There is a flame war going on here... and Netcoco took this opportunity and the heat to cook a lot of cookies
Time to give yourself a treat by reading the news
Court to Microsoft: No delay
A federal appeals court on Friday delivered Microsoft a blow in its antitrust battle with the government, denying a request that could have indefinitely delayed further proceedings in the case. The order, issued by the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, means that the government can resume proceedings before a federal district judge while the Supreme Court decides whether to take Microsoft's request for appeal. The mandate returning the case to the trial court will be issued seven days from Friday, the order states. "We are pleased with the court's decision, and we look forward to proceedings in the district court," said Justice Department spokeswoman Gina Talamona. Microsoft also responded to the order with a look to the future.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp01
Gator chomps on innocent banner ads
Already contending with a weak advertising market, Web publishers have another beast to worry about
: Gator. The software company, known for hawking pop-up ads that let companies advertise on rival sites, is working a new variation on the theme--selling ads designed to block banners on sites such as Yahoo with pop-ups of the exact same dimensions, completely obscuring the original ad. The pop-ups hover over the banners even when the Web visitor scrolls down the page, making it even more difficult to discern that the visible ad is a substitute. "It's like getting Time magazine in the mailbox and somebody has pulled it out and pasted their own ad over the ones inside," said John Keck, media director for Foote Cone & Belding's interactive division.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02
One Code Red winner -- Pepsi
When two Orange County, Calif., computer programmers last month named a computer virus they had discovered "Code Red," after the cherry soda they had been chugging, they gave PepsiCo's new soft drink global brand recognition money can't buy. The supersweet, cherry-flavored brand extension of Mountain Dew, which hit shelves in May, became the fifth-most-popular soft drink sold at convenience stores and gas stations in July. That's a feat, considering Code Red is only available in single-serve sizes and has yet to be advertised on television. Ryan Permeh, a programmer at eEye Digital Security, Aliso Viejo, Calif., says he and his colleague were "inches away" from calling the new virus they discovered the "tequila worm." But Code Red, which he had bought "like six bottles of" to keep awake through the night, seemed appropriate given what the virus did: wipe out Web pages.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02
Sale of AT&T Broadband could rock industry
As AT&T's cable network sits quietly for sale, the scramble of potential buyers is shaping into a critical point in the battle for digital media supremacy. In the last several years, AT&T Chief Executive C. Michael Armstrong cobbled together what is the largest cable network in the United States, able to reach more than 24 million households with TV programming or high-speed Internet connections. Now, as Armstrong prepares to split that network off from AT&T, it has temporarily become a screen on which others in the industry can project their futures. For major cable players, led by Comcast, acquisition of the network would be a way to solidify a position in the industry's lucrative infrastructure business.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-201...html?tag=tp_pr
Labels move toward adding software to CDs
Since the appearance of Napster and its many clones, a constant refrain has been leveled at the recording industry: Give consumers more than just music, and they might keep buying CDs. Some early tangible signs of that idea are now beginning to come to market, as the record companies start exploring ways to revitalize and protect their flagging CD business. For some time, occasional CDs have shown up with digital goodies like screensavers or links to secret Web sites included. Next month, taking the idea a little farther, Universal Music Group will release a handful of compact discs that include MP3 files specifically coded to let people play DJ on their computer, remixing and making digital playlists of songs. This type of interactivity has been a feature on Web sites for some time. On Universal's GetMusic site, for example, one of the most popular features has been an area where fans can create their own music videos from a pre-filmed set of scenes. Little of this has found its way onto mainstream CDs, however.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=mn_hd
EU drops CD price-fixing probe 
The European Commission said Friday that it is ending an investigation into whether the world's five biggest music companies were colluding with retailers over the price of CDs sold in the European Union. However, it said it would leave it up to national competition authorities in Germany and Italy to decide whether to start their own investigations. The European Union's competition watchdog had announced the investigation in January, naming the companies at the center of the probe as EMI Recorded Music, BMG Entertainment, Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=mn_hd
FBI: Early efforts nip Code Red worm
Following a concerted effort to make computer users aware of the viruslike Code Red worm, the FBI said Thursday that the worm's damage will be far less than originally feared when it enters its scheduled "attack mode" this weekend. At its peak, Code Red affected hundreds of thousands of computers, and was predicted to have catastrophic effects on the Internet. But enough computer users downloaded a program to protect them from the worm that the potential harm was limited. "Because of the rapid response from the public, industry and infrastructure providers to mitigate the potential for damage from this worm, the threat posed by the upcoming attack is significantly reduced," FBI officials said in a statement.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200...html?tag=mn_hd
Where the Mona Lisa Meets the Motherboard
Usually pronounced "see graph" and short for Special Interest Group on Graphics and Interactive Techniques, the hard-to-define SIGGRAPH draws a hot mix of about 40,000 Hollywood techies, ambitious eggheads, artists, futurists and the just plain curious. "Everybody comes here," says Harry Mott, head of the digital media department at L.A.'s Otis College of Art and Design, leading a breakneck tour of SIGGRAPH's main exhibit hall, geared more toward graphic arts pros than playful professors and their robot avatars. The room looks, at first, like any big computer conference, with huge signs for Intel and Pixar and slogans telling us to "focus on the new."
http://www.latimes.com/technology/co...ogy%5Fcolum n
China tries Webmaster
A court in southwestern China has completed the trial of an Internet entrepreneur charged with subversion after articles promoting democracy and human rights appeared on his Web site, his family said Friday. No verdict or sentencing date was announced for Huang Qi, who was tried in a closed-door two-hour session at the Chengdu Intermediate Court on Tuesday, said his father-in-law, who identified himself only by his surname, Zeng. Huang is the first known Webmaster in China to be prosecuted for publishing political materials, and the case illustrates the government's determination to suppress free debate on the Internet while still harnessing its economic potential. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists condemned his trial as a violation of China's own criminal code and international human rights standards.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_mh
Research could lead to skinnier CRTs
Researchers say they've developed an electronic display that is half as deep as current models, an advance that addresses the chief complaint about conventional computer monitors and televisions: their girth. Sarnoff, the former RCA Laboratories and inventor of the color television, said Friday the technology is a fundamental advance on cathode-ray tube monitors, also known as CRTs, which were invented more than 100 years ago. The depth and weight of CRT displays has spurred the growth of flat-panel displays, which are much skinnier but can cost significantly more. The thinner monitors may help take some of the spotlight away from flat-panel displays, which have seen dramatic price drops but can still cost more than $1,000.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200...html?tag=cd_mh
More news later on