RIAA flags concern over digital radio

The US record industry has asked regulators to adopt measure to prevent music 'piracy' from digital radio broadcasts. Although the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) says it is not against the recording of the CD-quality transmissions, it wants the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt rules 'that would protect music played through digital radio receivers from widespread piracy'. Primarily, the RIAA is concerned about the automated recording of individual songs - often from a preset 'wishlist' - and their subsequent distribution over the Internet. ...more

Ultra-slim desktop arrives in the UK

Compaq's Evo D500 Ultra-slim desktop is now available in the UK, with prices starting from ?467 (excluding VAT). The Evo D500 Ultra-slim Desktop Compaq was previewed at the Comdex trade show back in November. As we reported at the time, the model weighs around 11 pounds and its base unit measures 2. ...more

COMMENT: E-voting - surrendering more than tradition?

Swindon votes 'yes' to e-voting, but is convenience voting the panacea for voter apathy? Swindon, one of the districts trialling e-voting during this week's local elections, has turned to the Net as its ballot of choice. In the biggest shake up of the electoral process for 150 years, Swindon residents have been given the opportunity to cast their votes not only in the traditional way, but also by post, public kiosk, telephone, interactive digital TV and over the Internet. Although the results polling booths won't be in until tomorrow, the e-votes have already been totted up. ...more

Google recommends Windows Live for search

Type 'search' into Google, press 'I'm feeling lucky' and you could be in for a big surprise - suddenly, Google is transformed into Windows Live. This is all rather convenient, as Microsoft has only just launched Windows Live and no doubt is desperate for publicity to tear people away from their favourite browser. As any self-respecting web user knows, Google uses its PageRank algorithm (among other things) to make sure its results are as accurate as possible, and that relies on the popularity of sites in terms of how many other sites link to them. ...more

Fighting continues by other means

As the conflict in the Middle East continues, a new battleground has been found - the Web. According to Israeli officials, several Web sites containing the Israeli government's official view on the conflict crashed after Islamic groups jammed them. The first shot in the "cyberwar" was, however, apparently fired by some Israeli teenagers who, according to a local newspaper, boasted that they had sabotaged a Web site belonging to the Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. ...more