Top Items:
USA Today:
Sony to pull controversial CDs, offer swap — LOS ANGELES — Sony BMG Music Entertainment said Monday it will pull some of its most popular CDs from stores in response to backlash over copy-protection software on the discs. (Related item: Firestorm rages over lockdown on digital music)
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Ed Felten / Freedom to Tinker:
Sony's Web-Based Uninstaller Opens a Big Security Hole; Sony to Recall Discs — [This post was co-written by J. Alex Halderman and Ed Felten.] — Over the weekend a Finnish researcher named Muzzy noticed a potential vulnerability in the web-based uninstaller that Sony offers to users …
Yahoo! Search blog:
Social Commerce via the Shoposphere & Pick Lists — Today we released the Shoposphere and Pick Lists beta, plus enhancements to our core shopping search capabilities, which we hope you'll try out during your holiday gift-giving spree. — The Shoposphere and Pick Lists are examples of social commerce.
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Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Yahoo Shoposphere Just Launched — Yahoo Shoposphere launches tonight (well, officially at 6 am EST tomorrow, but I've gotten permission to write about it tonight). I met with Rob Solomon, Yahoo's GM of Shopping, and Sabrina Crider, a Yahoo PR Manager, last week to take it for a test drive.
Stefanie Olsen / CNET News.com:
Is Friendster up for sale? — Friendster, the former high-flying social network, has hired a banker to shop itself around for a buyer, according to sources familiar with the matter. — The San Francisco-based company has hired Montgomery & Co., a boutique investment banking firm in Santa Monica …
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Joseph Jaffe / Jaffe Juice:
Just your ordinary dinner at Mikes — My head's still spinning (and it's not because of the Stella) I just got back from the most awesome dinner with Robert Scoble, Buzz Bruggeman, Andy Ruff, Bill Daul and guest of honor, Doug Engelbart, inventor of Groupware....and the Mouse (not Mickey, but clickey)
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Paul Bond / Reuters:
Study finds TiVo losing ground among DVR users — LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - TiVo Inc. has created a digital video recorder with a name that has worked its way into the American lexicon, but its reputation among users and would-be users is beginning to erode amid generic competitors …
Marguerite Reardon / CNET News.com:
VPN flaw threatens Internet traffic — A flaw in a key Internet security protocol used by major networking products could open systems up to denial-of-service and other kinds of attacks, experts have warned. — Finnish researchers at the University of Oulu announced Monday that they have found …
Ina Fried / CNET News.com:
Microsoft eyes making desktop apps free — Even as Microsoft readies a host of new ad-supported online services to battle rivals, the software maker has been mulling a plan to offer free, ad-supported versions of some of its desktop products, CNET News.com has learned.
Discussion:
PC World's Techlog, Todd Bishop's Microsoft …, Hell Yeah Bitch.com and Between the Lines
Ina Fried / CNET News.com:
Gates to tout Microsoft's supercomputing move — Bill Gates plans on Tuesday to announce Microsoft's foray into the world of supercomputing, though its first operating system for computer clusters remains in beta testing. — Gates is slated to speak at the SC05 supercomputing conference …
Mike Musgrove / Washington Post:
Mini-Porn Could Be Mega-Business — Video IPods, Cell Phones Provide New Vehicles for Adult Industry — Apple Computer Inc. took 20 days to reach 1 million downloads of video files from its online store; the Web site SuicideGirls, offering free videos of unclothed models, hit the mark in about a week.
Discussion:
PaidContent.org
Kotaku, the Gamer's Guide:
Xbox 360 In The House (For Reals) — Finally, I can tell you all about my lovely adventures in the Xbox 360. — I received an Xbox 360 debug unit, spiffy metal briefcase of accessories and retail unit last week. I also got five games, though only four will work.
Discussion:
Gizmodo
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Stuart Miles / pocket-lint.co.uk:Microsoft reveals face plate designs for Xbox 360
Discussion:
The Gadgets Blog
Zachary Rodgers / ClickZ:
Pheedo Intros RSS Analytics Tool — Pheedo is today expected to introduce an RSS analytics product designed to help publishers eliminate some of the guesswork involved in tracking user behaviors in that channel. — The new tool, similar to one now offered by FeedBurner …
Discussion:
Incremental Blogger
Ben Charny / eWEEK.com:
Microsoft Offers Business-Class Desktop Search — Updated: The software giant kicks off a new version of Windows Desktop Search that searches for information on individual PCs, or among clusters of computers typically found in offices. — Microsoft Corp. announced a new version …
New York Times:
He Made His Money on a Whim, but Now He's Got a Serious Idea — WHEN the Web site that he started on a whim, HOTorNOT.com, a meeting site popular with 20-year-olds, unexpectedly made James Hong a millionaire, he wanted to donate some of his newfound wealth toward good causes.
Discussion:
Fast Company Now
