Mexican Govt Officials Reprimanded For Olympics Piracy

Significant commercial interests lie behind the Olympic Games so protecting trademarks and copyrights are high on the agenda. To that end, the organizers in Rio have just taken action against several Mexican government officials after one of them recorded a gymnastic event and posted it on social media.

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

rio2016Due to their very nature, the Olympic Games are often considered to belong to the people. With competitors from every corner of the world, the Olympics is a celebration of sport on a truly global scale.

But while the utopian dream is one of beauty, the reality is that the Olympics are massively commercialized with billions of dollars at stake. And when sums of that scale hang in the balance, corporations go all out to protect their interests.

Earlier this week we reported how the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been sending takedown requests to Twitter after Periscope users streamed Olympic events online without permission. Now it appears that people much higher up the food chain have fallen foul of the strict licensing framework put in place by the IOC.

According to a report by Mexico’s Eluniversal, the Rio Organizing Committee has taken the decision to withdraw press credentials from Mexico’s National Commission of Physical Culture and Sports (Conade) following a copyright dispute.

The publication says that Conade violated licensing conditions put in place by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after one of its members filmed the gymnast Alexa Moreno using a cellphone. The video was subsequently posted to social media.

According to the Committee, Conade failed to obtain the necessary rights to broadcast Olympic content, so in retaliation nine Conade members, who work for the Mexican government, had their press credentials taken away.

“The use of Olympic materials turned into animated graphic formats like GIF, GFY or WebM, as well as short video formats like Vine, are expressly forbidden,” a Committee statement reads.

While the Committee probably felt it needed to set an example, taking away the credentials of the Conade staff will be felt back home in Mexico. Conade is the arm of the Mexican government charged with promoting physical education and sport in the country. Before their punishment, they were also the conduit between the Games and their countrymen.

But while the Rio Organizing Committee punishes the whole of Mexico for the sharing of a single video, thousands of people are sharing recorded events at will on sites such as The Pirate Bay.

The real action, however, is taking place on the thousands of streaming sites currently in operation. In addition to web-browser based services, users of Kodi with the correct plug-ins have continuous access to live Olympic events, often in HD quality, no matter where they are in the world. Rio can do absolutely nothing about that.

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

Xeon Phi: Silicon Photonics und Knights Mill für Server

Nach weit über einem Jahrzehnt wird es Licht: Intel vernetzt Datacenter mit Silicon Photonics, die in der ersten Version 100 GBit pro Sekunde übertragen. Nächstes Jahr soll Knights Mill erscheinen, ein Xeon Phi mit für Deep Learning optimierten Befehlssätzen. (Silicon Nanophotonics, IDF)

Nach weit über einem Jahrzehnt wird es Licht: Intel vernetzt Datacenter mit Silicon Photonics, die in der ersten Version 100 GBit pro Sekunde übertragen. Nächstes Jahr soll Knights Mill erscheinen, ein Xeon Phi mit für Deep Learning optimierten Befehlssätzen. (Silicon Nanophotonics, IDF)

F1 2016 review: just like the real thing, except not boring

The easiest way to watch an exciting season of F1 this year is to enter it yourself.

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It's been quite some time since we last reviewed a Formula 1 game here at Ars. Since then, the sport itself has undergone a whole raft of changes. Naturally aspirated V8s screaming away to 18,000 RPM have given way to muted turbocharged V6s muzzled by fuel flow regulations. There are artificial aids to overtaking like the drag reduction system, or DRS. And the now cars race on tires that were purposely designed to degrade quickly, preventing drivers from racing flat-out to the checkered flag. Combined with two years of total dominance from Mercedes-Benz and the results has been pretty lackluster, certainly to this long-time fan of the sport. Happily I can report that the latest installment of Codemasters' official franchise manages to faithfully replicate real Formula 1, with one giant exception: it's actually exciting.

Much of that success can be attributed to F1 2016's new career mode. You're free to choose any of the 11 teams as your starting point—different long-term objectives separate the more successful teams from the back markers—and work your way through the 21-race F1 season. But it's not just a question of turning up on race day and mashing the throttle when the red lights go out. Each race weekend involves three practice sessions and a qualifying attempt, just like the real thing. And to keep players invested in the proceedings, you'll be given a number of different objectives during each session.

These can be fiendishly tricky! For example, the tire management program, where the goal is to complete several laps without over-stressing your rubber. That means very gentle inputs on the throttle, steering, and especially brakes, but beware: you can't dawdle as your engineer has also set you a minimum lap time. Complete the objectives and you gain points to use developing upgrades for your car. All that practice running will stand in you in good stead come race day, which conveys well just how demanding the job of racing an F1 car can be.

