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Today's Topics:
1. More Than A Dozen Earthquakes Shake Yellowstone (Greg Williams)
2. Survey Defines Split in Technology Use (George Antunes)
3. Digeo to Cut Pricing on Moxi HD DVR (George Antunes)
4. AT&T Raises Price Tag on TV Rollout (George Antunes)
5. Now Everybody Can Be a Cellphone Company (George Antunes)
6. NCTA: Explosion at Luxor Hotel Kills Employee (George Antunes)
7. Russia: School Principal Guilty Found in Software Piracy Case
(George Antunes)
8. NARM Coverage: New Laws Threaten Used CD Market (Renee)
9. Huge star explodes in brightest supernova yet seen (Greg Williams)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Mon, 07 May 2007 00:11:51 -0400
From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] More Than A Dozen Earthquakes Shake Yellowstone
To: medianews@twiar.org
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
More Than A Dozen Earthquakes Shake Yellowstone
http://kutv.com/national/local_story_126175405.html
YELLOWSTONE NAT'L PARK - Sixteen small earthquakes -- with magnitudes up
to 2.7 -- shook Yellowstone National Park last week, around the edge of
a volcano that has not erupted in more than 70,000 years.
The tremors shook the park's Pitchstone Plateau, and were detected by
seismographs operated by the University of Utah.
The earthquakes began on April 30, just before midnight. The largest
occurred at 3:09 a.m. Tuesday and the quakes continued until Wednesday,
according to Bob Smith, a University of Utah professor.
"I was up working and watching these, saying 'Whoa, what does this all
mean?"' he said. "It kept my interest quite high."
The quakes occurred on the southern edge of a volcano caldera at the
center of Yellowstone. The volcano last erupted 70,000 years ago and
some experts believe it has the potential to erupt again. If that
happened, a large portion of the western United States could be affected.
Smith said earthquake swarms are common in Yellowstone. As many as 70
swarms of small earthquakes have occurred in the region between 1983 and
2006.
Probably no one felt the most recent quakes, Smith said.
--
Gregory S. Williams
gregwilliams(at)knology.net
k4hsm(at)knology.net
http://www.etskywarn.net
http://www.twiar.org
http://www.icebearnation.com
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Mon, 07 May 2007 10:38:23 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Survey Defines Split in Technology Use
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
[It's a given that you are a geek or you wouldn't be reading this. But what
kind of geek are you? Omnivore? Lackluster veteran? Those who want to see
how they would have been assessed by the survey can take if for fun using
the link at the end of the article. FWIW I was classified as a Connector,
which seems a bit strange for someone who keeps his cell phone in the glove
box of the car & uses it only one or two times per month. I kind of
expected to be in the Lackluster veteran category. Oh well....]
Survey Defines Split in Technology Use
May 6, 2007 9:39 PM (ET)
By ANICK JESDANUN
Associated Press
http://apnews.myway.com//article/20070507/D8OV87DG0.html
NEW YORK (AP) - A broad survey about the technology people have, how they
use it, and what they think about it shatters assumptions and reveals where
companies might be able to expand their audiences.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project found that adult Americans are
broadly divided into three groups: 31 percent are elite technology users,
20 percent are moderate users and the remainder have little or no usage of
the Internet or cell phones.
But Americans are divided within each group, according to a Pew analysis of
2006 data released Sunday.
The high-tech elites, for instance, are almost evenly split into:
- "Omnivores," who fully embrace technology and express themselves
creatively through blogs and personal Web pages.
- "Connectors," who see the Internet and cell phones as communications tools.
- "Productivity enhancers," who consider technology as largely ways to
better keep up with their jobs and daily lives.
- "Lackluster veterans," those who use technology frequently but aren't
thrilled by it.
John Horrigan, Pew's associate director, said he started the survey
believing that the more gadgets people have, the more they are likely to
embrace technology and use so-called Web 2.0 applications for generating
and sharing content with the world.
