If there is one thing that everyone knows about, it’s advertising. No matter where we look, there always seems to be a thirty-second television spot, billboard, or conveniently placed Coke can within eye shot. While that sort of bombardment does have the tendancy to be annoying at points, it could always be worse. We could be living in the media obsessed dystopia of Max Headroom. In the series, advertising is present in three unique, highly diverse ways. On today’s installment of Twenty Minutes into the Future, we will take a look at three techniques and discuss how each are being used in today’s culture.

Technique #1: The Cheviot Method

Championed By: Ben Cheviot (George Coe), founder and president of Network 23.
Thesis: People first, ads second.
Explanation: According to the “Cheviot Method” of advertising, it is imperative to remember that it isn’t robots and/or lemmings watching these ads. It’s people. If “advertiser A” uses their predetermined ad time to insult the viewer, or if they try to do to much, the viewer is less likely to return. If such behavior keeps up over time, the viewer will simply “give up” and simply stop caring about your product or service. By treating people like people, not only do you get the viewer to care about the product, you make hem more willing to investigate other products or services that have your name on it.
In-Show Result: Network 23 is consistently number one in the ratings.
Real-World Example: Anyone who tows the Free Line concept practices this advertising method.

Technique #2: The Grossberg Method

Championed By: Ned Grossberg (the late Charles Rocket), the president of Network 66 and Cheviot’s mortal enemy.
Thesis: People exists to buy things, so they might as well be buying those things from us.
Explanation: When this particular advertising method is employed, the consumer essentially becomes secondary to the items that are being shown on the screen. Although the company involved might see a initial spike in “audience participation,” the numbers will actually be lower overall. To compensate for this, the advertiser/network is forced to employ a variety of gimmicks in order to coerce people into coming back for more. In the show, these gimmicks ranged from ridiculous (”Watch 66 in your sleep! You can do that now!”) to horrifying (one second long “blipverts” that had a nasty habit of making fat people explode) to the downright bizarre (a reality show about the life and times of super genius infants).
In-Show Result: Grossberg is made to look like a fool on a fairly regular basis; network ratings go down sharply.
Real-World Example: Any company labeled as an “evil corporation” has been accused of using this advertising method at least once in their existence.

Technique #3: The Zik Zak Method

Championed By: A fairly mysterious, multi-national corporation called “Zik Zak.” While it is implied that Zik Zak makes everything from furniture to prescription drugs, the company’s main products are soft drinks and fast food.
Thesis: People?! Who cares about people! Buy our stuff and quit complaining!
Explanation: People who employ this kind of advertising structure simply do not care about anyone or anything other than their product. It really doesn’t matter if people get “inconvenienced” or even find themselves in a sticky situation. They still bought the product. The “in-world” example of this tactic is the NeuralStim, a “free bracelet” that caused people to crave cheeseburgers. In the case of our hero, Edison Carter, the bracelet made him nearly die from overspending.
In-Show Result: The “faulty” bracelets cause Zik Zak to nearly go bankrupt.
Real-World Example: In a fictional TV show, it’s called a “NeuralStim.” In the real word, it’s called “malware.”
Special Note: During my research, I ran across three very different organizations that call themselves “Zik Zak.” Please keep in mind that the comments above only apply to the fictional corporation, not to the these real-life entities.

Our Advice: The “Cheviot Method” is the only way to go. As I said a few days ago. These are your people. Never forget that. Your customers (and everyone else, for that matter) will thank you in the long run.

Anyone who lived through the late 1980’s ought to remember Max Headroom, the hyperactive, pseudo-CGI “head in the box” portrayed by actor Matt Frewer. The Max Headroom character was everywhere in those days, from music videos to ads for Coca-Cola and seemingly everything in between. What many people don’t remember, however, is the science fiction program that bared the character’s name. This was not the lovable, wacky Max that called Cinemax and England’s Channel 4 home. This Max exists in a world where the major television networks are in charge. Because of this, such every day items as the off switch and the mute button are deemed to be illegal. Televisions are everywhere, including bathrooms and junk yards. Simply put, no one could ever escape the grip of the mass media, and the people like it that way.

