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NEC, Casio, Hitachi to merge handset businesses (AP)AP - Japanese electronics makers NEC Corp., Casio Computer Co. and Hitachi said Monday they will combine their mobile phone handset-manufacturing operations by April next year in a bid to boost their competitiveness at home and abroad.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 14 Sep 2009 | 4:26 am Kickster Adds Stand, Handle and Case to iPod Nano
Quirky continues to impress us with a long run of “community designed” accessories, the latest being the Kickster — yet another iPod Nano case. Quirky’s take, though, is less case and more all-in-one accessory kit. Quirky, if you don’t remember, takes design submissions from the public, hones them within 24 hours by opening them up to the community, and then takes orders. Buyers commit and get charged when enough orders have been made and the product hits the factory lines. Everyone who helped gets a cut. The Kickster is a clear case for the new 5th-gen Nano, and although cheaper ($14.35) than most other cases, it packs a lot in. First, and most obvious, is the kick-stand, which twists and flips to stand the Nano in either portrait or landscape format. It also works as a steadying handle for shooting video, a kind of nano-steadycam, if you will. Next to the stand are two cord-wrapping cleats, and inside is shock-absorbing silicone, and there are holes punched in the plastic case to let sound and video into the mic and camera. Design by committee that actually works? Who’da thought? Product page [Quirky] See Also:
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 14 Sep 2009 | 4:17 am Microsoft does the softsell on Windows 7 to enterprises - Computerworld
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 14 Sep 2009 | 4:03 am The "Good Enough" Test: Flip Vs. Apple iPod Nano [MediaMemo]
You know what? I think the conventional wisdom is right on this one. Take a look at this clever test from NewTeeVee, which compares the Nano’s new camera with a Flip Utra SD. The good folks at NewTeeVee declare that the Flip’s camera offers a “MUCH better picture”, and since they did the work here I won’t argue with them. But I don’t think the gap between the two cameras is big enough to help Flip. If you’re really serious about video quality, you’re probably not carrying a Flip to begin with. And given the choice between a video camera that takes a decent picture and one that also lets you listen to music, watch movies and play games… well, that’s a tough sell, even if you’ve got Cisco’s (CSCO) marketing dollars backing you up. In other words, Apple (AAPL) has passed my “good enough” test. The Nano doesn’t do the job as well as a single-use device, but it’s adequate for my needs. The only question for me is whether I spring for a Nano now, or hold off in the hopes that the iPod Touch line gets a camera sooner than later. Source: All Things Digital | 14 Sep 2009 | 4:00 am Mysterious Fiji petrel sighting raises hopesThe first ever positive identification at sea of one of the world's most mysterious and endangered seabirds has raised hopes for the survival of the Fijian petrel, conservationists said...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 4:00 am Users nervous about Oracle's acquisition of MySQL (InfoWorld)InfoWorld - The European Union is not the only one antsy about Oracle taking possession of the open source MySQL database should the commercial database giant's merger with Sun Microsystems get final approval.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 14 Sep 2009 | 4:00 am iPod Touch Has Wireless ‘N’, FM Radio
IFixit has, once again, managed to shove its way to the front of the Apple Store queue, buy the latest hardware and bring it back to the iFixit Lair, a workshop so efficiently designed and well equipped for ripping things apart that the owners constantly get sales queries from serial killers. This time the mystery-meat on the slab is the new iPod Touch, the runt of Apple’s iPod upgrades last week and notable mostly for what it didn’t get: no camera, no FM radio (no that you’d want it) and no Nike+ pedometer. But according to iFixit’s be-scalpelled surgeons, there are a few surprises inside. First, wireless n. We knew the Touch had gotten a a new CPU (a newer hardware revision than the iPhone 3GS, although the actual speed is still unknown), but it turns out that it also has faster Wi-Fi, with 802.11n joining a,b and g. The chip is the Broadcom BCM4329, and we reported back in April that this chip had been listed in a resource file deep within the iPhone 3.0 software. Don’t get too excited yet. The faster Wi-Fi isn’t switched on, but remember that the previous iPod Touch shipped with a Bluetooth chip inside that remained dormant until the 3.0 OS update finally woke it up, and the original MacBooks also contained n-capable wireless chipsets which later got switched on with a $2 download. The same could happen with this faster Wi-Fi in the Touch, and it wouldn’t be the first time the Touch has had better hardware than the iPhone.
Also on this Broadcom chip is an FM transmitter and receiver. The transmitter will likely remain off forever, but the FM radio could certainly be useful for those in the US who can’t get Spotify, and could be switched on in software if there is an FM antenna inside there too. Third, and most interesting, is the inclusion of a 6mm x 6mm x 3mm hole. What? A hole? In something as tightly packed as an iPod Touch, even a hole can hold meaning, and this hole could be where the camera was supposed to go. IFixit points out, and our own Brian Chen reported last week, that this hole isn’t big enough to fit an autofocus iPhone camera, but there is space for a new Nano video camera in there. Could these be the “technical difficulties” which prevented Apple from including a camera in the Touch? A simple lack of space? It’s possible, and the leaked case designs showed a camera in the center like this. And after all, the Touch is a lot slimmer than the iPhone. One thing is sure: if Apple did include either the 1G iPhone’s crap-cam, or the 640 x 480 video camera from the Nano, there would be loud complaints. Apple needs to find a way to fit the iPhone’s camera into this tiny space. And if I had to put money on it, I’d say we’ll see one in a few months time, perhaps even as an attention-getting announcement during January’s CES. iPod touch 3rd Generation Teardown [iFixit. Thanks, Kyle!] Photos: iFixit See Also:
Source: Gizmodo | 14 Sep 2009 | 3:46 am New iPod Touch Dismantled - Techtree.com
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 14 Sep 2009 | 3:33 am Intel sampling Jasper Forest chips with built-in I/O hub - TG Daily
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 14 Sep 2009 | 3:30 am LG Unveils Its First Android Smartphone - PC World
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 14 Sep 2009 | 3:21 am UPDATE 2-UAE's Etisalat bids for Millicom Sri Lanka* Telecoms group determined to expand in emerging marketsSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 3:21 am PCCW and Polaris Software Collaborate to Take Intellect(TM) to ChinaHONG KONG and CHENNAI, India, September 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Polaris Software Lab Limited, a leading Financial Technology company in India, has signed the Memorandum of Understanding with PCCW Solutions, a subsidiary of Hong Kong's premier telecommunications provider, PCCW Limited, to jointly market and deliver Intellect Global Universal Banking (GUB) 10.0* and a range of other banking and insurance solutions including software, system integration and support services for customers in Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China. PCCW Solutions and Polaris will target banking, financial services and insurance companies in the region.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 14 Sep 2009 | 3:14 am Darwin's Voyage Done Over, Livethrill12 writes "Almost 178 years ago, Charles Darwin set sail in the HMS Beagle, to do the now famous explorations that formed the basis for Darwin's On The Origin Of Species. Now, a group of British and Dutch scientists, journalists and artists set sail again to redo the voyage of the Beagle. This time, they are taking modern equipment with them and they have live connections through Twitter, Youtube, Facebook and Flickr. As they re-explore, and (re)discover, we can join that 8-month-long trip, live over the internet."