Crowd-sourcing an wi-fi connection - BT Fon community

BT Fon is aiming to create the world’s largest free Wi-fi network for its members. Free being a relevant term, as you are all sharing the bandwidth expense – in a kind of ‘give a penny, take a penny’ way.

link to site

Download the NIN single 'Discipline' now

UPDATE: Turns out that today, the whole 'Slip' album is available for download in several different formats including mp3, m4a, flac and wav.

Trent Reznor has made the new NIN single 'Discipline' available for download on their site. Major acts with free singles for download two weeks in a row...

click here to download

Guitar Hero III Widget - Rock Out!!!

A Guitar Hero III widget is available to add your blog or web page

Click here to see it in action at Kotaku

Signed up to Dopplr

Started using Dopplr today - now let's see if I actually make it on any of those trips. If you've been to any of my cities listed, sign up and let me know what I should be seeing.

visit Dopplr

The Script - great new music from Ireland

Into the top 20 UK charts this week comes 'We Cry' by Irish trio The Script, blending rock, soul, and hip hop. Great vocals, and lush production. Me likey very much. Could be the start of something big.



visit their site

We're all cheerfully commercial as bands cozy up to consumer brands

Yes, we all were a little surprised to see the deals signed between LiveNation and Madonna and Jay-Z. We frowned a bit as we saw the Eagles sign a deal with the devil... sorry I mean Wal-Mart to be the exclusive distributor of their new album. But when Bacardi signed a one-year deal with Groove Armada to release its album and provide downloads on its branded sites back in March - it spoke volumes that this was not the record industry that I grew up with.

The word 'sell-out' is barely uttered anymore as more and more bands look to non-traditional deals for distribution and touring support.

Read more "Brands are Getting in Bed with Consumer Brands"

Stay C.A.L.M. awarness campaign

Who can argue against a campaign against living miserably - the UK charity C.A.L.M is wants to help get information to men aged 18-35 who may consider suicide. Their latest fund raising campaign is targeting music companies and asking them to donate tracks and £100 to help launch a mobile/texting service that young men can access.

The 'The Ultimate Comeback Tour' campaign features t-shirts printed with the names of musicians who have taken their own lives. Artists highlighted include Sid Vicious, Ian Curtis, Kurt Cobain and others. A letter and brochure are included with the tshirt with the message 'We can't raise the dead, but we can raise awareness'

visit the C.A.L.M. site

Sure beats a new toaster or calculator

From toasters in the 60s to iPods and large home appliances now... banks have always had giveaways for new account opening. Royal Bank has upped the ante by offering up new Asus Eee 7" laptops to customers who open up an RBC Signature No Limit or VIP banking account.

click here for more information

Kids aged 10-12 social networking usage doubles

Social networking among boys and girls age 10-12 has doubled since 2006 growing from 8% to more than 17%. I would guess that most of this is due to the growth in kid-centric social networks including WebKinz, Club Penguin and Star Doll.

read more and see the charts at eMarketer

Consumers continue to ditch landlines for mobile devices

More reason to keep looking at mobile communciations... Business Intelligence company SNL Kragen reported that consumers are getting rid of their landlines and replacing them with mobile phones. They estimate that 12 million households currently have a mobile-only phone connection, and that is expected to double to 26 million in the next 3-4 years.

read more here

Two record Labels to invest in social music site

I haven't spent much time on the social music sites lately (last.fm, ilike.com, imeen.com), but I do have a membership at MOG. Techcrunch is reporting today that Universal and possibly Sony are part of a $2.8 million dollar round of financing for the growing music community. This should bring even more music to these free sites. My worry is the music is becoming completely devalued, at one point a great song was a shared experienced, now music seems to becoming background clutter mashup of ringtones, commercials and festivals.

read more at Techncrunch

iPhone to be released in Canada

Start reallocating your food budget now, Rogers announced today that the iPhone will be coming to Canada this year. Well, except for knowing a cost and a date it's all a go. Now if Apple & Rogers can get those pesky folks at Comwave Telecom to go away - they just happen to own the iPhone trademark in Canada. I say, give them all free iPhones and a 3-year plan.

read the CBC story

Where is the Grand Theft Auto IV pre-release backlash?

