Could the End to Net Neutrality Be Near?

Could the end to net neutrality be near? According to an unnamed source and the NY Times - Google and Verizon are in talks to charge people for search result listings. Meaning, you or your company would have to pay fees to get top listings with internet searches. Read the full article here -
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/technology/05secret.html?_r=3
or here -
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/05/google-verizon-near-net-n_n_671500.html

How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb or Facebook's Instant Personalization

Who can forget Kip's ode to technology at the end of Napoleon Dynamite? It's true, we all love the benefits of technology; iPhones, crackberries, ultra-thin laptops and the power to connect your blog, Twitter and Facebook accounts with the click of a button. However, there are times when technology, or the people responsible for creating it and/or overseeing it go too far. A few weeks ago Facebook tried to slip one in; a tiny check box buried within your account's privacy setting was pre-checked to allow instant personalization.

What does instant personalization mean? It means your private information will be automatically filtered to select partners outside the realm of Facebook when you arrive on their site. The feature is supposed to create a more targeted and relevant experience but it crosses the line when it comes to over-sharing. Instant personalization has its merits and there are many users who welcome its inclusion on Facebook; however, it's the manner in which Facebook introduced the feature that caused an uproar.

Facebook isn't the only guilty party. A rather large internet company we know and love (rhymes with poodle) has amassed a wealth of our private information which is fed back to us in ads.

Lucky you, there are others who value your privacy. Click here to learn more about reclaiming what's rightfully yours.

Twitter User Growth Slowed From Peak of 13% in March 2009 to 3.5% in October

"In October 2009 the Twitter user base grew 3.5% -- robust growth for most web applications, but far below the 13% growth in users Twitter experienced in March 2009."

More info at Hub Spot

This is Crazy - News Corp. Deal Would Change The Internet As We Know It

This is CRAZY! A News Corp. deal with Microsoft's BING could LITERALLY change the face of the internet & search engines as we know it. Check this:

"Microsoft has been in early discussions with the News Corporation, the media conglomerate controlled by Rupert Murdoch, about a pact to pay the News Corporation to remove links to its news content from Google’s search engine and display them exclusively on Bing, from Microsoft, according to a person briefed on the matter who spoke anonymously because of the confidential negotiations.

If such an arrangement came to pass, it would be a watershed moment in the history of the Internet, and set off a fierce debate over the future of content online." (via NY TIMES)

WHOAH. The Google / Microsoft war has only begun...Read the full-length article here.

Viva Radio

Been listening to some good music lately? Check out the shows on Viva Radio plus peep the blog.

Wifi Rabbits are for Lovers

These wifi enabled bunnies called Nabaztag can be "married" to another bunny anywhere else in the world (with a wifi connection). When you adjust your Nabaztag's ear, the married rabbit's will move to the same position. $189 a pop with a $10 discount when you buy 2.

http://www.dynamism.com/nabaztag.shtml

Green your Wiki

Wikia, the leading provider of information on every topic under the sun, has today announced the launch of Wikia Green, a website that will be home to a breadth of information about the ever-evolving eco-world.

Created by Jimmy Wales and Angela Beesley, Wikia Green was the love child born when Wales met Al Gore, just before Gore received his Nobel Prize. After researching existing green resources, Wales realized that information about green topics was scattered and often overly scientific. Wikia Green took shape from his desire to unite the passion of the green community into one highly accessible resource. He also wanted information to be understandable to eco-neophytes.

Much like Wikipedia—also the brainchild of Jimmy Wales–Wikia Green is a collaborative repository of content that can be instantly updated to reflect the most current information in the rapidly evolving world of eco-consciousness. Unlike a stagnant dictionary definition, Wikia Green will be an incredibly dynamic, user-friendly resource of environmental ideology.

So when you find yourself scratching your head, wondering what the heck parabens or carbon footprints really are, you now know where to look.