internet

Stories 921 - 940 | << Prev   Next >>

High-Tech 'Trolls' Stalk the Internet, Harrass for Fun

Web subculture has disdain for just about everything

(Newser) - They gleefully wreak havoc online, tormenting the parents of a teen suicide victim, for example, or causing the website of an epilepsy foundation to flash brilliantly to trigger convulsions. These so-called trolls seek "lulz," or laughs, for their deeds and test the limits of free speech online. One...

China Lowers Internet Firewall
 China Lowers Internet Firewall
Aug 1, 2008 8:22 PM CDT

China Lowers Internet Firewall

Beijing allows access to certain sites to appease Olympics

(Newser) - Facing pressure from the Olympics, Beijing lowered its so-called Great Firewall today to allow access to some news and human rights websites, Time reports. But other sites—like those supporting Tibetan independence or the outlawed spiritual group Falun Gong—remain off-limits in China. And "everyone knows that the minute...

'Garfield' Without Garfield Lands Book Deal

Surreal blog branches out with original creator's blessing

(Newser) - Some comic strip authors might be miffed—or turn litigious—if a fan became a minor celebrity by systematically removing the namesake character and posting the edited strips on the Internet. Not "Garfield" creator Jim Davis, Editor & Publisher reports. With his blessing, Davis’ publisher will issue a book...

Photo-Sharing Site Offers Ease, Collaboration

Souped-up Shutterfly is in beta and set to launch in August

(Newser) - With lost passwords and clunky sign-up procedures, online photo-sharing can be a bit of a hassle. But a new service from Shutterfly offers a simpler way, Katherine Boehret writes in the Wall Street Journal after taking it for a spin. Shutterfly Share still has some problems— you can’t post...

China Censors Web for Olympic Journos

Sites deemed objectionable blocked, despite promises

(Newser) - Journalists covering the Olympic games in Beijing will not be allowed access to websites deemed objectionable by the Chinese government, the BBC reports, in spite of promises from the IOC that Internet access would be unfettered. Blocked sites include pages related to the Falun Gong spiritual group, as well as...

Domain Name Bug Worries Web Providers

Firms race to fix flaw in Internet's architecture before crooks find it

(Newser) - ISPs worldwide are racing to patch a flaw in the design of the Internet that could allow criminals to steal personal and financial details of Web users by diverting them to fake sites. The flaw resides in the procedures of the Domain Name System, which translates URLs into numerical Internet...

GOP Parodies Obama's Facebook Page
GOP Parodies Obama's Facebook Page
Jul 30, 2008 1:00 AM CDT

GOP Parodies Obama's Facebook Page

'Barackbook' highlights candidate's controversial 'friends'

(Newser) - The GOP is lampooning Barack Obama's popular Facebook page with something it calls Barackbook. The fake Facebook clone features a frowning Obama whose status reads "hoping to settle on an Iraq policy before November," Wired reports. In addition, the imaginary FriendFeed highlights controversial figures associated with the candidate,...

Flickr Users Help ID Archival Photos

Historical archives find new life online

(Newser) - Flickr users are helping the Library of Congress identify photos in its historical archives, reports USA Today. So far, users have supplied information on 500 photos featured in Flickr's "The Commons" project, which drew 8.2 million views in just 6 months. Both partners are "stunned by the...

Web Whizzes Renovate Rickety Sites to Flip for Profit

Real-estate 'turn-over' tactics move to Internet

(Newser) - Web entrepreneurs are taking a page from the real-estate book: they’re buying badly designed websites cheaply, fixing them up, and selling them at a profit. Website sales on eBay and similar sites have soared in the past few months, with many site-flippers happy to sell for just a few...

Comically Simple Ploy Pays Big for Kansas Candidate

Cartoon brings flood of donation, but Dem's bid for state legislature hardly done deal

(Newser) - A cash-strapped candidate for the Kansas legislature has turned around his fortunes in the flash of a few thousand mouse-clicks: Before circulating sassy online cartoon strips, Sean Tevis had $1,525 in his campaign coffers; in less than two weeks, he’s raised nearly $100,000 more. The episode is...

