The Pirate Bay Co-Founders Found Guilty and will serve jail time for breaking Swedish copyright law, beware file sharing…

After a long court battle, the co-founders of the Swedish file-sharing site “The Pirate Bay” has concluded, and all four co-founders will serve one year in jail, and will have to pay $3.6 million in fines.

“The Pirate Bay” has been one of the most visible file-sharing sites since 2003, and they have been known as a huge source of BitTorrents for films, games and music. Back in February, Frederik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, Carl Lundstrom and Peter Sunde Kolmisoppi, the co-founders of the site went on trial for violating Swedish copyright law.

Peter Sunde Kolmisoppi, one of the convicted co-founders had the following to say on the matter…

“It’s serious to actually be found guilty and get jail time. It’s really serious. And that’s a bit weird. It’s so bizarre that we were convicted at all and it’s even more bizarre that we were as a team. The court said we were organized. I can’t even get Gottfrid out of bed in the morning! If you’re going to convict us, convict us of disorganized crime.”

This doesnt seem to most like a huge matter to report on, but to all of the people who use BitTorrent clients to get music, movies, and games; this is huge news. We have always heard of single people who got caught seeding copyrighted materials like the guy who leaked the latest GnR album Chinese Democracy, and the ongoing hunt for the person or persons who leaked the unfinished copy of Wolverine. But this is the first time that a host site for the BitTorrent clients has be targeted and had actual ramifications for their actions. Only time will tell if this is just the first in a tidal wave of other possible suits to owners of other sites.

Thats right, your keys can now be as outdated as your computer!

If you want a piece of NVIDIA technology, NVIDIA’s chip keychain is your answer. With a genuine NVIDIA G98 chip inside a 1.5″ square clear lucite key tag you not only get a real GPU, but also a key chain. The G98 chip comes complete with an engraved NVIDIA logo.

So nerds rejoice, you can now have nerdy keys. Ill admit I have been using old RAM chips as keychains for years, but never thought of using a GPU as one.

If you would like to own a piece of nerd tech, head on over to www.store.nvidia.com and click apparel and gadgets. It can be yours for the low price of $9.99

Find out why the heck microsoft would do such a thing by reading more.

Yes this is microsofts version of an April fools joke. Yes horse armor might have been doubled in price, but every other bit of DLC for Oblivion has had its price cut in half! So now you can pick up the 30 hour expansion for Oblivion for only 1200 points (Normally 2400!!!!) If you were a fan of this game and really wanted to play the DLC, this is your time! It’s cheap and with the ability to load Oblivion onto your hard drive now, the game won’t take forver to load when you accidentally go through a door or go out of a city when you meant to talk to a guard.

The worst part of moving is getting all your old stuff into your new place. The same holds true for all your pc programs when you fire up a new system. Nothing is where you want it to be and staring at a barren wasteland (or a clean pallet) you have to start fresh with your utilities. What’s one to do?

Maximum PC has put together an excellent list of 32 “essential + free” applications that are insanely useful. I’ve used tons of these and they get the job done quite well. They range for monitoring utilities to see what’s hogging up resources or making sure everything is running at the right specs.

Many of the utilities are direct replacements for some programs you have to pay for. My favorite example is the alternative for the MS Office Suite called Open Office. Open Office, as the name suggests, acts as an open source (read: FREE) choice for any office program. It’s pretty cool since it lets you save in any format compatible with everyone else’s software. Another one of these free alternatives is GIMP. Aside from the laughable name that surfaces memories of Pulp Fiction, it acts as a very powerful imaging tool similar to PhotoShop. For those of us without the deep pockets or a job that provides it free, it’s amazing software with tons of plugins.

They’ve also collected a bunch of nice “backup” utilities for ripping dvd’s/blu-ray disks/cd’s along with some essentials like anti-virus and spyware programs.

I guarantee you’ll go through the list and find something useful. All our readers with Macs might also find some of the programs have compatible versions that they can take advantage of also.

Check it out at Maximum PC

Thats right folks. The Playstation Visa Card!

Seems Sony cant think of any way to get people to buy their system *Cough make good games Cough* this season, so they have announcer the a very special deal through their website. All you need to do is apply for the Playstation Visa card (its issued through Chase Bank), and if you are accepted, you get $150 off your purchase of a 80 or 160 gig PS3 through their site. Which is pretty damn good seeing that the 80 gig will then only cost you $249 (well $289 after shipping).

