There is a old sayingThere’s a lot of talk today about Google releasing its long-awaited PayPal killer, dubbed Google Checkout. On the surface, it looks very much like the various e-wallet endeavors that launched and failed in the 90’s. But the idea of not having to fill out credit card information at every online store does hold some appeal, and Google may have a shot at making it work. For one thing, their large advertising base gives them a natural group of companies to sell the service into, something the other companies never had. To exploit this, the Google is offering rebates to companies that advertise and use Checkout. This is pretty clever; it’s generally hard to give discounts on auction-based ads. If they were to, say, give an across the board 10% rebate to advertisers, the price of buying ads would just jump up accordingly. But by giving a slight edge to those who use Checkout, they may create a rush among companies to sign up for it. Another way of thinking about it is that it’s less of a PayPal killer than it is an Amazon killer. One of Amazon’s main selling points is the convenience it offers consumers. If Checkout enables similar convenience across the web, it may reduce Amazon’s appeal. So far, Google’s had only minimal success with its non-search busines, but Checkout’s clear revenue model and tie-in with an existing services allow it to actually succeed. Make - the act or process of making; manufacturing. Take a look at this microsoft Sued Over Antipiracy Software
(NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Microsoft is feeling the heat after an aggrieved computer user in Washington filed a class-action lawsuit over the company’s Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) software-verification program. Take a look at this palm quarterly profit rises on Treo demand
(Reuters) Reuters - Handheld computer and phone maker
Palm Inc. on Thursday posted a higher quarterly profit
driven by sales of its Treo mobile phones, but issued a revenue
forecast that was below Wall Street estimates and shares fell 8
percent. Profit - an advantageous gain or return; benefit. What a great idea

Okay, okay you may have heard on the news:A lot has been made about the so-called “Great Firewall of China” and how the country actually manages to restrict content on such an enormous level. Now a new paper is claiming that it’s improper to think of it as a big wall surrounding the perimeter, and that the real censorship system is far less robust. Instead of actually blocking illicit packets from entering the country, China has set up devices that deliver reset requests to both ends of the connection. According the researchers, if people’s computers were just told to ignore these requests, the system would be impotent to block the material. For China to set up a new system in response, based on stronger restrictions on the perimeter, might actually be a difficult technical challenge. So if this entry or the paper itself makes its way past the firewall, they’ll learn, like everyone else, that online filters don’t work. Beat - music. A steady succession of units of rhythm. Take a look at this online Cheaters Are Good Little Spinmeisters Online cheating is an old, old story by this point. Everyone knows that lots of kids go online to cheat. However, when one professor discovered that a large percentage of one of her colleague’s students were cheaters, she decided to do some research and get their opinions on cheating. What she and some other colleagues found was that the cheaters are “good little spinmeisters.” That is, they’re great at rationalizing away the cheating. Some point out that they were still learning — and that the “cheating” helped enforce learning the material. Others blamed the “system” for making the answers available. Of course, it’s easy to laugh off this rationalization, as kids trying to talk their way out of being in trouble. However, there is another way of looking at it as well. As we’ve discussed in the past, the it’s often important for students to learn how to research and how to use information, so perhaps it’s time to figure out ways to make tests that are impervious to cheating. Perhaps it’s time to recognize that, for many subjects (perhaps not all), memorizing a bunch of facts and figures aren’t what’s important, but figuring out how to answer a question. In that context, the rationalization makes a bit more sense — and doesn’t seem quite as bad. Good - portable personal property. Take a look at this predatory Pricing: Any Price That’s Better Than Mine Amidst the endless discussion about Google Checkout, some are trotting out predatory pricing accusations because the company is willing to take a loss on each transaction in order to drive advertising sales. But does this qualify as predatory, or is this the standard definition of a loss leader? Is the iTunes music store predatory because it runs at a loss with the goal of fueling iPod sales? Are Linux distros predatory because they offer free software in hopes of collecting service revenue later on? What about news sites giving free access so they can sell ads? Unfortunately, there’s no good definition of predatory pricing, or a bright line separating it from normal competitive pricing. There’s nothing intrinsically nefarious about wanting to price the competition out of business. What people are concerned about is the hypothetical case in which a company drives the competition out of business, and then raises prices dramatically. But this is rare, and assumes that new entrants couldn’t then enter the space. As in the case of similar complaints against Microsoft, the solution is to compete aggressively with the predator by out innovating, which is how monopolists are eventually brought down. Better - welfare; benefit: for the common good.. Take a look at this significant UK export activity
(FT.com) FT.com - More than a third of the UK’s small businesses are exporters, generating on average a quarter of their turnover from sales abroad, according to research by the Open University Business School’s Small Enterprise Research Team. What a great idea

and if you would like to knowAP - Qualcomm Inc. says it may use some of the royalties earned from mobile phone sales in India to fund research projects here in an apparent move to counter demands for a cut in its royalty rates. Take a look at this review: Vongo movie service goes mobile
(AP)

