Samsung Displays New Wireless Technology: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

" Samsung Electronics Co. showed off its vision for the future of mobile technology Thursday, sending data wirelessly at blazing speeds to a moving minibus.
The connection was robust enough to support live images -- including a high-definition movie -- beamed from a conference the South Korean company is hosting here on fourth-generation, or 4G, wireless."

WSJ.com - Electronic Arts Reaches Deals With Microsoft's Massive, IGA To Insert Ads Into Games

"Electronic Arts Inc. joined an emerging effort to transform games into a medium for marketers, reaching agreements to distribute advertisements over the Internet into the titles of the world's largest games publisher.
EA of Redwood City, Calif., signed deals with two companies -- Microsoft Corp.'s Massive subsidiary and IGA Worldwide Inc. -- that specialize in delivering advertisements over the Internet and inserting them into the action of games. EA said Massive will deliver advertisements that appear in up to four of its titles for PCs and Microsoft Xbox 360 console, starting with Need for Speed Carbon, a new version of EA's best-selling racing game due out this fall. EA said IGA will distribute ads into a 'portfolio' of EA games, including the PC combat game Battlefield 2142.
The companies didn't disclose financial terms."

CommVault sets IPO at 11.1 mln shrs, $12.50-$14.50 | New Issues | Reuters.com

"CommVault Systems Inc., which designs software that backs up, protects and recovers data, on Wednesday set its planned initial public offering at 11.11 million shares for an estimated price of $12.50 to $14.50 per share.
The Oceanport, New Jersey-based company intends to sell 6.15 million shares, and stockholders plan to sell an additional 4.96 million shares, according to an amended offering document filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission."

Stage6 - New YouTube like service from DivX - PVR Wire

"DivX, the company we all recognize for video coding and compression has recently branched out with the launch of their own YouTube like service called Stage6.

The site definitely has a very different feel to YouTube but essentially does the same. A barrier to wider adoption could be the fact that to watch the videos you need the DivX media player. That fact is also not made very clear on the website either and you can already see people being confused in the comments on the website."

SEC Info - Divx Inc - Amended S-1 Filing

DivX has set the terms of its IPO at 9.1 million shares with an price range between $12 and $14 a share. The company first filed in May to sell up to $135 million in common stock.The company will offer about 7.46 million shares, and selling stockholders will offer about 1.64 million shares in the IPO, it said in an amended S1.

TheDeal.com - Graceful exits

'Right now we have upwards of 90% of companies going the M&A route, rather than the IPO route,' said Mark Heesen, president of the National Venture Capital Association, who posits that M&A is driving nearly all exits during the current drought of tech IPOs.

'We haven't seen those kinds of percentages in 20 years,' Heesen continued.

"'You cannot make a grand slam off of an acquisition,' commented Heesen 'You can't have a Google [Inc.] off of an acquisition, and VC funds sometimes are made on the success of one or two companies.' "

MercuryNews.com | 08/30/2006 | Wireless Ronin Tech files for IPO

"Wireless Ronin Technologies Inc. has registered for an initial public offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The Eden Prairie, Minn.-based software maker's offering, filed Tuesday, was 4.5 million shares at a price range of between $4 and $5 a share.
Wireless Ronin's RoninCast software provides digital signs and digital content over wireless or wired networks."

Entrepreneurs, Start Your Wikis - Forbes.com

"In five years, Wikipedia has bloomed into the largest online encyclopedia. Its simple but powerful concept--allow everyone to write and edit the content (under the auspices of some devoted administrators)--has compelled more than 48,000 current contributors to bang out 3.8 million articles in 100 languages. By its own estimates, the site now captures roughly 4% of the daily traffic on the Internet.
But there's more to Wikipedia than skipping a trip to the library. The site's underlying group-think principal can be applied to manage and build businesses more effectively."

Nokia to buy German navigation software firm gate5 - Yahoo! News

"The world's top handset maker Nokia (NOK1V.HE) said on Thursday it had agreed to buy mapping software firm gate5 AG for an undisclosed sum to tap into the fast-growing mobile navigation market. The world's top handset maker Nokia (NOK1V.HE) said on Thursday it had agreed to buy mapping software firm gate5 AG for an undisclosed sum to tap into the fast-growing mobile navigation market. "

Electronic Arts signs video game ad deals

"Electronic Arts Inc. , the world's biggest video game publisher, said on Thursday it had struck deals with two in-game advertising providers, taking its first steps into the online advertising business.
Redwood City, California-based EA said its agreement with Massive Inc., which Microsoft Corp. bought earlier this year, will include up to four video games. The first of those will be 'Need for Speed: Carbon,' the latest iteration of its popular racing series due in late October."

Vivek Puri’s Weblog » Blog Archive » SocialPicks for Financial Networking

Similar to pickspal.com, but for stocks.

Financial Social Networking sites are popping up quickly. Latest entrant is SocialPicks.com.

Competition: Social picks will face major competition from Finance giants’ yahoo, Google, but has advantage ’cause of its community based features. Also, more competition comes from similar startups including Feelingbullish.com, Bullpoo.com, Gradr.com, and Stocktickr.com. It needs to be seen how they will differentiate themselves and carve out a better strategy against their big and small competitors.

Zimbio - check it out

Wiki watch out, there's another collaborative community in town, Zimbio. The company formerly known as Zoozio will face competetion the likes of Squidoo, Jeteye, Boxxet and a slew of other dead 2.0 companies.

Tony, their founder writes:


Zimbio today announced the launch of a 'Linked Services' feature with KODAK EASYSHARE Gallery, the leading online digital photo service. Users can now easily share photos from their KODAK EASYSHARE Gallery account on Zimbio's Public Portals.

Zimbio is a community site that helps people research and learn about any topic. We allow people to create public portals on specific subjects. A portal can include photographs, favorite links to websites and articles, a group blog, online discussion forum, recommended RSS feeds, and live chat about the subject. To take a look at how people are using it, visit the Energy Conservation Portal (http://www.zimbio.com/portal/Energy+Conservation)


In concept, Zimbio is similar to Wikipedia. It encourages collaboration and contributions from the community – anyone can create, add to, and edit a portal on Zimbio. But unlike Wikipedia, Zimbio also encourages opinions and discussions. So if you’re looking for the history of Texas and information about the state, you might use Wikipedia. But if you’re looking for suggested articles and people’s opinions about Texas politics, you might give Zimbio a try.


Zimbio offers a lot of features to help people build these portals. You can bookmark photos, blog feeds, or write notes. You can also link your personal blog to your profile and then submit specific blog posts to the appropriate portal subject. It’s a great way for bloggers to market some of their articles. Check out http://www.zimbio.com/portal/Hezbollah for an example of a linked blog entry. We’ve partnered with companies like Kodak, Webshots, SmugMug, and Flickr for photos, AIM, Skype, and Yahoo for instant messaging, and Topix, Sphere, ePrecis, IceRocket, and BlogDigger for
news and blog search.
------------

Azaire Networks Secures $21 Million in Series C Financing, Led by Investor Growth Capital, New Investor in the Company: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

"Azaire Networks Inc., a leading Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) solutions supplier, announced today it has secured $21 million in new funding. Led by Investor Growth Capital, a new investor in the company, Azaire will use these funds to augment the company's sales and marketing programs, as well as support ongoing operations to accelerate revenue growth. Existing Series B investors Convergence Partners, Rustic Canyon Partners and Woodside Fund also participated in the round."

Unstrung - Aruba Plots Imminent IPO - Wireless Networking News Analysis

"Enterprise wireless LAN player Aruba Wireless Networks is firming up its plans to go public. The firm's new president and CEO Dominic Orr says that Aruba could now IPO 'within months.'
Aruba is consistently ranked amoung the top-selling enterprise wireless LAN vendors, generally number three to Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO - message board) and Symbol Technologies Inc. (NYSE: SBL - message board)'s respective first and second places. (See Cisco's WLAN Stranglehold.) Former Alteon head Orr says that going public would help Aruba with 'branding' and name recognition so that the company wouldn't have to prove itself when going after big deals."

Private Equity Week: Efficient Frontier

"Efficient Frontier Inc., a Mountain View, Calif.-based provider of paid search engine marketing solutions, has raised $6 million in Series C funding, according to a regulatory filing. Mitsui & Co. was joined by return backers Redpoint Ventures and Cambrian Ventures. www.efrontier.com "

Blurb Raises $12 Million in Venture Capital - 2006-08-29 10:04:15 | Venture Capital News

"Blurb, the creative book publishing service, today announced that it has raised an additional $12 million to further its mission to bring book publishing to the masses. Existing investors Canaan Partners and Anthem Venture Partners led the round with the support of additional individual investors. This second round of funding followed Blurb’s successful beta testing of BookSmart™, Blurb’s trademark software that transforms digital content into bookstore-quality books."

Yahoo, MSN Have Help In The Online Ad Game: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

"Executives for Web portals like Yahoo and Microsoft's MSN often say they're working hard to get a bigger share of the growing billion-dollar online ad market.
But they get some outside help.
That's where Tom Chavez comes in."

From Istanbul To Sand Hill Road: The Big Web 2.0 Harem

"So there you have it. I predict a society in the near future where there will be men with 100s of kids. Maybe in the future your blog will say “Click here to subscribe to my blog and click here if you want to discuss obtaining my sperm.� This will happen. The Internet will push society from one where a “one-woman-one-man family� unit to a big wide distributed harem. The irony of it all, it will be the women who want this harem and not the men, which is diametrically opposite of how kings and sultans used to have it. "

The Inferno - Google Book Search

The Inferno - Google Book Search

Digital sign firm files for IPO: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

"Wireless Ronin Inc., a small digital sign company, plans to sell roughly $20 million in stock through an initial public offering, according to securities filings made Tuesday.
It will sell 4.5 million shares at a range of $4 to $5 per share. Net proceeds from the IPO, assuming a price of $4.50, are expected to be between $17 million and $19.7 million."

Pinger sends voicemails through email | News.blog | CNET News.com

"If you want to leave a message for someone, but don't really want to talk to them, Pinger might be for you. "

Rackable Systems says to buy Terrascale Tech for $38 mln | Reuters.com

"Rackable Systems Inc. on Tuesday said it agreed to buy Terrascale Technologies Inc., a privately held provider of storage technology, for $38 million in cash.
Rackable also has the option to retain the rights to a technology known as Distributed Parity Engine by paying an additional $9 million to Terrascale, the company said in a statement."

