April

Music:
On how indie band the Crimea are planning to give away their second album, 'Secrets of the Witching Hour' for free on the net on 14th May to build their fanbase and increase profits from touring and merchandise. They'd been dropped by Warner despite a first album selling 35 000 copies and bringing with it a top 40 single. What ocne would have been the end of the band now doesn't matter ... (30th April): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2068618,00.html

Internet:
An article on the problems Google is facing (30th April): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2068411,00.html

Internet/Music:
Social networking site Bebo begins moves to challenge Myspace as a music site (30th April): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2068413,00.html

Music:
An article on Apple's decision to sell DRM-free music (26th April): http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,2065770,00.html As an aisde, this month saw Apple selling the 100 millionth ipod...

Future Technology:
On a 'body double' robot, as a possible future extension of the self ... (26th April): http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2065580,00.html

Internet/Music:
On Yahoo's plans to put a legal music lyric site online (25th April): http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2064730,00.html

Future Technology:
A discussion of calls for robot rights in the future (24th April): http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,2064267,00.html

News:
An article on how the Virginia Tech University gunman put together a 'multimedia package' of digital material during a break in his killings and mailed it to NBC to be screened after his death (20th April): http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/worldwide/story/0,,2061887,00.html See also important articles about the killer's actions (his 'user-generated confession'), the response and the media coverage (22nd-23rd April): http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2063525,00.html http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,2063098,00.html http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,,2063100,00.html http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,2062689,00.html

Future Technology:
How a tiny robot may transform heart operations (19th April): http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,2060540,00.html

Television:
Freeview overtakes Sky in the UK with its non-subscription service now being used in 11m homes (though some of those could be 'second boxes' in addition to Sky...) (19th April): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2060742,00.html

Video Games:
On the race for intelligent gaming (19th April):
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/games/story/0,,2060006,00.html

Internet:
How Endemol and Electronic Arts are joining up to produce a new virtual Big Brother for people to play using avatars (17th April): http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2058774,00.html

Television/Mobile Phones:
ITV's news and entertainment services roll out on 3 network, with free video snippets if customers watch adverts (16th April): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2057882,00.html

Internet:
Police arrest girl whose myspace advertised party caused £20 000 of damage (14th April): http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/article/0,,2057041,00.html

Music/Film:
The music and film industry are fighting back against online P2P piracy (12th April): http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,2055221,00.html

Music:
An article on digital music formats and their future (12th April): http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,2055743,00.html

Internet:
Blogs mark the first 10 years (7th April): http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2051882,00.html

Internet:
A discussion of internet neutrality (5th April): http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,2049793,00.html

Security:
A new development in surveillance - cameras to tell off troublemakers after being equipped with loudspeakers (5th April): http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2050148,00.html Within days they get into trouble for accusing the wrong person and showing their victim on TV news reports! (12th April): http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/article/0,,2055056,00.html

Internet:
How businesses learned to love the blogosphere, myspace and social networking sites (4th April): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2049364,00.html

Internet:
'Brilliantly Boring' - an article picking up on the cheddarvision story from March, discussing the webcams available on the net (4th April): http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2048707,00.html

Security:
UK Hacker who cracked the Pentagon system faces US justice after extradition appeal fails (4th April): http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2049520,00.html


Mobile Phones/Internet:
Carphone warehouse admits that it's broadband TalkTalk service is struggling (3rd April): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2048635,00.html

Internet:
A study shows that more than half of adults in the UK now have broadband (3rd April): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2048636,00.html

Internet/Television:
Google pushes further into TV world with a new deal to service a US satellite TV network with advertising (3rd April): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2048633,00.html

Music:
EMI scraps DRM on its digital tracks - the DRM-free tracks will be available through iTunes for a premium price (the piracy continues...) (3rd April): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2048730,00.html The next day EMI releases its first album without copy-protection for download (4th April): http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2049993,00.html See also the article on EMI's decision (5th April): http://media.guardian.co.uk/newmedia/story/0,,2049908,00.html On the 4th April Microsoft also announced they would join EMI and make songs available on their Zune marketplace service without DRM (though again at a premium price) - see the discussion article at: http://www.drmwatch.com/ocr/article.php/3669946

Internet:
Justin Kan has strapped a camera onto his head and made the images available online on Justin.tv - http://www.justin.tv/ - what he calls 'lifecasting': broadcasting his life for 24/7 (1st April): http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2047486,00.html

Internet:
Chatroom users face charges over claims that they goaded a depressed man to kill himself live in a chatroom (see March) (1st April): http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2047502,00.html