Honestly this may just get me to purchase a PS3. Not for the games, as most are available for my 360 anyway. But for the fact its also a Blu-Ray player. I have been wanting to pick up a Blu-Ray for a while now and seeing that they are around $200 (220 after tax) I figure if I am accepted for the card, I’ll pick one up. So that way I get my Blu-Ray player, and a game system. But who knows, at the way prices have gone down for Blu-Ray players, I may just wait it out till after the holidays and get one through a sale.

Just thought I would pass this one along. I know there are at least 10 people out there who actually want a PS3 for some reason or another. So for you 10, this is the way to go!

http://www.sonyrewards.com/en/clubs/sonycard/

Enjoy!

As always, we are looking for article writers. If you are interested, please send us an email and we will get back to you asap!

If you’ve ever had dreams of fighting in large space battles and moving things with the force, you have to start where Luke did; farming moisture out of the air on a desert.

This cool little device called the Watermill is a dehumidifier/water filter in one. It hangs outside and pumps 3.2 gallons of purified water per day to wherever you need it. Pretty good if only one person needs drinking water throughout the day, otherwise you’re kinda screwed. I just want one so I can stare over the sand dunes at the setting sun(s) whimsically.

This story origonally posted in the New York TImes 6.29.08

David Caminer, who as an employee of a legendary chain of British tea shops found the earliest ways to use a computer for business purposes, including standardizing flavorful, cost-effective cups of tea, died June 19 in London. He was 92.

The death was announced by the Leo Computers Society, whose purpose is to keep alive the memory of LEO, the computer Mr. Caminer helped develop for J. Lyons & Co. It was the world’s first business computer, a distinction certified by Guinness World Records.

Lyons was the first company to computerize its commercial operations, partly because it had so many: It had more than 200 teahouses in London and its suburbs, with each Lyons Corner House daily generating thousands of paper receipts and needing scores of fresh-baked items.

In addition to running the tea shops, Lyons catered large events such as tennis at Wimbledon and garden parties at Windsor Castle; it also operated hotels, laundries, and ice-cream, candy and meat-pie companies. And tea plantations.

As a result, the company required exceptionally efficient office support. So it was only natural it would look at the “electronic brains” that scientists in the United States were developing as a way to streamline its own empire. Mr. Caminer’s role was finding ways to retain traditional clerical rigor while speeding up the company’s logistics and finances many times over.

The result was LEO, its name derived from Lyons Electronic Office. The Economist magazine called it “the first dedicated business machine to operate on the ‘stored program principle,’ meaning that it could be quickly reconfigured to perform different tasks by loading a new program.”

“LEO’s early success owed less to its hardware than to its highly innovative systems-oriented approach to programming, devised and led by David Caminer,” Computer Weekly said last year.

LEO performed its first calculation on Nov. 17, 1951, running a program to evaluate costs, prices and margins of that week’s baked output. At that moment, Lyons was years ahead of IBM and the other companies that eventually overtook it.

“Americans can’t believe this,” Paul Ceruzzi, a historian of computing and curator at the National Air and Space Museum, said last week. “They think you’re making it up. It really was true.”

That a food conglomerate did this seems almost incredible. New Scientist said in 2001: “In today’s terms it would be like hearing that Pizza Hut had developed a new generation of microprocessor, or McDonald’s had invented the Internet.”

David Treisman was born on June 26, 1915, in the East End of London. His father was killed in World War I, and his mother married Felix Caminer and the boy took that name. An avid leftist, he decided a university education was irrelevant, obituaries in the London papers said. He joined Lyons as a management trainee in 1936.

During World War II, he lost a leg in combat in Tunisia. He returned to Lyons and soon became manager of the systems-analysis office. Lyons sent employees to the United States to study office automation, and U.S. experts said they should go to the University of Cambridge, where Maurice Wilkes was developing an early computer.

Lyons made a deal to help finance Wilkes’ work in return for his help in building a computer for the company. As work on the hardware progressed, Mr. Caminer drew up a flow chart to show how the different job requirements related. The charts became the basis of the computer code.

Mr. Caminer has been called the first corporate electronic-systems analyst, a designation with which Ceruzzi agreed.