LBO Wire: M&A Remains The Most Popular Private Equity Exit

M&A accounted for about 48% of the total volume of exit activity in the U.S., according to the study. This was mainly because corporations have been active buyers lately in the M&A marketplace, said Stefan Hepp, the chief executive of SCM, who added that secondary buyouts played a small part as well.

Cruise Makes Financing Deal With Investors - Los Angeles Times

"Tom Cruise cut a limited financing deal Monday with a group of investors who include the owner of the Washington Redskins and a former top executive of Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN channel, allowing Hollywood's most bankable star to move his production company off the Paramount Pictures lot after 14 years.

The new deal is a fraction of the production contract Cruise currently receives from Paramount, underscoring the star's declining popularity at the box office. The investor group would provide Cruise with $2 million to $3 million a year to cover the overhead of his movie production company, according to a source familiar with the deal. Terms of the new deal were not disclosed Monday."

Stealth startup takes in first lump of cash - Austin Business Journal:

"A new company called iTaggit raised $1.04 million from some big-name backers in its Series A offering.
iTaggit is working on Web-based services and products to help people manage their personal assets. Further details about what the company plans to do was not disclosed. iTaggit plans to launch its service in the fourth quarter of 2006. "

PayPal Founder Accused of Fraud: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

"PayPal founder Peter A. Thiel and his hedge-fund management company, Clarium Capital Management, are accused of fraud in a lawsuit filed Monday.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California by Amisil Holdings Ltd., names Thiel and Clarium as defendants, along with Clarium officers Jason Portnoy and Mark Woolway."

"Amisil, a risk capital investor, seeks to recover the value of its investment in Clarium, which it said is worth as much as $18 million."

Journal Gazette | 08/28/2006 | New Rx for the Web

"That frustration has attracted some famous deep pockets, including America Online co-founder Steve Case, his former employer Time Warner Inc., the Carlyle Group and Allen & Co. Together, they have put more than $100 million into building virtual destinations that offer consumers something beyond disease encyclopedias.
Some want to make it as easy to choose a doctor as a restaurant. Others eventually hope to offer “virtual assisted living� by monitoring medicines or pacemakers remotely, so the elderly can stay in their homes longer."

Google Press Center: Google and eBay Sign Multi-Year Agreement to Connect Users, Merchants, and Advertisers Around the Globe

"Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) and eBay Inc. (Nasdaq: EBAY) today announced a multi-year agreement to benefit both companies' collective communities of users, merchants and advertisers around the globe. The agreement consists of two primary components involving text-based advertising and 'click-to-call' advertising functionality.
Specifically, Google will become the exclusive text-based advertising provider for eBay outside the United States. In addition, eBay and Google plan to integrate and launch 'click-to-call' advertising functionality that leverage both Skype and Google Talk globally in each company's respective shopping and search platforms. The companies said the financial terms for certain components of the deal involve revenue sharing, but did not disclose specific details. "

EETimes.com - nLight acquires Flextronics Photonics

"nLight Corp., a manufacturer of high-power semiconductor lasers, has acquired the assets of Flextronics Photonics from Flextronics International Ltd. of Singapore.
The acquisition will add an array of new fiber-coupled and hybrid microelectronic products for nLight (Vancouver, Wash.). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. "

Piperlime

In semi - stealth mode: online shoe company to compete w/ zappos.com. Founded by ad execs according to a mole at ac

tripmatesâ„¢ - the interactive travel community

"Tripmatesâ„¢ is the interactive travel community that gets you connected before you depart and keeps you in touch while you're away. It's the coolest travel website on the planet and it's absolutely free!Tripmatesâ„¢ is the interactive travel community that gets you connected before you depart and keeps you in touch while you're away. It's the coolest travel website on the planet and it's absolutely free!"

USVP - Financing Your Company At USVP

"FINANCING YOUR COMPANY AT USVPWhere does the money come from? USVP raises investment capital from a large set of blue-chip limited partners representing university endowments, pension funds, money managers, funds of funds, insurance companies and other institutions. These organizations allocate a portion of their investment portfolios to top-tier early-stage venture investors and expect significantly higher-than-average returns on their invested capital, concomitant with the recognized risk of venture investing. Meeting these expectations requires USVP to:"

GigaOM » Zapr Joins The P-P2P Party

"Zapr, a Sydney, Australia-based peer to peer file transfer company is about to launch and open its service to beta customers. The company is one of the latest to join a new breed of online file transfer services, we have labeled personal P2P applications.
Pando, Perenety, Peer Factor, and Wired Reach are some example of such services. I have come across a few other companies since my previous post - YouSendIT and Civil Netizen. I am also looking forward to learning more about AllPeers, a Firefox extension that will allow users to send and receive files."

BuyCause | Internet Shopping 2.0

Buycause says it will offer its products for as low or lower than any of the other e- commerce sites plus give 5-30% of every purchase to a charity of the purchaser's choice (with he or she getting the tax deduction) or 5-30% as cashback to the purchaser, able to be cashed out quarterly just like a cashback credit card, or 5-30% towards a 529 Education Fund.

Will HP Buy McAfee or even Symantec? - Blogging Stocks

"This week, IBM shelled out $1.3 billion for Internet Security Systems, which is a top provider of security software and consulting. In fact, over the past month, IBM has spent about $3.6 billion on software acquisitions.
So, might there be more buyout activity in the security sector? Perhaps McAfee or even Symantec are targets?
In fact, there have been a variety of security deals, such as Novell's purchase of eSecurity, as well as EMC's purchase of RSA for $2.1 billion.
Yes, security is red hot – and for good reason. It's the #1 priority for corporate IT. More importantly, security is extremely difficult, requiring lots of strong technology and domain expertise."

Promoting Alternative Energy Without Being Too Green - New York Times

"It’s about money, Mr. Parker said. And venture capitalists are clamoring to get in. In the first two quarters, venture capitalists invested $379 million in 30 cleantech companies, according to the National Venture Capital Association. That is up from $230.8 million in 27 companies in all of 2005.
The fervor is so strong, some critics say, that the cleantech label is being attached to concepts that only marginally fill the bill, and the phenomenon is eliciting gentle mockery in some quarters."

Wall Street Courts Main Street - September 1, 2006

"As a result, Butler, 45, and his 21 bankers have been involved in some of the most talked-about deals of the past two years. Among their clients: Nighthawk Radiology Services, Lightwave Electronics, and QPass. This year, Butler expects Cascadia to post revenues of about $15 million, triple what it reported in 2001. Still, Butler says, he has to fight hard for new business. Many small-business owners have a bias against boutiques, worrying that they lack the clout to attract the top investors or negotiate the best terms on a deal. Plus, although cheaper than the big firms, they still can be expensive. "

A start-up Web site takes on the giants - Technology - International Herald Tribune

"PARIS A French start-up called Netvibes is trying to take on the likes of Yahoo and Google by offering Internet users a better way to organize news, information and other Web-based services.

The site, at www.netvibes.com, is being billed as easier to use than RSS feeds and more flexible than MyYahoo or Google's home page"

Thinking like a criminal

"Based on feedback from banks, the company has developed a new product it plans to launch shortly. It's called ImageMask, and it is used to obliterate key personal information that can be gleaned over the Internet from trust deeds, check facsimiles and other documents.

To help market the product, Eisen has enlisted the help of Frank Abagnale Jr., a former check forger and con artist whose exploits were recounted in the book and film Catch Me If You Can.

The 41st Parameter generated $1 million in sales in 2005 with Eisen and one other employee and hopes to do $5.5 million in 2006. The company now has 27 employees and aims to have 40 by the end of the year.

'We're very busy,' Eisen said.

Eisen wants to take his company public, and he has been successful in attracting investments from venture capitalists.

Last year, Norwest Venture Partners of Palo Alto, Calif., led a group that gave the company a $4.5 million first round of financing.

In May, Norwest participated in an $11.5 million second round led by Silicon Valley venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. "

Signum sine tinnitu--by Guy Kawasaki: Nine Questions to Ask a Startup

"Here are some “Guyed�lines for a startup that has already raised its first round of venture capital of $1-3 million with no more than fifteen employees. Don't just latch onto the top end of the range because there are many variables to consider including salary, cash bonuses, geographic location, and most important of all, your perceived value.
Senior engineer: .3 - .7%
Mid-level engineer: .2 - .4%
Product manager: .2 - .3%
Architect, i.e., the “main (wo)man,� though an individual contributor: 1 - 1.5%
Vice presidents: 1.5 - 3%
CEO, i.e., “adult supervision� brought in to replace the founder: 5 - 10% "

Pixel Shrink

PixelShrink - Photobucket copy cat minus all that storage.

Welcome to BroadWebAsia.com

Welcome to BroadWebAsia.com

Inc 500: The Fastest-Growing Private Businesses - Yahoo! Finance

"8. StubHub
San Francisco, CA
Ranking8
IndustryRetail
Three-Year Growth3248%
2005 Revenue$199 million
URL:http://www.stubhub.com
Employees230
Founded2000

What it does: Creates a buying and selling venue for tickets to concerts, performances, and sporting events. Why it’s growing: Buyers seem to find online exchanges easier, with better selection and (often) lower prices than traditional brokers. In the old days, sellers, including corporate customers and season ticket holders, often threw away tickets rather than trying to resell them. Getting started: Co-founder and CEO Jeff Fluhr—Wharton, the Blackstone Group, Thomas Weisel Partners—never forgot his college days of buying concert and sporting tickets from shady characters in alleys and thinking there had to be a better way."

