Just another news site
The LG gram SuperSlim is a laptop that lives up to its name… and then some. It measures less than a half inch thick and weighs less than 2.2 pounds. But the notebook doesn’t skimp on features like a premium display or high-performance proc…
The LG gram SuperSlim is a laptop that lives up to its name… and then some. It measures less than a half inch thick and weighs less than 2.2 pounds. But the notebook doesn’t skimp on features like a premium display or high-performance processor. LG’s new SuperSlim laptop has a 15.6 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel […]
The post LG gram SuperSlim is a 2.2 pound Raptor Lake notebook with a 15.6 inch OLED display appeared first on Liliputing.
The consultation stage of Australia’s Copyright Enforcement Review has revealed the movie and TV industries’ latest anti-piracy demands. The submissions are a rollercoaster ride; site-blocking measures collapsed visits to pirate sites, legal consumption increased significantly, yet 51% of pirates “are not impacted by site blocking at all” so DNS blocking is required.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
The Australian government’s review of copyright enforcement measures aims to ensure that responses to infringement are “appropriate, effective and proportionate.”
The Attorney-General’s Department released an issues paper for public consultation late 2022, presenting a golden opportunity for rightsholders to explain why measures they fought so hard for are no longer fit for purpose. Or at least that’s how things usually play out.
A wide range of stakeholders filed submissions during the public consultation but since movie and TV show companies feature most prominently in online enforcement actions, their framing of the current piracy situation is of particular interest.
The ‘Australian Film/TV Bodies’ submission is the work of mostly American companies including Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner, plus local studio Village Roadshow, cinema groups and distributors. No other rightsholders have more experience of blocking injunctions.
The overarching positive tone in the studio-led submission comes as no surprise. It carefully highlights how good industry advice and wise decisions by the Australian government led to positive reforms, not least the “highly effective” no-fault site blocking regime introduced in 2015. Coupled with the market “making content readily available online for reasonable prices” the Australian copyright system supported the market and a “potential free-for-all” was avoided.
The clear message in the submission is that the studios requested the right measures and since the government’s judgement was solid, everything went according to plan. Changes requested as part of the current consultation aren’t to fix any past shortcomings, the submission suggests, they’re about meeting future challenges using a tried-and-tested approach.
The companies behind the ‘Australian Film/TV Bodies’ submission say their use of Australia’s site-blocking provisions has resulted in the blocking of over 2,000 infringing domains since 2015. Citing government research demonstrating the efficacy of these interventions, successes are clear.
“In 2015 lawful online consumption of TV was the lowest of all entertainment categories tracked at 51%, growing to 74% in 2022. Online TV consumption increased from 67% to 78% over the same period. Unlawful consumption of Film, meanwhile, went down from 49% in 2015 to 26% today, and TV went down from 33% to 22%,” the companies note.
With direct thanks to the Australian government for its “progressive” copyright policy, the submission recalls that in 2018, traffic to blocked sites declined by 53%. Efficacy today is reportedly at 75%, although blocking can be circumvented by pirate site operators and users alike, the submission adds.
The circumvention claim is presented in more detail in a submission from Creative Content Australia. In common with the Australian Film/TV Bodies, CCA’s members include Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner, local studio Village Roadshow, plus cinema groups and distributors.
The ‘Australian Film/TV Bodies’ report cites CCA research to back up its own claims, despite the groups sharing the same core membership of the same major studios. However, while the former moderates negativity in its submission, the studios are much less constrained when wearing their CCA hats.
“[P]irate operators – mostly based overseas in countries like Russia and Vietnam – make no investment in original content, leeching off the efforts of others, and pay no taxes, leaving Australia worse off overall,” the CCA submission reads.
“Their operations might look increasingly sophisticated, mimicking the interfaces of streaming services, but these sites are overwhelmingly run by organised crime,” the submission adds, noting that money is generated from malicious ads, ransomware, hacking and identity theft.
The sites aren’t named and the claims aren’t new. Proof is in short supply too but persistent anecdotal evidence suggest the claims most likely hold water. Whether that means imminent disaster for Australia is unclear but it’s an opportunity to important to miss.
“The safety of Australians is increasingly at risk, and urgent changes are needed to stop this problem in its tracks,” the submission warns.
The CCA submission states that current site blocking measures can lead to “positive behavioral change.” Citing its own research, the group says that half of all ‘Active Pirates’ (49%) have seen site blocking in action and that was enough for 26% to give up searching and 11% to seek out a legal source.
“Unfortunately, the majority of infringers who experienced a blocked site simply continued their piracy journey with 29% continuing to search for the same illegal content and 22% going directly to a pirate site that they already know of,” CCA reports.
“Of the total Active Pirates surveyed by CCA, 51% are not impacted by site blocking at all, thanks to circumvention techniques to navigate around site blocks, thus removing any friction caused by site blocking completely to seamlessly access pirated content.”
