Top Items:

Google denies Google PC reports — Google has denied reports that it is working on a low-price personal computer or a "Google Cube" that would link up a user's PC, TV, set-top box and cell phone. — "We have many PC partners who serve their markets exceedingly well and we see no need to enter that market …
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Tracking the elusive Google 'cube'
Discussion:
Mark Evans, John Battelle's Searchblog, Technology News …, Gearlog and InfoWorld TechWatch

Google Passes on PCs
Discussion:
BASEMENT.ORG, Scobleizer, IP Democracy, Tech_Space, Google Blogoscoped and Dvorak Uncensored

Hidden Virtual-World Prison Revealed — tagged Culture Design Internet Law On the Screen Other Space Second Life Virtual Reality Watchdog — Nimrod Yaffle, a resident of the virtual world Second Life, has revealed details of a bizarre and dark prison Second Life's maker Linden Lab is now using to lock up criminal avatars.
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Misbehavior in Second Life game punished by exile to "the corn field"
Discussion:
Jarrett House North

Paid Search to Grow 41% With Google Leading the Way — Paid search is expected to generate more than $14 billion globally in 2006, with Google leading in growth and market share, according to a new Piper Jaffray report. — The paid search industry, which generated an estimated $10 billion globally …
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Followup to Chinese thing, off to CES — Working in a big company is interesting cause there are lots of moving parts. Tracking them all down is difficult, especially when you have a full day of meetings and other things to do and when the stakeholders of the decision you're trying to find …

Windows XP Home: obsolete sooner than you expect — Microsoft set out to adopt a formal and rigid support lifecycle in 2002, back at a time when most analysts were expecting to see Windows Vista (then, "Longhorn") within a couple of years. My own point of view was that this lifecycle business …

The case Heidi and Guenther K. — On a snowy Christmas morning I checked my email and discovered among the usual heap of spam, one message that caught my attention. Entitled "Markenrecht" (which translates as "branding rights") it appeared to be sent by none other than Guenther Klum …
Discussion:
Naked Conversations

City-wide wi-fi rolls out in UK — A UK company that has created wireless hotspots in stations, coffee shops and hotels around the UK is planning to launch city-wide wi-fi this spring. — The Cloud will bring wireless broadband to nine cities including London, Manchester and Birmingham.
Discussion:
Om Malik on Broadband

A Case Juniper Can't Win? — A long-shot libel lawsuit against anonymous writers on a Web message board could hurt the tech company more than it helps — Juniper Networks filed an unusual lawsuit recently. On Dec. 14 the networking equipment maker filed a complaint with the Superior Court …

Expo-Crown Castle's Modeo aims TV at gadgets, cars — LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Crown Castle International Corp said on Wednesday it plans to launch live television in several top U.S. markets this year and hopes to deliver video and audio services to a range of products from cellphones …

The Cute Factor — WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 - If the mere sight of Tai Shan, the roly-poly, goofily gamboling masked bandit of a panda cub now on view at the National Zoo isn't enough to make you melt, then maybe the crush of his human onlookers, the furious flashing of their cameras and the heated gasps …

TUAW on Mac Mini Console — Apparently another blogger thinks the Mac Mini could get it's game on in the living room, just like I've suggested. The Unofficial Apple Weblog picked up the idea and then proceeded to bash it: — Interesting speculation, but I think it's just wrong.

Google Braille Logo — Google put up a very interesting colored Braille logo today, celebrating the birthday of Louis Braille on January 4th, 1809. This is one of the more brave logos for Google because it distorts the letters to the way you can't read them anymore (without knowing Braille, that is).

Broadcasting, Podcasting, Webcasting and Blogging at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2006 in Davos — The World Economic Forum announced ambitious plans today to share the proceedings of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2006 in Davos with as wide a public as possible.

Craigslist Blocks Search Engine Spiders and Listings — Craigslist Blocks Search Engine Spiders and Listings — According to a thread at SERoundtable Forums, Craigslist has blocked the spidering and indexing of its classifieds sites from search engine robots, which scan web sites and save …