A New Anti-Piracy Chip
At first, I wasn’t so sure about this. But when I read further it grew more interesting with each sentence. It seems that a group of cable industry veterans have come up with what might become a viable solution for halting piracy of all digital content. They were granted the patent and it’s supposedly going to be inexpensive and easy to understand. And each user will be able to control his/her level of security, which, again, could help put an end to piracy altogether from the way it sounds.
The chip doesn’t involve software, which has proven all too easy to hack. It uses what is called a “downloadable conditional access system,” or DRM (digital rights management), with its hardware specifically designed so only a licensed user can access the content.
“This downloadable hardware approach enables a whole new level of security,” says Bill Bauer, a veteran cable operator who is CEO of BBT and chief technical officer. “It’s what anyone manufacturing devices or distributing electronic data communications has needed for a long time – an open system diverse parties can use to protect data and intellectual property.”
The article is more focused on cable and films. But if they can come up with something that will make all electronic data more secure then I would imagine digital books will fall into this somewhere along the line. I don’t know the ratio between pirated films and e-books, but I do know that book piracy has been an ongoing issue for a while and many publishers think it’s getting worse.
The article goes into far more detail than I’m willing to admit I understand at this point. But I think it’s worth checking out, for publishers, authors, and for readers.
Virginia Gov-Elect Hawks for Money
I thought this was amusing, if not expected. The recently elected Governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, sent out an e-mail thanking voters, and then hawked them for money.
The email consisted of two sentences: “I cannot thank you enough for all of your support. This campaign wouldn’t have been possible without you.” Below that was an election night picture of McAuliffe and his wife, Dorothy.
And then a big red button with one word on it: CONTRIBUTE.
You can see the entire e-mail here. Look closely, though. It’s basically a vast white space with one line and a photo of the new Gov and his wife.
This is what some might say falls into the category of WTF-ery.
