"DVD" Jon Lohansen has been tweaking Apple for years. After breaking the encryption on DVDs, he went on to unscramble Apple's music store files, then its wi-fi media streaming, then virtual locks within the iPhone. Now he's got his own company, doubleTwist, whose mission is to connect non-Apple devices to your iTunes library — the same sort of trick the Apple-baiters over at Palm recently tried and then apparently gave up on.

In 2006, a hacker named DVD Jon cracked the encryption on Apple's music store files. Today he's pulled off a more tangible hack: Buying a billboard practically inside Apple's San Francisco store to advertise his "cure for iPhone envy."

• There's no way I'm touching this "WebGuild Conference" on October 19, but I can get a press pass if a reader volunteers to ride into the jaws of Death, into the mouth of Hell. In return for the press pass, the correspondent will provide live IM commentary of speeches by Google VP Marissa Mayer, MarketWatch reporter Bambi Francisco, and anyone whose speech is especially interesting (or mockable). E-mail tips@valleywag.com if you're interested. [WebGuild]