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 14 Sep 2009 | 3:12 am Send Pet-Friendly GreetingsBond with adorable animal eCards at Card Boiled(TM)! WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Sept.14 /PRNewswire/ -- Some studies have suggested that owning a pet can have a profound effect onSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 3:07 am Dire Wire: How to Protect Pets From Cable and Wire HazardsFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Protecting computer, appliance, home entertainment and other cables and wires around the home from your dog or cat and, in doing so,...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 3:06 am Dire Wire: How to Protect Pets From Cable and Wire HazardsFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 14 Sep 2009 | 3:06 am CVC, Blackstone team up on Bellsystem bid -sourcesTOKYO, Sept 14 (Reuters) - CVC Capital and Blackstone are teaming up in the second round of bidding for Bellsystem24, Citigroup's telemarketing company in Japan, three sources with direct knowledge of...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 3:00 am BIDaWIZ Selects Resound Marketing to Manage Public Relations and Media Placement Program for New Site That Connects Users With Licensed Professionals to Answer Their Financial QuestionsResound Helps Manage Media Inquiries and PR Campaigns for New Online Marketplace Where Certified Professionals Bid to Answer Accounting and Financial Questions from Consumers and...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 3:00 am Best Vienna Hotel Selects Best NonStop Wi-Fi NetworkPLEASANTON, Calif., Sept.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 14 Sep 2009 | 3:00 am Best Vienna Hotel Selects Best NonStop Wi-Fi NetworkGrand Hotel Wien Combines Majesty of Austro-Hungarian Empire With 21st Century NonStop Wireless Networking PLEASANTON, Calif., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Two hotels owned by...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 3:00 am Cofina opposes merger between Zon and SonaecomLISBON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Portuguese media group Cofina , one of the main shareholders in Zon Multimedia , said on Monday it would oppose a merger between Zon and Sonaecom .Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 2:53 am UPADTE 2-Market Chatter -- Corporate finance press digestBANGALORE, Sept 14 (Reuters) - The following corporate finance-related stories were reported by media on Monday:Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 2:50 am UPADTE 2-Market Chatter -- Corporate finance press digestBANGALORE, Sept 14 (Reuters) - The following corporate finance-related stories were reported by media on Monday:Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 2:50 am ViXS Systems Inc. to integrate SypherMedia International's Security Technology to Facilitate Next Generation Security Solutions for Set-Top BoxesSypherMedia International's SypherMedia GateKeyper and SypherMedia Kernel to be Integrated into ViXS Systems Inc. Software Solutions to Provide Enhanced next generation Security
Source: Gizmodo | 14 Sep 2009 | 2:45 am Japan's NEC, Hitachi, Casio mobile phone merger (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 14 Sep 2009 | 2:25 am Ask.com Powers Breast Cancer Cause-Search CampaignAccording to Ask.com spokesperson Nicholas Graham, while companies are expected to help community organizations, it's not unheard of for these cause-related partnerships to also benefit the companies...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 2:01 am Pac-Man Chair Looks Awesome, Isn't RealBy Chris Scott Barr For a long time I’ve thought about developing some skill with 3D rendering. Why? Because I want to be one of those people that designs really cool products that will never get...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 1:52 am 802.11n Is Now An Official Wi-Fi Standard (It Only Took 7 Years!)By Chris Scott Barr We’ve heard about 802.11n wireless devices for a while now. In fact, 802.11 was first introduced over 7 years ago. There have been devices released in the years since (remember...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 1:42 am Windows 7 Upgrade Can Take Up To 21 Hours (In Extreme Cases)By Chris Scott Barr Windows 7 will be out before you know it, so it’s probably good to start thinking about upgrading. Namely, if you’re going to do a clean install, or attempt to keep all...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 1:27 am Viral Video: Kathy Griffin Channels Kate Gosselin [BoomTown]
BoomTown is a major fan of comic Kathy Griffin, so here’s a good one by her from last week, in which she mocks Kate and Jon Gosselin (neither of whom seems to need any help looking like fools). Her “Kate Is Enough” video–which she did for “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on ABC–is very funny, mostly due to the brilliant casting of former Trekkie George Takei as Jon. Here’s the video: Source: All Things Digital | 14 Sep 2009 | 1:17 am Award Crashers - Kanye West Ruins Taylor Swift VMA Moment (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Kanye West crashed the acceptance speech of young country-pop star Taylor Swift, as she received the award for 'Best Female Video' for "You Belong With Me" at the MTV Video Music Awards...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 1:09 am Web Censoring Widens Across Southeast Asia [Voices]By James Hookway, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal Attempts to censor the Internet are spreading to Southeast Asia as governments turn to coercion and intimidation to rein in online criticism. Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam lack the kind of technology and financial resources that China and some other large countries use to police the Internet. The Southeast Asian nations are using other methods — also seen in China — to tamp down criticism, including arresting some bloggers and individuals posting contentious views online. That is distressing free-speech advocates who had hoped that Southeast Asia — until recently a region where Internet use was relatively unfettered — would become a model of open debate in the developing world as its economies modernize. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 14 Sep 2009 | 1:05 am Pondering “Email Conservation” After Hitting Gmail’s Storage Limit [Voices]By Danny Sullivan, Editor-in-chief, Search Engine Land Back in April, I became one of the rare people to run out of Gmail space. Due to a glitch with Google, I was also unable to purchase more space for several weeks. As a result, I became hyperaware of how much email space gets eaten up each day routinely. Newsletters, product offers, Facebook and Twitter notifications, that person you don’t know who emails you a 7MB file. It adds up. And Gmail’s supposedly “endless” space might not be keeping pace. Read the rest of this post at the original site Source: All Things Digital | 14 Sep 2009 | 1:05 am Lots of Fee Ideas for Media Online [Voices]By Richard Pérez Peña, Reporter, New York Times Five months ago, a group of media executives including Steven Brill seemed to have the field to itself when it said it was building a system for newspapers to charge readers for access online. Now, that group appears have a lot of company, like the News Corporation, led by Rupert Murdoch, and the technology giants Google, Microsoft and I.B.M., whose interest was first reported this week. But publishing executives and analysts caution against concluding that this proves there is a robust competition to develop such systems, or even that newspapers will rush to join any of the projects. The contributions of Google and some others are little more than a set of ideas, written up at the request of the Newspaper Association of America, which inadvertently made them public on its Web site. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 14 Sep 2009 | 1:04 am The iPod Is Dead [Voices]By Farhad Manjoo, Technology Columnist, Slate.com One sign that Steve Jobs is back to his old self: He’s already sniping at rivals. After Apple’s iPod launch event on Wednesday, the New York Times’ David Pogue asked the CEO whether he has doubts—as he’s expressed in the past—about the market for e-readers, especially Amazon’s Kindle. Read the rest of this post at the original site Source: All Things Digital | 14 Sep 2009 | 1:03 am What information is "personally identifiable"? [Voices]By Seth Schoen, Staff Technologist, Electronic Frontier Foundation Mr. X lives in ZIP code 02138 and was born July 31, 1945. These facts about him were included in an anonymized medical record released to the public. Sounds like Mr. X is pretty anonymous, right? Not if you’re Latanya Sweeney, a Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor who showed in 1997 that this information was enough to pin down Mr. X’s more familiar identity — William Weld, the governor of Massachusetts throughout the 1990s. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 14 Sep 2009 | 1:02 am HP's New Vivienne Tam Notebook - Techtree.com
