Top Items:
The Age:
Microsoft 'tried to doctor Wikipedia' — Microsoft has landed in the Wikipedia doghouse today after it offered to pay an Australian blogger to change technical articles on the community-produced web encyclopedia site. — While Wikipedia is known as the encyclopedia that anyone can tweak …
RELATED:
Dmahugh / Slashdot:
hi, I'm the guy you're bashing today — The premise of this thread is a lie. Nobody ever contacted Rick and asked him to "make edits and corrections favorable to" Microsoft. Also, nobody from Microsoft PR contacted him. I am the person who contacted Rick, and I am a technical evangelist specializing in the Open XML file formats.
Associated Press:
Microsoft in hot water over Wikipedia edits … (AP) — Microsoft Corp. has landed in the Wikipedia doghouse after it offered to pay a blogger to change technical articles on the community-produced Web encyclopedia site. — While Wikipedia is known as the encyclopedia that anyone can tweak …
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Battleground Wikipedia — There's been a discussion over the last few days over a Microsoft employee offering to pay an Australian blogger named Rick Jelliffe to edit certain Wikipedia pages relating to Open Office standards, including this page. Jelliffe writes about the offer here.
Valleywag:
SECOND LIFE: Virtual world's supposed economy is 'a pyramid scheme' — Linden Lab's virtual world — a much-hyped online amusement arcade of cartoon porn, avatars of IBM executives and frog bands — has an annual GDP of about $220m, according to Fortune Magazine's David Kirkpatrick.
Discussion:
Techdirt, Second Life Insider, duncanriley.com, VoIP & Gadgets Blog, Mathew Ingram, BBC, Webomatica, digg and Slashdot
RELATED:
randolfe.typepad.com:
SecondLife: Revolutionary Virtual Market or Ponzi Scheme? — SecondLife: Revolutionary Virtual Market or Ponzi Scheme? — In 2005 I began working as a venture consultant for some entrepreneurs and investors trying to develop a fairly ambitious "real-money-trading" (RMT) business idea.
Discussion:
Raph's Website, media blog, 3pointD.com, Skype Journal, VTOR and Six Kids and a Full Time Job
Chaddus Bruce / Wired News:
CIA Gets in Your Face(book) — If you're a Facebook member, a career as a government spook is only a click away. — Since December 2006, the Central Intelligence Agency has been using Facebook.com, the popular social networking site, to recruit potential employees into its National Clandestine Service.
Om Malik / GigaOM:
Adobe and its P2P Ambitions — Adobe Systems, now the owner of Flash multimedia technology, seems to be getting pretty serious about spreading its tentacles into new product categories - from VoIP to peer-to-peer networking. But it is P2P that is at the heart of San Jose, Calif.-based company's grand design.
Loren Baker / Search Engine Journal:
Yahoo Search Marketing's New Quality Ranking : Patent Info & How To's — On Monday February 5th, Yahoo! will be going full speed ahead with the US based relaunch of Yahoo Search Marketing and its new ranking model which will focus on advertiser quality, relevancy, bid price and performance instead …
RELATED:
Gizmodo:
ESA To Debut Satellite-Based Multimedia Radio — Radio listeners in Europe may need to thank the European Space Agency if all goes according to plan. The ESA is set to debut a new type of multimedia radio tomorrow that makes use of currently existing satellites and a low profile antenna affixed to cars' roofs (seen here).
Josh Rubin / Cool Hunting:
Nike Considered 2007 — Considered, the sustainable footwear line from Nike, has moved in to their All Condition Gear group and will be introducing some rather innovative product as the teams join force. Always reliable for the scoop, Woody over at Sneaker Freaker has a great interview with Bob Mervar …
New York Times:
More Marketers Are Grabbing the Attention of Players During Online Games — CASUAL game sites have learned how to play the ad game. — The sites — which offer puzzle and strategy games — once focused on selling the actual games after the dot-com bust drove many advertisers away.
Discussion:
PSFK Trend: PSFK
Nick Wilson / Performancing.com:
Wow, what a start to the year — Well it's been quite a ride so far for Performancing. We've had to close down Metrics, but have promised to help release it as open source this year, we've just announced the closure of our blog advertising program, though behind the scenes some interesting discussions …
Steve Rubel / Micro Persuasion:
Rising Dead Pool Indicates Web 2.0 Bubble is Popping — The Web 2.0 "bubble" - where a thousand ventures can bloom and thrive - is starting to pop. In the last few weeks the number of startups to go belly up or teter on the brink has increased. TechCrunch is my yardstick for all things Web 2.0.
out-law.com:
Apple DRM is illegal in Norway, says Ombudsman — Apple's digital rights management lock on its iPod device and iTunes software is illegal, the Consumer Ombudsman in Norway has ruled. The blow follows the news that consumer groups in Germany and France are joining Norway's action against Apple.
SeekingAlpha Internet Stocks:
Yahoo! Q4 2006 Earnings Call Transcript — Executives — Terry Semel - Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer — Sue Decker - Chief Financial Officer; Executive Vice President, Finance and Administration — Analysts — Christa Quarles - Thomas Weisel Partners — Presentation
Google Watch:
Google Sues Leo Stoller for Racketeering — Google filed a lawsuit last week against Central Mfg., a company owned by Leo Stoller, a Chicago-based attorney who has claimed trademark rights for the word "Google," Google Watch has learned. — Google's lawsuit, which comes after several years …
Discussion:
Techdirt
Seamusmccauley / Virtual Economics:
How the Internet has lengthened our attention span — Tim O'Reilly talks today about the web training our minds to prefer snippets or "short form" culture (HT: Nick Carr). "The web," he says, "has put a premium on short-form content, both because it's easier to read in the ADD style …
Robert Levine / New York Times:
A Red Cat's Journey, Enhanced by iTunes — Over the course of his career that has spanned four decades, the guitarist and producer Ry Cooder has recorded with groups from the Rolling Stones to the Buena Vista Social Club. But he hasn't been prolific as a solo artist recently …