The Whois service, which reveals the identity of Web site owners, could soon be a thing of the past.

The service, even if highly useful to many, has been highly criticized by privacy advocates, who say individuals should have the right to remain anonymous on the Web.

I have to say that I use the service quite often, mostly to track and contact people who steal content from [GAS]. Most of the time, these people leave no contact information on their Web site, so Whois is often the only way to get in touch with them.

The Whois database falls under the responsibility of the ICANN, the organization responsible for managing domain names on the Web. Last Wednesday, ICANN called a meeting to analyze whether or not they should disband the service. Unfortunately, even after 7 years of debate, it was decided further discussions were needed before a decision could be taken.

So with this debate in mind, here’s a question for you readers: Do you think a service such as Whois is a necessary evil on the Web? The comments section is open and we’re eagerly waiting to know your opinion on the matter.

That’s it folks, we’re not accepting entries for the contest anymore. We’ll be announcing the big winners in the next few days, so please stay tuned!

By Brian Boyko
[GAS] Contributor

I’ve been holding onto this one for a while, and I’m glad it’s coming out now.

As I mentioned earlier in my post on my new MacBook, I’m getting into documentary filmmaking. Currently I’m working on two projects. One of them is “Makers,” a documentary about do-it-yourselfers at the Austin Maker Faire. I’m working on putting together a rough cut right now after capturing all of the tapes I shot for the project, but before I do that, I wanted to present to you a short sneak preview.

This preview is about five minutes long, and it deals with one of the attractions at the Maker Faire, a pedal-powered, mobile ferris wheel. It features in-action shots that, around the three minute mark, “take a turn for the shocking.”

My friend Chris Morley – my old boss at HardOCP – is also part of the project and you can see that he has a particularly timely line in this video.

One last thing – while you can find the standard definition of the video embedded below, if you’ve got the hardware and bandwidth for it, you can head to the Vimeo Web site to view this movie in 720p High Definition, and download a copy for you to keep, share, or send out on P2P networks. Because while you can’t sell it for money, you’re free to copy the movie and share it.

I’m still working on the rough cut – and even this little clip will probably be a little changed from the version you see here in the final movie. But if you happen to have a distribution network for the final product – I’m looking for one and feel free to contact me at the e-mail address at the end of the film.

Feel free to make suggestions or ask questions in the Comments section. More previews to come.

— Brian.

In this segment of The Real Hustle, the hustlers demonstrate exactly why you should always mind your own business when overhearing a conversation.

You overhear someone saying an object is very valuable, but the person selling it doesn’t know that. Do you buy it before the person you’re overhearing gets to it?