A day on the couch with the flu had me tuned into the BBC and CNN and I watched in fevered rapture as BBC, CTV and CNN were gushing over the release of the latest Grand Theft Auto franchise. Interviews with the developers, gamers and shots of the midnight line-ups of folks who could not wait until the next morning to get their caloused thumbs on this baby.

Now my question is, where are the concerned parent groups, the religious nuts, and child psychologists. Those who wait in eager anticipation of the latest violent movie, gangsta rap hit, or adult video games to get their self-serving licks and facetime. They're really missing an opportunity to get plugs in for their latest books, self-righteous blogs and non-profit orgs.

Anyways, my unqualified speculations is that news network producers all booked off sick to play the game - but not me, I really have succumbed to a non-video game related sickness.

Read the BBC story

New Coldplay single available today for FREE download

In the spirit of Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails... blah blah blah...

'Violet Hill' the first single from Coldplay's new "Viva La Vida' album is available for a week starting today as a free download to fans who visit their website. The site timed out on me twice, but I'll get my mp3 come hell or highwater.

Details of two upcoming free shows in London and New York will be announced this week also.

So, now where is my confirmation email with link... update: I got the link but its asking me for a password.

Amy Winehouse to record Bond Theme

Wowsers... between head butting bar patrons, divorcing her incarcerated hubby and falling off the wagon... everyone's favorite train-wreck of a popstar (British division) has found time to head in to the studio with Mark Ronson to record the theme song for the new James Bond movie 'Quantam of Solace'. Kidding aside 'Back to Black' and 'Frank' are still getting consistent play on my iPod.

read the BBC story

The Last Shadow Puppets

I'm a week behind on this, but The Last Shadow Puppets, made up of Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys) and Miles Kane (Rascals) hit the UK top 10 with 'The Age Of The Understatement' a fuzzed-up chunk of yummy Brit-pop. And a sure-bet to capture the 2008 video award for best use of iconic Russian imagery. The boys look so tiny against those tanks, and yes dear scenesters... I know it sounds like Muse's Knights of Cydonia.

Web Page SizeTriples Since 2003

Dialup internet users be damned! The file size of an individual web page has tripled since 2003 growing from 93.7k to over 312k (233%). The number of objects in the average web page has doubled from 25.7 to 49.9.

Read more at WebPageOptimization.com

GO departures on your handheld

GO Transit passengers need no longer strain their necks by looking up at the electronic departure boards, now they can be disappointed before even entering the station. You can now view the live Union Station GO Transit departure boards on your handheld devices (and your computer if you want)

click here to view the live departure board

90 year-old Wisconsin Paper goes Online Only

Online-only newspapers are nothing new, but this past weekend 90 year-old Madison, Wisconsin daily paper 'The Capital Times' folded up its daily version of its print edition. An editorial announced the change stating - Starting tomorrow, The Capital Times will be a daily newspaper of the sort Americans will know in the 21st century. With shrinking circulation and skyrocketing production and transportation costs this will no doubt be the first of many.

Click here to read the story

Student Twitters himself out of an Egyptain jail

University of California-Berkeley grad student James Karl Buck was in Egypt to cover an anti-government protest when police arrested his translator and himself. Normally, his phone would have been confiscated, but luckily for James he was able to keep his. He quickly sent off a quick text message of 'Arrested' to his Twitter account.

Within just a few seconds friends who had been following his Twitter account were alerted to the crisis. Over the next few hours he sent several updates on his situation.

Read more now at CNN

Saturday Morning Wake-Up Call - Handlebars by Flobots

Denver hip-hop group provides a kick in the gut , check out the MySpace page for more. Strong stuff.