AP - As an avid movei fan and a frugal consumer, I've always preferred the all-you-can-watch buffet approach to renting moveis over paying a la carte.

. Take a look at this senate panel rejects Net neutrality amendment
(Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee
on Wednesday rejected an amendment to bar broadband high-speed
Internet providers from discriminating against content or
services. Senate - a governing, advisory, or disciplinary body of some colleges and universities composed of faculty members and sometimes student representatives. Take a look at this top Laptops for Any Budget
(NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Choosing a laptop today can require considerable effort. Manufacturers are cranking out updated models every few months with memory advancements and newer versions of microprocessors and video cards. Budget - an itemized summary of estimated or intended expenditures for a given period along with proposals for financing them: submitted the annual budget to
Congress. What a great idea

There is a old saying

AFP - Taiwan-based Acer Inc, the world's fourth largest branded personal computer vendor, has said it is set to more than triple its sales in China this year through its own retail network.

. China - high-quality porcelain or ceramic ware, originally made in China. Take a look at this microsoft Sees Life Stirring in Robots
(PC Magazine) PC Magazine - The software giant is about to enter the robotics space with a new software development suite. Magazine - a place where goods are stored, especially a building in a fort or a storeroom on a warship where ammunition is kept. Take a look at this sailors’ data on Internet tied to Katrina
(AP)

AP - The Navy says that some of the sailors and families whose personal data was discovered last week on a civilian Web site had been affected by Hurricane Katrina.

. Tied - music. A curved line above or below two notes of the same pitch, indicating that the tone is to be sustained for their combined duration. What a great idea

My friends also told me thatReuters - Apple Computer Inc. said
on Thursday an internal probe uncovered irregularities related
to the company’s issuance of stock opsion grants between 1997
and 2001. Take a look at this google-backed FON begins global wireless Internet community push
(AFP)

AFP - Spanish firm FON began a push this week to create a global wireless Internet coummunity made up of people that could earn cash by turning home or business Internet connections into "hot spots."

. Take a look at this adobe releases Flash Player 9
(Macworld.com) Macworld.com - Adobe on Wednesday announced the release of Flash Player 9. It’s a free download for Mac OS X and Windows operating systems. Flash - obsolete. The language or cant of thieves, tramps, or underworld figures. Take a look at this fYI: The Internet Moves Packets Faster Than Trains Move You While internet betting remains under attack in the US, it’s perfect legal in much of the rest of the world. Apparently, an anonymous Frenchman didn’t realize that. Desperate to place a 10,000 euro bet on Brazil winning the World Cup, he took a roundtrip from Paris to London just to place the bet with a British bookmaker. Apparently, he eagerly awaited the betting office to open before placing his bet and running to catch his train back. He was in such a rush to get back that he forgot to take his betting slip, leaving a manager to chase after him. Of course, these days we have these great communications networks called “the telephone” and “the internet” that would have made the virtual trip a lot faster than the physical one. As a spokesperson from the bookmaker said: “We didn’t have the heart to tell him that he could have placed the bet on either the telephone or on the Internet.” Of course, internet gambling in France is more highly regulated, so perhaps the guy felt he needed to leave French soil to make the bet with this particular bookmaker. Still, seems like an awful lot of effort. Move - a particular manner of moving: made some intricate moves on the dance floor. What a great idea

You can also check this out….

Reuters - A stolen laptop computer containing
sensitive information on more than 26 million U.S. military
veterans and service members has been recovered and a
preliminary review indicated no data was taken, the FBI and
Veterans Affairs Department said on Thursday.

