World’s Largest Bass Guitar, and Last.fm Tells Techcrunch Off

I have no idea if the "world's largest bass guitar" is a Photoshopped work of trickery. I have no idea of the scale on it or the notes. Would it even make an audible tone, or does it just rumble quietly to itself when plucked, the soundwaves passing below our ability to hear? What the hell is up with the flame job anyway? So many imponderables.

What is being heard it Last.fm's response to Techcrunch's allegations that the service turned over its data on what its Scrobble users listen to over to the RIAA, specifically the folks who gave a listen to leaked U2 tracks. Last.fm is claiming they only collect aggregate data to share with labels and artists, and the private stuff never makes it out of their servers. Techcrunch is backtracking somewhat on the claims, but the implications are already out and the debate is underway. If anything, this is as much of a warning to make sure exactly what data is being collected from your system before you use a service (and maybe turn off the service that broadcasts the music you're enjoying to the world, even if it hasn't technically been released yet). Given that your information is already being tracked, though, whether by Amazon's purchases or iTunes' Genius feature or another feature, this kind of becomes a non-issue.