Category: News

Filed under: Car Buying, Plants/Manufacturing, Hatchback, Nissan, Electric

Nissan has begun taking $99 registrations for its all-electric Leaf, and the early results are very encouraging. The Japanese automaker has reportedly already received 7,000 pre-orders in the U.S. and another 4,000 orders in Japan. Nissan had been expecting pre-sales of roughly 20,000 vehicles, and early pre-sales show that the initial estimates may have undershot reality. Whatcar? reports that orders have been so strong that Nissan expects that it won’t be able to fulfill demand for its emissions-free vehicle when it hits dealerships in late Fall. The 11,000 hand-raisers Nissan currently has in the bank doesn’t include any buyers from the UK, as our across the Pond allies aren’t eligible to pre-order the Leaf until July.

Nissan reportedly claims that its forthcoming EV will be cheaper to buy and run than the king of the hybrid hill, Toyota’s Prius. The Leaf will carry an MSRP of $32,780 (plus $2,200 for the charger) when it goes on sale, which is closer in price to the Lexus HS 250h than the Prius, though government tax breaks of $7,500 per all-electric vehicle brings the base price down to a much more manageable $25,280.

[Source: Whatcar?]

Report: Nissan expecting Leaf shortages thanks to high early demand originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and President Barack Obama

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., announced today, legislation to close the ‘revolving door’ between the NHTSA and automakers. The bill would bar NHTSA employees from accepting offers to work for automakers for at least three years after their employment with the NHTSA ends.

“I am deeply concerned about the all-too-cozy relationship between former NHTSA officials and the auto industry. My legislation would address this ‘revolving door’ by preventing automakers from having undue influence on agency decisions,” Boxer said.

The issue of the ‘revolving door’ has been a hot-button one after the recent Toyota safety-recall situation. Toyota had two former NHTSA officials employed in their Washington office, and Boxer, as well as other legislators, have all voiced their concern over those individuals using their influence at the agency in an unfair and unjust manner.

Individuals and manufacturers alike who stand in violation of the law will be subject to civil penalties, which will include a fine of $55,000 for the individual and $100,000 or more for the manufacturer.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Detroit News

For the first time in the history of BET Sunday Best gospel talent show, the judges which include Donnie Mc Clurkin, Kim Burell, Nigerian gospel singer Muyiwa Olawaju and Kirk Franklin. Travelled all the way to Nigeria, Africa in search for one contestant to represent Africa amongst other US hopefuls. Although judging from the auditions I doubt the winner will sail from Nigeria. Although I hope as the Sunday Best talent competition continues to air from session to session, I hope they will go on to more African countries and scout for more for talent, cause it is there and a lot of it.

Click to watch the BET Sunday Best Nigeria audition and don’t forget to share your views: BET Nigeria Sunday Best Auditions……… and how can i forget to share this funniest audition of them all: BET Sunday Best Nigeria \”LMAO\” Auditon of them all .

Don’t forget to watch Sunday Best to see if Africa will miraculously step it up…. Love you in advance for your comments.

Last week, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou asked to activate a financial lifeline for his struggling country, requesting as much as 45 billion euros ($60 billion) in aide from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. It will take time for Greece to get back on its financial feet, and the ripple effects of this crisis are being felt in European capitals from London to Berlin.

Beyond the difficult and immediate impacts this will have on the citizens and businesses in Greece and elsewhere, as an environmentalist, I’m also wondering what it will mean for the EU member states’ commitment to cut emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2050?

A new report – authored by the European Climate Foundation with technical and economic analysis by Imperial College London, KEMA, Oxford Economics, McKinsey & Company, E3G and the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands – has some surprising answers. The analysis, called Roadmap 2050, found that in each of the low or no carbon pathways it examined, projected electricity costs are comparable to costs using current carbon-intensive infrastructure. In other words, we can either cut our carbon footprint and mitigate environmental impacts or not, for the same price!

How is that possible? It turns out that the capital cost of building new renewable power facilities will be huge, but the operating costs of renewable power generation are far lower than for conventional power stations. And Europe’s aging energy infrastructure will have to be updated no matter what. An update that includes wind turbines, solar farms and smart grid technology looks good when compared with replacing crumbling coal plants.

