EA is giving users two east ro use options for managing your authorizations:Certain EA PC games with SecuROM digital rights management technology allow users to concurrently "authorize" up to five computers at the same time to play the games. Users can then play the game on any authorized computer they choose. If your EA PC game was released after May 2008 and has a machine authorization limit, you can now manage your computer authorizations using EA De-Authorization Tools!
For a list of EA games with machine authorization limits released after May 2008, click here.
If you choose to take advantage of the de-authorization too, you have two options.
Friday, April 03, 2009
EA Gives Gamers A SecuROM De-Authorization Tool
Gamers owning EA games that are plagued with the dreaded SecuROM digital rights management technology can now rejoice as the company has released a new set of de-authorization tools meant to help gamers manage their computers SecuROM authorizations.
Think Twitter Is For-Sale, Think Again!
A posting from TechCrunch got the web all a buzz about the possible Google Acquisition of Twitter, with several sites following the lead and jumping on the story to feed the flames.
In less than uncertain terms Twitter co-founder Biz Stone denied the rumors saying the company's plans are to remain independent.
Stone reiterated those sentiments Thursday evening when he appeared on Stephen Colbert's "Colbert Nation" television show. Restating Twitter's intention to remain independent. "We're recognizing a difference right now between profit and value. Right now, we're building value," Stone told Colbert.
Pulling back from their original posting TechCrunch has followed up now citing sources that are saying CEO Evan Williams wouldn’t sell even for $1 billion
I've gotta say it would take some brass to walk away from a billion dollar offer. Especially considering Twitter has yet to become profitable
In less than uncertain terms Twitter co-founder Biz Stone denied the rumors saying the company's plans are to remain independent.
Stone reiterated those sentiments Thursday evening when he appeared on Stephen Colbert's "Colbert Nation" television show. Restating Twitter's intention to remain independent. "We're recognizing a difference right now between profit and value. Right now, we're building value," Stone told Colbert.
Pulling back from their original posting TechCrunch has followed up now citing sources that are saying CEO Evan Williams wouldn’t sell even for $1 billion
I've gotta say it would take some brass to walk away from a billion dollar offer. Especially considering Twitter has yet to become profitable
Thursday, April 02, 2009
New Bill Would Give Obama An Internet Kill Switch
**Updated post on the new Lieberman legislation that much like this would allow of an internet kill switch**
According to NetworkWorld a bill recently introduced by West Virginia Democratic Sen. John Rockefeller, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Sen. Olympia Snowe, a Republican from Maine, would give the president the power to declare a cybersecurity emergency and then shut down both public and private networks including Internet traffic coming to and from compromised systems.
The 51-page Rockefeller/Snowe bill (s.778) (here is a new link if that one is not working) calls for the creation of a National Cybersecurity Advisor that would report directly to the President. The bill also calls for a comprehensive national cybersecurity strategy in place 12 months after the bill passes.
The sticking point with many critics is the broad sweeping power that this bill might implement. For instance hidden within the context of the bill is the phrase:
Update: The above was mistakenly quoted, it was actually a quote from Leslie Harris, president and CEO at the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT). It was his response to the actual quote "The President— may order the disconnection of any Federal government or United States critical infrastructure information systems or networks in the interest of national security.”
Effectively this could mean, under the guise of national security, that the president would be given a kill switch with the power of turning off the internet in the event of a widespread attack. It could also been interpreted to mean the president would have the power to limit or block certain internet traffic.
To put this into perspective if the National Cybersecurity Advisor bought into the recent Conficker hype he could recommend that the threat is so great that the White House needs to shut down critical servers in order to keep the critical infrastructure alive. Given how that turned out is that really something we need?
This broad ranging power is a scary piece of legislation! WE had better hope that this doesn't pass, or if it does that they work to lighten some of the wording on something this wide open.
According to NetworkWorld a bill recently introduced by West Virginia Democratic Sen. John Rockefeller, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Sen. Olympia Snowe, a Republican from Maine, would give the president the power to declare a cybersecurity emergency and then shut down both public and private networks including Internet traffic coming to and from compromised systems.
The 51-page Rockefeller/Snowe bill (s.778) (here is a new link if that one is not working) calls for the creation of a National Cybersecurity Advisor that would report directly to the President. The bill also calls for a comprehensive national cybersecurity strategy in place 12 months after the bill passes.
The sticking point with many critics is the broad sweeping power that this bill might implement. For instance hidden within the context of the bill is the phrase:
“We are confident that the communication networks and the Internet would be so designated [as critical infrastructure], so in the interest of national security the president could order them disconnected.”
Update: The above was mistakenly quoted, it was actually a quote from Leslie Harris, president and CEO at the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT). It was his response to the actual quote "The President— may order the disconnection of any Federal government or United States critical infrastructure information systems or networks in the interest of national security.”
Effectively this could mean, under the guise of national security, that the president would be given a kill switch with the power of turning off the internet in the event of a widespread attack. It could also been interpreted to mean the president would have the power to limit or block certain internet traffic.
To put this into perspective if the National Cybersecurity Advisor bought into the recent Conficker hype he could recommend that the threat is so great that the White House needs to shut down critical servers in order to keep the critical infrastructure alive. Given how that turned out is that really something we need?
This broad ranging power is a scary piece of legislation! WE had better hope that this doesn't pass, or if it does that they work to lighten some of the wording on something this wide open.
AT&T Offers New Subsidized Netbooks Deals, Now Only $49.99
As part of a new two market trial promotion AT&T will begin offering subsidized Netbooks for the low price of $49.99. The promotion, which was announced yesterday at CTIA, will be available at select retail location in the Atlanta and Philadelphia areas.The offering will include the following:
- Offer a variety of ultra-portable mini laptops with built-in AT&T 3G wireless capabilities at promotional prices starting at $49.99 with the purchase of AT&T "Internet at Home and On the Go" broadband services.
- Trial 30-minute in-store technical support — part of the AT&T ConnecTech suite of services — at select locations for customers who purchase qualifying data plans.
- Feature, as part of the same trial in select stores, an Internet at Home and On the Go package that combines home and mobile broadband starting as low as $59.95 per month, including access to the nation's fastest 3G network and unlimited domestic access to the nation's largest Wi-Fi network with nearly 20,000 AT&T Hot Spots.
- Pre-install AT&T Communication Manager on mini laptops, enabling customers the ability to manage their mobile and Wi-Fi connections.
For those of you that might want to make a purchase without the added AT&T services, the prices will range from $449.99 to $599.99. With the purchase of a two-year AT&T DataConnect plan only pricing ranges from $99.99 to $349.99. AT&T is offering two mobile DataConnect plans in the trial, including a 200MB plan for $40 per month and a 5GB plan for $60 per month, making this a less than stellar deal!
