John Lister

Authorities in New Zealand are currently testing a new "three strikes" policy designed to reduce copyright infringement. It's not yet clear, however, if the idea is having a significant deterrent effect on illegal file-sharing. The 'test' policy is ... based on the idea that a customer deserves two warnings about his or her alleged infringements, and then can face serious consequences for a third instance of illegal activity. In New Zealand, a law introduced last year allows a copyright holder to take a three-time infringer to a special tribunal where they can be fined as much as NZ $15,000 ( ... (view more)

Comcast has unveiled what may be the fastest broadband service ever offered to home users: a maximum speed of 305 megabits per second (Mbps). It's a plan that will cost subscribers $300 a month. The new package is part of Comcast's program to ... increase the speed of its fastest packages, including Xfinity Blast at 50 Mbps, Xfinity Extreme at 105 Mbps, and the new Xfinity Platinum at 305 Mbps. The slightly odd number (305 Mbps) has clearly been chosen to beat out rival Verizon's premium package, which tops out at 300 Mbps. The Verizon service is cheaper -- $205 a month -- but requires a two-year ... (view more)

Firefox developers say they've now vastly improved the browser, in two ways: First, they've prevented Google search engine users from having their search data exposed to the wrong people. Second, they've found a way to ensure Firefox uses much less ... of a computer's memory. The Google change is available in the newly-released Firefox 14, automatically encrypting all data you send to and from Google during a search. At present, Firefox can do this only with Google. But Firefox developers hope to make similar arrangements with other search engines later on. (Source: mozilla.org ) Google Searches ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced a $492 million loss between April and June of 2012. It's the first time the software giant has experienced a net loss in a quarter since its stock was first publicly traded in 1986. The good news for the company is that while ... its day-to-day business is slightly down overall, it is still fundamentally profitable. Most of the loss resulted from an accounting technicality linked to a bad investment. The quarterly loss comes because Microsoft took a $6.2 billion writedown to cover its acquisition of Aquantive, the online advertising business it bought in 2007. The purchase ... (view more)

Google has announced it will sponsor a conference aimed at reducing illegal drug and human trafficking. The conference is part of Google Ideas, a project designed to examine how technology can help solve major world problems. The project's first ... major work came in 2011, when it held the Summit Against Violent Extremism (SAVE) in Dublin, Ireland. SAVE brought together 84 former extremists, ranging from gang members to violent nationalist and religious extremists, along with victims of gangs and terrorism. Virtual Community Created to Prevent Violence The SAVE conference led to the formation of ... (view more)

The European Union (EU) is investigating claims that Microsoft isn't providing other browser makers full access to Windows 8. It comes at the same time the EU is deciding whether to punish the company for breaching previous promises to offer new ... Windows users a "browser ballot" that promotes browsers like Safari and Firefox. The newest probe concerns two allegations: the first covers all versions of Windows 8, the accusation being that Microsoft isn't providing full access to application programming interfaces (APIs). Rival Browser Could Have Limited Windows 8 Access In this context, an API ... (view more)

New reports suggest Microsoft may be planning to force users of build-your-own PCs and machines running non-Windows operating systems (OS) to install the manufacturer version of Windows 8. If true, those users could face some serious drawbacks. ... Normally, the majority of customers buy Windows through one of two routes: either by buying a PC with the operating system (OS) pre-installed, or by upgrading their current computer to the new OS from a previous version of Windows. Those affected by the reported policy change fall into two other, much smaller groups of operating system buyers: people ... (view more)

Attempts by British courts to stop illegal file-sharing by blocking access to The Pirate Bay site appear to have failed. A major Internet Service Provider (ISP) has revealed that the amount of Pirate Bay file-sharing returned to typical levels just ... a week after the block took effect. Issued just over two months ago, Britain's court order to block access to The Pirate Bay was highly controversial. It was only the second time a UK court had ordered such a block on copyright grounds, and came despite the fact that The Pirate Bay does not host any actual files. The key to the case was that while ... (view more)

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reportedly working on a laser scanner that could check airline passengers for security violations from 164 feet away. However, the technology may require at least four more years of development before ... being ready for deployment. The scanner works at the molecular level, giving it the potential to probe in far more detail than is possible with existing machines. The technology is being adapted for security scanning from use in both medicine and manufacturing. The manufacturer, Genia Photonics, says its "Picosecond Programmable Laser" is able ... (view more)

Microsoft has revealed that its new operating system, Windows 8, will include a new feature that lets users automatically back up their most important files. If the feature works as advertised, the only data lost in a crash will be whatever is ... produced or saved less than one hour before the unfortunate event. Existing versions of Windows already include a back-up tool, called Windows Backup. However, Microsoft says that fewer than five per cent of home users take advantage of this feature. The company also estimates that, including people who use third-party backup tools on their computers, ... (view more)