"Once we got done, we were surprised to find the tensions within groups of
users with information technology," Horrigan said.
Many longtime Internet users, the lackluster veterans, remain stuck in the
decade-old technologies they started with, Horrigan said. That a quarter of
high-tech elites fall into this category, he said, shows untapped potential
for companies that can design next-generation applications to pique this
group's interest.
The moderate users were also evenly divided into "mobile centrics," those
who primarily use the cell phone for voice, text messaging and even games,
and "connected but hassled," those who have used technology but find it
burdensome.
Mobile companies, he said, can target the mobile centrics with premium
services, especially once faster wireless networks become available.
The Pew study found 15 percent of all Americans have neither a cell phone
nor an Internet connection. Another 15 percent use some technology and are
satisfied with what it currently does for them, while 11 percent use it
intermittently and find connectivity annoying.
Eight percent - mostly women in the early 50s - occasionally use technology
and might use more given more experience. They tend to still be on dial-up
access and represent potential high-speed customers "with the right
constellation of services offered," Horrigan said.
The telephone study of 4,001 U.S. adults, including 2,822 Internet users,
was conducted Feb. 15 to April 6, 2006, and has a margin of sampling error
of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
---
On the Net:
Find out which category you fall under: http://www.pewinternet.org/quiz
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Mon, 07 May 2007 11:51:24 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Digeo to Cut Pricing on Moxi HD DVR
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Digeo to Cut Pricing on Moxi HD DVR
New Model to Have 160 GB of Storage Capacity, eSATA Port
By Todd Spangler
Multichannel News
5/7/2007 12:04:00 AM
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6439411.html
With the introduction of its next HD digital-video recorder, Digeo will
drop the box's price to cable operators by one-third compared with previous
devices.
CEO Mike Fidler declined to disclose pricing details but said Digeo is now
bringing itself in line with pricing from other set-top-box providers.
"Recognizing that the market is very competitive, we're trying to make sure
we offer a product that is appealing and drives the right economics," he added.
The company's Moxi user interface has won Emmy Awards, but Digeo has had
difficulty landing deals with cable operators in the face of competition
from Motorola and Scientific Atlanta. Digeo's set-tops have been deployed
to 400,000 subscribers with eight operators.
In January, Digeo announced plans to sell its "digital-media recorders"
directly to consumers starting later this year.
The new Moxi HD DVR will begin shipping in the fourth quarter of 2007.
Digeo said it will have a version of Moxi written for Cable Television
Laboratories' OpenCable Application Platform that could be ready as early
as then.
The DVR will have 160 gigabytes of storage capacity, twice that of Digeo's
current models. Fidler said the company tested the box with up to 1
terabyte of external storage -- enough space for 1,000 hours of video. When
it ships, the Moxi HD DVR will include an external Serial ATA (eSATA) port,
he added.
Other new Moxi features include overall improved speed from optimizations
Digeo made to the underlying software. The DVR will also provide Web-based
scheduling, including the ability to identify whether a recording conflicts
with an existing one and let the user know "in near real-time" over the
Internet, president and chief operating officer Greg Gudorf said, adding,
"It's remote scheduling done right."
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Mon, 07 May 2007 14:50:36 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] AT&T Raises Price Tag on TV Rollout
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii
AT&T May Spend Another $1.4 Billion On Its Ambitious Television Venture
By DIONNE SEARCEY and PETER GRANT
Wall Street Journal
May 7, 2007 3:37 p.m.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117856112849694724.html?mod=home_whats_news_us
AT&T Inc. says it will spend as much as $1.4 billion more than anticipated
on rolling out its new TV system, called U-verse.
The phone and Internet giant plans to spend as much as $6.5 billion between
2004 and 2008 on its Internet-based TV service that will help it compete
with cable companies, which are rolling out phone service.