As with AT&T's previous deal, the $99 Acer Aspire One, choosing to go the subsidized route will end up costing you far more than the original netbook alone. Of course for those of you that want to use the AT&T service this might be a reasonable option, however I urge you to read all the fine print first.For starters you must sign-up for AT&T's Internet at Home & On the Go service (Details on the plan), which starts at $59.95 a month. With this bundle you get AT&T's low end home DSL service at 768Kbps. If the new netbook has built-it 3G mobile broadband, why would anyone want to bother with DSL?
The quick answer is while the package also includes 3G wireless the data limit is just 200MB. 200MBs might be alright to check the occasional email, get directions or write a quick blog post. But its hardly going to be enough for everyday service.
You can upgrade to a two-year DataConnect plan, which ups the monthly data cap to a healthy 5GB. Ah, but doing so doubles the Aspire One's price to $99.99. And lets not forget the TOS for that plan can be costly.
One good note however, is that each plan also includes wireless access at AT&T's thousands of Wi-Fi hotspots so you do have a slight silver lining in that cloud. Overall however for someone looking to jump on a cheap Netbook offer I suggest you take a hard look before you leap!
Original FileFront Founders Save The Day
As reported last week FileFront was due to turn off the lights indefinitely as the sites owners Ziff Davis were looking to move away from the gaming scene and focus more attention on their other properties.
Upon hearing of the closing FileFront's original founders have decided to buy back the site and keep it open for gamers everywhere. Check out the full Welcome Home post by clicking here.
Upon hearing of the closing FileFront's original founders have decided to buy back the site and keep it open for gamers everywhere. Check out the full Welcome Home post by clicking here.
After learning about Ziff Davis Media's plan to suspend FileFront at the end of March, the original founders of FileFront made the decision to buy it back from Ziff Davis Media.
We're happy to announce to the gaming community that as of today, April 1st, 2009, FileFront is a completely independent company again and is no longer part of Ziff Davis Media. All previously suspended services should be active and working again. We thank Ziff Davis Media for their cooperation and willingness to keep the site and community alive.
Due to the very unfortunate timing of this event and related announcements on March 24th and April 1st (April Fool's Day), we'd like to make it perfectly clear that:
- The March 24th announcement about FileFront suspending its operation was NOT an early April Fool's joke.
- This announcement about the original founders buying back FileFront from Ziff Davis Media is also NOT an April Fool's joke.
- We're making this announcement on April 1st because the deal was completed today and we want to bring all services back online immediately.
- We would NEVER suspend FileFront as an April Fool's joke.
- We are happy to be back!
AMD Launches ATI Radeon HD 4890
AMD Unveils ATI Radeon HD 4890, the Most Powerful Graphics Processor in the WorldAMD today introduced the ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics card, driven by the world's most powerful graphics processor. The newest addition to the award-winning ATI Radeon HD 4000 series boasts a whopping 1.36 TeraFLOPs of compute power, superior GDDR5 memory, and super-high engine clock speeds capable of nearly 1GHz. The advanced design of the ATI Radeon HD 4890 delivers the best game experience in its class, including the latest ground-breaking DirectX 10.1 titles. In addition, with the introduction of the ATI Radeon HD 4890, AMD continues to enhance its "Dragon" desktop platform technology, designed to provide exceptional value to OEMs, channel partners, and do-it-yourself (DIY) consumers.
"The ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics card represents the AMD sweet spot strategy reloaded," said Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager, Graphics Products Group, AMD. "With last year's launch of the ATI Radeon HD 4850 and ATI Radeon HD 4870 products, we gave gamers great performance and an incredible value proposition. Today, we're doing it again. ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics cards are incredible performers, priced to sell in all major markets worldwide."
The ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics card continues AMD's proud tradition of technology leadership with support for the latest DirectX 10.1 games, including Ubisoft's Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X., Electronic Art's BattleForge and SEGA's Stormrise released last month, as well as GSC Gameworld's S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Clear Sky. When compared to DirectX 10 game play, DirectX 10.1 games have proven to deliver higher game performance and an improved visual experience.
"The new ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics card could very well be the must-have gaming product of this spring," said Adrian Thomson, vice president, Marketing, Sapphire. "With breakthrough levels of game performance, cutting-edge feature support like DirectX 10.1, and high degree of performance tuning flexibility, the ATI Radeon HD 4890 is one of the best performers in its class."
Making the best even better
The ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics card delivers exceptional value to gamers, handling even the most intense games at high resolutions and image quality settings. For overclocking enthusiasts, the ATI Radeon HD 4890 offers tremendous performance tuning potential. Those looking to get even more performance out of their gaming rigs can combine as many as four ATI Radeon HD 4890 cards in one PC utilizing ATI CrossFireX technology.
"Gamers that want The Ultimate Visual Experience demand the best performing card, and our new ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics cards will give them exactly that," said Eddie Memon, vice president, Marketing, XFX. "With the new ATI Radeon HD 4890 we're approaching the holy grail of clock speeds, targeting 1GHz, achievable through XFX's superior design and the quality of the new graphics processor from AMD."
ATI Stream technology
By harnessing ATI Stream technology in combination with a number of ATI Stream-enabled applications, the ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics card can also help accelerate the conversion of standard and HD video into multiple formats for use on differing consumer electronics devices. CyberLink, an innovative software developer for digital media creation, playback, and sharing applications, has optimized its award-winning video editing software, PowerDirector 7 to make use of ATI Stream technology. The recently released update to PowerDirector 7 incorporates ATI
Stream technology to provide GPU accelerated video conversion, featuring higher levels of performance and functionality when compared to CPU-only acceleration.
"CyberLink is committed to helping consumers create digital content quickly and easily," said Alice H. Chang, CEO of CyberLink Corp. "PowerDirector 7, Cyberlink's award-winning video editing software, takes advantage of ATI Stream technology, making a great experience even better. With PowerDirector 7 and ATI Stream technology, anyone can edit high definition video, create an amazing movie, and encode it for playback on virtually any device faster than ever before."
A multimedia experience that's beyond HD
While the ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics card was bred to be a gaming powerhouse, it also offers exceptional HD multimedia performance. All ATI Radeon HD 4800 series cards allow users to enjoy HD digital content with uncompromising visual fidelity while helping to enhance the definition and clarity of lower resolution media. Through AMD's second generation Unified Video Decoder (UVD 2.0) users can be assured of smooth HD video playback, sharp, crisp images and vibrant colors. With support for HDMI, picture-in-picture and the latest HD audio technologies like 7.1 surround sound, the ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics card enables an impressive cinema-quality home entertainment experience.
