internet posts

Courts to Jurors: Please Stop Tweeting, For Realz

by Matthew Zuras (RSS feed) — Feb 9th 2010 at 3:28PM

So, we don't even know where to start with this one. It seems as though jurors serving on active court cases are tweeting details about the trials. Really? Yes.

The Judicial Conference of the United States, which frames policy for federal courts, issued an updated set of model jury instructions late last month to explicitly prohibit sharing and researching trial information through the Internet. This does not apply to state courts, which govern their own judiciaries. But the fact that Florida recently barred lawyers and judges from becoming Facebook friends (a conflict of interest of epic proportions) indicates that the states have just as much trouble keeping the courtroom off of the Web.

Tags: court, internet, jury, law, socialnetworking, top, twitter

Web, Social Networking

ChatRoulette Makes the Internet Seem New Again...and Creepier Than Ever

by Amar Toor (RSS feed) — Feb 9th 2010 at 2:38PM

Remember back when you got your first dial-up connection and the thrill of exploring the new and wild online jungle? It's okay, we can't either. But a new site, ChatRoulette, manages to revive that greenhorn spirit... at the expense of some seriously creepy voyeurism.

In a fascinating article for New York Magazine, Sam Anderson documents his own ride through ChatRoulette, a site straight out of 'Infinite Jest' that allows users to vid chat with a random selection of "strangers." Most interactions last mere seconds, and the male-to-female ratio is scarily imbalanced. A great deal of the experiences, of course, are bizarre, perverted, and downright depressing. A few, though, end up being strangely enjoyable, even if they last only a few, fleeting seconds -- a dancing old man here, a card trick there, and, of course, the occasional meaningful conversation. Think of it like speed dating, or speed meeting, for the ADD-addled generation.

Tags: add, chat, ChatRoulette, Internet, NSFW, Retro, top, video chat, VideoChat, voyeurism, weird

Video Games

Xbox Live Shuttered on Original Microsoft Console

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Feb 6th 2010 at 10:28AM

For those video game traditionalists (or cheapskates, depending on how you look at it) who still proudly fire up a big, black Xbox console and play the first 'Halo' with their online friends, we have some bad news. According to a press release, Microsoft will discontinue Xbox LIVE service for all original consoles and games on April 15th (giving us yet another reason to hate that day. It's the end of an era. But why has Microsoft finally decided to make this move? Well, the company says it wants to make changes and upgrades to the online gaming service that just simply aren't compatible with the original console or games. Call it evolution -- a virtual version of survival of the fittest.

Microsoft says it will e-mail Xbox LIVE members who will be directly impacted by the change. Although, we're not sure what they'll say, except, "Buy an Xbox 360 or else lose online capabilities." After all, there's no software update that'll fix this. Now, we can understand folks being upset by not being able to play some original Xbox games online anymore. Some were the foundation of online gaming as we know it. But if you're still playing on the original, bulky console, we have no sympathy for you. Pony up some cash for an Xbox 360 (you can get one for $200), or be left in the cyberdust. [From: Gamerscore]

Tags: internet, microsoft, top, video games, videogames, xbox, xbox360, xboxlive

Web

Depressed? Lonely? Exhausted? Maybe Blame the Internet

by Amar Toor (RSS feed) — Feb 4th 2010 at 10:20AM

And here we thought it was just another case of the wintertime blues that had us laying in bed and staring blankly at the ceiling for hours. Turns out, though, it may just be a simple case of Internet addiction that's been getting us down. According to researchers at the University of Leeds, spending too much time online can unleash a "dark side of the soul," and can even lead to legitimate depression. Out of a sample of over 1300 people, researchers picked out 18 individuals they classified as "hard-core" users, and found that these addicts scored about five times higher "depression scores" than normal surfers. As Daily Mail reports, the serious addicts were also relatively young, with an average age of 21, and tended to spend most of their online hours on porn, gaming, or online community sites.