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Smartwatch: Apple verzichtet wohl bei neuer Watch auf Mobilfunktechnik

Eine kurze Akkulaufzeit soll Apple bei seiner Smartwatch wohl weiter zu schaffen machen. Anders als geplant, soll die nächste Apple Watch ohne Mobilfunktechnik erscheinen. Dennoch soll die neue Apple Watch selbstständiger als bisher werden. (Apple Watch, Apple)

Eine kurze Akkulaufzeit soll Apple bei seiner Smartwatch wohl weiter zu schaffen machen. Anders als geplant, soll die nächste Apple Watch ohne Mobilfunktechnik erscheinen. Dennoch soll die neue Apple Watch selbstständiger als bisher werden. (Apple Watch, Apple)

AOC Gaming-Monitore: Zu Weihnachten kommen 240 Hertz

Ein großes Geschäft mit Gaming-Monitoren sieht AOC und launcht in den nächsten Wochen ein komplett neues Monitor-Lineup. Mit neuen Rekorden bei Bildwiederholungsraten und neuen IPS-Panels will der taiwanische Hersteller den Markt aufmischen. (Gamescom 2016, Display)

Ein großes Geschäft mit Gaming-Monitoren sieht AOC und launcht in den nächsten Wochen ein komplett neues Monitor-Lineup. Mit neuen Rekorden bei Bildwiederholungsraten und neuen IPS-Panels will der taiwanische Hersteller den Markt aufmischen. (Gamescom 2016, Display)

Alta Motors: Elektro-Motocrossmaschine für 15.000 US-Dollar

Alta Motors bringt mit der Redshift SM und der MX zwei Motocrosser mit Elektroantrieb auf den Markt. Die Motorräder sind keine elektrifizierten Serienmodelle, sondern komplett neu entwickelt. Teslas Mitgründer finanzieren das Unternehmen. (Elektroauto, Technologie)

Alta Motors bringt mit der Redshift SM und der MX zwei Motocrosser mit Elektroantrieb auf den Markt. Die Motorräder sind keine elektrifizierten Serienmodelle, sondern komplett neu entwickelt. Teslas Mitgründer finanzieren das Unternehmen. (Elektroauto, Technologie)

Tagesrückblick im Video: Virtual Reality zum Anfassen und Civ 6 zum Spielen

Da darf Michael Wieczorek endlich Civilization 6 anspielen – und dann ist messebedingt nach 20 Minuten schon wieder Schluss. Außerdem spricht die Redaktion im Tagesrückblick über die Aussichten für Playstation VR und Virtual Reality im Allgemeinen. (Gamescom 2016, Film)

Da darf Michael Wieczorek endlich Civilization 6 anspielen - und dann ist messebedingt nach 20 Minuten schon wieder Schluss. Außerdem spricht die Redaktion im Tagesrückblick über die Aussichten für Playstation VR und Virtual Reality im Allgemeinen. (Gamescom 2016, Film)

Uber’s deal to end driver lawsuit for $84 million falls apart

A labor agency said there’s “no rationale” for settlement, and the judge agrees.

(credit: Uber)

In April, it looked like a high-profile lawsuit against Uber was going to be resolved after the high-flying startup agreed to pay up to $100 million to settle allegations that its treatment of drivers violated labor laws.

Today, US District Judge Edward Chen said the deal "is not fair, adequate, and reasonable," and he won't countenance it. In a 35-page order (PDF) he slammed the deal, which would have required Uber to pay $84 million and up to an additional $16 million contingent on whether Uber's IPO hit certain price points.

After some complicated back-and-forth about Uber's arbitration agreements, Chen was overseeing a case with a class of more than 240,000 California drivers and just over 60,000 Massachusetts drivers. In addition to payments ranging from $12 to $1,950, drivers would have certain additional rights like explanations before being deactivated, more information about their star ratings, and an internal process for drivers to complain about payment of certain fares. It would also allow drivers in California and Massachusetts to ask for tips—although Uber made clear it would not add an in-app tipping function, and in fact the company dissuades riders from tipping.

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EPA punishes Harley-Davidson for selling an aftermarket tuner that elevated emissions

Motorcycle company doesn’t admit wrong-doing, calls payment a “compromise.”

(credit: Thomas Hawk)

Volkswagen isn’t the only company that's been caught in the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) crackdown on emissions.

On Thursday, motorcycle company Harley-Davidson reached an agreement with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in which Harley will pay $12 million in fines for selling some 340,000 “super tuners” that allowed US bike owners to modify emissions control systems.

The company will also no longer sell the offending aftermarket tuners in the US, and units sold outside the US will be marked to say that customers should not install them on motorcycles to be driven in the US. Harley will have to buy back and destroy existing aftermarket tuners that don’t meet Clean Air Act requirements, and it will have to spend a separate $3 million on a mitigation project “to replace conventional woodstoves with cleaner-burning stoves in local communities,” according to an EPA press release.

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