SMS blamed for summer movie flops

Hollywood is blaming bad box office performances for movies like Charlie's Angels Full Throttle and Gigli on...text messaging!

"The problem, they say, is teenagers who instant message their friends with their verdict on new films - sometimes while they are still in the cinema watching - and so scuppering carefully crafted marketing campaigns designed to lure audiences out to a big movie on its opening weekend."

Now that's good entertainment! ;)

More on this story from LA Times.

Netflix Fanatic

Another small sign that Netflix might be heading for online pop cultural stardom beyond its intentions just like eBay.

After the t-shirts, the name checking (by a rap artist, not sure who but the song plays frequently on radio here in the San Francisco Bay Area) and occasional fan sites comes this piece of software. Netflix Fanatic lets users (running Mac OS X 10.2 or above) re-order their Netflix rental queue, search it, look up their full rental history etc. Pretty cool and a true celebration of tech and movie geekiness!

Microsoft to lock down MSN Messenger network

"Users have to upgrade to the latest versions of MSN or Windows Messenger by Oct. 15 or they will no longer be able to log on, Microsoft spokesman Sean Sundwall said. The upgrade is required because of "security issues" with the older versions of the Messenger clients, he said, declining to specify those issues."

Upgrading and not being backwards compatible is rarely a problem when it comes to free software. I'm just curious exactly why MS is making this move. I'm sure we'll find out over the next few days.

"Besides those older Messenger clients, the move also affects IM software such as Trillian, Imici and Odigo that allow users to consolidate multiple IM accounts in one client, Sundwall said."

According to this story MS is "interested in interoperating with all third parties". I hope they take this opportunity to make it happen. Everyone, I repeat _everyone_, will be a winner when the different IM applications (from Yahoo, AOL etc) are able to connect to each other. But that's another story (and one that I have covered in columns for both CIO Sweden and Irish Times) for another time.

Europeans are digital-snap happy

"Affordable and compact digital cameras are being snapped up by Europeans, according to new figures. More than double the number of digital cameras were sold in western Europe in 2002 than the previous year, said research group IDC."

Interesting read on digital imaging and how cell phones are, according to one quote, helping to fule camera sales.

Is "one" the new "i"?

Is "one" the new "i", previously known as the new "e"? RealPlayer became RealOne, now Palm Inc will be known as PalmOne.

The new US PalmOne site