internet

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New Facebook Fine Print Irks Users in Privacy Tug-of-War

Clause giving site permanent license to content slammed

(Newser) - An outcry over a terms of service change has forced Facebook's founder to reassure users that they still own and control their own information, the New York Times reports. The update—which remains unchanged—removed a provision that said users could delete their content at any time, and added a...

Killer Talks Up Prison Time on Facebook

'No stress just rest,' UK convict posts while serving life sentence

(Newser) - A murder convict jailed for life is enjoying his “holiday” behind bars—and shares the news on his Facebook page. His British prison is “a place where men can come for a nice relaxin break from their moanin women and crying kids. No stress just rest,” wrote...

Twitter Snags $35M in Venture Capital

Site will keep growing as it figures out how to make money

(Newser) - Venture capital partners have poured another $35 million into Twitter, reports Bloomberg. The microblogging site said it still has money in the bank from its last round of financing, but the offer was too good to turn down. Twitter—which has grown ninefold in the last year but still lacks...

Tweet Happens: Twitter Style Guide in the Works

E-book on proper micro-blogging form to hit iTunes at the end of the month

(Newser) - A style guide for Twitter will hit iTunes by the end of the month, the New York Times reports. The e-book, 140 Characters: A Style Guide for the Short Form, will lay out key style points from the Twitter canon, supported with examples of notable Twitterers. Also covered are things...

Website Knows Why You're Fat
 Website Knows Why You're Fat 
Feb 11, 2009 1:12 PM CST

Website Knows Why You're Fat

(Newser) - Subtle hints from the media about America’s growing obesity problem—shots of pudgy citizens, from the head down—just aren’t cutting it, Time reports. Enter “This is why you’re fat,” a website that displays in shocking detail the indulgent worst of American eating. An Oreo...

Twitter Dumps Fake Dalai Lama

Gained 20,000 readers in 2 days

(Newser) - Twitter has suspended an account that falsely claimed to belong to the Dalai Lama, AFP reports. Billing itself as the spiritual leader’s “official” Twitter feed, the account emerged Saturday and quickly drew a whopping 20,000 followers. The account’s web page included a photo from the Dalai...

Stop Asking About Money: Twitter's Aim Is Higher

Site seeks to change world, not make cash

(Newser) - At Twitter headquarters, the focus isn’t on how to turn the phenomenon into a moneymaking enterprise: it’s on changing the world, Will Leitch writes in New York magazine. “It’s another step toward the democratization of information,” said CEO Evan Williams. “I’ve come to...

Bad Book? Vent Your Fury on Amazon
Bad Book? Vent
Your Fury on Amazon
OPINION
Feb 9, 2009 10:30 AM CST

Bad Book? Vent Your Fury on Amazon

One-star reviews offer relief from literary anxiety

(Newser) - Anne Enright's The Gathering won the prestigious Booker Prize and dozens of adulatory reviews, but Cynthia Crossen of the Wall Street Journal didn't find much to admire in the bleak story of a dysfunctional family. Luckily, there's a place to vent such disappointment, she writes: amid Amazon's readers' reviews, where...

Expert on Vanishing Acts Sees Rising Demand

(Newser) - Frank Ahearn just may be the world's top expert on vanishing without a trace—either finding people who have done so or helping others pull off the trick. In a profile of him and his craft, the Times of London notes that the California man has gotten so many inquiries...

Bale Sorry for 'Ugly' Outburst

'I acted like a punk,' actor says of Internet sensation tirade

(Newser) - Christian Bale apologized today for his spectacular explosion on the set of Terminator Salvation, People reports. “I was out of order, beyond belief. I acted like a punk,” the actor said of the expletive-laden outburst that's generating massive traffic online. “It is inexcusable.” Asked about criticism...

