Review: Japanese hologram pop star Hatsune Miku tours North America

Ars for one welcomes our new J-rock, computer-voiced, cyber-lady overlords.

SEATTLE—"Do you think ten-year-old you would believe that a concert like this could ever exist?"

My buddy asked me this after we'd spent two hours laughing at the weirdest concert we'd ever attended: Hatsune Miku Expo 2016. The concert's distinguishing feature was a massive, see-through screen in front of a rock band, on which singing, 10-foot-tall anime princesses were projected. Forget Britney, Miley, or Taylor: no pop star fits the "larger than life" bill quite like a hologram singer who packs stadiums and can change costumes with a single hard-drive swap. The snark possibilities were rich.

As we walked out of the concert, however, snark gave way to giddy delight. We had finally seen Miku in the "flesh." Its creators and backing band rarely play in Miku's homeland of Japan, let alone elsewhere, forcing the curious to watch one of a scant few YouTube videos to see what the heck this show is all about. North Americans have nine more opportunities this year, including this coming Saturday in San Francisco, thanks to a continent-spanning tour. I caught the tour's opening night in Seattle last Saturday, fully prepared to chide it.

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The Wheel of Time turns… into a “cutting-edge TV series”

“Look for the official announcement coming soon from a major studio.”

Cover art for the first Wheel of Time novel. (credit: Tor Books)

After a rough false start, it looks like Robert Jordan's fantasy epic The Wheel of Time will be coming to television after all. The news was delivered on the series' Google+ page by Jordan's widow, Harriet McDougal, who owns the copyright to the novels and has controlled the franchise's direction since Jordan's death in 2007.

We have few details about the project at this point, aside from assurances that a "major studio" will have more to share soon:

Wanted to share with you exciting news about The Wheel of Time. Legal issues have been resolved. The Wheel of Time will become a cutting edge TV series! I couldn’t be more pleased. Look for the official announcement coming soon from a major studio —Harriet

Optioning The Wheel of Time makes sense, given the appetite for TV adaptations of dense, sprawling fantasy series. HBO's Game of Thrones and Starz's Outlander have both been successful, and Wheel of Time is a firmly established property that has the added benefit of actually being a finished story already.

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Aussie Gov Agency Endorses VPN Use to Reduce Piracy

The Australian Government’s Productivity Commission has endorsed the use of VPNs and similar unblocking tools to give consumers greater choice. The agency says that new anti-piracy legislation has had only a “modest impact” on infringement so improved access to legal content is the preferred solution.

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

ausWhen a government agency produces a report urging major changes to intellectual property laws, one often expects something heavily weighted in favor of rightsholders

Documents published today by the Australian Government’s Productivity Commission contain a more balanced set of recommendations, several of which are likely to provoke an adverse reaction from both local and international rightsholders.

The Intellectual Property Arrangements draft report is a 600 page epic covering everything from copyright and patent issues through to pharmaceuticals and plant breeders’ rights. Of most interest to readers will be the agency’s comments on infringement, fair use and copyright terms.

Bring on the VPNs

For years Australians have felt that when it comes to entertainment content they’re treated as second class citizens. Aussies believe that not only do they pay over the top for content, but they also have to wait longer for it to arrive.

As a result many access overseas services by using a VPN, something which is frowned upon by rightsholders and actively blocked by companies such as Netflix. Nevertheless, the Productivity Commission wants to do everything it can to open up options for consumers.

“Geoblocking results in Australians paying higher prices (often for a lesser or later service) than consumers overseas,” the report reads.

“The Australian Government should implement the recommendation made in the House of Representatives Committee report At What Cost? to make clear that it is not an infringement for consumers to circumvent geoblocking technology.”

aussie-vpn

But the Commission doesn’t stop there. In case any foreign country wants to pressure Australia into acting otherwise, the agency advises the following.

“The Australian Government should seek to avoid any international agreements that would prevent or ban consumers from circumventing geoblocking technology,” it adds.

Dealing with piracy

The Productivity Commission notes that enforcement is a key factor in the efficiency and effectiveness of the Australian IP system. It also acknowledges that copyright infringement is an ongoing issue. That being said, rightsholders probably aren’t going to like the draft’s conclusions.

“Online copyright infringement remains problematic for rights holders. Evidence suggests many people infringe copyright because of the ongoing difficulty and cost in accessing content,” the report notes.

“Evidence suggests infringement declines with better content availability and most consumers prefer paid, legal consumption. As such, an effective approach to reducing infringement is the timely release of content to Australian consumers. This requires action by rights holders and their intermediaries.”

It’s not difficult to see how these statements dovetail with the recommendation on VPN use and the pressure could eventually see Aussies getting a better deal. But for rightsholders hoping for more enforcement options in the meantime, only disappointment awaits.

