While Google has been busily building an online version of Microsoft's Office suite, Microsoft itself has stuck to a consistent message, arguing that the key isn't software as a service, but software plus services, an equation that conveniently keeps its Office cash cow intact. Today the company announced new offerings under its Live moniker, including a photo sharing service designed to complement photo software that comes with Vista. But it's clear that consumers and business are increasingly interested in the pure web-based model for reasons that include cost and convenience. Meanwhile, new entrants are coming into the space all of the time, looking to feed on the growing discontent with Microsoft's products. If Microsoft really believes that software plus services is the answer, then of course it should be pursuing it. But if the model is just its own vision for how best to avoid cannibalization, then it's a doomed strategy in the long run.

An anonymous reader writes "From the newscientist article: "Key to GRC's process is a machine that uses 1200 different frequencies within the microwave range, which act on specific hydrocarbon materials. As the material is zapped at the appropriate wavelength, part of the hydrocarbons that make up the plastic and rubber in the material are broken down into diesel oil and combustible gas.""

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

ntmokey writes "When China tested a missile on its own satellite in January, the nation's aggressive statement immediately raised eyebrows among the world's other space-faring nations. Popular Mechanics looks at the implications of a conflict in space — including debris that could render space unusable for decades — and examines the United States' own space arsenal."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

ntmokey writes "When China tested a missile on its own satellite in January, the nation's aggressive statement immediately raised eyebrows among the world's other space-faring nations. Popular Mechanics looks at the implications of a conflict in space — including debris that could render space unusable for decades — and examines the United State's own space arsenal."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

It's amazing how badly the entertainment industry wants people to believe that anything they don't like must be illegal. There's already a long history of them suing the easiest party for them to find rather than the party actually breaking the law, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise to see them doing so again. Apparently the MPAA has sued some sites that create a directory of online videos, mainly TV shows and movies. These sites do not host the files. They simply point people to where they are online. Effectively, it's the same thing that a search engine like Google does. There are plenty of Google searches that will lead you to unauthorized content, but for some reason, the entertainment industry believes that if you make a specialized search engine or directory you're somehow liable. These sites have come under attack before, and the MPAA may be hoping that by creating a specialized search engine they'll be able to show "inducement" under the Supreme Court's Grokster standard. It will definitely be worth watching how these court cases go, because if the MPAA succeeds, it effectively means that they'll have the right to sue anyone who links to infringing content by claiming inducement. That would be a horrible precedent to set.

Cory Doctorow: Hugh D'Andrade is the new graphic designer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation -- and the reason that EFF is kicking out such stylish schwag these days (like this tee and these stickers).

Now Hugh and his friend Mati McDonough are throwing their first gallery show at a.Muse Gallery, 614 Alabama Street, San Francisco. The previews on the website are awesome -- I wish I could be there.

"Where We Overlap" new work by Hugh D'Andrade & Mati McDonough
a.Muse Gallery, 614 Alabama Street, San Francisco

Opening Reception Friday, June 29, 2007 -- 6pm till late Show runs through July 21, by appointment only

Live Music by Pale Hoarse

Link (Thanks, Hugh!)

Cory Doctorow: Thoof, a new social bookmarking tool, just launched. Like Digg and Reddit, Thoof aggregates user-submitted links and ranks them by popularity, but it includes the Wikipedia-like ability for any user to change and improve any post on the board, making it cleaner and more legible.

Thoof is the latest project from Freenet creator Ian Clarke, a wildly creative geek who's always up to something cool. I was honored to be asked to join the Thoof advisory board, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the service does. Link (Thanks, Ian!

Cory Doctorow: You can use the "magic wand" tool in the GIMP or Photoshop to solve complex mazes:

1. Increase contrast.
2. Select the right wall of the maze using the magic wand.
3. Select > Modify > Expand 4 pixels
4. Create new layer.
5. Fill with Red.
6. Select > Modify > Contract 2 pixels.
7. Delete. Now you’ve got a line tracing the solution.
8. Manually clean up the outer edge, and connect the dots.
9. Cake!

Link (via Digg)

Marc Canter and many other people think I'm full of it when I say the right number of identity systems for each user is 1. But I am right. And I know it.

It's a Zen puzzle, almost a riddle, one which a smart user like my pal Ponzi would never be confused by. You have to be a great geek tech genius like Marc to get it wrong.

Here's the puzzle. If all identity systems you use interoperate seamlessly, grasshopper, how many identity systems do you use?

Here's a hint. How many email systems do you use? RSS systems? Web systems? The correct answers are 1, 1, and 1.

