Television:
Ofcom warns the BBC about its plans for download services (23rd Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6290745.stm but the BBC trust gives its approval a few days later (31st Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6316857.stm
Music:
Sony agrees compensation for the 'rootkit' PR disaster (30th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6314443.stm
Video Games:
How Sony are using user-generated content to help maximise sales of the PS3 (29th Jan): http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,2000468,00.html
Future Technology:
Intel announces chips using nano technology (27th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6299147.stm
Music:
Changing digital record buying habits and chart rules lead BBC radio stations to change their playlist policy (26th Jan): http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1999042,00.html
Internet / Television:
Fox subpoenas Youtube to find out who pirated episodes of The Simpsons and 24 (26th Jan): http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=internetNews&storyID=2007-01-26T102643Z_01_N26209477_RTRIDST_0_OUKIN-UK-YOUTUBE-FOX.XML see also: http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1999800,00.html
Security:
Confirmation that HD DVD copy protection has been breached (see last posting) (26th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6301301.stm
Mobile Phones:
In Finland a novel has been published written in tx msg (25th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/01/25/sms.novel.ap/index.html
Internet / Mobile Phones:
Mobile phone footage of a playground beating is posted by children on the web (24th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6294399.stm
Internet:
China to overtake USA as world's largest internet user (24th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6293345.stm see also http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,1998038,00.html
Future Technology:
The military are creating robot insects carrying explosive warheads - 'micro air vehicles' (MAVs) or 'wasps' (23rd Jan): http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72543-0.html?tw=wn_index_1
Security:
Myspace launches a lawsuit against a prolific spammer (23rd Jan): http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/8856/53/
Internet:
The BBC's CBBC announces plans for a child-friendly virtual world (23rd Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6290585.stm
Security:
A report on the current threats from cyber-criminals on the web (23rd Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6290413.stm posted together with a useful glossary of the contemporary forms of crime: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5400052.stm#sniffing
Internet:
An article on the increasing significance of the web for politics and political campaigning (23rd Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/6287749.stm
Tuesday, 23 January 2007
Wednesday, 17 January 2007
15-22nd Jan
Internet:
A story about how Hilary Clinton and others are now announcing their presidential campaigns on the web (in favour of a televised speech in a hall) (22nd Jan): http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1995721,00.html
Music:
UK independent music labels band together to create 'Merlin' - a new organisation to cocordinate and control their licensing online (22nd Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1995650,00.html
Print:
Why magazine formats are starting to look online (22nd Jan): http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,1995276,00.html
Internet:
An article on a US murder motivated by jealousy between two men about their online relationship with a young woman ... who wasn't a young woman (22nd Jan):
http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/01/22/deadly.triangle.ap/index.html
Security:
Microsoft Vista's new DRM protection comes under fire (22nd Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6286245.stm
Internet / Video games:
An article about how the right wing, French 'Front National' has become the first political party to open up an HQ online in Second Life and the virtual protests that resulted (including avatar protestors throwing 'exploding pigs' ... (20th Jan): http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,,1994882,00.html
Security / Cinema:
News that a hacker claims to have cracked the AACs (Advanced Access Content System) used on the new HDDVDs (also used on the Blu-Ray system) (19th Jan): http://redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=20493&hed=Claim%3A+High-Def+DVDs+Cracked§or=Industries&subsector=SecurityAndDefense The story was first posted at the end of December 2006. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061229/tc_nm/dvds_hacker_dc_2
Interfaces:
An article on the drive for new touch-sensitive screens to replace older interfaces (18th Jan): http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1992309,00.html
Music:
A great article on the current state of the digital music market. 'New music players, a growing number of broadband connections and a proliferation of online stores helped digital music sales double last year but the surge was still not enough to reverse a declining music market.
Record companies' digital sales jumped to $2bn (£1bn) in 2006 from $1.1bn a year earlier and continued to take market share, according to the latest update from the global industry group IFPI yesterday. Downloads to mobile phones, computers and music players now make up 10% of global music sales but as sales of physical formats such as CDs continue to fall, digital has not come to the rescue'. (18th Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1992749,00.html
Television:
One of the biggest stories this week is the racist abuse of Shilpa Shetty on the UK's Celebrity Big Brother which has provoked protests in India. Whilst much of their knowledge comes from newspaper reports as India cannot receive Big Brother on television and Channel 4 has blocked the live web stream outside the UK, The Guardian (18th Jan, p. 3) say that clips from the programme have been made available on Youtube.
