] Nizza Group, which last week
] announced that it had been issued a key internet naming
] patent, today
] announced that it has filed a lawsuit in the U.S.
] District Court for the
] Central District of California against Network Solutions,
] Inc. and
] Register.Com, Inc. for infringement of that patent.
]
] U.S. Patent No. 6,671,714, issued on December 30, 2003,
] covers the
] issuance of URL's and e-mail addresses to members of
] groups in the format of
] "member.group.tld" and "member@group.tld" such that the
] URL and e-mail address
] differ only in that in the URL the "@" of the e-mail
] address is replaced with
] a "." in the URL.

This could be bad.....

Network Solutions and Register.com Sued for Infringement of Domain Name Patent

] The LaCie Bigger Disk, with the largest hard drive
] capacity available, is a unique innovation that packs an
] amazing 1 terabyte of storage space in a manageable 5.25"
] form factor.

!!! Firewire 400/800, USB 1.1/2

LaCie - Bigger Disk - largest hard drive capacity available

] Notes taken in real-time from Apple's Macworld Keynote
] which took place earlier in the day.

AppleInsider | Live Macworld Keynote Coverage Notes

] Everything you love about iPod just got tinier. iPod mini
] lets you bring along enough music for a three-day weekend
] getaway in a package so small you

Mini ipod announced. 4GB.

Apple - iPod - iPod mini

So freaking pretty. They have videos up showing the Big Mac.

Apple - Hardware - Video - Virginia Tech Supercluster

] Wolzien has a plan: Regulate the DVR so consumers have to
] watch the commercials. It's the only way to prevent the
] technology from destroying a $60 billion business. The
] government mandates all sorts of things in TV sets, after
] all--from UHF tuners to closed-captioning to HDTV. He sees ]networks feeding their signals with codes that tell DVRs whether ]the commercial can be skipped, giving "control of playback ]parameters to the content provider who sells the bulk of the ]revenue-producing advertising that funds that content."

That's just fantastic thinking. As one commentator put it, why not just ban switching channels during the commercials as well?

Broadcasting & Cable - The Shape of Things To Come

] AOL's 'Top 10 Spam Email Subject Lines' of 2003:*
]
] 1. Viagra online (also: xanax, valium, xenical,
] phentermine, soma, celebrex, valtrex, zyban, fioricet,
] adipex, etc.)
] 2. Online pharmacy (also: 'online prescriptions'; 'meds
] online')
] 3. Get out of debt (also: 'special offer')
] 4. Get bigger (also: 'satisfy your partner'; 'improve
] your sex life')
] 5. Online degree (also: 'online diploma')
] 6. Lowest mortgage rates (also: 'lower your mortgage
] rates'; 'refinance'; 'refi')
] 7. Lowest insurance rates (also: 'lower your insurance
] now')
] 8. Work from home (also: 'be your own boss')
] 9. Hot XXX action (also: 'teens'; 'porn')
] 10. As seen on oprah

] * - Source: AOL. This list is unscientific, and is not in
] any specific order. The cited email subject headers are
] not ranked by volume.

Also noted in the press release-- AOL blocked nearly half a trillion spams this year.

America Online | Press Releases

] A Record Industry Association survey suggests that an
] astonishing 40 per cent of us have received homemade CDs
] as gifts, typically four each during the past year.
]
] The industry wants us to feel bad about this. It says we
] are guilty of theft (or at least of receiving stolen
] goods). When three university students were sentenced
] last month for their role in creating a music download
] site the industry claimed they should have been treated
] as common criminals. "Clearly, if you steal this much
] music from the store you go to jail," a spokesman said.
]
] But creating CDs is different from stealing CDs from a
] store, and the industry's figures bear this out.
]
] The recording industry survey was carried out by Quantum
] Market Research using a sample of about 1000 people. It
] suggests that 31 million homemade CDs are given away as
] gifts each year (about four for each of the eight million
] Australians it says receive them). If, as seems
] reasonable, 31 million homemade CDs are kept rather than
] given away, the total number created each year would top
] 62 million.
]
] When something is stolen there is normally something
] missing. A dent of 62 million in CD sales in stores each
] year should be easy to spot. Except for this problem. CD
] sales in Australian stores have hardly ever been that
] high. They peaked at 63 million in 2001.

Forget the spin, taping is not killing music - www.smh.com.au

] Google has introduced a new search feature that turns up
] shipping information from Federal Express and United
] Parcel Service, the company's latest move to expand
] beyond keyword searches.

just when you think it couldn't get any cooler.

Google delivers parcel search | CNET News.com

] "Microsoft will voluntarily dismiss all pending actions
] in Europe against Lindows.com and its distributors and
] will refrain from taking any further legal actions to
] enforce its trademark in Europe if you discontinue use of
] 'Lindows' in favor of a new, non-infringing name. In
] addition, if Lindows.com agrees promptly to such change,
] Microsoft will not seek any monetary sanctions to which
] it may be entitled against Lindows.com, including
] recovery of Microsoft's legal expenses.

The Register: Dump Lindows name or we'll take all your money, says MS