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Why Amazon Should Blog — Enough with the mutual acrimony. We didn't like the way you asked your question and you didn't like the way we answered it. But these dueling blogs on both sides are avoiding the central question: Should Amazon blog? From where I sit I see a great number of ways that Amazon will benefit from blogging.
Discussion:
Randy Holloway Unfiltered 2.0
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Scoble's Bad Month — · I don't always agree with Scoble, but the man doesn't have an ounce of malice, near as I can tell. I think that, by and large, he towers over the people who've been giving him a hard time, and I'd advise him to tune 'em out unless they're really adding value.
Discussion:
ALLIED by Jeneane Sessum


I've been following the mixup over Scoble's meeting at Amazon, from a distance.


Google Talk Now With Avatars — There's a new version of Google Talk at a special setup URL (this seems to be some kind of pre-release, as the official Google Talk homepage doesn't yet have it). New features in this update include the ability to create avatars, like Mr. Beaver above.
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NEW VERSION OF GOOGLE TALK LEAKED — Philipp has a nice scoop: Google has quietly put a new version of Google Talk up for download, with no public announcement. Download it now, in case them yank it! — So, what's new? The big new feature is buddy icons, or whatever Google chooses to call them.


THE 21ST CARNIVAL OF THE MOBILISTS — Welcome to the 21st Carnival of the Mobilists!!! It is an honor to be hosting this weeks Carnival of the Mobilists here at MOpocket! Its hard to believe that the Carnival is now 21 which means, to remind my European readers, that the Carnival …


Google's April Fools: Google Rooms — Later today at www.google.com/rooms, Google will unveil their April Fool's site (a prank, not a real launch, if there's gonna be one). A Googler who wants to remain anonymous sent me these screenshots: — This is from the Google Rooms help entry:


MySpace acts to calm teen safety fears — MySpace.com, the fast-growing community website hugely popular with American teens, has removed 200,000 "objectionable" profiles from its site as it steps up efforts to calm fears about the safety of the network for young users.

Eolas: Changing IE User Experience a Shame — Eolas Technologies says the decision by Microsoft to modify its Internet Explorer browser at the expense of a seamless user experience is a "disappointment" and a "shame." — Reacting to news that the next cumulative IE security update …

AT&T: 15 Mbps Internet connections "irrelevant" — At this week's Media, Entertainment and Telecommunications conference, AT&T COO Randall Stephenson told his listeners that increased bandwidth was no longer of great importance to consumers. … Certainly this is true for general web browsing …

Seeking An RSS Reader For The Rest Of Us — EarthLink's Director of Web Applications Gregg Hartling borrows Earthling to share some thoughts about RSS readers, inspired by today's TechCrunch article: — "I read through today's excellent TechCrunch review of web-based feed readers with great interest.

YouTube: The talk of Tinseltown — SANTA MONICA, Calif.—More than just teenagers and 20-somethings have begun flocking to YouTube, the fast-growing video-sharing site. The 13-month-old company has begun winning fans from within some of the country's largest media outfits.
Discussion:
ben barren

180 From The Inside Out — I also blog about stuff on RealTechNews.com, the blog of former Cnet editor Alice Hill, and in one post about 180solutions called 180solutions Blows More Smoke Up.... I was told by a former employee of 180solutions to — So I emailed him and asked him for an interview …

Update: Launching Tonight! — Thanks for your feedback! Due to popular demand, the launch will occur ahead of schedule. We're launching it tonight at 6pm PST, so be sure to visit Ask.com starting at that time if you'd like to check it out. (What better way to pre-party on a Friday night than to Gamma-test a new search product?

March SF Tech Sessions summary — Over 100 people participated in the second meeting of SF Tech Sessions last night at the Westin St. Francis. The crowd was a mix of bloggers, journalists, developers, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs all interested in learning about new products, people and ideas.

Google AdWords Unveils Two New Image Sizes — Yesterday Google's AdWords team announced they had been testing two new image ad formats. The first, a large 2560 x 1920 image is designed for advertisers who want to appear "larger than life," according to AdWords Developer Arnold Ferguson.
Discussion:
InsideGoogle

Intel wants in on the bargain-basement laptop market — Back in December, Intel board chairman Craig Barrett dismissed MIT's new US$100 laptop as a "gadget." Today comes news that Intel has plans for a cheap laptop of its own, a diminuitive PC known as the "Edu-Wise."