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 14 Sep 2009 | 1:01 am Facts, Errors, and the Kindle [Voices]By Anthony Gottleib, Author, former executive editor of The Economist The printed word has always had an Achilles heel: factual mistakes. Can the electronic reader help? Anthony Gottlieb investigates … Nietzsche famously said that there are no such things as facts, only interpretations. Be that as it may, every writer knows that there are certainly such things as factual mistakes. Errors are common in all forms of media, but it is mistakes in the printed word that are perhaps the most pernicious. Once a “fact” has been pressed onto paper, it becomes a trusted source, and misinformation will multiply. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 14 Sep 2009 | 1:01 am A down-to-earth space program - Los Angeles Times
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 14 Sep 2009 | 1:01 am Tower Semiconductor Accepted Additional $5.3 Million Orders to Complete its Previously Announced FundraisingMIGDAL HAEMEK, Israel, September 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Tower Semiconductor Ltd.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 14 Sep 2009 | 1:01 am Scamraiders Publishes Expose on Attempts to Circumvent Freedom of the Press and the First AmendmentPALM DESERT, Calif., Sept.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 14 Sep 2009 | 1:01 am Patches for Macs, and Advice for Mac Users - Washington Post
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 14 Sep 2009 | 12:51 am New World Gala Party Thanks!Much thanks to everyone who made tonight's New World Gala so exhilarating and packed to capacity. Like I mentioned, it was the official launch the start of an RMB City photo contest, so if you took pics...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 12:50 am Skype Says Next Generation Platform Will Embrace Developers
As an aside, one of those conversations was extraordinary from a technical perspective. Jonathan called me via Skype, which forwarded via Skype Out to my mobile phone when I didn’t pick up. Since Google now controls my mobile number, it rang my cell and my home Vonage line per my rules. I picked up the vonage line and I had a crystal clear connection with no lag. Christensen says that the Extras announcement is not about Skype backing away from a robust developer platform. Rather, he says, Skype is focusing on a next generation platform that will hopefully address the deficiencies of the old program and open many more opportunities for developers to build on Skype services. Vague? Somewhat. But it’s a heck of a lot more information than we’ve ever gotten out of Skype before. Eventually, we suspect, Skype will release a SDK that allows developers to integrate deep into Skype and make calls over the Skype service without opening the Skype client. In other words, people may start to think of Skype (voice, video, chat) as a service rather than a client that must be installed and used to communicate. Today’s tools, which include a public API and the now defunct Extras program, require developers to open the Skype client to make a call. In the future we’ll see other third party desktop applications be able to make Skype calls directly, and possibly share in the growing Skype-out per minute charges that make up the bulk of Skype revenues. And sometime after that, we will see web applications leveraging Skype as a service, too. A couple of things have to happen first, though. There are two reasons Skype has to run on a client today. The first is audio/video encoding at the client level that ensure high quality calls with low latency and minimal configuration. There’s a reason calls on Skype tend to sound good. The second is the p2p architecture of Skype, which also affects latency and cost. It’s relatively straightforward for Skype to allow third parties to build both functions into their apps via a SDK, which is why we’ll see desktop applications integrate Skype as a service first. But the real win is when you can initiate skype voice and video calls via web applications. It’s not clear that we’re anywhere near that being possible with today’s browses, say experts we’ve spoken with. There will likely always need to be some desktop software to assist with at least audio/video encoding. But it’s possible this could be done via browser plugins, or even in Flash. Anyway, we’re looking a ways into the future with all of this. But one thing seems clear – Skype, which is happily soon to be under new management, will someday open its doors widely to developers. Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily. TechCrunch50 Conference 2009: September 14-15, 2009, San Francisco
Source: TechCrunch | 14 Sep 2009 | 12:48 am Skype Says Next Generation Platform Will Embrace DevelopersI've had a couple of conversations with Skype exec Jonathan Christensen over the last few days to get a better understanding of just what directions the company plans to go with regard to third party developers...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 12:48 am SingTel to sell INQ's social networking phone - Reuters
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 14 Sep 2009 | 12:39 am Samsung Furot II Robo-Vac Features A Camera And Has Roomba In Its SightsBy Andrew Liszewski Revealed at IFA last week the Samsung Furot II is yet another robot vacuum cleaner, but this one sounds like it could be a bit smarter than those already on the market. Not only does...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 12:34 am Intuit To Acquire (Former TechCrunch50 Winner) Mint For $170 Million
This is a terrific exit for Mint, which first launched two years ago at TechCrunch50. Mint took the top prize at that event and has been growing fast ever since. Their last round of financing valued the company at $140 million. In all, Mint has raised $32 million over three venture rounds. Earlier this year Mint and Intuit had a humorous clash over Mint advertising claims of gaining 3,000 new users a day and jumping from 600,000 to 850,000 users in a matter of months. Intuit sent a letter to Mint demanding an explanation for this apparently inconceivable feat, which we obtained and printed here. We have just one question for founder and CEO Aaron Patzer, though. Can we please have our $50,000 grand prize back? It seems like you don’t really need it any more. Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily. TechCrunch50 Conference 2009: September 14-15, 2009, San Francisco
Source: TechCrunch | 14 Sep 2009 | 12:18 am Intuit To Acquire (Former TechCrunch50 Winner) Mint For $170 MillionIntuit will acquire the free online personal finance service Mint, we've confirmed from a source close to the deal, for around $170 million. The deal should be announced in the next few days. This is...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 14 Sep 2009 | 12:18 am What to Do If You Saw an 'Antivirus' Pop-Up Ad - New York Times