Working within the confines of this odd, “Network-meets-The Matrix” world is Edison Carter (also portrayed by Matt Frewer), ace reporter for the highly-rated Network 23 and the “basis” for Max Headroom. It is his mission to bring his viewers the truth, no matter the situation. In the show’s fourteen episodes, Emerson and company does everything from thwart a sentient supercomputer to blowing the lid off of a dangerous subliminal advertising scheme run by Bill Maher, using nothing more than quick thinking and a heaping helping of brutal honesty. The viewer, both physically in the show and otherwise, are constantly reminded that the world is a better place thanks to people like Emerson Carter and his “computerized” alter ego. As long as there are people fighting for the truth, there really is nothing to worry about.

In many ways, we are approaching this basic existence, only with a different concept serving as our vice. Instead of thriving on a flashing picture, we are addicted to information. I don’t just mean the “TMZ/Perez Hilton” style celebrity gossip columns. I mean anything. Pick your topic — President Obama, professional wrestling, U2 — and I bet there is someone, somewhere talking, tweeting, or blogging about it at this very moment. We need to know about what is going on, and we need to know it now. Take the recent “best of seven” series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic for example. Five years ago, we would have had to wait two to three days to hear former Laker Shaquille O’Neal talk about his former team. Thanks to Twitter, we heard it minutes after the Lakers cliched the NBA title. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that this kind of “instant feedback” can become addictive.

Now despite what some might be thinking, things really aren’t all that dire. Our world isn’t based upon the idea of two-way television sets or networks that can make commercials so compact that they make people’s heads literally explode. We’re simply talking about the delivery of information, not a re-creation of 1984. It’s human nature to want to know what is going on around us. Exploiting that desire, on the other hand, is something else entirely. It all comes down to priorities. Those who put more effort into their advertising than their content are more likely to alienate their audiences than the people who put their “product” front and center. By ignoring the very thing that got you into this very situation to begin with, the writer/blogger/YouTube “star” is actually sending a message that your fan base’s mouse click means more than their physical presence. Who cares if the content is good nor not? You clicked the link. It’s your loss.

While it might seem like a good idea now, turning your audience into a group of mind-numbed automatons randomly clicking things will not help you become a success in the long run. The trick, if you want to call it that, is to adopt what I like to call the “Edison Carter” approach to content creation and maintenance. It all breaks down to three basic principles:

1. Your users are more than just a group of random mice clicking a white box. They’re people. Your people. Always keep that in mind when developing your content.
2. Stay genuine to your cause.
3. Stay open to the needs and concerns of your user base.

Do this, and the world just might become a better place. If you don’t, well … let’s just say living in an “off switch-free world” is not anyone’s idea of a good time. Be sure to come back tomorrow for part two of our three part series. Until then, this is Brad Fallon signing off for Network 23 the Free Line.

As we mentioned in yesterday’s post, it seems as if 95% of the tech world has two things on their collective minds: smart phones and Twitter. Since I think we have covered Twitter, Twitter clones, Twitter apps, and that goofy “Twitter apocalypse” thing that didn’t really happen to death, we are going focus on the wonderful world of mobile phones. But as you might have already guessed, I am going to do more than just merely “talk” about these phones. I will actually give one of these lucky mobile devices a thorough going over, making sure to tell you everything that you would ever need to know. Let’s face it: “smart phones” such as these could very possibly be the future of mobile computing. If your business isn’t ready for it, you could find yourself in very, very hot water. It is our duty, nay, our mission to make sure that this does not happen to you. Before we begin however, I do have a few notes:

Note #1: While the iPhone is definitely on my “smart phone” shortlist, we will not be doing a write up about it in this post. The reasoning for this is simple: anyone who is anyone already knows about it. We don’t know about any of you, but none of us here are necessarily fans of regurgitating common knowledge.

