July 2009 Archives

A REPORT from a 15-year-old boy seems to have created quite a stir.

Finance giant Morgan Stanley took it upon themselves to publish as an 'authoritative piece of work' an article written by a lad they had in on work experience.

Matthew Robson, from London, was asked to describe how he and his friends used technology, and basically stated the obvious - although possibly not obvious to extremely well paid accountants who probably see their children once a week.

The findings of 'how teenagers consume media' included the shocking revelation that teenagers are "very reluctant" to pay to download music from the internet, most using illegal file sharing.

Internet giant Google today announced it is developing a new operating system for laptop computers in a move seen as a strong challenge to Microsoft's dominance.

The new technology is being designed for those that "live on the web" and is initially aimed at netbooks, although it will eventually be used to power full sized desktops as well.

Google said the new operating system (OS) will run through its nine-month-old web browser, Chrome, and the company said it was going "back to basics" with the technology.

Online auction site eBay has started a petition against what it claims are manufacturers trying to block their products being sold through it.

It's quite an interesting issue - it all seems to have started with a number of lawsuits in Europe about the sheer volume of counterfeit goods being sold there.

Various clothes and perfume manufacturers took umbrage at the hit in sales, and also worried about people buying inferior goods labelled as their own. They felt eBay wasn't doing much to stop it, and to be fair, it wasn't - after all the website trousered 10 per cent of each sale under £40 - stopping trade would just hit profits.

Anyway, eBay is now trying to take the moral high ground claiming it was built on a "simple idea": "that we could empower people by building a global trading platform where practically anyone could buy or sell practically anything.

"But that idea is now under threat from certain brand owners and manufacturers who are trying to turn back the clock and block the sale of their products on online marketplaces and other websites across the EU.

"Ultimately, what is at stake is the right of sellers to compete fairly in the wider online marketplace, and the right of buyers to be able to access the best possible deals from the widest possible selection of goods."

eBay claims that last year only 0.15% of listings last year were detected or reported as potentially counterfeit - although presumably the volume is so massive people don't bother reporting things. and eBay's business is so wide ranging, a high proportion of buisness isn't anything which could be fake in any case.

The website continues: "The real aim of these brands is to block the sale of all their products on our site - regardless of whether such items are new or second-hand, genuine or fake. It's not just luxury items that are affected, but also everyday items like children's toys, electronic equipment, lawnmowers and pushchairs. And if we want to prevent other brand owners from following suit, we need to act now.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband today defended the next head of MI6 after details of his personal life were posted on social networking website Facebook.

Pictures and private details of Sir John Sawers, who will take on the post in November, were revealed on an easily accessible profile page of his wife, Lady Shelley Sawers.

The page was taken down after the Mail on Sunday informed the Foreign Office. The Liberal Democrats called for an inquiry into the matter, while senior Tory MP Patrick Mercer said Sir John had left himself open to blackmail.