The common myth is that increasing dependence on renewable energy would be unreliable, overly expensive and would require not-yet- available technology breakthroughs. On the contrary, Roadmap 2050, “has found all of these assertions to be incorrect.”

As European leaders grapple with where and how to make investments that will create jobs and lead to a more prosperous future, I hope they’ll consider Roadmap 2050 as their travel guide.

Top Dream Cars

Best and beautiful cars ever

Part 2

Part 3

Corvette ZR1 vs Audi R8 – Top Gear

Jeremy Clarkson heads out on to the Top Gear track for motoring’s equivalent of the Ryder Cup as America’s Corvette ZR1 takes on Europe’s Audi R8 V10.

What will prevail – the American’s muscle, or the finesse of the European?

Found under: Android, Android Market, Market, Google, Applications,

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Final federal approval was granted today by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to
Cape Wind, the company that has fought a nine year long battle to construct America’s first offshore wind farm in the waters off Cape Cod.

“I am approving the Cape Wind project with modifications to the proposed project that will help protect the historic cultural and environmental resources of Nantucket Sound,” said Salazar. Among the additional requirements, developers must reduce the scale of the project to minimize the visual impact by reducing the numbers of turbines proposed from 170 to 130. Additional marine ecological surveys will be required to limit the affect of submerged archeological resources.

This is a landmark decision marking the end of a nearly decade long process involving a multitude of regulatory and political hurdles.

“This will be the first of many projects up and down the Atlantic coast which I expect will come on-line in the years ahead as we build a new energy future for our country.” said Salazar.

Massachusetts late Senator Ted Kennedy fought hard before his death last summer to stop the project which is slated to be built in the waters he sailed with his famous brothers. Once erected, the turbines will be visible from the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port.

Massachusetts newly elected Republican Senator Scott Brown released a statement shortly after Salazar’s announcement saying: “I am strongly opposed to the administrations misguided decision to move forward with Cape Wind. While I support the concept of wind power as an alternative source of energy, Nantucket Sound is a national treasure that should be protected from industrialization.”

Not all high profile Massachusetts politicians share Kennedy’s and Brown’s opposition to Cape Wind. Governor Deval Patrick stood at Salazar’s side today hailing the project as a major breakthrough that will provide clean energy to much of the Cape and Islands.

“Today’s decision affirms that, on balance, Cape Wind is good for our environment and good for our energy needs,” said Patrick. “The United States is twenty years behind Europe on offshore wind and China is pulling ahead as fast as it can. America now has a chance to turn that around.”

With approval in hand, Cape Wind hopes to begin construction on the billion dollar project by year’s end and complete building by 2012, creating jobs and ultimately providing enough energy to power 75% of the homes on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

“Secretary Salazar’s decision today to approve Cape Wind has launched the American offshore wind industry. It allows our nation to harness an abundant and inexhaustible clean energy source for greater energy independence, a healthier environment and green jobs,” said Cape Wind President Jim Gordon.

Opponents of Cape Wind have argued the project is too expensive. They say the turbines and construction will negatively impact the fragile marine environment in Nantucket Sound. Some have argued air and sea navigation would be affected. Others say the Cape’s thriving tourism industry would be stunted and that long-treasured ocean views would be destroyed.

While supporters of Cape Wind often dismiss opponents concerns as NIMBY (not in my backyard) complaints, several Native American tribes have argued the turbines will disturb spiritual sun rituals.

The concerns have been addressed by scientific and government studies. A multitude of agencies have weighed in from the Coast Guard to the US Energy Department.
The greenlight from the Obama Administration should move the project forward but lawsuits could further slow progress.

It’s light, portable and can handle e-books. So why are some schools banning the iPad?

[Source: Higher Ed Morning]

A self-proclaimed Sanctuary City, San Francisco has long been a safe haven for illegal immigrants: They can live, work, and even get a government I.D. without fear of deportation.

Now, San Francisco is taking action to punish Arizona for cracking down on illegal aliens.

Mayor Gavin Newsom ordered an immediate ban on all non-essential travel there for city workers, and the Board of Supervisors has taken the first step toward an economic boycott: No contracts, no purchasing, and no conferences — like the one in Scottsdale next weekend for members of the the San Francisco Housing Authority.