Note #2: The touchscreen Blackberry that Verizon peddles is all but out of the equation. First of all, it’s a Blackberry. Aside from the touchscreen, there really isn’t much different between the new phones and old “trackball” versions from last year. Secondly, I am not a big fan of Verizon Wireless. While their overall network is a bit better than the competition, it doesn’t justify the bloated, overinflated price that they charge. In short, I can get better equipment at a cheaper price. ‘Nuff said.

…With all of that laid out, here we go…

G1 (Dream)/G2 (Magic)/MyTouch 3G

Manufacturer: Google (OS); HTC (Phone; more phones from other companies will be arriving at some point in the near future)
Cell Network (US): T-Mobile
Open Source?: Yes.
Positives: Having been able to actually use this phone, I have to say that this phone’s biggest asset is the Android operating system. It has more of a feel of a scaled down desktop OS instead one designed for a mobile device. The ability to run a few third-party applications in the background doesn’t hurt things either.
Negatives: there’s something about the physical phone hardware than I just don’t like. It feels “cheap” and really isn’t all that much to look at. If I do decide to go with this phone, I will wait until the myTouch 3G is released in August.

Palm Pre

Manufacturer: Palm
Cell Network: Sprint
Open Source?: Yes
Positives: Palm is finally back. This is the phone that loyal users have been waiting for for quite some time now. While some might be upset at the loss of “classic” Palm OS software library, most will find the available apps to be suitable replacements. (A “classic OS” emulator is available for those who do not.)
Negatives: Not everyone likes the Sprint network.

- The world of Top-Level Domains has yet another superstar name on its hands — .ME Originally designed for the Eastern European country of Montenegro to signify its independence from Serbia, the fledgling TLD has become a hit with users who wish to give their sites a “personal touch.” According to industry site WebProNews, the relatively new .ME domain has been registered roughly 250,000 times since the initial “sunrise period” last year, and is only continuing to grow in popularity. The .ME TLD is available now through several registrars, including GoDaddy, Afilias, and the Montenegro-based Me.net.

- Despite rumors to the contrary, advertising will not be coming to a Twitter account near you anytime soon. In a post on the official Twitter blog, co-founder Biz Stone says that running banner ads “have always been low on our list of interesting ways to generate revenue.” Still, he’s not quite ready to close the door on ads just yet. Writes Stone: “We say traditional web banner advertising isn’t interesting to us which is true. However, to say we are philosophically opposed to any and all advertising is incorrect… [F]acilitating connections between businesses and individuals in meaningful and relevant ways is compelling. We’re going to leave the door open for exploration in this area.”

- The search engine known as Kumo might be making a public appearence sooner than anyone has ever expected. According to those close to the situation, Microsoft is planning to unveil the much anticipated replacement for Live Search as early as next week. In addition to the new name, Kumo is expected to bring a few much needed “enhancements and innovations” to the table, including the ability to group search results by category. The folks at Redmond reportedly have high hopes for the new engine, which could conceivably put them in the same elite category as Google and Yahoo. Microsoft is currently third in the “search engine arms race” with a disappointing 8.2% adoption rate.

- Cable network ESPN has struck a content deal with YouTube. According to the terms of the agreement, the sports giant will provide the online video megastar/Google subsidiary with original, ad-sponsored material designed to “compliment” the network’s programming. All of the videos in question will be available on the base YouTube site, but will feature a video player designed especially for ESPN. No live games or programming events are currently planned, but many believe that content from the broadband network ESPN 360 will be added in due time. A solid launch date is as of yet unknown.

- Popular music service Pandora has received a major upgrade. Called Pandora One, the new strategy is designed to “reward” paying customers while not “punishing” those who prefer the free-to-use player. Aside from the total annihilation of both banner and audio advertising from the site, the “pay service” has one major thing going for it — a desktop application powered by the Adobe AIR runtime environment. Thanks to the app, users can now stream their music at a higher bitrate (192 kbps), fill that space left by the advertising with fully customizable backgrounds, and more. Critics  point out that while the program does improve the overall desktop experience, Pandora’s penchant for repitition makes long-term use difficult. Others say that the app’s price ($36) might be a bit too steep for many users. Still, there is one thing that almost everyone can agree on: despite its faults, Pandora One is a nice little antidote to the predicable, sanitized nature of most FM broadcasts. Pandora One is available now for all paying customers.

