How Top-Valued Microsoft Has Avoided the Big Tech Backlash

Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple are targets of government investigations and public outrage, facing accusations that they abuse their power in various ways, from exploiting personal information to stifling rivals. Conspicuously absent from most of that criticism? Microsoft, a tech company worth more than them all. From a report: The software giant, valued at more than $1 trillion by investors, is…

Judges Begin Ruling Against Some Porn Purveyors’ Use of Copyright Lawsuits

Slashdot reader pgmrdlm quotes Bloomberg: Pornography producers and sellers account for the lion’s share of copyright-infringement lawsuits in the U.S. — and judges may have seen enough. The courts are cracking down on porn vendors that file thousands of lawsuits against people for downloading and trading racy films on home computers, using tactics a judge called a “high tech shakedown.” [Alternate…

Return to the moon? 3D printing with moondust could be the key to future lunar living

The entire Apollo 11 mission to the moon took just eight days. If we ever want to build permanent bases on the moon, or perhaps even Mars or beyond, then future astronauts will have to spend many more days, months and maybe even years in space without a constant lifeline to Earth. The question is how would they get hold of…