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[link to original | source: www.itnews.com.au | shared via: feedly]

A Second Lessig Fair-Use Video Is Suppressed By WMG

Bios_Hakr points out an ironic use of the DMCA: for the second time, a video tutorial on fair use that Larry Lessig uploaded to YouTube has been muzzled. This time the sound has been pulled from the video; last time the video was taken off of YouTube. (Video and sound for the new "webside chat" can be experienced together on BlipTV.) Both times, Warner Music Group was the party holding copytright on a song that Lessig used in an unarguably fair-use manner. TechDirt is careful not to assume that an actual DMCA takedown notice was issued, on the likelihood that Google's automatic copyright-violation detectors did the deed. "The unintended consequences of asking tool providers [e.g., Google] to judge what is and what is not copyright infringement lead to tremendous problems with companies shooting first and asking questions later. They are silencing speech, on the threat that it might infringe on copyright. This is backwards. We live in a country that is supposed to cherish free speech, not stifle it in case it harms the business model of a company. We live in a country that is supposed to encourage the free expression of ideas — not lock it up and take it down because one company doesn't know how to adapt its business model. We should never be silencing videos because they might infringe on copyright."

Microsoft Says, Don't Press the F1 Key In XP

Ian Lamont writes "Microsoft has issued a security advisory warning users not to press the F1 key in Windows XP, owing to an unpatched bug in VBScript discovered by Polish researcher Maurycy Prodeus. The security advisory says that the vulnerability relates to the way VBScript interacts with Windows Help files when using Internet Explorer, and could be triggered by a user pressing the F1 key after visiting a malicious Web site using a specially crafted dialog box."

iPad’s 3G Pricing: Why It’s So Great

As someone who's followed the wireless industry closely for years, one of the most interesting announcements to come out of the iPad keynote were the wireless plans. The wireless industry in the U.S. has been one of the least consumer-friendly industries for years (just consider the fact that consumers regularly pay as much as $1,000 per megabyte for text messages). There has been a slow change in how the wireless industry prices data, however, and the iPad's data plans with AT&T highlight this.

This change first drew my attention when the Kindle was originally released with unlimited data access built into the price. This was a sea change in how cellular data is sold, as the cost basically became transparent for the customer. That's not to say the customer isn't paying for it, you are, but there's no monthly line item that you are aware of. Now, the Kindle, and other e-book readers that offer similar services, are something of an extreme example because of the very small amount of data that's actually used to send a book to the device. The iPad, however, shows that this isn't an isolated incident.

Let's take a close look at the iPad's mobile data plans. For $15 per month you get 250MB of data transfer and free usage of AT&T's Wi-Fi hotspot network. For twice that amount you get "unlimited" data (read 5GB per month as is standard in the wireless industry) plus access to AT&T's WiFi network. Despite what many are saying, that $15 plan is actually a pretty good deal for many people. For example, I'm a heavy iPhone user, so the first thing I do every morning is pull out my iPhone and check my RSS feeds. I have it in my hand and am usually accessing the Internet for hours every day. Despite that, I regularly use less than 200MB of data each month. This is possible because I, like most people, have access to high-speed WiFi networks at home and work, where I spend most of my time.

Throw in the free access to AT&T Wi-Fi networks and I imagine that most users can get away with that 250MB of use per month without too much trouble. That means that for the first time people can get everywhere access to almost the entire Internet for the same price that dial-up cost a few years ago. Of course for tech geeks like us we're going to be afraid that we'll blow past that 250MB pretty quick and probably spring for the $30 per month plan. Even here, however, we're getting a pretty great deal compared to the $60 per month that cellular companies regularly charge for unlimited data for your computer, even dinky little computers like netbooks.

Perhaps even more important, however, is the fact that these data plans are available on a prepaid basis and can be cancelled at any time. Up until now, in order to get the privilege of paying $60 per month for 5GB of data for your netbook you would have to pay a couple hundred dollars for a modem. If you want that modem for free you're stuck signing a contract for two years. The fact that I can get an iPad with 3G capabilities, and then buy service on a month-to-month basis as necessary is pretty great.

