"SoundExchange, the nonprofit group that collects fees on behalf of major and indie record companies, has extended the olive branch to small webcasters in an attempt to reach a middle ground in what has...) "It's a day that ends in "Y," and the sun is shining, so clearly it's time for Jack Thompson to threaten someone. This time, it's Bill Gates. Well, heck it was his turn." ( Game | Life )

"An Australian kid has won a lawsuit against his former school for its failure to intervene during a decade of brutal bullying; he will likely be awarded AU$1,000,000." ( Boing Boing ) "Tony Wright is...children's rights, a federal judge has ruled." Rubberized mats, the main alternative, are eight times as expensive, according to a lawyer for the district in Northern California." ( Overlawyered )

"Console hackers: beware! Microsoft has officially taken the hard line on hacked consoles connecting to Xbox Live. According to the Xbox's Gamerscore blog, henceforth when a modded console is detected...nude thumbnails of a photographer's work from his site. Prior to this, Google was barred from displaying copyrighted content, even when linking it to the site (owner) from its search results." ( SlashDot )

"You've heard that the Wii version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will have magic spells that you activate by waving the Wiimote. Well, here's a video from EA's recent Gamers' Day showing... including the mid-season replacements, have clips on the site (the soap Dirty Sexy Money has two clips), including a brief scene from the much-anticipated and already-maligned Cavemen." ( TV Squad )

Games: Pokemon Dungeon DS Prince of Persia Classic Tomb Raider: Anniversary Virginia Tech shooting as a Flash-based game. Law: Atte mpted Copy right Infrin gem ent ... pat ents i n Lin ux ? News: Jer ry Fal well pas sed , caused news c y c le. War czar Scientologists versus BBC

"Forbes.com informs us that the company Media Rights Technologies is suing Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, and Real Networks for not using its DRM technology and therefore 'failing to include measures to control...illegal domestic wiretapping passed last night in the House Intelligence Reauthorization." ( Daily Kos ) I'm having a bit of a problem with my laptop so I might not be able to continue daily posting.

"New academic research suggests that neither social norms nor the threat of lawsuits are enough to keep college students from illegally downloading music." ( Ars Technica ) "Police officer Edward Sanchez...as low-skilled legal immigrant family) receives about $20,000 in benefits more than they pay in taxes, resulting in an average lifetime net loss to American taxpayers of $1.2 MILLION." ( The Raw Feed )

"Hide your irony meters for this one. The Washington Post reports that Tom DeLay is going to headline an ethics seminar. I don't even need to make a joke here." ( Dispatches from the Culture War ) "A...could act as a substitute in emergencies." ( Spluch ) "According to a Space.com news article the cremated remains of 200 people were lost in the mountains after their trip to space. '..." ( SlashDot )

"Speaking to The Register, Last.fm founder Martin Stiksel said the RIAA had succeeded in masking the fact the huge payday their new royalty scheme would grant would not be passed on to artists. "They've...abroad. The Supreme Court agreed and applied the general rule: if AT&T wants to collect, they'll have to sue in the countries where the infringement occurred." (Comment by Spazmania on SlashDot )