Some semi-random bits of news from around the tubez:
A convention called ‘Penguicon‘ is being held in Romulus, Michigan next month (Yes, Romulus). A celebration of all things gamerish and geeky, the con has on its speaker list Wil Wheaton (Star Trek star, game blogger, and Dungeon Master), Jane McGonigal (ARG creator), and Sara Hoyt (steampunk author), among others. This con is different not simply because of it’s small size (1337 attendees are expected. Really.), but because it boldly proclaims to cross disciplines and be a mix-and-match con for geeks of every stripe.
The French president himself had advocated a strong, ‘3-strikes’ style law against internet copyright infringers and other miscreants: get caught 3 times, and be banned from the internet forever. The law, which is backed by the increasingly-dubious music industry, was highly questionable on many fronts, and was struck down handily in the French National Assembly.
Speaking of dubious, Time Warner Cable is giving a trial run to it’s own money-grubbing plan to gouge internet users for large amounts of cash. Their ‘tiered pricing’ plan allows a whole 5GB of usage per month for $30, 40GB for $55, and the overage charges (if you exceed your cap) are simply outrageous. As of yesterday, Time Warner has sweetly offered to cap these overage charges at an additional $75 per month. They are, by far, the most expensive ISP in the industry. Oh, and in case you were wondering, Time Warner is testing these new plans in areas in which they are the sole high-speed internet provider. Boy, this all sure seems fair, huh?
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