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 14 Sep 2009 | 12:12 am Momentum Grows for .tel in the UKLONDON, September 14 /PRNewswire/ -- - BT Launches Advertising Campaign; BCS Recognizes Telnic in IT Industry Awards Telnic Limited (http://telnic.tel), the registry operator for new communications-focused .tel top level domain (TLD), today announced that as momentum for .tel domains grow in the UK, BT Business is set to launch an advertising campaign across Bloomberg Television and a new website at http://bt.com/tel. Carl di Cicco, Head of eCommerce for BT Business, said: "With a .tel, BT Business customers will now be able streamline their contact information by giving out a name or branded contact point rather multiple addresses and numbers.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 14 Sep 2009 | 12:00 am Japan's Cell Phones May Get DRM, At Music Industry BehestAn anonymous reader writes "The Japanese Music Industry is currently in talks with Japanese cell phone providers to introduce a new anti-piracy system in all cell phones in Japan. This new system would make DRM software mandatory in all cell phones; this would connect to a DRM server on the Internet whenever the cell phone user would try to play a song. The song would only play if the response of the server would be positive. Otherwise no song would be played. The system raises several questions and concerns that the Financial Times article did not address. These include ripped legally bought music and music that has been released under a CC license or similar. Who would pay for the costs of the DRM checks, and what would happen if no connection could be established?"Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 13 Sep 2009 | 11:59 pm Charles Bukowski's hatred of Mickey Mouse
I got a kick out of this short video clip about writer Charles Bukowski's loathing of Mickey Mouse, that "three-fingered son-of-a-bitch who has no soul, for Christ's sake." The fact that Mickey had only three fingers really seemed to bother him. (The second half of the video isn't about Mickey Mouse, but it is still worth watching.) Charles Bukowski's hatred of Mickey MouseI got a kick out of this short video clip about writer Charles Bukowski's loathing of Mickey Mouse, that "three-fingered son-of-a-bitch who has no soul, for Christ's sake." The fact that Mickey had only...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 13 Sep 2009 | 11:56 pm Novell Tool Opens IPhone to .Net Developers (PC World)PC World - More applications for enterprise users may become available for the iPhone with a new developer tool from Novell.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 13 Sep 2009 | 10:30 pm Top Shelf Comix annual saleChris from the wonderful indy comics publisher Top Shelf sez,Top Shelf's MASSIVE $3 SALE kicks off today to celebrate the release of the SURROGATES on September 25th.THE 2009 TOP SHELF MASSIVE $3 SALE! (Thanks, Chris!) Source: Boing Boing | 13 Sep 2009 | 10:26 pm Philadelphia Free Library System is shutting downThe Philadelphia Free Library system is broke, and they're shutting it down, including cancelling "all branch and regional library programs, programs for children and teens, after school programs, computer classes, and programs for adults" and "all children programs, programs to support small businesses and job seekers, computer classes and after school programs" and "all library visits to schools, day care centers, senior centers and other community centers" and "all community meetings" and "all GED, ABE and ESL program."Just look at that list of all the things libraries do for our communities, all the ways they help the least among us, the vulnerable, the children, the elderly. Think of every wonderful thing that happened to you among the shelves of a library. Think of the millions of lifelong love-affairs with literacy sparked in the collections of those libraries. Think of every person whose life was forever changed for the better in those buildings. Think of the nobility of libraries and librarianship, the great scar that the Burning of Alexandria gouged in human history. Think of the archivists who barricaded themselves in the Hermitage during the Siege of Leningrad, slowly starving and freezing to death but refusing to desert their posts for fear that the collections they guarded would become firewood. Think of the librarians who took a stand during the darkest years of the PATRIOT Act and refused to turn over patron records. Think of the moral unimpeachability of those whose trade is universal access to all human knowledge. Picture an entire city, a modern, wealthy place, in the richest country in the world, in which the vital services provided by libraries are withdrawn due to political brinksmanship and an unwillingness to spare one banker's bonus worth of tax-dollars to sustain an entire region's connection with human culture and knowledge and community. Think of it and ask yourself what the hell has happened to us.
All Free Library of Philadelphia Branch, Regional and Central Libraries Closed Effective Close of Business October 2, 2009 Video Exclusive: Moby's 'Mistake' Tells a Tale of Flotsam LoveGet an exclusive look at Moby's latest video for "Mistake," a track from his Wait for Me album being released as a single. Wired's Frank Rose talks with Moby about the creative arc of his music and how there happen to be three videos for this one song.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 13 Sep 2009 | 10:10 pm Skype Deal Drama Gets Joost-ier [Voices]By Geoffrey A. Fowler, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal There are growing signs of tension between some of the players behind the $2 billion deal to sell eBay’s (EBAY) Skype to a group of investors. On Friday, Joost, the U.K. Internet video company, said that by shareholder vote it had removed Michelangelo Volpi from its board of directors and from his position as chairman of the company. Volpi, a former high-level Cisco (CSCO) executive, stepped down from Joost’s CEO position in July, and is now a general partner at investment firm Index Ventures. Joost in a statement said it was also “conducting an investigation into Mr. Volpi’s actions during his tenure as CEO and as Chairman.” In his role at Index, Volpi helped organize the group of investors that’s buying Skype from eBay. Yet Volpi’s relationship with Joost could prove important to the Skype deal coming to a clean conclusion. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 13 Sep 2009 | 10:09 pm Ozmo Devices Secures $7.5 Million in Series C Venture FundingPALO ALTO, Calif., Sept.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 13 Sep 2009 | 10:01 pm Fetish: Mini Camcorder Boasts Serious Audio CredThe Samson Zoom Q3 is a tiny, easy-to-use video camera with serious audio cred. A top-mounted mic helps capture sound loud and clear.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 13 Sep 2009 | 10:00 pm iPhone gets .Net app development (InfoWorld)InfoWorld - Novell on Monday will offer a kit for developers to build Apple iPhone and iPod Touch business applications using Microsoft's .Net Framework instead of the Apple-designated C or Objective-C languages.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 13 Sep 2009 | 10:00 pm Practical Joking Becomes a Battle for the Last LaughAnd you thought your coworkers were jerks. Since 2007, writer-comedians Amir Blumenfeld and Streeter Seidell of fratty yuk-yuk site CollegeHumor.com have engaged in an escalating prank war, duping each other with gags like nonexistent blind dates and hostile stand-up audiences. They posted seven videos over two years, drawing 10 million viewers to their ante-upping antics. In the last installment, conducted in March after an 18-month hiatus, Seidell tricked Blumenfeld into believing he'd won $500,000 for sinking a half-court basketball shot while blindfolded. (He totally missed—psyche!) Wired spoke with the duo about the philosophy and morality of hoaxing: Is there such a thing as going too far? Wired: How did all this get started? SS: We work in a very young, permissive office. There are always little pranks going on. At first, what we were doing was nothing out of the ordinary. Then it just got out of control. AB: For instance, on April Fools' Day our boss sent us an email saying our MTV show had been renewed. SS: He was lying about that. AB: We got him back. While he was on a flight from Portland to New York, we created a fake Twitter account for him and posted insanely embarrassing information. We had almost 1,500 people following him by the time he landed. Wired: Which prank are you proudest of? SS: Which one was worse for