News about internet:
Digital Rich List reveals UK’s online winners
The Sunday Times Rich List has been published with the inclusion of the Digital Rich List chart which places Carphone Warehouse’s Charles Dunstone at number one.
Heading a list that could just as easily be a run down of the UK’s worst television advertisers, Dunstone is the first digital billionaire to come out of the country.
Brit Week: Silicon Roundabout is taking off, says key CEO
7Digital CEO Ben Drury has told TechRadar that London’s Silicon Roundabout is beginning to have a real impact, although he’s not convinced by the high-tech area’s nickname.
Silicon Roundabout is the name attached to the juncture of Old Street and City Road in central London, an area being groomed as the England capital’s answer to California’s famed Silicon Valley.
Speed Week: 24 hours back on 56k dial-up: what’s it like?
This article is brought to you in association with LG Optimus 2X
It seems ridiculous now, but there was a time when you watched the clock when you were online. The early days of the internet seem archaic now – a single Acorn Archimedes computer at my school was able to go online – but in that age before Google we just didn’t know any different. Using the internet actually seemed a special, rare privilege. And you went on for a purpose.
Week in Tech: Is the Digital Economy Act now unstoppable?
The High Court upset a few people this week when it rejected BT and TalkTalk’s appeal against the controversial Digital Economy Act.
As our very own Kate Solomon reports, the court rejected claims that the Act breached EU privacy laws and that its anti-piracy measures were disproportionate, although it did say that ISPs shouldn’t pay towards the costs of setting up any anti-piracy measures.
In Depth: Is retaliation the only way to stop cyberattacks?
In war, sometimes the best defence is a good offence. By crippling an opponent’s weapons, causing chaos and confusion, or disabling their infrastructure, it is possible to thwart an impending attack.
To fight cybercrime, governments may also need to conduct retaliatory measures. Of course, there is the pesky problem of international laws and even knowing which enemy to attack, but security experts say a certain level of counter-cyberterrorism might be warranted as the cyberwar escalates.
Google loses autocomplete lawsuit
Google has lost a lawsuit in which an Italian businessman sued for libel due to the search engine’s auto complete options, known as Google Suggest.
Whenever the anonymous businessman Googled himself on Google.it, suggested search terms included ‘truffatore’ (conman) and ‘truffa’ (fraud).
Television: Facebook’s next frontier?
Facebook’s plans for world domination are continuing apace, with the social network nudging the television industry to use its Events check-in facility for their programming.
The ability for users to check-in to events using Facebook Places is fairly new and in the vein of the likes of location-based networking sites like FourSquare.
Twitter considering Facebook-like ‘Pages’
Twitter could be looking to add Facebook-style brand pages in a bid to somehow make money from the popular pro-brevity social networking site.
Despite having over 200 million users and a five-year ancestry, Twitter still struggles to actually bring in any cash.
US court says ‘no dice’ to Google books deal
Google’s plans for a digital super-library have been put on ice by the New York courts as a Judge has rejected a proposed settlement between Google and book publishers.
The search giant’s plan was to scan and digitise every book ever written, including rare and out of print titles.
Gary Marshall: Twitter is five. Can it pay the bills and stay great?
I was in Glasgow’s famous Sauchiehall Street on Saturday night. If you haven’t been recently, it’s like a Hieronymus Bosch painting where the demons wear too-short skirts or G-Star Raw. It’s genuinely unpleasant, a seething mass of drunken, vomiting and occasionally fist-fighting imbeciles.
Amazon named as ‘world’s best-value brand’
Amazon has been revealed as the “best-value brand” on the planet.
This is according to a study by Millward Brown, a research agency that specialises in advertising and marketing communications.
Amazon tops both the global and the UK list, with toothpaste manufacturer Colgate coming second.
Spielberg to make Wikileaks: The Movie?
DreamWorks could be starting work on a fictionalised Wikileaks movie directed by Steven Spielberg having bought the rights to two books about the organisation and its founder, Julian Assange.
Gary Marshall: Is the future of search social?
Fresh from helping us block content farms from search results, Google has a new wheeze: more social search. Now, when you search the web you can bring your friends with you.
Filesharers outline digital media manifesto to end piracy
A group of filesharers have put together a document outlining how film studios and download services can put an end to piracy by meeting their demands.
With pricing, choice and digital rights addressed, the comprehensive manifesto was put together by 20 web professionals at a digital technology conference in Geneva.
Tweeting from Supreme Court gets the go ahead
The UK Supreme Court has given the thumbs up to courtroom tweeting, releasing a number of guidelines on when and how the live updates should be used.
While you won’t be able to whip out your phone and pithily update your followers from a courtroom involving witnesses or a jury, tweets from the Supreme Court are allowed.
YouTube documentary gets Sundance premiere
Life In A Day, the documentary filmed by and starring thousands of YouTube users, will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival tonight.
