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+ - A bigger kindle with a bigger price

Submitted by RobertinXinyang
RobertinXinyang (1001181) writes "The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon has released a new, bigger, kindle

However, even the WSJ has concerns about the price. Inc. introduced a larger--and more expensive--Kindle electronic reader, and announced deals with major textbook and newspaper publishers as well as universities to expand the market for the device.

The new Kindle DX, which Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos unveiled Wednesday at an event in New York, will cost $489 and begin shipping this summer.

At the $489 price point, it's unclear how much college students and other consumers will embrace the new Kindle. Amazon doesn't release Kindle sales figures, but Citigroup has estimated the current Kindle, which costs $359, will sell roughly one million units this year."

+ - Textbooks to be distributed on kindle

Submitted by RobertinXinyang
RobertinXinyang (1001181) writes "The Wall Street Journal reported that the Kindle would soon be used to distribute text books


However, the last line in the article makes it clear that this may not be best for students


+ - Student jailed for 10 months for suing ASUS->

Submitted by RobertinXinyang
RobertinXinyang (1001181) writes "While the initial story is dated October 30th, it has just hit the student newspapers.

A protester interrupted a speech by Intel CEO Paul Otellini at Peking University yesterday, accusing the chip giant of covering up for Taiwan PC maker Asus in consumer rights litigation.

Otellini's speech was disrupted before security guards removed the protester from the conference hall. An Intel spokeperson said the firm respects "everyone's rights to express opinions".

Zhou's friend, Huang Jing, bought a flawed Asus laptop in February, 2006. After sending it to an Asus repair center, she found the CPU was replaced with an "engineering sample" from Intel, which should not sold on the open market, according to the chip giant's policy... Huang and Zhou then demanded $5 million compensation from Asus but were detained later for alleged blackmailing after they threatened to reveal the scandal to the media. (the student news paper, 21st century, adds that the demand for this this high amount of compensation was made at the recommendation of her lawyer. It is unclear if this amount is in USD or RMB).

In 2007, Haidian district procurators dropped the charges against Huang who had been jailed for 10 months, saying "the evidence was insufficient."

Zhou and Huang later informed Intel about the faulty CPU, but got no response. However, in 2006, an Intel public relations manager testified as a witness to support Asus' accusation."

Link to Original Source

+ - I reviewed a book, now I am in big trouble

Submitted by
RobertinXinyang writes "I wrote a review of a textbook, published in China, that contains full length copies of several movies, including: Ghandi, walk the line, World trade center, Hotel Rwanda, and others. These copies are burnt onto an unlabeled DVD that is included in the book.

In my review I was not positive and expressed concern for what appeared to be plagiarism. I am now being threatened with both civil and criminal action.

Is the inclusion of, several, full length movies within a textbook considered to be fair use?

What should I do to protect myself from the threatened civil and criminal action?"

+ - Pope: Creation vs. evolution clash an 'absurdity'->

Submitted by
RobertinXinyang writes "The Pope has spoken out on both the issue of creation v. evolution and on the issue of the environment. Of course, many slashdot readers are such bigots that thtt will have to watch that their jerking knees do not hit their, foaming with ignorant hate, mouths when the pope is even mentioned; however, the facts are that a lot of people do listed to him. If the number of people who listen to him were taken as a sole concern, his comments are relevant.
"Pope Benedict XVI said the debate raging in some countries — particularly the United States and his native Germany — between creationism and evolution was an "absurdity," saying that evolution can coexist with faith... This clash is an absurdity because on one hand there is much scientific proof in favor of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and which enriches our understanding of life and being as such... Benedict also said the human race must listen to "the voice of the Earth" or risk destroying its very existence... We all see that today man can destroy the foundation of his existence, his Earth... We cannot simply do what we want with this Earth of ours, with what has been entrusted to us," said the pope."

Link to Original Source

+ - Market Watch, "The $100 laptop: What went wron

Submitted by
RobertinXinyang writes "An article on, not only, the failure of the $100 laptop project to meet its goals, but ist potential to harm people in developing mations by drawing 'mindsare' from working to solve real problems. ra/The100DollarLaptop.aspx "...the entire idea may be misguided and counterproductive. At least that's what Stanford journalism lecturer and Africa watcher G. Pascal Zachary thinks... this One Laptop Per Child scheme as folly or idealistic. The basic argument is that with $100 you could almost feed a village for a year, so why waste that sum on a laptop? What are they thinking?"

Zachary has a more profound point: "The fact that these people need electricity more than they need a laptop is only part of the problem," he says. "The real problem is lost mind share. The people are harmed because these sorts of schemes are sopping up mind-share time of the people who might be doing something actually useful."

To summarize, there are only so many hours in the day, and we should not be wasting them on this kind of naïve feel-good showboating. Let's face it: These high-tech gems are a laughable addition to a mud hut."

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