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Balloon Boy T-Shirts Hit the Web, No Ringtone Royalties for Music Biz

by Warren Riddle on October 16, 2009 at 11:30 AM



Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines....
  • Ah, capitalism. Less than 24 hours after the Balloon Boy saga left the nation spellbound, then horrified, and finally disgusted, expensive and crudely made T-shirts about the ordeal have appeared on the Web. Maybe the sellers will donate some of the proceeds to the Heene family so those ragamuffins might be shipped off to military school. [From: Newser]
  • So, you're bee-bopping down the street, whistling the hot new Lady Gaga song. Apparently, the music industry won't have that, as AT&T was recently sued for ringtone profits because ASCAP believes that each ringtone constitutes a public performance. Federal Judge Denise Cote shot the argument down, and while it's not exactly clear what terminology she used, we're pretty certain it was legalese for "Eat it." [From: Mashable]
  • The online video audience continues to grow, as 12-percent more streamed Web content last month than in September of 2008. YouTube still dominates in terms of visitors, but fledgling Hulu is keeping its guests around for much, much longer. [From: All Things Digital]
  • When exploring the future of hand-held gadgets, nothing seems quite as awesome or fascinating as the possibilities for fully cooperative augmented reality apps. The incredible new Layar Reality Browser for the iPhone 3GS (compass required) looks like it could make even the biggest dork feel like James Bond, with Q at his very fingertips -- even if he is just trying to find the closest comic book store. [From: TUAW]
  • Some industry insiders, Google CEO Eric Schmidt included, believe that the worst of the recession has now passed, and that the economic shift can be attributable to a nerd-bailout of sorts. Many analysts believe that technology may have spurred a financial turnaround, so could someone please put a moratorium on this "dangerous science" media mumbo-jumbo? [From: The New York Times]
  • TV Guide will soon be releasing an iPhone app, which will reportedly provide easy-to-browse channel listings, show recaps, and industry gossip. TV Guide could capitalize on its brand, which attracts millions of unique, young, and affluent visitors every month, but, fortunately for you, the app will be free. [From: Fierce Mobile Content]
  • Representatives of England's Gloucester College recently claimed that Facebook is actually lowering the school's dropout rate because the site helps students bond with each other and their professors. British students must be significantly more motivated, and much less easily distracted, because a recent study conducted in the U.S. determined that social networks are a detriment to classroom performance. [From: Geek Sugar]

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