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Study Finds That One-Third of Consumers Copy DVDs

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 10th 2008 at 9:01AM


'Round these parts, we prefer to read the fine print first, so it should be noted that none other than Macrovision -- you know, the firm that purchased the now-cracked BD+ DRM scheme for $45 million last year -- financed this here study.

According to poll results from US and UK consumers, around 1 in 3 individuals admitted to "making copies of pre-recorded DVDs in the past 6 months, up over a quarter from the previous year's study." Predictably, males aged 18 to 24 were most likely to wear an eye patch and own a DVD burner (if you catch our drift), and while revenue loss due to illegal copying is certainly a valid concern, researchers did find that 62% of American respondents (and 49% in the UK) were duping flicks they already owned. Arrr! [Image courtesy of George Dillon]
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Teens Still Prefer Landline Phones, Says Study

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Dec 20th 2007 at 5:18PM

Teens On Phone
The Pew Internet and American Life Project has been mighty busy as of late. Hot on the heels of its study that revealed that people like to Google themselves, but like to Google others even more is a fresh batch of stats about how teenagers communicate.

The survey of 12 to 17 year old boys and girls turned up some shocking information -- teens still prefer a good old-fashioned landline phone to other means of communication. 39 percent of teens said they talked to friends everyday via a landline phone. That's actually slightly more than the 35 percent who said they talked to friends on their cell phones everyday, but is almost twice the number who relied on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace and good chunk more than those who used text messaging daily.

Not surprising is the lowly 14 percent who said they used e-mail daily. Past studies have already shown that young people are not fans of the oldest form of electronic communication.

One thing is for sure - they won't be using public pay phones for long, as AT&T plans to phase those out.

From USA Today

Gallery: Public Phones and Phone Booths of the World



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Stalker Alert -- 53 Percent of Adults Google Others

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Dec 19th 2007 at 12:20PM

The Internet has Turned Us Into a Bunch of Stalkers

The Internet has turned us all into a bunch of stalkers. Don't believe us? Then check out this poll from the Pew Internet research center. The same report that found that most American's hadn't Googled themselves reveals, by contrast, that a majority has Googled a friend or family member.

Why Google someone else? Well, many (36 percent) said that they searched for a friend they had lost touch with. Another good chunk (19 percent) were out looking for information on professional contacts, such as coworkers and competitors, with 11 percent specifically using Google as a tool to help weed out applicants for jobs.

Shockingly, though, only nine percent of adults have searched online for information about someone they were dating or a significant other. We would have thought it would have been a lot higher, but apparently it's okay to hop in the sack with any John or Sally, regardless of their Google-search-results profile.

Still, a full seven percent of fully embrace stalkerdom and return on a regular basis -- defined as more than "once or twice" -- to see if the information available online about the target of their creepy obsession has changed.

So, if you're regularly looking up information about anyone on Google, it might be time to take a good long look in the mirror and ask if you've crossed the line from curious to creepy. And yes, do this even if you're Googling yourself every few days, you self-centered jerk.

Check out the full report here (warning: PDF).

From ValleyWag


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Students Would Give Up Voting Rights for an iPod

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Nov 15th 2007 at 1:10PM

Students Vote in NYC - Chelsea Clinton
A recent survey of 3,000 undergraduate students at New York University shows that most kids are willing to sacrifice their right to vote for an iPod, among other things.

Sixty-six percent said they would be willing to give up their right to vote in the next presidential election for a year's tuition. But don't start shaking your head just yet -- it gets worse: Twenty percent said their right to vote next year could be bought for an iPod Touch. That's right, 600 of those surveyed said they would sit out the historic 2008 election for a $300 media player. For $1 Million, says the poll, half would give up their votes... forever.

The most bizarre part of the survey? 70.5 percent said that they believed that one vote could make a difference, including 70 percent of those who said they would sacrifice their right to vote. How these contradictory ideas could be held in one privileged child's head, we're not sure.

We understand that technology can drive people to do ridiculous things, but giving up the right to vote for an iPod is a new low. Check out this list of other insane things people have done for or because of technology:

From Politico (via Washington Square News)

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What's Sexier -- a Person or the iPhone?

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Oct 25th 2007 at 2:58PM



Some people develop a bit too strong of a bond with their technology. We'd say they're all around you, but these types of people tend to stay inside a lot.

