New DVD anti-piracy warning now packs double the nag

Starting this week, you'll find any newly-minted DVDs and Blu-ray discs will now include a similarly fresh anti-piracy message. Homeland Security's special agent badge now partners up with the FBI's own emblem on the new warning played before DVDs -- and it looks like it'll still be unskippable. If this dynamic duo isn't enough to scare into legitimate media consumption, how about another warning screen to really bring it on home? This one features the National Intellectual Property Center, which follows the same "piracy is bad" message, offering a helpful link as to why -- one we're sure you're going to investigate in the middle of movie night. Interestingly, these new screens themselves are still not in the public domain and only the major US movie studios are authorized to use them. No news yet on whether the authorities plan to include another screen explaining this, but you can check that second warning that you'll soon be yelling at right after the break.

Continue reading New DVD anti-piracy warning now packs double the nag

New DVD anti-piracy warning now packs double the nag originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 16:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Wired  | Email this | Comments

super bowl 2012 kickoff time football score ron paul nevada buffalo chicken dip super bowl 2012 soul train nevada caucus

Tom Gabel's Transgender News: What Does It Mean For Her Marriage?

Tegan and Sara, Fun., Gaslight Anthem, Senses Fail tweet their support to Against Me! singer.
By Gil Kaufman

Tom Gabel of Against Me!
Photo: Getty Images

Against Me! singer Tom Gabel has received an outpouring of support from his musical peers in light of his announcement on Tuesday that he plans to begin life as a woman. His brave decision decision to go public with his transgender status earn praise from fellow musicians including Fun., Tegan and Sara, Senses Fail and Gaslight Anthem.

The news came just hours before a vote on Tuesday in North Carolina to pass a constitutional amendment
 banning gay marriage, but just before President Obama stated publicly in an ABC interview on Wednesday (May 9) that he personally supports gay marriage. During a cycle that brought highs and lows in the ongoing debate over gay marriage, one of the questions that arose in the MTV Newsroom following Gabel's news was whether it would have an impact on his wife and their marriage.

Though Florida is not one of the six states in the nation that recognize marriages between same-sex partners, Gabel's declaration won't change his marital status either way, according to Lisa Mottet, Director of the Transgender Civil Rights Project at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

"Under established law, marriages are evaluated for their validity at the time of marriage, i.e., the date of the wedding/when the marriage license was signed," she said. "Only divorces, death, and annulments end marriages — gender transition does not end a marriage, nor convert it to a same-sex marriage. If two people were considered different sex at the time of their wedding, they will continue to be considered married until death, divorce, or annulment."

Gabel came out as transgender and discussed plans to begin living as a woman in the next issue of Rolling Stone magazine. He will now go by the name Laura Jane Grace and remain married to wife Heather, while undergoing electrolysis treatments and taking hormones to make the transition from male to female.

"For me, the most terrifying thing about this was how she would accept the news," Gabel told the magazine about his Heather's reaction. "But she's been super-amazing and understanding."

Gabel has dealt with gender dysphoria for years and decided it was a good time to speak up about the private struggle, telling only a few family members and friends about the upcoming transition before talking with the magazine. "I'm going to have embarrassing moments, and that won't be fun," Gabel said of coming out. "But that's part of what talking to you is about -- is hoping people will understand, and hoping they'll be fairly kind."

A number of his peers praised his bravery, including the members of Fun., who tweeted, "Reading about Tom Gabel coming out as transgender = inspiring. Always been a fan but it's even more amazing to know how strong & brave she is."

Openly gay twin sister rockers Tegan & Sara weighed in also calling Gabel "so incredibly brave." Congratulations and support also came from the members of Senses Fail, Broadway Calls, Toxicbreed, I Am the Avalanche, Motel Life and Circa Survive.

One of the most heartfelt notes was posted by Gaslight Anthem singer Brian Fallon, who preemptively struck out at anyone criticizing the decision. "So Tom's gonna be Laura now... and in 2012 I still find people on the internet commenting on another person's life how they insult and condemn a person for his choices," he wrote.

"How about the people who go through this and never find peace and end up committing suicide? Would you rather that? Or maybe he could become a raging drug addict and ruin his life and family? Would you rather that? Or maybe we could have rules from a dictator where everyone gets killed for anything they believe against the government, oh wait, that doesn't work ... How about you leave the guy alone. How about you let another human being make a decision about their lives without your snide prejudices and bigotry? This is one of the hardest decisions a person can make ... Whether you agree or don't, it's not your life. It's not your family. It's not your band, it's theirs."

And it wasn't just musicians, as WWE wrestling champ CM Punk also weighed in, writing, "@tommygabel courage and bravery. I got your back."