The finished LEO, which had less than 100,000th the power of a current PC, could calculate an employee’s pay in 1.5 seconds, a job that took an experienced clerk eight minutes. Its success led Lyons to set up a computer subsidiary that later developed two more generations of LEO, the last with transistors, rather than the noisy vacuum tubes used in the first two models.

LEOs were sold to Ford Motor, tobacco companies, a steel maker, South Africa, Australia, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia, among others.

The Lyons computer operation merged into a succession of companies, which chose to use U.S. technology, not least for its universality. Many have compared LEO’s experience with that of the de Havilland Comet, which was the first commercial passenger jet in production but which lost out to Boeing jets.

Mr. Caminer, who was appointed to the Order of the British Empire in 1980 for developing a computer system for the European Common Market, had many explanations for the failure of Lyons to press its advantage. One was that it had no idea how rapidly technology would advance.

Another was: “We were too often arrogant about always knowing best.”

He is survived by his wife, the former Jackie Lewis, a son and two daughters. The remnants of Lyons predeceased him in 1998.

Look at the console system parket today. Its thriving 10x more then the last gen consoles could have ever hoped. But one console stands out the most. The Nintendo WII. This thing is basically just printing money for Nintendo. I woulnt be suprised if Nintendo was sitting on over a dozen games at the moment. Just waiting to release them when and if the insanity that is the Wii slows down.

With the release of the Nintendo WII in 2006, the console market has been revolutionized. Not only did it prove you dont need HD graphics to make a system, it sold more units in the first half of 2007 then the 360 and PS3 combined! “But James, this is old news, the darn system has been out for 2 years. Why bother writing about it now?” Well the answer is simple, I finally got one last week! I went to the dark side… Wait scratch that, the PS3 is the dark side. I went to the smaller side of the force and I haven’t looked back yet. And from the looks of things, I wont be looking back for a while. Lets take a look at what this system has to offer.

FIrst off the graphics arent the insane PS3 and 360 ones we are used to seeing when we play a video game. But honestly that doesnt matter at all. Most of the wii games have graphics comparable to the others anyway. They may not be as crisp, but they are darn close enough. Plus those games that you are used to seeing on the other consoles that need the insane graphics, wont be comming to the WII.

Secondly, the controllers. These allow you to play games in ways that you would have never been able to with the other systems. From playing coop House of the Dead (or just using both remotes to go and be awesome) to using the WII wheel to play Mario Kart (my favorite game by far. Its amazing, and the online ability is so cool), to Wii Sports. The controllers are the bread and butter of this system. They make the gameplay so diverse and interactive that you cant ever put it down. The only thing that I am a little bummed about is the lack of use of the nunchuck. I just dont see that many games that use it. Oh well.

The built in WI-FI is so sweet. As a testament to the lack of research I did on the system, I had no idea it had a built in 802.11 g wireless modem. Sure if you dont have a wireless router in your house, then you are SOL on this one. But you can buy a usb to ethernet attachment if you want to shell out $30.

Since I am on the topic of attachements; another thing that really impresses me about the system is the lack useless things you need to purchase for the system. FIrst off the wifi that i already covered, that costs almost $100 for the darn xbox wireless adaptor. Then you have the stands and such for the other 2 systems. The Wii has one in the box. For the 360 and PS3, you have to shell out another $20-$30 for one. And then we have the aftermarket fan systems. The Wii doesnt need one. The PS3 could benifit from it, and the 360 is almost crippled without it. I had to purchase a whole new fan and temp control system for my 360! I gottta say though, I love the Wii Blaster and the sports pack. Sure they arent needed, but they add to the overall fun of the system and enjoyment of the games.

Lastly are the games. Freaking Mario Kart Wii is insane! I bought it and instantly fell in love. The Wii wheel makes it so much fun and adds that depth I have always wanted in a console game. Sure you can buy those wheels that attach to the table, but this is a whole $15 if you buy it seperatly. Super Maria Galaxy is nuts, both visually and in game play. The house of the dead ports and the coolest thing and let you experience that arcade feel at home. Metroid Prime 3 is just so darn cool. Zelda Twilight Princess is so much fun your arms will hurt for days, and it uses the Nunchuck to its fullest. Not to mention its fully backwards compatable with every GameCube game! Only problem is that all the game stores are charging insane prices for gamecube games. Oh well.