Soaring on Ridgelift: Open Source Company List

Applications
XWiki - Wiki Application

Business Process
Intalio - BPM tools
Pentaho - BI platform

Compatability Tools
CodeWeavers - Tools to run Windows apps on Linux

Consumer Electronics
Neuros - Media players
SlimDevices - Audio media players

Content Management
Alfresco - Enterprise content management solutions
eZSystems
Infrae
Nuxeo
Zope

CRM
SugarCRM - Customer Relationship Management solutions

Database
db4Objects - Object database for Java and .NET
EnterpriseDB - RDBMS based on PostgreSQL
GreenPlum - Database servers for business intelligence
Ingres - RDBMS based on Ingres
MySQL - MySQL RDBMS
Sleepycat Software - RDBMS based ob Berkeley DB (now part of Oracle)

Developer Support
ActiveState - Open source language tools (Perl, PHP, etc)
CollabNet - On-demand collaboration tools for distributed development
GlassBox - Diagnostic tools for Java programmers
Koders - Search for Open Source software
Krugle - Search for Open Source software

Document Management
KnowledgeTree - Document management system

Embedded System Support
Montavista Software - Linux distribution for intelligent devices & infrastructure
TimeSys - Tools for custom embedded Linux distribution
TrollTech - Tools for Enterprise & portable devices device applications

Enterprise Application Support
OpenLogic - Infrastructure management tools and certified library of Open Source apps
Optaros - Consulting & integration services for Enterprise apps built on Open Source
SourceLabs - Support services for certified stacks of Open Source software
SpikeSource - Certified Open Source stacks and applications
Univa - Enterprise version of Globus grid software
XenSource - Enterprise version of Xen Virtualization software
Zend - Tools to deploy & maintain PHP applications

ERP
Compiere - ERP applications with integrated CRM
OpenPro - Licensed ERP applications built on Open Source

Intellectual Property Management
BlackDuck Software - Compliance management tools to detect use of Open Source
Palamida - IP management for Open and Closed Source

IT Management
ActiveGrid - Management tools for LAMP applications
FiveRuns - Systems Management
GroundWork Open Source - Management and monitoring of IT infrastructure
Hyperic - Monitor & control IT infrastructure
Qlusters - Software to automate Enterprise Data Centers
Zenoss - Enterprise IT management system
Zmanda - Data protection solutions for backup and restore

Linux Distributions
Canonical - Ubuntu Linux for desktop and enterprise
Linspire - Desktop
Mandriva - Desktop & Enterprise
Miracle Linux - Miracle distribution
Red Flag - Asiaux distribution
Red Hat - Desktop & Enterprise
SunWah
Xandros - Desktop

Messaging
Collax - Enterprise/SME messaging and security
Funambol - Push email to mobile devices
MuleSource - Enterprise Service Bus messaging framework based on Mule
Scalix - Messaging infrastructure platform
SendMail - Enterprise messaging products
Zimbra - Enterprise messaging

Network Software
OpenClovis - Platform software for carrier grade telco systems
Vyatta - Network Infrastructure software for routers & switches

Report Writer
JasperSoft - Report Generator

Security
SourceFire - Network security products based on Snort

SOA
LogicBlaze - Enterprise SOA platform

Telephony
Digium - Asterisk Open Source PBX

Criteria for adding a company to the list are;
Must have a commercial purpose - whether selling software licenses or providing support and enhancement services.
Offer downloads of their software (including source) under either the GPL or their own versions of an Open Source license.
Must have a product offering - pure consulting companies are not included

Analysis: Now Is The Time To Consider Open Source CRM - Windows News by InformationWeek

Open source versions of CRM software aren't on the radar of most businesses. But considering the advantages of these products, it's time to take a closer look.
Open source CRM software is a tiny portion of the $5.7 billion-a-year CRM software market, and deployments generally are fewer than 50 users. The dozen or so vendors of these applications, meanwhile, face an uphill battle to convince large businesses that their software is as scalable and functional as commercial CRM apps. "

Sony pays $65 mln to buy Web video site Grouper | Reuters.com

"Sony Corp.'s entertainment unit said it had agreed to pay $65 million to buy Web video-watching site Grouper.com, marking the growing embrace of the user-generated video craze by big media.
The acquisition by Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), the Hollywood movie and television production unit of Japan's Sony (6758.T: Quote, NEWS, Research), aims to infuse the studios with new ideas and talent for movies, television shows and games, a top executive said.
Michael Lynton, Sony Pictures chairman and chief executive, said in an interview that user-generated content as a complement to professionally produced media has been a hot topic within Sony's different businesses for more than a year."

That's Pretty Cool: Time Magazine Names McAfee SiteAdvisor to Annual 50 Coolest Websites List: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

"McAfee, Inc. (NYSE: MFE - News) today announced that McAfee® SiteAdvisor(TM) was selected by Time Magazine for inclusion in its prestigious annual '50 Coolest Websites' list.

McAfee SiteAdvisor has pioneered Web safety by testing and rating, on an ongoing basis, nearly every trafficked site on the Internet for a wide variety of Web safety issues including spyware, viruses, exploits, online scams, and spam. McAfee SiteAdvisor's database contains safety test result for more than 6.4 million Web sites."

WSJ.com - Web Start-Up Helps Hot Sites Deliver Video

"The dominant player in the industry is Akamai Technologies Inc., Cambridge, Mass., with revenue of $283 million in 2005. However, Limelight has been making inroads because it specializes in delivering Internet video and because it offers its services for a lower cost. 'Limelight has benefited tremendously from the explosion of media online,' says Mike McGuire, a research analyst with Gartner Inc. He says Akamai's size can occasionally serve as a disadvantage with customers who prefer to negotiate discounted price arrangements with a start-up."

piggy little eyes blinked greedily. .It is said that in the old days this could be done, but we have tried and have failed. Can you do this thing?.

Former Friendster ceo ends up at TPG

Prior to joining Texas Pacific Group Ventures in March of 2006, Taek Kwon was the CEO of Friendster, the popular social networking pioneer. He joined Friendster in June 2005 to execute a difficult turnaround of the company as revenue was quickly declining and user growth had stagnated. During Taek's tenure, the company reduced operating expenses by over 50%, resolved the company's legacy technology problems, launched Friendster 2.0, an innovative community product that provides applications for the publishing and discovery of user-generated multimedia, increased US audience by 85%, and doubled revenue.

VCs see opportunity in blogosphere - New York Times

"'We view this as an investment in a news site,' said Hippeau, whose firm invested alongside Apax Worldwide Partners co-founder Alan Patricof. 'We think the news of the future will look like The Huffington Post. It includes breaking news, instant commentary, blogs and community, with a comments section that can be almost like a miniblog.'
Similarly, Malik's blog is notable for breaking tech stories nearly every day, particularly in the areas of broadband Internet and the new communication technologies collectively known as Web 2.0. Malik offers opinions, speculates on future possibilities and responds to others in the blogosphere, creating a site widely regarded as a must-read among Silicon Valley watchers. The site now includes additional entries from four other writers and sports a support staff of five. "

Quattrone May Avoid 3rd Trial - New York Times

"Frank P. Quattrone, the Silicon Valley banker who helped drive the 1990’s boom in technology, has reached a deal with federal prosecutors that will allow him to avoid a third criminal trial on obstruction charges and resume a career in finance, people briefed on the negotiations said yesterday. "

Software Notebook: Microsoft in buying mood

"Microsoft says it paid $649 million for a total of 23 companies in its recently completed fiscal year. A sampling of its acquisitions:
Alacris Inc., Ottawa, Ontario: software for smart-card systems.
Apptimum Inc., Sunrise, Fla.: maker of Alohabob PC Relocator products for transferring applications between machines.
DeepMetrix Corp., Gatineau, Quebec: Web site analysis company.
FrontBridge Technologies, Los Angeles: corporate message filtering and scanning services.
GeoTango International Corp., Toronto: 3-D visualization and mapping technologies.
Lionhead Studios, United Kingdom: maker of the 'Fable' game for Xbox 360 and Windows.
Massive Inc., New York: in-game online advertising technology.
MotionBridge, Paris: search technology for mobile devices.
Onfolio Inc., Cambridge, Mass.: Web clip and blogging technology.
Seadragon Software, Seattle: image-browsing technology that has been integrated into Microsoft's Photosynth project.
Teleo Inc., San Francisco: Voice over Internet Protocol software.
Vexcel Corp., Boulder, Colo.: image and remote-sensing technologies to augment Microsoft's Virtual Earth group.
Whale Communications Ltd., Fort Lee, N.J.: technology for remote access to corporate data and documents."

Software Notebook: Microsoft in buying mood

"'We are buying more companies than we have ever bought,' Ballmer said in response to the question at Microsoft Corp.'s annual meeting with financial analysts.
In fact, the company significantly picked up its pace of acquisitions in its recently completed fiscal year -- making 23 deals, compared with nine the year before. "

WSJ.com - Friendster Gets $10 Million Infusion For Revival Bid

"Friendster Inc., the pioneering social-networking company that has lost ground to newer rivals such as MySpace.com and Facebook Inc., plans to announce today that it has received $10 million in venture-capital funding, the latest move by investors to resurrect the company.
DAG Ventures, Palo Alto, Calif., is leading the round, with two of Friendster's original investors, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Benchmark Capital, also participating. Friendster's valuation wasn't disclosed.
Friendster blazed a trail for social networking -- the idea of connecting with other Internet users via Web profiles -- four years ago. But as the San Francisco company struggled with performance issues, users ditched it in favor of new alternatives, including MySpace and Facebook. Last year, News Corp. bought MySpace's parent company for $580 million, plus a $69 million loan. Facebook, of Palo Alto, raised $25 million in a third round of financing in April that valued the company at $500 million, according to a person familiar with the matter."

Lime Rock Partners II sitting at a 3.1x investment multiple

Lime Rock Partners II, L.P. according to a recent Calpers 3/31/06 report, is holding a whopping 3.1x investment multiple (defined as Multiple is calculated as "Cash Out + Remaining Value" divided by "Cash In."), the highest of any Calpers Emerging Ventures I, II, & III holding. Though most of the returns multiple is comprised of unrealized gains (only $1.8m cash out of $10m committed thus far), Lime Rock's multiple tops that of Granite Global (2.0x; baidu, alibaba and other exits), Clearstone I-B, LP (2.9x; paypal, overture exits), Index Ventures II (2.0x; skype fame).

Lime Rock's investment sectors include the white hot exploration and production, energy services, and oil services technology.

Enterprise - Saving $700,000 with a VoIP Overhaul

"The VoIP market for hardware and software is led by Cisco, which had 24.3 percent share in the first quarter, according to Synergy Research Group. Avaya came in second with 23.4 percent. Companies looking to make a conversion in one fell swoop are likely to opt for what's known as an IP-only system offered by vendors including Cisco, Nortel, 3Com and others. "

VC Ratings: Kiko failure deemed a harbinger of things to come for Web 2.0 startups

"Debate now centers around whether this is a harbinger of things to come. Robert Scoble thinks so. So does Dharmesh Shah. And of course, they're right. The market has no need for so many startups doing similar things.
Scoble writes, 'There are simply too many companies chasing too few users.'"

