The Daily Loper – July 17, 2006

Today’s links of interest:

• Online age verification may prove complex
  Uh. Yeah.
• Movielink licenses DVD-burning tools
  We have the technology…we just don’t have the permission.
• Australians upset over loud Manilow music
  Noted without comment.
• Reuters Switches to Ad-Supported Mobile News
  Knock one of the nickle-and-dime mobile services off the list. We approve.
• Cable’s Double-Digit Days Seem to Be Over
  Advertisers continue to take a wait-and-see attitude.
• Curse of the Devil Wears Prada
  For those who have been eyeing product placement as the cure to all ills, this one’s for you.
• MySpace HACKED!
  In other news, the world is now spinning in the other direction.
• News Online Seems to Have Long Shelf Life
  Which is great for news, but it turns out comic strips spoil if left on the Internet too long.
• Hurley Burly
  Old media moguls (at, naturally, mogulfest) slip their phone numbers to YouTube’s Chad Hurley. He, in turn, will turn their private digits into a really cool viral video.
• Done In The Sun
  Apparently this year’s mogulfest (yes, mogulfest) was all about courting web companies. If it sounds familiar, well, it means you *have* been paying attention.
• Director of Lost signs mega-deals
  Uh-oh. We all know what happens when creators of shows like "Lost" get spread too thin: dropped continuity; inconsistent characters; dead-end plotlines; fan backlash. Hopefully, Lindelof will keep the craphole island fires burning.
• For the iPod, wires are here to stay
  At least until they can figure out how to wirelessly recharge one. Or — heh — develop a solar-powered iPod.
• Shooting for a Bigger Audience on the Smaller Screen
  Discovery — among the first to do a full-time HD channel — is now aiming at the mobile video market.
• Borders Remodels Its Stores Amid Sluggish Book Sales
  Just as Universal seeks to find a bigger audience via new CD packaging, Borders figures a good remodel will cure its ails. Seriously, what are they thinking in the corner offices?
• 33,300 songs and still writing
  See what happens when you listen to the (apparently dead) voices in your head?