Lawmeme evaluates the Top Ten Benefits of Microsoft and HP's Christmastime 'Entertainment PC,' which is chock full o' Hollywood-centric 'features' that undermine Fair Use.

… 4. Enjoy the convenience of a single remote control to access your entertainment

This is convenient, until you realize that this means Microsoft controls the ways you can access your entertainment. Prefer to access your entertainment in a way that Microsoft (or Hollywood) doesn't like? Too bad. Access has come to take on some very strange meanings. According to the DMCA, you are not permitted to circumvent access control devices. Hollywood defines 'access' as 'using.' If you watch a DVD, you are 'accessing' the content on the DVD. Thus, if you watch a DVD in a way that Hollywood has not explicitly permitted, you are in violation of the DMCA. [Lawmeme via Boing Boing Blog]

Henry Sheehan is among the best movie critics writing today.

His website, henrysheehan.com, is a must-visit for every moviegoer.

Those living in Los Angeles, California, USA can hear him in discussion with other estimable film critics (Jean Oppenheimer of New Times Los Angeles, Peter Rainer of New York Magazine, Charles Solomon, animation historian and critic, et alii) on Film Week Fridays at 10 o'clock in the morning (Pacific Time) on radio station KPCC. 89.3FM. Film Week is also heard each week on WSUI-AM in Iowa City, Iowa.