» It ain’t easy being rich: Oh wait, clearly, it is. In addition to the $5 million unfrozen by the New Zealand court, Dotcom has also been given permission to sell nine luxury vehicles; most notably, a custom modified 2009 Mercedes E500 and 2008 Rolls Royce Coupe. All of this, of course, is separate from a court ruling earlier this month which also granted Mr. Dotcom with a monthly stipend of $48,300 for living expenses, medical expenses, and legal fees. Our hearts go out to Kim Dotcom. Sounds like he’s really suffering.
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You have to give it up to Kim Dotcom: Despite the fact that his house was dramatically raided and his reputation took a major hit, he’s not giving up his mega-entrepreneur dreams. In fact, he still plans to launch the service Megabox, which will give artists a way to sell directly to their fans, later this year. Not bad brah.
Video of Kim Dotcom raid revealed: Months after the raid of Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom’s mansion in New Zealand, the raid continues to be under scrutiny. For the first time, New Zealand’s 3NEWS has revealed video showing what happened that day. A must-watch, especially considering this is a raid over a file-sharing network.
We have met the enemy, and he is (the) U.S.Auckland, N.Z. District Judge David Harvey • Speaking at a conference on copyright earlier this month. The fact that Harvey said this is somewhat problematic, as he’s the judge overseeing the MegaUpload case. Hence, he’s decided to step down from the case, with the court’s chief judge, Jan-Marie Doogue, saying that Harvey’s statements “could reflect on his impartiality and that the appropriate response is for him to step down from the case.” Pretty much.
Not enough information: Chief Justice Helen Winkelman ruled that the 70 search warrants used to raid the home of, and confiscate property from, Megaupload.com founder Kim Dotcom were too vague to be valid. In the decision, Winkelman also ruled that the FBI broke the law when it took confiscated items outside of New Zealand’s borders. As a result, New Zealand’s Attorney General has been ordered to formally request the the return of any/all confiscated items. So, do you think Dotcom will end up coming out of this ordeal unscathed? (Photo via CBS Tech Talk) source
![Kim DotCom adds Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak to list of supporters
In an emailed interview with CNET, Steve “Woz” Wozniak confirmed that he’s a supporter of MegaUpload CEO Kim Dotcom. Wozniak blasted federal prosecutors, telling CNET it is “unfair that the United States will allow [DotCom] living expenses out of his frozen assets but not give him any legal fees.” Woz is no fan piracy, and told the site in no uncertain terms that he believes it’s wrong, “So is driving over the speed limit,” he said, adding, “But don’t let that halt the progress of the digital age.” (Photo from and hat tip to Gizmodo) source
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In an emailed interview with CNET, Steve “Woz” Wozniak confirmed that he’s a supporter of MegaUpload CEO Kim Dotcom. Wozniak blasted federal prosecutors, telling CNET it is “unfair that the United States will allow [DotCom] living expenses out of his frozen assets but not give him any legal fees.” Woz is no fan piracy, and told the site in no uncertain terms that he believes it’s wrong, “So is driving over the speed limit,” he said, adding, “But don’t let that halt the progress of the digital age.” (Photo from and hat tip to Gizmodo) source
» Thanks to a paperwork mix-up, authorities in New Zealand may have been acting illegally when they seized approximately $200 million worth of assets during the raid and arrest of MegaUpload-founder Kim Dotcom. Although police did catch their mistake and apply for new paperwork prior to executing the raid, a judge has ruled the initial paperwork invalid. She’s granted a temporary legitimacy to the second order, but is expected to rule soon on whether or not Dotcom will have his assets returned to him.
» Move over, Emperor penguin. While you may be the largest penguin left in these modern times, 27 million years ago you would have been dwarfed by science’s latest fossil discovery, the Kairuku grebneffi, found in New Zealand. It’s believed that their longer, curved beaks allowed them to easily spear fish for food. As described by Otago University’s Ewan Fordyce: “…relatively longer bills and a more slender body than in living species. The wing was probably able to flex a little more.”
To give you an idea of how lavishly Kim Dotcom spent his money: Here are the 2011 New Years’ fireworks the MegaUpload founder funded in Auckland, New Zealand. He spent $500,000 in U.S. money on this display. And this isn’t even the whole thing! It’s like three and a half minutes — the full thing is like 10 minutes long! Ars Technica has an amazing piece explaining the guy’s long history, from criminal association to lavish spending to great success … to criminal association. Great read.
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Despite our staff clearly identifying themselves, Mr Dotcom retreated into the house and activated a number of electronic-locking mechanisms. … Once they gained entry into [Dotcom’s safe room], they found Mr Dotcom near a firearm which had the appearance of a shortened shotgun. It was definitely not as simple as knocking at the front door.Organised and Financial Crime Agency New Zealand Detective Inspector Grant Wormald • Describing the insane chain of events that led to the arrest of Kim Dotcom (also known as Kim Schmitz), the founder of MegaUpload, on Friday. Among the things removed from the house included two cars, one of which is a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe — which has a retail price of $443,000. No matter how you feel about MegaUpload, Kim Dotcom certainly carries himself like a criminal mastermind, or more correctly, a James Bond villain. source (via • follow)
Amateur video shows a powerful tornado ripping through the Albany Mall near Auckland, New Zealand Tuesday afternoon. [via yfrog]
To complement this, here’s a clip that’s a tad bit further away.
![producermatthew:
A tornado has caused extensive damage to the city of Auckland, New Zealand, according to local media reports. The tornado struck Tuesday in the metropolitan city. Numerous injuries have been reported. [photo via twitpic]
ProducerMatthew also found a video of the twister worth watching.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lklohihSKh1qz5ew6o1_500.png)
A tornado has caused extensive damage to the city of Auckland, New Zealand, according to local media reports. The tornado struck Tuesday in the metropolitan city. Numerous injuries have been reported. [photo via twitpic]
ProducerMatthew also found a video of the twister worth watching.
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