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Apple Voiding Smokers\' Warranties?'); document.write('
Mr2001 writes \"Consumerist reports that Apple is refusing to work on computers that have been used in smoking households. \'The Apple store called and informed me that due to the computer having been used in a house where there was smoking, [the warranty has been voided] and they refuse to work on the machine \"due to health risks of second hand smoke,\"\' wrote one customer. Another said, \'When I asked for an explanation, she said [the owner of the iMac is] a smoker and it\'s contaminated with cigarette smoke, which they consider a bio-hazard! I checked my Applecare warranty and it says nothing about not honoring warranties if the owner is a smoker.\' Apple claims that honoring the warranty would be an OSHA violation. (Remember when they claimed enabling 802.11n for free would be a Sarbanes-Oxley violation?)\"
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Pittsburgh To Tax Students'); document.write('
societyofrobots writes \"Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has proposed taxing college and professional students for the privilege of receiving an education in the city. The proposed tax will charge students in the city at a rate of 1% of their yearly tuition — which, at Carnegie Mellon, would mean roughly a $400 tax (PDF) on most students. As the tax proposal hit local media outlets this week, the mayor repeatedly emphasized the burden that college students have placed on city services, and the need for students to pay their \'fair share.\'\"
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Major Electronics Firms Support Ending Use of \"Conflict Minerals\"'); document.write('
tburton writes \"The US House of Representatives yesterday released the Conflict Minerals Trade Act (HR 4128) to try and end the international trade of tungsten, tantalum and col-tan, the mining of which is accused of fueling violent rape and murder in eastern Congo. Since the very same minerals power the most popular consumer electronics from HP, Verizon, Nokia, RIM and Intel, the Information Technology Industry Council has quickly signed a statement of support. Advocacy groups are hopeful these commitments prove to be meaningful as consumers begin to question the end result of the supply chains powering their favorite gadget.\"
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Bing Censoring All Simplified Chinese Language Queries'); document.write('
boggis writes \"Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times journalist, is calling for a boycott of Microsoft\'s Bing. They have censored search requests at the request of the Chinese Government (like certain others). The difference is that Bing has censored all searches done anywhere in simplified Chinese characters (the characters used in mainland China). This means that a Chinese speaker searching for Tiananmen anywhere in the world now gets the impression that it is just a lovely place to visit.\"
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