11/12/2011

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Topics:

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  • Mac: Cleaning up Windows installs.
  • Partitions: Managing multiple partitions.
  • Skyrim: Rob’s mini-review.
  • Encryption: What’s a good program for it?
  • Sewing Machines: Zack’s second favorite hobby.
  • Steam: System Hacked, what does it mean to you?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:20 — 40.6MB)

UP Patent Office Invalidates Major Rambus Patent

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44 minutes ago
by Ryan Whitwam in

rambusBefore smartphone patents took over the spotlight, everyone’s favorite patent troll was Rambus. The technology licensing firm has been using the so-called Barth patents for years to sue tech companies and extract licensing fees as a settlement. After invalidating two of the three Barth patents earlier this year, the U.S. Patent Office has now invalidated the third as well. 

It was the Barth patents that Rambus used to win lawsuits against Nvidia, HP, and more. The technologies described in these patents pertained mostly to memory chip design, and were considered to be Rambus’ most valuable IP. Rambus pulled in $312.4 million in revenue last year on the strength of its patent portfolio. That amount is likely to drop in 2012.

Rambus can appeal the latest blow to its business, but a Patent Office examiner is unlikely to disagree with the appeals board that invalidated it. The company has other patents to throw around, but none can pull in the kind of fees the Barth patents did. Do you think it’s time for Rambus to ride off into the sunset?

Flaw In YouTube Takedown Process Exposed

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1 hour ago
by Soulskill in


New submitter BraveThumb writes "One independent rap group found it impossible to post their song on YouTube. When they tried to put up their video, they were informed that the copyright belonged to Universal Music, even though the rap group wasn't signed to any label. Another group working with Universal had used the music in a video of their own, which then accidentally leaked online. YouTube's filtering software then blocked the original. The Hollywood Reporter shares what happened and concludes by saying, 'For an industry that's pursuing copyright reform, the portrayal of a copyright regime that works against young artists can't be a good thing.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Ex-Palm Chief Rubinstein Has Resigned From HP

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1 hour ago
by News Tom's Hardware US in
Ex-Palm Chief Rubinstein Has Resigned From HPFormer Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein has seemingly left HP rather suddenly. Still, was it unexpected?

When Viruses Infect Worms

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2 hours ago
by Soulskill in


An anonymous reader writes "Bitdefender reports that there exist viruses which, when they encounter other viruses, will merge and combine effects so that they create a new virus. 'A virus infects executable files; and a worm is an executable file. If the virus reaches a PC already compromised by a worm, the virus will infect the exe files on that PC — including the worm. When the worm spreads, it will carry the virus with it. Although this happens unintentionally, the combined features from both pieces of malware will inflict a lot more damage than the creators of either piece of malware intended. While most file infectors have inbuilt spreading mechanisms, just like Trojans and worms (spreading routines for RDP, USB, P2P, chat applications, or social networks), some cannot replicate or spread between computers. And it seems a great idea to “outsource” the transportation mechanism to a different piece of malware (i.e. by piggybacking a worm).'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The Nerdist Way: A Self-Help Guide For Me (and Probably You) [Book Review]

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2 hours ago
by Jason Chen in
I'll start out with as strong a recommendation on The Nerdist Way, written by Chris Hardwick, as I can give: You should buy this book. Now I'm going to tell you why. More »


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