RIAA says Net karaoke is not OK

The US record industry has apparently taken offence at a new trend of kids making videos of themselves singing along to popular songs and posting the result on websites such as YouTube. According to music website Project Opus, the Recording Industry Association of America has sent cease-and-desist letters to YouTube users, demanding that said videos be removed from the site. Project Opus says that RIAA-member Universal has called for 'an aggressive stance against amateur video using commercial songs'. ...more

Apple and Google in video talks

Apple and Google are reportedly in talks over providing video content to be available through Apple's forthcoming 'iTV' device. Apple broke with its tradition of closely guarding details of future products when it recently previewed its set-top box for wirelessly transmitting video from a Mac or PC to a TV. Now, according to reports from Newsweek, , Google's consumer product chief, Marissa Mayer, has confirmed that the two companies are 'engaged in talks' over video content. ...more

Microsoft updates Digital Image Suite

Microsoft has updated its digital picture editing and management package for the home. Digital Image Suite (DIS) 2006 offers new features to help manage people's ever-growing library of images as well as support for burning CDs and new imaging devices. Management of digital libraries has become a hot topic online with the high profile sites FlickR and Picasa. ...more

IBM goes 3D in Second Life

IBM is throwing its considerable weight into exploring virtual worlds with a technology investment of roughly $10 million over the next 12 months. This includes an expanded presence within the popular 3D online universe Second Life. Chairman and Chief Executive Sam Palmisano is set to visit Second Life on Tuesday, following a 'town hall' meeting with some 7,000 employees in China, and speak with the more than 250 IBM employees on one of the company's virtual islands. ...more

Online profiles damage careers - survey

Whether it is drunken party pics posted on Flickr or expletive-filled MySpace pages, your previous online postings may come back to haunt you and your career, a YouGov survey has found. A fifth of employers have looked up prospective recruits online, with over half of them saying it affected their decision to hire the person, said respondents to the survey of 2,447 internet users and 600 companies, commissioned by business networking firm Viadeo. 'People need to understand that putting a profile in the public domain may have repercussions for their career later on in life,' said Peter Cunningham, Viadeo's UK country manager. ...more