Berners-Lee blasts US Copyright Office

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, has taken issue with the US Copyright Office over its insistence that certain online forms can only be submitted using Microsoft's Internet Explorer. In an open letter from the W3C which seeks to establish standards for web usage, Lee says that restricting submissions to a single browser is not only against the whole spirit in which the world wide web is established, it is also against the spirit of Federal Information policy. At issue is a new 'pre-registration' system for establishing copyrights. ...more

Five-colours of ?179 iPod mini available from 24 July

Six months after Apple introduced the iPod mini, the 4GB, five-coloured digital music player has finally gone on sale in the UK for ?179. This compares with the US price of $249, around ?165 when you add 17.5 per cent VAT. ...more

US Government settles with Microsoft

In legal terms, Microsoft has signed a consent decree with the US government over the long-running anti-trust case. In layman's terms, a settlement has almost been reached. As indicated earlier on Friday, the US federal government - in the shape of the Department of Justice (DoJ) - has reached an agreement with Microsoft just ahead of Judge Kollar-Kotelly's imposed deadline. ...more

Doctors diagnose iPod Fingers

UK doctors have begun reporting incidences of iPod Finger, a repetitive strain injury caused by constant manipulation of the iPod scroll wheel or buttons. The British Chiropractic Association (BCA) says the condition could soon be as commonplace in the UK as it is in the US where some users have lost the full use of their thumb. The BCA's Dr Carl Irwin explained that the problem is caused by constantly operating the iPod with the same repetitive motion and added that the problem will only get worse, particularly among the young. ...more

MIT launches Innovation Futures game

A new game launched in a publication backed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) lets you bet on the future of technological developments. Java Today reports the launch of Innovation Futures, where you purchase predictions of future outcomes and compete against fellow players in a trading environment. Playing with 'xDollars', you attempt to predict the outcome of various news events supplied by the publication, for example When will Google have an IPO?. ...more