Ecosystem support
The ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics card is supported by a dozen add-in-board companies offering a variety of custom board and cooling solutions. Partners include ASUS, Club 3D, Diamond Multimedia, Force3D, GECUBE, GIGABYTE, HIS (Hightech Information Systems), Jetway, MSI, Palit Multimedia, PowerColor, SAPPHIRE Technology, VisionTek and XFX. It is available immediately for $249 MSRP (USD), and priced at select etailers as low as $229 (USD) after mail-in rebate.
For more information, visit the HD 4890 page.
Benchmarks and reviews:
- Hexus.net - Sapphire Radeon HD 4890 XT and XFX Radeon HD 4890 OC XXX vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275
- AnandTech - ATI Radeon HD 4890 vs. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275
- PC Perspective - AMD Radeon HD 4890 RV790 and GeForce GTX 275 Review
- Driver Heaven - ATI Radeon 4890 and NVIDIA GTX 275 Graphics Review
- Legit Reviews - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 Versus ATI Radeon HD 4890
- TweakTown - GIGABYTE Radeon HD 4890 1GB Graphics Card | Sapphire Radeon HD 4890 1GB Graphics Card
- OverClockers Club - PowerColor HD 4890 Review
- AMD Zone - ATI Radeon 4890 1GB
- Bjorn3d - Asus HD4890 Voltage Tweak Edition
Newegg Pricing:
- SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4890 100269SR Video Card $249.99
- ASUS Radeon HD 4890 EAH4890/HTDI/1GD5 Video Card $259.99
- HIS Hightech Radeon HD 4890 H489F1GP Video Card $249.99
- DIAMOND Radeon HD 4890 4890PE51GSB Video Card $249.99
- POWERCOLOR Radeon HD 4890 AX4890 1GBD5-HM Video Card $249.99
- XFX Radeon HD 4890 HD-489A-ZDFC Video Card $249.99
- XFX Radeon HD 4890 Xtreme HD-489A-ZDEC Video Card $264.99
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 Officially Launches
NVIDIA today announced the GeForce GTX 275 GPU, the latest addition to NVIDIA’s performance GPU lineup, offering first-rate graphics, physics, and GPU computing performance, as well as the absolute best price-performance for today’s value-conscious gamers. Based on the GT200 architecture, the GeForce GTX 275 GPU features 240 processor cores operating at 1404 MHz, 80 texture processing units, a 448-bit memory interface, and an 896 MB framebuffer. In price and performance, it sits between the GeForce GTX 260 and the GeForce GTX 285.
Product Highlights:
- Highest performing GPU in the $229-$249 price category
- Incorporates NVIDIA PhysX technology for the most interactive gaming experience
- NVIDIA CUDA for accelerated desktop applications
- Supports NVIDIA 3D Vision for immersive stereoscopic gaming
- Ready for Windows 7
- Launches with new GeForce Release 185 software drivers for optimal performance and features, including a new Ambient Occlusion setting
The GeForce GTX 275 is being announced alongside the availability of the new GeForce Power Pack #3, which includes a host of free, new PhysX and CUDA-enabled content for GeForce owners. The Power Pack #3 includes:
- Three new applications that take advantage of PhysX hardware acceleration, including a custom PhysX patch for Ascaron’s Sacred 2: Fallen Angel; a never-before-seen demo and benchmark for Star Tales, a highly ambitious social networking game from the acclaimed Chinese developer QWD1; and the source code to the PhysX screensaver for community modding and distribution.
- Two new CUDA-accelerated applications, including MotionDSP vReveal and SETI@home.
When: The GeForce GTX 275 will be available globally on or before April 14, 2009. Some regions are available now; other regions are available for pre-order. Current availability varies by region. Update 4/15/09 - the GTX 275 is now available at most US retailers
Current Newegg pricing:
- EVGA GeForce GTX 275 896-P3-1170-AR Video Card $259.99
- EVGA GeForce GTX 275 896-P3-1171-AR Video Card - Superclocked Edition $269.99
- SPARKLE GeForce GTX 275 SXX275896D3-VP Video Card $259.99
Where: GeForce GTX 275 will be available from the world’s leading add-in card partners, including: ASUS, BFG, Colorful, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Innovision, Leadtek, MSI, Palit, Sparkle, Zotac, PNY, Point of View, and XFX.
Benchmarks and reviews:- Hexus.net - Sapphire Radeon HD 4890 XT and XFX Radeon HD 4890 OC XXX vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275
- OverClockersClub - NVIDIA GTX 275 Review
- TechPowerUp - Zotac GeForce GTX 275 Amp! Edition
- AnandTech - ATI Radeon HD 4890 vs. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275
- PC Perspective - AMD Radeon HD 4890 RV790 and GeForce GTX 275 Review
- Guru3D - GeForce GTX 275 review | test
- Driver Heaven - ATI Radeon 4890 and NVIDIA GTX 275 Graphics Review
- Hot Hardware - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 Unleashed
- Hardware Canucks - Nvidia GeForce GTX 275 896MB Review
- Bjorn3D - Nvidia GTX-275
- Legit Reviews - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 Versus ATI Radeon HD 4890
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
X-Men Origins: Wolverine Leaked
A DVD quality, full-length work print of the new action film, which isn't set for release until May 1, has been spreading through torrent sites today. According to several reports the video is an uncompleted version of the film.
AfterDawn.com has said the film, being a "workprint", is missing some of the wow factor. Specifically some of the special effects missing. Reportedly you also get the occasional view of wires still attached to actors during action scenes. Although unconfirmed, some are reporting that the leaked version is missing some of the director's re-shoots as well as a few new scenes. We probably won't know until next month however what is missing.
FOX released a statement confirming the leak and confirming the version of the film posted online was not complete. The company vowed that the source would be prosecuted stating the FBI and MPAA are investigating.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a prequel to the X-Men film trilogy. The film follows Wolverine and his time with Team X, at a time before his skeleton was bonded with adamantium.
AfterDawn.com has said the film, being a "workprint", is missing some of the wow factor. Specifically some of the special effects missing. Reportedly you also get the occasional view of wires still attached to actors during action scenes. Although unconfirmed, some are reporting that the leaked version is missing some of the director's re-shoots as well as a few new scenes. We probably won't know until next month however what is missing.
FOX released a statement confirming the leak and confirming the version of the film posted online was not complete. The company vowed that the source would be prosecuted stating the FBI and MPAA are investigating.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a prequel to the X-Men film trilogy. The film follows Wolverine and his time with Team X, at a time before his skeleton was bonded with adamantium.
