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My own private memory hole

Editors' note: This is a guest column. See Larry Downes' bio below.

In "1984," George Orwell's classic dystopian novel, protagonist Winston Smith is a low-level bureaucrat in the Ministry of Truth. His job: to "rectify" old newspaper articles in which Big Brother's predictions or promises turned out to be false. Once the articles are rewritten, the original text--and the truth they represent--is dropped down a pneumatic tube known as a memory hole, "to be devoured by the flames."

The European Commission has recently proposed a real-life version of this fictional device, though … Read more

Amazon.com has the RightWay 550 Portable GPS Navigator for $89.99, after $29.01 savings.

Save $29.01 on the RightWay 550 Portable GPS Navigator from Amazon.com >> Regular price is $119 >> Sale price is $89.99 >> Savings $29.01 (24.38%) >> Click here for deal

Two free programs help prevent drive-by downloads

As Elinor Mills reported in her Insecurity Complex blog, malicious code was added to a widget on the growsmartbusiness.com site of Web-hosting firm Network Solutions. The widget was also placed on sites "under construction" that Network Solutions hosts.

The widget has been removed, but Wayne Huang, co-founder and chief technology officer at security firm Armorize, claims in an August 14 blog post that more than a half million of these parked domains are infected. Network Solutions says this figure is "inaccurate" but hasn't yet estimated the impact of the infection.

Regardless of the final … Read more

RightWay shows major improvement with new 550 GPS model

If CNET offered an award for "Most Improved Manufacturer," I'd be casting my vote for RightWay GPS. When we last saw this manufacturer of portable navigation devices, its Spotter Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Edition was distracting us with Nascar gimmickry, and underwhelming us with its limited functionality. However, the new RightWay 550 is actually a pretty good GPS navigator.

However, despite there being much that we like about the 550--such as the snappy performance of its SirfStar IV GPS receiver, its powerful CoPilot Live 8 navigation software, and the high level of customization offered--there is still quite a … Read more

The 'Cloud Computing Bill of Rights': 2010 edition

In August of 2008, I wrote a blog post that generated quite a bit of discussion among the cloud-computing and Internet communities of the time. The post described what I felt was a simple "bill of rights" of sorts for the consumers and vendors of cloud-computing services.

Later that month, I posted an update that incorporated feedback from a variety of sources, and added some provisions targeted at governments' relationship with both cloud providers and cloud consumers. That post generated even more discussion, as people from both the technology and legal communities took notice and contributed their thoughts.… Read more

The 404 541: Where we put Sweden on the map (podcast)

Longtime 404 listener Ammi took some time out of her busy vacation from Sweden to drop by our studios this morning, so we invite her on the show to tell us about her first trip to the United States...and also to help us locate Sweden on the map, because we're geographically hopeless. Ammi's only been here a few days so far, but her observations on the chaos and consumerism of American culture are on point. Like many foreigners that visit our country, she can't help but notice the obesity epidemic that we can easily trace back to the cupcake stores on every block in the city.

To Jeff's delight, Ammi also tells us that hockey gets much more attention in Sweden than it does in the US, although I'm pretty sure Swedish cable subscribers can't watch their games in 3D. On March 24, Cablevision will be broadcasting the New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders game in 3D, the first live 3D sports broadcast to hit the network. Don't worry if you're not one of the 11 people that actually own a 3D TV; Madison Square Garden will also host a viewing party on a big-screen 3D projection TV for 2,500 guests on the night of the big game. Hockey fans that can handle the real dimension can also just buy tickets to the live game.

We're all fans of old-school Pinball games, but we never thought we'd see a Bill Paxton Pinball Machine! Ben Heckendorn just put the finishing touches on a custom Paxton Pinball game that he's been working on since 2005. He even lists out the exact parts you need to make your own in a detailed "making-of" story and demonstration video. Nice work, Ben!

We've also got another story from the book of wacky DIY projects: the "Carpuccino," a converted Volkswagon powered by the carbon in loose coffee grounds. To prove its worth, the team responsible for building the Carpuccino is driving the car from London to Manchester using grounds collected from Costa Coffee. The adventure will take time and plenty of cash--the top speed is 60 miles per hour and costs a ridiculous 25-50 times more than using gasoline. Odds of seeing an official Ford/Honda/Toyota Carpuccino: zero.

Thanks again to Ammi, Samri, Sarah, and the rest of our Swedish listeners for supporting the show from abroad. We gave Ammi plenty of stickers to plaster all over the country, so expect to see some pictures of 404-branded Swedish Fish soon!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

EPISODE 541 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

How to get DRM-free PC games: Just wait

Gamers have long known that patience is rewarded with cheaper, less-buggy games. But does that adage hold true for the inclusion of digital rights management as well? Not always, but history does show us that time makes even the strictest of DRM less sucky.

This could become especially important given the latest round of DRM implemented by both Ubisoft and EA, a system that requires players to have a constant connection to the Internet in order to play. Otherwise, they're simply kicked out to the main menu until a connection can be had again.

Needless to say, this new … Read more

BBC survey: Net access is basic right

Four of every five adults believe access to the Internet is a fundamental right, and more than half believe it should never be regulated, according to a new survey.

In a BBC World Service poll of 27,000 adults in 26 countries, 78 percent of Internet users believed the Internet is a fundamental right--with particularly strong response in South Korea and China.

Nine in 10 adults said the Internet was a good place to learn.

Read more of "78% of adults believe Internet access a fundamental right; 50% want no regulation" at ZDNet's Between the Lines.

Rights turn Flash

Armjisoft's Flash OwnerGuard is a Digital Rights Management (DRM) utility that's designed to do one job, collecting and simplifying what would otherwise be a lot of complex steps. It secures and protects video files made with Adobe's popular Flash animation software. It uses a new DRM technology called Inline DRM to not only lock down your Flash SWF and FLV files but to also allow you to access them within any container, including Web sites, Web browsers, Microsoft Office documents, Adobe PDF files, and Flash Player programs, and even your own apps. It offers some highly specialized … Read more