Top Items:

Digg Corrupted: Editor's Playground, not User-Driven Website — As a follow up to an earlier post (Digg Army: Right in Line), there have been some vibrations that I think not only our readers would find interesting, but also all Digg users. — To quickly summarize the earlier post …
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Digging Fraud — Recently it was brought to our attention that several users have created accounts to mass digg and promote stories. While these accounts appear to be valid, they have in certain instances been used for automated in-order (scripted) digging.
Discussion:
The Jason Calacanis Weblog, Silicon Valley Sleuth, mathewingram.com/work and Publishing 2.0


Suspicious Digging — Have a look at this blog post, which talks about Digg potentially being misused. I posted this partly because I was unable to digg that post. If you scroll down to the list of diggers here and here, you will notice that the order of the first 16 diggers is identical and that only 2 of the 24 vary in each.


Rumor Alert: AOL to attempt MySpace assault — Ooh, here's some juicy, unsubstantiated buzz: According to Dave Winer, AOL (this blogger's employer) is planning a new service that will challenge MySpace "head on." The announcement will allegedly be made in two weeks.
Discussion:
Bloggers Blog
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AOL To Launch "Myspace Killer" — AOL may be preparing to launch a Myspace-type social network called "Head On" sometime in the next few weeks, says Dave Winer. — This went from rumor to "confirmed likely" in posts and comments by Jason Calacanis and Jordan Running (also here) (both now at AOL).

AIM — Here's where a mash-up between Web 2. and the MSM gets …
Discussion:
The Jason Calacanis Weblog


State of the Computer Book Market, Part 2 — In this installment, I'll look at specific technology trends as demonstrated by book sales. First off, here's another view of our computer book treemap, this time tweaked a bit to show the hierarchical organization of the category database.
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The boom is back — Net companies are on fire again. Here's the smart way to invest without getting burned — (FORTUNE Magazine) - Back when the Internet bubble was deflating disastrously, the fashionable view was that we'd never see its like again — and thank goodness.

Why EarthLink needs Wi-Fi to work — With dial-up dying and broadband subscriptions stagnant, EarthLink must build its own networks to survive. — SAN FRANCISCO (Business 2.0 Magazine) - The first-quarter earnings that EarthLink announced today illustrate its plight.


A Tour of Microsoft's Mac Lab — Today I'll stop my 3rd person perspective. I'm going to write a little bit more about what I do to help MacBU ship great software and provide some color around what's it's like to work on Mac software at Microsoft. Often when we have press events …


It's official: Distracted drivers are dangerous — (CNN) — A new study lends scientific credence to what many aready suspect: Drivers dabbing on makeup, chatting on cell phones or eating breakfast are three times as likely to be involved in a crash as more attentive motorists.
Discussion:
Engadget Mobile

Widgets, BitTorrent, content blocking: Introducing Opera 9 Beta — Opera Software today announced the first public Beta of Opera 9. This version includes Widgets, small Web programs running in their own windows that are fun, easy-to-use and live on users' desktops.

Apple Origami UMPC? Looks likely — Is Apple working on it's own Origami UMPC device? Well, judging from patent applications filed by Apple in recent months, it seems so. — Does this picture look familiar: — It looks just like variation of Microsoft Touchpack software …
Discussion:
Gizmodo, jkOnTheRun, Life On the Wicked Stage, Ubergizmo, AMCP Tech Blog, TeleRead and The Unofficial Apple Weblog

TVGuide.com Launches Blogging Community — Site Showcases 65 Professionally-Written Blogs — NEW YORK—(BUSINESS WIRE)—April 20, 2006—TVGuide.com (www.tvguide.com) has launched one of the largest professional entertainment blog communities on the Internet, it was announced today …


Jingle is now 1.5% of 411 Market, raises $26m — Jingle Networks, which runs a free 411 service called 1-800-Free411, has raised $26 million in a Series B financing. The round was led by existing investor Liberty Associated Partners. Also participating were existing investors First Round Capital …


Google Base Car Search Introduced In Natural Results — While doing some query checking this am I noticed my normally friendly Google results had been moved further down the page and in their place was a query refinement form for a car search. I figured this was to increase the amount …