Okay, I must admit that this is just a little bit too geeky for this blog, but it's still pretty neat.  The rendered holograms look so real, you could reach out and touch them- though you wouldn't want to, since it's actually a mirror spinning 20,000 times per second- ouch!

Researchers develop a 360-degree holographic display - Engadget

More news on the battle between the Internet and traditional far-eastern cultural values.

The Thai government said Friday it has lifted a four-month ban on YouTube after the popular video-sharing Web site's operator agreed not to allow videos that violate the country's laws or are deemed offensive to Thai people.

Thailand Lifts Ban on YouTube - New York Times

NBC has decided that consumers aren't paying enough to watch their television shows on little two-inch iPod screens, so Apple told them to take a hike.  Unfortunately, consumers are the losers in this deal.

Apple escalated a dispute with NBC Universal over the pricing of television shows by announcing today it would not sell any of NBC’s programs for this fall season on iTunes.

Apple, Striking Back, Bars NBC Sales on ITunes - New York Times

This week it was revealed that Monster.com, one of the Internet's leading job search sites, had been "hacked", leaving millions of users' personal information vulnerable. The hackers used email addresses and other information from Resumes stolen in the attack to send Monster.com users convincing emails, enticing them to open an attachment which contained a virus. The virus would then monitor the computer users' every action, logging sensitive information like bank passwords, etc, which it then sent back to the "mother ship."

There's a big lesson to be learned here, and it's not the lesson you might think. The truth is, there was very little computer hacking done here in the traditional sense. The only way the hackers were able to steal resumes from the Monster site was by stealing or guessing the usernames and passwords of recruiters and employers with access to resumes in the applicant pool. Even so, the information in a resume alone usually won't suffice in the world of identity theft- which is why the hackers targeted those folks with virus-infected email attachments- which is what eventually does you in. The whole operation was virtually harmless unless you were to open the email attachment.

So the lesson is not to be afraid of sites like Monster.com because of phantom "hackers" that might be out there. The lesson is to be on guard against suspicious emails, email attachments, and emails that request any personal information from you- the same way you would be suspicious of somebody calling you on the telephone claiming to be from the bank. You wouldn't blame the telephone company for that problem, now would you? It has been shown time and time again that computer users are the weak link in the security chain, and not the computers and security systems that are in place to protect us.
BBC NEWS | Technology | Monster attack steals user data

The blog is currently undergoing redesign… please excuse the small glitches in the appearance for the next few days!

From Lifehacker:

Ever wish there were a Netflix for Books? Well there is, and BookSwim is its name. You build a queue of books you want to read on their web site, they ship books from your queue, you keep the books for as long as you want, and you return books with pre-paid postage.

Books: Rent Books Netflix-Style with BookSwim - Lifehacker

Everybody seems to love the Google Earth software, which lets you zoom across the planet with the click of a mouse, exploring satellite views of just about anywhere on Earth.  Google recently launced a new feature, called Google Sky… you can guess what it does:

Once the Google Earth application is launched, users simply need to click a Sky icon, which will let them switch from viewing the Earth to the heavens, where users will be able to zoom in and float around 200 million galaxies and 100 million stars. Like Google Earth, navigation is easy.

Google Sky: explore the stars

And today, something for Mac fans:

Last week's release of iLife '08 marked the first update to Apple's digital media suite in more than 18 months. Originally created as part of Apple's digital hub strategy as a single, user-friendly repository for digital media, iLife has grown into a creative suite of applications that make it easy for anyone to turn his digital memories into books, movies and DVDs, Web sites and beyond. It has become a staple for Mac users, shipping with every new Macintosh computer and offering tools for managing and editing digital photos, video and music.

Inside Apple's iLife '08

More and more folks are discovering that the web contains a wealth of resources that you can use to research your ancestry.

As Web sites and genealogical societies proliferate and DNA testing becomes more widely available, the tools for tracing a family tree are becoming more accessible and the hunt is often intriguing. A bit of online detective work can yield a significant amount of information for little or nothing. But for extensive or difficult searches, the cost in money and time can mount.

Latest Genealogy Tools Create a Need to Know - New York Times

Everybody who has found the miracle of Skype for making low-cost and free calls, both national and international through the Internet, received a major wake-up call this week, as the Skype service went down for 3 entire days.  This is an excellent precautionary tale that Internet calling technology (called VoIP, or Voice Over Internet Protocol) may not be ready for prime time, and there's still something to be said for having that reliable old land line.

TG Daily - Skype outage: An unprecedented wake-up call