FUNNY BIZ: VIACOM EYES ONION By TIM ARANGO - New York Post Online Edition: Business

"At the same time, Barry Diller's InterActiveCorp is close to a nearly $20 million deal to invest in CollegeHumor.com, including options to acquire the site, according to another source.
The Huffington Post Web site first reported The Onion talks this week.
While the deals are tiny - The Onion may go for close to $10 million - relative to the size of Viacom or IAC, the brands are well-known and the talks signify the so-called old media's eagerness these days to gobble up Web properties, especially those targeted at a youthful audience coveted by advertisers."

eBay: Kiko Calendar: website, software and domain (item 120021374185 end time Aug-26-06 11:54:07 PDT)

Starting bid: US $49,999.99

Kiko is a fully function AJAX calendar website. Kiko has an easy to use drag-and-drop interface, natural language appointment input, and localization support. This auction is for the domain name, our web hosting account, and all the intellectual property associated with Kiko, including copyrights to all the code.
We are selling Kiko because we want to have time to work on other projects as a development team. We had a project in mind we just didn't want to wait on :)
Kiko uses Ruby on Rails on top of a postgresql database. It can easily be customized to suit your calendar needs, whether you want to package it with CMS or email software, or continue to operate the site yourself.
For an additional $1500 to cover travel expenses, our development team will fly out to the winner of this auction (anywhere in the US; we might be able to work out visits to other countries on request) for 1 week (5 business days) to consult on how best to integrate Kiko into your existing sites or services.
Kiko has been mentioned on Slashdot, MIT Review, and many other tech sites as a premier Web 2.0 calendar. Here is a selection of press coverage:
4.16.2006 Slashdot on web calendars
4.15.2006 Robert Scoble on Kiko
4.14.2006 MIT Technology Review article on online calendars
3.23.2006 Ajaxian reviews our 2.0 release
9.29.2005 Slashdot on the AJAX Office

Scalability | Union Square Ventures: A New York Venture Capital Fund Focused on Early Stage & Startup Investing

"We do not pretend to understand all of the drivers that will shape the opportunity for start up web services. We do believe that successful services will do one thing very well. We do not believe that means these services are “features not companies�. We believe that these companies can scale, and that how they will scale is not always predictable. "

Right Media

"Right Media operates the first open media exchange for the interactive advertising industry. Buyers and sellers,interconnected on a common platform, seamlessly trade more than two billion impressions on the Right Media Exchange daily."

Piczo - an up and comer in the web2.0 space

"We, the people that run Piczo, love posting photos online for friends to view, chatting on message boards, instant messaging with friends, and meeting new people online. So we thought, why not create a service that allows users to create their own website that features all their photos and content, is linked to their friend's websites, and features chat rooms, blogs, and tons of other cool stuff."

RED HERRING | AT&T and Yahoo Team Up Again

AT&T and Yahoo on Thursday rolled out a digital photo-sharing service, the latest in a string of offerings between the two tech giants.

The new service, AT&T Yahoo Photos, gives AT&T another free perk it can offer its 7.8 million DSL subscribers, and it potentially gets more consumers to use the newly upgraded Yahoo Photos service. The service includes features such as photo-tagging and online “playlists� of photos that automatically recognize and add tagged photos to online albums.

"According to Hitwise, the top 10 photo-sharing services in descending order are Photobucket.com, Yahoo Photos, Webshots Community, Kodakgallery.com, ImageShack, Flickr, Snapfish, Picturetrail, Slide.com, and Shutterfly."

Unstrung - Boeing Disconnects Connexion - Wireless Networking News Analysis

"Boeing said it will take a charge of $320 million to write off the in-flight WiFi effort. Industry analysts believe that the Chicago-based aviation giant invested as much as $1 billion to develop Connexion, which at its onset, in 2000, was seen as a major revenue-generator for the airlines and for Boeing. Predictions of eventual revenues from on-board Internet service ranged as high as $25 billion a year. "

EETimes.com - LCD TV market looking up, says analyst

"Stabilizing liquid crystal display (LCD) panel prices will help fuel an improved market for suppliers of components used in LCD TVs starting late in the third quarter, according to a research note by Wedbush Morgan Securities.
The note reiterated data from a recent DisplaySearch conference projecting a strong rebound in production and shipments of LCD components the second half of 2006. 2006 year LCD TV shipments will exceed an industry consensus forecast of 42 million units to reach almost 47 million, Wedbush projected."

Unstrung - WiMax/Broadband Wireless - WiMax's Small Steps to Security - Wireless Networking News Analysis

"Sprint Nextel Corp.'s decision last week to spend $3 billion on a new high-speed wireless network gear catapulted WiMax right into the public eye. But what Sprint didn't talk about -- and is less well understood -- is what security measures will protect users who move over to the broadband wireless network. Analysts, industry experts, and operators are expecting to see some of the same kinds of attacks undertaken against the older 802.11 WiFi standard used against its younger sibling. 'I expect we'll see similar problems with [WiMax] as we've seen with other devices, namely weak management protocols and vulnerable applications -- embedded Web servers, unencrypted access via telnet and SNMP V1 and V2,' says ex-Tipping Point security consultant Shawn Merdinger."

Creative Guy » Blog Archive » Free online file storage/sending

Yousendit.com appears the leader in the space, but according to this link there appears to be a slew of them out there.

Intuit Press Release- Intuit Names Diane Greene to Board of Directors

"Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU) announced the appointment of Diane Greene, co-founder and president of VMware, Inc. and executive vice president and officer of EMC Corp., to its Board of Directors, effective Aug. 15. Greene's appointment to a new position on the board builds on the strength of the team and brings the number of members of Intuit's board to 10."

Seth Godin's Web 2.0 Traffic Watch List on Alexaholic.com

Macworld: News: Boeing to shut down in-flight Wi-Fi

"Boeing will phase out its Connexion by Boeing service, leaving what it once considered a promising market for in-flight Internet access.
Connexion offers broadband Internet access via Wi-Fi, using a satellite connection to the Internet, that costs about US$10 to $30 per flight on commercial airlines. It also offers high-speed Internet access on executive jets and ships.
Connexion is offered on some commercial flights in Europe and Asia but was never adopted by a major U.S. carrier. First conceived in 2000, the service was approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in May 2002 as the nation’s airlines were reeling from a travel slump that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks."

PRESS RELEASE Interep's Interactive Video Network Launches Viral Video Network

"Interactive Video Network (IVN), an Interep Interactive company, the largest independent online ad sales company in the United States, will launch a new video network called the Viral Video Network that will enable advertisers to place marketing-related video in front of a huge audience with a single point of contact. Moreover, it will guarantee advertisers placement on consumer generated sites and plays of videos that marketers want to establish as viral-worthy content.
A number of sites have already joined Viral Video Network as distribution partners including: photobucket.com; gofish.com; vmix.com and redbalcony.com. Viral Video Network at first will reach over 15 million monthly unique users -- nearly 9% of the total internet audience -- and by year's end, expects to reach 20%. "

MercuryNews.com | 08/17/2006 | Doerr predicts green innovation

"A hotly contested bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California would spur a wave of new clean-energy technology, prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalist John Doerr predicted Wednesday.
Entrepreneurs ``are going to go out and compete and innovate to bring enormous solutions to the market'' if the bill passes, Doerr, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, said at a news conference at the Capitol. He was joined by Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles, and executives from several alternative-energy companies."

Unstrung - WLANs/WiFi/802.11 - Boingo Scores $65M - Wireless Networking News Analysis

"Public access wireless LAN startup Boingo Wireless Inc. has grabbed $65 million in its series C funding round, bringing its total VC haul up to nearly $100 million since the firm launched in December 2001.
New investors in this latest round include Mitsui Corporate Development Funds and Mitsui USA, Steelpoint Capital Partners, and Red Rock Ventures . Previous investors also participated in the round."

Stay Tuned for an Akamai-Google Clash - SeekingAlpha

"We are still investors in Akamai, but it appears that one of our core reasons has now become invalid.



Originally, we assumed that the major (i.e. not The Long Tail, but that fat profitable part) video content authors would want to retain control over the advertising portion of their business, and not outsource to a third party. We assumed they specifically would not outsource to Google because they would want to ensure a number of competitive alternatives for their business existed first. We also believed they viewed Google as a competitor rather than a supplier. This delay would give Akamai the time to build a business providing advertising services to run atop its hosting infrastructure by leveraging its strong ties to media companies.
Our assumption appears to be breaking down, as Google deftly repositions itself as more of a mediator of video content rather than an author/owner. The WSJ article captures the leading edge of this trend very well. Google appears to be convincing major networks like CBS to allow them to host and monetize high value content. This is very negative for Akamai."

WSJ.com - AOL Acquires GameDaily

"Time Warner Inc.'s AOL unit acquired Internet videogame publication GameDaily from privately held San Francisco company Gigex Inc. Terms of the deal, which closed Aug. 10, weren't disclosed. AOL, based in Dulles, Va., acquired the GameDaily consumer Web site "

YouTube - will n carlton

YouTube - Fresh Prince- Final Episode

Evercore: The Google of I-Banking: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

"Despite a tough IPO market, Evercore Partners posted a strong public offering, as its stock price surged 18.3% to $24.85. Then again, the firm's margins look more like Google's, not an investment bank's. The challenge is whether the firm can continue its flawless execution, given the increased competition and risks of a slowdown in the mergers & acquisitions (M&A) market."

Alexa traffic: facebook vs. bebo

It's back to schoool and traffic for these sites will no doubt increase in the next few months.

Official Google Blog: A better way to organize photos?

"Neven Vision comes to Google with deep technology and expertise around automatically extracting information from a photo. It could be as simple as detecting whether or not a photo contains a person, or, one day, as complex as recognizing people, places, and objects. This technology just may make it a lot easier for you to organize and find the photos you care about. We don't have any specific features to show off today, but we're looking forward to having more to share with you soon.Neven Vision comes to Google with deep technology and expertise around automatically extracting information from a photo. It could be as simple as detecting whether or not a photo contains a person, or, one day, as complex as recognizing people, places, and objects. This technology just may make it a lot easier for you to organize and find the photos you care about. We don't have any specific features to show off today, but we're looking forward to having more to share with you soon.Neven Vision comes to Google with deep technology and expertise around automatically extracting information from a photo. It could be as simple as detecting whether or not a photo contains a person, or, one day, as complex as recognizing people, places, and objects. This technology just may make it a lot easier for you to organize and find the photos you care about. We don't have any specific features to show off today, but we're looking forward to having more to share with you soon."

Questra raises $12.5 million - San Francisco Business Times:

"Questra Corp. said Tuesday it raised $12.5 million in venture funding.
The Redwood City software company said Trident Capital and Menlo Ventures gave money in the round, as did the recently formed Global SAP NetWeaver Fund, a unit of giant SAP (NYSE: SAP), based in Waldorf, Germany. "

Google snaps up photo-technologist Neven Vision | News.blog | CNET News.com

"According to Google's blog, the search giant has bought Neven Vision, a small Santa Monica-based company that specializes in object and facial recognition technology. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Adrian Graham, Google's product manager for photo-sharing application Picasa, elaborated slightly on how Neven's 'expertise around automatically extracting information from a photo' fits into the search provider's mission."

