From Slashdot:

Sony BMG and a group of class action lawyers have reached a provisional settlement in the U.S. Sony rootkit class actions. Sony will pay cash compensation and give away free downloads from a choice of music download services including Apple iTunes as part of the deal. The settlement includes a host of restrictions on future Sony DRM use, which Michael Geist argues provides the starting point for a future Digital Rights Management Protection Act.

Okay, maybe it’s not the worst, but it’s up there in the top ten. From Slashdot:

News.com is reporting that the Texas attorney general is expanding the allegations against Sony. It seems the software would install even if users declined the EULA. From the article: ‘The Texas attorney general said on Wednesday that he added a new claim to a lawsuit charging Sony BMG Music Entertainment with violating the state’s laws on deceptive trade practices by hiding ‘spyware’ on its compact discs … The new charges brought by Abbott contend that MediaMax software used by Sony BMG to thwart illegal copying of music on CDs violated state laws because it was downloaded even if users rejected a license agreement.’

I have to admit to a little schadenfreude; sometimes people get exactly what they deserve, and this is a great example of Sony getting what’s coming to them. They’ve been indulging themselves with blatantly anti-competitive behavior for a while now (witness their boycott of the iTMS in Australia), and they’re finally getting called on it.

1. Hana Yori Dango – This is the grandmommy of all shoujo manga, and one of the most beloved (and bestselling!) titles in that genre. Having read the first 15 volumes (all that’re currently available in the US), I can understand why. It is, hands down, the best manga I’ve ever read; its wonderfully complex characters have become, in one way or another, the inspiration for those in most shoujo manga that came afterward.
2. Hot Gimmick – O. M. G. This one is intense. I can’t wait until the next volume comes out!
3. Ouran High Host Club – Funny funny funny. Did I mention it’s funny?
4. Hanazakari no Kimitachi he – The trailblazer for the cross-dressing sports genre of shoujo manga. What’s that? You think I’m making this up? I’m not. Anyway, this one is funny and has great characters. Especially Nakatsu!
5. Othello – Another funny manga with an interesting plot. I love the assured and confident art in this one.
6. Crossroad – I’ve only read the first volume of this family drama/comedy, but I am really looking forward to the next one.
7. The Wallflower – This series will always hold a special place in my heart for being the first manga I ever read; very funny and with a great super-defomed style.
8. Bring It On! – My favorite manhwa. This one is really funny and I’m looking forward to the next volume.
9. Dramacon – The only American manga on my list, this one takes a seemingly innocuous subject and turns it into an engaging story with wonderful art that borrows from the traditions on both sides of the ocean. I love this one for the facial expressions of the characters; so well done!
10. Goong – I know Jieun is wondering why this is so far down on my list, but really, I think the other ones are better. This one has beautiful art and an interesting (if somewhat melodramatic) plot, and as Jieun says, good chemistry between the two main characters.

Honorable mention:

• Tramps Like Us
• W Juliet
• Girl Got Game
• Chocolat

2005 has been a good year for anime, for the sheer number of outstanding series and movies I’ve seen. Without further ado:

1. Bleach – This one is just awesome. A martial arts anime that is—and I know this is going to be blasphemy to some—better than Rurouni Kenshin. No, really. While Kenshin had a great premise and a wonderfully complex central character, that’s about all it had. Plotting was clumsy through most of the series, and the animation of the fight scenes left much to be desired in the TV series (the OAVs are another story). Bleach, by contrast, is very skilfully plotted (it’s been on for 62 episodes at last count, and hasn’t been boring yet), and the fight scenes are done extremely well. If you’ve only got time to watch one anime series in this coming year, Bleach should be at the top of your list.
2. Samurai Champloo – This new series from the creators of Cowboy Bebop lived up to, and exceeded, my high expectations. Stylish, smooth and hilarious. And have I mentioned the fabulous soundtrack?
3. Honey & Clover – Widely regarded as one of the best animes to come out in 2005, this is a Seinfeld-esque slice-of-life show about students at an art school in Tokyo. Although I hate this word, it’s poignant, nostalgic and very, very funny.
4. Beck – Like a 13-hour-long music video. Funny and just plain cool. Despite the Engrish.
5. Last Exile – A cool fantasy series with beautiful graphics and an interesting plot.
6. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence – The highly-anticipated sequel to Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 masterpiece, this one didn’t disappoint. Stunning animation and a satisfyingly complex plot; don’t miss it!
7. Paranoia Agent – I was drawn to this because I am a big fan of director Satoshi Kon. This, his first TV series, is as beautifully animated and as disturbing as his previous work.
8. Twelve Kingdoms – A wonderful epic fantasy series that’s what Fushigi Yuugi should have been. Based on Fuyumi Ono’s novels of the same name, this show has a fascinating, complex plot and beautiful art.
9. Witch Hunter Robin – Can’t believe I forgot this one. I really liked this show, which is like an animated version of X-Files. The character art was very pretty, and I liked the music in the show, as well.

Honorable mention:

• Blood+ – A better-animated and better-plotted remake (continuation?) of 2000′s aggressively mediocre Blood: The Last Vampire, this one has a relatively interesting plot and engaging characters, which together manage to overcome the vague cheesiness that the show’s makers can’t seem to resist adding in. The cheesiness, by the way, is not helped by Hans Zimmer’s score, but the show is still good and worth watching.
• TeXhnolyze – This series, brought to us by the makers of Serial Experiments Lain, is as interesting and bleak as its predecessor. Good art and a very good soundtrack.

but since I forced the issue, that might be in poor taste. Matt now has a blog! Which I signed him up for, granted, but still! (You can also find him in the blogroll in the sidebar.)

1. Brothers
2. Adam’s Apples
3. Linda Linda Linda
4. The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
5. I Heart Huckabees
6. Strange Days on Planet Earth
7. Hana and Alice
8. 3-Iron
9. The Green Butchers
10. Batman Begins

Honorable mention:

• The Boys of Baraka
• Shaolin Soccer
• Assault on Precinct 13

I’m going to start posting all my “Best of 2005″ lists soon, about movies, anime, books, restaurants, etc., etc. Please note that all of the items on my lists won’t necessarily be things that started/were published/came out in 2005; they’ll just be things that I did/saw/experienced in 2005. Let the games begin!

link-rich blog post about the New York Transit Workers’ strike.

Google has released its Zeitgeist 2005:

It turns out that looking at the aggregation of billions of search queries people type into Google reveals something about our curiosity, our thirst for news, and perhaps even our desires. Considering all that has occurred in 2005, we thought it would be interesting to study just a few of the significant events, and names that make this a memorable year. (We’ll leave it to the historians to determine which ones are lasting and which ephemeral.) We hope you enjoy this selective view of our collective year.

Nea…well, see the title of this post. (Via Slashdot)

And on the subject of 2005 retrospectives, Matt has requested that Jieun and I put some up of the movies and/or anime we’ve seen this year. He’s put his up in the comments on my sister’s blog. I’ve been tossing around the idea for a few weeks, and I’ll probably do it soon, so be on the lookout…

From CNN:

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (AP) — “Intelligent design” cannot be mentioned in biology classes in a Pennsylvania public school district, a federal judge said Tuesday, ruling in one of the biggest courtroom clashes on evolution since the 1925 Scopes trial.

Dover Area School Board members violated the Constitution when they ordered that its biology curriculum must include the notion that life on Earth was produced by an unidentified intelligent cause, U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III said.

(Via Slashdot)