Ars Technica has coverage of a Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) report which examines the value of Fair Use to the US economy. Nate Anderson writes:

The CCIA report's numbers are staggering. The "fair use economy" accounted for 23 percent of all US real economic growth between 2002 and 2007. Fair use industries (core and non-core combined) generated $4.7 trillion in 2007. And "about one out of every eight workers in the United States is employed in an industry that benefits from the protection afforded by fair use."

Video game programmer and chiptunes artist Brad Smith brings us Moon8, an interpretation of Pink Floyd's seminal work Dark Side of The Moon composed for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

This is, incidentally, absolutely bloody brilliant.

It is pretty much a forgone conclusion that GST will soon raise to 15%, and much has been written about possible impacts to the low-income worker, pensioners and small businesses I occurred to me yesterday that this could impact anybody like me, who imports gadgets or anything else from overseas.

Under current importing regulations GST is calculated on all imports (based on the value of the item imported and shipping), but will only be collected if the GST exceeds $50. This means that we can import items up to $400 without being taxed. If GST raises to 15% and the $50 GST limit remains the same, we will be able to import items no more than $333.33 without attracting GST.

Bother.

(Picture by Don Solo. / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Last weekend I acquired my first (and possibly only) arcade cabinet. It appears to be a custom cabinet (i.e. not the original manufacturer's cabinet) from the early 1980s.

Uniwar S looks like a conversion of the Galaxians PCB, and has very similar gameplay. It is not a particularly well known game and is probaly not especially collectable. Nonetheless, I will be trying to restore the original PCB and monitor if possible. I will also be doing a MAME conversion, but hope to run them both in the same cabinet. The game is from Irem, the company that later released Moon Patrol and R-Type which are two of my favourite arcade games.

Links:

• KLOV (Killer List of Videogames) Game information
• VAPS (Video Arcade Preservation Society) collector info
• Solarfox's Uniwar S info page
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I have been having trouble using the Metlink web site for public transport in the Wellington region, and would like to know if you have the same problems. I have spoken to the Regional Council (who run the site) and the developers, and have been told that I must have an unusual phone because it works fine with their test devices.
 
Even if you're not in Wellington, or don't use public transport, I'd appreciate your help doing some tests from your mobile phone, and filling out a survey as you go. I'll regularly update this post with the survey results once a few people have done it.
 
Click here for instructions and the survey.
 
NOTE: I am in no way affiliated with the Greater Wellington Regional Council or their web site developers. I am doing this in the hope that the GWRC will eventually listen and fix their site to make it usable. Or prove myself wrong. Either way.