Rain Umbrellas That Don't Drip All Over - The No Drip Umbrella â„¢

The Umbrella That Doesn't Drip All Over!

A built-in case prevents the umbrella from dripping.

YouTube - Steve Ballmer Dance

YouTube - Steve Ballmer Dance: ""


Japanese women have been reporting a disease called persistent sexual arousal syndrome which makes them orgasm at only the slightest movement or contact from another. It maybe isn’t all that awesome because constant orgasms can be painful and tiring and drive one to suicide. All I have to say is good luck to anyone who is afflicted with this disease and I hope they find a cure and soon.
If you want to read the entire article you can find it at Mainichi News.

Ben Casnocha: The Blog: The Big Drivers of the Next 10 Years

"After giving me a tour of the facility, we sat down and Sean described some of the big trends they see developing over the next decade. Some of the themes that most intrigue me:
A 'group economy' threads together past visions of emergence, new kinds of capital, collective action, grassroots economics, etc.
'Lightweight infrastructure' builds grassrootes economies into physical structures.
'Sensemaking' is about the importance of focal points and maps in an ever-less-bounded world. Physical context increases in importance.After giving me a tour of the facility, we sat down and Sean described some of the big trends they see developing over the next decade. Some of the themes that most intrigue me:
A 'group economy' threads together past visions of emergence, new kinds of capital, collective action, grassroots economics, etc.
'Lightweight infrastructure' builds grassrootes economies into physical structures.
'Sensemaking' is about the importance of focal points and maps in an ever-less-bounded world. Physical context increases in importance."

AOL Acquires Userplane: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

"AOL LLC today announced that is has acquired Userplane (http://www.userplane.com) of Los Angeles, CA, a pioneer in community networking software that develops and markets easy-to-use, Web-based chat and instant messaging tools that can be quickly deployed and seamlessly integrated into a variety of Web services."

Advertising Age - MediaWorks - For Sale: Mediabistro

"Who will buy the boa? Mediabistro, the networking, jobs and news website for journalists, PR people and other communications pros, is on the block, according to several people familiar with the discussions. Several suitors, including media companies and employment web sites, are said to be in the bidding for the company.
Estimates of the company's revenue from people familiar with the process vary, from less than $2 million to $5 million to $8 million. The company, which started out seeking a higher multiple, is now asking for a sale price of three or four times revenue, those close to the discussions said. "

CBS to Start Streaming Prime-Time Shows: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

"CBS Television will begin showing episodes of several new and returning prime-time shows for free on the Internet, becoming the second network to do so.
The unit of CBS Corp. already sells downloads of episodes on Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes Music Store and Google Inc.'s video store. In May, it launched an advertising-supported online channel called 'innertube' to stream programming created just for the Web."

CBS to Start Streaming Prime-Time Shows: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

"CBS Television will begin showing episodes of several new and returning prime-time shows for free on the Internet, becoming the second network to do so.
The unit of CBS Corp. already sells downloads of episodes on Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes Music Store and Google Inc.'s video store. In May, it launched an advertising-supported online channel called 'innertube' to stream programming created just for the Web."

EETimes.com - Reversal: NAND down, NOR, DRAM up in Q2, iSuppli says

" Overwhelmed by a continuing downward pricing spiral, NAND flash memory posted a tough second quarter, while the NOR flash and DRAM segments showed strength, according to market research firm iSuppli Corp. The firm said it is considering trimming its NAND sales growth forecast for the year.
Calling it a case of 'role reversal' in chip memory, iSuppli (El Segundo, Calif.) said second quarter NAND sales slipped 15.7 percent, while NOR and DRAM sales increased 6 and 16 percent, respectively. "

EETimes.com - Report: NOR flash sales rise

"Global NOR flash memory revenue rose sequentially in the second quarter, according to a preliminary estimate from iSuppli Corp.
'The second quarter traditionally is the slowest period of the year in the NOR market,' said Mark DeVoss, senior analyst, flash /SRAM/MCP for iSuppli (El Segundo, Calif.). 'However, second-quarter revenue this year amounted to $2.13 billion, up 6 percent from $2.01 billion in the first quarter. Second-quarter revenue came in 4 percent higher than iSuppli previously had forecasted.'"

EETimes.com - Sirenza Microdevices to buy MicroLinear for $45M

"RF component supplier Sirenza Microdevices Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire fabless semiconductor company MicroLinear Corp., in a stock swap.
Under the agreement, Sirenza (Broomfield, Colo.) will issue 0.365 of a share for each share of MicroLinear (San Jose, Calif.). Based on MicroLinear's diluted shares outstanding and Sirenza's closing price on Aug. 14, the transaction is valued at $45.6 million."

EETimes.com - Amkor loans jeopardized by filing delay over options

"Amkor Technology Inc., a provider of semiconductor assembly and test services, said it has not filed its quarterly financial results on time by Nasdaq rules and that banks have alleged that this failure puts the company in default on about $1.62 billion in loans.
Amkor (Chandler Ariz.) had previously said its board had formed a special committee of independent directors to undertake a voluntary review of its historical stock-option practices on July 26 at the same that it issued a press release announcing the quarterly financial results for the company. "

EETimes.com - Phonons may drive high-Tc superconduction

"Just last month, an Oak Ridge National Laboratory team offered evidence that magnetic resonance was a more likely candidate than phonons as the mechanism behind high-temperature superconducting.
But now a research team at Cornell University (Ithaca, N.Y.) has countered that careful characterization at the atomic scale reveals that the mechanism causing high-temperature superconducting may be phonons after all."

Google Says Googling Is Inappropriate

"Recently, the Washington Post received a letter, on paper, hand-addressed, and in the mail, from Google attorneys asking the newspaper to avoid using Google as a verb. Perhaps paper makes a demand seem more serious than email. The Post responded, only slightly mocking in tone, snickering at the legal use of the word 'hottie.' "

nPost.com Interview with Michael Birch, CEO of Bebo

"There was currently a posting on TechCrunch about Bebo. The posting was the Bebo was approached about being acquired for 550 million. Was the posting true and how as a company do you deal with this type of situation?
First of all the rumor wasn't true.

That's too bad.
I am almost glad it happened, because it was fascinating reading the comments of people posting that it was true, so we got some interesting feedback on that, the idea that we were settling for that amount. The accusation was that we were being greedy for not accepting the 550 million, that we were holding out for more. It was completely untrue. You can't take those things seriously. I mean you just have to comment on it and say that it isn't true and just get on with it. It's just speculation and you have to deal with the public reaction to such an idea."

Google Asserts Click Fraud Overstated: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

"Google continues to wrestle with click fraud -- and with companies that track the problem.
Web auditing and research firms that have reported on click fraud -- a method of bilking online advertisers -- say they stand behind their research after Google criticized their work in a surprise report it released last week."

This year, two firms -- Click Forensics, a Web-based auditing company and Outsell, a research firm -- separately came to the same conclusion: that click fraud accounts for about 14% of paid search clicks.

Auction Watch: $5.67B after 12th round

"After twelve rounds of bidding, the FCC is currently set to rake in $5.67 billion in net bids for the advanced wireless services (AWS) auction. Each of the major carriers and their consortiums hold one of the top four spots for big spenders. Once again, T-Mobile is in the lead in terms of both the net price of bids and number of provisionally winning bids (PWBs): T-Mobile currently has $1.52 billion on the table for 41 provisionally winning bids covering a population of nearly 315 million. Verizon Wireless is next in line when it comes to net bids, with $1.04 billion worth of PWBs (only two) that cover 99.7 million pops. Cingular Wireless is in third with 15 PWBs covering 267 million pops and worth $957 million. The Sprint/Cable consortium is holding down the fourth spot with eight PWBs covering 207 million pops and worth $817 million."

YouTube suffers outage, breaks top 50 - Yahoo! News

"The video-sharing site YouTube.com suffered an outage Tuesday, the same day a Web measurement company said the site had broken into its list of the Internet's top 50 for the first time. Few details on the outage were available. "

Navini Networks - Navini Networks .: Inventors of Mobile Wireless Broadband :.

"Come join the more than 50 commercial customers around the world that have made the move to portable broadband...including the largest commercial deployment in the world. "

Sonoa Systems

"Sonoa Systems is an exciting Silicon Valley startup that is creating an innovative approach to deploying applications to simplify IT infrastructure and significantly reduce the Total Cost of Ownership.
Sonoa brings together a remarkable team that combines a wealth of experience in the four key areas - Networking, Middleware, Distributed Computing and Storage Area Networks. Sonoa Team members have been integral part of successful startups and large corporations including Cisco, TIBCO, BEA, Oracle, IONA, Sun, Juniper, and Redback Networks."

WSJ.com - IAC to Acquire Majority Stake, Voting Control in CollegeHumor.com

"IAC/InterActiveCorp has acquired a majority stake and full voting control of CollegeHumor.com, which offers videos, photos and jokes, often about alcohol and sex, aimed at university students and recent graduates."

WSJ.com - IAC to Acquire Majority Stake, Voting Control in CollegeHumor.com

"IAC/InterActiveCorp has acquired a majority stake and full voting control of CollegeHumor.com, which offers videos, photos and jokes, often about alcohol and sex, aimed at university students and recent graduates."

WSJ.com - Mister Softie

"Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) has introduced a new program for bloggers, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Tuesday. The program, currently in test form, is called Windows Live Writer and lets bloggers compose posts and publish them to a number of blog-hosting services, including Microsoft's Windows Live Spaces, the newspaper said. The project started inside Onfolio Inc., a Massachusetts company Microsoft acquired in March. "

Is the once high-flying Skype beginning to slow? Yes, sez RBC - MarketWatch

"There are signs the once high-flying growth rate of eBay Inc.'s Skype division has begun to slow down, RBC Capital Markets analyst Jordan Rohan noted to clients Tuesday.
A recent check by Rohan and associates found that two key Skype metrics, downloads and new users, are dipping and flattening out respectively when compared to earlier performance.
'Our recent checks indicate ... that the user growth is no longer accelerating,' Rohan wrote to clients. 'EBay may need to spend on marketing or offer price promotions to reaccelerate growth heading into 2007. If eBay chooses to do both, margins would fall short or our revised forecast.' "

Breaking News--Movidis Launches Multicore MIPS-Debian Server

"The race to provide powerful--but not power-consuming--servers just got a new entry. Movidis, a relatively unknown startup from Santa Barbara, California, that was formed five years ago to provide streaming servers for video on demand (VOD) has created a new design based on a multicore MIPS processor and the Debian variant of Linux, which is an enthusiastic supporter of the MIPS chip. "

Dell to recall 4 million batteries | CNET News.com

"Dell and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission plan to recall 4.1 million notebook batteries on Tuesday, a company representative confirmed Monday.
The recall affects certain Inspiron, Latitude and Precision mobile workstations and XPS units shipped between April 2004 and July 18, 2006. Sony manufactured the batteries that are being recalled, the representative said. "

Berkshire Buys Johnson & Johnson Shares: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

"Billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has bought $116.7 million in Johnson & Johnson stock, according to a filing Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission."