Warfare:
China tests a missile against an old space satellite ... heralding, perhaps, a new development in 'information warfare' (19th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6276543.stm
Internet:
A US lawsuit linking Myspace to sexual assault. News Corp and Myspace sued by parents (18th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/01/18/myspace.lawsuit.ap/index.html see also (19th Jan): http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1994438,00.html and http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6277633.stm
Music:
An article on CD remastering and the problems of increasing noise (18th Jan): http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1992325,00.html
Cinema:
On the move to digital cinema at the multiplex (18th Jan): http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1992327,00.html
Internet:
Myspace is developing new security software to help parents (18th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/01/18/myspace.safety.ap/index.html
Mobile Phones / Television:
An article on the failure so far of mobile television (17th Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1991842,00.html
Internet:
2m Chinese teens addicted to the internet, according to report (17th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/01/17/china.internet.addicts.reut/index.html
Economics:
Apple reports a 78% surge in profits in the 3 months to Dec 30th 2006, boosted by Christmas sales of the ipod (17th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6272051.stm
Future Technology:
On the development of a new robot to help combat snipers (17th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/01/17/robotic.head/index.html
Music:
Digital music sees sales double: global digital music sales have almost doubled to around $2bn (£1bn) in 2006, according to an industry report, now constituting 10% of all sales. The IFPI's 2007 Digital Music Report said consumers last year downloaded 795 million tracks, up 89% on 2005, from almost 500 legitimate online music services available in 40 countries (17th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6270855.stm But see also a recent report that US album sales fell 4% in 2006 (5th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6233553.stm
Mobile Phones:
Naomi Campbell admits she hit her maid with a 'jewel-encrusted cellphone' ... (17th Jan): http://www.themoneytimes.com/articles/20070117/naomi_admits_hitting_her_maid_with_cellphone-id-102719.html
Future Technology:
An article on the spread of virtual reality technology in the business world (17th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/01/15/virtual.reality.ap/index.html
Internet /Television:
Skype founders move into internet TV broadcasting with a new service called 'Joost' (16th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6266391.stm This month's Wired magazine has a story about it at: http://www.wired.com/news/wiredmag/0,72506-0.html?tw=wn_index_1 as does The Guardian (22nd Jan): http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,1995274,00.html
Video Games:
An expansion pack for World of Warcraft goes on sale (16th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6263987.stm
Internet:
A story from Wired on how Yahoo was overtaken in online advertising by Google: http://www.wired.com/news/wiredmag/0,72497-0.html?tw=wn_index_2
Internet / Cinema:
Netflix introduces an instant-viewing service for subscribers to watch TV shows and movies over the web (16th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6261509.stm
Mobile Phones:
a Californian man is apparently set alight by his cellphone ... (16th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/15/cell.phone.fire.ap/index.html
Television:
Iraq's newest cult hit - an insurgent satellite television channel (an example of new media digital television niche programming ...) (15th Jan): http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1990353,00.html
Television:
UK's Channel 4 faces a funding gap as profits 'plummet' - caused by advertisers reducing their spending on television (implicitly shifting their spending to new media) (14th Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1990376,00.html
A story about how Hilary Clinton and others are now announcing their presidential campaigns on the web (in favour of a televised speech in a hall) (22nd Jan): http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1995721,00.html
Music:
UK independent music labels band together to create 'Merlin' - a new organisation to cocordinate and control their licensing online (22nd Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1995650,00.html
Print:
Why magazine formats are starting to look online (22nd Jan): http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,1995276,00.html
Internet:
An article on a US murder motivated by jealousy between two men about their online relationship with a young woman ... who wasn't a young woman (22nd Jan):
http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/01/22/deadly.triangle.ap/index.html
Security:
Microsoft Vista's new DRM protection comes under fire (22nd Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6286245.stm
Internet / Video games:
An article about how the right wing, French 'Front National' has become the first political party to open up an HQ online in Second Life and the virtual protests that resulted (including avatar protestors throwing 'exploding pigs' ... (20th Jan): http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,,1994882,00.html
Security / Cinema:
News that a hacker claims to have cracked the AACs (Advanced Access Content System) used on the new HDDVDs (also used on the Blu-Ray system) (19th Jan): http://redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=20493&hed=Claim%3A+High-Def+DVDs+Cracked§or=Industries&subsector=SecurityAndDefense The story was first posted at the end of December 2006. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061229/tc_nm/dvds_hacker_dc_2
Interfaces:
An article on the drive for new touch-sensitive screens to replace older interfaces (18th Jan): http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1992309,00.html
Music:
A great article on the current state of the digital music market. 'New music players, a growing number of broadband connections and a proliferation of online stores helped digital music sales double last year but the surge was still not enough to reverse a declining music market.