So how bad is the situation in Australia? Citing a report from the MPA, which comprises CCA’s own core members, which in turn are also behind the Australian Film/TV Bodies submission, the situation is very bad indeed.
“The staggering volume of Australian’s pirating is all the more unbelievable when considering recent analysis of SimilarWeb data carried out by the Motion Picture Association which found there were 1.8 billion visits to pirate sites from IP addresses based in Australia in 2022, representing a 10% increase on 2021,” the CCA adds.
According to both the Australian Film/TV Bodies and CCA submissions, Australian pirates are circumventing site-blocking measures on a grand scale. By switching away from their ISPs’ DNS services and using DNS provided by Google, OpenDNS and others, site-blocking injunctions are neutralized in a minute. Both submissions agree on what should be done and how it can be achieved.
In 2019 both Google and Bing agreed to remove pirate site URLs from Australian search results when those sites were listed in blocking orders. Google’s own consultation submission describes this as a voluntary action as part of its overall commitment to combating piracy. The Australian Film/TV Bodies submission states that voluntary actions only exist because of a credible threat of being held liable for infringement.
In 2018, the Australian government rejected calls from the movie and TV industry to expand site-blocking legislation beyond consumer ISPs to other online intemediaries; DNS providers, for example. While Google agreed to the deindexing of sites from search results, it refused to censor its DNS service. The studios suggest that companies like Google will only consider ‘voluntary’ measures against DNS if the law leaves them no other choice.
There are additional proposals in the combined submissions but the key recommendations are as follows:
– Require intermediaries to implement blocking, DNS providers included
– Speed up blocking orders to mitigate pirate countermeasures
– Establish a dedicated IP Task Force, prioritize intellectual property crime
– New law to combat use of technology (e.g IPTV boxes) to circumvent access controls
– Require intermediaries to verify identities of customers and account holders
– Allow rightsholders to obtain customer data for enforcement purposes
The submissions referenced above can be found here (Film/TV, CCA, Google)
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Four months after it was announced, the ThinkPhone is finally shipping.
You've seen the ThinkPad, now there's a ThinkPhone!
The definitely named-by-committee "Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola" is finally hitting virtual store shelves. The phone was announced in January as a surprise expansion of the "ThinkPad" brand, and while there are likely lots of ideas you could come up with for a business-focused smartphone, the ThinkPhone appears to be just a regular Motorola phone without much in the way of unique features.
It is going to be for sale, though! Lenovo announced the phone will be in the US this week for $699. Enterprise customers can order the device now, and starting April 28, it should be available unlocked from Motorola.com.
The SoC is last year's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 instead of the Gen 2 that's in most flagship phones. The display is a 6.6-inch, 2400×1080 OLED running at only 60 Hz, instead of the higher refresh rate most phones currently use. I suppose you could call 60 Hz "businessy" since it will stretch the 5000 mAh battery out a little longer. The phone has 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, 68 W wired charging, and 15 W wireless charging. There's an in-screen fingerprint reader, NFC, IP68 dust and water resistance, and Wi-Fi 6E compatibility.
Four months after it was announced, the ThinkPhone is finally shipping.
You've seen the ThinkPad, now there's a ThinkPhone!
The definitely named-by-committee "Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola" is finally hitting virtual store shelves. The phone was announced in January as a surprise expansion of the "ThinkPad" brand, and while there are likely lots of ideas you could come up with for a business-focused smartphone, the ThinkPhone appears to be just a regular Motorola phone without much in the way of unique features.
It is going to be for sale, though! Lenovo announced the phone will be in the US this week for $699. Enterprise customers can order the device now, and starting April 28, it should be available unlocked from Motorola.com.
The SoC is last year's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 instead of the Gen 2 that's in most flagship phones. The display is a 6.6-inch, 2400×1080 OLED running at only 60 Hz, instead of the higher refresh rate most phones currently use. I suppose you could call 60 Hz "businessy" since it will stretch the 5000 mAh battery out a little longer. The phone has 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, 68 W wired charging, and 15 W wireless charging. There's an in-screen fingerprint reader, NFC, IP68 dust and water resistance, and Wi-Fi 6E compatibility.
Open RAN ist von der Telekom in Neubrandenburg erstmals im Livebetrieb eingesetzt worden. “Das ist nicht skalierbar”, sagte Telekom Vice President Franz Seiser. (Open RAN, GreenIT)
Manufacturers must provide repair parts, embedded software, and documentation.
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Juan Silva)
Colorado has enacted the nation's first state law guaranteeing farmers a right to repair tractors and other equipment themselves or at independent repair shops. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, signed the bill yesterday.
"I am proud to sign this important bipartisan legislation that saves hardworking farmers and ranchers time and money on repairs, and supports Colorado's thriving agriculture industry... Farmers and ranchers can lose precious weeks and months when equipment repairs are stalled due to long turnaround times by manufacturers and dealers. This bill will change that," Polis said.
