AOL to Get Tough on Spam
Internet.com: AOL Moves to Thwart New Forms of Spam AOL now plan to extend its war against spam to include bulk instant messaging, which is becoming an increasing annoyance to IM users. [marketingfix]
Month: July 2003
Microsoft brains take on Google
The software titan hires top scientists and mathematicians in its quest for search algorithms that will allow Microsoft to compete directly with Google. [CNET News.com]
PowerBook Shown On Microsoft .NET Homepage
diskiller writes “It seems Microsoft is using a Titanium Powerbook on their .Net website! I wonder if they know that it is an apple laptop? This reminds me of the dell debacle earlier, when a powerbook was shown on a dell advertising page…” Sure enough, it’s a 15″ PowerBook right there at the top…irony thy … Read morePowerBook Shown On Microsoft .NET Homepage
Date Set for Cross Sector Spam Summit
For the first time representatives from ISP, direct marketing, and anti-spam sector are coming together to discuss ways to ensure that “legitimate” e-mail is successfully delivered into inboxes. The event is set for July 16in Palo Alto, CA. [DMNews: via up2speed]
How to Make a Sonic Purée From Pop Snippets
A new interactive program retrieves Internet song files, slices off audio snippets and blends them into sonic collages. [New York Times: Technology] N.A.G is the app and on first pass it seems like it will be a lot of fun to use. You search for artists or songs and then it creates sonic landscapes based … Read moreHow to Make a Sonic Purée From Pop Snippets
ISP helps members sell Net to neighbors
Independent broadband provider Speakeasy is allowing subscribers to resell their Internet access via wireless set-ups–turning their homes into Wi-Fi hot spots. The new service puts a semiofficial stamp on a practice that has long been used in tech-savvy households around the country. Wireless 802.11, or Wi-Fi, technology allows computer users to set up a network … Read moreISP helps members sell Net to neighbors
Lawmakers debate antispam plan
The Bush administration urges Congress to enact a new law criminalizing pornographic and fraudulent spam. Lawmakers spar on whether an “opt in” or “opt out” approach is better. [CNET News.com]
Microsoft wants more remote control
The software giant expands distribution of its MSN TV Internet service that gives people access to the Web and e-mail through their TV sets. [CNET News.com]
.Net:… 3 Years Later
Ashcrow writes “EWeek has posted an article on Microsoft’s .NET initiative. It’s been three years since we were first introduced to .NET and virtually none of the promised advantages have come true. [Slashdot]
PDA security carelessness
The PDA Usage Survey 2003 found that PDA owners commonly download the entire contents of their personal and business lives onto their handheld computers. Many leave the information unencrypted and without password protection, the survey found. Sensitive information commonly stored unprotected on PDAs includes corporate information, bank accounts, credit cards, social security numbers, inland revenue … Read morePDA security carelessness
Study: Gamers Not Reclusive Nerds
According to a Pew Internet Project survey, not all college-age gamers are nerdy antisocial guys. Women also like to play games, video games generally don’t interfere with students’ studying and games were found to be a highly social activity. [Wired News]
Approaching the SPAM Barrier
It is with this in mind that I bring to your attention the fact that we–as a society–are beginning to approach the SPAM Barrier. That is, according to BrightMail, very soon better than half of all email will be SPAM. That means that, given any random piece of email, there is a greater probability of … Read moreApproaching the SPAM Barrier
AvantGo 5 is finally outta beta…
If you use AvantGo on a Palm, you might have noticed that it is finally out of beta… assuming of course you had the beta installed. You might want to install it now that things are official. I’ve been “testing” things for quite a while and I have been very pleased with how things work … Read moreAvantGo 5 is finally outta beta…
Last.fm: Music to Listeners’ Ears
An Internet radio station out of London is experimenting with a technique that automatically tailors the music it plays to individual listeners’ tastes. Some say the approach, which uses collaborative filtering, could prove revolutionary. By Leander Kahney. [Wired News] Seems very cool, but currently is not letting me sign up… can’t figure out if it … Read moreLast.fm: Music to Listeners’ Ears
A new lease on life
Rented software services look poised for a revival, attracting customers with a promise to save them tons of money and headaches. [CNET News.com]
Back to Work
Good to be back after a nice long weekend… Feeling refreshed after some sun and fun. Should be an interesting week, full of many potential changes at work. I can’t quite go into the details yet – at least not officially…
The TVBrick
We’re incredulous that this is actually legal: a box from Nextedi called the TVBrick Home Server that hooks up to your television and then via a home network streams the channels onto the Internet so that “family members” in other countries can watch their favorite TV shows from back home. The manufacturer says that since … Read moreThe TVBrick