“We as San Franciscans need to send a very clear message that this kind of discriminatory law is not going to be tolerated,”
says San Francisco Supervisor David Campos.

Similar sanctions are being considered by city leaders in Los Angeles, and there’s a proposal in Sacramento to cancel state contracts with Arizona businesses until the law is repealed. Thousands of California prisoners are currently housed in Arizona, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to send more. He made it clear he does not want *that* contract threatened.

In San Francisco, department heads — before taking further action — are studying whether sanctions could backfire.

“One of the companies we do business with for the Jobs Now program that accepts and processes payments is in Arizona. So if we move injudiciously, if we don’t move prudently and smartly and effectively, we could be looking at a situation where 2,500 San Franciscans would lose their jobs,” says city spokesman, Tony Winnicker.

San Francisco business interests are also worried about a boycott backlash. “Would Arizona and other states that are more conservative than San Francisco retaliate, and stop sending conventions to San Francisco? Certainly, in a recession, we don’t want any retaliation,” says Kevin Westlye with the Golden Gate Restaurant Association.

But some city leaders want to broaden the attack, and are even calling on professional and collegiate sports organizations… Not to schedule events like the Superbowl, and All-Star games in the Grand Canyon State while this law is in effect.

It seems as if another Android device has just passed through the FCC, the Commtiva Blaze (F800). Here are the specs dissected from the FCC testing:

• Radio Band & Standard
  
  • GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
  • WCDMA/HSDPA 1700 / 2100
• 5MP Camera with flash
• Android 1.6
• 3.5 mm jack
• Connectivity
• GPS GPS / AGPS
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR 2.0 + EDR
• USB USB 2.0
  • Power
• Battery Rechargeable Li-Ion 1230mAh
• Power Adapter AC input: 100-240V, 50 / 60Hz, 0.2A max.
• DC output: 5V, 1A
• Temperature
  • Operating -15ºC to 55ºC
  • Non-operating / Storage -20ºC to 70ºC
  • Charging 0ºC to 40ºC
• Humidity
  • Operating 10% to 90% non-condensing
  • Non-operating / Storage 5% to 95% non-condensing

Judging by the photos, the device is headed to Cincinnati Bell, which uses T-Mobile bands. There is no information given on the internals such as storage or RAM/ROM, but upon further digging on FCC’s site, I found that it will ship with a Qualcomm MSM7227 chipset. What’s more, the addition of Android 1.6 and a 600 MHz processor will land this baby somewhere in the mid-range smartphone level. However, it does appear as if Commtiva has added their own twist to Android, and it actually looks pretty good.

Stay tuned, folks!  We’ll be sure to keep you updated as we discover more.

Via: Phandroid
FCC Information

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) released its statement this afternoon for its April meeting. The market is looking for it to answer questions such as: Will anyone join the dissents of maverick committee member Thomas Hoenig? Will the FOMC retain its “extended period” language regarding how long rates will remain exceptionally low? Will the Fed indicate it intends to soon begin selling some of the securities on its balance sheet? Its short April statement probably won’t satisfy the market’s hunger for all of this knowledge, but some answers are provided.

First and foremost, Kansas City Fed President Hoenig remained the lone dissenter. The reason he voted agains the policy action was the same as for the past few months: the Fed continues to use the “extended period” language to explain how long it will keep rates very low, much to Hoenig’s dismay. He remains concerned that the Fed won’t have as much flexibility to raise rates if inflation suddenly ramps up. He’s still the only committee member worried enough about this possibility to dissent, however.

To be sure, the Fed thinks the economy has continued to improve since March and sees a moderate recovery for a time. It notes that spending by business on equipment and software, and by households, has continued to improve. But it still sees consumers restraining themselves, due to high unemployment, low income growth, reduced wealth, and low credit. It also noted that businesses remain reluctant to add payrolls.

Since the Fed continues to get more and more optimistic about the economy with each statement this year, its decision to remain so dovish on rates is a little surprising. Even though no one expects the Fed to raise rates anytime soon, with each month that passes, Hoenig’s argument grows stronger and stronger. With strong first-quarter corporate earnings across-the-board and job growth starting in March, it’s curious that the Fed hasn’t eased its dedication to indefinite near-zero rates.

