Torrent users sue US Copyright Group for fraud and extortion – TechSpot News: “Dmitriy Shirokov is suing a Washington law firm that sent threatening letters to thousands of alleged movie downloaders, accusing the firm of fraud and extortion. He filed the 96-page lawsuit, which argues that lawyers at Dunlap, Grubb & Weaver made a business of threatening people with expensive litigation and fines unless they pay ‘settlement offers’ of $1,500 to $2,500, in the US District Court of Massachusetts. “
Hackers publish fingerprints of biometrics-touting Minister // Current: ” Hackers in Germany have published thousands of copies of the fingerprints of German minister Wolfgang Schauble, a loud advocate of fingerprint biometrics. Hackers from the Chaos Computer Club lifted a fingerprint from the Interior Minister, printed it on plastic, and distributed it by the thousands with their magazine for anyone who wants to impersonate the Minister at a biometric checkpoint. Short of amputation, a biometric identifier can’t be revoked or changed. Schauble is a big proponent of the use of fingerprints in passports but is not the CCC’s only target. The group has called for help in obtaining the prints of other German officials, including Chancellor Angela Merkel. The CCC’s publication of the fingerprint coincides this week with the presentation of a security researcher who demonstrated a biometric keylogger that can capture digital fingerprints and other digital biometric data as it’s transmitted from a scanning device to the server where the information is processed. The hacker can then analyze and re-use the data to subvert biometric systems and gain entry to secured buildings. “
Solar panels getting a sleek new makeover | MNN – Mother Nature Network: ” The next generation of solar panels will bear little resemblance to their predecessors, at least on the outside. Companies like SRS Energy, Kyocera and Suntech Power are working with building suppliers on alternatives to clunky solar panels that will satisfy the demands of picky property owners, creating products like solar roofing tiles that blend in with the traditional clay versions found on many Southern California homes.”
Throbbing Gristle’s Peter ‘Sleazy’ Christopherson Dies at 55 – Spinner: “Throbbing Gristle founder Peter ‘Sleazy’ Christopherson died in his sleep on Nov 24 at the age of 55.
Born in Leeds, England, the industrial music pioneer was also a founding member of Coil and Psychic TV after Throbbing Gristle disbanded in 1981, as well as recording solo work under the name The Threshold HouseBoys Choir. Most recently he founded SoiSong in 2007 with Ivan Pavlov.
The news was made official today when Throbbing Gristle bandmates Cosey Fanni Tutti and Chris Carter tweeted: ‘Our dearest beautiful Sleazy left this mortal coil as he slept in peace last night.words cannot express our grief.’ Other artists, like Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor also took to Twitter to express their grief: ‘I awake to sad news. RIP Peter Christopherson – friend and huge inspiration.'”
making buildings in foamboard: “Emmanuel Nouaillier shows how to scratch build and age miniature structures. This is will introduce my personal approach and techniques for scratch building and ageing buildings, pertaining to the typical northern French urban landscape of the 1940s and early 50s.
I believe that a proper rendition of textures and adequate weathering of the different elements is important when making a miniature scene, where the optimal development of each small detail of a diorama becomes more a necessity to modellers who want to show, with utmost realism, models that are better detailed and weathered I will explain stage by stage in future articles how to create peculiar materials and elements and how to give the models ‘life’ while employing generic methods. “
Disguised Man Boards International Flight (PHOTOS): “A passenger flying from Hong Kong to Canada made a transformation in flight that officials are describing as ‘unbelievable,’ morphing from what appeared to be an elderly, Caucasian man to a mid-twenties Asian youth, CNN is reporting.
The incredible deception began as the man, whose name is not being released, boarded an Air Canada flight disguised as an elderly white man in Hong Kong. According to the alert obtained by CNN:”
MUTANT SOUNDS: “To accompany our share of side A of the brand new VDO LP ‘Ninth Ward Fourth World’, it seemed apropos to also unleash this, the first of two collaborations VDO undertook with Christopher Moock (the second being the Vas Dererens Organization & Christopher-Suspension LP on Beta-Lactam Ring) prior to Messr. Moock joining VDO officially some 5 years back, casting as it does some light on how Chris and his sensibility slot into the mix. In truth though, much of this particular release could also be viewed as a Muz and Christopher collaboration, as aside from the last third of side B, I’m wholly absent from this one, these recordings having come together very rapidly over these course of a weekend while I was away, with Miasmata principally consisting of Matt manipulating and building out material submitted by Chris and my coming in on the end stretch and adding a cherry on top. The results sit midway between the sustained amniotic electronic probings of Matt’s eponymous first Muz LP, the krautrock-indebted jamming periodically heard our collaborations with Brad Laner and a sorta swarming avant garde-ish synth-y symphonism suggestive of The Legendary Pink Dots.
Get it via Megaupload Here
MUTANT SOUNDS: VAS DEFERENS ORGANIZATION-NINTH WARD FOURTH WORLD LP – AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER AND FREE PARTIAL DOWNLOAD NOW!: “Yes, the wait is finally over folks. The first new album by Vas Deferens Organization (Eric Lumbleau, Matt Castille, Christopher Moock) under our own banner in nine years (coming on the heels of all our recent work with Ariel Pink as Shits And Giggles and Ariel Pink with Added Pizzazz) is now finally upon us. The first title out of the gate in our new 33 1/3 degree series on our Free Dope And Fucking In The Streets imprint, Ninth Ward Fourth World represents the distillation of the VDO aesthetic to a 151 proof fine science; a collapsing of the sinister, the absurd and the sublime into a reality-annihilating gravitational nexus. We’ve spared no expense in the creation of this remarkable and extremely limited audio artifact, with both the front and back of the jacket sporting full sized four-color hard plastic laminated panels and with eye-popping artwork laser etched into the center of the 180 gram vinyls in place of labels. This LP and all future releases in this series are limited to only 100 physical copies.
With a official release date of Nov. 13, this LP is offered on a strictly first come, first served basis and is limited to 3 copies per customer. Pre-orders are now being accepted Here
and look out for further new albums on Free Dope And Fucking In The Streets by Vas Deferens Organzation and it’s satellites as well as the highly anticipated third album from avant pop auteur/one man band/ex-pitchfork scribe Dominique Leone.
To whet your appetite, you can download and check out all of side A in 320 kbps Here