“Changes to the law to encourage Internet service providers to cooperate with rights holders, as well as litigation, have only had a modest impact in reducing infringement. Further legislative change is unlikely to improve compliance with the law,” the report states.

Fair Use and Copyright Terms

In keeping with the positive response to increased consumer choice, proponents of expanded fair use provisions and diminished copyright terms also have something to celebrate.

“Australia’s copyright system has expanded over time, often with no transparent, evidence-based policy analysis demonstrating the need for, or quantum of, new rights. A new system of user rights, including the introduction of a broad, principles-based fair use exception, is needed to help address this imbalance,” the report notes.

“The Australian Government should amend the Copyright Act 1968 to replace the current fair dealing exceptions with a broad exception for fair use. The new exception should contain a clause outlining that the objective of the exception is to ensure Australia’s copyright system targets only those circumstances where infringement would undermine the ordinary exploitation of a work at the time of the infringement.”

aussie-fair-use

And on copyright terms, yet more consumer-friendly advice.

“The term of protection for most works is now more than 70 years and considerably longer than necessary to incentivize creation of most works (with a commercial life less than 5 years). The current duration of copyright imposes costs on the community and access to works is restricted, particularly for works not commercially available but still subject to copyright protection,” the draft reads.

“While hard to pinpoint an optimal copyright term, a more reasonable estimate would be closer to 15 to 25 years after creation; considerably less than 70 years after death. Perpetual copyright protection of unpublished works should also be removed.”

Consultation period

The report is currently in draft and written submissions are invited up until Friday 3 June 2016. The final report will be handed to the government in August and published shortly after.

The full 603-page report can be found here (pdf)

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

Patent defendants won’t receive a “Get out of East Texas free” card

Appeals court rules: If you ship there, you can be sued for infringement there.

Winter ice rink in Marshall, Texas. The historic county courthouse is in the background. (credit: Joe Mullin)

Patent reform advocates who were hoping to "shut down the Eastern District of Texas" face disappointment today, as the top US patent appeals court ruled (PDF) against a venue transfer in a dispute between two food companies.

Tech companies and patent reform advocates have been complaining that they don't get a fair shake in East Texas, a rural district that's been a hotspot for patent litigation for more than a decade now. The case decided today, In re: TC Heartland, doesn't directly involve tech companies or East Texas, but it could have had a big effect on both.

The lawsuit began when Kraft Foods accused rival food company TC Heartland of infringing its patents on "liquid water enhancers." Heartland's defense lawyers asked to move the case from Delaware to TC Heartland's home state of Indiana, but a Delaware magistrate judge rejected the transfer motion. According to the magistrate, the fact that TC Heartland shipped about 2% of the accused products to Delaware is enough to allow the plaintiffs to sue there.

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Marvelous news: There will be a Punisher series on Netflix

John Bernthal will reprise the role he played in Daredevil.

(credit: Marvel)

For many viewers, the introduction of Frank Castle—aka The Punisher—was the highpoint of Daredevil's second season. Played by John Bernthal, Castle takes a very different approach to ridding Hell's Kitchen of crime, choosing the kill shot over just crippling the bad guys. Evidently Marvel was listening to the chorus of fans calling for a full Punisher series; on Friday Entertainment Weekly reported that the comic empire has ordered just that.

Bernthal is actually the fourth actor to play Frank Castle, after Dolph Lundgren (The Punisher, 1989), Thomas Jane (The Punisher, 2004), and Ray Stevenson (Punisher: War Zone, 2008). The character is one of Marvel's grittiest, and those previous three adaptations did poorly at the box office. But we live in a post-Deadpool age, where comic characters no longer have to be PG-13. Not to mention that a series on Netflix enjoys freedoms denied to tentpole cinema releases.

This will be the sixth Marvel series to run on Netflix. We've already seen Jessica Jones and Daredevil, with Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders all in the works. Certainly, Disney's acquisition of Marvel for $4 billion in 2009 continues to look like a clever move, particularly in contrast to how DC's catalogue is being translated into live action. Now if only someone would finally push the button on a Dredd series for Netflix...

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Verizon: Network sabotage during strike disrupted thousands of customers

Union blames Verizon for failing to maintain network, and strike continues.

Poorly maintained equipment, as shown in a union complaint about Verizon maintenance. (credit: Communications Workers of America)

Verizon says its network has suffered 57 incidents of vandalism in seven states in the two weeks since 36,000 workers went on strike. The "incidents of sabotage," mostly involving the severing of fiber optic cables or damage to terminal boxes, "have cut off thousands of Verizon customers from critical wireline services," the company said Wednesday.

