Brandon Dimmel

When Google purchased popular online video site YouTube for over a billion dollars a year ago, many industry analysts raised eyebrows in disbelief. The Big G is still struggling to make a profit with that investment, and recent copyright lawsuits ... demanding billions more dollars are not helping. That's why Google and YouTube have now officially unveiled a "content identification system," which will give copyright owners control over how their material appears on the video-based site. The new service's official name is YouTube Video Identification, and Google hopes it will calm angry legal seas ... (view more)

Since so many tech fans are also, quite naturally, Star Wars fans (myself included), many of you might be interested in what 'ol George Lucas is doing now that his most famous movie franchise is complete. According to some reports, he's taking the ... next logical step: television. You could call it a step down the entertainment ladder, but it only makes sense that Lucas would capitalize on Star Wars' massive popularity by bringing it to TV. However, don't expect to see your favourite characters from the flicks; Lucas assures fans that this will introduce the lives of formerly minor characters. " ... (view more)

Ever wonder what kind of punishment a government employee might receive for leaking the personal information of John Q. Public? Here's your answer in a nutshell: a week's vacation. The man who'll have less time this year to lounge on tropical ... beaches is one Jerry Miller, payroll team leader for the Ohio Department of Administrative Services. Miller is behind the agency's Administrative Knowledge System, or OAKS, and last month was found responsible for losing a tape containing data on nearly 65,000 state employees, 20,000 former state employees, and worst of all almost 50,000 Ohio taxpayers. ... (view more)

Seems there is a punishment for all that nasty spam you accumulate over the course of the average workday. Two men have recently been convicted by the United States Department of Justice under the Can-Spam Act, and sentenced to more than five years ... in a penitentiary. The judgment came down last Friday, and sends Jeffrey A. Kilbride, 41, and James R. Schaffer, 41 to prison for 72 and 63 months, respectively. Kilbride hails from Venice, California, while Schaffer is a Paradise Valley, Arizona resident. Neither can expect much of a paradise in the slammer. If any of their cell mates are familiar ... (view more)

Getting tired of paying too much for your online music? Most iTunes fans are, what with the competition now offering Digital Rights Management, or DRM free files for under a buck. Finally, it seems Apple is ready to do the same, announcing that ... DRM-free music will soon be made available for $0.99. Yeah, we know...Apple has been offering digital music downloads for $0.99 all along, right? Wrong. It's been offering music with minimal transfer abilities for under a buck, and until this recent initiative that meant limited ability in copying tunes to different computers and digital media devices ... (view more)

Is the truth really out there? Or, is it just a bunch of wiener aliens? Regardless, X-Files fans (and just about anyone else) will be interested in a recently launched California project, which actively searches outer space for signs of ... intelligence. The search, led by astronomer Dr. J. R. Forster, officially began on Thursday with the activation of a radio telescope array. The project, funded by the University of California, Berkeley, is now probing the universe with 42 individual radio dishes collectively referred to as the Allen Telescope Array (ATA). Eventually, Forster and his team hope ... (view more)

With Halloween fast approaching, there will no doubt be plenty of scary little things wandering around the streets in coming weeks. However, for a significant number of web users the scares have been going on for some time, and may not stop by ... November 1st. The "Storm Worm" has been having a thundersome impact on the web for some time now. It made its infamous debut by sucking in National Football League fans unwise enough to click on an email promising "free online game trackers" for pool or other purposes. The advertisement led directly to a website that appeared legitimate, but instead ... (view more)

A few weeks ago, I reported that Nintendo expected its Wii to, even a year after release, again sell out at Christmas time. Those that do get their hands on the sleek little console shouldn't expect to pay any less, either. The Japanese gaming ... company plans no price cuts by the time Santa makes his annual visit. With its competition at Microsoft and Sony announcing fairly sizeable price chops, it's a bit surprising Nintendo hasn't even entertained the idea. In an interview with Reuters, Nintendo senior marketing VP George Harrison said, "We'll stay at $249 for the foreseeable future. We are ... (view more)

The defendant found guilty of file-sharing in her case against the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) has decided to appeal. Hey, if you were a single mother facing a $222,000 fine, what would you do? The decision stems from the story I ... reported a few days ago, in which one Jammie Thomas was staring down the full weight of the RIAA. Since then, Thomas has been found guilty and ordered to pay the $200,000-plus fine, representing almost ten thousand dollars for each of the 24 songs she illegally downloaded and shared on now-defunct protocol Kazaa. (Source: pcworld.com ) The RIAA ... (view more)

In the world of computer technology, measures that put the brakes on a user without his or her permission are often tossed into the hated spyware heap. However, when it happens to a car thief, it's hard not to be a supporter. Confused? Granted, the ... idea is a strange one. For years OnStar has been offering drivers directions, help in emergencies, and saving them embarassment after keys are locked in a vehicle. However, its latest idea, to gradually decrease the speed of a stolen vehicle, is getting some very positive reviews from everyone but the thieves themselves. How do they do it? OnStar ... (view more)