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Why we believe in Google Print — We've been asked recently why we're so determined to pursue Google Print, even though it has drawn industry opposition in the form of two lawsuits, the most recent coming today from several members of the American Association of Publishers.
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Publishers battle Google book index — Suit joins action filed by authors over copyright — Five major publishing firms filed suit against Internet search giant Google Inc. yesterday to stop the company from creating a digital index of millions of copyrighted books.

Throwing the Books at Google — Just weeks after a leading authors' organization sued Google for copyright infringement, the Association of American Publishers has also filed suit against the search engine giant's plans to scan and index books for the internet.

Web 2.0 Bubble — I had an enjoyable lunch with Jeff Jarvis today catching up on a number of things and brainstorming about value in the next generation web. During the conversation I vented a little frustration at the use of buzz words and bubble-like mentality with terms like Web 2.0.

No Head-Scratching at eBay About Skype's Potential — If up to $4.1 billion wasn't enough to prove eBay's serious about just-acquired Skype, executive comments Wednesday sure did. And executive moves: eBay Chief Financial Officer Rajiv Dutta soon will become the London-based president …

INTERVIEW WITH SPHERE CEO TONY CONRAD — Last week, I contacted Tony Conrad for an interview about Sphere, a new blog search engine presently in private beta testing. Tony, who is the CEO of Sphere was gracious enough to agree, amidst a very busy schedule.

A Journey to a Thousand Maps Begins With an Open Code — A Google map is no longer just a Google map. — You can still search Google Maps to figure out how to get from here to there, but why would you, when you can use it to pinpoint kosher restaurants in Cincinnati, traffic cameras in Dublin …
Discussion:
Google Maps Mania

Media Companies Go Too Far in Curbing Consumers' Activities — In some quarters of the Internet, the three most hated letters of the alphabet are DRM. They stand for Digital Rights Management, a set of technologies for limiting how people can use the music and video files they've purchased from legal downloading services.

Firefox sees 100 millionth download — Just shy of Firefox's first birthday party, the Mozilla Foundation celebrated the 100 millionth download of its Web browser Wednesday. — Mozilla has seen steady adoption of its browser since its release last November.

Work directly with RAW files — "Until now, RAW files have taken so long to work with," said Heinz Kluetmeier, renowned sports photographer whose credits include over 100 Sports Illustrated covers. "What amazed me about Aperture is that you can work directly with RAW files …
Discussion:
Guardian Unlimited

'Cash for clips' as 3 pays customers for popular video content — The world's most democratic mobile TV channel will go live today with the launch of See Me TV, exclusively on 3. The launch sees 3 offering over 3.2 million customers cash in exchange for popular video content in a move …
Discussion:
MobHappy

Intel Settlement Revives a Fading Chip Designer — PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 19 - Intel's agreement to pay $300 million to settle a patent dispute with a tiny chip design company is a vindication for a Silicon Valley technologist who was once considered one of the region's visionaries, then vanished from the scene.
Discussion:
SiliconBeat

An iPod Worth Keeping an Eye On — CALL it the iPod Paradox: with each successive version, Apple's 30-million-selling music player gets thinner and thinner, but its feature list grows longer and longer. By next year, no doubt, the iPod will act as a radio, remote control and coffee stirrer …
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Gizmondo thief caught by GPS — So the Gizmondo's GPS function does have a use. In addition to providing the power behind the handheld gamer's new in-car sat-nav package, last month it also helped rescue a stolen Gizmondo. — The story reeks of a PR stunt to our sceptical noses but Gizmondo insists it's for real.

Sue Companies, Not Coders — At a security conference last week, Howard Schmidt, the former White House cybersecurity adviser, took the bold step of arguing that software developers should be held personally accountable for the security of the code they write. — He's on the right track, but he's made a dangerous mistake.
Discussion:
Schneier on Security