What do you think of Tom Gabel's announcement? Let us know in comments below.

Related Artists

• Rise Against

donnie mcclurkin whitney houston funeral live stream kevin costner whitney houston whitney houston funeral live pat buchanan slither slither

Hands-on with ZTE's line of Android 4.0 tablets

In addition to its flagship line of smartphones, ZTE had its Ice Cream Sandwich tablets on hand here in New Orleans, some of which were making their American debut. As I said about the smartphones, it certainly appears that ZTE is trying to crack into the top tier of Android devices; if it will succeed remains to be seen.

The ZTE tablet line is driven by the PF100, a beauty we first met back in Barcelona. It’s got a beautiful 10.1-inch WXGA display with TFT technology, along with Tegra 3 and a gig of DDR2 RAM under the hood. The processor is clocked at 1.5 GHz and make no mistake about it- the PF100 offers a buttery smooth, mainly stock Ice Cream Sandwich experience. The PF100 is also packing a 5MP rear camera, a 2MP front shooter, Dolby sound, and HSPA+ radios.

Just underneath the PF100 is the V96, though “beneath” may be a matter of opinion. Screen and most specs go hit-for-hit with the PF100, including the stock ICS experience; the big difference here is the processor and radios. The V96 is packing a 1.7 Ghz dual-core processor instead of Tegra 3 (no word on model), and it ships with LTE-compatible radios. A pretty fair trade off, we’d say.

At the lower end of the spectrum is the K75, which may or may not seem like a big step down compared to its big brothers. If you prefer a 7-inch footprint, the K75 is the flavor for you. It’s wi-fi only, with a lower-res screen of 1024 x 600 pixels. It’s got Ice Cream Sandwich onboard, but this one’s modded quite heavily. Under the hood, ZTE remains tight-lipped on the processor, which is more than likely on the lower end of the spectrum.

All in all, not much news tablet-wise out of CTIA this year, though it’s refreshing to see smaller manufacturers like ZTE are edging their way into the market. Some photos of what ZTE has been up to follow the break.

read more

2012 draft chicago bears colt mccoy philadelphia eagles arbor day packers mike adams

Social Loyalty Platform PunchTab Launches Agency Platform; Touts Customers Like eBay & Arby?s

Social loyalty platform PunchTab, which raised its $4.4 million Series A in November, is rolling out its new platform for agencies, allowing them to run customized incentives campaigns to promote customers' brands on any social network. That's a differentiating factor between PunchTab and some other social loyalty plays which often only focus Facebook and Twitter. With PunchTab, agencies can also target popular networks like Instagram and Foursquare, for example. The fully branded programs are available both as standalone experiences or embedded in Facebook. The company has already signed up some notable customers in Q1 of this year, including Arby's, eBay, and the Toy Industry Association.

taylor swift safe and sound delilah nevis 2012 sports illustrated swimsuit same day flower delivery valentines day westminster dog show

Nintendo patent application lends a look at Wii U's core technology, add-ons too

Little did we know that, just two months after we were trying the Wii U for ourselves, Nintendo was busy patenting nearly everything its unique game console would have to offer. A pair of just-published US Patent Office applications filed last August get into the nuts and bolts of how the controller and the legacy Wii remote will play with the new device. It's clear that the patent work had started before Nintendo had redesigned the main system -- the box at the center of the patents looks like the existing Wii -- but it does show the nitty-gritty of things we only saw at last year's Nintendo E3 keynote, such as the gun attachment or playing golf with a combination of the Wii U controller and the traditional Wiimote. Nintendo also gave itself some wiggle room on the controller's screen size: although the LCD is officially 6.2 inches across, the patent allows that it might be "5 inches or larger." We're wondering how much of the overall look and technology will survive through to the finished Wii U design's unveiling at this year's E3. For now, though, you can explore the patents yourself at the links below.

Nintendo patent application lends a look at Wii U's core technology, add-ons too originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 May 2012 00:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  USPTO (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

alex smith alex smith robert deniro mexico news the talented mr ripley weather new orleans orcl

I'm the Guy Who Made Snack Bags So Impossible to Open [Food]

I'm that guy. The guy that everyone hates. The guy who made it so difficult to open your bag of potato chips. And this is the story of how, when, and why I did it. More »

lucky numbers odds of winning mega millions mary mary sag aftra merger dj am bully bohemian rhapsody

Unedited: This Pool/Moat Sucks [Pools]

Towards the end of a long day, we stumbled upon this unfathomably terrible pool, which adjoins Villa Roces by architects Govaert & Vanhoutte. Why is it so little? So narrow? So dumb? Here's the conversation we just had trying to figure all that out and more: More »

3 10 to yuma west virginia football west virginia football black friday violence black friday violence il postino il postino