Microsoft has decided to step up their advertising game in an unique and interesting way. According to those close to the situation, the new marketing blitz involves immersing the client into the world of Microsoft for exactly one day. During that day, the client will have its image broadcast on a wide variety of platforms, including websites, mobile devices, and Xbox Live. Redmond’s first client is the Discovery Channel, who plans to use the service to hype the season premiere of its popular documentary series/reality show/fishing expedition Deadliest Catch. “The Deadliest Catch campaign demonstrates how we are making it easier for customers to buy and integrate multiplatform digital campaigns,” Microsoft Advertising vice president Keith Lorizio told WebProNews. “[A]dvertisers [can now] reach a targetable [sic], premium online audience where they consume digital content most – PC, mobile and TV screens.” The new Deadliest Catch campaign is up and running now on most Microsoft-related entertainment and advertising sites and services.

In other news, Qik is about to enter the mobile phone service provider business … in a way. The popular online streaming service is teaming up with Irish telecommunications firm Cubic Telecom to release QikRoam, a specially made SIM card designed for use across the globe. For those of you out there who are unfamiliar with the world of mobile devices, a SIM card is a specialized device inserted into phones and other devices that contains the users “vitals,” — mobile carrier, phone service and data plan. By replacing their normal cards with QikRoam, users are now free to literally “film the world” without having to worry about the excessive roaming charges that international travel tends to bring. Access to local cell networks are also included in the service, making calls to home a much less painful proposition. While it isn’t exactly “free,” QikRoam is the perfect travel companion for any world traveler. It also shows what a small little startup can do when they dare to think outside of the proverbial box. QikRoam is available now for all phones that support SIM card technology.

And finally, it seems as if the NBA and the Italian Football Union aren’t the only major sporting organizations to question the use of social media. In our latest go-around, the NCAA has threatened the North Carolina State University athletics programs with sanctions if they do not force a student to remove his Facebook group dedicated to recruiting a highly-ranked high school basketball player. According to the NCAA, the “John Wall PLEASE Come to NC State” Facebook group could be misconstrued by Wall and his family as a school-sponsored plea for his services. Such pleas are considered to be recruiting violations by the NCAA and are strictly prohibited. The student in question maintains that the page was more about school spirit than about underhanded recruiting, and is quick to point out that Wall-based groups are rather common. Neither Facebook nor John Wall have yet to comment publicly on the situation.

Thanks to the fickle beauty that is our broadband Internet connection, we’re cutting things a tad short today. We will be running at full steam tomorrow. In the mean time…

Despite popular opinion to the contrary, not everyone minds getting a full-sized portion of free media with a slice of advertising on the side. According to a new poll conducted by KPMG, roughly 29% of cell phone users in the US said that they would gladly sit through a few digital ads if it meant getting their (legal) music for free. When looked at from a global perspective, the number jumps to a surprising 49%. “[W]e may be seeing a new window of opportunity that advertisers have been seeking for so long,” KPMG spokesman Carl Geppert told WebProNews. “We are seeing sizeable [sic] segments of the mobile marketplace that are willing to… accept advertising in return for free songs… [A]dvertisers may need to examine their business models to accommodate those new growth opportunities.”

In other news, it seems as if the folks at Twitter have decided to switch things up a bit and change their tittle tags. Instead of using the traditional “user name / Twitter” combination that users have grown to ignore, the new tittles now feature their full name — the user name is now surrounded by parentheses — followed by the prepositional phrase “on Twitter.” The reason for the change involves one word: Google. The new titles make it easier for the search engine to find the physical page. More hits leads to better (and higher) site rankings. And as we all know, the better the site ranking, the more exposure the site in question gets. Many within the industry see the change as Twitter’s attempt to be mentioned in the same breath as Facebook and MySpace. The new titles are up and running now.