YouTube users around the world participated in the Life In A Day project, produced by Ridley Scott, submitting video footage of their day on 24 July 2010.
Pope urges Christians to join Twitter and Facebook
Never one to mince words, Pope Benedict XVI has issued an edict today encouraging young Christians to join social networks like Facebook and Twitter.
Gary Marshall: After Schmidt, Google faces tough times
Eric Schmidt is a gift to journalists: there’s something irresistible about the combination of “don’t be evil” and a CEO whose public pronouncements have something of the Hannibal Lecter to them.
But the news that he’s stepping down as Google CEO doesn’t just mean the search giant is scaling back the sinister; it means Google recognises it’s in trouble.
Gary Marshall: Twitter needs a dumbass detector
When the news of Steve Jobs’ medical leave broke on Twitter the other day, I checked the news agencies before retweeting: Twitter is famous for spreading utter nonsense, and it wouldn’t have been the first time people tweeted news that someone had simply made up.
iPlayer chief Erik Huggers leaves the BBC to join Intel
The BBC has announced that Erik Huggers is to leave his Director of Future Media & Technology post to become Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Intel’s Digital Home Group.
Huggers will be a massive loss to the BBC, as he was the man who was in charge of pivotal digital operations for the broadcaster, including the iPlayer, and was a massive component in restructuring the online arm of the BBC.
Gary Marshall: Why banning porn won’t protect children
Maybe it’s because I’m the father of a wee girl, but my reaction to the government’s ISP porn-blocking plans wasn’t an immediate cry of “Nanny state! Nanny state!”
Gary Marshall: Dumping net neutrality could be disastrous
Corporations are like Pit Bull Terriers: sooner or later they’ll go bad and eat a baby.
It’s not their fault. They’re made that way. They exist solely to reward their investors, and what’s good for those investors is rarely good for the rest of us.
Gary Marshall: David Cameron’s high-tech hype
It’s easy to mock the government’s plans for Silicon Marshes, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t.
Here’s a quick round-up of what’s happening. East London will become a high-tech haven, with businesses getting a helping hand from Google, Facebook and other tech titans.
PM outlines vision for hi-tech valley in east end
Prime Minister David Cameron wants to create a hi-tech rival to Silicon Valley in London’s east end.
Cameron wants the area around London’s Olympic Park to attract cutting edge technology innovation and investment to this formerly run-down area of London.
Gary Marshall: Hey, ConDems! Leave our ISPs alone!
Remember the kerfuffle over the Digital Economy Bill, now Act, where the Lib Dems made a lot of noise about how evil it was and the Tories said they’d fix it?
No sooner were they in power than their objections magically disappeared, leaving ISPs facing the prospect not just of becoming copyright cops but paying for the privilege. And that’s not the only Coalition issue Net users should be concerned about.
Turkey lifts YouTube ban
The Turkish government has lifted a two-year ban on YouTube, following widespread criticism from Turks.
The ban was originally put in place as the Turkish authorities considered that a number of videos on the site were insulting to Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and to the concept of “Turkishness” more generally, both of which are illegal in the country.
In Depth: 10 news stories that broke on Twitter first
When big news breaks, there’s one place you can guarantee will be buzzing with analysis and opinion: Twitter.
Of course, most of it will be “OMG! Did you hear what happened?!” but in the “First!” era of news reporting, that’s often good enough.
Sponsored: Making science special
This is a sponsored article in association with Microsoft.
When Bill Gates saw Richard Feynman speak, his mind was well and truly blown – so much so that more than twenty years later, he tracked down footage of the famous physicist’s lectures, used his own money to pay for the rights to the videos and digitised them so that a new generation could enjoy them.
Sponsored: Be an armchair astronaut
This is a sponsored article in association with Microsoft.
Space is an amazing place, but it’s also amazingly dangerous: if your rocket doesn’t fall to bits on the way up you have to dodge space junk, keep an eye out for aliens and cross your fingers that you won’t burn up on re-entry.
SXSWi 2011 first keynotes and panels confirmed
The organisers of the SXSW Interactive Festival (SXSWi) which next takes place from March 11-15, 2011, have given a first peek at the 2011 programming.
The annual event, held in Austin, Texas, has previously seen speakers from Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Spotify and The Pirate Bay, and TechRadar has covered the festival for the last two years.
UK teen banned from US after sending threatening Obama email
A 17-year-old teenager from Bedfordshire has found himself with a lifetime ban from the US, after it was found that he sent a threatening email to President Barack Obama.
Luke Angel from Silsoe, sent the email while drunk and called the president abusive names after watching a documentary on the 9/11 attacks.
