Leo Laporte wants to Trademark NETCAST, re-branded his podcasts as NETCASTS

Leo in his speech at the PODCAST Expo 2006 has suggested podcastors change the name from "PODCAST" to "NETCAST" in beliefs this is a more accurate name than Podcasting.

This is exactly what it should be. Podcasting is a portmanteau of iPod and Casting. Most of the [insert appropriate word] casts I listen to or watch I download to a portable hard drisk drive. I don;t have an iPod and maybe I just dan't need one.

I have my files on my portable hard drive and alos my media. Sure I can't listen to /casts on the go or in the car (yet) but that doesn't mean I should be a slave to the iPod revolution. Yes I might buy one, but I just might not either.

What would get me to buy one is a 160GB model ... then I'd be all set.

But back to Pod/Net casting. Netcast is a far better term it is technology agnostic.

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Tags: netcast, podcasting, netcasting, leo laporte

Tips for Writing Great Blog Content

I was browsing through some articles this morning on making blogs better. I've got to admit I've forgotten the rules and my eclectic interests have taken over. This blog was always about Australia. But suddenly it's become more of a mash of tehnology news, current events, and various other ramblings. Most of which seem to have gone off topic.

This changes today. I hope :-)

This article explains how to write great blog content.

Why Click Fraud Is Growing on the Web

Click fraud most commonly happens when renegade partners, who get a portion of the fees earned by a search engine each time a paid link is clicked, deliberately generate excessive clicks with no chance that any of the clicks will result in a sale for the business that is paying for them

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From the Inquirer, late 2005: "Digg.com is worthless"

From an article written Dec 2005: Digg "is probably going to go down as one of the biggest failed experiments on the net... Digg is so badly broken it is worthless."
Little did he guess how far Digg would come!

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World's First iPod LCD Screen... 23" with built-in speakers!

The ViewDock comes with docking station, microphone, multiple connectivity options: several USB 2.0 ports and an 8-in-1 card reader, integrated stereo speakers and subwoofer. Jolly good!

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More American Universities Banning Skype

In a move that has sparked protest from both students and professors, San Jose State University has become the latest California school to ban Skype from most of its campus. Citing concerns regarding security and consumption of bandwidth,

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How Digg Affected Traffic, Alexa Rank And Other Metrics

On September 13th Current Trends In Web Design� article got elected onto Digg home page. How did it affect web traffic, Alexa ranking and other indicators of popularity? Well, here is what happened.

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SIMPLY AMAZING SWANS IN 2005 AND AGAIN IN 2006

Probably one of the most famous two minutes the game has ever seen. Sydney is all set to win consequetive flags next week.

All the News that's Fit to Digg

Here's a portrait of a Digging as it rises from 50 to well over 1000. A look at the power of Digg to challenge established media, how different people use Digg, and how its simple premise can provoke strong reactions, from frustration to rage. Daniel Eran, RDM

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Despite Rumors, Black Hole Factory Will Not Destroy Earth

Scientists could generate a black hole as often as every second when the world's most powerful particle accelerator comes online in 2007. But don't worry, they say.

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Google just sent an email to Writely users. Release from Google very soon??

Check link for image of the email. Google and Writely merged quite a while ago, and they're just now alerting users that they're merging Google and Writely accounts. Something probably coming out of the GooglePlex very soon.

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Cool, Free ultimate digg.com screensaver.

There were times when it was pretty cool having that fancy starfield screensaver on your computer, back then. Now, if you know where you can get quality news, then you're most probably aware of Digg.com. Get rid of that aquarium, dump that 3D Boxes and remove your Playboy screensaver, they've become obsolete.

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Israel to withdraw all troops from Lebanon by weekend

Israel's military chief told lawmakers Tuesday that it plans to withdraw all its remaining troops from Lebanon by this weekend, meeting a key requirement of a cease-fire that ended the 34-day war against Hezbollah guerrillas.

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Russian sites using new IE bug to install spyware

Hackers are taking advantage of a newly discovered vulnerability in Internet Explorer (IE) to install spyware on PCs that visit a number of Russian pornography sites.

