Month: June 2016

Taking recording equipment into a cinema with the intention of grabbing a copy of the latest movie is a very risky occupation in the United States. Thanks to the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act 2005, doing so is a criminal offense.

“Any person who, without the authorization of the copyright owner, knowingly uses or attempts to use an audiovisual recording device to transmit or make a copy of a motion picture…from a performance of such work in a motion picture exhibition facility, shall..be imprisoned for not more than 3 years, fined under this title, or both,” the Act reads.

Over the years this legislation has been applied to everyone from the world’s most prolific pirates to absolute innocents. Nevertheless, the existence of this law has undoubtedly contributed to a significant drop in camcording offenses in the United States. Some people, however, don’t see the danger

Yesterday the unlikely-named romantic comedy “A Aa” enjoyed its worldwide premiere. One of the theaters showing the movie was the Muvico Rosemont in Chicago.

According to the movie distribution company behind “A Aa” there was some unexpected action Thursday at the 18 screen complex. Bluesky Cinemas reports that a student from Valparaiso University, Indiana, took a mobile phone into the premiere and began recording the movie and live streaming it on Facebook.

While it’s relatively common at this point for people to get caught by theater staff, the infringement was reportedly monitored by an anti-piracy team 8,200 miles away in Hyderabad, the capital city of the southern Indian state of Telangana.

After taking action to remove the links on Facebook, Bluesky Cinemas’ anti-piracy team say they contacted management at the Muvico Rosemont in Illinois. In turn, staff there called the police.

“[The] student was caught red-handed with [the] content,” Bluesky said in a statement.

But while these kinds of cases often get seriously out of hand (and an arrest is of course somewhat serious), Bluesky reports that the content recorded on the students’ device – all few minutes of it – was subsequently deleted. That hints at a no-further-action scenario.

Nevertheless, the police clearly thought this offense was worth dealing with based on instructions issued from half way around the world, even if the recording was probably not professional in nature.

“Recording and sharing unauthorized video in social media is also a part of cybercrime,” Bluesky warns.

“We request especially students in USA not to [get involved in] these kind of issues and get into trouble yourself. [Our] anti-piracy team is actively working on tracing any kind of illegal activities.”

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

HBO's new campaign against Game of Thrones piracy has a new target in sight - porn.

Known for its violence and shocking plot twists, Game of Thrones is also well known for its liberal use of nudity, including full frontal nudity and explicit sex scenes. Some of the actors and actresses partaking in these scenes are also current or former porn actors.

It's these scenes, apparently, that are being widely sought online, especially before a season premier. Porn site Pornhub released data last month showing a surge in search traffic for Game of Thrones related clips on the porn video site just before the season 6 premier.

According to Pornhub, the most searched GoT related term was 'Emilia Clarke', the actress who plays Daenerys Targaryen and has appeared nude sporadically (and in this latest season). 

Other popular search terms include Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell and Sibel Kekilli, a former porn actress who played the character Shae.

Unfortunately for Pornhub, their bit of PR to take advantage of the GoT hype has backfired, and HBO are now taking legal action to get these clips removed from Pornhub.

"HBO is aware of the issue and is in the process of getting material taken down from Pornhub," a statement from the company read.

Heels on male Sims? Short hair and suits on females? Maxis says you can finally go to fashion town on your virtual denizens. (credit: Maxis)

The Sims game series has typically offered a ridiculous number of options for how their virtual denizens live, work, play, and love—and it has never shied away from political blowback in the "love" category. The only major exception at this point has been a delineation between the series' three types of Sims—men, women, and children—in terms of 3D character rendering.

That changed on Thursday with an official unlocking of The Sims 4's customization options to all grown-up Sims. Voices, walking styles, clothing, accessories, and physiques can now be applied to men and women however users see fit.

"The Sims is made by a diverse team for a diverse audience, and it's really important to us that players are able to be creative and express themselves through our games," Maxis said in its announcement post. The company also made a statement to the Associated Press that was mindful of popular, real-life fashion choices: "Female Sims can [now] wear sharp men's suits like Ellen [DeGeneres], and male Sims can wear heels like Prince."

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(credit: Uber)

SAN FRANCISCO—Lawyers newly representing dozens of Uber drivers who feel that the lead attorney did not represent their interests in a proposed class action settlement forcefully argued for a federal judge to halt the deal on Thursday.

Several weeks ago, the two sides came to a proposed agreement of $100 million and other benefits, which would end the class-action lawsuit known as O’Connor v. Uber, which covers 385,000 current and former drivers in California and Massachusetts. For the settlement to take effect, it requires a sign-off by the judge.

However, some Uber drivers, including the lead plaintiff, Douglas O’Connor, feel that the settlement was grossly insufficient, and that the underlying issue as to whether drivers should be treated as employees rather than contractors remains unresolved.

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I picked up a set of Bluetooth earbuds last year when I realized what a pain it is to use wired earphone while exercising. The model I use sells for about $24 and offers pretty good battery life and decent, but hardly spectacular audio.

But Samsung is hoping you’ll spend $200 on its Gear IconX earbuds when they ship later this year. What makes them worth 8 times as much as my earbuds?

Continue reading Samsung Gear IconX earbuds are completely wireless at Liliputing.

It’s been more than two years since Samsung launched the original Gear Fit activity tracker. Now the company is introducing a new model with an updated design, GPS support, and a lower price tag.

The Gear Fit 2 is expected to sell for $179 when it ships later this year.

The Gear Fit 2 looks more like a wristband than a watch thanks to its elongated 1.5 inch, 216 x 432 pixel curved AMOLED display (which is a bit smaller than the 1.84 inch screen on the older model).

Continue reading Samsung introduces the $179 Gear Fit 2 wearable at Liliputing.

The Musudan intermediate range ballistic missile. Four of these missiles have failed in test launches over the past two months.

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On Wednesday, the state media of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) broadcast video of leader Kim Jong Un watching what appears to have been a successful launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile. However, the launch actually took place in April. The footage was broadcast now, according to analysts, likely as an attempt to demonstrate North Korea's nuclear threat as a senior DPRK official meets with China this week. The broadcast may also be an attempt to draw attention away from a string of failed launches of North Korea's Musudan intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM).

The video was broadcast just after analyst reports said North Korea had made a fourth failed attempt in two months to test-launch the Musudan—a missile designed to strike at targets as distant as Guam and the Philippines. The missile exploded on launch. Earlier on April 15, North Korea's military attempted a launch from a mobile launching system, but it exploded shortly after liftoff. Just two weeks later, as North Korea was preparing for the congress of the Worker's Party, there was an attempt at a dual launch—with both missiles crashing into the sea.

The Musudan, also known as the BM-25, was introduced in 2003. It is derived from the Soviet-era R-27 (NATO designation SS-N-6) and is essentially an improved solid-fuel "Scud" missile. North Korea has allegedly sold kits of the Musudan to Iran. The missile is believed to have a range between 2.500 and 4,000 kilometers (1,500 to 2,500 miles). But since its initial appearance, there had been no known test launches of the Musudan—only ground tests of the engine.

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