTD, a military contractor, has developed wrist video systems for use by Israeli armed forces.  The screens display data from unmanned drone planes, allowing forces to see over hills or into areas they wouldn’t normally have access to. 

Link via Engadget.

Halle Berry: Best to Worst

Good for her for showing up...

Berry was named worst actress of 2004 by the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation for her performance in "Catwoman" and she showed up to accept her "Razzie" carrying the Oscar she won in 2002 for "Monster's Ball."

"They can't take this away from me, it's got my name on it!" she quipped. A raucous crowd cheered her on as she gave a stirring recreation of her Academy Award acceptance speech, including tears.

She thanked everyone involved in "Catwoman," a film she said took her from the top of her profession to the bottom.

"I want to thank Warner Brothers for casting me in this piece of shit," she said as she dragged her agent on stage and warned him "next time read the script first."

Link to Reuters via BoingBoing.

Robin Williams "song of freedom"

A brilliant, impromptu, anti-Disney / pro-Pixar, piece by Robin Williams, delivered at a press conference where he was promoting the new Fox Film "Robots".

Link to MP3 file via Xeni at BoingBoing.

Uncle Nino

Uncle Nino, the movie: “Without love, life itself is meaningless.”
This is a movie about a family that learns to love each other again after their lives are invaded by a crazy uncle from the Old Country.

Uncle Nino was the longest-running movie in the U.S in 2004. So why haven’t you heard of it? Because it ran for 54 weeks in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Link.