I, For One, Welcome Our DNS Censor Overlords

Ionized plasmas for sterilizers, 2D game performance in browser, and some little bills called SOPA and ProtectIP.

SOPA: Does Bill Encourage Internet Censorship?

“Intended to combat the trade in pirated movies and music, the two bills would give copyright holders and law enforcement officials added powers to cut off websites and require search engines, payment collectors and others to block access.

The U.N. Declares Internet Access a Human Right

“The United Nations counts internet access as a basic human right in a report that bears implications both to on-going events in the Arab Spring and to the Obama administration’s war on whistleblowers. Acting as special rapporteur, a human rights watchdog role appointed by the UN Secretary General, Frank La Rue takes a hard line on the importance of the internet as ‘an indispensable tool for realizing a range of human rights, combating inequality, and accelerating development and human progress.’”

HTML5 2D Gaming Performance Analysis

“The Canvas 2D renderer, the new WebGL renderer, and our old C++/DirectX renderer from Construct Classic. It’s certainly interesting to compare all three, since they have all been written in a similar way for a practical, real-world engine.”

Listener Barb's Whale Video in Santa Cruz

Barb called in asking how she can protect her very cool video from copy infringement.

A woman floating on a surfboard near Santa Cruz, California almost ended up on the lunch menu for a humpback whale over the weekend. Barb Roettger had her camera rolling as two hefty whales popped out of the calm waters not far from the unsuspecting surfer and a pair of kayakers.

Ionized plasmas as cheap sterilizers for developing world

“University of California, Berkeley, scientists have shown that ionized plasmas like those in neon lights and plasma TVs not only can sterilize water, but make it antimicrobial — able to kill bacteria — for as long as a week after treatment.”


! AntiVirus Software

The Geeks don’t endorse any one vendor of antivirus software for Windows, but you can check out [antivirus comparisons and reviews|http://www.av-comparatives.org/] online and choose the best one that fits your needs and your budget.

! Windows XP transferable?

We chatted with Bruce about trying to get Windows XP to install in Parallels. But Bruce had a Dell, and Windows XP came with his Dell, so, we were assuming that his license of Windows XP was non transferable.

!! Wendy wrote in with this comment:

“Two shows ago, you lamented that a Windows XP license isn’t transferable
to an Apple computer for dual booting purposes. Can a license of Apple’s
OS get installed onto a Window’s machine? Doesn’t Apple defend their
copyrights as aggressively as Microsoft?

“Yes, sometimes I get my feathers ruffled at all the fanboies out there,
but love you guys!

!! And I responded:

Actually Microsoft’s Windows XP is transferable. But not when it is an OEM install. So, you buy a machine from Dell and it comes with Windows – chances are that the Windows license is not transferable. But, if you purchase Windows XP (when you could) as a stand alone install disk you can install it on any hardware. (assuming it is only active on one, or maybe two machines at a time.)

Apple has a similar situation from what I understand. But, Apple dose not authenticate their OS. If you get an Apple OS CD it is fairly easy to install it on any machine. However, if you get OS discs with a Macintosh, that disc is specific to that hardware, making it less portable – kinda like the OEM situation from Microsoft → Dell.

The legality of installing OS X on non-Apple hardware is interesting. Apple says it is against their policy, but that can’t really hold up in court. But, in order to install OS X onto non-apple hardware you have to break some security, which Apple claims is a violation of the DMCA.

So, we were talking about OEM versions of Windows. And that if you have an OEM version it is against policy, and that was the “bummer” we were offering to the listener.

- now if only I spent time fixing up our website, so I could quote people!