Wednesday, May 19, 2004

A night at the 'Opera' (browser that is). The 'Gettysburg Address' of web browsers is only 3.5 megabytes large, and includes integrated access to RSS feeds. [Christian Science Monitor | Top Stories] 10:25:58 PM    comment []

first glance at Opera 7.50. Opera 7.50 has recently been released. For the first time, Opera for Mac is no longer a version behind the Windows version. Opera 7.50 is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. Of course, Mac users upgrading from Opera 6 will... [explodedlibrary.info] 10:21:31 PM    comment []

The rise of Ted Castronova and the study of Virtual Economies. Good to see our friend Ted Castronova featured in this article from Walrus Magazine. It is a really nice piece about how Ted resurrected his... [The Alphaville Herald] 10:21:01 PM    comment []

Digging Up the Past at 45 R.P.M.. Downloading digital music turns out to be a route into the realm of memory. By James Gorman. [New York Times: Technology] 10:20:58 PM    comment []

500 Million Simolean Sale on eBay raises Suspicion. by The Phantom A huge eBay sale of 500 million simoleans in alphaville plus 5 robotic pets has raised eyebrows, not least because the account name 'classiccomicstore' has been alleged to be tied to alphaville's cj johnson, who in turn has been accused of running a clone of Lead Architect. And just to add a layer of confusion to the whole thing there have also been reports that cj johnson's tso account has been hacked by Mr. President Bradley -- though no word on the eBay account. The seller in question also has numerous other auctions involving tso related materials, including some auctions for simoleans in BF that have attracted bids. Just remember all: exercise extreme caution when buying virtual wares on eBay. No one is going to bail you out if you get scammed. PayPal won't care. eBay won't care. Notice also, that whoever this seller is, there is zero feedback. Zero. Update: The insanity grows. There is now a 800 Million simolean auction up from the same user. Click here to see. [The Alphaville Herald] 7:03:47 AM    comment []

Political Friendster. Political Friendster applies Friendster's approach to current politics, mostly with an American focus. It treats companies, politicians, agencies, and objects as friends with profiles and six-degrees-of-separation links. There's also a Flash-based visualization tool, a bit like the excellent They Rule. (thanks to jordan fink) [Smart Mobs] 7:01:46 AM    comment []

In Iran, a Will to Reform. In Iran, a Will to Reform. I was born and raised in Qom, Iran. I was 18 when I came to the United States to study. That was 28 years ago. I go back to Iran every summer, and I see people becoming more frustrated every year. Nicholas D. Kristof ("Overdosing on Islam," column, May 12) correctly reflects the feelings of the Iranian people. But I disagree with him when he says he thinks that the Islamic regime will not survive. It will survive, because there is no organized and credible opposition. [New York Times: Opinion] 6:56:45 AM    comment []

Nuts With Nukes. A confrontation with the U.S. over Iran's nuclear program might rescue the mullahs from the dustbin of history. By Nicholas D. Kristof. here is one force that could rescue Iran's hard-line ayatollahs from the dustbin of history: us. [New York Times: Opinion] 6:54:59 AM    comment []

HOWTO: strip access-control from iTunes music [bOing bOing] 6:49:51 AM    comment []

You can listen to the interview on the Diane Rehm Show here.  It's the May 17 broadcast. [Worms of Endearment] 6:48:38 AM    comment []

Google Moves Toward a Direct Confrontation With Microsoft. Edging closer to a direct clash with Microsoft, Google is preparing to introduce powerful search software directly on PC's. By John Markoff. [New York Times: Business] 6:48:37 AM    comment []

How to Get Gamers to Play Online. Online multiplayer games that came after EverQuest haven't been as popular as hoped. Industry executives say the genre may need to be tweaked significantly to attract mainstream players. By Daniel Terdiman. [Wired News] 6:47:47 AM    comment []

Here Comes the Judge: Take Cover, Would-Be Idols. Simon Cowell, the imperious judge of "American Idol," talked in an interview about racism, $300,000 cars and the madness of Fantasia. By Virginia Heffernan. [New York Times: Business] 6:46:49 AM    comment []