Micro Persuasion: Google Video Bumps Froogle, Groups from Home Page?

"So long Froogle, hellooo Google Video. The latter has replaced the former on Google's coveted home page. Must be that darn YouTube! If you click on the more button you can get results from Froogle, Google Book Search and Google Groups. I'm not sure if this is a UI test or global."

Bill Tancer - Hitwise US: Google Video - What a Difference a Link Makes

"Saw this post from Steve Rubel that alerted me to the fact that Google changed the links above its main search box yesterday (Wednesday), removing Froogle and replacing it with Video. As the links on Google's home page don't change very often, this is a great opportunity to understand the distribution power of Google's front page.
Since our data updates everyday, this evening I was able to pull the following chart which shows the market share of visits (compared to all U.S. internet visits) for the two affected sites, video.google.com and www.froogle.com. The increase demonstrates that the link more than doubled Google Video's traffic yesterday. "

TIME.com: 50 Coolest Websites

"How do we select our finalists? We evaluate hundreds of candidates—some suggested by readers, colleagues and friends, others discovered during countless hours of surfing. Many of this year's choices are shining examples of Web 2.0: next-generation sites offering dynamic new ways to inform and entertain, sites with cutting-edge tools to create, consume, share or discuss all manners of media, from blog posts to video clips. Think we missed one? Send us your thoughts and we'll post a selection of your comments online. There's always next year. "

The Cult of Mac Blog

MercuryNews.com | 08/09/2006 | Venture capitalists revisit network-equipment firms

"Rewind a few years, and venture capitalists wouldn't go near networking equipment investments.
After all, once carriers stopped spending to build out their infrastructures, many network equipment companies saw their businesses go into a tailspin."

DealBook - Mergers, Acquisitions, Venture Capital, Hedge Funds - New York Times

"Shares in FileNet were down slightly on Friday morning, but still trading above the $35 that IBM offered for the company on Thursday, leading to continued speculation that a bidding war might ensue.
IBM, which has spent the past half-decade strengthening its software business, offered $1.6 billion for the maker of data-management software – a slight premium over FileNet’s Wednesday closing price of $34.65. In late morning trading on Friday, FileNet was trading at $35.90."

EMC Becomes 'Virtual' Target

Although virtualization is not the core of EMC's business -- storage is -- it's a lucrative sideline. VMware, which the company acquired in late 2003, contributed $157 million in revenue in the second quarter, a growth rate of 73% year over year.

Run as a semi-autonomous entity within EMC, VMware boasts a team of some 800 engineers, has its own sales force and is on an annualized run rate of $630 million, says the company. And because the technology is sought by a wide variety of large businesses, it opens doors for EMC that might otherwise stay shut.

FT.com / Companies / Media & internet - Viacom considers bid for Bebo

"Viacom, the US media group, is considering a bid for Bebo, the social networking site.
The acquisition would represent the latest attempt by Viacom to regain ground lost to Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation in the social networking and user-generated content realm.
Viacom lost out to its rival in a bidding war last year for MySpace, now the world’s leading social networking site, when News Corp paid $580m (£304m) for the young company. The acquisition caused News Corp’s rivals to look again at the value of sites that allow users to share their own messages, photos, music and videos.
News of Viacom’s interest in Bebo came a day after the media group announced a deal with Google to distribute its content through thousands of niche websites and blogs affiliated to the internet company."

Juniper Networks :: Juniper Networks Announces Update Regarding Stock Option Investigation

"As previously announced by Juniper Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: JNPR), the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors has been conducting an investigation into the Company's stock option practices and has reached a preliminary conclusion that the actual measurement dates for financial accounting purposes of certain stock option grants issued in the past differ from the recorded grant dates of such awards.As previously announced by Juniper Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: JNPR), the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors has been conducting an investigation into the Company's stock option practices and has reached a preliminary conclusion that the actual measurement dates for financial accounting purposes of certain stock option grants issued in the past differ from the recorded grant dates of such awards."

Efficient Frontier to Manage FOX Interactive Media's Search Marketing Across Multiple Business Channels @ SYS-CON Media

"Efficient Frontier, the leading provider of search engine marketing (SEM) solutions, today announced that it will manage Fox Interactive Media's (FIM) bid and performance management of paid search across its multiple business units, including FOXSports.com, IGN.com, MySpace.com, RottenTomatoes.com, AskMen.com, Scout.com and GameSpy.com."

Cisco buys majority stake in Nuova for $50M: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

"Cisco Systems Inc. said Thursday it has committed $50 million in funding to Nuova Systems Inc. San Jose-based Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO - News) said Santa Clara-based Nuova will become a majority-owned subsidiary of Cisco. Along with the funding, Cisco has committed 'certain technology' and the possibility of up to $42 million in additional funding in the future.
Nuova has 76 employees, and the companies did not release details of staffing or any job losses. One of the company's co-founders was former Cisco executive Mario Mazzola."

San Jose's Citrix to buy Orbital Data for $50M: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

"Citrix Systems Inc. of San Jose said this week it will buy Orbital Data Corp. for about $50 million.
San Jose-based Citrix, (NASDAQ:CTXS - News), specializes in information-technology systems and software. San Mateo-based Orbital Data, a privately-held company that offers products for wide area networks, was founded in 2002.
The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2006.
When the deal closes, Citrix plans to reintroduce the Orbital Data product line under the Citrix WANScaler brand.
The transaction is expected to add about $2 million in revenue to the second half of 2006 and $10 to $12 million in revenue for 2007."

Bix Launches to the Public; Unveils the First Free Online Talent Contest: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

"Bix.com, Inc. today unveiled Bix, the first user-generated online contest system that allows anyone to easily create, view and enter a talent competition. Led by an all-star executive team from eBay, Symantec and Electronic Arts, Bix will be the first user-generated contest site to monetize consumer-generated content and has developed a business model around contests that will forever change brand marketing."

Google Mini Finds Its Corporate Search Bearings

"Google is essentially synonymous with search when it comes to the Web, but it's just another option when it comes to company Web sites, portals and intranets. And it's an option that often isn't designed specifically to meet the needs of businesses, especially when compared with competing solutions from companies such as Autonomy, Thunderstone and, yes, Microsoft. "

MTV to buy another Atom of the Web / Youth-oriented TV company is increasing its online presence

"MTV Networks Inc. said Wednesday it is buying San Francisco's Atom Entertainment Inc., a group of online gaming and Internet video sites, for $200 million in a deal that underscores how big media companies are chasing their young consumers online"

"MTV also has gobbled up a series of online sites such as Ifilm, Xfire for gamers and Neopets, where users raise and care for virtual pets. For the college crowd, it established mtvU, which last week acquired Y2M: Youth Media & Marketing Networks, part of an interactive network of online U.S. college newspapers. And with Microsoft Corp., MTV introduced a digital music download service, Urge, earlier this year. "

Great Dreams

"Sequoia Capital invest in Great Dreams. Great Dreams is the leading animation company in China. Neil Shen represents Sequoia Capital on the Great Dreams Board of Directors. "

Alien's Creepy IPO Ride

"But another warning sign emerged shortly after Alien Tech filed for the IPO. A few months after Eulau joined the company, Rambus disclosed that it is one of more than 80 tech companies caught up in the stock options-backdating scandal. Worse, Eulau served as Rambus' CFO from July 2001 to March 2006, the period of time that is the focus of the investigation. "

Indian Matrimonial - Free Matrimonials Services - Marriage Web Site

"More than 7.5 million members

World record in marriages

Only portal to offer verified profiles

Guaranteed 100% privacy

ISO 9001-2000 certified portal

24 offices worldwide"

Free AOL Sends Go Daddy IPO Packing

"It's hard to say just how excited or indifferent institutional investors were on investing in Go Daddy on its own merits. That's because the withdrawal of the company's IPO came on the same day that America Online announced it would offer email domain registrations for free, effectively pulling the rug that was Go Daddy's consumer-oriented market out from under its feet.
Aside from businesses, most domains are registered to people who want a personalized email address and their own Web site. AOL will start offering the vanity email addresses next month, and domains for personal sites will follow. AOL hopes to stitch those sites into its own social network. "

WSJ.com - IBM Agrees to Buy FileNet for $1.6 Billion

"International Business Machines Corp. agreed to acquire FileNet Corp. for $1.6 billion in cash, continuing a string of acquisitions in the business software market.
FileNet, of Costa Mesa, Calif., makes software used to manage documents within an organization as well as content on corporate Web sites. Founded in 1982, the company has more than 4,000 customers including Bank of America, Hewlett-Packard and the Australian Tax Office.
IBM has offered to pay $35 a share, which would be a 1% premium to FileNet's closing price Wednesday of $34.65 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. IBM expects to close the deal, which must be approved by FileNet holders, in the fourth quarter.
IBM, of Armonk, N.Y., has been steadily expanding its highly profitable software business by acquiring more than 30 software companies since 2001."

Unstrung - Trapeze Swings $30M - Wireless Networking News Analysis

"Wireless LAN switch startup Trapeze Networks Inc. has scored $30 million in a series D round of venture funding. The enterprise-focused startup, which has OEM deals with networking big-names such as Nortel Networks Ltd. and 3Com Corp., has now raised nearly $100 million in funding since it started in 2002."

RED HERRING | Blueslice Sells Mobile Control

"It was once considered foolhardy for telecommunications startups to focus on the core of the service provider network, but times have changed as Blueslice, a five-year-old company, said Wednesday it is using core technology to build a business around mobile services resellers.

Blueslice CEO Stephan Ouaknine detailed how his Montreal-based company markets technology that gives MVNOs, or resellers of mobile services, the ability to take firm marketing control of their major asset: their subscribers."

YouTube - Sony Mylo

Leaving Microsoft

"So what's next? I had a few startup ideas before joining Microsoft and those never went away. I want to change the way the world thinks about personal data, publishing, and search and I might have the right opportunity to do just that. The product(s) will hopefully be profitable in under a year and not rely on advertising revenue to get there. I fully own my IP rights again on August 19, so I won't be talking much about past inventions until then to limit legal hassles (I invented this before Microsoft, but still playing it safe)."