Record companies' digital sales jumped to $2bn (£1bn) in 2006 from $1.1bn a year earlier and continued to take market share, according to the latest update from the global industry group IFPI yesterday. Downloads to mobile phones, computers and music players now make up 10% of global music sales but as sales of physical formats such as CDs continue to fall, digital has not come to the rescue'. (18th Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1992749,00.html
Television:
One of the biggest stories this week is the racist abuse of Shilpa Shetty on the UK's Celebrity Big Brother which has provoked protests in India. Whilst much of their knowledge comes from newspaper reports as India cannot receive Big Brother on television and Channel 4 has blocked the live web stream outside the UK, The Guardian (18th Jan, p. 3) say that clips from the programme have been made available on Youtube.
Warfare:
China tests a missile against an old space satellite ... heralding, perhaps, a new development in 'information warfare' (19th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6276543.stm
Internet:
A US lawsuit linking Myspace to sexual assault. News Corp and Myspace sued by parents (18th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/01/18/myspace.lawsuit.ap/index.html see also (19th Jan): http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1994438,00.html and http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6277633.stm
Music:
An article on CD remastering and the problems of increasing noise (18th Jan): http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1992325,00.html
Cinema:
On the move to digital cinema at the multiplex (18th Jan): http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1992327,00.html
Internet:
Myspace is developing new security software to help parents (18th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/01/18/myspace.safety.ap/index.html
Mobile Phones / Television:
An article on the failure so far of mobile television (17th Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1991842,00.html
Internet:
2m Chinese teens addicted to the internet, according to report (17th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/01/17/china.internet.addicts.reut/index.html
Economics:
Apple reports a 78% surge in profits in the 3 months to Dec 30th 2006, boosted by Christmas sales of the ipod (17th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6272051.stm
Future Technology:
On the development of a new robot to help combat snipers (17th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/01/17/robotic.head/index.html
Music:
Digital music sees sales double: global digital music sales have almost doubled to around $2bn (£1bn) in 2006, according to an industry report, now constituting 10% of all sales. The IFPI's 2007 Digital Music Report said consumers last year downloaded 795 million tracks, up 89% on 2005, from almost 500 legitimate online music services available in 40 countries (17th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6270855.stm But see also a recent report that US album sales fell 4% in 2006 (5th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6233553.stm
Mobile Phones:
Naomi Campbell admits she hit her maid with a 'jewel-encrusted cellphone' ... (17th Jan): http://www.themoneytimes.com/articles/20070117/naomi_admits_hitting_her_maid_with_cellphone-id-102719.html
Future Technology:
An article on the spread of virtual reality technology in the business world (17th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/01/15/virtual.reality.ap/index.html
Internet /Television:
Skype founders move into internet TV broadcasting with a new service called 'Joost' (16th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6266391.stm This month's Wired magazine has a story about it at: http://www.wired.com/news/wiredmag/0,72506-0.html?tw=wn_index_1 as does The Guardian (22nd Jan): http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,1995274,00.html
Video Games:
An expansion pack for World of Warcraft goes on sale (16th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6263987.stm
Internet:
A story from Wired on how Yahoo was overtaken in online advertising by Google: http://www.wired.com/news/wiredmag/0,72497-0.html?tw=wn_index_2
Internet / Cinema:
Netflix introduces an instant-viewing service for subscribers to watch TV shows and movies over the web (16th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6261509.stm
Mobile Phones:
a Californian man is apparently set alight by his cellphone ... (16th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/15/cell.phone.fire.ap/index.html
Television:
Iraq's newest cult hit - an insurgent satellite television channel (an example of new media digital television niche programming ...) (15th Jan): http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1990353,00.html
Television:
UK's Channel 4 faces a funding gap as profits 'plummet' - caused by advertisers reducing their spending on television (implicitly shifting their spending to new media) (14th Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1990376,00.html
Wednesday, 10 January 2007
'Happy hanging': Saddam and the mobile phone
Undoubtedly the biggest new media story of the new year has been the mobile phone footage of Saddam Husssein's execution.