As head researcher Dr. Catriona Morrison admits, though, the lines of causality aren't exactly clear. Morrison acknowledges that "we don't know is which comes first - are depressed people drawn to the Internet or does the Internet cause depression?" And that's a pretty significant caveat: Given the amount of time that pretty much anyone spends online today, you've probably got to do a lot to fall under the "hard-core" umbrella. We're guessing that Internet addiction, like any other, springs from some pre-existing addictive personality that some people possess. Sure, the accessibility of the Net may make it easier to get addicted to than, say, mountain climbing, but until a study shows us irrefutable evidence that the Internet turns us into a bunch of Eeyores, we'll hold off on stocking up on Prozac. [From: Daily Mail]

Tags: addiction, depression, eeyore, health, internet, internet addiction, InternetAddiction, mental health, MentalHealth, psychology, top

Web

Internet Nominated for 2010 Nobel Prize, Sorry Humans

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Feb 3rd 2010 at 11:07AM

If you thought people were upset last year when President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, just wait and see what happens if one of this year's nominees wins. Yes, nominees include the requisite European human rights group and the obligatory Asian political activist. But, according to the Associated Press, the Internet has also made the short list of nominees. That's right, the inanimate object that's given the world such wonderful time wasters as porn and Flash games could win one of the planet's most distinguished prizes.

Who's behind this nod? The Nobel Committee is shrouded in secrecy, but when the nomination deadline ended yesterday, the Italian version of Wired magazine confirmed that it had proposed the Internet be considered. The campaign actually started back in November when the magazine revealed its Internet for Peace Manifesto. The argument is that the Internet has advanced "...dialogue, debate and consensus through communication." Apparently, the Internet is an even better diplomat than the President, "because democracy has always flourished where there is openness, acceptance, discussion and participation."

Tags: awards, funny, internet, nobel peace prize, top, web, weird

Web, Social Networking

U.K. Prison Gives Facebook to Gangster, Makes Our Penal System Look Good

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Feb 3rd 2010 at 8:30AM

Call us crazy, but giving an imprisoned crime lord access to Facebook doesn't sound like the best idea. After all, running a gang is essentially social networking without the Internet. But that's exactly what British authorities did with Colin Gunn, who is serving a 35-year sentence in a maximum-security prison.

According to the Times Online, Gunn, who is behind bars for ordering the execution of a couple of grandparents, used Facebook to intimidate people on the outside and to communicate with some of his partners in crime over the last two months. Here's a peek at what one of "Britain's most dangerous gangsters" was posting: "It's good to have an outlet to let you know how I am, some of you will be in for a good slagging, some have let me down badly, and will be named and shamed, f****** rats." Gunn's account was deactivated around the end of January, leaving his 500-odd friends to come up with more creative ways to communicate with their boss. (The ol' contraband hidden inside a loaf of bread has always been a favorite of ours.)

Tags: crime, facebook, gangster, internet, prison, socialnetworking, top, web

Web, Social Networking

'Internet Distractions' Personifies the Angels and Demons of the Taskbar

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Feb 2nd 2010 at 5:50PM

For a student, the Internet can be a powerful productivity tool, but it's, unfortunately, a double-edged sword. Sure, you can dive in and research that paper topic you've been assigned; however, you can just as easily spend hours upon hours trolling social networking sites, watching videos on YouTube, or lost amongst any other number of today's digital distractions. It's okay. This has happened to all of us at one point or another.

Obviously, staying focused is tough enough with those alluring icons lined across the bottom of your screen. But what if they could talk, further enticing you to put off writing that paper? That's the premise behind this hilarious video from the folks at College Humor. In the clip, a student opens up Microsoft Word (you can think of it as the halo-donning angel program on your right shoulder). Just as he's about to start typing what would surely be a riveting paper on "The Study of Ions", Firefox (the devil program, sporting a pitchfork, on your left shoulder) dupes the poor sap into checking his e-mail. As you well know, it snowballs from there. There are Facebook notifications to check, a new episode of 'Chuck' is ready for download, and some adult video clips are enticing him further down the path of procrastination.

Tags: collegehumor, distraction, facebook, firefox, funny, internet, socialnetworking, students, top, video, youtube

Computers, Video Games, Web

Rickets Resurgence in the U.K. Blamed on Video Games and the Internet

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Jan 24th 2010 at 9:02AM

Rickets, a disease that practically disappeared from the developed world in the 19th century, is rising again, reports British scientists. The condition, a softening of bones that leads to painful deformities and fractures, is most commonly caused by severe vitamin D deficiency, which is essential for absorbing calcium. The primary natural source of vitamin D is sunlight (i.e., going outside), so it's not hard to see how our growing fascination with the Internet and video games may be partly responsible for the sudden surge in cases.

Medical experts in the U.K. are now pushing to add vitamin D to food products, such as milk. In generations past, children were often fed regular doses of cod liver oil (rich in vitamin D) to prevent the disease, but chances of convincing the MySpace generation to choke down a spoonful of that swill every day is next to nil.

