Filed under: Google (GOOG), Yahoo! (YHOO)

In good news for those concerned about our evolving into creatures with enormous thumbs and no legs, a study by private equity firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson found that the average American’s time spent viewing/listening to media last year actually dropped in 2006, down 0.5% to only 3,530 hours, or a mere 9.67 hours per day.

The study attributes the decrease to the efficiency of on-demand media such as the internet, where we can find specific content without needing to wade through irrelevant information. Examples of this might be watching a YouTube clip of The Daily Show vs. sitting through the whole half-hour, or reading this blog vs. poring over the Wall Street Journal.

VSS believes that this trend reversal is temporary, but projects growth in time spent at a modest 0.5% per year over the next five years.

The decrease is not reflected in spending in the media industry, however. According to the report, communications spending was up a huge 6.8% in 2006, and averaged 5.9% over the past five years. VSS projects a 6.7% growth rate through 2011.

In marketing dollars, the strongest growth segments were in alternative advertising (no surprise there), which grew 36.6% last year vs. a paltry 2.4% in traditional venues. Other marketing avenues such as direct mail also suffered, up only 5% for the year and 4% over the five-year period.

In positive news for companies such as Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO), VSS expects internet advertising by dollar volume to pass print media in 2011, projecting it will reach almost $62 billion.

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I can’t tell you why I find this letter from Geico to Optimus Prime regarding his insurance policy so funny, but I really, really do.

“Mr. Prime, I am going to remind you again: Your policy with GEICO only reimburses you for accidents that occur while you are engaged in the reasonable use of your truck and trailer. As I told you when you originally purchased the policy, GEICO does not offer Megatron coverage, Starscream coverage, Soundwave coverage, Decepticon coverage, or Energon-blast coverage.”

Dag, man. I’m going to have to remember that.

Speaking of Geico, though…for all you who are familiar with the various commercials currently on the air…the British gecko, and the disgruntled caveman, keep your eye on ABC, because those cavemen are going to be appearing in their own sitcom.

Heaven help us. For all you unfamilliar with the cavemen, or in need of a reminder, here:

The commercial series continues as the caveman takes various steps to have the advertisements removed, and deal with his disappointment at how difficult it is to get any respect.

So, what do you think? A series based on an advertisement: will it a) never even make it on the air, b) make it on, but get cancelled within a week, c) make it, get its times switched around for a few weeks, then fade into cancelled oblivion without anyone noticing, or d) actually be a hit?

I think B, but it really would warm my heart if this somehow overcame all odds and was actually good.

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Filed under: Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek

Even though we reported a few months ago that New Line Cinema had acquired the rights to Robert E. Howard’s famous sword-fighting Cimmerian Conan the Barbarian, it now appears that news was a bit premature. According to Variety, production/distribution company Millennium Films has finally won the rights to the character after New Line could not close the deal — even after getting the exclusive right to negotiate for the franchise back in June.

According to the article, rights-holder Paradox Entertainment president and chief executive officer Fredrik Malmberg finally chose Millennium Films after extricating the rights from Warner Brothers last spring — where the franchise had languished for several years under various directors including The Wachowski Brothers and Robert Rodriguez. With New Line unable to come to final terms this week, Malmberg went with Millennium in a seven-figure deal allowing the company to produce a slate of films based on the character.

Malmberg will produce the new films along with Millennium’s Avi Lerner, Boaz Davidson, Joe Gatta and George Furla. The company intends to start production on the first of the films by next spring. Reading this news I have to say I’m a bit concerned. As a huge fan of the original Robert E. Howard books and many of the subsequent print and cinematic versions of Conan — with the notable exception of Red Sonja — I worry that the cinematic future of this great character is now in the hands of the people responsible for films like Alien Hunter, The Shepherd and Blonde Ambition.

Although, to be fair, Millennium has also turned out some good films too, including, um, well help me out here . . At least, according to the article, they say they intend to be more faithful to the original source material than the series of films featuring His Honor the Governor of California. I hope they stick to that and the films turn out great because the character and the story deserve it. Although, I have to say I’m not particularly optimistic about the chances of that actually happening.

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Filed under: Cell Phones, Computers, Top Lists

For lefties, the tech world can be tough. Catholics, for example, think you’ve got the devil in you. Older folks might remember being forced to switch writing hands in school. The Inuits would have thought you were a sorcerer. Even the English word ’sinister’ is Latin for left.

Meanwhile, gadgets — mice, keyboards, phones, game controllers — seem to have a thing against southpaws as well. Tech Digest has been kind enough to compile a list of five southpaw friendly gadgets like the Virgin Mobile-branded Sony Ericsson LH-Z200, a mobile phone with the key pad flipped around for left-handed convenience. There’s even a left-handed Swiss Army Knife. Check out the link for the rest of the left-friendly items.

From Tech Digest

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• The Ultimate Bike Gadgets
• 2007’s Most Beautiful Phones
• Five Web Sites You Should Avoid

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Filed under: Business, Cheese, Health & Medical, Fast Food

Doesn’t this guy know that it’s Burger King where you can “have it your way?”

A man in South Carolina has sued McDonald’s after going into one of the establishments and ordering two hamburgers without cheese. Well, he got cheese on them, and it turns out he’s allergic to cheese. He’s suing for $10 million.

Now, the guy says he almost died (his medical bills were $700, which McDonald’s said they would pay but they were turned down), and he’s suing because of the reaction he had to the cheese and because his family “risked their lives” to rush him to the emergency room.

If you’re wondering why he didn’t see the cheese before he bit into the hamburger is because he ate it in a darkened room.