you, Amir? The one where I tricked you into making an embarrassing audition tape and then showed it to the whole office? Or when I got you to fly out to Los Angeles because you thought you were going to be on [the MTV series] Human Giant? Those two showed Amir's true colors, his desire to be famous. They cut deeper emotionally, building him up and then knocking him down real quick. AB: The painful part is explaining to your friends that the thing you've been bragging about for the past two weeks was a joke. Wired: Do you ever worry that you've gone too far? SS: I worry that Amir has gone too far. When he faked a marriage proposal from me to my girlfriend on the Jumbotron at Yankee Stadium, I think that was too far. AB: And I think it was just far enough. As long as it doesn't permanently affect someone's life. You don't want to get someone in a way that still haunts them 12 years later. Wired: What does it feel like when you realize you've been burned? SS: Sometimes it's a relief. AB: Like the hard part is over. I don't have to live in fear anymore. Wired: How can we be sure that these pranks are even real? How do we know you aren't pranking us? SS: I can't prove it to you, other than to say we're not very good actors. Watch our TV show and you'll see. AB: Actually, the ones that Streeter plays on me are fake. The ones I do, those are real. A video record of Blumenfeld and Seidell's prank war is available at CollegeHumor.com.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 13 Sep 2009 | 10:00 pm Fetish: Mini Camcorder Boasts Serious Audio CredThe Samson Zoom Q3 is a tiny, easy-to-use video camera with serious audio cred. A top-mounted mic helps capture sound loud and clear.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 13 Sep 2009 | 10:00 pm Want Your Own Dinosaur? Place Your BidsA Tyrannosaurus rex, the biggest shark jaw ever found, a woolly mammoth and a duck-billed dinosaur are among the rare fossils being auctioned off in October in Las Vegas. Get a sneak peek of some of the best items that will be on the block.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 13 Sep 2009 | 10:00 pm Wired's Guide to Hoaxes: How to Give — and Take — a JokeHere's what you've been told: "There's a sucker born every minute." "Take or be taken." "Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see." These aphorisms are so ingrained in American life, they're practically commandments. And for good reason: We are a credulous people. For proof, open your spam folder and count the chain emails from 1998 that are still coming in, dutifully forwarded by friends and relatives. Or consider that new Facebook pal whose name seemed familiar enough when you hit Confirm. We are, today, the same easy marks who ran screaming from Orson Welles' made-up Martians and flocked to see the Cardiff Giant. So we're defensive. A hoax, we are taught, is an invasive, aggressive stratagem—a nefarious short-circuiting of our natural social instincts, a hack of Trust itself, a deterministic, zero-sum shell game with a clear winner (the prankster) and loser (the gull). Well, here's what we're telling you: Bullshit. Take and be taken. There's a skeptic born every minute. Every man a mountebank, every man a mark! These are your new commandments, O children of Barnum, Borat, and Blair Witch. The source of hoodwinkery has shifted from the all-powerful (ad agencies, governments, MTV) to the tweeting masses—and lo, charlatanism is democratized. There is no more Big Lie, only Big Lulz, and getting gamed is no shame. It's the seal on the social contract, a mark of our participation in this new covenant of cozening. Raised on a diet of rickrolls, Goatse, and other forms of cultural roughage, we no longer take pranks so personally, and we know that "too far" and "too soon" are a lot farther and sooner than they used to be. We also know it's fun. For the Hoax Populi, it's a kind of language—a friendly punch in the arm, not a stab in the back. And we need that social lubricant to keep us (a) safely aware of ourselves and (b) united as a fractious but functional whole. Still, it's sometimes hard to distinguish a prank from a scam, a sham from a fraud, a Nigerian prince from Prince Albert in a can. That's why wired is pleased to present this handy Prankonomy, a celebration of the japes and ruses of our shifty age.
The Official Prankonomy:
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Illustration: John Cuneo
The Rickroll
Ah, the heartbreaking tumble down the Rick Astley rabbit hole. This click-and-switch meme sends innocent Web users not to the promised link but to a YouTube video of the well-coiffed crooner from the 1980s. Why? Because an anonymous 4chan yuckster (riffing on an obscure "Duck Roll" meme) thought it was funny. Contrary to Astley's now infamous chorus, however, most of us have given this up.
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Illustration: John Cuneo
Fake Email Chain Letter
Get-rich spam existed before 1997, but Iowa State comp-sci major Brian Mack thought it lacked panache. From his campus computer lab, he fired off a message explaining that Microsoft was beta-testing an email-tracing program. The hook: Bill Gates would pay you $1,000 if the email reached 1,000 people. Within a month, the missive was drowning servers, and permutations were beginning to evolve (including one featuring Walt Disney Jr.). Every two or three years, the e-prank flares up again, usually thanks to someone's mom.
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Illustration: John Cuneo
Fauxtoshop
Gone are the days of painstakingly doctored UFO images. A simple head swap now turns Sarah Palin into a gun-toting babe (good one!), while a basic copy/paste job adds an extra missile to an Iranian launch (not so much!).
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Illustration: John Cuneo
Zoological Mysteries
A Georgia hunter claims to have shot, killed, and photographed a 12-foot-long, 1,000-pound wild boar. Elite mainstream media dub the pig Hogzilla and dismiss the story as hogwash. National Geographic investigates and finds the swine, albeit only 800 pounds' worth. But this tall tale taken too far is still remembered as a hoax, thus imposing an even more onerous burden of proof on Sasquatch spotters and Nessie hunters.
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Illustration: John Cuneo
The Fast-Food Urban Legend
Want to play on the public fear of fast-food contamination for fun and profit? Here's your recipe.
1 order of Wendy's chili
1 human finger
(Suitable substitutions include cockroach eggs at Taco Bell, deep-fried rats at KFC, or giant loogies at Burger King.)
Remove digit from purse and submerge in chili. Scream. Call police. Note: Use of own finger increases chances of getting caught.
Cost of human finger: $100.
Cost to Wendy's franchise: Millions in lost revenue.
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Illustration: John Cuneo
Fake Amateurs
It takes real pros to create homegrown content. Here's how they did it at the Lonelygirl15 School of Filmmaking. 1. Find burgeoning media venue with huge audience (then, YouTube; now, Twitter). 2. Locate attractive young actress desperate for work. 3. Be brief (less than two minutes per video, 250 words per post, or five tweets per day). 4. Commit to the long con (it took 34 episodes to unravel Lonelygirl15). 5. Reveal hoax—and collect VC money. 6. Get production deal ... for another Web series.
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Illustration: John Cuneo
Fake Experts
Posing as reps for the National Petroleum Council, a pair of Yes Men—members of a loose collective of culture jammers who target megacorporations—suggest a solution for the global energy crisis: Convert dead humans into oil, Soylent Green-style. ExxonMobil is people! Other false prophets include Stephen Colbert, John Hodgman, and pundit Martin Eisenstadt.
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Illustration: John Cuneo
Hidden Camera
Noted Practitioners: Allen Funt, Dick Clark, Ashton Kutcher, the FBI.
Typical Victims: Naive tourists in Times Square, hapless celebrities, Love Boat cast members.
All-Time Best Example: Kutcher's Punk'd crew nearly moves Justin Timberlake to tears after convincing the singer that his LA mansion has been repossessed.
