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Hackerteen is a comic book created by brazilian company 4Linux for educational propouses. It was created to help teenagers to understand the hacker culture, not only technically but also politically, and computer security in a distance learning course sold by 4Linux, for now only avaiable in portuguese.

The project aims not only on technical education, but also on avoiding teenagers to spend too much time playing computer games in internet and committing virtual crimes. The main character is an exact example of these goals, Yago was a compulsive gamer becoming a skilled hacker.

The most recent success for the project is the publication of its first comic book in english. “Hackerteen Volume 1: Internet Blackout” is the first comic book published by O’Reilly, and avaiable at Amazon for US$ 13,59, but can be found for as low as US$ 10,99 in some online bookstores.

Slashdot already have a review on this book, it evaluates the book as grade 7: “A good book; better than merely adequate, though not outstanding”.

4Linux is a free software consulting and training company, created in 1995 by a group of 4 college students. After detecting the need for teenage training they have created the Hackerteen project, very successful and recognized by the Harvard Business School as the only of this kind

Acording to Hector Ruiz, AMD CEO, in an interview to IDGNow! in Brazil, Brazil and Latin America don’t have enough infrastructure to receive a semiconductor factory, discarding any chances to build a new AMD factory in Brazil.

US$ 4 billions in investments, and 4 years, would be needed to build a new factory in Brazil, besides more government support and fiscal incentives, tax reduction and donations, and investiments on better roads, railroads, airports and ports.

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Worldwide famous Brazilian Writer Paulo Coelho, one of the most proeminent writers in the world, keeps a blog supporting free online book distribution. He claims that books should be sold in different ways, and that there’s no problem in allowing digital book copying, since computers, today, are not an apropriate paltform for book reading.

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A brazilian male was Sentenced to pay US$ 60,000 to a woman for sending through email pornographic content. The images were digitally edited to put the woman face into pornographic photos. The emails were sent through 10 monthes using an email account created using her name.

To localize the defendant the justice ordered the telephony company to release the user information and address. In the defendant computer the photos were found proving the accusation.

Source: IDGNow!

The singer and Brazilian Culture Minister, Gilberto Gil, in an interview to the spanish newspaper La Vanguardia told that the access to music should free (as in beer).

Acording to the minister “the cultural consuming laws shoud be changed” and “the access to the music should be free, free of charge, qualityful. The authour should be paid” but the gratuitousness should be in first place.

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The brazilian federal government has lauched in April/08 the project “Broadband in Schools”, to offer broadband internet access to all public schools in Brazil. The project offers broadband access to all urban schools around the country, 55,000 schools, connecting 37 millions of students and teatchers.

The project was made possible due to negociations between government and broadband access companies: Telefonica (Spain), Sercontel (Brazil), Brasil Telecom (Brazil/Italy), CTBC (Brazil), Oi/Telemar (Brazil), to provide low-cost broadband all across the country.

The companies will provide for free 1 Mbps links for all the 55,000 schools included in the project. At 2011 the link will raise to 2 Mbps.

Although it my sounds as philanthropy these companies are doing nothing beyond their duties. 1% of their sales must be redirect to FUST (Telecomunication Services Universalisation Fund). A government fund to make telecomunication services avaiable for low income families.

Acording to ABPD (Brazilian Records Producers Association) the internet music market sold US$ 3.25 milions in 2007, a 1,619% growth compared to 2006 results, US$ 190 thousands. The whole online market, including internet and cellphones music sales sold US$ 14 millions, 185% more compared to 2006 sales.

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Brazilian Goverment will save US$ 8 Millions in election between 2008 and 2018. The economy is due to the use of Linux in the eletronic voting machines, made by Procomp-Diebold, it will also offer better transparency to the election process. The vulnerability tests were avaiable for anyone last saturday, April 5th, and the system will be open for propouses of modification until a month before elections.

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