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California fire creates huge smoke plume - hi res satellite image

Northwest of Los Angeles, the Day Fire was churning out a thick, snake-like plume of smoke on September 17, 2006. The human-caused fire started on September 4 in mixed brush and scattered timber in the Los Padres and Angeles National Forests and the Sespe Wilderness. As of September 18, the 60,589-acre fire was only about 15% contained.

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New Red Bull Drink: Cocaine

There's a new Red Bull drink on the market, and it's called "Cocaine". "They say a high hits you within five minutes, followed by a caffeine boost 15 minutes later. But hold on
.. the ride lasts five hours and the concoction is "350 percent stronger than Red Bull," they claim." Read on

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Universal Studios Backs Out of Blu-Ray

Xbox Addict has posted a short article with quotes from PC Magazine, indicating that Universal Studios has decided not to back Sony's Blu-Ray DVD format.

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Top-Secret Elmo Revealed!

The much-anticipated top-secret 10th-anniversary Elmo, code-named "T.M.X. Elmo" is finally here - and it's the hysterically laughing, belly-clutching, floor-thumping Elmo.

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Create and Store your own Buttons

Nice drop and drag web buttons, Share your designs with the community.

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iTV: What you need to know

Its not every day that Apple gives use a preview of a piece of hardware thats not going to arrive for at least three months, and maybe as long as six. But the release of the new iTunes Store, including the sale of full-length motion pictures, wouldnt have had as much impact ....

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Google's Picasa 2.5 Now Out Of Beta

Google's Picasa 2.5 photo managing software has worked its way out of Beta, believe it or not. The release notes detail all of the new features but here is a brief overview for those that have not been venturous enough to play with the Beta:

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Sony Ericsson K800i

The new Sony Ericsson camera phone thang. It's got a 3.2 megapixel camera, and a real flash!

See the Sony Ericsson K800i on Crowdstorm.

RaidSonic IcyBox IB-350 External Drive

350GB drive connects via USB or Firewire. 3.5" aluminium case.

See the RaidSonic IcyBox IB-350 External Drive on Crowdstorm.

Sony Ericsson W800i

The W800i is a mobile phone/megapixel camera/walkman rolled into one very compact package. Enjoy your favourite music while on the move or just take snap shots when somethings catches your eye.

With the 512MB supplied Memory Stick™ PRO Duo you can store up 150 music tracks. Expand memory up too 1GB by using a 1GB Memory Stick™ PRO Duo!

See the Sony Ericsson W800i on Crowdstorm.

Time Warner could drop AOL

"To sell off AOL, says Variety, Time Warner could give its CEO spot to Chief Operating Officer Jeff Bewkes (who's reportedly open to dropping AOL, Time Warner Cable, and the publishing division."

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112 Windows Run Commands

Wanted to Browse fast in windows. Remember these commands.
This will really save a lot of time of your. There are many
commands which you might have never seen or never knew.
There are certain properties of windows which you hardly know
exist in windows. Here is a list of 112 run commands.

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USB flash drive that steals passwords in seconds

The latest episode of Hak5 has a segment where they show a USB key that takes advantage of U3 technology and weaknesses in Windows autorun and LAN Manager features. Essentially this USB key steals password hashes, LSA secrets, and creates back doors within seconds on insertion. The show notes are pretty detailed.

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Pictographs for you to use!

I found a series of pictographs, symbols, arrows, and other map graphics, and all are free to use, because they're the product of the federal government, and in the United States that means it's in the public domain! You can get the imagery in PDF or Illustrator.

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Light-emitting shirts!

Check out this cool new technology Philips. It's amazing! They are integrating LEDs into fabric and had some jackets and a couch there. Really cool!

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JBL unveils 'Mt. Everest' speaker system

Now these are some speakers. JBL's new Mt. Everest speaker system lives up to its name, weighing in at a 313 pounds and measuring 8 x 18.5 x 44-inches. This monster will require a pretty serious receiver to power the 500-watt behemoth. A real bargain at $30,000.

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Enigma Machine (Made with Flash)

An online version of the German cryptographic wonder, the Enigma machine. Complete with graphics that show what is happening inside!

