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2:40 PM ET, October 20, 2008

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Wall Street Journal:
Google CEO Backs Obama  —  Schmidt Expands Political Role by Hitting the Campaign Trail  —  Google Inc. Chief Executive Eric Schmidt will hit the campaign trail this week on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, signaling Mr. Schmidt's push for a greater voice in politics …
Harry McCracken / Technologizer:
Apple Ads About Microsoft Ads About Apple Ads About Microsoft  —  Apple released a couple of new “Get a Mac” ads today, and while I wouldn't usually bother to mention that here, these ones are noteworthy: They make direct reference to Microsoft's current $300 million ad campaign for Windows.
Sam Oliver / AppleInsider:
Intel shows off working Moorestown MID device  —  Intel on Monday showed off a prototype handheld based on Moorestown, its upcoming Mobile Internet Device (MID) platform designed to enable a new generation of ultra-thin, touchscreen devices with extensive battery life.
Discussion: TG Daily
RELATED:
Monica Chen / DigiTimes:
MSI to launch 3.5G Wind netbook next month  —  Micro-Star International (MSI) is planning to launch the Wind U120 with a built-in 3.5G module in November this year.  The netbook will feature Intel's Atom N270 processor, 1GB memory, 120GB hard drive and Windows XP and be priced around NT$18,000 …
Chris Albrecht / NewTeeVee:
CBS Tries to Make Online Viewing Social  —  Mel Brooks said the hardest thing to do was to make a person sitting alone in a room laugh out loud.  Laughter is social, and that's important to consider as watching online video on your laptop or handheld device with headphones can be a pretty isolating experience.
RELATED:
James Hibberd / Hollywood Reporter:   CBS to mash up Web couch potatoes
David Kaplan / paidContent.org:
Glam Media Finds Its Male Side, Launches Brash.com  —  After offering a hint about its plans last month, female-centric Glam Media has released Brash, its new male-focused lifestyle and entertainment online hub.  Brash is being targeted to men 18-49 years old and is beginning life …
RELATED:
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Glam Gets Brash: Screenshots Of The New Men's Network
Jessica Dolcourt / Download.com editors:
Opera Mobile's second beta supports widgets, Symbian UIQ  —  There's been a lot of activity this week in the world of mobile browsers.  On Friday, Mozilla introduced an alpha build for Fennec, the very-much-in-development mobile browser that will grow up to become Firefox for Mobile.
RELATED:
Dusanb / IntoMobile:
Opera Mobile 9.5 beta now available for Symbian UIQ3, too
Henry Blodget / Silicon Alley Insider:
Two Ways Yahoo Can Blow The Mass Firings  —  Now that Yahoo employees have had the pleasure of reading about their impending fate for weeks, management will reportedly finally announce the mass firings this week.  The exact number has yet to be released—somewhere between 1500 and 3000 …
Henry Blodget / Silicon Alley Insider:
Let's Be Serious: Online Display Ads Will Fall Sharply In 2009  —  For a year, we've listened to analysts passionately explain how online ad spending will power through any broader economic and advertising weakness.  Eyeballs are moving online, this story went (goes), ad dollars will follow.
Discussion: Valleywag
Sam Diaz / Between the Lines:
No surprise.  Yahoo expected to announce layoffs  —  Word leaked out over the weekend that Yahoo is planning layoffs when it reports quarterly earnings on Tuesday afternoon.  The exact number of jobs affected is unknown, thought sources told the San Jose Mercury News and Wall Street Journal that it would likely be more than 1,000.
Discussion: Gadgetell
RELATED:
Jessica E. Vascellaro / Wall Street Journal:
Yahoo Plans Major Cost Cuts, Including Layoffs
Michael Masnick / Techdirt:
RIAA Calls Another Critic Vexatious After She Points Out Flaw In RIAA Logic  —  It appears that someone in the RIAA's legal team discovered the word “vexatious” lately and now likes to use it.  First, the RIAA declared lawyer Ray Beckerman vexatious, and now it's trying to pin the same word …
Discussion: BetaNews
RELATED:
Eric Bangeman / Ars Technica:   RIAA now wants to avoid trial in innocent infringement case
Jonathan M. Gitlin / Ars Technica:
Microsoft gets patent for real-time f-bomb bleeping  —  Back in 2004 Microsoft applied for a patent for real-time censoring of audio streams, and now the USPTO has granted that patent.  —  As PC gamers have known for a long time, and Xbox gamers have known for a while …
Olga Kharif / Business Week:
Motorola Readies Its Own Android Social Smartphone  —  Amid a boom in social-network-friendly handsets, Motorola prepares a new entry, but its Android may not debut until 2009's second quarter  —  As the wireless world awaits the Oct. 22 debut of the first phone based on the Google-backed Android software …
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
SearchMe Adds Music Search With Unlimited Streaming Via Imeem Widgets  —  Okay, this has to be the coolest hack of the week.  Visual search engine SearchMe has just added a music search tab that brings back results with free, legal, unlimited full-song streams and cover art you can flip through.
Discussion: ReadWriteWeb
Wall Street Journal:
Circuit City Weighs Broad Cuts  —  Circuit City Stores Inc. is considering a plan to close at least 150 stores and cut thousands of jobs, as an alternative to filing for bankruptcy-court protection, said people familiar with the company.  —  Earlier this month, the nation's No. 2 electronics retailer …
YouTube Blog:
A Behind the Scenes Look at Contacting Us  —  We've heard some of your concerns around trying to get the assistance you need when having an issue on the site.  Our ultimate goal is to keep improving the product so you essentially won't need any help at all.
Discussion: InformationWeek
Susan Moskwa / Google Webmaster Central Blog:
Where's my data?  —  Today we're going back to basics.  We'll be answering the question: What is a website?  —  ...Okay, not exactly.  But we will be looking into what a “website” means in the context of Webmaster Tools, what kind of sites you can add to your Webmaster Tools account …
 