BBC World News Joins The 1Cast Network
World’s Largest Broadcast News Operation Partners with 1Cast for First multi-platform Video ProductCTIA, Las Vegas, April 2, 2009 — 1Cast, the revolutionary broadcast platform that delivers up-to-the-minute news video to the web and to subscribers’ Smartphones, today launched a multi-platform partnership with BBC World News to distribute the global broadcaster’s daily news content to consumers.
The BBC is the world’s largest broadcast news operation, producing 120 hours of output each day, from over 2,000 journalists and 70 international newsgathering bureaux, and broadcasting in 32 languages. BBC World News, a member of the BBC’s commercial group of companies, reaches 287 million households in over 200 countries, across television, online and mobile. The agreement with 1cast brings the potential to reach many more through its multi-platform offering.
“The way people consume news is changing all the time, and it’s up to broadcasters to keep pace with this. Delivering news when people want it, incorporating it into their lifestyles rather than expecting them to accommodate us, is hugely important. Our agreement with 1Cast allows us to distribute our content on demand across multiple video platforms, augmenting our existing tri-media offering.” said Beth Clearfield, Vice President of Digital Media and Business Development, BBC Worldwide America.“The BBC shares the same vision as 1Cast,” said Anthony Bontrager, President of 1Cast. “Video content should be available whenever and wherever consumers want in an easily consumable format. 1Cast has become a leader in the seamless distribution of video news across various platforms, and we’re excited to have the BBC join us with its vast breadth of news content and massive audience.”
1Cast is a digital newsstand that gives viewers more control over the content they consume. Viewers simply select the topics they care about most, and 1Cast delivers up-to-the minute newscasts of video clips from leading news sources, including the Associated Press, Reuters, CNBC, Barrons.com, Dow Jones, The Wall Street Journal Digital Network, AllThingsD.com and now BBC World News.
News content from 1Cast is consumed on the go, via the iPhone, iPod Touch, Android mobile phone or on the web, and is updated continually throughout the day. Users can also share their personalized newscasts with friends via email or on platforms such as blogs, social networking sites and other web portals using the 1Cast embeddable video player.
The Woz Dances No More
After an amusing four weeks on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, Apple co-founder Steve "The Woz" Wozniak was booted from the show last night.
Despite earning the "geek vote", with tons of online support which included a Twitter page of over 100k followers (@VoteWoz). Wozniak and his professional partner, Karina Smirnoff, were eliminated from the show. The pair were two of the three couples with the lowest combined scores from Monday's program, and were therefore slated for possible elimination on Tuesday's episode.
In further proof that that beauty doesn't always beat out brains (or should that be the other way around), former Playboy cover model Holly Madison was the other celebrity contestant dropped from the show.
It has been an interesting four weeks to say the least. Judges often criticized Wozniak's dancing style going so far as to say it was, "like watching a Teletubby going mad in a gay pride parade." The same judge, Judge Bruno Taglioni was less than impressed by this weeks dancing. Stating “The tango originated in the ghettos of Buenos Aires. The only right thing you picked up is the stench because this really stunk!”
Despite earning the "geek vote", with tons of online support which included a Twitter page of over 100k followers (@VoteWoz). Wozniak and his professional partner, Karina Smirnoff, were eliminated from the show. The pair were two of the three couples with the lowest combined scores from Monday's program, and were therefore slated for possible elimination on Tuesday's episode.
In further proof that that beauty doesn't always beat out brains (or should that be the other way around), former Playboy cover model Holly Madison was the other celebrity contestant dropped from the show.
It has been an interesting four weeks to say the least. Judges often criticized Wozniak's dancing style going so far as to say it was, "like watching a Teletubby going mad in a gay pride parade." The same judge, Judge Bruno Taglioni was less than impressed by this weeks dancing. Stating “The tango originated in the ghettos of Buenos Aires. The only right thing you picked up is the stench because this really stunk!”
YouTube Partners With ABC, Disney & ESPN To Offer Content
Earlier this week YouTube announced a partnership with the Disney/ABC Television Group. The new partnership will bring short-form content from the Disney/ABS's companies including ABC Entertainment, ABC News, ABC Family, SOAPnet, and ESPN.O the new ABC's YouTube channel, which officially launches in early May, you'll find clips of popular prime-time shows like Lost, Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy, as well as behind-the-scenes footage, celebrity interviews, online-only specials and a lot more. These won't include full length features rather short clips or highlights.
ESPN's YouTube destination officially launches in mid-April, but if you go there now you can get a preview of the kinds of sports videos that will be uploaded to the channel: Sportscenter highlights, sports chatter from Bobby Knight, exclusive interviews with athletes like T.O. and, of course, the crazy commentary of Dick Vitale. In addition, ESPN's own Video Player will be integrated into the page, allowing fans access to the features and functionality that are already familiar to them. There will be more short-form content available through the YouTube player on the page.
Unfortunately we'll still see the new InVideo overlays, the new in video animated ads that appear over a portion of the content. Disney/ABC and ESPN will be allowed to sell their own advertising inventory within their own channels so we'll probably see ads from various shows within their network.
As Expected Conficker Doesn't Live Up To The Hype
April 1st is upon us and predicted last week the largely over-hyped over exaggerated threat from the Conficker.C worm has failed to materialize. As midnight approached over seas and Aprils Fools Day hit the worm has gone relatively un-noticed by anyone other than the media and the security researchers watching it.
"Conficker has activated," said Patrik Runald, chief security adviser at F-Secure, in a blog post posted shorty after 12 AM GMT. "So far nothing has actually happened."
So, when exactly is Conficker activating? So far - nothing. Infected computers are generating the list of 50'000 domains and trying to go to 500 of those as described earlier but so far no update has been made available. According to F-Seacure it goes like this:
The machines that are infected by Conficker.C and are turned on, will change modes between 00:00 and 01:30 on April 1st, based on machines own clock. The ones that are turned off, will change modes soon after they are booted up. However as noted there has been NO SIGN of the alleged update, and no sign of any further malicious activity.
Several other sites are reporting similar information, with many security researchers sitting, watching and waiting but little to nothing to actually report.
"Over the next 24 hours Conficker will change the way it communicates, but we don't expect much of anything else to happen," said Marcus Sachs, director of the SANS Internet Storm Center, in a blog post. "There has been quite a bit of media hype about Conficker, and we've seen dozens of new domain names registered to 'help' those who are confused. There are also several reports of malicious software masquerading as detection and cleaning tools for Conficker-infected computers."
The ironic part, despite the fact thatwe have seen little to nothing at all from the virus and the fact that security researchers tried to downplay the threat the media still clings to the hysteria with crazy headlines. Over the past few hrs several headlines have popped up that including "Conficker worm set to infect computers worldwide today", "April Fools virus could mean big problem for millions", "Conficker: World Preps for April Fools Attack".