Google plans for center to grow database, fight Baidu

"GOOGLE Inc, owner of the world's most-used Internet search engine, plans to open a center in Shanghai to help expand its database and add services to challenge Baidu.com Inc in the world's second-biggest Web market.

The development facility, its second in China, may open this year, Johnny Chou, China president of sales and business development for Google, said yesterday by telephone. Chou declined to give an investment figure or say how many people the center would employ, Bloomberg News said. "

UPDATE 1-Viacom to buy Atom Entertainment for $200 mln | Reuters.com

"Viacom Inc.'s MTV Networks on Wednesday said it would buy Internet video and games company Atom Entertainment Inc. for $200 million amid a rush by big media companies to compete with upstart online video leader YouTube.com.
MTV Networks hopes to grow its main audience of young viewers with Atom's portfolio of online videos created by Internet users, short independent films and casual online games, said Chairman and Chief Executive Judy McGrath. "

Private Equity Week: Bay X

"Bay’s 10th fund, which closed with about $365 million in 2001, returned a negative IRR of 18.3%, as of Dec. 31, according to investment data from the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, an LP in the fund. But fund performance may not have been the issue with the departing GPs. One source close to the firm says that the three GPs have left in part because of an issue that plagues many Silicon Valley firms: succession. The source says that Noble, Vendetti and Knoblauch were unhappy with the “vastly different managing style� of Dempsey, who took the helm of Bay two years ago as firm founder John Freidenrich segued into retirement. "

Private Equity Week - Goodbye ITU

"ITU Ventures, a firm launched in 2000 by three 20-somethings, has lost three of its investors and is in the midst of shutting down, according to an LP document obtained by PE Week.
The Harvard Endowment, the biggest investor in ITU Ventures III, a $120 million fund raised in February 2006, circulated an email to the other limited partners calling for a termination of the fund, according to a staff report to the Board of Fire and Police Pension Commissioners for the city of Los Angeles, an ITU LP."

Techtree.com India > News > Gadgets > Pocket Communicator from Sony

"Sony is all set to launch its first WiFi broadband communication and entertainment device dubbed 'mylo'.

According to Sony, mylo stands for 'my life online'. The mylo is a personal communicator capable of operating in any open 802.11b wireless network, often found on college campuses, in public spaces, and within private homes. It is designed for people who use instant messaging (IM) as a primary form of communication and networking, and enables browsing the Internet, listening to music, sending emails, and viewing photos concurrently. "

American Idol auditions kick off in California; thousands expected

SEC filing: Go Daddy withdraws IPO

rw: "Re: The Go Daddy Group, Inc.
Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed May 12, 2006
File No. 333-134094

Ladies and Gentlemen:
On behalf of The Go Daddy Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company�), we hereby request, pursuant to Rule 477 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act�), that the registration statement on Form S-1, including all exhibits thereto (File No. 333-134094), as originally filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission�) on May 12, 2006, and most recently amended on July 18, 2006 (the “Registration Statement�) be withdrawn effective immediately. The Company is seeking withdrawal of the Registration Statement because of unfavorable market conditions. None of the Company’s securities has been sold pursuant to the Registration Statement. "

Origin Ventures

Origin Ventures first investment is ClaimForce, the premier Claim Service Network and Communication Platform that enables insurance companies to streamline their claims processing so they can handle and settle claims more effectively."

DigitalLife Announces $100,000 Pro-Am Video Game Tournament

"DigitalLife, Ziff Davis Media's leading consumer electronics and digital technology
event, today announced details of its 2006 Pro-Am Video Game Tournament.
The event will again be produced by the Global Gaming League (GGL), the
worldwide leader in online and live video game tournaments and events."

Fantasy Leagues Allowed to Use MLB Stats: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

"ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Fantasy baseball leagues are allowed to use player names and statistics without licensing agreements because they are not the intellectual property of Major League Baseball, a federal judge ruled Tuesday."

Lazy People Don't Get Rich: Why the Rich Get Richer - Yahoo! Finance

"We learn by making mistakes -- except in school, where we're punished for making mistakes. This may be why most schoolteachers aren't rich."

Techtree.com India > News > Top Story > IIT Boy to Intern with Bill Gates

"Microsoft India has announced that Abishek Kumarasubramanian from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, has been selected for a one-year internship with Bill Gates, and will work directly with Gates' Technical Assistant's team in Redmond.

The team comprises the world's best technologists, who formulate and drive Microsoft's technical strategy. Abishek was selected after seven months of rigorous competition under an initiative named Code4Bill, which was announced by Bill Gates during his last visit to India. "

Coverage & Access | Several Companies Trying To Boost Use, Efficiency of Internet for Health Information - Kaisernetwork.org

"The Carlyle Group, Allen and Sequoia Capital last year purchased HealthCentral Network, which features a network of 25 condition-specific destinations that offer physician-reviewed information and a format that facilitates conversations among people with the same illness. Steve Case, founder of America Online, and investors are set to launch Revolution Health in the fall. "

Kayak.Com Now Offers More Historical Airfare Data Than Any Other Site With Launch of 'Best Fare Trend' Graph

"Kayak.com, the world's largest travel search engine, launched an industry leading 'Best Fare Trend' graph that offers more historical airfare data than any other travel site by
allowing users to track and identify the cheapest airfares found within the past 90 days on Kayak.com. The new graph joins two other innovative tools recently launched on Kayak.com, Kayak Buzz and Best Fare History, all of which empower users with the ability to compare historical data for prices and itineraries over a specific time period, enabling a more informed purchasing decision."

Chip Maker Fires 4 Executives After Inquiry Into Travel Funds - New York Times

"Atmel Corporation, a maker of memory chips for cellphones and consumer electronics, dismissed its chief executive, George Perlegos; his brother, Gust Perlegos; and two other executives after an investigation into allegations that company travel funds were misused, the company said yesterday."

Bloomberg.com: ms

"The New York-based investment bank was the No. 1 underwriter of Chinese initial public offerings in the 12 months ended June 30, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, beating Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Bank of China Ltd. and UBS AG. "

UPDATE 2-Brocade to buy McData for $713 million | Reuters.com

"Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (BRCD.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday it would buy rival McData Corp. (MCDT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) in a $713 million stock deal, bolstering its line of equipment for data storage networks to compete against Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO.O: Quote, Profile, Research).Both companies sell equipment that boosts the efficiency of corporate communications networks used for data storage, with Brocade best known for mid-range products known as data switches, while McData's market share is strongest in directors, which are high-end versions of data switches. "

Nokia to Buy Loudeye for $60 Million: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

"Nokia Corp. said Tuesday it has agreed to buy U.S.-based digital music distributor Loudeye Corp. for about $60 million as the world's No. 1 cell-phone maker seeks to grab a larger share of the growing digital mobile music market."

FT.com - Google in $900m ad deal with MySpace

"MySpace, the fast-growing 'social networking' site, has teamed up with search giant Google in a multi-year search and advertising deal.
It confirms the emergence of Rupert Murdoch's internet operations as a significant new force on the web. The rapid growth of MySpace, which is adding more than 250,000 new users a day, has turned it into one of the most attractive allies for search engines, "

Designer Jeans Meet Deep Pockets

"Today DailyCandy is proof that geeks, albeit stylish ones in Levi's low-rise jeans and drugstore flip-flops, are alive and well in New York's Silicon Alley. More than 1.4 million subscribers gobble up daily dispatches in nine cities across the U.S., plus London. New franchises include a kids' edition, a special deals edition, and one on travel. The site got so hot that it attracted several potential funders and in 2003 accepted an investment from Pilot Group, headed by former AOLer Robert W. Pittman. Last summer, Pilot put DailyCandy on the block for $100 million, and pundits proclaimed the valuation evidence of another bubble. But instead of selling, the site took a second round of funding, which helped push its value to an estimated $130 million. This year's revenues are projected to be nearly $19 million, more than double those of 2005."

Two new russian VC companies will receive 15 billion rubles . - 2006-08-07 12:23:19 | Venture Capital News

"'The Russian government has chosen to establish two venture funds. The first will support projects in the area of information technologies, 'and will be integrated into the Russian venture company in no more than three years time,' Putin said.
'The Russian government will pass a decree on the establishment of the Russian venture capital company at the next governmental meeting, Economic Development and Trade' Minister German Gref said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. "

RP startup shows its online 'groove' - INQ7.net

"IT MAY look like the popular computer game SIMS 2, but the new Groovenet Internet service offers the online social networking features found in MySpace or Friendster, executives of the Philippine Internet start-up behind the service told INQ7.net."

Barron's Online - Technology Trader

"WITH THE SEMICONDUCTOR SECTOR such a disappointment this year, it was nice to see the fine June-quarter results turned in by wireless chip makers like the WiFi specialist Atheros Communications and Bluetooth leader CSR Ltd. At U.K.-listed CSR (ticker: CSR.London) sales nearly doubled, to $182 million, while at Atheros (ATHR), sales climbed about 70%, to $73 million.
Weren't the Goliaths of the industry supposed to squash these little guys? Intel (INTC) was supposed "

Record labels sue file-sharing company LimeWire | Reuters.com

"Some of the world's biggest record labels sued the makers of the file-sharing program LimeWire on Friday, saying the software allows users to download music without paying for it."

Valley Boys - Digg.com story from BusinessWeek

"It was June 26, 4:45 a.m., and Digg founder Kevin Rose was slugging back tea and trying to keep his eyes open as he drove his Volkswagen Golf to Digg's headquarters above the grungy offices of the SF Bay Guardian in Potrero Hill."

Skype teams up with McAfee - vnunet.com

"Internet communications company Skype has certified McAfee’s suite of anti-virus software.
McAfee Internet Security Suite 2006, McAfee VirusScan 2006 and McAfee Personal Firewall 2006 have all met Skype’s standards for security, quality and usability."

Ion America Corp (PE WIRE)

"Ion America Corp., a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based developer of solid-oxide fuel cells, has raised $101.93 million in Series D equity funding, according to a regulatory filing. It also secured nearly $2 million in convertible securities. Backers include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Mobius Venture Capital and New Enterprise Associates. The company now has raised $165 million in total VC funding since 2002, including a $45 million Series C deal in 2004 at a post-money valuation of approximately $114 million."