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 More Items: 
Matthew Lasar / Ars Technica:
FCC lukewarm on networks' request to delay white space vote
Discussion: CNET News and DailyTech
Ryan Paul / Ars Technica:
Hands on: Fennec alpha 1 puts Firefox on your handheld
Kelly Hodgkins / Boy Genius Report:
LG Lotus, Samsung Rant and Highnote now available at Sprint
Scott Ferguson / eWeek:
Intel Slashes Desktop, Server Processor Prices
Discussion: Hardware 2.0
Greg Sandoval / CNET News:
MPAA slams EFF on RealDVD
James Kendrick / jkOnTheRun:
Text messaging: great method of communication for the deaf
Om Malik / Business Week:
Software Makers Get an iPhone Bump
Discussion: GigaOM and VoIP Watch
Doug Aamoth / CrunchGear:
CrunchDeals: Acer Aspire One netbook for $309.99
Discussion: CNET News, dealnews and Obsessable
 Earlier Items: 
Kelly Hodgkins / Boy Genius Report:
The affordable LG KP500 is codenamed “Cookie”
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Two Ways Google Is Trying To Juice AdSense: Ad-Only Search Boxes …
Discussion: Domain Name Wire and Shoemoney
Ina Fried / Beyond Binary:
Microsoft aims to get more touchy-feely
Jon Healey / L.A. Times Tech Blog:
Bringing search ads to file sharers
Walter Pincus / Washington Post:
DARPA Contract Description Hints at Advanced Video Spying
Discussion: Slashdot
Brian Hurley / The Register:
Run Mac OS X on a PC
Discussion: VoIP & Gadgets Blog
Brooke Crothers / CNET News:
Toshiba, SanDisk restructure flash ventures
Discussion: The Register and Tech Trader Daily
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Ofcom rules that five GB News programs presented by Conservative politicians have broken its due impartiality rules and puts the channel “on notice”

Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
Authentic Brands licenses Sports Illustrated's publishing rights to The Players' Tribune owner Minute Media for 10 years, with plans to keep the print edition

Todd Spangler / Variety:
YouTuber MrBeast announces a deal with Prime Video for Beast Games, a reality-competition show with 1,000 contestants, promising the winner a $5M cash prize

 
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