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Pimp Your Cubicle

Gadgets and gizmos to make cube life more tolerable.

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Internet Explorer Continues Losing Users To Firefox

Firefox now owns 11.8 percent of the global browser market share, said Net Applications, a jump of .5 percent from July's 11.3 percent. Internet Explorer, meanwhile, now accounts for 83 percent of browsers used to surf the Web; that's down from July's 83.5 percent.

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Visual-Only Websites Are Now Illegal

If you've got one of those Flashy new AJAX, WPF sites and don't provide an accessible text-based alternative, you can be sued under the Americans With Disabilities Act. Target Corp has already been succesfully sued for failing to make its website accessible to the blind.

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Light-emitting shirts!

These are really cool. Can hardly wait to try one out.

Xerox Unveils Transient Documents

Xerox has lifted the veil from some of its research and development work in the field of printing. The cutting-edge research highlighted at a press event involved current projects that are expected to see the commercial light of day within 18-months, including a twist on the theme of invisible ink.

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What the Internet Really Looks Like

Pull back the curtain on the Internet, and you'll find something straight out of the Industrial Revolution: Huge diesel generators, enormous electrical switches and fat, concrete pipes all occupy big swaths of space in data centers.

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Tags: internet, data centers, internet infastructure

Shipping Containers Recycled as Homes

Architects are designing modern homes from the millions of excess shipping containers that are piling up at the port of LA due to the US trade deficit with China. By using the steel shipping containers as building material, homes can save 50% of construction costs, while reducing the waste and blight caused by trying to store them. (Link to Video)

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Tags: housing, recycling, recycled housing, los angeles, china

Philips 32" Tabletop Social Gaming LCD

The Entertaible (worst name ever?) combines traditional social tabletop gaming with multiplayer computer gaming by turning the gameboard into a touch-sensitive, object position-tracking display. Players will be able to play using traditional boardgame pieces and dice on dynamic playing fields or changing levels -- and maybe even a dungeon?

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How Future Batteries Will Be Longer-Lasting and Safer

An MIT battery expert says advances in materials and engineering can realistically double capacities in the next 10 years, without sacrificing safety.

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16GB USB drive that fits in your pocket and weighs 12 grams!

When do we stop... How much space do we really need on a thumb drive?

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Review: Sony Ericsson P990i Smart Phone

It's only when you open up the flip that you see the major difference: a 35-button keyboard. This phone screams to be turned into a BlackBerry. The resolution remains the same as before, at quarter-VGA (320 x 240), which back in 2002 was considered extravagant. But with so many communicators and satnav PDAs sporting VGA (640 x 480).

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See your website in 30+ different ways (screenshots)

See how your site looks in various versions of Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, Netscape, Mozilla, Firebird, Dillo, Opera, Seamonkey, K-Meleon, Konquerer and more. Counted a total of 30 setups between Linux, Mac, and Windows. Also configurable to see your site in different resolutions.

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Steve Irwin Crocodile Hunter is Dead

Shocking and sad news today, Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter is dead. The adventurer and environmentalist was killed in a freak incident off the Far North Queensland coast, when a stingray barb struck him in the chest.

Irwin was famous for his antics and showmanship on his TV series the Crocodile Hunter.

Tags: steve irwin, crocodile hunter, australia zoo, the crocodile hunter

Flashlight causes airport evacuation

Around 100 passengers and staff at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport were evacuated for 30 minutes this morning after Transportation Security Administration officials noticed a suspicious article in a passenger's carry-on baggage.

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Idiot! Darwin Award Handed Out to Jet Jockey Hotshot

The pilot claimed the brakes failed, but in fact he landed 2/3 down a runway already too short for jet planes. The ending was the icing on the cake. This is what happens when you take your Cessna for a swim! Doh!

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MySpace Not So Social Anymore

MySpace is no longer a social site, corporate spam-peddlers have taken over. Fake celebrity profiles, corporations posing as 13 yr-old girls to sell products, and a growing flood of ads is too much even for undemanding, noobish MySpace users. If something isn't done, it's only a matter of time before MySpace goes the way of AOL.

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