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12:30 PM ET, September 21, 2008

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Why the Google-Yahoo Ad Deal Is Something to Fear  —  Randall Stross at The New York Times goes to bat for the Google/Yahoo search marketing deal, saying there's “nothing to fear” from the two companies linking their search products.  I believe most of his analysis is wrong, and he also skips the publisher side of the market entirely.
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Randall Stross / New York Times:
Why the Google-Yahoo Ad Deal Is Nothing to Fear  —  GOOGLE controls about 70 percent of the search advertising market.  Doesn't that give it a monopolist's ability to set prices as high as it wishes?  —  It does not.  Google does not set the prices.  Its advertisers do …
Discussion: Mashable! and Beyond Search
John Naughton / Guardian:
Computers are the only worthwhile asset banks have left  —  Every cloud has a silver lining.  Ask the cybersquatters.  Even as the short-selling vultures began circling Lehman Brothers, HBOS, Merrill Lynch and co, a legion of entrepreneurs began betting on domain names for hastily merged financial institutions.
Prince McLean / AppleInsider:
Evidence points toward iPhone 3G home activation and model refresh  —  Multiple sources inside Apple Retail have reported evidence pointing toward a contract free, home activation option for future iPhone 3G sales, along with the possibility of a model refresh in pricing and capacity similar to last year's.
Deborah Gage / San Francisco Chronicle:
Silicon Valley's resiliency might get tested  —  For the last two years, with the economy collapsing all around it, the technology sector and Silicon Valley in particular have proven to be particularly resilient.  —  But that might not be the case forever.
Discussion: GigaOM and Webomatica
Ernesto / TorrentFreak:
MediaDefender Secretly Sells Porn to P2P Users  —  MediaDefender is widely known for their anti-piracy operations, spoofing and decoying on file-sharing networks for the entertainment industry.  The company is doing more than that though, as we recently found out that adult affiliate programs …
Discussion: DSLreports and Digg
Damon Darlin / New York Times:
Technology Doesn't Dumb Us Down.  It Frees Our Minds.  —  EVERYONE has been talking about an article in The Atlantic magazine called “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”  Some subset of that group has actually read the 4,175-word article, by Nicholas Carr.  —  To save you some time, I was going to give you a 100-word abridged version.
Discussion: RexBlog.com
Zhou / Blue:
Windows 7 M3 Build 6780: Pictures and Videos(soon)  —  Yes, new post about latest Windows 7 M3 Build 6780.  Background: I've reported priori Windows 7 versions before.  —  Start Menu: the visual design of search box and shutdown/lock buttons are changed.  The right panel is simplified.
RELATED:
John Gruber / Daring Fireball:
Digging Deeper  —  The high concept of Apple's long-running “Get a Mac” TV campaign is that the characters portrayed by John Hodgman and Justin Long are personified computers.  It's right there in the opening lines of every ad in the series: “Hello, I'm a Mac.”  “And I'm a PC.”
RELATED:
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Is MySpace Music An Antitrust Lawsuit Waiting To Happen?  —  The billboards are up, the CEO search continues, and MySpace Music is set to launch sometime next week.  It would have launched last week, but protracted negotiations with EMI to bring it aboard along with the other three music labels is believed to be the cause of the delay.
Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Apple 2.0:
Apple runs short of entry-level iPhones — Update  —  If you move fast, you might be able to snatch one of the last remaining 8 GB iPhones in California.  It's at the Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara.  All the other Apple stores in the state — including the company's flagship outlets …
Discussion: MacRumors iPhone Blog
Justin Smith / Inside Facebook:
Is Facebook Shutting Down Beacon?  —  Last week, there was a little stir in the blogosphere when some users and developers discovered that Facebook's Beacon service (designed to easily share information about your off-Facebook activity with friends inside Facebook) still exists.
Serkan Toto / TechCrunch:
Japanese Girl Sensation: Virtual Boyfriends (Webkare)  —  In Japan, girls are crazy over virtual boyfriends.  Webkare (Web Boyfriend in Japanese), a mix between a social network and dating simulation site, is Nippon's newest web sensation.  Geared exclusively towards girls …
Discussion: Digg
Kevin Michaluk / CrackBerry.com blogs:
BlackBerry Javelin 8900 Hands-On Hardware First Look  —  A Hands-On First Look at the BlackBerry Javelin 8900!  —  w00t!  It's time for yet another hands-on first look of a pre-release, pre-officially announced BlackBerry smartphone.  We brought you the web's first review of the BlackBerry Bold …
 
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 More Items: 
Miguel Helft / Bits:
Why Sergey Brin May Have Disclosed His Risk for Parkinson's
Discussion: Pimm
Eric Krangel / Silicon Alley Insider:
Tumblr Breeds Its Own Species Of Griefer: The Anonyblogger
Discussion: Valleywag
 Earlier Items: 
NewTeeVee:
Skype Shutters Personal Broadcasting Service
Discussion: GigaOM
David Kravets / Threat Level:
Comcast Discloses Throttling Practices — BitTorrent Targeted
Discussion: Slashdot
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Caitlin Huston / The Hollywood Reporter:
Internal memo: Hearst Magazines president announces layoffs as part of a decision to “reallocate resources” to “continue our focus on digital innovation”

Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced she will leave the agency on January 20; she was the first woman to be confirmed to lead the agency

Lachlan Cartwright / The Ankler:
Sources: MSNBC renewed Rachel Maddow's contract early this fall, but with a pay cut; MSNBC bosses' plan to shake up daytime and weekend programming

 
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