Gated Logic • nevali.net

Denon is selling a 1.5 metre-long Ethernet cable for $500. They claim that the “high purity copper wire” will “bring out all the nuances in digital audio reproduction”. As this is an Ethernet cable specifically designed for digital audio, it’s not recommended for use in any other setting. At this time the IEEE has declined to comment on the effects of high-purity copper wire on 100Mbps or 1000Mbps full-duplex data transfers.

A street sweeper in New York inadvertently sucked up a dog. The owner, Robert Machin, had been walking his dog when the truck passed him at what he claims was an unsafe speed, leaving him holding only the animal’s lead.

Honda have begun production of the world’s first hydrogen fuel-cell powered vehicle. The car is claimed to produce zero emissions beyond water vapour, and is three times more fuel-efficient than current petrol-powered cars. Honda intends to produce two hundred of the vehicles over the next three years.

The ex-editor of The Sun newspaper, Kelvin Mackenzie is to stand against recently-resigned shadow Home Secretary, David Davis. Davis resigned over the narrow victory by Gordon Brown on widely unpopular proposals to hold without charge terrorist suspects for up to 42 days. Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have indicated that they won’t stand against Davis in the by-election triggered by his resignation.

The United States Supreme Court ruled that prisoners held in the Guantanamo Bay detention facility had a right to challenge their incarceration in a federal court. The ruling has been widely hailed as a victory for human rights in a situation where the balance was tipped firmly in favour of the opinions of the United States Government.

The British Court of Appeal ruled that mod chips used to alter the behaviour of games consoles (including allowing games to be played from backup copies of discs, or from other regions) do not themselves bypass copy protections, and are therefore legal. The argument, with which the judges agreed, was that the copyright infringement had already occurred without the aid of the chips when games are illegally duplicated, rather than when the copies are played.

Gordon Brown is set to upgrade the legal status of the drug cannabis, setting aside the advice of government scientific advisors. Mr Brown, appearing on the GMTV programme, described new ‘skunk’ strains as “lethal”.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs delivered its report on the reclassification of cannabis to Downing Street. The report noted that between 1998 and 2005, while cannabis use has increased, and stronger strains of the drug are more readily available, reported cases of schizophrenia had fallen during the same period. Cannabis use has been widely linked to a higher risk of developing schizophrenia, and this was a prime concern when the drug was reclassified in 2002.

Hillary Clinton stated that she would want to make clear to Iran that “we would be able to obliterate them” were they to launch an attack on Israel. Mrs Clinton didn’t specify whether she was referring to the whole country, or just Iran’s military forces. In either case, she will probably only gain votes as a result, given the current widespread sentiment with respect to Iran.

Lord Levy has attacked what he perceives to be Gordon Brown’s lack of strong leadership. Lord Levy was the chief fundraiser of the Labour party and a close ally of Tony Blair, and was at the centre of the “Cash for Honours” affair.

The 48-hour strike at Grangemouth began on Sunday, causing the closure of the refinery and a pipeline carrying nearly half of Britain’s North Sea oil.

Complaints have been made regarding the conduct of the Chinese security guards chaperoning the Olympic Torch when it passed through the UK. The home secretary confirmed that the guards had no official policing powers.

The US Justice Department is reportedly keeping a close eye on the dealings between Google and Yahoo!. The latter is said to have been desperately trying to avoid being bought by Microsoft, who still has an offer on the table.

Hamas has proposed a six-month truce with Israel. The conditions of the truce are that it must be simultaneously enacted by both sides, and blockades must be lifted.

Also in the Gaza strip, the United Nations has been forced to suspend its food distribution programme due to fuel shortages.

The closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland could cost the UK £50m a day, according to Malcom Webb of the trade body Oil and Gas UK. Ministers in the Scottish Parliament have warned that the effects of the closure upon the oil industry could be widespread.