The Iraqi government released an 'official' video that was silent, heavily edited and ended before his death (see the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6218485.stm ) But within days unedited mobile phone footage was released, with sound, showing the abuse and taunts he received and also showing his death (see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6224531.stm and http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6221751.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6220829.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6218875.stm )
And new unofficial video of his body in the morgue was also posted online (9th Jan: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6243747.stm )
I'm not sure the events need any more commentary but it's a remarkable - and historic - example of the power of new media and especially of how the era of official, managed and edited, top-down news decided for us by Governments, businesses or media industries etc. is over: now one person with a phone potentially has as much broadcasting power as any media corporation. The ease with which the phones were carried into the exceution chamber and morgue and the ease with which the videos were globally disseminated by the internet also highlights how difficult these new media forms are to control. The videos also demonstrate how new media are changing the rules of broadcasting, as the person taking the video had no interest in the ethical issues traditional journalists face or any risk of comeback from a public or advertisers or the law. Plus it demonstrates the taste of the audience for whom an execution video is perfectly acceptable viewing - something that isn't often addressed in traditional, paternalistic journalism.
What's also interesting is both the way in which the mobile phone video blew away the constructed reality promoted by the Iraqi government, showing how one 'reality' can be presented in completely different ways, and how much more 'real' the mobile phone video footage was. The realist aesthetics of the hand-held camera are obvious but the mobile images made for a very uncomfortable sight, giving much more 'reality' than the first video.
On the other hand these images don't exist in a vacuum - they take their place in a contemporary, rapidly expanding 'atrocity exhibition' that includes beheading videos, the Abu Ghraib images of tortured Iraqi prisoners, the 'shock and awe' fireworks of the second Gulf war, the World Trade Centre explosions, the copter-cam close-ups of the trapped victims, the scenes of the jumping people and the smart-bomb camera images of the first Gulf War ... all the way down to You've Been Framed, the World's Wildest Videos and happy slapping mobile phone videos. As Baudrillard says in Fatal Strategies: 'ours is a pornographic culture par excellence ...'
The Iraqi government released an 'official' video that was silent, heavily edited and ended before his death (see the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6218485.stm ) But within days unedited mobile phone footage was released, with sound, showing the abuse and taunts he received and also showing his death (see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6224531.stm and http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6221751.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6220829.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6218875.stm )
And new unofficial video of his body in the morgue was also posted online (9th Jan: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6243747.stm )
I'm not sure the events need any more commentary but it's a remarkable - and historic - example of the power of new media and especially of how the era of official, managed and edited, top-down news decided for us by Governments, businesses or media industries etc. is over: now one person with a phone potentially has as much broadcasting power as any media corporation. The ease with which the phones were carried into the exceution chamber and morgue and the ease with which the videos were globally disseminated by the internet also highlights how difficult these new media forms are to control. The videos also demonstrate how new media are changing the rules of broadcasting, as the person taking the video had no interest in the ethical issues traditional journalists face or any risk of comeback from a public or advertisers or the law. Plus it demonstrates the taste of the audience for whom an execution video is perfectly acceptable viewing - something that isn't often addressed in traditional, paternalistic journalism.
What's also interesting is both the way in which the mobile phone video blew away the constructed reality promoted by the Iraqi government, showing how one 'reality' can be presented in completely different ways, and how much more 'real' the mobile phone video footage was. The realist aesthetics of the hand-held camera are obvious but the mobile images made for a very uncomfortable sight, giving much more 'reality' than the first video.
