Morning Xtra: File-Sharing Win in France, NASA & Europe Mars-Bound?

by Chad Mumm on June 11, 2009 at 11:30 AM

Controversial French File-Sharing Law Struck Down!
In a huge win for online rights, the controversial "three strikes" file-sharing law in France has been struck down by the country's constitutional council. The law had proposed that illegal file sharers be kicked off the Internet after three convictions of online piracy, but the high court deemed "free access" (meaning unrestricted access) to the Internet is a human right. Expect Web rights activists the world over to take up this judgment as a victory cry. It's a new dawn for the Internet. Seriously. [From: The Guardian]

NASA Teaming Up With Europe for Mission to Mars?
We were happy to hear from FOX News that NASA may be reaching out to Europe for a joint mission to Mars. This is exactly the kind of cooperation that results in a worldwide Space Federation that will enable interstellar explorers to band together under one common flag and boldly go places. Of course, neither the U.S. nor Europe has the money to pay for the planned mission, but we're not letting a minor setback like that rain on our parade. [From: FOX News]

The GPS Theft Epidemic
According to Bridgeport, Connecticut burglary detective Peter Gelozin, we're in the midst of an epidemic -- a GPS theft epidemic. Apparently, thieves just can't keep their hands off of the handy map gadgets. Fortunately, Gelozin claims that most of the thefts are due to owners' negligence, meaning that you can rest easy about your precious navigation device if you use a little common sense and store it out of sight when you leave your car. [From: Driving.ca]

Get Ready for Microsoft's Free Anti-Virus Software
Be on the lookout for a free suite of anti-virus software from the folks in Redmond, Washington. Microsoft has released security software to its employees, and reports from Reuters claim that the public should be seeing a beta version of the software available as a free download in the very near future. [From: Reuters]

Cops in Mexico Banned From Carrying Cell Phones
Local and state police in Nuevo Leon, Mexico are now banned from carrying personal cell phones. According to an AP report, incidents involving corrupt officers relaying bust leads and other compromising information to drug gangs are common in the Monterrey region. Lawmakers got fed up, and finally pulled the plug on the devices. [From: AP]

20-Percent of Web Vids Are Spam? We Think Not
The Web video buffs over at Newteevee are claiming that around 20-percent of online videos are spam. They're basing this on info from search engine VideoSurf, which uses visual analysis to push down irrelevant videos. VideoSurf seems a bit biased for our taste, and it essentially turns its interview with Newteevee into a PR pitch. We're calling BS on the 20-percent figure. [From: Newteevee]

The MacBook Pro's Nifty New Trick: SD Card Booting
In case you haven't seen them, Apple's new MacBook Pro laptops are sporting a new, nifty SD card slot, great for quick photo uploads. In fact, Gizmodo is reporting that you'll be able to boot up your computer from the little slot. Finally, a convenient and easy way to backup or restore your OS X operating system in the event of disaster! [From: Gizmodo]

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bathmateus363Dec 17th 2009 3:09AM

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