. Take a look at this bono asked to aid copy-protection fight
(AP) AP - He’s bent the ear of world leaders on social causes. He’s a Nobel Peace Prize nominee. He’s a rock star. But could the lead singer of U2 also become a front man for a grass-roots campaign seeking to change how the music industry does business?. Fight - a confrontation between opposing groups in which each attempts to harm or gain power over the other, as with bodily force or weapons. Take a look at this microsoft acquires iView Multimedia
(Macworld.com) Macworld.com - Microsoft has purchased iView Multimedia, the companies announced on Monday. Notes on the iView Web site indicate that support for its Macintosh products will continue. What a great idea

I also noted that;FT.com - Wall Street was poised to open higher on Thursday as investors gained confidence ahead of a decision on US interest rates from the Federal Open Market Committee later in the day. Markets were also given a boost by gains in Asia and Europe. Brokerage upgrades helped boost McDonald’s and Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO), but software maker Red Hat (NASDAQ:RHAT) slipped after reporting earnings. Take a look at this camcorder piracy probe nets arrests
(Reuters) Reuters - FBI raids Wednesday led
to the arrest of 13 members of an international movie-piracy
ring suspected of being responsible for half of all camcorder
copies of films available on the black market and on the
Internet in the U.S., according to the MPAA. Probe - the act of exploring or searching with or as if with a device or instrument. Take a look at this silicon Valley to market electric cars
(AP)

AP - Like many Silicon Valley engineers, Martin Eberhard loves cars, especially fast ones. But the self-described "closet gearhead" didn't feel comfortable buying a hot rod that guzzled gas from the Middle East or some other troubled region.

What a great idea

On another note:

AP - Microsoft Corp. on Thursday postponed the release of its next-generation Office business software suite, citing "product performance" issues.

. Take a look at this murdoch said to like PCCW’s broadband TV business
(AFP)

AFP - News Corp. boss Rupert Murdoch is interested in the broadband television busines of Hong Kong telecom company PCCW but is also sceptical that Macquarie Bank's bid for the firm's phone and media assets can succeed.

. Take a look at this report: Many e-voting systems flawed
(AP) AP - The most widely used electronic-voting systams all have flaws that can be addressed relatively easily, but few states and counties have actually implemented recommended security measures, researchers concluded Tuesday. What a great idea

My friends also told me thatNewsFactor - T-Mobile customers not completely sold on the Motorola Razr have a stylish alternative. The Samsung t609 is a visually appealing flip-style phone capable of delivering a full spectrum of voice, messaging, and multimedia features over T-Mobile’s nationwide network. Review - a report or essay giving a critical estimate of a work or performance. Take a look at this vendor touts virtual boxes as secure tool
(AP) AP - A vendor of security software wants to make the Web safer to browse by creating virtual boxes set off from the rest of your machine. Boxes - a separated compartment in a public place of entertainment, such as a theater or stadium, for the accommodation of a small group. Take a look at this nokia sues two Chinese rivals for product copying
(Reuters) Reuters - Nokia (NOK1V.HE), the world’s biggest
cellphone maker, has sued two Chinese competitors in its first
Chinese legal action alleging illegal product copying, a
spokesman said on Wednesday. Product - a scalar product. Take a look at this aT&T offers U-verse video, Net service
(AP) AP - AT&T Inc. on Monday expanded its gradual foray into cable TV, offering its U-verse video and high-speed Internet service to about 5,000 homes in San Antonio. Service - a department or branch of a hospital staff that provides specified patient care: the anesthesiology service. What a great idea

You can also check this out….

Reuters - A raised eyebrow, quizzical look or a
nod of the head are just a few of the facial expressions
coumputers could soon be using to read people's minds.

. Take a look at this still the Old Novell
(The Motley Fool) The Motley Fool - For two decades, Novell (Nasdaq: NOVL - News) has been trying find new growth markets in enterprise software. Unfortunately, its latest attempt has failed. Fed up with the lack of growth, Novell’s board staged a palace coup — throwing out Jack Messman, the CEO, and Joseph Tibbetts, the CFO. Novell’s president, Ronald Hovsepian, will replace Messman. Take a look at this rEVIEW: Vonage simplifies ‘Net calling
(AP) AP - It’s a top feature of Internet phone service that few bother with: the ability to use it anywhere, making and taking calls from the same number at the same low price, even if you’re halfway around the world. Calling - a signal, such as that made by a horn or bell. Take a look at this uS Internet companies commit cash and know-how to protect children online
(AFP)

AFP - US Internet firms Microsoft, Yahoo, Earthlink, AOL, and United Online formed a coalition to protect children online, pledging a million dollars and their savvy to the mission.

What a great idea