Overall, AT&T's capital spending budget won't change, the company said. A
spokesman declined to specify how the new figures would affect other parts
of the capital budget.
The company also downgraded by one million the number of homes to which it
will offer U-verse to 18 million in the 13 states that make up the former
SBC Communications Inc. region. SBC has acquired both AT&T Corp., adopting
its name, as well as BellSouth Corp., and picked up that company's
customers in the Southeast part of the U.S. The company revised its
estimate because of permitting issues in municipalities where it needs
permission to install the service as well as a need to find more qualified
technicians.
"This additional investment will further strengthen our service, which
already has numerous advantages over cable," said an AT&T spokesman. "We're
very happy with the progress we're seeing with U-verse."
One analyst, Jason Armstrong of Goldman Sachs & Co., issued a report
viewing the news as neutral on the stock and another viewed it as positive.
Rick Franklin, a telecom analyst at investment firm Edward Jones said
investors see the move as "a vote of confidence" in U-verse by AT&T.
"They've been very deliberate in their spending and wanting to make sure
the technology worked," said Mr. Franklin. "Now that they're putting more
money behind it, it looks like they've got the kinks worked out."
AT&T blamed the price increase in the cost of adding more servers, which
are needed as the company significantly increases the amount of
high-definition channels it plans to offer. AT&T is also paying a premium
to its equipment vendors to ensure gear is on hand when needed, the company
said.
The ballooning cost of U-verse comes at a time when AT&T is finally gaining
a little traction in its efforts to launch the long-delayed service. The
company says it is now selling U-verse in 18 markets in states such as
Texas, California and Wisconsin, offering it to about 2.8 million homes.
But the company has only signed up about 20,000 subscribers and some
question whether the cutting edge technology that AT&T is buying from
Microsoft Corp. to run the Internet-based service will scale properly as
hundreds of thousands and then millions of customers are added.
The problems AT&T has been having with U-verse have fueled speculation that
AT&T may acquire a satellite TV operator to vault into the national TV
business quickly.
=================================================
George Antunes Voice (713) 743-3923
Associate Professor Fax (713) 743-3927
Political Science Internet: antunes at uh dot edu
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-3011
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Mon, 07 May 2007 15:00:30 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Now Everybody Can Be a Cellphone Company
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1
Now Everybody Can Be a Cellphone Company
By AMOL SHARMA
Wall Street Journal
May 7, 2007; Page B1
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117849973816994036.html?mod=technology_featured_stories_hs
The National Wildlife Federation reaches out to its five million members
and supporters through direct mail, the Web and email. Now it's trying
something new: its own cellphone service.
The organization launched NWF Mobile in April, offering a line of phones
and service plans tailored to wildlife enthusiasts and activists. The
group's phones feature ringtones that croak like frogs and chirp like
birds, provide updates on environmental news and, someday, will allow users
to call their congressmen at the touch of a button.
"What I saw was a new opportunity to communicate with our constituents,"
says Greg Griffith, director of cause-related marketing at the federation.
"Just about everybody is getting a cellphone, and the younger generation is
using them for just about everything."
NWF Mobile is one of a host of new mobile services targeting micro-markets,
tiny niches that no cellphone giant would have the time or expertise to
penetrate. A California entrepreneur recently launched a service aimed at
yoga practitioners -- a market he sizes at roughly 20 million in the U.S.
The Chicago Bandits women's professional softball team is selling a service
that provides regular text-message updates on standings and schedules,
along with team photos. There's a company targeting cancer survivors, one
for members of a Christian group, and one whose market is moms who are
entrepreneurs: "Mums in Business Mobile."
Behind the new launches is a former Microsoft executive whose new venture,
Sonopia Corp., allows any organization or club to start a wireless company
"in 15 minutes or less" online. The company, based in Menlo Park, Calif.,
has signed up nearly 900 organizations to create their own service, with
relevant features, news and content for members of their respective groups.