Under normal conditions, there are only about a half-dozen incidents of sabotage over the course of a year, a Verizon spokesperson told Ars today. Verizon says it is still investigating the incidents and hasn't pinned the blame on anyone specific. But the company's announcement pointed out that "these malicious actions take place as Verizon is experiencing a strike."

Verizon reported similar incidents of vandalism during another strike in 2011.

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Google’s $999 Chromebook Pixel is discontinued ($1299 model still available)

Google’s $999 Chromebook Pixel is discontinued ($1299 model still available)

Since the first model launched in 2013 with a $1299 price tag, the Google Chromebook Pixel has always been the most expensive Chrome OS laptop money could buy. But in 2015 the company eased the pain a bit by introducing a new model with a starting price of $999.

Now that model is out of stock… and a Google representative tells me the company has no plans of re-stocking the $999 Chromebook Pixel with a Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage.

Continue reading Google’s $999 Chromebook Pixel is discontinued ($1299 model still available) at Liliputing.

Google’s $999 Chromebook Pixel is discontinued ($1299 model still available)

Since the first model launched in 2013 with a $1299 price tag, the Google Chromebook Pixel has always been the most expensive Chrome OS laptop money could buy. But in 2015 the company eased the pain a bit by introducing a new model with a starting price of $999.

Now that model is out of stock… and a Google representative tells me the company has no plans of re-stocking the $999 Chromebook Pixel with a Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage.

Continue reading Google’s $999 Chromebook Pixel is discontinued ($1299 model still available) at Liliputing.

Google’s OnHub routers get smart home features with IFTTT

Google’s OnHub routers get smart home features with IFTTT

Google’s OnHub series routers are designed to be easy to use and attractive enough that you might not want to hide them underneath or behind furniture (which can actually improve performance since the signal won’t be obstructed).

But another thing that sets OnHub devices from Asus and TP-Link apart from most other routers is their support for automatic software updates… and the latest brings support for IFTTT (If this, then that).

The free service lets you create “recipes” that can trigger all sorts of actions, and in the case of the OnHub platform, IFTTT support sort of transforms your router into a smart home hub.

Continue reading Google’s OnHub routers get smart home features with IFTTT at Liliputing.

Google’s OnHub routers get smart home features with IFTTT

Google’s OnHub series routers are designed to be easy to use and attractive enough that you might not want to hide them underneath or behind furniture (which can actually improve performance since the signal won’t be obstructed).

But another thing that sets OnHub devices from Asus and TP-Link apart from most other routers is their support for automatic software updates… and the latest brings support for IFTTT (If this, then that).

The free service lets you create “recipes” that can trigger all sorts of actions, and in the case of the OnHub platform, IFTTT support sort of transforms your router into a smart home hub.

Continue reading Google’s OnHub routers get smart home features with IFTTT at Liliputing.

Kabelnetzbetreiber: Angeblicher 300-Millionen-Deal zwischen Telekom und Kabel BW

Ein Verband kleiner Kabelnetzbetreiber wehrt sich gegen die Rücknahme einer Kartellbeschwerde der Telekom gegen den Kauf von Kabel Baden-Württemberg durch Liberty Global. Angeblich sollen 300 Millionen Euro geflossen sein, damit die Beschwerde zurückgezogen wird. Das Kartellamt soll von allem wissen. (Kabel BW, Kabelnetz)

Ein Verband kleiner Kabelnetzbetreiber wehrt sich gegen die Rücknahme einer Kartellbeschwerde der Telekom gegen den Kauf von Kabel Baden-Württemberg durch Liberty Global. Angeblich sollen 300 Millionen Euro geflossen sein, damit die Beschwerde zurückgezogen wird. Das Kartellamt soll von allem wissen. (Kabel BW, Kabelnetz)

Google rolls out “If This Then That” support for its $200 OnHub router

Some smart home features finally come to OnHub, but using a non-Google ecosystem.

Google's OnHub router just got a major new feature: IFTTT support. The demoed features let you do things like lock your doors when your device disconnects from the router or send an e-mail when someone connects to your wireless network. There are a few example recipes on this IFTTT page, or you can make your own using any of the channels supported on IFTTT.

IFTTT (If This Then That) is a service that lets you connect apps to other apps or connect apps to smart home devices. Developers for apps and services can build "If" triggers and "Do" actions that plug into the site. Users can make a "recipe" by combining these triggers and actions into a useful program, using the format "If [something happens], do [this action]."

Say you want to automatically tweet out a link every time an article on a website is posted. You can grab the RSS trigger function, so now you have "if a new item on this RSS feed appears, then [do this action]." Then you can combine it with the Twitter action and make "if a new item on this RSS feed appears, then tweet it out." Each trigger and action has its own configuration options, so you can do necessary plumbing like giving the "RSS action" the exact RSS feed it needs and giving the Twitter bot your login credentials so it can post from your account.

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