On the other hand these images don't exist in a vacuum - they take their place in a contemporary, rapidly expanding 'atrocity exhibition' that includes beheading videos, the Abu Ghraib images of tortured Iraqi prisoners, the 'shock and awe' fireworks of the second Gulf war, the World Trade Centre explosions, the copter-cam close-ups of the trapped victims, the scenes of the jumping people and the smart-bomb camera images of the first Gulf War ... all the way down to You've Been Framed, the World's Wildest Videos and happy slapping mobile phone videos. As Baudrillard says in Fatal Strategies: 'ours is a pornographic culture par excellence ...'
7-14th Jan
Music:
An unsigned band make UK chart history, entering the top 40 on download sales without being signed to a label (14th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6260995.stm see also (16th Jan): http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1991104,00.html
Video games:
A US woman dies after a water-drinking contest to win a Wii - a 'hold your wee for a Wii' game! (14th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6261509.stm
Mobile Phones:
A man is awarded damages after the wrong phone number is given on TV: a Chinese man who received thousands of text messages when his mobile phone number was accidentally used in a TV series has been awarded compensation (13th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6258939.stm
Internet / Video games:
An article on Second Life and its virtual economy (11th Jan): http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/comment/0,,1988163,00.html
Internet:
Myspace launches a French service (11th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/01/11/myspace.france.reut/index.html
Music:
A new download store taps the boom in interest in classical and jazz (11th Jan): http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1987312,00.html
DVDs:
Warner officially announce the launch of their dual format HDDVD/Blue-ray discs (10th Jan): http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5659
Mobile Phones/Music:
Apple announce the production of the iphone (9th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6246063.stm Other articles on the phone and its features can be found at (10th Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1986895,00.html and (11th Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1987514,00.html
Mobile Phones:
Yahoo! announce their new 'Go' mobile service with a new internet interface (9th Jan): http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/8466/52/
DVDs:
News on the current state of the format war between HDDVD and Blu-ray (9th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6243383.stm
Radio:
An article on a new, popular US radio station called 'Jack' described as like an Ipod shuffle - another great example of how old media rejuvenate themselves either by beoming new media (going digital), including new media in their content (discussing new media) or simulating new media (taking on their features and benefits such as by imitating the music player shuffle function) (9th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6214080.stm
Television:
An article on a new technology called ShapeshifterTV that allows users to influence story lines by texting the programme as they watch (8th Jan): http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,1985078,00.html
Internet:
A journalist announces that he isn't interested in audience feedback and participation. An interesting corrective to Web 2.0 hype (8th Jan): http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,1984740,00.html
Music:
Changes to the UK singles chart mean that all downloaded tracks now count towards the chart (8th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6239415.stm
Internet /Video Games:
Creators of the online game Second Life open source part of their code for game users (9th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6245599.stm
Internet:
A survey on myspace use and attitudes among young people (8th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/01/08/myspace.teens.reut/index.html
Internet/Mobile Phones:
Mobile Phone company Vodaphone becomes the latest company to offer a UK broadband service (8th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6240851.stm
Music:
An opinion piece on why digital rights management (DRM) in music may be dead soon (8th Jan): http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,72412-0.html I don't buy it myself. Actually what we're seeing is an extension of DRM as television and cinema look to implement their own DRM systems as they explore digital/net delivery so it's going to become an even bigger part of the consumer model of the future. The music industry similarly will not give up DRM, seeing it as the only way to retake control of their product. What's holding back the spread of music DRM at the moment is the online industry's own competition. Inflated prices aiming to maximise profits from a poorer quality product (the download), proprietal formats and hardware restrictions designed to secure the maximum monopolistic market position through consumer-lock-in and convoluted DRM imposing arbitrary restrictions on transferral, playing and copying are all working against the success of the digital music sector. Cheaper pricing and an industry agreed interoperability would improve the customer experience and the industry could use this to smuggle through a single set of DRM standards that would normalise restrictions such that the majority of consumers would accept them as necessary and intevitable. Luckily for us the music industry is too competitive and greedy to move in this direction. If they do we're going to see the massive development of DRM, or, more rpecisely, to give it its real name, increased 'digital user management'.
