Lecturer censored in Spanish University (UPV) for defending P2P networks
Here is it straight from the horses mouth

[Upon the request of various foreign media that would like to cover this story, and would like a link to the source in English, here is a recap of my ordeal]

This what happened to me when trying to defend the legal use of P2P networks in Spain.

I have been teaching "Intellectual Property" (although I dislike the term) among other subjects at a Masters Degree in the Polytechnic University of Valencia UPV (Spain) for over 5 years. Two weeks ago I was scheduled (invited by the ETSIA Student Union and Linux Users' Group for the celebration of "Culture Week") to give a conference in one of the university's buildings. During that conference I was to analyze the legal use and benefits of the P2P networks, even when dealing with copyrighted works (according to the Spanish Intellectual Property Law, Private Copy provision, and many research papers, books and court rulings). I was even going to use the network to "prove" that it was legal, since members of the Collecting Society "SGAE" had appeared on TV and newspapers saying that "P2P networks are ilegal" (sic) just like that, and to that extent I even contacted SGAE, National Police, and the Attorney General in advance to inform them about it.

The day before the conference, the Dean (pressured by the Spanish Recording Industry Association "Promusicae" as I found out later, and he recognized himself in a quote to the national newspaper El Pais, and even the Motion Picture Association of America, as another newspaper quotes) tried to stop it by denying permission to use the scheduled venue. So I scheduled a second one, and that was denied again. And a third time. Finally I gave the conference on the university cafeteria, for 5 hours, in front of 150 people.

Later on that day (May 4th, I will never forget), I received a call from the Director of the Masters Degree Program where I was teaching telling me that the Dean had called and had asked him to "make sure I did not teach there again", and on a second call saying "it's your choice, but also your responsibility".

The Director called me and first asked me to remove any link to the university from my website, and also to "hide" the fact that I was teaching there. Then he told me about the pressures and threats he and the Program received (to be subjected to software licenses inspection, copyright violations inspections, or anything that may damage them). Obviously I had to resign to save his job (and everybody else's at the Masters Program). So I did.

But even after I had resigned, when the media (which started to pay attention to the case, as you can see in the attached links) called, the Vice-Dean of communications had the nerve to say that "I was never a teacher in that University, and I only taught a few classes". Sure I was not a Professor (which I never said I was), but I taught several subjects there for over 5 years!

It is not so important that I lost my job even though my ratings from the student satisfaction questionnaire were the highest of the whole Program, and I never violated any rule, contract, or regulation. I don't even mind so much that I never received a direct phone call from anyone objecting to my ideas or procedures. What I regret the most is to have suffered CENSORSHIP inside my own university (in a European Union member state, of all places on earth), and as a result of pressures and threats coming from Collecting Societies and Recording and Movie Industries (on my website you have proof of all that).

When are we going to do something about it? We can't let them impose their failed, outdated, and inefficient business model through threats, pressures and silence. We must speak out. I am wiling to travel the world (as I am doing now in conferences all over Spain) to tell my story, and they will not silence me. The truth has to be known. But I need your help.

This story has already been covered by over 400 Spanish bloggers, national radio stations, magazines and newspapers. But nobody seems to have noticed this outside Spain. Could you please help me spread the word outside Spain?

Should you require any further information, do not hesitate to let me know.

Best regards, and Thank you very much in advance,

Jorge Cortell
jorge (at) cortell (dot) net
jorgecortell (at) mac (dot) com

This website with a lot of information (in Spanish) regarding this issue (including transcripts, screen captures and other proofs):
http://jorge.cortell.net

Donald Trump's New Twin Tower Design Available Online
Real estate mogul Donald Trump is set to share his own plan Wednesday for rebuilding Lower Manhattan.

Trump wants to the see the old twin towers rebuilt, but one story taller than the original 110 stories.

He says the buildings would be more aesthetically pleasing than the Freedom Tower design by architect Daniel Liebeskind and strong enough to withstand a September 11th-type attack.

The Freedom Tower plan was temporarily derailed earlier this month when the NYPD expressed concern about the tower's vulnerability to a terrorist attack. A new design is expected to be unveiled some time in June.

Trump calls Liebeskind's design "a monstrous skeleton" and adds that if it's built, "the terrorists win."

Engineer Ken Gardner and architect Herbert Belton, who worked on the original Trade Center plan, are the creators of the design and have discussed the plan before.

Trump's design can be viewed at www.makenynyagain.com.

