Facebook Kicking 20,000 Users A Day
Well, they weren’t concerned about the moral high ground when it came to security issues on its website, but now Facebook are doing an about face when it comes to underage users on the social networking site. Users have to be 13 years or older to be members, but there is little they can do to enforce the law, especially if somebody lies about their age to join. However, despite that, the company is still booting about 20,000 people a day from the site, according to the sites chief privacy advisor Mozelle Thompson, who was addressing Australia’s Federal Parliament’s Cyber Safety Committee. One wonders how they are supposed to enforce such a law – if parents aren’t watching kids online there is not much Facebook can do about it.
Gay Cure App for iPhone?
Huh? Yep, seems Apple approved an app from the Christian group Exodus International that would help gay people be ‘cured’ from homosexuality. However, gay advocacy group – Change.org – managed to get almost 150,000 online signatures that objected to the app being sold. Apple has since bowed to pressure and removed the offending application. This is one of those stories that makes you shake your head and mutter “Only in America.”
Kinect Hacked For PS3
It’s a situation bound to make Microsoft execs gag and Sony Entertainment suits smile – a gaming geek has managed to get a Kinect controller working with a PS3. Hacker Shantanu Goel admits his attempt is far from perfect as he hasn’t “updated to a lot of recent code for the below libraries and also haven’t done most of the performance/feature improvements yet.” Not saying it is a perfect start, but if you have been reading Wires Crossed lately you will know that hacking software on consoles is one of Sony’s pet hates. Wonder what they think of this little incident?
Apple and Amazon Ready To Rumble
Nothing like two giants of the tech world suing each other in the public arena. It’s a lot more common than people think – especially when it comes to patented technology – but rarely gets reported in the mainstream media because, well, it’s not that exciting to the average punter. If you're like us, you think that Apple, and its founder Steve Jobs, are a little anal about their intellectual property. Nothing could be more true when you look as to why Apple are suing online megastore Amazon. Apple feels it owns the rights to the words 'App Store', and objects to Amazon using the same term for its mooted Android online application store. To add fuel to the fire, Microsoft has thrown its two cents in and has filed a complaint against Apple saying the House of Jobs is trying to monopolise the name, and believes the word is too generic to be owned by a single entity. Mind you, you would think “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble” is pretty much generic too, but didn’t stop boxing ring announcer Michael Buffet getting a Federal trademark for the words.
Comments
the Apple and Amazon wording dispute is a bit different to Michael Buffets "Let's get Ready to Rumble"catch phrase.
For Michael Buffet this is his catch phrase that he used for every match he commentates and as such actually trademarked the words in a certain order, and in all honesty isn't that generic.
Where as apple and it's "App Store" is quite a bit different. To start with when I think of App I think of Application not Apple and as such any store which sells applications can be classed as an App Store - however if this was the actual registered name of a company that would be an entirely different matter - however as far as I am aware Apple hasn't registered the App Store name as either a registered trademake or a business name - in which case it's open to be used by anyone and everyone if they want.
It's a bit like the Ugg Boot lawsuit that is happening over here in Australia at the moment - although not quite as complex but with bigger players.
It's actually amazing the infighting, the three companies are worth billions, it would be cheaper and far better for each of them to hire a group of negotiating specialists and negotiate with each other. In that way they would easily monopolise their areas they wish to "underground" and us poor consumers would pay more. It is probably happening and this is just for show value. Sometimes I wish I was a megabillionaire, I'd actually show them how to monopolise without any interaction from outside governmental forces or ridiculously expensive over the top court claims.
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