Internet:
A comment piece on the ruling that Youtube has to take down a video of a model taken by a member of the public (see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6233693.stm ). The article explains how difficult it is to destroy or take down all copies of videos on the net and the issues facing Youtube (8th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6242817.stm
An unsigned band make UK chart history, entering the top 40 on download sales without being signed to a label (14th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6260995.stm see also (16th Jan): http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1991104,00.html
Video games:
A US woman dies after a water-drinking contest to win a Wii - a 'hold your wee for a Wii' game! (14th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6261509.stm
Mobile Phones:
A man is awarded damages after the wrong phone number is given on TV: a Chinese man who received thousands of text messages when his mobile phone number was accidentally used in a TV series has been awarded compensation (13th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6258939.stm
Internet / Video games:
An article on Second Life and its virtual economy (11th Jan): http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/comment/0,,1988163,00.html
Internet:
Myspace launches a French service (11th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/01/11/myspace.france.reut/index.html
Music:
A new download store taps the boom in interest in classical and jazz (11th Jan): http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1987312,00.html
DVDs:
Warner officially announce the launch of their dual format HDDVD/Blue-ray discs (10th Jan): http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5659
Mobile Phones/Music:
Apple announce the production of the iphone (9th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6246063.stm Other articles on the phone and its features can be found at (10th Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1986895,00.html and (11th Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1987514,00.html
Mobile Phones:
Yahoo! announce their new 'Go' mobile service with a new internet interface (9th Jan): http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/8466/52/
DVDs:
News on the current state of the format war between HDDVD and Blu-ray (9th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6243383.stm
Radio:
An article on a new, popular US radio station called 'Jack' described as like an Ipod shuffle - another great example of how old media rejuvenate themselves either by beoming new media (going digital), including new media in their content (discussing new media) or simulating new media (taking on their features and benefits such as by imitating the music player shuffle function) (9th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6214080.stm
Television:
An article on a new technology called ShapeshifterTV that allows users to influence story lines by texting the programme as they watch (8th Jan): http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,1985078,00.html
Internet:
A journalist announces that he isn't interested in audience feedback and participation. An interesting corrective to Web 2.0 hype (8th Jan): http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,1984740,00.html
Music:
Changes to the UK singles chart mean that all downloaded tracks now count towards the chart (8th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6239415.stm
Internet /Video Games:
Creators of the online game Second Life open source part of their code for game users (9th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6245599.stm
Internet:
A survey on myspace use and attitudes among young people (8th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/01/08/myspace.teens.reut/index.html
Internet/Mobile Phones:
Mobile Phone company Vodaphone becomes the latest company to offer a UK broadband service (8th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6240851.stm
Music:
An opinion piece on why digital rights management (DRM) in music may be dead soon (8th Jan): http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,72412-0.html I don't buy it myself. Actually what we're seeing is an extension of DRM as television and cinema look to implement their own DRM systems as they explore digital/net delivery so it's going to become an even bigger part of the consumer model of the future. The music industry similarly will not give up DRM, seeing it as the only way to retake control of their product. What's holding back the spread of music DRM at the moment is the online industry's own competition. Inflated prices aiming to maximise profits from a poorer quality product (the download), proprietal formats and hardware restrictions designed to secure the maximum monopolistic market position through consumer-lock-in and convoluted DRM imposing arbitrary restrictions on transferral, playing and copying are all working against the success of the digital music sector. Cheaper pricing and an industry agreed interoperability would improve the customer experience and the industry could use this to smuggle through a single set of DRM standards that would normalise restrictions such that the majority of consumers would accept them as necessary and intevitable. Luckily for us the music industry is too competitive and greedy to move in this direction. If they do we're going to see the massive development of DRM, or, more rpecisely, to give it its real name, increased 'digital user management'.
