Odds and Ends

Here is a roundup of generally interesting news from the world of technology:

Jury Duty Scam
Here's a new identity theft scam that is making the rounds: Thieves who pretend to be from your local court call you and say you failed to report for jury duty and that a warrant has been issued for your arrest. Then they ask for your social security number, birth date, etc. Many folks who would never be fooled by an email scam will give out this info over the phone. Please don't do it! Hang up and call the court yourself or go there in person to be sure it's the real deal.

Chinese Man Tries to Sell Soul

A man in his late 20s in Jiaxing, a city near Shanghai, has attempted to sell his soul on Taobao, China's top online auction site, attracting bids from some 58 soul-searching buyers before the posting was pulled. After reviewing their policies, a spokesman for Taobao said they were not opposed to the idea of soul selling online, but wanted more proof that the seller could provide the goods.

"After some discussion, we decided that we will allow the member to sell his soul on Taobao, but only if he can provide written permission from a 'higher authority'," he said.

Taobao made its decision as Chinese around the world on Wednesday observed Qing Ming, a traditional holiday where many travel to their ancestors' graves to clean them and offer gifts to the spirits. Taobao is no stranger to odd items being put up for auction, with past sale items including advertising space on one member's forehead.

Netflix Sues Blockbuster
Online DVD rental firm Netflix is suing rival Blockbuster for patent infringement, asking a federal judge in Northern California to shut down Blockbuster's 18-month-old online rental service and award Netflix damages.

Netflix holds two U.S. patents for its business methodology, which calls for subscribers to pay a monthly fee to select and rent DVD’s from the company's Web site and to maintain a list of titles telling Netflix in which order to ship the films, according to the patents, which were included as exhibits in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit says Blockbuster, which launched its online rental service in 2004, was aware that Netflix had obtained a patent for its business method and was seeking a second at that time, but willfully and deliberately violated the existing patent. Netflix is demanding a jury trial and asks that Blockbuster Online be enjoined from using Netflix's business method and be forced to pay damages and court costs.

Apple Puts Windows on the MAC
Apple Computer has released beta software that lets Mac users run Microsoft Windows XP operating systems on Intel-based Macintosh computers. Called Boot Camp, the software creates a hard drive partition for Windows XP and lets users choose between the two operating systems at start-up time. It's available now as a free trial beta that works only for a limited time, and will be included as a feature of the next major Mac OS release, currently code-named Leopard.

The move comes a few months after Apple introduced its first computers based on Intel's x86-type processors. The company has expressed little enthusiasm in the past for running Windows on its Macs and even now may not be entirely happy about it. The software will not work on non-Intel MACS. The company thinks Boot Camp will make its Macs more appealing to Windows PC users who might be considering a switch.