The iPad's data plans are in fact a major competitive advantage for the device. For other companies to compete effectively in this space they're going to not only have to put together a device that matches the iPad's hardware and software experience, but that also matches its connectivity experience. This isn't going to be easy in the short term, and it's a clear example of how Apple has been able to leverage its relationship with AT&T to get a pretty great deal for consumers (as long as you don't live in New York or San Francisco). In the long term you can bet that companies like Verizon, Sprint, HTC and Asus are going to be forced to match or beat the pricing and structure of these plans, and that's going to be a win for all of us, no matter what device we use.

[link to original | source: GigaOM | published: 11 hours ago | shared via feedly]

Premiere: Hulu’s Social Media-Infused “If I Can Dream”

Hulu's first foray into original programming — a reality show called If I Can Dream — premiered today with a 25-minute pilot episode. We've embedded it below so you can watch it right here. The premiere was accompanied by a big roll-out of features that set the series apart from what you've seen on network television.

Live 24/7 video, social networking profiles, and lifestreams all play a part in engaging viewers in the cast members' lives. It's an impressive production, but we get the sense that it's expensive enough that it won't pay for itself unless it becomes a huge hit.

Given all its innovations and refinements on the past ten years of web show experimentation, though, it might actually pull through — especially since it's available internationally. Time will tell, but until it does, we can at least dig deeper to find out how the If I Can Dream machine works.

How It's Unique to the Web

The show's tagline is "Welcome to the New Hollywood." That refers to the show's premise — it's about a group of young artists seeking to become the next big stars in Los Angeles — but it's also easy to read as a mission statement for the show's presentation and model.

The house that the five cast members will live in is equipped with 50 cameras that will live stream to the web for free 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That's accessible at ificandream.com, and it's accompanied by a ticker at the bottom of the site that announces when and where interesting events will be happening along with the current weather and time in LA where the house is located.

The cast's Twitter, Facebook and MySpace accounts are linked and chock full of content. The music they're (supposedly) listening to will stream on iheart radio. Short clips will be posted on Hulu every day.

In an interview at the Hulu blog, executive producer Michael Herwick summarized the project this way:

It's about creating sort of a 21st century platform for legitimate, up-and-coming talent. It's such a broader form of entertainment, where you have the 24-hour live streams, you have the weekly episodes on Hulu, and you have all this video-on-demand content. It's very interactive and it's very much in tune with what young people are doing these days. They digest the internet, they're socially interactive, and they're shooting their own videos on YouTube and getting discovered. We're just saying that's where it's at right now, and we're creating a project around that.

How It's Like Network TV

That web content is all in addition to the full episodes that will be posted to Hulu every Tuesday morning. The first two will focus on introducing the cast members as they travel the world to promote the show. The episodes are actually notable for how different they are from other made-for-web-video; their production values and presentation are similar to what you'd expect from a cable or network TV show.

That's because the project is the brainchild of Simon Fuller, the reality TV producer who developed Pop Idol and American Idol. If I Can Dream is thematically similar to those shows in that its focus is on aspiring performers trying to make it in LA. Four of them are unknowns, but one of them — singer-songwriter Justin Gaston — is somewhat famous for having dated pop star Miley Cyrus and worked as an underwear model. He has over 100,000 followers on Twitter.

As with many other reality shows, though, auditions for future roles are ongoing. If you're young, talented and beautiful, you can upload MySpace audition videos to try to become the next resident of the If I Can Dream House.

If I Can Dream is not the first reality show to offer live streams of the house; Big Brother did so several years ago. But If I Can Dream is doing it for free thanks to some clever ad deals. There are brief ads you have to watch when you start a stream and there are some sponsorships, too. For example, Justin will perform music at arranged times in a room called the Pepsi Blue Room.

Watch the Premiere

Here's the premiere episode, "The Journey to Hollywood Special." Enjoy, and let us know what you think of this (fairly) new approach to web TV in the comments.

Reviews: Facebook, Hulu, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube

Tags: 19 entertainment, hulu, If I Can Dream, justin gaston, live video, miley cyrus, reality tv, Simon Fuller, television, tv, twitter, web series