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1:45 PM ET, September 5, 2008

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Microsoft:
Microsoft Kicks off new Windows Campaign with Star Power  —  “This is the Conquistador,” explains Jerry Seinfeld, showing a befuddled Bill Gates a brown loafer.  “They run very tight.”  —  After seeing the new ad from Microsoft, which debuted today, some may wonder what Jerry Seinfeld …
RELATED:
Sam Diaz / Between the Lines:
Seinfeld & Gates: Was this ad supposed to be funny?  —  The long-awaited $300 million ad campaign that Microsoft launched to counter Apple's successful “I'm a Mac, I'm a PC” campaign aired during the Thursday night kickoff to the NFL season.  Did you see it?  I missed it on TV but caught it on YouTube.
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Microsoft Ads: First Phase To “Engage Consumers, Spark Conversation”  —  So the tech and geek crowd is a little underwhelmed by the new $300 million Microsoft advertising campaign featuring Jerry Seinfeld that kicked off tonight.  It's mostly content free, with just one mention of Microsoft near the end.
Mary Jo Foley / All about Microsoft:
Forget Seinfeld.  Can Windows gurus help the Windows brand?  —  The day after it launched the first ad in its $300 consumer-focused make-over campaign, Microsoft is going public with some of the other planned Windows-branding fixes it has in the pipeline.  —  Microsoft isn't opening brick-and-mortar Microsoft stores.
Om Malik / GigaOM:
Joost To Kill Desktop Client  —  Exclusive: In what is likely to be a major shift in the company's strategy, peer-to-peer startup Joost is going to stop making its desktop client.  The decision to suspend the client is likely to be announced soon, I am told.
Justin Scheck / Wall Street Journal:
Dell Plans to Sell Factories In Effort to Cut Costs  —  Dell Inc. is trying to sell its computer factories around the world, a move to sharply overhaul a production model that was long a hallmark of the PC giant's strategy but is no longer competitive.  —  In recent months …
Om Malik / GigaOM:
What Netscape's Founder Thinks About the New Google Browser  —  Marc Andreessen, whose first startup, Netscape Communications, introduced the consumer web to millions thanks to its Netscape browser, seems to be suitably impressed by Google's recently released Chrome browser.
Miguel Helft / Bits:
Google at Age 10  —  Google applied for incorporation as a business 10 years ago Thursday, according to a timeline supplied by the company.  The application was accepted on Sept. 7, which is Sunday.  —  In that decade, the search engine company has quickly emerged as the most successful business …
Discussion: eWeek, Valleywag and Memex 1.1
RELATED:
Tim Weber / BBC:
Google at 10  —  It's the success story to beat all internet success stories.
Discussion: BBC
Paul Boutin / Valleywag:
MySQL founder quits Sun  —  “Just heard that Monty gave his resignation to Sun today,” a tipster we trust writes about Michael Widenius, the Finnish-born main author of open-source database software MySQL.  Sun Microsystems had aqcuired Monty's company, also called MySQL, for a cool billion in January.
The Boy Genius / Boy Genius Report:
Full PRADA II specifications!  —  We just got a heads up from one of our trusty sources, and they've come through with full PRADA II specs for us!  In case you don't remember, the new PRADA II handset will feature a slide-out QWERTY keyboard as pictured above.  Here's a rundown on the specs we got:
Steven Musil / CNET News.com:
Michael Moore plans Net-only film premiere  —  Filmmaker Michael Moore plans to premiere his latest documentary exclusively on the Internet for free, forgoing the traditional theatrical release.  —  Slacker Uprising , which documents Moore's 62-city tour through swing states during …
Ryan Naraine / Zero Day:
Demo Facebook app creates DoS botnet  —  Do you know what that innocent-looking Facebook app is really doing?  —  Researchers at the Institute of Computer Science (ICS) have created a proof-of-concept Facebook application capable of covertly herding users of the popular social network into a powerful — and malicious — botnet.
Discussion: TechCrunch
Matt Asay / The Open Road:
The key to making money: Charge for your product  —  I loved this presentation by David Heinemeier Hansson of 37Signals.  His topic?  How to make money as an online software company.  —  His verdict?  Charge for your product, but be careful whom you charge.  —  Chris Anderson elaborates on this theme:
Ryan Naraine / Zero Day:
Google Chrome vulnerabilities starting to pile up  —  [ UPDATE: See below for Google's official response to these issues ]  —  Security vulnerabilities in the new Google Chrome browser is beginning to pile up.  —  Following our coverage of the carpet bombing combo threat and denial-of-service crashes …
Discussion: Bkis Blog and darkREADING
 
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 More Items: 
Todd Spangler / Multichannel News:
TiVo Shares Fall After No Decision In Dish Case
Discussion: NewTeeVee and Zatz Not Funny!
Major Nelson / Xbox Lives Major Nelson:
Extended Play Download Days (price drop on DLC)
Eric Savitz / Tech Trader Daily:
Apple Shrs Retreat Heading To “Let's Rock” …
Peter Kirn / Create Digital Music:
flight404's Magnetosphere the New Visualizer in iTunes 8?
Romain Guy / Android Developers Blog:
Android Photostream
Discussion: AppScout
Ryan Paul / Ars Technica:
Red Hat acquires Qumranet, will embrace KVM
Matthew Lasar / Ars Technica:
FCC exempts small cable operators from HD must-carry rule
John Leyden / The Register:
Sophos DNS snafu creates update problems
Discussion: Newest Industry
 Earlier Items: 
Amol Sharma / Wall Street Journal:
Company to Create Airwaves Exchange
Maggie Shiels / BBC:
Spore - changing the game
Discussion: CNET News and Blue's News
Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
iSkoot acquires social networking client Social.IM
Tony Smith / The Register:
Next-gen netbook Intel Atom due Q3 2009
Richard MacManus / ReadWriteWeb:
Chrome Not Ready For Enterprise
Sean Fallon / Gizmodo:
EA Announces SimCity and The Sims 3 for the iPhone: Spore Coming on September 7th
Discussion: AppScout and Lockergnome
Sean Fallon / Gizmodo:
120GB Zune Purchased at Fry's for $250: Unboxed for Good Measure
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Liam Scott / Voice of America:
RSF says 23 journalists were jailed in Syria and 10 others were missing as of December 9; press freedom groups call for accountability for Assad's government

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Warner Bros. Discovery has decided not to renew its deal for new episodes of Sesame Street, though it will continue licensing library episodes through 2027

Aidan Ryan / The Boston Globe:
Boston NPR affiliate WBUR to cancel Radio Boston, its midday show that spent 15 years on air, and move its staff to a new production team focused on local news

 
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