Some countries, including the U.S., already add vitamin D supplements to some food products, but the real solution to the problem is simple: put down the Xbox controller and get some fresh air. [From: Telegraph]

Tags: diet, health, internet, internetaddiction, rickets, top, videogameaddiction, videogames

Computers, Web

U.S. Kids Spend Almost 1/3 of Their Day Online, Study Finds

by Warren Riddle (RSS feed) — Jan 21st 2010 at 2:25PM

Five years ago, the Kaiser Family Foundation conducted a survey that determined kids between the ages of 8 and 18 spent a whopping 6.5 hours a day on the Internet. According to the New York Times, one of the study's researchers initially thought that the usage statistics could not possibly increase in the future because of a lack of "enough hours in the day."

The Foundation recently conducted the same study again, and that particular researcher, Professor Donald Roberts of Stanford University, was absolutely stunned by the results. Somehow, U.S. kids have managed to cram in an extra hour, now spending an average of 7.5 hours a day surfing the Web from computers, smartphones, and other gadgets. That number doesn't even take into account any time spent text messaging, gabbing on the phone, or tweeting. The statistic could most certainly have been higher, too, but Twitter had not yet achieved widespread popularity at the time of the survey.

Tags: children, internet, internet addiction, InternetAddiction, study, teens, top

Web, Social Networking

Internet Not Just for Nameless Attacks -- Apologies Also Abound

by Warren Riddle (RSS feed) — Jan 20th 2010 at 3:20PM

Whether deserved or not, the Internet receives a significant amount of criticism because of the ubiquity of snarky, rude, and vitriolic miscreants who delight in anonymously antagonizing people. The prevalence of such activity has given rise to the Net Commandments, and has even inspired a comprehensive categorization of message board flamers.

Lost amid all that bloggery bravado and insulting Internet behavior, though, has been the proliferation of a different type of online interaction: the overdue apology. According to the Wall Street Journal, an increasing amount of people are using the Internet to rectify previous wrongs, and are sometimes apologizing for missteps that occurred decades ago. The Journal spoke with cousins, departed lovers, siblings, and classmates who all logged on, located their one-time objects of scorn, and lamented the occurrences that may have helped drive them apart.

Tags: apologize, apology, facebook, internet, message boards, MessageBoards, social networking, socialnetworking, top, viral

Internet Explorer Weak Link in Google Attack, Web Speeds Up Except in the U.S.

by Warren Riddle (RSS feed) — Jan 15th 2010 at 11:50AM

Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines....

The tenuous relationship between Google and the Chinese government intensified this week, as Chinese officials may have been responsible for hacking into the site in search of information on Chinese human rights activists. Today, Microsoft announced that its Internet Explorer could actually have been somewhat at fault for the attack, because hackers may have taken advantage of a "vulnerability in the browser." [From: BBC News]
Akamai released its 'State of the Internet' report this week, and the announcement revealed that Internet connection speeds are almost universally increasing around the world. The White House needs to get to work on that national broadband plan, though, because the already slow speeds in the U.S. don't seem to be getting any faster. [From: CNET]
As part of its 'Ratings Are Not a Game' initiative, Activision recently sponsored a survey of parents about video game ratings. According to the study, 82-percent of the parents of gamers are familiar with ESRB video game ratings. The study also determined that 83-percent of parents under the age of 35 (that have kids who play games) actually consider themselves gamers, as well. Ha! The geekification of the United States is almost complete. [From: DMW Media]
The year-end 'Best of' lists period has passed, so it's time to look ahead and predict what may top next year's rankings. EFF has compiled the '12 Trends to Watch in 2010,' and the list includes the global battle over Internet censorship, DVR restrictions, and the future of social networking privacy. [From: EFF]
The next decade may host a significant decline in back and shoulder injuries for women. According to a Debenhams study, the weight of women's purses and handbags has plummeted over the last two years, a phenomenon attributed to the decreasing size and weight of gadgets and phones. [From: Daily Mail]
Google's Nexus One phone has been initially met by somewhat neutral reviews, complaints over fees, and incredibly lackluster sales, but the handset has earned at least one significant and prominent fan. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak indirectly admitted that, despite the feud between Apple and Google, he has not only purchased a Nexus One, but that it has actually become his favorite gadget. [From: NBC Bay Area]

Tags: akamai, esrb, google, internet, microsoft, morningxtra, nexus one, NexusOne, top

Web

France Seeks to Implement 'Google Tax'

by Amar Toor (RSS feed) — Jan 8th 2010 at 4:50PM

France has never been one to hold back when it comes to taxes; after all, someone's gotta pay for all those pesky little luxuries like universal health care. Now, however, the country of Gaul is reportedly thinking of taxing Internet giants in an effort to save its own artistic Joe les Plumbers.