And finally: At this stage of the game, most people have at least heard about Hulu, the up-and-coming video site that features many popular television shows for free. While it’s great for the times that you want to catch up on The Office, but useless if you’re in the mood for a bit of multi-variable calculus or a two-hour explanation on why some feel that Freud was a hack. Don’t worry, because Academic Earth has you covered. Academic Earth is a new site that features the best lectures the college world has to offer. Several subjects are currently available, from economics to theology to medicine and everything in between, all for free. Now we realize that a site full of theorems, hypothesises, and Thomas Friedman lectures isn’t up everyone’s alley. Still, a brief stop-over in the world of academia doesn’t hurt from time to time. Academic Earth is available now for all users.

Coupons are coming to a Google AdWords spread near you. According to AdWords tech Christian Yee, the new templates allow the team to “bring the messages from our customers’ offline circulars, to the online world, at scale with Google’s content network.” Each ad template will attempt to replicate the overall look and fell of the traditional coupons, complete with the familiar “cut here” pattern and the oddly large bolded font. At the bottom of the ads lies a coupon code, which the user can redeem at the virtual establishment in question. Alternatively, the ads can also be printed out and used at a variety offline locations. The two new ad templates are available now for all AdWords users.

In other advertising news, Microsoft has made a few changes to the way AdCenter calculates conversion rates. Instead of the “one size fits all” approach the system used to cling to, you now have three wildly different options to choose from: one conversion per click, one conversion per unique URL, and the ominously named “count all.” As with most things of this nature, each option has its own unique set of challenges to the proverbial table. Option one, for example, is the easiest to implement, but is by far the most simplistic. Option two, on the other hand, will give you more of a realistic, complex readout, but setting it up is comparable to exploritory brain surgery. The new conversion methods are available now, but be warned: you have to edit more than a few lines of Javascript. If the prospect of this makes you nervous, it’s probably best that you just stick with what you have.

Elsewhere, the folks at Sony believe they know what it takes to compete Amazon’s surprisingly popular Kindle eReader, and it involves Google. In a statement, Sony announced that all future versions of their “Portable Reader System” line of eReaders will now feature support for all Google Books titles. The deal adds roughly 600,000 books from the public domain to the struggling eReader — over twice as many than currently available for the Kindle. While those within the industry are applauding Sony for fighting fire with fire, many question if the deal really is as important as it might seem on the surface. In the mind of many avid readers, the words “public domain” are synonymous with “old, outdated, and factually inaccurate.” That being said, any content is good content at this stage of the game, even if said content is old enough to be our grandparents.

Moving to the world of social networking for a moment, it seems as if Facebook users aren’t exactly thrilled with the new redesigned site. According to a new survey, roughly 94% say that they dislike the changes and wish that they could go back to the way things used to be. Many of the problems stem from the mass amount of features that were supposedly removed from the service during the update process. Those in charge of Facebook have yet to comment publicly on the matter.

And to finish out the week: Samsung has announced that they will be joining the world of digital movie downloads. The popular mobile phone and electronics manufacturer is teaming up with online retailer Acetrax for the new service, tentatively titled Samsung Movies. There are said to be over 500 movies available for either purchase or rental, including such heavy hitters as “No Country For Old Men,” “The Matrix,” and “The Dark Knight.” Although it is only available at the moment to cell phone users in the UK, Samsung hopes to have the service up and running on a variety of different platforms (and in a variety of different regions) soon.

The never-ending comedy of errors that is Twitter’s attempt to monetize continues in earnest. Citing that he was hit with “an offer [he] couldn’t refuse,” Twitter co-founder Biz Stone announced Friday that two news investors will be joining the team — Benchmark and Institutional Venture Partners (IVP). While no official numbers have been released, those close to all three parties say the deal weighs in at $35 million. At press time, Stone and his team are planning to use the cash to fund and build various “revenue-generating products.” As many fans of the Free Line know, monetizing Twitter has been somewhat of a hot topic as of late. Last week, Stone mentioned in an interview that corporate clients might have to pay to use the microblogging service in the near future. He then quickly rescinded the comment, chalking it up nothing more than a bad case of “thinking out loud.”

