Shoes made out of recycled TVs

Spotted on Ecouterre via boingboing, Elizabeth Olsen's Fall/Winter 2010 shoe collection made from polyester microfiber extracted from old analog TVs. How cool is that?

50 Cent sued over internet sex video

Rapper 50 Cent is being sued over claims he unlawfully distributed a homemade sex video over the internet.

[via the BBC]

Nearly Half of All Internet Users Watch TV Online

A new Horowitz Associates study, 44% of Internet users watch TV shows on a device other than a TV. The time spent watching on these non-traditional platforms is split evenly between computers and mobile devices.

[via I4U]

Serious threat to the web in Italy

The Washington Post comments on Italy where three Google executives have been found guilty on a ridiculous charge.

Here is the bizarre story. An Italian court yesterday convicted three (ex) Google executives in a trial over a video showing a teenager being bullied.

... Google has responded in a justifiably vociferous blog post calling this a "serious threat to the web in Italy".

YouTube's Video-Rental Program Moves Forward

YouTube has started experimenting with video rentals on the site, though the first results haven’t been exactly encouraging. Still, the video site is moving according to plan and has launched the second phase of the program introducing a number of videos for rental from a number of niche content providers and distributors.

Read full article in Softpedia.

Cartoon. "Eighteen years of technology"

Spotted on Smart Mobs :"Eighteen years of technology" or from "fat to flat".

ChatRoulette: The Perils of Video-Chatting with Strangers

ChatRoulette, a new website lets strangers watch each other doing -- well, you don't want to know. Time reports.

Increasingly popular website ChatRoulette is a platform for live, face-to-face conversations with total strangers, with few rules and no guidelines. It takes anonymous online chatting (not a new thing), adds webcams and lets users have at it. You don't need a user name, a profile or a friend request to participate — there's an immediate connection to a random stream of total strangers from all around the world. Bored by what you see? Click "next," and someone else is waiting.

Read full article.

Related Websites:

-- Best of Chatroulette

-- The reaction wall (above image)

Anonymous Citizen Journalists Receive Polk Award for YouTube Video

The anonymous Iranian citizens who captured and distributed the shooting by a government sniper of Neda Agha Soltan, 27, during last year’s Iranian re-election protests have received one of journalism’s highest honors — the Polk Award.

The announcement marks the first time that the award was given to an anonymous news source.

[via NewTeeVee]

What went wrong with Veoh?

NewTeeVee on Veoh shutting down and about to file for bankruptcy

Pirate boss to make the web pay

One of the founders of the Pirate Bay is kicking off a venture that aims to help websites generate cash, reports the BBC.

Called Flattr, the micropayments system revolves around members paying a fixed monthly fee. At the end of each month that cash will be divided among participating sites a Flattr member wants to reward.

Members might want to reward a band that made a track they liked, the author of a story they enjoyed or a site that gave useful advice.
Participating sites will sport a Flattr button in the same way that many have clickable icons that let visitors send information to friends or refer something they find interesting to sites such as Digg and Redditt.

Read full article.

The Americas Cup Live on YouTube

Watch the 33rd Americas Cup on YouTube.

Apple to sell US TV shows for $1

The Financial Times reports that Apple could begin selling US television shows for $1, half of its charge on its iTunes digital media store, when the computer maker’s iPad tablet computer hits the stores.

Cops using YouTube to find criminals

YouTube has no way of knowing how often police tap into its videos to make arrests, company spokesman Scott Rubin said, but police across the country say they are increasingly using YouTube and other online social networks to root out criminals. USA Today reports.

... In November, police in Minneapolis and St. Paul, arrested four people for assault after seeing videos they had posted of themselves, Minneapolis police spokesman Jesse Garcia said. "For many years, they've had (the television show) America's Dumbest Criminals," Garcia said. "It's people like this that feed that."

Read full article

UK. Digital Economy Bill bill could 'breach rights'

An influential group of MPs and peers has said the government's approach to illegal file-sharing could breach the rights of internet users.

[via the BBC]

Libya bans YouTube

Libya is banning YouTube and other Web sites used to disseminate messages against the regime. The Jerusalem Post reports.

Libya’s crackdown on YouTube, independent news sites and at least seven opposition Web sites based abroad is drawing criticism from human rights organizations.

The moves, which began last month, have been labeled a “disturbing step away from press freedom” and are being condemned by bloggers and activists alike.

Read full article. Image from Technolibya.