Google’s offices raided by cyber police
What are Google and their street view cars like? Don’t get me wrong I think Google’s street view is a fantastic tool. You drop the little green man onto the map and you can wander around the streets as if you were there. Want to see what your friends new flat looks like? You can. Want … [visit site to read more]
Exclusive: Google denies testing out unmanned spy drones
Google has denied reports that it is looking to use unmanned flying spy drones to augment its Street View and Maps features in the future.
Earlier news reports claimed that Google was working with one German manufacturer, Microdrones with the latter company claiming to have sold an unmanned flying drone to Google.
Free books for your Kindle – and you can read them on the PC, Android phones and iPod/iPhone/iPad too with the free Kindle app
Avid reader? Want some freebies to burn through on the train such as Dracula and Alice in Wonderland? If you own a Kindel, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android phone or even just a PC then read on… … [visit site to read more]
Google Street View Cars Roam the UK Once More
It seems everyone’s favourite voyeuristic site showing off the streets of the world, Google Street View is having their cars roam around every nook and cranny of the UK once more. The UK information Commissioner cleared the cars for use again last month, after they were previously pulled for capturing unauthorized WiFi data back in March this year.
Google Wave Departs: Joins the Long List of Google Flops
Google has finally laid to rest the blunder it created some 15 months ago. The search giant’s real-time collaboration platform Wave is no more. Google has cited “the failure to garner user interest” as the main cause of its demise. RIP, Wave, but I don’t think you will be missed … [visit site to read more]
New iPod Touch, iPad and iPhone 5 Rumours Emerge
The Apple rumour mill is cranking backup up again with more rumours that Apple are planning a new iPod Touch, new iPad, and interestingly or worryingly a new iPhone 5 (we know they’ve just released one.)
4G Broadband Hotspot for Apple Devices Launched by Clearwire
Apple fandom is expanding and now it includes not only the consumers, but also the companies vying to come up with products for 
this mega-entity. Clearwire has introduced a new version of its Spot 4G hotspot for Apple products. The company … [visit site to read more]
V Festival goers get access to 50Mbps broadband and 3D TV
This year’s V Festival will be the most tech savvy yet, with Virgin Media teaming up with Ovi by Nokia to bring The Mansion to the festival – an enclosure that’s packed with all things technology.
The Mansion will be at both legs of the festival – Staffordshire and Chelmsford – and will give festival goers access to 50Mbps broadband and a sneak peak at Virgin Media’s 3D TV offering.
BlackBerry internet and email banned by UAE and Saudi Arabia
Following recent tension between RIM and the UAE regarding the overseas encryption of data, the UAE has made an (excuse the pun) bold move and blocked both BlackBerry internet and email with Saudi Arabai also … [visit site to read more]
Microsoft To Introduce Oak Trail Based Tablet in 2011
Apple has clearly demonstrated its command over the still-in-its-infancy tablet segment, not only by the sheer volume of iPads it has sold, but also by the fact that most of the other prominent tablet makers have decided to adopt the rather unfortunate moniker as well. However, in a bid … [visit site to read more]
FCC reevaluates US broadband competitiveness, finds 14 to 24 million lack access
The National Broadband Plan may one day bring broadband to everyone in the United States but, as a new report from the FCC itself reveals, there’s still quite a ways to go. According to the report (issued every year by the agency), between 14 and 24 million Americans have no access to broadband, which is now defined by the FCC to be a 4Mbps downstream and 1Mbps upstream. That’s a significant revision from the previous 200kbps downstream standard used by the annual report, and brings it in line with the minimum goals set by the National Broadband Plan. What does that mean for the 14 to 24 million without broadband access? Not much at the moment, unfortunately. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski says that those individuals are mostly in “expensive-to-serve areas with low population density,” and that “without substantial reforms to the agency’s universal service programs, these areas will continue to be unserved.” Of course, that finding is just one part of the report — hit up the source link below to check out the whole thing. Read the rest of this entry »
2011 Subaru Outback gains in-car WiFi option, strange Maine birds not included
Slowly but surely, the future is creeping up on us. In-flight WiFi is getting there, and in-car WiFi is following suit. Autonet Mobile already sunk its teeth in at General Motors, and now it’s doing likewise over at Subaru. The automaker that insists it’s all about love is about to give prospective buyers of the 2011 Outback an option to install a router within their ride for a one time fee of $534 (including activation). Of course, it’s on you to pay that $29 / month premium that keeps the signals flowing, and yes, you’re still better off buying a MiFi and just bringing it along. But hey, there’s nothing like factory integration, right? Well, aside from seagulls checking their Twitter accounts while you explore Acadia National Park… freeloaders. Read the rest of this entry »
Google pointer activity monitoring could influence search engine results, probably won’t
Cheating is Institutional
When I was a High School teacher, I pulled a stunt that went against every gut instinct I had, though I wasn’t sure why. I gave my students a quiz, set up a hidden camera, and left the room. It was an Apple iSight camera. Back then, it looked like a tiny telescope from the future.