Sonopia helps each organization design custom phones based on existing
handset models from major manufacturers, and it helps the groups lease
network access from Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon
Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC, to carry phone calls and data.
Sonopia also manages monthly billing and customer service, though each
organization's name -- NWF or Chicago Bandits -- is what appears on the
customers' bill.
Most of the micro-niche providers aren't in it for the money -- and that's
a good thing, considering they only get about 3% to 8% of the revenue from
monthly service plans. The rest goes to Verizon and Sonopia. Instead, most
of the groups use the service as a self-sustaining way to promote
themselves or their causes and keep members or customers engaged.
Cellphone companies targeting much broader niches by buying network access
from carriers have had mixed success. The idea was tainted somewhat by the
failure of ESPN's mobile venture last year. Walt Disney Co.'s cable network
shut down the phone service after struggling to find customers interested
in its sports-oriented phones. Other providers have done better -- such as
Virgin Mobile USA, a joint venture between Sprint Nextel Corp. and Virgin
Group PLC that has built a base of 4.9 million customers largely by
targeting teenage users with its pay-as-you-go service. Companies like
Amp'd Mobile Inc. and Helio, a joint venture of EarthLink Inc. and SK
Telecom Co., are selling high-end devices with media and GPS services,
charging customers over $100 per month, double what major carriers get.
The challenge for these operators is to find a big enough market to justify
their investments in marketing specialty devices and service plans. It's
not clear that they will. For Sonopia Chief Executive Juha Christensen, who
has years of experience in the wireless software and handset business, the
solution is to think about even smaller niches. He says businesses have yet
to tap the powerful identification people have with communities,
organizations and groups that share common interests.
It's still too early to tell whether his approach will work, especially
when Sonopia has to share revenue with two parties. But the company says it
keeps its costs down by relying on its partner organizations for marketing
and keeping most of its staff in Ukraine, where labor costs are lower.
While some of the organizations it works with would be lucky to sign up a
few thousand customers, if Sonopia can reach a total of 100,000 customers,
it will break even, the company says. Some investors are betting on the
model: Mr. Christensen has raised $21.3 million through a trio of venture
firms, Cardinal Venture Capital, Sevin Rosen Funds, and ComVentures.
NWF Mobile offers a Motorola Razr on its Web site for $50 with a two-year
contract. It sells plans ranging from $40 per month for 450 minutes to $97
for 2,800 minutes, prices that track closely with Verizon's. Mr. Griffith
says the NWF phones send out text-message blasts notifying members of
volunteer opportunities. Down the road, he plans to add a function that
will let people press a button to call their congressmen about a pending
dispute in Washington -- say, the controversy over drilling for oil in the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The Yoga Phone service, which is already live but will launch formally in
June, was created by Johannes Fisslinger, a devotee of the discipline for
20 years who now runs a Los Angeles-based organization called Yoga
Revolution Inc. The phones offer yoga news and blogs. Mr. Fisslinger, a
43-year-old native of Germany who learned yoga when traveling in India and
Japan, says he's considering adding inspirational text messages and a video
that will have a "pose of the day."
"I felt there was a need to tap into the huge yoga market," Mr. Fisslinger
says. "It has huge potential."
Mr. Fisslinger is striking partnerships with other yoga organizations, such
as the magazine Yoga Journal, to help market the service and provide
content for it. He says the proceeds from his service will go to the Yoga
for a Cure Foundation, which funds efforts aimed at improving people's
"health, vitality and personal well-being."
------------------------[BOXED FEATURE]-------------------------
MOBILE RESPONSE
A wide range of organizations are working with Sonopia Corp. to launch
cellphone services that cater to small slices of consumers. Some services
that started last month:
? Long Island Ducks (for fans of the minor league baseball team)
? Film Geeks Wireless (information on films, festivals)
? Animation Wireless (for animation enthusiasts)
? Phonograph (for music lovers)
? Mums in Business (for moms who are also entrepreneurs)
? BoSox Wireless (for Boston Red Sox fans)
? Yoga Phone (news and blogs for people who do yoga)
? Mobile Swami (to provide daily meditation tips)
? C&C Wireless (updates on news and events for Christians)
? Cancer Survivors Mobile (support for those affected by the disease)
Source: Sonopia Corp.
