"More than three weeks after the release of The Settlers 7, with the controversial 'always on-line' DRM, a lot of people still can't connect to Ubisoft's DRM servers."

"One reason for the lack of fixes or responses from support seems to be that the people responsible were on vacation during the Easter holiday, despite the promise of 24/7 monitoring of the servers."

So far, Ubisoft hasn't shown any sign that they're reconsidering the requirement of a constant connection.

The most glaring "suggestion"? That computer users install software that would scan the contents of their hard drives, looking for examples of "infringement." If the software discovers what it thinks it infringement, bam! Deleted!

The funniest is that the RIAA/MPAA expects federal agencies, like the FBI, to keep an eye out for pirates on opening weekend.

The much-discussed software development kit for the upcoming iPhone OS 4.0 says that native applications must be "originally written" in Objective C, C, or C++, forbidding developers from using any sort of "translation or compatibility layer."

And what if you take an application that was already written in some other language for some other platform and rewrite it for the iPhone? Is that a translation too?

When you write a shader with an OpenGL script, you're not coding in Objective C. And what about XML?

A day before the death of the free CD shipping program, a "Call to Action" thread on the OpenSolaris Governance Board (OGB) mailing list howled for more information on Oracle's plans for the platform, and some suggested that the project should be forked.

Oracle has also tweaked the Solaris download license so that the OS can only be used for 90 days - unless you purchase a service contract.

An Israeli who tried to bring his iPad back from the US on Tuesday told the Haaretz's business division, TheMarker, that when he tried to declare it at Israeli customs it was confiscated, and he was directed to contact the Ministry of Communications if he wanted it back.

"All new electronic technology that enters Israel is subject to regulation approval, just as in European and many other countries. The Communications Ministry has asked Apple to send the technological specs of the iPad in order to approve its usage in the Israeli market, and any iPads that were held before entering Israel will be returned to their owners."

The GAO said most of the published information, anecdotal evidence, and records show that piracy is a drag on the U.S. economy, tax revenue, and in some cases potentially threatens national security and public health.

The accountability office even noted the existence of data that shows piracy may benefit consumers in some cases.

Some media outlets have reported that counterfeit goods can be traced to organized crime and groups that support terrorism.

Apparently, one of the hot book series out there is the "Millennium Trilogy" by author Stieg Larsson. Apparently, the first couple of books have become incredibly popular in the US, but the third in the series has been released elsewhere, but not in the US yet. So, not surprisingly, many fans are ordering it from abroad.

"What I would say to readers is, I would encourage them to shop at their local bookseller here in the United States or their online bookseller in the United States, where no laws are being broken and you are supporting the continuing discovery of world literature."

Police arrested Donald Wolfe, 55, after witnesses reported seeing him trying to revive a long dead possum, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Another reported seeing him give mouth to mouth resuscitation to the carcass on a highway north-east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

This time The Valley Morning Star, a small paper in Harlingen, Texas, decided in mid-2009 to implement a paywall.

The paywall, which launched the week of July 15th, cost $3.95 a month, 75 cents per day, or was included if you had a subscription to the print version of the newspaper.

In any case, after 8 months, the The Valley Morning Star took the paywall down, proudly proclaiming they "will be moving back to a completely FREE Web site."

"As I'd been paying for over two years to have non-existent cheques cashed, I thought I may as well have something for this outlay, so my last cheque was sent blown up on A3 cardboard."

"I've had my solicitor write them several letters, pointing out that they've been paid with a legal cheque, and it's up to them to cash it."

The current state of play is that David's solicitor has written to BT threatening to "take them to court if they didn't cash my cheque".