No wonder I received a ton of email from friends asking me if they should be concerned. Even now I see two or three emails that have come in since I started writing this. People spot these crazy headlines and over react!
According to PCWorld.com IBM believes the US held only about 6% off the PCs allegedly infected by Conficker, with 45% of the Conficker.c-infected computers traced to Asian IP addresses, while another 31% were pegged to European addresses. If there was going to be anything of major concern it would have hit those countries long before we had to worry about it.
Read more:
"Conficker has activated," said Patrik Runald, chief security adviser at F-Secure, in a blog post posted shorty after 12 AM GMT. "So far nothing has actually happened."
So, when exactly is Conficker activating? So far - nothing. Infected computers are generating the list of 50'000 domains and trying to go to 500 of those as described earlier but so far no update has been made available. According to F-Seacure it goes like this:
- Conficker checks the local clock every 90 minutes (in some cases even more frequently)
- The check is done with Windows GetLocalTime function
- GetLocalTime gives the local time, based on the local time zone
- Because of this, machines around the world are returning different times
- Clock skew affects this as well
- But not by much, as Windows machines will sync their local clock with time.windows.com once a week
- Once the local clock says it's April 1st, Conficker will collect a date from the net
The machines that are infected by Conficker.C and are turned on, will change modes between 00:00 and 01:30 on April 1st, based on machines own clock. The ones that are turned off, will change modes soon after they are booted up. However as noted there has been NO SIGN of the alleged update, and no sign of any further malicious activity.
Several other sites are reporting similar information, with many security researchers sitting, watching and waiting but little to nothing to actually report.
"Over the next 24 hours Conficker will change the way it communicates, but we don't expect much of anything else to happen," said Marcus Sachs, director of the SANS Internet Storm Center, in a blog post. "There has been quite a bit of media hype about Conficker, and we've seen dozens of new domain names registered to 'help' those who are confused. There are also several reports of malicious software masquerading as detection and cleaning tools for Conficker-infected computers."
The ironic part, despite the fact thatwe have seen little to nothing at all from the virus and the fact that security researchers tried to downplay the threat the media still clings to the hysteria with crazy headlines. Over the past few hrs several headlines have popped up that including "Conficker worm set to infect computers worldwide today", "April Fools virus could mean big problem for millions", "Conficker: World Preps for April Fools Attack".
No wonder I received a ton of email from friends asking me if they should be concerned. Even now I see two or three emails that have come in since I started writing this. People spot these crazy headlines and over react!
According to PCWorld.com IBM believes the US held only about 6% off the PCs allegedly infected by Conficker, with 45% of the Conficker.c-infected computers traced to Asian IP addresses, while another 31% were pegged to European addresses. If there was going to be anything of major concern it would have hit those countries long before we had to worry about it.
Read more:
- PCMag.com - 'Conficker' Worm Wakes Up Overseas, But It's Quiet
- InformationWeek - Conficker's April Fools' Day Update Begins With A Yawn
- PC World - Conficker's Zero Hour Arrives Without Event -- Yet
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Wikia Search Closes Shop
Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikia has announced that Wikia is closing the doors on Wikia Search, deciding to instead re-direct and refocusing resources on other Wikia.com properties, especially on Wikianswers.
Wales says the main reason for the refocus is based on the strong showing of the Wikianswers Q&A site. That portion of Wikia in particular has seen tremendous growth since it was re-launched in February. Wikianswers along with other Wikia communities have continued to see strong growth while Wikia Search has not seen the growth that Wales has hoped to see.
"On the other hand, while I personally believe in the opportunity for free software to make serious inroads into the search space, our project, Wikia Search, has not been enjoying the kind of success that we had hoped," Wales said in his blog post.
"In a different economy, we would continue to fund Wikia Search indefinitely. It’s something I care about deeply. I will return to again and again in my career to search, either as an investor, a contributor, a donor, or a cheerleader. But for now, we will be closing the doors on the Wikia Search project (as of March 31, 2009)."
Wales says the main reason for the refocus is based on the strong showing of the Wikianswers Q&A site. That portion of Wikia in particular has seen tremendous growth since it was re-launched in February. Wikianswers along with other Wikia communities have continued to see strong growth while Wikia Search has not seen the growth that Wales has hoped to see.
"On the other hand, while I personally believe in the opportunity for free software to make serious inroads into the search space, our project, Wikia Search, has not been enjoying the kind of success that we had hoped," Wales said in his blog post.
"In a different economy, we would continue to fund Wikia Search indefinitely. It’s something I care about deeply. I will return to again and again in my career to search, either as an investor, a contributor, a donor, or a cheerleader. But for now, we will be closing the doors on the Wikia Search project (as of March 31, 2009)."
OCZ Wants You To Do-It-Yourself With New 10.1" Neutrino Netbook
Add on your own hard drive, ram and operating system and you'll be set with OCZ's newest offering, the DIY 10.1" Neutrino Netbook.
OCZ Technology Introduces the Neutrino Netbook, the Latest Solution in their Award-Winning DIY Initiative
San Jose, Calif.—March 30, 2008—OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, components, and systems, today unveiled the Neutrino netbook, their latest Do-It-Yourself (DIY) solution. Building on OCZ’s award-winning DIY line, users ranging from hardware enthusiasts to mainstream professionals can partake in configuring and building their own personalized ultra-mobile solution, complete with everything they need in a portable companion.
“There are many consumers that desire the blend of essential functionalities and an ultra compact form factor, and our new Neutrino Do-It-Yourself netbooks based on Intel Atom technology allows users to design and configure their very own solution tailored to their unique needs,” commented Alex Mei, CMO of the OCZ Technology Group. “The Neutrino DIY netbook puts the control back in the hands of consumers by allowing them to configure a feature rich netbook with their own memory, storage, and preferred OS into a reasonably priced go-anywhere computing solution.”
Based on the Intel Atom processor, the 10.1” Neutrino was developed to push the envelope in the growing area of netbooks as the first DIY offering. Proving that good things come in small packages, the Neutrino provides all the day-to-day necessities for on-the-go traveling, education, office or home use. Equipped with a built-in camera and microphone, Neutrino will expand your horizons through communications between family, friends, and colleagues.
OCZ’s visionary DIY initiative was inspired by enthusiasts, but created for everyone. The Neutrino allows users to have complete control of the cost/performance ratio of their netbook and makes the entire procedure simple and easy to follow. Unlike previous OCZ DIY solutions, the Neutrino comes equipped with the CPU, but enables users to maximize netbook-computing efficiency by supporting up to 2GB of memory and hard drive or SSD capacities up to 250GB.
For support unlike any other DIY mobile solution, OCZ’s program makes it easy and convenient to build your own notebook by detailing validated components, the assembling process, and offering direct online and toll-free support for true peace of mind from beginning to end.