In other news, Google Japan has issued an apology for paying bloggers to recommend their products. The practice, which is banned under Google’s own Terms of Service contract, was “unearthed” by two bloggers last week. “At Google, we believe in being open and transparent with our users,” Senior Marketing Manager Koji Baba said in a statement. “We would like to apologize for this episode, and express our gratitude to the community of users and bloggers who brought this to our attention so that we could put a stop to it.” Many users have questioned the sincerity of the apology, saying it was more of a PR move than an admission of guilt. So as punishment for its deeds, Google Japan lowered their PageRank from a nine to a five. Neither the length of the punishment, nor the reaction to it, are known at this time.

The controversial exploits of Google Japan isn’t the only thing that the front office has to worry about. Google Radio Ads, an experimental service that promised to bring the Google way of doing things to traditional radio broadcasts, will be shutting its doors. Those close to the situation cite the questionable economy, combined with a growing interest in online audio advertising, as possible reasons for the move. At press time, Radio Ad’s last day is May 31st.

Not all news coming from One Infinite Loop is bad, however. High profile subsidiary YouTube has signed a new content deal with Sony BMG. Under the terms of the deal, YouTube will make an undisclosed, “upfront” payment to Sony, then split any resulting revenue in half. Aside from saving hundreds of tributes videos from receiving the “silent treatment,” the agreement protects the wealth of rare and interesting clips that call the service home. Among the artists receiving the proverbial “stay of execution” are Billy Joel, Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, and Rick Astley.

And finally: Despite what some might tell you, there’s more to web 2.0 than just business. Every now again, we need something a bit more lighthearted and entertaining. That’s where the Bakumatsu Koshanin Generator comes in to play. The Bakumatsu Koshanin Generator is an interesting new photo service that specializes in giving your cutting edge, 21st century snapshots a quaint, 1940’s makeover. Using the site could not be easier: just choose the photo you want to alter and press the “convert” button. Within seconds, your pictures are transformed into a blurry, black-and-white masterpiece. Simple and interesting, the Bakumatsu Koshanin Generator lets you take a fun little trip to the past while staying firmly rooted in the present.

On yesterday’s action-packed episode of the Free Line, we reported that Twitter co-founder Biz Stone was contemplating charging corporate users to use his service. Well, it turns out that it was much ado about nothing. According to Stone, who claims he was merely “thinking out loud” when he made those comments, the plan was one of “many” that had been discussed over the past year. “We are still very early in the idea stage,” he writes. “We don’t have anything to share just yet despite a recent surge in speculation. When we do, we’ll be sure to let you know.” He also reiterated that Twitter will remain a free service. Says Stone: “What we’re thinking about is adding value in places where we are already seeing traction, not imposing fees on existing services.”

In other news, advertising during the Super Bowl has really payed off for Hulu. In the days after the game, overall site view have gone up an amazing 259%. To those within the industry, the popularity of the site is unsurprising. “Hulu is building quite a bit of buzz and brand awareness,” says Nielsen Online’s Brandon Eshman. “The Hulu ad influenced buzz and reinforced its core message: it’s about content AND convenience.” The ad, which features actor Alec Baldwin as an alien who spreads the word about Hulu’s superior “mind softening” qualities, is still receiving airplay on many Fox and NBC/Universal-owned stations.

Elsewhere, scammers and malware peddlers have found a new home for their underhanded dealings — Digg. Several unwanted comments have been appearing in various stories as of late, each proclaiming that they have an “exclusive” video of a celebrity acting stupidly. These links, of course, take the user to the usual array of horrible programs and viruses. Moreover, these links are not coming from what the site would consider to be a new user. Instead, the scammers are hijacking the accounts of respected users in order to create the illusion of trust. As always, if the link looks shady or the description appears to have been written by a hyperactive twelve year old, then it’s probably a good idea to ignore it.