The FOMC statement revealed little else, however. It contains no mention of when or how the Fed intends to begin selling some of the many billions of dollars in assets it has accumulated on its balance sheet since the financial crisis. In fact, the statement doesn’t mention any plans or timeline to begin reining in the money supply. But given that inflation remains extremely low, perhaps this shouldn’t be a shock. Still, with such an enormous balance sheet, some might have expected the Fed to remind the market that some preparations have been made to soak up excess credit when the time comes. Perhaps the more detailed meeting minutes will provide greater insight when released in a few weeks.

Thanks to everyone who participated, and since Fixmo Tools has updated with even more enhancements, I thought I would announce the end of the contest and which stories made the cut. Thanks for participating and now I am going to announce our winners, drum roll please…and the winners are

Galambo shared:

Edwin V shared:

“Well I was trying to email my friend about this great weekend I had with this one girl. I wrote everything that happened including how she was a freak in bed and about the things she was willing to do in bed. Since I was in such a hurry I didn’t notice that I hadn’t sent it to him, but that I had sent it to my mom. I was really embarassed when I saw her and had to apologize.”

I thought those two stories were the most painful of them all, and kudos for being brave enough to share. I know there were probably others who refrained from such painful stories, but don’t worry, we’re all winners with Fixmo Tools. And we can all be spared further embarrassment from any such stories. Enjoy your copies and thanks for participating.

And you can still grab a copy of Fixmo Tools for half off till the end of the month, hurry!

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Don’t say we didn’t try to warn people. We posted yesterday that our benevolent benefactors at Consumers Union would be unleashing Bankzilla upon the innocent people of Washington, D.C., and we were not kidding. Just check out the video for the evidence.

By no coincidence, Bankzilla is rampaging through the streets of D.C. at the same time as the Senate attempts to vote on financial reform.

Whatever you might think of the hullaballoo in Washington right now, you can just enjoy the site of a grown man being swallowed whole by an inflatable monster:

[JURIST] Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry on Tuesday vetoed legislation that would have exempted buyers of Oklahoma-made guns from several regulatory precautions including federal criminal background checks. Henry believes that the proposed legislation would “endanger citizens and law enforcement officers” by abolishing “common sense regulations” like background checks and giving criminals easy access to a wide array of weapons. Henry also cited constitutional concerns. Because there is no way to ensure that Oklahoma-manufactured weapons will remain in the state, Henry said that the proposed legislation would likely be seen as violating the Commerce Clause and would therefore be declared unconstitutional if it were challenged in court. State Senator Randy Brogdon, an advocate for the bill, said that he was disappointed to learn that Henry had vetoed the legislation. Brogdon challenged Henry’s assertions that the law would give criminals easy access to firearms and went on to claim that the legislation would actually have “stopped further federal attempts to erode our Constitutional right to protect ourselves and our families.” It remains to be seen whether supporters of the bill in the state senate will garner the necessary support to override the veto.
The rights of states and municipalities to regulate firearms under the Second Amendment of the US Constitution have become controversial. Last month, a federal judge ruled that firearms regulations in Washington, DC, including a ban on assault weapons and a prohibition on large capacity ammunition feeding devices, do not violate the Second Amendment. In upholding the regulations, the judge cited the 2008 Supreme Court ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller, which struck down an outright ban on handgun ownership in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court recently heard arguments in McDonald v. City of Chicago to determine whether the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms applies to the states, and not just the District of Columbia.

Cute overload! They did it with Jersey Shore, they did it with Scarface, and now the world’s littlest reality fans are reenacting scenes from MTV’s departing unscripted smash, The Hills.

Speidi couldn’t hold a candle to this!

A Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) e o Grupo PSA Peugeot Citroën anunciaram ontem o início de uma nova parceria em torno de um utilitário esportivo (SUV) de tamanho compacto. O acordo prevê o desenvolvimento e a adaptação para as marcas Peugeot e Citroën de um SUV de tamanho pequeno, baseado em uma plataforma já existente da Mitsubishi.

Lançados no início de 2012 na Europa, os novos SUVs compactos serão dotados de estilos específicos para a Peugeot e para a Citroën e ao mesmo tempo vão compartilhar numerosos componentes com o veículo da Mitsubishi (denominado RVR, no Japão, e ASX, na Europa).