For more information regarding the OCZ Neutrino 10" DIY Notebook, please visit the OCZ product page here
Source: OCZ Press Release
My thoughts:
I've always been big on DYI computer building, desktops however are a completely different animal than laptops or netbooks. The small form factor and cramped work space make working on these things a serious PITA. Adding in RAM and a HDD really isn't that difficult but why would I want to bother.
Traditionally DIY projects are meant for customization. Since all you are adding in is a couple sticks of ram, storage and your choice of operating systems you really aren't customizing much. Most of us geeks change out RAM anyways so all you are really customizing is your OS and storage capacity.
In most cases its going to be cheaper and a lot easier buying a pre-assembled netbook and then dumping the OS if you don't like your current options. Since OCZ has not released pricing or availability information at this I can't comment on the value of the machine. But I'd have to say it would have to be priced very well for me to want to hassle with it.
OCZ Technology Introduces the Neutrino Netbook, the Latest Solution in their Award-Winning DIY Initiative
San Jose, Calif.—March 30, 2008—OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, components, and systems, today unveiled the Neutrino netbook, their latest Do-It-Yourself (DIY) solution. Building on OCZ’s award-winning DIY line, users ranging from hardware enthusiasts to mainstream professionals can partake in configuring and building their own personalized ultra-mobile solution, complete with everything they need in a portable companion.
“There are many consumers that desire the blend of essential functionalities and an ultra compact form factor, and our new Neutrino Do-It-Yourself netbooks based on Intel Atom technology allows users to design and configure their very own solution tailored to their unique needs,” commented Alex Mei, CMO of the OCZ Technology Group. “The Neutrino DIY netbook puts the control back in the hands of consumers by allowing them to configure a feature rich netbook with their own memory, storage, and preferred OS into a reasonably priced go-anywhere computing solution.”
Based on the Intel Atom processor, the 10.1” Neutrino was developed to push the envelope in the growing area of netbooks as the first DIY offering. Proving that good things come in small packages, the Neutrino provides all the day-to-day necessities for on-the-go traveling, education, office or home use. Equipped with a built-in camera and microphone, Neutrino will expand your horizons through communications between family, friends, and colleagues.
OCZ’s visionary DIY initiative was inspired by enthusiasts, but created for everyone. The Neutrino allows users to have complete control of the cost/performance ratio of their netbook and makes the entire procedure simple and easy to follow. Unlike previous OCZ DIY solutions, the Neutrino comes equipped with the CPU, but enables users to maximize netbook-computing efficiency by supporting up to 2GB of memory and hard drive or SSD capacities up to 250GB.
For support unlike any other DIY mobile solution, OCZ’s program makes it easy and convenient to build your own notebook by detailing validated components, the assembling process, and offering direct online and toll-free support for true peace of mind from beginning to end.
For more information regarding the OCZ Neutrino 10" DIY Notebook, please visit the OCZ product page here
Source: OCZ Press Release
My thoughts:
I've always been big on DYI computer building, desktops however are a completely different animal than laptops or netbooks. The small form factor and cramped work space make working on these things a serious PITA. Adding in RAM and a HDD really isn't that difficult but why would I want to bother.
Traditionally DIY projects are meant for customization. Since all you are adding in is a couple sticks of ram, storage and your choice of operating systems you really aren't customizing much. Most of us geeks change out RAM anyways so all you are really customizing is your OS and storage capacity.
In most cases its going to be cheaper and a lot easier buying a pre-assembled netbook and then dumping the OS if you don't like your current options. Since OCZ has not released pricing or availability information at this I can't comment on the value of the machine. But I'd have to say it would have to be priced very well for me to want to hassle with it.
Greenpeace Knocks Top Computer Manufacturers Over Broken Toxic Phase-Out Promises
In New Ranking Guide, Greenpeace knocks HP, Lenovo and Dell for broken toxic phase-out promises
San Francisco – Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Dell see their scores drop in the latest edition of Greenpeace’s “Guide to Greener Electronics” ranking, released today. All three PC makers have been given a penalty point for backtracking on their commitment to eliminate vinyl plastic (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from their products by the end of 2009.
Of the five PC market leaders, Apple and Acer are the only ones sticking to commitments to phase out these toxic substances. With the exception of one technical hurdle - achieving certified PVC-free power cords - Apple has already met its commitment to have all of its products free of PVC and BFRs by the end of 2008.
“If Apple can find the solutions, there should be no reason why the other leading PC companies can not,” said Casey Harrell, Greenpeace International toxics campaigner. “All of them should have at least one toxic-free line of products on the market by the end of this year.”
Dell produces a desktop, a notebook and several models of monitors that have a reduced use of PVC and BFRs, and a few monitor models that are free of these substances. Lenovo has two models available that are PVC and BFR-free. HP is trailing behind and has yet to bring out models with even a reduced use of PVC and BFRs. While HP and Dell have yet to set a new timeline for completely eliminating these substances from all their products, Lenovo has delayed its deadline to the end of 2010.
The biggest change in the rankings is the big jump from 15th to 4th place made by Philips. Following pressure from Greenpeace, the company has significantly improved its position on taking financial responsibility for the recycling of its own e-waste, although it still needs to implement a system to affect this.
“When they are paying for the collection and recycling of their own products, companies like Philips will now have the added incentive to develop cleaner, more recyclable products because recycling costs are influenced by the amount of toxic chemicals present and how easy products are to recycle,” explained Harrell. “Individual producer responsibility is crucial to the greener development of the electronics industry.”
Despite an overall slump in scores in the toxics categories, companies are starting to improve their scores on energy criteria. ICT is a key sector in the fight against climate change and could enable emissions reductions of 15 percent of business-as-usual. Samsung joins Philips in publically demonstrating support for global steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to tackle climate change. Dell and Nokia join HP and Philips in making commitments to substantial cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from their own operations. Several companies are now increasing their use of renewable energy, with Nokia already sourcing a quarter of its electricity use from renewable energy sources.
Source: GreenPeace
San Francisco – Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Dell see their scores drop in the latest edition of Greenpeace’s “Guide to Greener Electronics” ranking, released today. All three PC makers have been given a penalty point for backtracking on their commitment to eliminate vinyl plastic (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from their products by the end of 2009.
Of the five PC market leaders, Apple and Acer are the only ones sticking to commitments to phase out these toxic substances. With the exception of one technical hurdle - achieving certified PVC-free power cords - Apple has already met its commitment to have all of its products free of PVC and BFRs by the end of 2008.
“If Apple can find the solutions, there should be no reason why the other leading PC companies can not,” said Casey Harrell, Greenpeace International toxics campaigner. “All of them should have at least one toxic-free line of products on the market by the end of this year.”
