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12:15 PM ET, March 19, 2009

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Microsoft:
Microsoft Announces Availability of Internet Explorer 8  —  New browser focuses on top customer needs, including security, ease of use and performance.  —  Today Microsoft Corp. announced the availability of Windows Internet Explorer 8, the new Web browser that offers the best solution for how people use the Web today.
RELATED:
Walter S. Mossberg / Personal Technology:
Microsoft Ups Ante With New Browser  —  The Web browser is arguably the most important piece of software on a computer.  No longer just a tool for perusing or searching for information, it has become, for many people, their principal communications medium, their photo album, their newspaper, social club, bank and shopping mall.
RELATED:
Ashlee Vance / Bits:
Cisco Flips Over Pure Digital  —  Cisco Systems went through with its head-scratcher of an acquisition, announcing on Thursday the purchase of Pure Digital for $590 million in stock.  —  While you may not recognize the Pure Digital name, there's a decent chance that you've run across its Flip Video products.
Anupreeta Das / Reuters:
Cisco buys Flip Video maker for $590 million
Discussion: NewTeeVee
Wall Street Journal:
Sony, Google Challenge Amazon  —  Sony Electronics Inc. is pairing with Google Inc. to battle Amazon.com Inc. in the growing digital books market.  —  In a strike against Amazon's Kindle electronic book reader, Sony and Google plan to launch a partnership Thursday that will give users …
RELATED:
BBC:
Google's pictures of UK go live  —  Google has launched the UK version of its Street View service, which allows users to browse a selection of pictures taken along city streets.  —  Street scenes in 25 UK cities from Aberdeen to Southampton can be viewed using the service.
Peter Suber / Open Access News:
MIT adopts a university-wide OA mandate  —  This afternoon, the MIT faculty unanimously adopted a university-wide OA mandate.  Here's the resolution the faculty approved (thanks to Hal Abelson, MIT professor of computer science and engineering, who chaired the committee to formulate it):
Discussion: UMBC ebiquity
Ryan Naraine / Zero Day:
Pwn2Own 2009: Safari/MacBook falls in seconds  —  [ UPDATE: IE 8 and Safari also fall ]  —  VANCOUVER, BC — Charlie Miller has done it again.  For the second consecutive year, the security researcher hacked into a fully patched MacBook computer by exploiting a security vulnerability in Apple's Safari browser.
RELATED:
Sascha Segan / PC Magazine:
Analysis: Apple's iPhone Shows How Upgrades Should Be Done  —  Never mind the cut and paste.  Never mind the picture messaging, or all the other stuff that should have been in iPhone 1.0.  Never mind the new payment methods that will shake up the mobile shopping marketplace.
RELATED:
InfoWorld:
Jailbreakers get busy on iPhone 3.0 OS
Discussion: PC World
Peter Kafka / MediaMemo:
Live from New York: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer  —  The Microsoft (MSFT) boss is sitting down with BusinessWeek editor Stephen Adler at the McGraw-Hill media conference.  Expect at least some chatter about Yahoo (YHOO) and its new boss Carol Bartz, who just happens to be visiting New York this week as well.
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
Twitterville Falls For Premium Accounts Hoax  —  It's mildly funny and very obviously a hoax, but this article on humour site BBspot didn't stop many a Twitter user from thinking it is real.  —  The author of the post mocks Twitter's lack of an apparent business model after 3 years in operation …
Discussion: Screenwerk, BBspot and The Blog Herald
David Richards / Smarthouse:
NEW Apple OLED Notebook & iPhone Confirmed By LG  —  Apple is set to launch new OLED notebooks and flat panel monitors along with a new OLED iPhone claim sources at LG in Korea.  —  It's also believed that a new iPhone and iPod Touch due later this year will include an OLED screen made by LG …
Claire Cain Miller / Bits:
A More Local, Social Citysearch  —  Citysearch is unveiling a new Web site on Thursday that will make the site more social and more local — and, the site hopes, staunch its loss of readers.  —  Citysearch was one of the first Web companies to create an online version of the Yellow Pages when …
Discussion: HipMojo.com and Screenwerk, Thanks:mrinaldesai
John Markoff / New York Times:
Computer Experts Unite to Hunt Worm  —  An extraordinary behind-the-scenes struggle is taking place between computer security groups around the world and the brazen author of a malicious software program called Conficker.  —  The program grabbed global attention when it began spreading late …
Carlo Longino / Techdirt:
Sirius Founder Says The Company Is Screwed  —  from the cracks-in-the-crystal-ball dept  —  It's no secret that Sirius XM's business has been hurting.  Its recent brush with bankruptcy merely highlighted the huge obstacles the company faced from the beginning: massive capital outlay …
Palm WebOS:
Palm WebOS: Subscription Accounting  —  In my infinite quest to find every bit of Palm WebOS and Palm Pre news on the planet, I came across a Palm document marked “confidential” that illustrates to investors how the company will handle accounting for Palm Pre and other WebOS related revenue.
Discussion: jkOnTheRun and Engadget
Michael Masnick / Techdirt:
UK Recording Industry: Investigate Google For Not Giving Us Money  —  from the logic-is-not-sharkey's-strong- suit dept  —  Back at Midem, Feargal Sharkey, former singer for the Undertones, and now the head of a lobbying group called UK Music, trashed outsider “utopians” who spout …
Discussion: Technologizer and Beyond Search, Thanks:atul
Arn / MacRumors:
USB Tethering Seems to be Working in iPhone 3.0  —  One developer was “hacking around” with some carrier bundle files and iPhone 3.0 and somehow managed to activate the tethering preferences.  Not only that, he was also able to actually tether his iPhone 3G to his laptop over USB.
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 More Items: 
Forbes:
Aussie Internet Blacklist Has Gray Areas
Discussion: The Register
Simon Axten / Facebook Blog:
An Update on Facebook Governance
Discussion: All Facebook
Rich Miller / Data Center Knowledge:
Rackable CloudRack Turns Up The Heat
Discussion: GigaOM
Michael Masnick / Techdirt:
Topspin Shows That Premium Offerings Get Sales: People Will Pay …
Justin Smith / Inside Facebook:
How Do You Treat a Fan Who Owns Your Facebook Page?
One Degree:
adamo.com - The Importance of a Good Domain
Discussion: Domain Name Wire
Brian Caulfield / Forbes:
IBM: Tech's Cash King
Discussion: Computerworld Blogs
 Earlier Items: 
Marin Perez / InformationWeek:
Ericsson May Want Out Of Sony Ericsson
Discussion: TheStreet.com and SlashGear
Nina Shapiro / Seattle Weekly:
Intelius and the Dubious Art of “Post-Transaction Marketing”
Discussion: TechCrunch and TechFlash
Washington Post:
Four D.C. Tech Office Workers Placed on Leave, 23 Consultants …
Discussion: Beyond Search
Kip Kniskern / LiveSide:
The curious case of Kumo: more than just a “test name”?
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
Y Combinator Demo Day Spring 2009
Discussion: VentureBeat
 

 
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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