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Shilpa Shetty has been honored with a doctorate by the Leeds Metropolitan University for her outstanding contribution to cultural diversity. Shilpa Shetty is the youngest of all the actors in Indian Film Industry to join the camp of Amitabh Bachchan, Shaban Azmi and Yash Chopra.

      

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There are two types of people in this world: those who are passionate about the Web, and those who are not.

Those in the first group strongly believe that the Web is more than just a tool for sharing photos and paying bills—but exactly why they feel so passionately about this varies …

The Romantic

Some people have a romantic notion that the Web is the ultimate medium for communication. The romantic holds dearly the values instilled in the W3C—that information on the Web be [source]:

available to all people, whatever their hardware, software, network infrastructure, native language, culture, geographical location, or physical or mental ability.

It’s one thing to agree with this statement, but it’s another to believe in it religiously. I’m lucky enough to count among my friends several people who fit into this group. These people exude an energy that is incalculable: at user group meetings and conferences people hover around them to hear what they have to say. Romantics of this caliber are influential, driven, and inspiring.

The Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs love the Web because it levels the playing field. A young, two-person company can create a web presence that is more impressive and looks more professional than an established, multi-national corporation.

Entrepreneurs continually invent new ways to make money on the Web. The potential audience for an online business venture is global, and web entrepreneurs have the ability to recognize and capitalize on this fact. Only on the Web can a business go from being worth almost nothing to being sold for billions of dollars in only a few short years, and the entrepreneurs are the ones who risk everything to make that happen.

The Technologist

By its nature the Web encourages collaboration and innovation. Open source success stories like Apache, Firefox and Linux all testify to the fact that a community-driven effort can produce amazing results.

I love the way that techies who are passionate about developing for the Web, regardless of the language they use, constantly aim to improve themselves. There are more blogs about PHP than there are about gardening, sailing and parenting combined (source: Technorati). People share new tips that they’ve learned; they build on the ideas of others; and the industry keeps moving forward as a result.

The Generalist

Generalists have their fingers in several pies. They are both creative and technical. Generalists can write server-side code, client-side code, and design something pretty; they are quick learners and are incredibly adaptable.

Generalists demand variety in their job to stay motivated—an environment where they can alternate between left- and right-brain tasks is what provides them with job satisfaction.

This category is where I consider myself to fall—my software development background means that I’ll always be intrigued by things technical, but the artist within feels cramped if I’m not doing something creative. The Web is the one medium where I get to do both; my current job lets me do all that and educate others at the same time through the books, articles and blogs that we publish.

Where Do You Fit In?

Are you one of the above breeds, or do you know someone who is?

SitePoint is looking to hire people who, like us, are passionate about the Web. You may recognize yourself as fitting into one of the above categories, or maybe all of them (although chances are that if you’re an entrepreneur, you’ve probably got your own plans).

Specifically, though, we’re trying to fill the position of Technical Editor, so we’re looking for solid technical skills. The job is based out of our office in Melbourne, Australia. You can read more about the position, and apply online. It’s the exact same role that I have—working on books, articles and other internal projects. I find it stimulating, challenging, and rewarding, and the work environment is a lot of fun.

Oh, and if you successfully refer someone via our online referral form, we’ll give you a MacBook Pro to say thanks.

What Did You Say? A Free MacBook Pro?

That’s right. Passionate, talented people are hard to find, so we’re prepared to make it worth your while. Again. As we’ve done in the past, feel free to refer your friend: if we hire them, we’ll happily send you a shiny new MacBook Pro for your trouble. Refer yourself, and you’ll be eligible for the computer and a great job. Yes this is for real.

So, where’s your passion? We’re itching to hear from you!

This article provided by sitepoint.com.

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Filed under: Google (GOOG), China, Rich in America, ValueClick Inc (VCLK), Initial public offerings

Accoona is a bit of an eclectic company (and I have no clue what the company name means). There are three different online business segments: ExchangePlace (allows for bidding on product and service offerings for consumers); an artificial intelligence search engine (which is in the US, Europe and China); and six retail websites.

Now, the company has filed to go public.

In a way, Accoona is like a conglomerate - something like ValueClick Inc. (NASDAQ: VCLK). Although, in light of the recent M&A activity, companies like Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) have the same feel.

Although it looks like a big priority at Accoona is the China market. To this end, the company has an alliance with the China Daily Information Company (which owns 6.9% of Accoona’s outstanding shares).

From 2005 to 2006, Accoona’s revenues have gone from $77.9 million to $149.2 million. And in Q1 of this year, revenues were $37.5 million. But the company is still losing money.

The lead underwriter on the deal is boutique investment bank Maxim Group and the proposed ticker is “ACNA.”

The prospectus is on the SEC website. Also, if you want to check out more recent IPO filings, click here.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and the EDGAR-Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements.

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Filed under: Computers, Celebrities

“Hacked By kerem125 M0sted and Gsy That is CyberProtest Hey Ysrail and Usa dont kill children and other people Peace for ever No war.” Sure, it’s barely English, but nevertheless it’s the nearly-incomprehensible message of a hacker who infiltrated the official web site of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday.

Several pages within the Secretary General’s site were replaced with this message criticizing Israeli and U.S. policies. The hackers have unleashed their ‘CyberProtests’ on other sites, including those of Toyota and Harvard. At least one of the attackers has previously claimed to be from Turkey.

After the attack was spotted, the original pages containing speeches and statements from Ban Ki-moon were restored within hours.

From The BBC

Related links:

• Hackers Turn Tables on ‘Dateline’ Operative
• New Hi-Tech US Passports Hacked by German Researcher
• Kremlin Hackers Squashing Free Speech?

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