Dell produces a desktop, a notebook and several models of monitors that have a reduced use of PVC and BFRs, and a few monitor models that are free of these substances. Lenovo has two models available that are PVC and BFR-free. HP is trailing behind and has yet to bring out models with even a reduced use of PVC and BFRs. While HP and Dell have yet to set a new timeline for completely eliminating these substances from all their products, Lenovo has delayed its deadline to the end of 2010.
The biggest change in the rankings is the big jump from 15th to 4th place made by Philips. Following pressure from Greenpeace, the company has significantly improved its position on taking financial responsibility for the recycling of its own e-waste, although it still needs to implement a system to affect this.
“When they are paying for the collection and recycling of their own products, companies like Philips will now have the added incentive to develop cleaner, more recyclable products because recycling costs are influenced by the amount of toxic chemicals present and how easy products are to recycle,” explained Harrell. “Individual producer responsibility is crucial to the greener development of the electronics industry.”
Despite an overall slump in scores in the toxics categories, companies are starting to improve their scores on energy criteria. ICT is a key sector in the fight against climate change and could enable emissions reductions of 15 percent of business-as-usual. Samsung joins Philips in publically demonstrating support for global steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to tackle climate change. Dell and Nokia join HP and Philips in making commitments to substantial cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from their own operations. Several companies are now increasing their use of renewable energy, with Nokia already sourcing a quarter of its electricity use from renewable energy sources.
Source: GreenPeace
Skype For iPhone Officially Launches Today
Skype Available on Apple App Store Free application enables millions of iPhone and iPod touch users worldwide to take their Skype conversations with them
LAS VEGAS, March 31, 2009 - Skype announced that its highly anticipated application, Skype for iPhone, will be available on the Apple App Store beginning today. The app also adds Skype calling and instant messaging to any second generation iPod touch with a compatible headset and microphone.
"Skype software for the iPhone has been the number one request among our users. We are delighted to deliver on this request and put Skype into the pockets of millions of people around the world who are carrying iPhone and iPod touch devices," said Scott Durchslag, Skype's Chief Operating Officer. "Skype for iPhone will open up new ways for more than 400 million Skype users to stay connected and take their Skype conversations with them. Skype for iPhone is an experience that offers the same simplicity, ease-of-use and quality our users have come to expect from Skype, combined with an elegance of design and richness so loved by Apple's many customers worldwide."
The application delivers core Skype capabilities including:
- Free Skype-to-Skype calls from any Wi-Fi zone to other Skype users worldwide
- Call landline or mobile phones at Skype's great low rates from any Wi-Fi zone
- Send/receive instant messages to/from individuals or groups via 3G, Wi-Fi, GPRS or EDGE (whichever is available)
- Receive calls to a personal online number on Skype
- See when Skype contacts are online/available to IM or talk
Skype for iPhone requires a Wi-Fi connection to make free Skype-to-Skype calls or low-cost Skype calls to mobiles and landlines. Users will not be charged by Skype for making and receiving Skype-to-Skype calls using an iPhone or iPod touch. Skype's normal low rates apply if using Skype to call landlines or mobiles.
The app uses Wi-Fi, 3G, GPRS or EDGE (whichever is available) to sign into Skype, update a contact list, maintain and update presence and send/receive instant messages. Skype recommends an unlimited data usage plan for using Skype over a mobile data connection to avoid being charged by a wireless service provider for 3G, GPRS and EDGE mobile data usage.
Profile pictures of other users in a Skype Contacts list are also visible, making it easy to identify them. In addition, users can update their own Skype profile picture from within the Skype for iPhone app, either by choosing an existing image from a photo album on the device, or by using the camera on the iPhone to take a new photo.
The Skype application for the iPhone or iPod touch will be available for free from Apple's App Store on both devices, or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.
Source: Skype Press Release
Google Launches New Venture Capital Fund
With our faltering economy venture capital funds have all but dried up. So it might comes a surprise that Google has decided to buck the trend and form a $100million VC fund.
Announced via the Official Google Blog earlier today, Google Ventures will be headed by Rich Miner, a co-founder of Android smart phone software that Google acquired in 2005, and Bill Maris founder of Web hosting pioneer Burlee.com. (Read their bios)
Google Ventures, will be wholly owned by Google, but will operate as a separate entity from the companies normal search/web based operations. The new and will look to invest in early-stage start-up firms seeking investment opportunities to maximize returns rather than looking for investments that strictly fit with Google's strategic vision.
Read more:
Announced via the Official Google Blog earlier today, Google Ventures will be headed by Rich Miner, a co-founder of Android smart phone software that Google acquired in 2005, and Bill Maris founder of Web hosting pioneer Burlee.com. (Read their bios)
At its core, Google Ventures is charged with finding and helping to develop exceptional start-ups. We'll be focusing on early stage investments across a diverse range of industries, including consumer Internet, software, clean-tech, bio-tech, health care and, no doubt, other areas we haven't thought of yet. Central to our effort will be our fellow Googlers, whom we view as a critically important resource to help educate us about potential investments areas and evaluate specific companies.
Google Ventures, will be wholly owned by Google, but will operate as a separate entity from the companies normal search/web based operations. The new and will look to invest in early-stage start-up firms seeking investment opportunities to maximize returns rather than looking for investments that strictly fit with Google's strategic vision.
Read more:
- Reuters - Google forms $100 million venture fund
- Ars Technica - Google out to make money on investments with Google Ventures
- New York Times - Google to Announce Venture Fund
- ComputerWorld - Google goes against the tide, launches VC company
Monday, March 30, 2009
Should We Save The Failing Newspaper Industry?
A new bill introduced on Tuesday seeks to extend nonprofit status to the failing newspaper industry providing newspaper companies with a variety of tax breaks.
The new bill entitled the Newspaper Revitalization Act which was introduced by Democratic senator Senator Benjamin Cardin yesterday. The bill would allow newspapers to operate as nonprofits for educational purposes under the U.S. tax code, giving them a similar status to public broadcasting companies. Advertising and subscription revenue would be tax exempt, and contributions to support news coverage or operations could be tax deductible.
The senator cited the recent closures of two newspapers Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Rocky Mountain News,and announcements from the Baltimore Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle, among others, that they may have to stop publishing in introducing the bill.
"Under this arrangement, newspapers would not be allowed to make political endorsements, but would be allowed to freely report on all issues, including political campaigns," he said. "Advertising and subscription revenue would be tax exempt and contributions to support coverage or operations could be tax deductible."
The measure is targeted to preserve local newspapers serving communities and not large newspaper conglomerates. Because newspaper profits have been falling in recent years, no substantial loss of federal revenue is expected.