Tomorrow kicks off E3 in Los Angeles
Every year the biggest names in video games, video game related and other forms of "electronic entertainment" gather in our fair city at the convention center to showcase the latest and greatest drool-worthy stuff for the gamer in your life. Or, let's face it, for you. Yes, it's e3 time again.
Even though the show doesn't "officially" start until tomorrow, there are already a few companies, like Sony, eager to get the jump on the hype. Because reallly, that's what this convention is all about. Generating hype and buzz for your product, so much so that when it's released, people can't wait to buy it.

With that in mind, Sony announced its next generation Playstation console, cleverly named the PS3, which has some interesting new features, including its new and very powerful processors, that had a crowd of over 2000 watch, mesmerized by its stunning new graphics performance.

One of the processors contributing to this new level of performance is a chip called Cell. The chip is based on IBM's PowerPC architecture and will have seven cores, each running at 3.2GHz, to give the chip a total performance of 218GFlops (floating point operations per second). In case you were wondering, that's a lot.

Running alongside the Cell is a graphics processor developed by Nvidia Corp. that is capable of handling full high-definition video images and boasts performance of 1.8TFlops. Together, the two chips will give the PlayStation 3 a total system performance of 2TFlops, or about double that claimed by Microsoft for the Xbox 360.

What does all this geek-speak mean to you? It means you will have at least two great choices for your console gaming pleasure. The Xbox 360, as featured earlier here at LAist and now the Sony PS3. Sony expects to ship the PS3 sometime in 2006 so you have a little time to save your money for it.

Other announcements and news from e3 include Nintendo, not to be left out, announcing their next generation console, called the Revolution. According to Nintendo, the Revolution will be two to three times as powerful as its current-generation console, the GameCube. With Sony's PS3 reportedly being dozens of times more powerful than its predecessor, the PS2 and with Microsoft's XBox360 being as powerful as it is reported to be, for Nintendo, it may be a case of too little to late.

Also announced were dozens of new games such as Grand Theft Auto: Liberty Cities, Final Fantasy IX for Xbox 360 and a triple threat of Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, Metal Gear Acid 2, and Metal Gear Solid 4, all for the PS3.

LAist: E3 - Day 0

Upskirting in Style? It must be getting to be more like spring in NYC
A woman noticed a box with wires coming out of it under a grate at East 88th and Lexington. The police closed the street as they inspected the suspicious package... and it turned out to be a video camera set up to take upskirt pictures. The NYPD is trying to figure out what website had been receiving the pictures, as neighborhood women expressed their disgust and shock. One woman told the Post, 'It's disturbing. I'm happy I wear pants most of the time.' Video voyeurism is a felony in NY State."
Gothamist
NY1

Remember Kozmo.com?
I used to love that service and that time in my life. Nothing like dot-com delivery service for a PDA when you are sitting on your ass at work. Well in NYC they are at it again with Max Delivery. Only servicing lower Manhattan so far it's bringing you items as diverse as milk, cold medicines, DVD rentals and sales, baby bottles, cereal, frozen meals, and cleaning supplies.
MaxDelivery - New York's Only One Hour Same Day Express Delivery Service

Accenture Develops Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Screensaver
almost getting close to Pointcast

One of the newest ways that organizations get up-to-the-minute information to people is by using the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) publishing protocol. Researchers at Accenture Technology Labs have just launched a tool that combines your choice of RSS feeds with a screensaver format.
Accenture Develops Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Screensaver

More Than 20,000 New Yorkers Sign Up For Free Nicotine Patches
Not as cool as bringing back smoking at bars but hey free pathches

The city's latest effort to help smokers kick the habit has sparked thousands of phone calls.

More than 20,000 nicotine patches have been ordered since the Department of Health started handing them out for free last Thursday. At least 28,000 calls have flooded the city's 311 about the program.

The city says 28 percent of the patches ordered have gone to Brooklyn residents the borough with the highest demand.

Queens is next, accounting for about 26 percent of the demand, followed by Manhattan and the Bronx with about 16 percent of the demand each. Staten Island, the borough with the highest rate of smokers, ordered the fewest patches, accounting for only about 13 percent of the overall demand.

Pfizer donated about 45,000 kits, each worth about $$150. About 25,000 remain.

New Yorkers who are interested and over the age of 18, can call 311 to see if they're eligible for a free kit. "
NY1

May 16th: Save CBGB: Eat More Chocolate
This benefit, touted as an "an all-chocolate, rock-and-roll experience," is raising funds to save the East Village rock institution CBGB, and the Chocolate Bar has created a special line of limited-edition chocolates to support the effort. 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., at CBGB, 315 Bowery. $5/person.
Workhouse Underground: Charity