Super Bowl Commercials on YouTube adblitz

YouTube announced the launch of its Super Bowl ad channel at youtube.com/adblitz, a one-stop shop for everything Super Bowl-related. YouTube partners have been busy making predictions, cooking up party recipes and generally dishing on all things related the big game:

During the game, YouTube will be adding all the 2010 Super Bowl commercials to a video wall on the AdBlitz channel immediately after they air on TV.

The top rated commercial will be featured on the YouTube homepage on Thursday February 18th.

[via Mashable]

Your Big Screen Super Bowl Party May Be Illegal

Super Bowl fans may have something to worry about after reading this post by an Ars Technica writer, who ponders whether watching the Super Bowl on a TV 55-inches or larger is committing a federal offense.

It seems that TV broadcasts and movies can only be displayed if "no such audiovisual device has a diagonal screen size greater than 55 inches, and any audio portion of the performance or display is communicated by means of a total of not more than 6 loudspeakers."

There are other factors that matter like whether the games are shown in a large public gathering place. So most super bowl watching fans should be safe.

[via Switched]

Aussie ISP battles Hollywood and wins

The giants of the film industry have lost their case against an Australian ISP in a landmark judgement handed down in the country's Federal Court today. Stuff reports.

The decision had the potential to profoundly impact Australia's internet users and internet industry as it sets a legal precedent surrounding how much Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are required to do to prevent customers from downloading movies and other content illegally.

But after an on-and-off eight week trial that examined whether ISP iiNet authorised customers to download pirated movies, Justice Dennis Cowdroy found that the ISP was not liable for the downloading habits of its customers.

Read full article.

Australian 'nude photos' banker gains web support

Update: A banker to keep his job

Campaigns to save the job of an Australian banker who became a YouTube sensation after being caught viewing erotic images of model Miranda Kerr in the background of a live TV interview, are growing on the internet. The BBC reports.

Business website Here Is The City News has launched a Save Dave section, in support of Macquarie banker David Kiely, who reportedly could be fired.

He turned around part way through, apparently in surprise, fuelling speculation that he was the victim of a practical joke.

There are reports that Mr Kiely was deliberately sent an email containing the images and opened it unwittingly, before being told to look round, with the broadcast still in progress.

Read full article.

Re-enactment video of same-sex marriage trial up on YouTube

The first re-enactment episode of a federal trial concerning same-sex marriage in California, whose proceedings were blacked out by the U.S. Supreme Court, aired Monday,on marriagetrial.com and YouTube. The Los Angeles Times Blog reports.

Because each episode closely tracks what happened on each trial date, the episodes vary in length. The first is 5 1/2 hours, and the longest is set to come in at about nine hours.

Related:

-- Gay Marriage Trial Coming to YouTube as a Reenactment

-- Supreme Court blocks YouTube from Calif.'s Prop. 8 trial

-- Prop. 8 trial will be shown on YouTube

Italy preparing to hold YouTube, others liable for uploads

User-generated content sites have always resisted the idea that they should be regulated like traditional broadcasters, but Italy has been the democracy that has gone furthest in that direction. The move toward regulation continues with a new policy that could force sites like YouTube to obtain TV licenses from the Italian government. Such sites could also be fully liable for copyright infringement and libelous or illegal material posted by users.

Read full article in arstechnica.

Previously:

-- Italy's Berlusconi backs legislation to screen content on YouTube

-- Italy proposed "Uploader's licence"

Mayor Bloomberg launches "Job Hunt" TV series on NYC life

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, NYC Media President Katherine Oliver and Small Business Services Commissioner Robert W. Walsh yesterday announced the premiere of “Job Hunt,” a new ten-part series airing on NYC life. he show offers expert advice about navigating the job market and highlights New Yorkers taking advantage of the City’s Workforce1 Career Centers and NYC Business Solution Centers.

In today’s market, looking for a job can be a daunting, sometimes overwhelming task – but there’s help out there, and we want all New Yorkers to know about it,” said Mayor Bloomberg. ‘Job Hunt’ will help more New Yorkers find out about the career resources and opportunities that are available to them, and it will offer tips on everything from interviewing to starting a small business.

Each week on “Job Hunt,” a panel of experts and recruiters share tips on resume building, interview skills, and landing a new job. After the February 2 premiere – “You Just Lost Your Job, Now What?” – upcoming episodes will cover a wide range of topics, including advice for jobseekers over 40, college graduates, veterans and people with disabilities, among others.

[via e-mail press release]