The state House voted 46-14 in favor of the bill on April 11, while the Senate voted 21-12 on March 30. "The legislation advanced through long committee hearings, having been propelled forward mostly by Democrats even though a Republican lawmaker co-sponsored the bill," the Associated Press wrote. "The proposal left some GOP lawmakers stuck between their farming constituents pleading for the ability to repair their equipment and the manufacturers who vehemently opposed it."
Dreams, friendships, anxiety, and absolutely nailing a double-bounce headshot.
Enlarge (credit: ustwo)
The studio behind Monument Valley, one of the best mobile games ever made, made a Netflix-required mobile game in 2022 that you almost certainly didn't play, let alone see. Desta: The Memories Between is now out on PC and Nintendo Switch, and I highly recommend you seek it out if you lean toward coming-of-age stories, turn-based strategy, dreamlike surreality, or nailing someone in the face with a perfectly angled ball.
Desta is a college-age British youth who's anxious about returning home to a widowed mother, friends left behind, memories of their late father, and a lot of unresolved feelings. You guide Desta through anxious dreams that are, very conveniently, expressed as grid-based, turn-by-turn dodgeball fights. Can you resolve the guilt of falling out of touch with your best friend from high school by pulling off the perfect bank shot off their dome, catching the ball on the rebound, then hitting them again? In Desta, you can, and I swear it works.
It helps that developer ustwo brings all its powers to bear on Desta's dreamy visuals, evocative soundtrack, and wonderful spoken dialogue. You could ignore the narrative if you wanted to get straight to the increasingly complicated battlefields—the story bits are short and direct and easy to skip. But I'd bet that you'll get pulled in.
“These scars we have make us who we are. We’re not meant to go back and fix them.”
Barry (Ezra Miller) uses his powers to travel back in time and change the past in The Flash.
Warner Bros. dropped an intense new trailer for The Flash during this week's CinemaCon in Las Vegas, the annual convention attended by movie theater owners from all over the world. The trailer is just as good as the first one, giving us even more of Michael Keaton's Batman and plenty of action, emotional beats, and even a few hints about how it might upend the entire DC Extended Universe going forward.
As we've previously reported, Andy Muschietti (It, It: Chapter 2) signed on to direct the long-planned Flash-centric standalone film in 2019. Ezra Miller's The Flash had already made his DC Extended Universe debut with cameo appearances in Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad in 2016 and as a co-star in 2017's Justice League. And the wider DC multiverse was confirmed when Miller made a cameo in the Arrowverse TV crossover event Crisis on Infinite Earths (2019–2020).
Earlier scripts focused on adapting the Flashpoint crossover storyline from the comic books, in which the Scarlet Speedster goes back in time to keep his mother from being murdered, thereby altering the entire timeline. In that alternate world, a young Bruce Wayne is killed rather than his parents. Thomas Wayne becomes Batman, Martha Wayne becomes the Joker, Wonder Woman and Aquaman are bitter enemies, and Superman is a prisoner. Muschietti kept several of the Flashpoint story elements while acknowledging that this would be a different version. And he wanted to include not just Michael Keaton's Batman but Ben Affleck's, too, since he thought Barry's relationship with the latter would make Keaton's inclusion even more powerful.
The spacecraft takes a step toward commercial spaceflight.
Enlarge / Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity spacecraft completed a glide test Wednesday. (credit: Virgin Galactic)
The VSS Unity spacecraft did not make a powered flight with its rocket engine on Wednesday, but it cleared the final hurdle before doing so by performing a glide test in New Mexico.
On Wednesday morning, the VMS Eve aircraft took off from Spaceport America and subsequently released the spacecraft at an altitude of about 14 kilometers. After this, VSS Unity glided back to the runway in New Mexico, testing modifications to the spacecraft's flight controls and handling.
After the test, Virgin Galactic said the glide flight closes its "final validation test points" of a campaign to ensure the aircraft and space plane are ready to resume powered flights. To that end, the company said data collected during the flight will be analyzed in the coming weeks, and assuming the review goes well, the next mission will be a powered spaceflight.
AMD’s Ryzen 9 7940H processor is an 8-core, 16-thread chip with Zen 4 CPU cores, support for speeds up to 5.2 GHz and AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics with 12 RDNA 3 compute units. It’s basically Chinese version of the Ryzen 9 7940HS th…
AMD’s Ryzen 9 7940H processor is an 8-core, 16-thread chip with Zen 4 CPU cores, support for speeds up to 5.2 GHz and AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics with 12 RDNA 3 compute units. It’s basically Chinese version of the Ryzen 9 7940HS that was introduced for global markets earlier this year. And it looks […]
The post Mini PCs with Ryzen 9 7940H chips are on the way appeared first on Liliputing.
Open RAN ist von der Telekom in Neubrandenburg erstmals im Livebetrieb eingesetzt worden. "Das ist nicht skalierbar", sagte Telekom Vice President Franz Seiser. (
You must be logged in to post a comment.