=================================================
George Antunes Voice (713) 743-3923
Associate Professor Fax (713) 743-3927
Political Science Internet: antunes at uh dot edu
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-3011
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Mon, 07 May 2007 16:57:21 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] NCTA: Explosion at Luxor Hotel Kills Employee
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii
[How long will it take for this to make it into an episode of CSI?]
May 7, 2007
Explosion at Luxor Hotel Kills Employee
By Jon Lafayette
TelevisionWeek Magazine
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=12006
An early morning explosion killed a man in the parking garage of Las Vegas'
Luxor Hotel, adjacent to the convention center where the National Cable and
Telecommunications Association's annual convention starts today.
Activity at the hotel and convention center appeared normal later in the
morning.
According to the Associated Press, the person who was killed was an
employee of the hotel. He found a small device on top of a vehicle in the
garage, and the device exploded.
Police said the blast was not a terrorist act, but an apparent murder of a
hotel employee.
"We believe the victim of this event was the intended target," said a Las
Vegas police spokesman.
Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents were
involved in the investigation.
Aerial video from news helicopters showed no apparent damage to the parking
structure, where entrances were blocked while police, firefighters and ATF
agents went from vehicle to vehicle with bomb-sniffing dogs.
=================================================
George Antunes Voice (713) 743-3923
Associate Professor Fax (713) 743-3927
Political Science Internet: antunes at uh dot edu
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-3011
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Mon, 07 May 2007 16:59:24 -0500
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Russia: School Principal Guilty Found in Software
Piracy Case
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii
Principal Guilty in Software Piracy Case
May 7, 2007 10:35 AM (ET)
By ALEX NICHOLSON
Associated Press
http://apnews.myway.com//article/20070507/D8OVJIU81.html
MOSCOW (AP) - A court Monday found the principal of a village school guilty
of using bootleg Microsoft software and ordered him to pay a fine of about
$195 in a case that was cast by Russian media as a battle between a humble
educator and an international corporation.
The trial of Alexander Ponosov, who was charged with violating intellectual
property rights by using classroom computers with pirated versions of the
Windows operating system and Microsoft Office software installed, has
attracted wide attention.
Russian officials frequently allege that foreign governments, including the
U.S., are meddling in Russia's internal affairs, and Russian media reports
have portrayed the case as that of a Western corporation bringing its power
to bear on one man - in this case, a principal who also teaches history and
earns $360 a month.
Microsoft, however, has said repeatedly it has nothing to do with the
charges, which were brought by Russian prosecutors in the Ural Mountains
region where Ponosov's school is located.
The case "was initiated by Russian authorities under Russian law," the
company said in an e-mailed statement after the verdict. "Microsoft neither
initiated nor has any plans to bring any action against Mr. Ponosov."
Prosecutor Natalya Kurdoyakova said in televised remarks that Ponosov knew
he was violating the law "and illegally used these programs in computer
classes."
Ponosov has maintained his innocence, saying that the computers at the
school came with the software already installed.
"I had no idea it wasn't licensed," Ponosov told The Associated Press by
telephone. He said that he planned to file an appeal.
"Prosecutors made a lot of mistakes starting from the moment they checked
the computers," he said.
Ponosov was found guilty of causing $10,000 in damage to the company,
RIA-Novosti quoted judge Valentina Tiunova as saying.
In February, the court in the Vereshchaginsky district of the Perm region
threw out the case, saying Ponosov's actions were "insignificant" and
presented no danger to society. Both Ponosov and prosecutors vowed to
appeal in hopes of forcing a clear decision, with Ponosov saying he wanted
a full acquittal.