“We are losing our newspaper industry,” said Senator Cardin. “The economy has caused an immediate problem, but the business model for newspapers, based on circulation and advertising revenue, is broken, and that is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy. While we have lots of news sources, we rely on newspapers for in-depth reporting that follows important issues, records events and exposes misdeeds. In fact, most if not all sources of journalistic information – from radio to television to the Internet – gathers their news from newspaper reporters who cover the news on a daily basis and know their communities. It is in the interest of our nation and good governance that we ensure they survive.”
But is it really in the interest of the community or the interest of the people to save a failing medium. Newspapers have seen steadily declining circulation and the migration of readers to free news online for years so why would things suddenly be any different. The instant reporting capabilities of the internet and TV have pretty much killed the need for a print based media. Who wants to read yesterdays printed news when we are reading it happen as its happening?
On the face of it this bill would equate to nothing more than government charity, bailing out yet another business that has failed to keep up with the times. Why only save the news, why not save magazines as well? We see no such handout heading towards the magazine industry that is by the way heading down the same road.
Of course this bailout really doesn't mean much in terms of actual cash value to the tax payer. The companies can hardly stay afloat now as it is. Sp assuming they continue to run at "business as usual" and don't turn things around tax payers wouldn't loose out on incoming taxes. After all you don't make much in tax from a company that isn't making money.
I appreciate the way things used to be done and of course the history behind the newspaper. But I have to wonder why we seek to hold on to the past when we should be embracing the future. Let the industry die, it has been dying a slow painful death for several years. Lets move forward into the new age of e-news, when its happeing, where its happening.
The new bill entitled the Newspaper Revitalization Act which was introduced by Democratic senator Senator Benjamin Cardin yesterday. The bill would allow newspapers to operate as nonprofits for educational purposes under the U.S. tax code, giving them a similar status to public broadcasting companies. Advertising and subscription revenue would be tax exempt, and contributions to support news coverage or operations could be tax deductible.
The senator cited the recent closures of two newspapers Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Rocky Mountain News,and announcements from the Baltimore Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle, among others, that they may have to stop publishing in introducing the bill.
"Under this arrangement, newspapers would not be allowed to make political endorsements, but would be allowed to freely report on all issues, including political campaigns," he said. "Advertising and subscription revenue would be tax exempt and contributions to support coverage or operations could be tax deductible."
The measure is targeted to preserve local newspapers serving communities and not large newspaper conglomerates. Because newspaper profits have been falling in recent years, no substantial loss of federal revenue is expected.
“We are losing our newspaper industry,” said Senator Cardin. “The economy has caused an immediate problem, but the business model for newspapers, based on circulation and advertising revenue, is broken, and that is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy. While we have lots of news sources, we rely on newspapers for in-depth reporting that follows important issues, records events and exposes misdeeds. In fact, most if not all sources of journalistic information – from radio to television to the Internet – gathers their news from newspaper reporters who cover the news on a daily basis and know their communities. It is in the interest of our nation and good governance that we ensure they survive.”
But is it really in the interest of the community or the interest of the people to save a failing medium. Newspapers have seen steadily declining circulation and the migration of readers to free news online for years so why would things suddenly be any different. The instant reporting capabilities of the internet and TV have pretty much killed the need for a print based media. Who wants to read yesterdays printed news when we are reading it happen as its happening?
On the face of it this bill would equate to nothing more than government charity, bailing out yet another business that has failed to keep up with the times. Why only save the news, why not save magazines as well? We see no such handout heading towards the magazine industry that is by the way heading down the same road.
Of course this bailout really doesn't mean much in terms of actual cash value to the tax payer. The companies can hardly stay afloat now as it is. Sp assuming they continue to run at "business as usual" and don't turn things around tax payers wouldn't loose out on incoming taxes. After all you don't make much in tax from a company that isn't making money.
I appreciate the way things used to be done and of course the history behind the newspaper. But I have to wonder why we seek to hold on to the past when we should be embracing the future. Let the industry die, it has been dying a slow painful death for several years. Lets move forward into the new age of e-news, when its happeing, where its happening.
Twitter Updates The @Replies Feature
Originally used as a landing page to track Tweets that began with @Yourusername the @replies function left a little to be desired. Without the addition of a third party app Tweeters couldn't see all Tweets that feature their username. Today Twitter announced an update to the @Replies page.The new update, which Twitter is now referring to it as Mentions, will show in as your own @username in the sidebar. When you click that tab, you'll see a list of all tweets referencing your account with the @username convention anywhere in the tweet—instead of only at the beginning which is how it used to work. So for me it would be all mentions of @Geek_News.
Of course this functionality was already available when using the Twitter search, or through a third party client like TweetDeck or Power Twitter. But with this update user can now keep track of conversation involving their username through the Twitter web interface.
FareWell To FileFront
FileFront, the popular file download repository will shut down indefinitely today.
“We regret to inform you that due to the current economic conditions we are forced to indefinitely suspend the FileFront site operations on March 30, 2009,” reads the site’s farewell letter. “If you have uploaded files, images or posted blogs, or if you would like to download some of your favorite files, please take this opportunity to download them before March 30th when the site will be suspended.”
“We would like to give a warm thank you to all of you who have been part of the FileFront communities we have built together. Your support has had a meaningful impact for all of us here at FileFront,” continued the message before signing off, “Keeping gaming alive.”
There has been no word from FileFront's owners, Ziff Davis, as to why they are shuttering the site. Earlier this year the company sold most of its gaming property which included the 1UP division to Hearst’s UGO Entertainment network and closed down print magazine EGM. The sale of 1UP included websites Mycheats.com, Gametab.com and GameVideos.com, but not FileFront. At the time the company indicated it would shift its focus to the PC Mag Digital Network, including PC Magazine and ExtremeTech.
“We regret to inform you that due to the current economic conditions we are forced to indefinitely suspend the FileFront site operations on March 30, 2009,” reads the site’s farewell letter. “If you have uploaded files, images or posted blogs, or if you would like to download some of your favorite files, please take this opportunity to download them before March 30th when the site will be suspended.”
“We would like to give a warm thank you to all of you who have been part of the FileFront communities we have built together. Your support has had a meaningful impact for all of us here at FileFront,” continued the message before signing off, “Keeping gaming alive.”
There has been no word from FileFront's owners, Ziff Davis, as to why they are shuttering the site. Earlier this year the company sold most of its gaming property which included the 1UP division to Hearst’s UGO Entertainment network and closed down print magazine EGM. The sale of 1UP included websites Mycheats.com, Gametab.com and GameVideos.com, but not FileFront. At the time the company indicated it would shift its focus to the PC Mag Digital Network, including PC Magazine and ExtremeTech.
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