Taulli.com: Greg Kostello, Founder of vMix: What Mistakes to Avoid on Business Plans

Greg Kostello, Founder of vMix: What Mistakes to Avoid on Business Plans

Site Meter - Counter and Statistics Tracker

Site Meter - Counter and Statistics Tracker: "Site Meter is a free, fast, and easy way to add a web counter to your web page. Not only does it display the number of visitors to your web site, it also keeps statistics on the number of visits each hour and each day. "

Apple May Erase Some Profit Over Stock Options

Apple Computer Inc. warned Thursday that it may have to revise its profits dating to 2002 in a worsening stock option scandal that has cast a harsh light on Silicon Valley's compensation practices.
Without providing specifics, the Cupertino, Calif., maker of Macintosh computer and iPod music players said it had uncovered enough evidence of mishandled stock options to raise doubts about the accuracy of financial statements dating to Sept. 29, 2002.

FCC Supports Broadband over Power Lines

"The Federal Communications Commission decided Aug. 3 to reaffirm its stance on the deployment of broadband-over-power-line technology. In a Memorandum Opinion and Order adopted by the FCC today, the commissioners affirmed that BPL providers have the right to provide data access using power transmission lines, provided they don't interfere with existing radio services. "

Flock's 'social browser' set to fly | CNET News.com

"Features in Flock, which is built on top of Firefox software, focus on sharing and communication, a common theme of so-called Web 2.0 services. The browser is being designed to integrate closely with online Web services, like Flickr and Delicious. "

AOL Gets it--5 GIG of storage free!!! - The Jason Calacanis Weblog

"AOL IS GIVING AWAY 5GIG of storage space--FOR FREE!!!!!"

so?

TechEffect: AOL trumps Google with Xdrive

"A year ago AOL announced a deal to acquire Xdrive, an online storage and backup service. Today, the company announced it will offer 5GB of free online storage starting in September through www.Xdrive.com. Rumors have been swirling for months about a similar service to be offered by Google dubbed Gdrive."

alarm:clock: China's Tixa Raises $24M In Run Up To IPO

"China’s Tixa Internet Technology completed a second round, raising US$24M, reports a.com.cn. Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company, JAIC and MIH were the investors.Tixa is a Beijing-based online advertising firm that competes with Google Adsense. The company’s CEO says it is planning to list on NASDAQ in 2007.
Tixa currently runs three Internet-based services including NarrowAD.com, Prnews.cn, ChinaWi.com, as well as 95001000, a virtual telephone switchboard service for Chinese companies. China’s Tixa Internet Technology completed a second round, raising US$24M, reports a.com.cn. Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company, JAIC and MIH were the investors.Tixa is a Beijing-based online advertising firm that competes with Google Adsense. The company’s CEO says it is planning to list on NASDAQ in 2007."

Skyrider Blog

"After 2 years of development, we are coming out of stealth mode and announcing our company. We are very excited about the opportunities related to the peer-to-peer environment, and we are working very diligently to launch our first product this fall.
Traveling in Israel over the past few days has been an interesting experience - people are consuming vast amounts of information from any possible source: radio, TV, newspapers and obviously the internet. Internet usage has increased dramatically and activity on talkbacks, forums, IM and various social networks is at record levels."

revver.com :: BILL GATES

"A Norwegian journalist has admitted that he fabricated interviews with Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates and talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, media reports said Monday.

Freelance writer Bjoern Benkow said in a statement that the interviews, published in Norwegian and Swedish media, were partially concocted because of financial "desperation," the newspaper Verdens Gang reported."

YouTube - JERRY SPRINGER: YOU ARE NOT THE FATHER!

YouTube - Microsoft Vista Speech Demo

YouTube - Apple Commercial

YouTube - I AM A SHIT

Matrix Partners closes India-focused venture capital fund - Alternative Investments - www.financeasia.com

"US venture capital fund raises India dedicated fund of $150 million to focus on early stage investing in consumer service businesses.

US based venture capital firm Matrix Partners announced on August 1 that it had closed a $150 million dedicated India fund.

Matrix Partners was founded by Paul Ferri. Ferri started his first firm, Hellman Ferri, in 1977 with a partner, Hellman then five years later around the time Hellman left, the firm was renamed Matrix. The current focus on technology and early stage investing was intensified from 1990 onwards. Matrix currently invests in companies in software, communications equipment, semiconductors, storage, internet and wireless with offices in Boston and the Silicon Valley. It invests $10 million or more over multiple rounds, with an initial investment ranging from seed amounts of $100,000-$300,000 to early-stage rounds of up to $10 million. "

Venture Capital Access Online | Venture Capital News

"EnterpriseDB, the world's leading enterprise-class, open source database company, announced today that it has closed a combined $20 million debt and equity financing. A $16.5 million Series B venture capital financing was led by Fidelity Ventures, a leading provider of 'Go-to-Market Capital(SM)' to early-stage information technology and communications companies. Previous investors Charles River Ventures and Valhalla Partners also participated in the Series B round. In addition, EnterpriseDB announced that Comerica Bank has extended a $3.5 million line of credit to the company. To date, EnterpriseDB has raised a total of $28.5 million. The new funds will be used to expand the company's sales and marketing capabilities throughout the world and to continue development of EnterpriseDB Advanced Server, the company's flagship RDBMS product. "

EETimes.com - Pioneer of light-emitting silicon raises seed funding

"Si-Light Technologies Ltd., a startup investigating the application of 'dislocation engineering' enabling light emission from silicon at wavelengths between 1.1 and 1.6 microns, has obtained seed funding of ý£150,000 (about $280,000).
Si-Light (Guildford, England) obtained the money from the Cascade Fund, a funding body that supports early-stage spinoffs from five universities in southeast England. Si-Light is a spinoff from the University of Surrey and co-founders Russell Gwillam and Guosheng Shao are joint inventors of the company's dislocation engineering technology. "

MercuryNews.com | 08/02/2006 | Large VC funds signal new excesses, appetite for early stage

"A new era of excess is coming to the venture-capital business, with wallets yawning wide to finance new start-ups and funds swelling to new records."

WSJ.com - Silicon Valley's Backers Grapple With Era of Diminished Returns

"After decades of powering -- and profiting from -- the technology sector's growth, Silicon Valley's venture capitalists are grappling with an era of diminished returns.
The industry that grew rich supplying early funding to tech giants like Microsoft Corp. and Apple Computer Inc. is being weighed down by a skittish stock market, a glut of investment capital and slowing growth in the tech areas that have been most lucrative for backers.
Venture capitalists typically invest in young companies, such as tech start-ups. Many of their investments turn out to be losers, but they hope for big paydays when a company they back is sold or goes public."

InformationWeek | Cisco Systems Pricing | In Depth: Chambers Is Changing Cisco's Pricing. How Far Will He Go? | July 31, 2006

"For voice over IP, Yankee analyst Zeus Kerravala pegs Cisco and Avaya at just under $600 per user to get VoIP up and running, while Nortel and Siemens cost a little less, and low-end vendors such as 3Com and ShoreTel cost around $400 per user. In the wireless LAN market, Cisco charges 20% to 40% more than Aruba Networks and Trapeze Networks, its two biggest competitors."

EXTR: Real-Time ECN for EXTREME NETWORKS - Yahoo! Finance

"EXTREME NETWORKS (RT-ECN)
Symbol:EXTR
Last Trade:1.10 4:01PM ET
After Hours Change:N/A
Today's Change: 2.64 (70.59%)"

Yahoo, Canaan invest $8.65 mln in BharatMatrimony | Reuters.com

"Internet media company Yahoo Inc. and venture firm Canaan Partners said on Wednesday they had invested $8.65 million in an Indian portal, attracted by strong growth prospects in Asia's third-largest economy.
The investment in BharatMatrimony, which has about 3.5 million active users, is the third major overseas foray in India's Internet business this year by private funds, said an industry expert."

Feld Thoughts: John Galt's Law (of social networks)

"'The value of a social network is propotional to the square of the number of users of the system multiplied by the inverse of the social networks rank amongst similarly themed social networks.'"

Friendster - United States Patent: 7069308

United States Patent: 7069308: "A method and apparatus for calculating, displaying and acting upon relationships in a social network is described. A computer system collects descriptive data about various individuals and allows those individuals to indicate other individuals with whom they have a personal relationship. The descriptive data and the relationship data are integrated and processed to reveal the series of social relationships connecting any two individuals within a social network. The pathways connecting any two individuals can be displayed. Further, the social network itself can be displayed to any number of degrees of separation. A user of the system can determine the optimal relationship path (i.e., contact pathway) to reach desired individuals. A communications tool allows individuals in the system to be introduced (or introduce themselves) and initiate direct communication. A method and apparatus for calculating, displaying and acting upon relationships in a social network is described. A computer system collects descriptive data about various individuals and allows those individuals to indicate other individuals with whom they have a personal relationship. The descriptive data and the relationship data are integrated and processed to reveal the series of social relationships connecting any two individuals within a social network. The pathways connecting any two individuals can be displayed. Further, the social network itself can be displayed to any number of degrees of separation. A user of the system can determine the optimal relationship path (i.e., contact pathway) to reach desired individuals. A communications tool allows individuals in the system to be introduced (or in"

RED HERRING | Altra Hauls in $120 Million

"A marquee group of venture capital firms pumped $120 million into Altra on Tuesday, fueling the startup’s plans for increased ethanol and biodiesel production.

Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Omninet Private Equity, Sage Capital Partners, Angeleno Group, and Khosla Ventures were co-leads in the round, the quarter’s largest energy investment so far."

DiVitas Networks Raises $15 Million in Series B; Menlo Ventures Leads Round; John Jarve Joins Board of Directors

"DiVitas Networks, a provider of seamless, unified mobility solutions for enterprise networks, today announced that it has raised $15 million in its oversubscribed Series B round of funding. Lead investor Menlo Ventures was joined by existing investor Clearstone Venture Partners. To date, the company has raised $23 million. John Jarve, managing director of Menlo Ventures, has joined the DiVitas board of directors. DiVitas will use the funding to bolster its sales, marketing, customer support, and engineering teams. "

Matrix closes India fund at $150M - Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology:

"Waltham venture capital firm Matrix Partners has closed its $150 million Matrix India Fund.
The multisector, multistage fund was founded by Avnish Bajaj, previously co-founder of India's largest online marketplace Baazee.com, and Rishi Navani, former managing director at WestBridge Capital Partners, Matrix officials said. "

WSJ.com - Carlyle Will Join Financiers' Moves Into Hedge Funds

"Carlyle Group is planning to start a hedge fund to trade stocks and bonds, in the latest move by private-equity firms to enter new businesses as their traditional way of investing struggles to keep pace with the billions of dollars pouring in from investors.
Carlyle is close to hiring Ralph Reynolds to lead the new unit, people familiar with the matter said. He is the global head of proprietary trading at Deutsche Bank AG in New York, which has one of the world's largest and most aggressive trading operations."