FCC Member: Leave the Internet Alone
FCC Member: Leave the Internet Alone
Opinion
Jul 28, 2008 3:21 PM CDT

FCC Member: Leave the Internet Alone

Engineers, not politicians, should solve tech problems

(Newser) - The latest crisis for the internet is the gridlock caused by bandwidth-clogging P2P software. But don’t worry, says FCC commissioner Robert McDowell. This has happened before. As far back as 1987, engineers have been solving the net’s bandwidth problems. It’s been a triumph of anti-regulation, and there’...

Does Surfing Equal Reading?
Does Surfing Equal Reading?
Jul 27, 2008 2:34 PM CDT

Does Surfing Equal Reading?

Experts debate whether kids' online time is as educational as hitting the books

(Newser) - As kids spend more time on the internet and less time reading books, a debate is raging over whether online reading is as educational as the traditional kind, the New York Times reports. While the Web allows readers to quickly gobble up multiple perspectives and information, some experts worry that...

Internet Hits 1 Trillion Sites
 Internet Hits 1 Trillion Sites
Jul 26, 2008 7:05 AM CDT

Internet Hits 1 Trillion Sites

Google tracks major milestone—150 sites for everyone on the planet

(Newser) - The internet now hosts a staggering 1 trillion unique web sites, according to Google researchers. The million million sites—over 150 for everybody on the planet—are growing by billions of pages a day, PC World reports. Google doesn't index all those pages, but plots them on  a complex graph....

Left Breaks News; Right Can't Fix It
Left Breaks News; Right Can't Fix It
ANALYSIS
Jul 24, 2008 7:31 PM CDT

Left Breaks News; Right Can't Fix It

Liberals add reporting to arsenal; pro-GOP sites mainly comment

(Newser) - The left is using the Internet far more effectively than the right, Jonathan Martin writes on Politico. While conservative political sites are principally opinion, lefty destinations like the Huffington Post and Talking Points Memo tread the line between reportage and commentary, breaking stories ignored by the mainstream media that advance...

Google Unveils Wikipedia Rival
Google Unveils Wikipedia Rival
Jul 24, 2008 4:30 AM CDT

Google Unveils Wikipedia Rival

Experts replace anonymous writers in search king's online encylopedia

(Newser) - Could Wikipedia's assassin be lurking behind a Knol? Google opened up its online encyclopedia with articles—or "units of knowledge" Google calls "Knols"—to the public today, featuring major differences from its well-established rival. The  pieces are written by experts and their names are highlighted, in marked...

What Was I Writing?
What Was   
I Writing?
OPINION
Jul 23, 2008 4:39 PM CDT

What Was I Writing?

Chronic distraction —a self-inflicted malady—may seem comic, but it's deadly

(Newser) - We all complain about the myriad distractions in the wired world, but Bryan Appleyard goes further in the Guardian: Distraction is not just annoying, it can kill you, and will be the downfall of democracy. “Chronic, long-term distraction” may be as deadly as smoking, and the habits of the...

Facebook Cleans Up With New Design
Facebook Cleans Up With New Design
NEW RELEASE
Jul 21, 2008 6:28 PM CDT

Facebook Cleans Up With New Design

Social network cuts down clutter, adds 'Publisher' feature

(Newser) - Facebook has launched a redesign with subtle new features that improve usability, Rafe Needleman writes in Webware. The revamped site eliminates a lot of the clutter caused by its 16-month-old applications platform, and spotlights the most important aspect of Facebook—the Wall—pushing it to the front and making it...

Songwriters Collaborate by File-Sharing

Telephono helps musicians send tunes around the world

(Newser) - Telephono works like a musical chain letter: One musician e-mails a tune to another, who adds to it and passes it on. The next musician does the same. Eventually, a song is created. The idea is "inspired by the classic children’s game 'Telephone,'" says creator David Matysiak....

McCain in the Minority: Peers Are on the Web

73% of white college grads over 65 are plugged in

(Newser) - John McCain may be a Luddite when it comes to the internet—the 71-year-old candidate confesses that he relies on his wife and aides to do his browsing for him—but most of his peers are computer savvy, AP reports. While only 35% of Americans over age 65 are online,...

Facebook, MySpace Offer Prime Evidence

Profiles, photos can haunt defendants, help prosecutors

(Newser) - Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace have offered crime-solving help to detectives and become a resource for employers vetting job applicants. Now the sites are proving fruitful for prosecutors, who have used damaging Internet photos of defendants to cast doubt on their character during sentencing hearings and argue for...

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