CourseCast of the Week

Episode 0043, 04/06/2008

Title/Description: CourseCast 43: Blocking YouTube, Open Internet, Bot Nets, and MySpace vs. iTunes

Welcome to Course Technology's CourseCast of the week, Episode 43, recorded April 6th, 2008. This is Ken Baldauf bringing you this week's technology news and information. This CourseCast is brought to you by Course Technology. Check out www.course.com for innovative textbooks and creative electronic learning solutions.

Story 1 - Indonesia Blocks YouTube

Indonesia is attempting to block access to YouTube because of a film created by the leader of the Dutch anti-immigration Freedom Party (. The film associates passages of the Koran with recent acts of violence. The YouTube videos have incited protests outside the Dutch embassy in Jakarta, and riots at the Dutch consulate in Medan Indonesia. Indonesian leaders have called upon YouTube to remove the film. The situation highlights the dangers of providing an open global network, in a world of sometimes radically different cultures and beliefs.

Sources: Indonesia seeks to block YouTube over anti-Koran film [Reuters]

Story 2 - Olympic Committee Asks China for Open Internet

This year's Olympic Games in Beijing, China, has focused international attention on a country that is often criticized for its abuse of human rights. Recent unrest in Tibet has increased calls for a boycott of the games, and Steven Spielberg has stepped down as artistic advisor for the games in an effort to bring negative attention to China's support of the fighting in Darfur. This week, the International Olympic Committee delivered a message to Beijing’s Olympic organizers asking that the Internet and other communications channels be open and uncensored for International visitors during the games. Recently, due to riots in Tibet, China has stepped up its practice of blocking Internet access to foreign news Web sites and blogs. According to Olympic rules, the host city must provide Internet access to the 30,000 accredited and non-accredited journalists in attendance. The Olympic committee is concerned that in efforts to control information to its own population, China may limit communications for Olympic visitors.

Sources: Olympic Committee Tells Beijing: Don't Block Internet [Top Tech News], Uncensored Internet and no TV delay in Beijing: IOC [Reuters]

Story 3 - Fighting the Botnets

Owen Thor Walker, known as AKILL in hacker circles, was convicted on six charges of computer hacking last week. The eighteen-year-old New Zealander faces several prison terms of up to five years each for creating and managing an international spybot ring. AKILL's botnet army infiltrated over a million computers around the world skimming millions of dollars from the victim's bank accounts. The arrest was one of many on an international crackdown on those that build botnet armies using the PCs of unsuspecting Internet users around the world. The compromised PCs work together to steal credit card information, manipulate stock trades, and crash industry computers.

Governments around the world are joining together in efforts to fight hackers and their exploits. International cybercrime experts are meeting this week in Europe to discuss counter measures for protecting the Internet and its users.

Sources: New Zealand Man Convicted in International Cybercrime Ring [Top Tech News], Cybercrime Experts Converge To Fight Growing Threat [Top Tech News]

Story 4 - MySpace takes on iTunes

MySpace is looking to take on Apple in the online music business. The world's largest social network site has partnered with major recording companies Vivendi, Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, and Warner Music to create MySpace Music. The new service will offer free music and video streaming supported by advertising, along with the sale of MP3 downloads, ringtones, concert tickets and music-related merchandise. MySpace already has a big footprint in the music industry with over 5 million artists promoting themselves using MySpace pages and 30 million music fans using the site. Watch for MySpace Music to emerge over the next few months.

Sources: MySpace forms music venture with big labels [Reuters], Attention, iTunes and Amazon: Here Comes MySpace Music [Top Tech News]

New Briefs

  • A recent study by the Convergence Consulting Group found that nearly one tenth of all broadcast and cable television shows are viewed online - that's up three percent from a year ago. [Ars Technica]
  • Comcast is rolling out a super fast Internet service in the Twin cities. The new "wideband" service will download data ten times faster than typical cable service, with a price tag of a whopping $150 per month. [Top Tech News]
  • Samsung will soon have a new phone on Sprint's network, called the Instinct. The Instinct looks and works a whole lot like the iPhone, but will include faster data rates over Sprint's EVDO network, and a touch screen that provides tactile feedback. [Top Tech News]
  • Apple's iTunes store has overtaken Wal-Mart to become the #1 music retailer in the US. [Ars Technica]
  • Google Docs can now be created and edited while offline. The new feature will allow Google apps to compete head-to-head with Microsoft Office. [Top Tech News]
  • 3M has begun manufacturing a new mini-projector engine for tiny digital projectors. By the end of the year, you will be able to buy a small projector about the size of a cell phone that can be attached to a cell phone or notebook PC to project images and video on any smooth surface up to 60 inches wide. [Top Tech News]
  • Amazon has introduced a new system that allows cell phone users to purchase merchandise from its online store by sending a text message. [Ars Technica]
  • An Antioch University server containing personal information on about 70,000 people was hacked by an unauthorized intruder three times last year. [seattlepi.com (AP)]
  • Apparently Microsoft's patience with Yahoo is wearing thin. It’s given Yahoo three weeks to accept its $40 billion takeover bid, or the offer will be reduced and put directly to Yahoo investors. [Reuters]
  • Bill Gates says that the next version of Windows is scheduled to be released sometime in the next year. [Reuters]

That's it for this week's CourseCast. Links to this week's stories and many more news and information resources are provided at the CourseCast Web site at www.course.com/coursecasts. E-mail us with your suggestions for the show at course.coursecasts@cengage.com. Until next time, have a great week and be sure to take advantage of the Power -- of Technology!