In March, the regional court ordered Ponosov to stand trial a second time.
Despite government pledges to crack down on Russia's rampant piracy, the
country remains the No. 2 producer of bootlegged software, movies and music
after China.
In April, the Bush administration put Russia, China and 10 other nations on
a "priority watch list," which will subject them to extra scrutiny and
could eventually lead to economic sanctions if the administration decides
to bring trade cases before the World Trade Organization.
The designation was made in an annual report the administration is required
to provide to Congress each year that highlights the problems U.S.
companies are facing around the world with copyright piracy. The report
said that the United States will be closely watching to see how Russia
fulfills the commitments it made to upgrading copyright protection as part
of a U.S.-Russia accord reached last year which was seen as a key milestone
in Russian efforts to join the WTO.
=================================================
George Antunes Voice (713) 743-3923
Associate Professor Fax (713) 743-3927
Political Science Internet: antunes at uh dot edu
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-3011
------------------------------
Message: 8
Date: Mon, 07 May 2007 18:21:15 -0500
From: Renee <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] NARM Coverage: New Laws Threaten Used CD Market
To: Media <medianews@twiar.org>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
NARM Coverage: New Laws Threaten Used CD Market
May 01, 2007 - Retail
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i9ebf2d8ce6fd1e267bac18d43959ac24
By Ed Christman, Chicago
New legislation aimed at curbing the sale of stolen goods could threaten
the growing used CD marketplace in a number of states.
The National Assn. of Recording Merchandisers outside counsel, John
Mitchell, an attorney with Washington, D.C.-based Interaction Law,
reports that Florida and Utah have passed second-hand goods legislation,
sometimes referred to as pawn-shop laws, that could make the buying and
selling of used CDs much more onerous to stores and less attractive to
customers looking to sell music they are no longer interested in owning.
In Florida, the new legislation requires all stores buying second-hand
merchandise for resale to apply for a permit, would be required to
thumb-print CD sellers and get a copy of their state-issued identity
documents, such as a driver's license. Furthermore, stores could only
issue store credit -- not pay cash -- in exchange for traded CDs, and
then would be required to hold them for a 30-day period, before
re-selling them.
In addition to the two previously noted states, Rhode Island also has
pending legislation, says Mitchell. "State lawmakers in different states
tend to talk to one another...and there seems to be some sort of a new
trend among states to support second-hand-goods legislation," says Mitchell.
While most states have pawn shop laws, they are not typically enforced
against all sellers of second hand merchandise. But as a precaution,
most merchants, including record stores owners, already collect ID from
individuals selling previously owned goods.
In the states where pawn shop laws are getting more restrictive, it
practically makes it prohibitive to sell used CDs, says one merchant. In
fact, one music retailer -- who operates stores in Florida but is not
headquartered there -- reports that one of the chain's stores has
already had a visit from the local police enforcing the law. As a
result, the chain stopped dealing in used goods in that store.
Meanwhile, video and video game retailers are less hit. Stores selling
previously owned video and video games do not need a permit, and only
have to wait for 15 days before reselling the merchandise.
Laws that result in the curtailment of used CD sales likely would be
considered good news to record labels and music distributor executives
who have long abhorred the growing strength of the used CD market. In
fact, until the mid-1990's labels used to put pressure on merchants who
bought directly from them not to carry such merchants. At the time, some
majors attempted to kill the strategy by initiating new policies to
withhold cooperative advertising from retailers buying directly from
them but selling used CDs, a move endorsed by some artists including
Garth Brooks.
But that effort triggered a revolt from independent stores and
consumers, highlighted by barbeques of Garth Brook CDs, in some places
called a "garth-eque." It also served as a catalyst for a Federal Trade
Commission investigation of the music industry practices, forcing those
majors to back down from its anti-used CD stance.