With the iPhone release coming soon there is no shortage of stories being submitted. Here is an overview of all of its features and specifics on its technical workings. A list of applications is out and still growing. There are warnings however that some applications and peripherals won't be ready or compatible in time for the release. Finally with all the hype associated with the iPhone, we have a reminder of some previous Apple products that ended with a whimper instead of a roar.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Rafe: "Pownce an interesting alternative to Twittergram."

And everyone is invited to use Twittergram. If you dare!

200K turns some people into Haiku poets.

Shareski wants you to name that tune. (Easy.)

Or this funk classic. (On the tip of my tongue.)

Amyloo wants to know what movie?

Yes, it's an advertising medium, with just 200K.

And it's good for some things that are too painful to contemplate.

It's all every bit as pointless as Twitter itself.

Here's the RSS 2.0 feed, with enclosures. Try it in your favorite podcatcher, or iTunes.

Mark Frauenfelder:
As the winner of a £20,000 "Live Your Dream" contest sponsored by the magazine Australian Geographic, 29-year-old Lloyd Godson lived in a 10-foot-long box at the bottom of a lake for 12 days. It doesn't look like the cabin had windows.

The marine biologist used a system of onshore solar panels and a pedal-powered generator to create electricity and recharge his water-proof laptop computer.

He kept an algae garden to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen for breathing.

A team of divers delivered food and drinking water to the sub through a manhole, including a homemade lasagna and freshly barbecued salmon.

For entertainment, Godson watched videos on his laptop and used a wireless Internet connection to communicate with schoolchildren around the world.

Link (Via Neatorama)

The high price tag being bandied about for Business.com is evidence that there's plenty of money in throwing up useless websites that contain little more than advertising. Of course, Business.com doesn't have this space all to itself. Publicly traded Marchex, owner of a prodigious number of domain names, plans to step up its effort at monetizing all the names it owns. Many of its domain names are names like NewYorkDoctors.com, so it's trying to pass itself off as a leading site for local information. It's also making the argument that consumers will find these sites by typing in such addresses in their browser. Obviously, that's not the company's real strategy, it's just what it says to the press. The actual goal, quite obviously, is to rank highly in Google searches for these terms, profiting when a searcher lands on one of their pages and clicks an ad. It's basically the same strategy behind splogs. Of course, while it's seedy, and doesn't add any value to anyone, seeing as more established firms like Yahoo have basically endorsed a similar strategy, you can't really blame Marchex for trying.

athloi writes "Microsoft Corp. is giving computer users up to 500 megabytes of online storage for their documents, music, photos and video. They're offering it to a select 5,000 test users for now, but will make it widely available later this summer. This move is the latest in a series by the previous large corporation we all loved to hate to compete with the newest large corporation we might hate and fear, Google."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Joe Blakesley writes "Today, the Free Software Foundation announced that version 3 of the GNU General Public License will be released on Friday, June 29 at noon (EDT). Live video footage of the GPL's unveiling by Richard M. Stallman will be available as a stream on the FSF's website."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

With the rise of YouTube and other user-generated and user-uploaded content sites, advertisers have been trying to take advantage of them, either by posting their ads, or by leveraging users' creativity (and willingness to work for free) by asking them to create their own ads. Frito-Lay ran one of the first high-profile user-generated campaigns, in which they offered users a chance to have their ad broadcast during the Super Bowl, and plenty of other brands have followed with similar contests. These contests seek to capitalize on consumers' passion -- either for the product in question, or for creating content. The problem, of course, is that when participants feel hard done by, that passion will dictate some sort of backlash, as Malibu Caribbean Rum is now discovering. It ran a run-of-the-mill contest, asking users to submit their own video ads, with the winner receiving $25,000 or a banana grove. All was well until the winners were announced, with some users claiming the results were rigged. They're now kicking up a fuss, including (of course) posting a video, which in itself, hardly provides conclusive evidence that the fix was in. Regardless, the damage is already done, as the allegations that Malibu cheated participants circulate, and make their way into the mainstream media. Advertisers need to recognize that this sort of thing is a two-way street: while they seek to take advantage of users' passion, that passion can can quickly become anger if users feel mistreated.

Mark Frauenfelder: Greg has created a banner for high school kids to use who don't want to get kicked out of school for unpopular use of the 1st Amendment.

According to the wikipedia pages describing the Supreme Courts Ruling a student can't contradict the Schools mission against illegal drug use. Link

Previously on Boing Boing:
• Bong Hits 4 Jesus