Moving to the oft ignored (by us, anyway) hardware side of things for a moment, it seems as if the Author’s Guild isn’t exactly pleased with Amazon’s new Kindle 2 eReader. The problem stems from the Kindle’s new text-to-speech feature, which can turn the average novel into a ready made audio book. According to union executive director Paul Aiken, those who use the feature instead of buying the audio book are essentially participating in a rudimentary form of piracy. Many with in the industry question Aiken’s claim, saying the Kindle’s text-to-speech system is no different than just reading the work aloud. Amazon has yet to comment on the allegations.

And finally, we are sad to report that the Palm OS is no more. Once considered to be one of the fastest rising stars in mobile computing, the veritable OS had taken a dive in the past few years thanks to the popularity of the Windows Mobile platform, Blackberry devices, and the iPhone. The proverbial death knell came in January, when Palm announced that they will be using their Linux-based Palm webOS on their upcoming “comeback” phone, the Pre. Despite the loss, the little OS that could will always be remembered as the platform that introduced both geeks and business people to the joys of mobile computing. It may be gone now, but the Palm OS will never, ever be forgotten.

Last week, we reported that the European Union was considering a proposal that would force Microsoft to bundle several open source and freeware browsers with Windows 7. Naturally, not everyone is thrilled with this idea. “It’s asserting that bundling [Internet Explorer with Windows] leads to market share,” Mozilla executive Mike Connor told PC Pro. “I don’t know how you can make the claim with a straight face.” The comments come after rival developer Opera pledged its support of the plan, saying that it would force Microsoft to “even the playing field.” As far as Connor is concerned, Opera’s inability to move forward has more to do with their “heavy, geeky” browser than anything that Microsoft is doing. “Opera’s problem is that it works, but it doesn’t stay out of the way. There’s a little too much to distract you from the content.”

As many fans of the Free Line know, Google isn’t necessarily as popular in other parts of the world as it is in North America and Europe. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Japan, where Yahoo has reigned supreme for nearly a decade. Google had done everything from launch an innovative “mobile first” campaign to advertise on trains, all with less than fantastic results. In their latest attempt to woo potential customers, the unlikely underdog has resorted to paying bloggers to speak positively about their new “hot keyword” feature, a practice the company usually discourages. Those close to the situation say the move is proof that the company is focused on building a service that exclusively caters to the Japanese audience, similar to that of Yahoo. Google has yet to comment at this time.

In other news, it seems as if the average Facebook user might be a bit older than once thought. According to a new survey by Hitwise, only 24% of users who visited the site in January are between the ages of 18 and 24 — an 18% drop from the previous year. Many within the industry believe the trend is simply due to the fact that their existing user base is getting older. Others point to the network’s mainstream appeal, which has gone up considerably in the past few years. Despite the “aging population,” Facebook isn’t close to anything even resembling a downward slide. Five years and 160 million users worldwide can’t be wrong, after all.

Next: Pop-ups, those obnoxious little advertisements that appear when you least expect them, are making a comeback. Software developer AdImpact has recently released a tool that allows users to create pop-up ads that are completely undetectable by the major ad blockers. The trick lies in the way the software delivers the ad to the viewer. Instead of opening a new window, the ads rely on the Dynamic HTML (DHTML) format to supply its code. For those unaware, the DHTML format is usually used by those who wish to animate certain links or words on a page. By relying on a technology that is usually harmless, the ads become almost unavoidable. AdImpact is available now for all advertisers willing to take the chance.

Finally: Even the best of us have the need to edit a little audio every now again. While a higher end options like Adobe Audition or Cubase might be good for audio professionals, it’s a bit much for those who only wish to edit a podcast or an interview. In situations such as this, we suggest giving the Free Audio Editor a try. This handy little program gives you the ability to edit, clean a recording, and add a few effects to your recording without making your wallet sob uncontrollably. Although it doesn’t offer a few of the more advanced options provided by its freeware rival Audacity, Free Audio Editor has the edge in stability and overall presentation. The Free Audio Editor is available now for all users.