Day: May 17, 2011

POLITICAL: Federalizing light bulbs

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

http://goo.gl/RlQe3

LED bulbs hit 100 watts as federal ban looms
By PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer – Mon May 16, 6:05 pm ET

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NEW YORK – Two leading makers of lighting products are showcasing LED bulbs that are bright enough to replace energy-guzzling 100-watt light bulbs set to disappear from stores in January.

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Before the 100-watters, there will be 75-watters on the shelves this year. Osram Sylvania will be selling them at Lowe’s starting in July. Royal Philips Electronics NV, the world’s biggest lighting maker, will have them in stores late this year for $40 to $45.

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Sorry, but I think the politicians and bureaucrats in DC have lost their minds.

Now, I’m just a fat old white guy injineer and I KNOW one thing: light bulbs are cheap. A buck or two versus $50?

Now poor folks are going to have to take out a loan to buy a bulb?

Sorry, but who are we subsidizing now?

This makes ZERO sense.

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HARDWARE: Nintendo 3DS is bad news

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

http://www.defectivebydesign.org/nintendo

Brick Nintendo before they brick you!

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The Nintendo 3DS comes with Terms of Service (TOS) that should not be accepted. To enforce these terms, Nintendo uses Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology. Because of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), users are legally prohibited from modifying their devices to block Nintendo’s nastiness. This combination of legal and technological restrictions makes the Nintendo 3DS dubious, devious, and defective. This page outlines some of the nastier parts of the DRM-enforced TOS.

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I especially don’t like that they can take the pics and use as they see fit. I’d carefully check ANY use of the 3DS before using it. Before even buying it!

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