According to Ars Technica, French officials are considering levying a tax on Google and other companies that advertise on the Internet as a way to help creative entrepreneurs who the wave of digitization has left behind. In a report commissioned by France's Ministry of Culture, record producer Patrick Zelnik argues that Internet behemoths like Google, Facebook, and AOL should have to pay about $29 million a year in taxes, even if they're not headquartered in France. In addition to the so-called "Google Tax," authorities are thinking about taxing ISPs based on the traffic they receive, an extra source of revenue that would bring the grand total of Internet taxes to a whopping $72 million within the first year of implementation. (Google, understandably, isn't too keen on the whole idea.)

Tags: france, google, government, internet, music, taxes, top

Web

Chicken Wire Hinders San Francisco Residents' Wi-Fi and Cell Reception

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Jan 4th 2010 at 1:44PM

What do you get when you place a bunch of hip, wireless-gadget-loving folks in a city crammed with historic, pre-World War II homes? Apparently, a serious Wi-Fi problem. According to The Wall Street Journal, many San Francisco residents have trouble accessing wireless Internet, and, in some cases, receiving a cell phone signal -- all because the chicken wire that may line the walls of their homes.

Before people started using drywall in the '50s, the mesh wire was used to support the plaster in many homes. As it turns out, chicken wire creates what experts call a "Faraday cage," which means it makes a net that catches the 2.4-gigahertz waves of the Wi-Fi network. "It's the old bumping into the new," says Mike Scott, a technical media manager for D-Link Corp.

Tags: bizarre, cellphone, funny, internet, network, san francisco, top, web, wifi

Written Word Not That Dead After All

by Amar Toor (RSS feed) — Dec 30th 2009 at 5:10PM

Ever since the dawn of a glorious thing called the Internet, many among the world's literati have been carping and kvetching about the imminent demise and corruption of the written word at the hands of tweets and other cyber abbreviations. One recent study, however, proudly proclaims prose to be healthier than ever, thank you very much.

As Wired reports, researchers at the University of San Diego found that, contrary to popular belief, the Internet Age has actually seen a substantial increase in the amount of text that people read. (The amount actually tripled between 1980 and 2008.) On average, Americans now "consume" about 100,500 words per day, and they read about 36-percent of them. In other words, we may be writing and reading in OMG and LOL shorthand, but that brevity and, more importantly, the Internet vehicle that facilitates it have allowed us to consume a lot more words -- at least on a strictly volumetric basis.

Of course, quantity doesn't always mean quality, and this recent study isn't likely to convince those who insist that the Internet has rendered us all ADD-addled dilettantes. And they probably have a fair point. Sure, we may click on links to long posts and in-depth articles, but how many of us actually read anything to completion, before getting distracted by an IM or another Facebook notification? [Ed. note - We do, Amar. We never get distra..] Then again, though, the Kindle is more popular than ever, and there has been a lot of hype surrounding Apple's impending iSlate release. That being the case, it's hard for anyone to justify any funeral preparations for the written English language just yet. The Internet may not be Gutenberg's printing press, but we don't think it's linguistically regressive by any means, either. [From: Wired]

Tags: deathofprint, internet, language

Computers, Web

Web Sites That Met an Unfortunate 2009 Demise

by Warren Riddle (RSS feed) — Dec 26th 2009 at 10:31AM

Although inanimate and unaware, Web sites and Net memes must follow the order of natural selection just like carbon-based organisms. Since Darwin's law can be applied to all things, CNET is mourning 15 sites that were forced into extinction during 2009.

Some of the Web creations that weren't properly adapted to survive 2009 include the once formidable and seemingly invincible Geocities, and the ancient and revered Microsoft Encarta multimedia encyclopedia. Other failures, like that of the music-streamer SpiralFrog (which accumulated $9 million in debt during its brief three-year existence), were somewhat more predictable due to lack of popularity and steep competition. Check the list for more sites that went the way of the dodo, and simultaneously learn a valuable lesson on cyber-progression and the survival of the (Web's) fittest. [From: CNET]

Related Links:

Tags: business, encarta, geocities, hgg, internet, list, spiralfrog

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Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.

Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.

Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.

Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.

HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.

HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.

HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.

GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.

Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.

Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.

Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.

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