internet

New Skype for Mac

One of the best choices for online telephony for Mac just got better. The latest Skype update pushes the program to version 2.6, adding a call transfer feature and some new chat options so you can stay in touch with friends and family around the world. Skype has always been one of my favorite apps for its familiar chat-like interface and the ability to talk to users around the world for free (provided they're also using Skype). For a little extra money, you can sign up with Skype and make calls to anyone in the world (including land … Read more

Suspect named in Tacoma house-trashing incident

We all remember the story of the giveaway house in Tacoma. Somebody posted an ad on the Seattle area Craigslist inviting folks to take away whatever they could find inside an otherwise unremarkable home. The response was eager and effective. Woodwork and fixtures vanished out the door. What was left was trashed. The incident aroused much online interest.

There was some police interest as well. Tacoma police told CNET News.com there would be criminal charges filed. And now the accused hoaxer, the person who invited the world to trash, has been charged.

Police have accused Nichole M. Blackwell, 28, … Read more

IE7Pro beefs up Internet Explorer

Mozilla Firefox gets a lot of praise for the countless third-party extensions that add features like FTP, download management, and tab customization to the open-source browser. The most popular browser on the market, Internet Explorer, also has its fair share of add-ons, but nowhere near the number or quality of its competitor.

One new download for Internet Explorer, however, adds a number of valuable features that are only replicated in numerous different Firefox extensions. Among its many enhancements, IE7Pro adds tab management, ad blocking, Flash blocking, crash recovery, and the ability to re-open closed tabs to the Microsoft browser. Even cooler, it allows user-based scripts much like Greasemonkey for Firefox. Again, the scripts aren't nearly as impressive as Greasemonkey, but the idea is a good one.

Senators want to overthrow new Net radio fees

Congressional momentum appears to be building in support of overturning a contentious ruling that Webcasters argue could cripple their services.

On Thursday, U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) introduced a bill that would repeal a U.S. Copyright Royalty Board decision scheduled to take effect July 15. The rules would raise the rate per song and per listener retroactively to 2006, and then in each year until 2010. It would also require each Internet radio "channel" to make a $500 minimum payment.

Opponents of the new rules, which include large and small commercial Internet … Read more

New stars in new media: Is cute the killer app on YouTube?

Forget copyrighted comedy ripped off from some cable channel. Even forget the made-for-YouTube teen fantasy. This is real video of a real-life couple, laid bare before all the world. And the world, as reflected by YouTube, seems to love it.

You may be the last person on earth who hasn't already seen the hand-holding otters. The video is years old, but it wasn't posted until March. In less than two months, nearly 6 million viewings have been recorded.

Canadian TV reports the two otters have become big celebrities thanks to the video. Here you can learn the two … Read more

Microsoft fixes nineteen flaws in seven patches; all are considered critical updates

Microsoft has released its May 2007 security bulletin, which includes seven updates: All are listed as Critical. Two of the patches affect Microsoft Windows, with one critical patch specific to Internet Explorer. Three of the patches affects Microsoft Office, and include Office for Mac 2004 uses. To keep your Windows XP SP1 system secure, update to Windows XP SP2 today. All Microsoft security patches for Windows and Office software are available via Microsoft Update or via the individual bulletins detailed below.

MS07-023: Critical

Entitled "Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Excel Could Allow Remote Code Execution (934233)" this bulletin affects users … Read more

News Roundup: Microsoft, Yahoo, YouTube

Microsoft eyeing Yahoo deal. The New York Post is reporting that Microsoft has recently become very interested in trying to buy out Yahoo. Yahoo's projected sales price is reported to hover around $50 Billion. Such an acquisition would include popular Web properties like Flickr, Hot Jobs, and Microsoft rivals like Yahoo Messenger and Mail. ( CNET News.com)

Popular on YouTube? You may soon get a profit cut. YouTube is offering its most popular users with recurring content the chance to share revenue from ads adjacent to their videos. A revenue sharing program for the video hosting service has long … Read more

News Roundup: CBS, MySpace, Microsoft, AOL

Brightcove and CBS News parner up. CBS' News division has teamed up with Brightcove to play popular news content like CBS Evening News on Brightcove.com. This is one of the many sites and services CBS is partnering with as part of their " Interactive Audience Network," which is marketing speak for taking their shows off the television and putting them online. They've also been working with YouTube and AOL to expand online offerings of CBS programming. ( CNET News.com)

MySpace sexual preference bug causes stir. A small bug on MySpace that removed the option for users to … Read more

Boxing out Pandora music fans

Pandora, an Internet service that lets people listen to streaming music, is shutting its service to non-U.S. listeners, according to several reports.

The ban is due to new regulations that will raise royalty fees that Webcasters must pay to record labels, Pandora founder Tim Westergren told The Register. The ban, he said, "follows months of pressure from record labels."

Pandora representatives told Techcrunch that they have been working on obtaining international licenses for nearly two years and are close to deals in the U.K. and Canada.

The service has always been intended for U.S. users, … Read more

New Net radio fee collections delayed

The U.S. Copyright Royalty Board has pushed back the date on which a contentious fee hike for Internet radio broadcasters takes effect.

In a 32-page final rule (PDF) formally published Monday, the three-judge panel within the Library of Congress set July 15 as the date that the new royalty rates required of Net radio operators will kick in--two months later than the original deadline.

After more than a year of vetting outside submissions, the judges issued an initial ruling on March 2, drawing widespread outcry from large and small commercial Webcasters and the public radio community.

The board prescribed … Read more