Internet:
A comment piece on the ruling that Youtube has to take down a video of a model taken by a member of the public (see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6233693.stm ). The article explains how difficult it is to destroy or take down all copies of videos on the net and the issues facing Youtube (8th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6242817.stm
Saturday, 6 January 2007
Up to 7th January
Filling in the news stories of the last week or so:
Internet:
Youtube ordered by Brazilian judge to take down video of a model on a beach (5th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6233693.stm
Future Technologies:
Bill Gates predicts a future of home-help robots (5th Jan): http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1983267,00.html
Internet:
ecommerce doing well - more evidence that UK shoppers are moving online (5th Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1983183,00.html see also (31st Dec): http://www.guardian.co.uk/christmas2006/story/0,,1980362,00.html
Television:
The first hybrid DVD player, able to play both blu-ray and HDDVD is announced by the South Korean firm LG whilst Warner Bros have announced new double-side hybrid discs (4th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6230925.stm
Mobile Phones/Internet:
Some US mobile phone users will now be able to access and update their Myspace page via phone after the deal with Cingular Wireless (4th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/biztech/12/18/cingular.myspace.ap/index.html
Mobile Phones:
Record numbers of texts sent in the UK over Xmas and the New Year (4th Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1982212,00.html
Television:
TV companies will be offered digital adverts (rather than on video tapes), making it easier to put commecials on air and perhaps attracting advertisers back onto TV from the net (4th Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1982293,00.html
Cinema/Internet:
Movie studios agree on trhe use of the Content Scrambling System (CSS) for downloaded movies to enable burned discsto be played without problems on DVD players. The story forgets to highlight how it also helps the studios by adding DRM to the discs ... (4th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/01/04/movie.downloading.ap/index.html
Television/Internet:
ITV poaches digital chief to mastermind UK's first free video-on-demand service. ITV, suffering on terrestrial television, recognises the need for an early lead in television delivery over the internet. The proposed servcie will let viewers download all of ITV's programmes, 'heralding the end of prime time TV'. All content from its four channels will be available on PC via the net either live or over a 30 day watch-again window (3rd Jan): http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2121717.ece
Internet:
Rising numbers of UK broadband users. 'More than 69% of UK net users have broadband connections according to the latest figures from the UK's Office of National Statistics' (3rd Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6228367.stm
Internet:
Ryanair fails to shut down critical website - Ryanair has lost a fight with a disgruntled customer. The World Intellectual Property Organisation ruled that Michael Coulston's website ryanaircampaign.org did not use the trademark in bad faith, and it was unlikely customers would mistake it for the company's website. "Tarnishment in this context does not mean criticism. If it did, every website critical of a brand owner could be branded a tarnishing use." Mr Coulston said he hoped the company would get the message. "I think they don't understand the human nature of people who don't happen to be driven by greed or fear," he said (2nd Jan): http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1981108,00.html
Internet/Mobile Phones:
Vodafone becomes the next mobile phone provider to begin offering broadband access to attract new customers and cling on to existing users (2nd Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1981018,00.html
Mobile Phones/Cinema:
Orange adds its internet users to its cinema deal, as part of the mobile phone company's strategy to retain/increase customers in a highly competetive market - synergy between media plus special offers are becoming the new marketing tool (2nd Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1981017,00.html
Theory:
An essay by Zizek on Time magazine's decision to give the 2006 award for person of the year to 'You' - to user generated content. Zizek provides a critique of this claimed digital democracy (30th Dec 2006): http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1980156,00.html
Internet:
The number of Chinese web suers grows by a third, rising to 132m people online, up 30% on last year (30th Dec 2006): http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,1980144,00.html
Music:
Making claims of its demise look premature, iTunes is overwhelmed by shoppers in the holiday season (all of whom want to fill their new ipods ...) (28th Dec 2006): http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/12/28/itunes.slowdown.ap/index.html
Internet:
News of a court case starting soon over a sex blog by a woman in Washington DC. She's being sued for invasion of privacy by one man she slept with and wrote about on her blog: 'The case dating from the 2004 blog is expected to go to trial soon. In establishing whether people who keep online journals are obliged to respect the privacy of those they interact with offline, the case could have a profound effect on the content of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook'.(28th Dec 2006): http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1979111,00.html
Mobile Phones:
