The Internet is buzzing with amateur videos, the kind that feature kids lip-synching or imitating Jedi knights. They get e-mailed and posted on Web sites and often become the topic of water cooler chat. But few, if any, make money.

A new company called Revver is trying to change that by attaching advertising to the videos and giving the creators a cut of the profits.

The technology, which also tracks the content as it is shared across the Web, is not limited to amateurs. Major media companies, which are just beginning to experiment with offering TV shows and movies online, are also looking for ways to distribute across peer-to-peer networks while avoiding piracy.

Revver is the brainchild of Ian Clarke, the man behind the Freenet file-sharing network; Steven Starr, a former Hollywood agent and co-creator of MTVs The State; and Oliver Luckett, who recently spearheaded the Norman Lear Declare Yourself voter registration campaign.

Its all about thinking outside of the square and seeking an opportunity…Ian Clarke has spotted a gap in the market and looks to capitilise on it…read more at ap.org

If you do banking over the Internet, generally the drill is pretty simple: You enter your user name and password, and away you go. But behind the scenes, the bank can do a lot to check you out: Are you at your home computer, or at one with an Internet address that, strangely, is registered overseas? Are you logging on at an unusual time of day, or from a super-fast connection when normally you have dial-up?

This kind of analysis is one example of the layers that bank Web sites will be adding by the end of 2006 to meet new demands from federal regulators for two-factor authentication. That essentially means checking something more than just user name and password to verify a customers identity.

Phishers and other Internet fraud artists have become adept at stealing passwords, mainly through social engineering. Preying on peoples propensity to believe something seemingly authoritative, criminals send authentic-looking e-mails that send unsuspecting people to an authentic-looking Web site where they give away their data.

Many banks overseas, where data-privacy laws are stronger, already have deployed a second level of authentication. They give customers specialized hardware, such as a smart card or an electronic token that displays a changing series of passcodes.

There is some good solid information in this story follow on to get a greater understanding of what is happening…

[ Source: ap.org ]

When it comes to some big-name companies, Macintosh users may have a tough time landing a job.

Its not just that the business world is dominated by Windows-based computers. Its because, at a number of large companies, Mac users literally cant apply.

At American Express, for example, job seekers are greeted with this warning: At this time, the system does not support Mac environments. If you dont have access to a PC at home or work, please check out a local public library for Internet access, local Internet cafes, or the nearest government Work Force Center.

Oh how times change, read more of this interesting article at zdnet

Consumer sales of handheld devices without voice communications slid for the seventh consecutive quarter, a market research firm said Thursday.

Shipments fell in the third quarter 16.9 percent from the same period a year ago to 1.6 million units, International Data Corp. said. Quarter-to-quarter, shipments dropped 8.8 percent.

The reason for the free fall is competition from mobile devices that combine voice communications with many of the traditional functions of a handheld device, such as personal information management, IDC said. To counter waning consumer demand, manufacturers have introduced new products, software upgrades and global positioning systems.

As a result, shipments are expected to increase quarter-to-quarter during the holiday season, but continue their year-to-year decline, IDC said.

Is this a clear sign that consumers are looking for something better, as technology moves at speed customers not only expect but demand more…continue reading at techweb.com

As identity theft has grown, so has fear of being victimized through high-tech means.

Nearly a third of Internet users are cutting back on time spent surfing the Internet and a quarter say they have stopped buying online altogether, according to a study from Consumer Reports WebWatch.

Some 80 percent of Internet users say they are at least somewhat concerned someone could steal their identity from personal information on the Internet. Fifty-three percent of Internet users say they have stopped giving out personal information on the Web.

This is a genuine concern for those spending time online but it also raises issues for online marketers…An education process I believe will become very necessary in the not to distant future to reassure online purchasers that their information is safe…

Continue reading at ap.org