Japanese File-Sharers May Soon Lose Internet Access, Linux Distribution Expected to Halt
By 8bit on 03-25-2008
How does Japan always manage to beat the United States to anything remotely related to technology? Face it, whether it's sweet cellphone credit cards or the heralded replacement to the original Xbox controller, Japan has the USA licked. And now in 2008, Japan rolls out its latest and greatest announcement in the technology field: threats to file-sharers!
Yes, the four major ISP providers in Japan reportedly plan on implementing a system to track illegal file-sharing among its users. They plan to send e-mail warnings to first-time offenders, eventually escalating to account termination if the user continues sharing files. TorrentFreak reports that the number of Japanese file-sharers has increased by 180% in a single year. That's a lot of J-pop floating around in those tubes.
Representatives for the ISPs quickly responded to the reports, claiming that no current plan exists to punish file-sharers; however, the ISP providers and the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers, and Publishers (or JARSAC!!!!!! JARSAC CANNON ACTIVATE BREAOOWOW PPOWP POW!) plan to meet in April to discuss the possibilities.
Next up on Japan's docket: The much-anticipated response to America's Thrillhammer EC01.
Transmodern Festival 2008 Will Piss You Off
By Mr P on 03-25-2008
Don't like avant performance? Hate installations? Distaste sound? Have an aversion to film? Can't stand mayhem?? Loathe ecstasy?? Wish radical culture never existed??? Boy do I have a fest that'll get your goat, upset your apple-cart, ruffle your feathers, foam, mouth, bee, bonnet, etc.! It's called Transmodern Festival (Live.Art.Action), and it's running April 3-6 in Baltimore.
Tagged as "Baltimore's Best Art Event" by City Paper, the four-day fest features everything you hate ("avant performance, installation, sound, film, mayhem, ecstasy, and radical culture"), with over 50 artists crammed in the Load of Fun studios. Tell Dina Kelberman how much her cute art stinks! (Ooooh!) Throw water balloons at Anna Oxygen and tell her she needs more hydrogen! (Hah, youch!) Let Blevin Blectum (pictured) know her electronic music sounds organic! (Nice one!) Refuse to buy Thach Thao Nguyen's's Vietnamese-style spring rolls, no matter how Vietnamese-styled they are! (Preach on, P!)
In a time when artists have broken from mainstream aesthetics and are making hopeful attempts at unification through localized art fests, we need hate now more than ever. Cost to spread hate at the fifth annual Transmodern Festival: $10 each day; $25 for all four days. Time to show these knuckleheads how we show our deep-rooted horror and sense of repugnance in 2008!
A Woman Is Suing the RIAA for Racketeering and Spying; Are You Ever Surprised When You Read Headlines Like This?
By Scout Leader Kyle on 03-25-2008
Last month, Tanya Anderson counter-sued the RIAA after it tried to sue her for copyright infringement, but the lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge. However, it's been recently announced that Anderson's lawsuit against the RIAA for racketeering and spying is back in full swing. This time, it's been revived as a class-action lawsuit against the RIAA and its use of MediaSentry (its spy subsidiary) to illegally hack into the private computers of tens of thousands of Americans and wrongfully accuse them of piracy.
The case was originally swatted down by the federal judge because the case was too subjective and didn't have much in the way of evidence. Hopefully the newly modified class-action suit will be enough for it to move up the justice system ladder. Time will tell whether or not the case is truly up to snuff, but if it does start rolling, the RIAA will be forced to explain just how legit MediaSentry probably isn't.
Jamie Lidell to Tour, Me to (Potentially) Go See Jamie Lidell in D.C. this June and Throw Frilly Panties Onstage, Me to Stop Procrastinating Writing TMT News Stories and Finding My Way Out of Trouble By Making Absurdist Frilly Panty References, That Being Said, Me to Actually Have Gone to Victoria’s Secret Yesterday to Take Advantage of Their 5 for $25 Deal Promoting Their PINK Product Line, Which I Consider Playful, Comfortable, and Reasonably Priced
By AJ Pacitti on 03-25-2008
In support of his upcoming EP “Jim,” set for release April 28 (and 29 in the UK) via Warp, Jamie Lidell is doing the tour thing. Panties ready, girlfriend? Mine are. Always.
Jim tracklisting:
Awesome Color to Release Album for the Ages
By David Nadelle on 03-25-2008
In the beginning, so far back in antiquity that no record of it exists, three harvesters stumbled upon a discovery that would change the world. After screwing around with a variety of waters, dry land-grown fruits and grains, and naturally occurring yeast, they produced an intoxicating alcoholic beverage that they called “beer.” While the brew was a crude elixir, it seemed to have done the trick, because the three spent the night fighting, trying to kiss each other's partners, and repeating stories that they swore were “like, super important” at the time. Weaving through the makeshift city streets, one stopped to “drain his camel hump” and noticed the strange-colored urine being released from his zizi. He wasn’t the only one. From behind each shoulder, both friends remarked at the same time, “Awesome Color, Dude!”
Some say it was somewhere in Egypt in Babylonian times, some say it was somewhere in Bushwick, but shortly after this soused event, Alison, Derek, and Michael, as they were known, formed a power trio, naming themselves after that over-the-top statement they shared on that fateful night whilst pissing and watching pissing on the street. They were quickly forced to drop the “Dude” from their name after it was discovered that a group of musical miscreants down the Nile had already played some gigs using “Awesome Color, Dude.” So, they became known simply as Awesome Color. Electric Aborigines, their 2087th album since their Babylonian birth many centuries ago, will be released by their label of the past 3000 years, Ecstatic Peace!.
Electric Aborigines:
1. Eyes of Light
2. Already Down
3. Step Up
4. Come and Dance
5. Taste It
6. Outside Tonight
7. Do It Right
8. Burning
9. The Moon
10. Evil Rose
Over time, Awesome Color, Dude started using junk and saw their public and critical acclaim wane while Awesome Color honed their once-primitive chops into a well-formed, ass-thumping machine. Awesome Color, Dude split up hostilely among rumors of wife-swapping and conversion to Scientology, while Awesome Color managed to avoid the pitfalls that plagued other pre-Jesus rock combos, staying pure ever since. Still spry despite their advanced years, they will announce in due time a full complement of European and North American dates in support of Electric Aborigines, but they will definitely be playing two sunny Spanish festival shows in May and one in cruddy Connecticut on April 26.
04.26.08 - Middleton, CT - Eclectic House, Wesleyan University #
05.30.08 - Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound Festival
05.31.08 - Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound Festival
# Myty Conqueror & Crooked Hook