Os veículos serão propostos com tração em 2 ou nas 4 rodas. O volume previsto para a Peugeot e a Citroën alcançará 50.000 veículos por ano para ambas as marcas. O acordo prevê que a PSA Peugeot Citroën utilize seu motor a diesel 1.6 HDi FAP em seus próprios modelos. As emissões de CO2 pretendidas com este motor serão especialmente reduzidas para esse tipo de veículo, com um objetivo de 123g de CO2 /km, ou seja, menos de 4,7l por 100 quilômetros na versão 4×2.

Esta é a quarta cooperação entre os dois parceiros, no seguimento do acordo sobre os SUV Mitsubishi Outlander, Peugeot 4007 e Citroën C-Crosser em 2005, da construção de uma fábrica conjunta na Rússia que acabou de ser inaugurada, e da comercialização na Europa no fim de 2010 dos veículos elétricos Peugeot iOn e Citroën C-Zéro baseados no Mitsubishi i-MiEV*.

*Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle, baseado no modelo de minicarro «i»

Fonte: Peugeot Citroën do Brasil Automóveis

The most terrifying words I’ve seen written so far about the growing crisis in Greece were penned by Yves Smith yesterday:  “So the whole idea that the financial crisis was over is being called into doubt. Recall that the Great Depression nadir was the sovereign debt default phase. And the EU’s erratic responses (obvious hesitancy followed by finesses rather than decisive responses) is going to prove even more detrimental as the Club Med crisis grinds on.”

The Great Depression was composed of two separate panics.  As you can see from contemporary accounts–and I highly recommend that anyone who is interested in the Great Depression read the archives of that blog along with Benjamin Roth’s diary of the Great Depression–in 1930 people thought they’d seen the worst of things. 

Unfortunately, the economic conditions created by the first panic were now eating away at the foundations of financial institutions and governments, notably the failure of Creditanstalt in Austria.  The Austrian government, mired in its own problems, couldn’t forestall bankruptcy; though the bank was ultimately bought by a Norwegian bank, the contagion had already spread.  To Germany.  Which was one of the reasons that the Nazis came to power.  It’s also, ultimately, one of the reasons that we had our second banking crisis, which pushed America to the bottom of the Great Depression, and brought FDR to power here.

Not that I think we’re going to get another Third Reich out of this, or even another Great Depression.  But it means we should be wary of the infamous “double dip” that a lot of economists have been expecting.  The United States is in comparatively good shape, but the euro is in crisis, and already-weak European banks seem to be massively exposed to Greece’s huge debt load.  They’re even more exposed to the debt of the other PIIGS, which is far too large for it all to be bailed out.  The size of the rescue package that Greece needs is already going to take a fairly substantial chunk of the IMF’s war chest.

And yet, like a lot of analysts, I don’t see much chance that a bailout is going to work.  As Felix Salmon points out, even a substantial IMF intervention isn’t going to bring yields down to their pre-crisis levels, because the new debt is going to jump in front of other creditors–so while it reduces the odds of default, it also increases the haircut that debtors will have to take if the bailout actually happens.

It’s not clear that Greece has the political will for the austerity measures it’s going to have to make even if its debt yields come back down–and the higher they stay, the smaller the chance.  This is about the calculation its creditors are making, which is why yields are now in the 20% range.  Which, perversely, makes it more likely that they’re going to lose their money.

A teacher friend of mine sent me a link to this story from the New York Times about how middle schoolers at Riverdale Country School recently went two days without texting as a sort of mental health experiment. I actually have some friends who went to Riverdale. Smart guys. But that’s another story.

Reading the NYTimes piece made me feel what I’ve been feeling for months now myself: The always-on life style is addictive and utterly unhealthy (more like years, I’m sure my family would say). The first line of the piece resonated with me on a very personal – and very depressing – level:

Julia Sokoloff, 14, woke up around 8 on Sunday morning and reached for her phone the way hard-core smokers reach for their cigarettes, before they’re even fully conscious.

Julia, I’m with you: My name is Noah Kravitz, and I am an information addict.

I, too, reach for my phone first thing in the morning. All too often it’s also the last thing I look at before going to sleep at night. I know that “checking messages is like drinking a can of Red Bull, relaxation-wise,” to quote some article I read a long time ago. But I do it anyway.