Vodafone tries to move into the Indian mobile phone market - the fastest growing market in the world (22nd Dec 2006): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1977422,00.html although their bid is challenged within days (28th Dec): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1979086,00.html
Internet:
Youtube ordered by Brazilian judge to take down video of a model on a beach (5th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6233693.stm
Future Technologies:
Bill Gates predicts a future of home-help robots (5th Jan): http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1983267,00.html
Internet:
ecommerce doing well - more evidence that UK shoppers are moving online (5th Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1983183,00.html see also (31st Dec): http://www.guardian.co.uk/christmas2006/story/0,,1980362,00.html
Television:
The first hybrid DVD player, able to play both blu-ray and HDDVD is announced by the South Korean firm LG whilst Warner Bros have announced new double-side hybrid discs (4th Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6230925.stm
Mobile Phones/Internet:
Some US mobile phone users will now be able to access and update their Myspace page via phone after the deal with Cingular Wireless (4th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/biztech/12/18/cingular.myspace.ap/index.html
Mobile Phones:
Record numbers of texts sent in the UK over Xmas and the New Year (4th Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1982212,00.html
Television:
TV companies will be offered digital adverts (rather than on video tapes), making it easier to put commecials on air and perhaps attracting advertisers back onto TV from the net (4th Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1982293,00.html
Cinema/Internet:
Movie studios agree on trhe use of the Content Scrambling System (CSS) for downloaded movies to enable burned discsto be played without problems on DVD players. The story forgets to highlight how it also helps the studios by adding DRM to the discs ... (4th Jan): http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/01/04/movie.downloading.ap/index.html
Television/Internet:
ITV poaches digital chief to mastermind UK's first free video-on-demand service. ITV, suffering on terrestrial television, recognises the need for an early lead in television delivery over the internet. The proposed servcie will let viewers download all of ITV's programmes, 'heralding the end of prime time TV'. All content from its four channels will be available on PC via the net either live or over a 30 day watch-again window (3rd Jan): http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2121717.ece
Internet:
Rising numbers of UK broadband users. 'More than 69% of UK net users have broadband connections according to the latest figures from the UK's Office of National Statistics' (3rd Jan): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6228367.stm
Internet:
Ryanair fails to shut down critical website - Ryanair has lost a fight with a disgruntled customer. The World Intellectual Property Organisation ruled that Michael Coulston's website ryanaircampaign.org did not use the trademark in bad faith, and it was unlikely customers would mistake it for the company's website. "Tarnishment in this context does not mean criticism. If it did, every website critical of a brand owner could be branded a tarnishing use." Mr Coulston said he hoped the company would get the message. "I think they don't understand the human nature of people who don't happen to be driven by greed or fear," he said (2nd Jan): http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1981108,00.html
Internet/Mobile Phones:
Vodafone becomes the next mobile phone provider to begin offering broadband access to attract new customers and cling on to existing users (2nd Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1981018,00.html
Mobile Phones/Cinema:
Orange adds its internet users to its cinema deal, as part of the mobile phone company's strategy to retain/increase customers in a highly competetive market - synergy between media plus special offers are becoming the new marketing tool (2nd Jan): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1981017,00.html
Theory:
An essay by Zizek on Time magazine's decision to give the 2006 award for person of the year to 'You' - to user generated content. Zizek provides a critique of this claimed digital democracy (30th Dec 2006): http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1980156,00.html
Internet:
The number of Chinese web suers grows by a third, rising to 132m people online, up 30% on last year (30th Dec 2006): http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,1980144,00.html
Music:
Making claims of its demise look premature, iTunes is overwhelmed by shoppers in the holiday season (all of whom want to fill their new ipods ...) (28th Dec 2006): http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/12/28/itunes.slowdown.ap/index.html
Internet:
News of a court case starting soon over a sex blog by a woman in Washington DC. She's being sued for invasion of privacy by one man she slept with and wrote about on her blog: 'The case dating from the 2004 blog is expected to go to trial soon. In establishing whether people who keep online journals are obliged to respect the privacy of those they interact with offline, the case could have a profound effect on the content of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook'.(28th Dec 2006): http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1979111,00.html
Mobile Phones:
Vodafone tries to move into the Indian mobile phone market - the fastest growing market in the world (22nd Dec 2006): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1977422,00.html although their bid is challenged within days (28th Dec): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1979086,00.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