Zogby International and 463 Communications conducted a poll about people's attitudes towards technology, and the results are either terrifying or reassuring, depending on how bad you thought the epidemic of tech-fetishism was.

Overwhelmingly people found other people sexier than the iPhone. Very reassuring, until you realize that while the iPhone may have been beaten out by Halle Berry, Scarlett Johansson, and Patrick Dempsey who received 27, 17 and 14 percent respectively, it shared a spot at the bottom of the pile with Derek Jeter at 6 percent. That means that 6 percent of people would rather take their iPhone to bed than the smokin' hot Scarlett Johansson.

Head on over to 463 for more results.

How about you? Do you think people or iPhones are sexier? And while we're at it, would you rather take Derek Jeter, Scarlett Johansson, or the iPhone to bed?

From Engadget and 463

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Kids Spend Too Much Time Online, Say Parents

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 27th 2007 at 4:09PM

A Third of Parents Think Kids Spend Too Much Time Online

Many parents think their kids spend too much time online. And just in case you needed an official study to confirm the obvious, non-profit Common Sense Media recently teamed with educational foundation Cable in the Classroom to survey parents about their kids and the Web. The survey reached out to 411 parents of children age six to 18 and asked a whole host of questions regarding their children's Internet habits. Here are a few highlights:

  • Mothers worry more about the content of Web sites than fathers do
  • Eighty percent of mothers and 65 percent of fathers believe that creating profiles on site such as MySpace or a blog is somewhat to completely inappropriate
  • One in four parents think that online time has kept their kids from exercising and going outdoors
On the bright side, four out of five parents responded that they believe the Internet helps their children with homework, understanding current events and expressing creativity.
More of the study's findings are available at USA Today.

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Electronics Causing Teenagers to Get "Junk Sleep"

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Aug 28th 2007 at 12:22PM

Teen Junk Sleep
Teenagers can sometimes be a miserable bunch. According to British researchers, that may have something to do with a lack of quality sleep. The culprit of this "junk sleep?" Electronics, of course.

According to a survey done by The Sleep Council, a full 30 percent of children between 12 and 16 years old only get 4-7 hours of sleep a night as opposed to the recommended 8-9. Almost 25 percent said they fell asleep more than once a week watching TV, listening to music, or using some other personal electronic device.

Nearly all of the respondents had a phone, TV, or stereo in their rooms, with roughly two thirds having all three. 40 percent of the kids complained that they were tired every day, with 15 and 16 year-old girls making up the largest segment of tired kids.

Dr. Chris Idzikowski of the Edinburgh Sleep Center said, "Teenagers need to wake up to the fact that to feel well, perform well and look well, they need to do something about their sleep."

From I4U News and Reuters

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Are You a Cyberchondriac?

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Aug 7th 2007 at 3:22PM

Cyberchondria
The Internet is a terrible tool in the hands of the bored and sick.

According to a Harris Interactive poll, 160 million Americans use the Internet to seek out health diagnoses and information. 74 percent of those polled have looked up medical information more than once in the last month. Harris calls them (us), 'cybercondriacs'. In just two years, the number of 'cybercondriacs' has increased 37 percent from 136 million people to its current level of 160 million people.

160 million represents a whopping 71 percent of all Web surfers. So what do you say -- are you willing to cop to being a 'cybercondriac?' Do you stay up at night clicking for your next illness?

From geeksugar

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Landlines to Follow the Dinosaurs

by Terrence O'Brien, posted May 15th 2007 at 1:16PM

Landlines to Follow Dinosaurs
Like Tom Cruise's career, telephone landlines are on a path to extinction. That's according to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which, apparently, has grown bored of studying its usual fodder of killer viruses, avian flu and other flesh eating bugs.

The study reports that more than 25 percent of folks under 30 have ditched traditional landline phones in favor of an all-mobile diet. In addition, people in lower-income households are dropping landlines in record numbers, deciding that their money is better spent on cell phones.

According to the study, landline abandonment not only affects the lifespans of the Bells. It also affects 911 emergency service providers and polling organizations which no longer have access to a huge chunk of the population.

Of course, the real losers are telemarketers who are surely shaking in their boots.

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From Slashdot
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