Ironic that I love gadgets, cover technology for a living, and am speaking out against the smartphone lifestyle. But it’s true. I have a huge self-control problem when it comes to checking Email, Twitter, RSS feeds, and most everything else on my phone. Tablet computers, with their big screens and easy to hold form factors are only making it worse. Reading stuff on iPad is so fun, I find myself wanting to do it for no good reason. I pick the thing up, check my messages, and then sit there in bed wondering, “Okay, what else can I look at?” It’s not like there’s specific information I’m after – it’s more like I feel the urge to use the thing and then try to justify the act later.

Starting and ending the day in front of a little screen? Not good. In the morning I wind up distracted from my family, and switched into amped-up work mode way too quickly. At night I wind up unable to get to sleep because the glowing screen has infected my mind and body with negative energy of some sort or another. Honestly, it’s a big drag.

Go read the article, even if you’re not a kid and don’t have kids of your own. Like any good “children’s story,” there’s plenty in there for us adults, too. My favorite line from the piece?

Fewer than half of the 250 middle school students at Riverdale participated in the experiment, but Julia, for one, found it valuable. Among the revelations was the envious reaction of her father, who pointed at his own BlackBerry and told her, “I’d give anything to put this down.”

Smartphones are awesome. But like all good things, they’re to be used in moderation. Right? What say you – is there such thing as too much of a good thing when it comes to the always-connected lifestyle?

Last week’s police raid on Gizmodo blogger Jason Chen’s house, in response to a request from Apple Inc., has led many to wonder why government resources are being spent on a spat between Apple and Gizmodo.

But here at EFF, we are also wondering if we’ve just seen the future of copyright enforcement. Although the Gizmodo seizure doesn’t appear to be rooted in copyright, having cops kicking in doors over what seems like a private dispute reminded us of recent efforts by the big content industries to get law enforcement to go after “copyright thieves.”

Usually, copyright law requires copyright owners to do and pay for their own enforcement efforts – they don’t get the windfall of a limited monopoly, the hammer of statutory damages, and the ability to require the public to bankroll the enforcement for them. But the big content industries are trying to reverse that presumption, demanding (via wish lists sent to the new IP Czar last month) that federal agencies devote more resources to finding and catching “copyright thieves.” For example, the Motion Picture Association of American, the Recording Industry Association of America and others filed joint comments arguing among other things, that:

The planned release of a blockbuster motion picture should be acknowledged as an event that attracts the focused efforts of copyright thieves, who will seek to obtain and distribute pre-release versions and/or to undermine legitimate release by unauthorized distribution through other channels . . . An interagency task force should work with industry to coordinate and make advance plans to try to interdict these most damaging forms of copyright theft, and to react swiftly with enforcement actions where necessary.

In other words, while the movie studios are reporting record profits, we should deputize the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to provide taxpayer-supported muscle for summer blockbuster films.

This submission also urged state and local police to get involved in copyright policing, using “state labeling laws”: “State labeling laws that define unauthorized online file sharing and streaming as a felony would provide state and local law enforcement with jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute online theft of intellectual property.”

The International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), which represents most of the entertainment industry’s biggest players, also wants to see a chilling expansion of law enforcement involvement in copyright enforcement, including:

• empowering government agents to prosecute alleged infringements, whether or not a copyright owner has actually complained;
• expanded “information sharing” between copyright owners and law enforcement, including border officials, i.e., a direct two-way pipeline between Big Media and the cops;
• issuance and execution of search warrants without notice to the alleged infringer.

The Software Information Industry Association supports many similar measures, and also suggests that convicted infringers should be required to make public video confessions, to be posted online and “used for education in schools and in training programs.”

If this wish list strikes you as disturbing, it should. Any government enforcement of copyrights should be focused on large scale, commercial infringements that can’t be adequately deterred by civil lawsuits, using the already powerful existing legal tools. The Gizmodo seizure reminds us that not only are our tax dollars at stake, but also our civil liberties. Whether you’re a blogger or a simple citizen, take note: if copyright policing becomes a regular item on the law enforcement agenda, you can expect more bogus search warrants, and more doors to be broken down.