All-Time Worst Examples: ESPN's Erin Andrews' hotel peep show, Jon (minus Kate Plus 8), Taxicab Confessions.
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Illustration: John Cuneo
Malware
For networks of underfed, overskilled foreign hackers, there's always a way to break through software safeguards and destroy thousands of people's hard drives. (See: Code Red, ILOVEYOU, Storm botnet.) Trouble is, there's not always a way to break out of jail after NastyEstonian778 turns out to be a CIA agent.
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Illustration: John Cuneo
Nonpareil Nerd Pranks
At brainy colleges, practical jokes are not only expected, they're encouraged. Classic whoppers include dressing up MIT's Great Dome as R2-D2, bricking in doors at Oxford, having a girlfriend in Canada.
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Illustration: John Cuneo
Performance Hoax
NYC-based collective Improv Everywhere has hosted spontaneous dance parties, no-pants subway rides, and synchronized swimming in a city fountain. They also created the Best Gig Ever, packing a club with fake fans for an obscure out-of-town band. See also: public pillow fights, zombie marches, Lady Gaga's career.
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Illustration: John Cuneo
Media Hoax
Then: Broadcast of War of the Worlds causes mass panic that aliens are invading the planet.
Now: Sale of The Onion to China is noted dryly by All Things Considered.
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Illustration: John Cuneo
Extreme Candid Camera
Perpetrators turn the lens away from unsuspecting victims and back on the audience, pushing the concept of the prank into a postmodern interrogation of the American soul. Also: fart jokes.
See: Sacha Baron Cohen, Tom Green.
Typical Victims: Southern frat boys, news anchors, Paula Abdul.
Possible Outcomes: Lawsuits, fisticuffs, PhD dissertations.
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Illustration: John Cuneo
Extreme Impersonation
Noted Practitioners: Christopher "Rockefeller" Rocancourt; Christian Gerhartsreiter, aka Clark Rockefeller
Typical Victims: Wealthy blue bloods.
Sample Scams: Rocancourt used bogus identities to defraud investors of more than $1 million before he was caught in 2001, earning him four years in prison. Gerhartsreiter's adopted surname fooled his upper-crust neighbors—until he was convicted earlier this year of kidnapping his daughter.
Occupational Hazards: Prison time, awkward family reunions.
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Illustration: John Cuneo
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
"Location" has been one of the most frequently used buzzwords in the web industry recently, with i.e. Twitter, Facebook and Google having substantially stepped up efforts in that area in the last few months. TechCrunch has always been particularly bullish about location-based mobile social networks, with Loopt, Brightkite or, most recently, Foursquare among the big names.
But there are more location-based social networks out there, and one of them, Centrl, is now intending to further bridge the gap between mobile phone users and the web at large (a move we called for last year). The service, which has been available on the iPhone [iTunes link], Android, BlackBerry [JAD file] and Nokia since May 2008, extended its offering with a web app a few days ago.
“Location” has been one of the most frequently used buzzwords in the web industry recently, with i.e. Twitter, Facebook and Google having substantially stepped up efforts in that area in the last few months. TechCrunch has always been particularly bullish about location-based mobile social networks, with Loopt, Brightkite or, most recently, Foursquare among the big names.
But there are more location-based social networks out there, and one of them, Centrl, is now intending to further bridge the gap between mobile phone users and the web at large (a move we called for last year). The service, which has been available on the iPhone [iTunes link], Android, BlackBerry [JAD file] and Nokia since May 2008, extended its offering with a web app a few days ago. The service runs within major social networks and lets you login from your existing accounts (on Facebook, MySpace, iGoogle, Friendster, Ning, Hi5, bebo, Orkut, iTimes, or Sonico) on any platform and device, which means there’s no need to register. (It’s free to use in all variations, too).
iPhone and Facebook versions (click to enlarge):
Centrl’s new web application basically does all what the mobile version does: broadcast your own location to your friends, help users find coupons, restaurants, bars, gas stations, general points of interest, real estate, or events near you by pulling information from Yelp, Citysearch, Wikipedia and other sites (Centrl calls these sites “layers”). The web app is completely integrated into Centrl’s social network versions and mobile phone apps.
It’s also possible for users of the web version to contribute and share content, for example by marking a certain place on a map, uploading a picture of it, adding a comment and posting a link to Twitter (mobile app users can do this, too). Centrl then automatically creates a profile page based on that information for other mobile or web app users to view and interact with.
Screenshot of the Centrl web app (click to enlarge):
Centrl’s web version also introduces location-based communication in real-time. According to CEO Murat Aktihanoglu, his service is the first to offer a “free IM on a map”-system that doesn’t rely on SMS and is completely device- and platform agnostic (as long as you’re a Centrl user). The way the messaging system works is that people accessing Centrl on a PC, for example, can see the location of people using one of the mobile apps and instantly start text-chatting with them, virtually in real-time and without fees for both sides.
Centrl has attracted 500,000 users so far. The service is based out of New York and angel-funded with $500,000.
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
What a sad loss. He will be remembered, respected, and missed. NYT obituary. Patti Smith, another personal idol of mine, says of Carroll, "I met him in 1970, and already he was pretty much universally recognized as the best poet of his generation. The work was sophisticated and elegant. He had beauty."
Photo: Patti and Jim (via ifcharlieparkerwasagunslinger, no image credit given)
Source: Boing Boing | 13 Sep 2009 | 7:54 pm
Just as I thought. The 2nd generation Vivienne Tam netbook is just atherno netbook with a pretty graphic printed on its lid. That’s it. Maybe it’s the testosterone speaking, but who the hell cares? Sure, it’s nice looking and I can appreacate the artwork, but I’m thinking that few, if any, chicks will be willing to shell out for $699 for a netbook that features an Atom CPU, 10-inch screen, and the rest of the standard netbook specs that would normally run $300. Lame.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
A few hours ago, we got a tip from one of our readers that they'd popped into their iPhone messaging app this morning, only to find that they'd suddenly gained the ability to send MMS. We chalked it up as a fluke - AT&T promised it would launch on September 25th, after all, and they haven't exactly been punctual about this whole thing thus far. Two whole weeks early? It seemed shaky.
Then a few hours later, we got another one. And another.
A few hours ago, we got a tip from one of our readers that they’d popped into their iPhone messaging app this morning, only to find that they’d suddenly gained the ability to send MMS. We chalked it up as a fluke – AT&T promised it would launch on September 25th, after all, and they haven’t exactly been punctual about this whole thing thus far. Two whole weeks early? It seemed shaky.
Then a few hours later, we got another one. So far, we’ve received three tips, all from entirely different people, all claiming that MMS has sprung up on their iPhones sans jailbreak or any other sort of hackery. Being the curious folks we are, we popped over to Twitter, and sure enough: there’s a stream (albeit a very slow one) of folks reporting that MMS is now up and running on their handsets. Enabling MMS on AT&T’s end is a matter of disabling an “opt-out” toggle on each account, so this is the exact manner we’d expect things to roll out.