Overall I had no buyers remorse when I picked up the system. It came home, I smiled, and I havent put it down since. If you havent gotten one yet, I suggest picking it up. For $250 you cant go wrong. Think of it this way. System $250, a game $50, Wii play with second controller $59.99, Nunchuck for second controller $19.99, that totals $379.98! STILL CHEAPER THEN A 360 or PS3! And those dont include games!

Oh yes….ohhhhhhhhhhhhh yes. Ferrari? BAH! Lamborghini? No thanks. If you want to turn heads, jump over buildings, and be a real life crime fighter every time you hop inside this set of wheels, then bid away. This is THE original KITT from Knight Rider up for sale on Ebay. A 1984 Pontiac Trans Am with only 21,102 Hasselfhoff driven miles, super clean and as hot as ever.

I’d be pulled over so many times for driving only with the center red light on..at night. Now all I’d need is William Daniels to talk to me every time I talked to KITT.

KITT Ebay Auction

Hoping to disrupt big Steve Jobs Apple keynote tomorrow, Microsoft seems to have an ace up it’s sleeve.

According to an insider tip over at Crunchgear, Microsoft is said to upstage Apple on Monday at 9am PDT (12pm for us on the east coast). The press release is rumored to be Microsoft’s official announcement of the upcoming inclusion of blu-ray for the Xbox 360 before the Christmas season. The pricing is said to be “under the current Elite.”

With the demise of HD-dvd this was bound to happen, it was only a matter of time.

*****UPDATE*****
Sorry to get your hopes up guys, this one was a fluke. The 360 will not be getting a blu-ray update. Kinda lame if you ask me.

OK, Ladies and gentlemen, this is not a joke.  I’m bringing to you, unveiled by Triumph International Japan Ltd, the first solar-powered lingerie.  Seriously.

I know what you’re thinking, “No, really, where’s the punch line?”  There isn’t one.  This is happening right before your very eyes.

I heard about this while driving around for work and listening to ABC news (for stuff just like this to talk about on the show and this site).  As soon as I heard about this I immediately called James (yes THE James from our podcast), who was at home and had access to the internet at that exact moment.  He quickly went online to foxnews.com to verify what I just told him, and there it was, in all it’s green glory.

(please keep in mind this conversation I was having while driving was done on a Bluetooth in complete compliance with NJ cell phone driving laws, for and police officers who may be reading this article)

Anyway, I did extensive research on this just to see what this is all about.  In Japan being “eco-friendly” is huge right now and Triumph International Japan LTD, a Japanese lingerie company, has added this to their current line of eco-friendly attire.  As pictured above, the solar panel is worn on the stomach and will generate enough power to charge a cell phone or an ipod.  The two pouches that look like normal bra lift inserts actually are used as reusable drink holders to discourage the use of other disposable containers, as well as adding a lift (until you get thirsty).  Yes there is a straw that inserts into the brassier cup. No pun intended. The matching panties are not connected or solar-powered in any way, they just complete the set.

I have been reading a few press releases about this to see what they’re really trying to get at with this because as Triumph spokeswoman Yoshiko Masuda said, “People usually can not go outside without wearing clothes over it.”  This is another product in the line designed to show how “going green” can reach every aspect of our lives.  Others in the line include a bra that turns into a reusable shopping bag and one that has metal chop stick to encourage the use of reusable chop sticks.  Again I am being totally serious.

I really don’t think this is going to catch on at all.  How many of you remember the solar-powered necklace they had in the late 80′s?  OK so if you do, when was the last time you saw one?  The big problem here is it’s not like you can wear it around and, as far as lingerie goes, it’s not very attractive, which defeats the point of lingerie.  Also how freaked out would you be if you saw a woman drinking out of a straw that was going down her shirt and while she was drinking her breasts were getting smaller?  I don’t know about you but I’d run screaming into the night (or day for that matter).  I know the message they are trying to get across, that we can use alternative energies in a lot of different ways.  I’m all for it, as long as it’s practical.  In my opinion they totally missed the mark on that, but they did give me something to write about, so thank you Triumph.

Since you are all probably wondering, “So how does this astro-turf looking nightmare look on an actual woman?” I have included the most G-Rated picture from the press releases.  Not that there were any non-G-rated ones.

So there you go folks.  I wish I had a punch line for you, but I don’t.  Feel free to comment with your own.