Fake Steve Jobs Retires
Fake Steve Jobs, outed some time ago as Forbes’ Daniel Lyons, is retiring his satirical blog "The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs" thus ending one of the more enduring runs as pop Web iCon.
Automated Content Will Unmake Existence
Chess is one thing, but if we get to the point computers can best humans in the arts—those splendid, millennia-old expressions of the heart and soul of human existence—then why bother existing? Fortunately, computers have yet to match us in music or writing or dancing or even drawing—the lines are straighter, but that’s not even the point, and good luck uploading an actual right-brained imagination.*
US Senate’s Response To Online Privacy Laws For Advertising
The US Senate is holding a series of hearings on online advertising, behavioral targeting and privacy to determine whether they should consider legislation protecting consumers online in these areas. The Senate has turned to Google, Microsoft, the FTC, Facebook, privacy watchdogs and others for their opinions in the matter. Some, like Google, welcomed a “comprehensive privacy law that would establish a uniform framework for privacy and procedures to punish bad actors.”
International Emails And Phone Calls Get Tapped
In a move that chills my bones yesterday George Bush attained congressional approval to make "a massive expansion of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act" (FISA).
Google, Facebook Release iPhone Applications
Whether you love the device or hate it, stories about the iPhone are going to be hard to escape for a few weeks. Google and Facebook appear to fall into that first category, and have added to the hubbub by releasing iPhone-specific applications.
Comcast Facing FCC Penalty Over P2P Practices
By engaging in traffic shaping to slow down heavy users of its Internet service, Comcast may be on the brink of receiving a penalty from the Federal Communications Commission.
Canadians Lead In Online Banking Usage
When it comes to online banking, Canada is one of the world’s most developed markets according to a new report from comScore.Out of 37 global markets Canada was number one in adoption of online banking, with 67.1 percent of Canadian Internet users banking online in April 2008. Other English – speaking countries had much lower penetration, including the UK (49.5%), U.S. (44%), and Australia (41.7 %).
Trulia Takes In More Funding
Which would you research more: a seemingly safe purchase when you have lots of cash, or a risky one when the economy’s bad? It makes a great deal of sense, then, that real estate site Trulia has just raised $15 million in funding.
Twitter Campaign Lauds Laxer Rules For Congress 2.0
Though many were disappointed yesterday in Representative John Culberson’s (R-TX) partisan scapegoating via Twitter, he did sort of fall backwards over an important issue. The issue wasn’t that Democrats were seeking to abridge Congressional freedom of speech as it related to Web 2.0 applications, but that Congressional freedom of speech had already been abridged via previously established draconian gag rules.
Overstock.com To Stop Selling Fur
Online retailer Overstock.com said today that it will no longer sell fur on its Web site.The decision to stop selling fur came after the company was contacted by the Humane Society of the United States, which says around 100 retailers and designers have promised not to use fur in their products.