We’ve contacted AT&T for comment, and we’ll report back with whatever we hear. Any more of our readers finding themselves MMS’d this morning?
[Thanks David, Bethany, and Sean]
Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Social game startup Zynga sure does get into a lot of legal fights. Just as they settle down to business with the Playdom you-stole-our-playbook fight, we’ve confirmed that they settled a different lawsuit – one where they were playing defense.
In February 2009 Mob Wars creator David Maestri sued Zynga for copyright infringement. Zynga’s game Mafia Wars – a text-based game very similar to Mob Wars – was just too much of a copy of Mob Wars, said Maestri. Maestri himself had only recently cleared up his own rights to the game after a scuffle with his former employer, SGN.
The Maestri-Zynga lawsuit has now been settled as well. The rumor was that Maestri was demanding $10 million from Zynga to settle the litigation. Ultimately, says one source, he got a payment in the “high seven figures.” So that implies something like $7 – $9 million.
Wonder why the settlement was so high? It’s hard to believe, but Mob Wars was pulling in an estimated $1 million/month at one point from users eager to upgrade their weapons and other stuff. These games seem silly, but real money flows through them from virtual goods.
Not a bad payday for Maestri. And it also highlights the fact that none of these companies have a completely clean record when it comes to respecting the intellectual property of competitors.
Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Here’s a front page story the New York Times (NYT) would rather not be running: The paper is warning readers to be aware of bogus ads running on its Web site.
The paper says “some readers” have seen unauthorized pop-up ads promoting antivirus software on NYTimes.com, and warns visitors who see the ad not to click on it but to restart their browsers instead. While the Times doesn’t spell this out, it has likely had its site hijacked by a “malware” scammer who is trying to trick visitors into installing pernicious software onto their hard drives.
MediaMemo reader Tim Minter has passed along an image of the pop-up (click image to enlarge). Here’s his description of the way it appeared on his desktop:
The ad hijack[ed] my computer. Say I’m reading an article (the Clean Water Act was the one that caught me). It then redirects my browser involuntarily to sex-and-the-city.cn. That site then redirects to the ad I screen-captured.
At no time did I click anything. That’s what is so nefarious about this malware.
Thankfully, since I run OS X, I knew immediately it was malware (seeing WindowsXP on a Mac where that’s not installed is suspicious).
You generally have to travel farther down the Internet publishing food chain to find these kind of bogus ads–go hunting for porn and/or illegal downloads, for instance, and you’ll find plenty of this stuff.
But Web advertising is still a wild and woolly place, and this type of thing still plagues high-end publishers too. Sometimes it’s the fault of ad networks the publishers use to move their unsold inventory; sometimes the bogus ads are bought directly from the publishers themselves.
I’ve asked both the Times PR staff and ad tech team for additional information about the ads, but haven’t heard back yet. Still, you have to give the paper credit for flagging this on their front page at all.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
It’s less than a day before the third annual (and third sold out) TechCrunch50 launch event in San Francisco. Fifty startups are preparing to launch their new products on stage in front of thousands of people. Are they nervous? Yep. But its all part of a rite of passage into the wonderfully chaotic world of being a startup entrepreneur.
A bunch of good articles giving advice to launching startups have been posted over the last couple of days. We’re linking to them here, because when CNET and others look back at TechCrunch50 2009 and sort the winners from the losers, you want to be on that winners list. So take the advice of these grizzled veterans seriously. And then ignore most of it and forge your own path, like all good entrepreneurs do anyway:
22 Tips on How to Operate a Trade Show Booth: Jason Calacanis gives solid, useful advice on how to run your TechCrunch50 (or any conference) booth.
An Open Letter To All TechCrunch50 2009 Startups: The TC “Bump”, What It Really Means & How To Navigate It: Sean Power with Alistair Croll talk about their experience of launching Akoha at TechCrunch50 2008, and how to make the most out of the traffic and attention you’ll receive. Good advice: “Being Talked About Is Nothing. Being Remembered Is Everything.”
Don’t drink your own Kool-Aid (surviving TC50): Mark Suster says not to get too into the hype and attention you’ll receive right around the conference. Memorialize it, but don’t believe too much of the hype. Use all that attention to build a sustainable business.
See you all tomorrow!
Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.
With TechCrunch50 less than 24 hours away, and already the reviews and advice to startups are coming hot and heavy. For all of you who want to know how to keep on top of the latest Tweets, posts photos, and news from the conference, just remember one thing: #tc50. That is the hashtag we are encouraging people to use for all TC50-related posts, photos, videos, etc.
The more people who use that, the easier it will be for others to find Techcrunch50 related content. You can also use the hashtag #techcrunch50, but that’s a whole eight characters longer. Here are some examples of how you can use these hashtags to connect with fellow attendees and folks on the web.
Twitter: #techcrunch50 or #tc50
FriendFeed: #techcrunch50 or #tc50
Flickr: techcrunch50 or tc50
And for those social location fans, we’ve even made a venue for TechCrunch50 on Foursquare. Who will be the mayor?
Hope to see you all on Monday morning!
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
fALK sez, "This video shows a peacefull protester being beaten by policeman at the 'Freedom not Fear' demonstration that was totally peaceful. The demonstration was attended by 25.000 people and called for by more then 160 groups that are concerned about privacy, censorship and freedom. I personally have been close to the beating and the police acted provocative in the time before hand - encircling one truck that took part at the demonstration and pulling out people harshly - there will likely more videos surface over the coming hours. " I hope you help spread the word about this incident and help us find the brutal policeman.
freiheit statt angst / freedom not fear - demo 12.09.2009
Source: Boing Boing | 13 Sep 2009 | 11:48 am
This is probably a question that the record labels should be asking, but I’ll ask it here anyway: how do you guys listen to music in 2009? On your iPhone (or whatever portable device, it doesn’t matter for the purposes of this here post)? On your computer while you surf your favorite Web sites? At the gym? Now, how many of you will sit in front of your computer, and devote 100 percent of your attention to the iTunes visualizer? Not too many of you, I’d venture to guess.
That’s the problem, as I see it, with iTunes LP, which Apple announced last week during it “Rock and Roll” event, which was characterized by a noticeable lack of rock and/or roll. Now, as I said during our live play-by-play podcast, it’s not like the addition of iTunes LP is bad in and of itself; fine, add it, doesn’t bother me. It just seems so… strange.
This man, Jay Robinson, bought the iTunes LP edition of Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3. Included in the purchase is an “ITLP” file, which is quite large (up to 500MB). Launching the file, you’re then taken to a table of contents of sorts, from which you can select to play all the songs, read the lyrics, look at some photos, etc. Again, Apple is trying to recreate the feel of “owning” a proper LP. One problem is that, if you’ve never owned an LP, how can you replicate that feeling?