Since then, merchants who buy direct from majors who participate in the
category say that used CD sales have grown from about 5% to sometimes
10%-20% of overall CD revenues. Also, those sales are more profitable.
Traditionally, used CD sales are protected by first-sale doctrine in
copyright laws allow owners to resell CDs, according to Mitchell. Also,
a CD resale is also protected by the U.S. Constitution's First
Amendment, argues Mitchell. Since selling a CD could be seen as an
indication that the owner does not like or agree with the content, the
collection of identification information could be seen as a violation of
first amendment rights.
------------------------------
Message: 9
Date: Mon, 07 May 2007 23:11:34 -0400
From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Huge star explodes in brightest supernova yet
seen
To: medianews@twiar.org
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Huge star explodes in brightest supernova yet seen
Mon May 7, 2007 5:29PM EDT
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN0735354720070507?rpc=92
By Will Dunham
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A gargantuan explosion ripped apart a star
perhaps 150 times more massive than our sun in a relatively nearby
galaxy in the most powerful and brightest supernova ever observed,
astronomers said on Monday.
And there is one such star in our own Milky Way galaxy that appears to
be on the brink of dying in just such a supernova.
The exploding star's dramatic death may have come in a rare type of
supernova reserved for "freakishly massive" stars that astronomers had
speculated about but never previously witnessed.
The supernova, designated as SN 2006gy, occurred 240 million light years
away in a galaxy called NGC 1260, and was studied using observations
from NASA's orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory as well as earthbound
optical telescopes.
The explosion occurred long ago but was detected last year after its
light traveled many, many trillions of miles (km) before it could be
observed from Earth.
"That sounds far away but it's actually quite nearby on the vast scale
of the universe," astronomer Nathan Smith of the University of
California at Berkeley, who led the research, told a news conference.
The supernova was discovered in September 2006, and stands as far and
away the most powerful and brightest ever observed, Smith said.
"In fact, even after the better part of a year, well after 200 days, it
has faded somewhat but it's still about as bright as a normal supernova
at its peak," Smith said.
A supernova marks a star's death in a spectacular explosion. Scientists
say these events play a crucial role in creating heavy elements through
nuclear fusion and synthesis and then expelling them into space, seeding
the cosmos with metals.
The scientists ruled out a possible alternative explanation that what
they were witnessing was the explosion of a white dwarf star with a mass
only a bit more than the sun.
OBLITERATED CORE
Astrophysicist Mario Livio said the supernova may have resulted from a
type of explosion mechanism that had existed only in theoretical
calculations. He said the first generation of stars in the universe may
have died in such a manner.
In a normal supernova, the core of a star collapses when it exhausts its
fuel, and forms either a neutron star or a black hole, with scant heavy
elements blown into space.
But this supernova appears to be the result of the core not collapsing
but being obliterated in an explosion blasting all its material into
space, the scientists said.
Dave Pooley of the University of California at Berkeley said this star
appears similar to Eta Carinae, a star perhaps 100 to 120 times the mass
of the sun located 7,500 light years away within the Milky Way. There
has not been a supernova in our galaxy in more than 400 years, Pooley said.
A light year is about 6 trillion miles, the distance light travels in a
year.
If Eta Carinae were to burst into a supernova, Pooley said, "It would be
so bright that you would see it during the day, and you could even read
a book by its light at night."
Livio said Eta Carinae had an incredible eruption during the 19th
century that left it in an hourglass shape. He said it could explode at
any time.
"This could happen tomorrow, it could happen 1,000 years from now,"
Livio said. "Is there a risk to life on Earth as a result of this
explosion? Well, not very likely."
Livio said Earth could be affected if there were a gamma ray burst that
potentially could harm the atmosphere and life, but the chances of this
aiming directly at Earth are slim.
--
Gregory S. Williams
gregwilliams(at)knology.net
k4hsm(at)knology.net
http://www.etskywarn.net
http://www.twiar.org
http://www.icebearnation.com
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