Hulu Solves Online Video Puzzle, Cashes In
Hulu Solves Online Video Puzzle, Cashes In
ANALYSIS
Feb 6, 2009 2:45 PM CST

Hulu Solves Online Video Puzzle, Cashes In

Site has settled many questions of what works in online video

(Newser) - YouTube established online video as a phenomenon almost instantly. But its user-generated content and lack of quality control made advertisers reluctant to embrace it. How then, to monetize online video? Do users want to stream or download, view through web browsers or special applications? Hulu, the video site run by...

Frank Female Writers Put New Spin on 'Period Piece'

Have a gross-out story? Turns out America wants to hear it

(Newser) - Warning: Reading this may cause queasiness and catharsis. Women are firing up their best (or worst) lodged-tampons stories, yeast-infection remedies, and bloody-period sex tales for America’s commiserating pleasure. “Oversharing is in,” Rebecca Traister declares in Salon. “It’s not so much ‘too much information’ as...

Craze Adds 25 More Random Things to the Web

(Newser) - A craze sweeping the web resembles nothing so much as a creative-writing exercise, the New York Times reports. “25 Random Things About Me” propagates through chain-letter style email, or on Facebook as a note, with recipients forwarding their lists to 25 others. “Photos or news stories have spread...

Novel Tactics Target Piracy
Novel Tactics Target Piracy
Feb 5, 2009 11:42 AM CST

Novel Tactics Target Piracy

Tax would give Isle of Man citizens unlimited downloads; Ireland will cut off miscreants

(Newser) - Two European islands are taking opposite approaches to music piracy, the results of which could influence internet policy worldwide. The Isle of Man, between England and Ireland, will charge a $1.45 weekly tax on behalf of record labels to let citizens download music without penalty. Meanwhile, Ireland’s main...

Streaming Sites Thwart Studios' Piracy Crackdowns

Industry fears revenue meltdown as watching pirated video online goes mainstream

(Newser) - The rise of video streaming sites has defeated movie studios' toughest anti-piracy efforts, the New York Times reports. Consumers can watch copyrighted material online—often from sites hosted in countries with slack anti-piracy rules—more easily than ever. The industry estimates "digital theft" now accounts for 40% of...

It's the Small Change We Should Believe In

(Newser) - The 2008 election marked the death knell of post-Watergate public financing, Mark Schmitt writes for the American Prospect, but the raft of small donations that killed the system heralds a hopeful future. The public financing system was designed—and failed—to limit the influence of special interests: “Since the...

Boss Fans Cry Foul After Ticketmaster Snub

(Newser) - A New Jersey congressman is demanding an investigation after Bruce Springsteen fans were unable to buy tickets from Ticketmaster's website—which promptly offered them more expensive tickets from a subsidiary. When tickets for Springsteen's Meadowlands show went on sale Monday, some fans attempting to buy them got an error message...

Sex Offenders Kicked Off MySpace Land on Facebook

Company analyzing data for MySpace says of 90K booted, minimum 8K back online

(Newser) - MySpace grabbed headlines today when it announced that it had kicked 90,000 registered sex offenders off the site over the past 2 years. Where did they all go? Many went to Facebook, says Sentinel, the security firm that roots out such offenders for MySpace. “We found over 8,...

Google Earth Adds 'Depth,' Tackling World's Oceans

Underwater volcanoes, shipwrecks now available to program's users

(Newser) - Google has added a new feature to its Google Earth software, which now enables users to explore the world’s oceans and access information from scientists and explorers, AFP reports. “Google Earth is equipping itself with a new dimension: depth,” an engineer said. Surfers can “dive beneath...

911 Centers Easy Targets for Pranksters
 911 Centers
 Easy Targets
 for Pranksters
analysis
Feb 2, 2009 2:58 PM CST

911 Centers Easy Targets for Pranksters

Services not updated to handle fake caller ID

(Newser) - Using VoIP Internet-calling services, pranksters are easily duping outdated 911 call centers to disastrous consequences, Ars Technica reports. Using easy-access online services, callers can cover up their real locations, make up stories, and mobilize emergency teams anywhere. Updating call-center systems could fix the problem, but most such places can’t...

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