The actual bonus items, again, are fine: some pics, a couple of videos, etc. That’s all fine and dandy. But if you’re never near your computer, if you’re doing your primary listening in the car on the way to work, or at the gym while they play MTV Presents: Some Piece of Junk, Part 2 on the TV, what good does having lyrics or photos handy do? Unless you’re hunched over your computer devoting 100 percent of your attention to the album, all those extra features are lost on you.
I’m trying to think how I mainly listen to music, and it mainly happens when I play World of Warcraft. I can load up Vox—like Devin, I’m a little tired of iTunes taking up incredible amounts of RAM and processor power to play a couple of MP3s—then go about my business in the game. The game volume is kept just loud enough to hear the clash of steel, and the casting of my Shadow Bolt spell, that I can still hear The Blueprint loud and clear. At no point am I thinking, “Man, I’d also love to be able to read the lyrics to ‘On to the Next One’ while I’m fighting trash.”
Again, there’s nothing wrong with iTunes LP per se, it’s just that it seems to deliver something that I can’t seeing be too useful most of the time. And never mind the price: $16.99 for The Blueprint 3, while the standard edition is $10.99. A whole $6 extra for something that I’m never going to use?
Of course, you’re free to call me a giant idiot, I’m just trying to start some sort of hot topic on a Sunday is all.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones
This past week Motorola announced it’s new Cliq, its first Android phone, and yet another great use of the open platform. It seems to be following in the footsteps of the HTC Hero, being an Android phone that does something new and interesting with a platform that allows for just about anything. When Motorola announced the phone it was said that it would be coming to T-Mobile, there was no word on when the phone would be released.
Now, there’s still no set release date, but based on internal PowerPoint roadmap slide and an internal source from T-Mobile obtained by Boy Genius Report, it looks as if the Cliq will be releasing sometime in mid-October (BGR claims the slide is actually old and there is a newer one now). There’s is still no real word on price, though Engadget was able to find the phone listed on the T-Mobile website for free with a 2-year contract. According to the screenshot, it would retail for about $400 without the 2-year agreement, which seems fairly plausible.
It’s worth noting that these are both leaks; though they may have validity, they could also be wrong. What is for sure is that it’s highly unlikely the phone will retail for more than $199 with a 2-year contract and it will be released in the near future. It would make sense for T-Mobile to want to get the Cliq out before Sprint releases the Hero or at least in the same general time period, since the MyTouch 3G, while a good phone just doesn’t hold up to the awesome features of either of these Android phones.
Read [Boy Genius Report]
Read [Engadget]
Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
The folks over at NewTeeVee took the “Flip SD,” as they called it – no real clarification if it was the bigger Flip Ultra or smaller Flip Mino camcorder – and did a side-by-side video quality comparison against the new iPod nano. You’ll recall that during the Apple presentation last Wednesday, Jobs and company took a few direct shots at the line of Flip cameras.
So what did NewTeeVee find? In a nutshell…
“Overall — the Flip offered a MUCH better picture both indoor and out, providing way more detail in the image. The Flip microphone was also a little more discerning in our test, able to distinguish our subject’s voice in a crowded room much better than the Nano.”
Again, no word on whether this was the bulkier Flip Ultra or more pocketable Flip Mino. Both of those aren’t nearly as tiny as the iPod nano, though. And the nano does all that other stuff, too, like movies and music and whatnot.
Still, it appears that buying the new nano solely based on its video recording feature might be something you’ll want to put some extra thought into.
Hands-On- iPod Nano vs. Flip SD [NewTeeVee]
Halloween is rapidly approaching, and many of you are no doubt looking for a cool costume to show off at various social gatherings. Me? I’m leaning toward being iTunes— afat and bloated CD with a blue music note as a hat. But that’s me; maybe you’d actually like people to understand what you are? How about this, then: a Blood Elf or Night Elf?
Yes, Amazon now has latex elf ears, both in Blood Elf and Night Elf Style, for only $12. Presumably you’d have to then also buy a long, blonde wig for the effect to truly be, um, effective.
Or maybe you can dress up as a giant teabag, given that the country, apparently, is being torn apart by the pro- and anti-tea party brigades. I’m with Ron Bennington: just split the country apart; it’d solve so many problems!
via WoW.com
Section: Web, Web 2.0, Websites
Twitter has just announced a change to their terms of service and in an effort to keep users in the know, sent out an email notification with links to the new ToS. This is impressive since most sites post new terms of service without ensuring that users know about potentially important changes.
The most significant inclusion within the new terms from Twitter is the distinction that users retain ownership of their tweets, even though Twitter can transmit, modify, and display them. Another item outlined in the new ToS is exactly what is forbidden on the micro-blogging site. Users are not allowed to spam other users, impersonate people, name squat, sell user names, post porn, or infringe on copyrights.
Twitter is also up front about their position on advertisements in the ToS. They still want to leave the door open if they ever decide to capitalize on the popularity of the site with ad placement. Also, they are still working on a set of user guidelines for their new application platform.
Site: [Twitter]
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Hi! I'm Jesse Brown and I host a podcast called Search Engine on TVO.org. It's about Internet culture and politics and digital rights and other stuff BoingBoing readers may be interested in. I also do a lot of work with cartoons; I used to make animated films and I currently help run the user-generated-comic strip sites Bitstrips.com and BitstripsforSchools.com.
I'm thrilled to be guest blogging on BoingBoing! For the next two weeks I'll be bringing you stories about how public broadcasters around the world are handling the Internet. As TV news and newspapers implode, some public broadcasters like NPR are doing better than ever! Others, not so good. I'll be posting about why that is and what can be done.
I'll also share with you a bunch of cartoons and curiosities and wonderful things that more people should see. Email me with tips anytime!
Section: Business News, Web, Websites
The U.S. Department of Justice is deepening their investigation into the Yahoo!-Bing deal. They’ve asked both Microsoft and Yahoo! for more information about their search engine deal. In July, the two companies announced a deal that would have Microsoft’s Bing power Yahoo’s search with a split of the ad revenue. Both said the DOJ’s request wasn’t unexpected and they remain confident that the deal would be approved.
“We confidently believe the information we’ll provide will confirm that the deal is not only good for Yahoo and Microsoft, but also good for advertisers, publishers, and, ultimately, consumers,” said Yahoo! spokesman Adam Grossberg.
The investigation is mandated by the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, which says that mergers and business deals that meet certain requirements must be reviewed by the government. Once the required paperwork is filed it usually takes 30 days for approval unless further information is requested.
The deal may also require approval by the European Commission, but Microsoft isn’t yet certain of what needs to happen. The Commission is currently investigating the Oracle-Sun deal.
Read [PCWorld]
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AP - The national stimulus package passed by Congress in February may have been too enthusiastic about spending money on one particular project: figuring out where broadband Internet access is available and how fast it is.
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When Apple added a video camera to the iPhone last summer, the digerati 
I’ve had a couple of conversations with Skype exec 
Intuit will acquire the free online personal finance service 
