Virtual Thought

There’s this interesting article on CNET that discusses how Microsoft is suing the FairUse4WM developer over stolen source code because, in the Microsoft rep’s words:

“Our own intellectual property was stolen from us and used to create this tool,” said Bonnie MacNaughton, a senior attorney in Microsoft’s legal and corporate affairs division. “They obviously had a leg up on any of the other hackers that might be creating circumvention tools from scratch.”

So, is someone from Microsoft saying that, obviously, only someone with access to the source code could crack FairPlay?

Boy, is that wrong.

Here’s the big fallacy with DRM: if you give someone protected content (songs) and the thing that has to un-protect it to play it (Windows Media Player) then you have given that someone the keys to the kingdom and it is impossible to protect that content. This happens over and over and over… CSS encrypted DVDs and DVD players, locked up game content on XBox titles and the XBox itself, iTunes songs and the iTunes player.

I think what’s really going on is MS(Microsoft) trying to get some legal momentum on this fight, maybe get this hacker-type person Viodentia to pay many, many dollars in a drawn-out legal contest when, truly, MS isn’t going after the hacker for stealing source code—they’re going after the hacker because he/she circumvented the copy protection which is a lesser offense than stealing source code.

Sound and fury. I just hope the judge in the case is smarter than that and doesn’t let MS get away with it.

Holy shit. That is some intense stuff. Of course, due to some copywrong violations on the part of the submitters (pesky laws!) I won’t link directly to the video I watched… but it’s pretty easy to find nonetheless. (more…)

The more I hear about the Wii the more excited I get. If the firmware is updateable that not only means patches, but that also means the possibility of reverse engineering it, reflashing it, etc.. I’m about to wii myself.

The Scissor Sisters fuckin’ rock. I’m pretty happy with how my music library has expanded recently. Too bad about the ITMS DRM... It is very inconvenient that I can’t get the MP3 stereo component I want for my living room because Apple and the RIAA wanted to lock up their songs. Argh.

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So I stopped by the store, one of those combo McDonald’s/gas stations places…

After picking up my dinner of a double quarter pounder and a large Diet Coke, I stopped by the gas station counter to get some smokes and a 12-pack of Diet Coke (I’m a caffeine fiend), the attendant asked, “Would you like me to put your cigarettes in a plastic bag with your McDonald’s?”

Yup. I’m all about the health.