On today’s award winning episode of the Showdown, we will be reviewing four iPhone apps that went overlooked. Some are good. Others show promise. One … well… some things are best left unsaid at the moment.

Google Voice

Original Showdown: VoIP on Mobile Devices
Website: https://www.google.com/voice
Developer: Google
Country of Origin: US
Note #1: As of this writing, Google Voice is not a “VoIP” service in the strictest sense of the acronym. It is actually a “middle man” service that dials out to a handset of your choosing before calling the person or persons in question. The quality of the call will largely depend on the quality of your phone service.
Note #2: You are able to avoid all nationwide long distance charges with this service. You are not, however, able to avoid your cell carrier’s “monthly minutes.” If you decide to let the service call your mobile device, you will be subject to the terms of your phone plan.
Note #3: Since there is not an official “Google Voice” iPhone app, we used a third party app called “GV Mobile.”
Overall: N/A — Google Voice is a nice service, but the sound quality is totally dependent on your phone. Because of this, we will not be giving this service a concrete score at this time.

Oceanus

Original Showdown: Proprietary Mobile Browsers (iPhone Edition)
Developer: Vikas Singla
Rendering Engine: Unknown
First Impression: “It’s pretty. I like the load bar on this one.”
Ease of Use: 7
Positives: Everything we tried — search, tabs, even a speed test — was almost on par to what one would find on a traditional desktop browser.
Negatives: Full screen mode is a bit a odd to work with at times, and buttons on the toolbar are a bit too small for our tastes.
Overall: 8

Perfect Browser

Original Showdown: Proprietary Mobile Browsers (iPhone Edition)
Developer: Ingenious Creations
Rendering Engine: Unknown
First Impression: “I like the transparency on the bottom window.”
Ease of Use: 9
Positives: The Perfect Browser pulls off what both iCab and Oceanus could not: a full screen mode that actually works as advertised. We were able to hide, then re-enable, both the address bar and the icon list in a matter of seconds.
Negatives: Try as we might, we could not find an options screen to save our lives.
Overall: 9

Gaggle

Original Showdown: Proprietary Mobile Browsers (iPhone Edition)
Developer: Trippert Labs
Rendering Engine: Unknown
The Gimmick: Gaggle touts itself as the first “social web browser” for the iPhone.
First Impression: “Why is it giving me an ad?”
Ease of Use: 1 — “It’s not really ‘hard’ to use at all. It’s just dumb. Really, really dumb.”
Positives: As we mentioned above, Gaggle makes it easy to share links with your compatriots on Facebook and Twitter.
Negatives: So what is it that we hate most about Gaggle? Is the gigantic ad that sits at the bottom of the screen at all times? It is the horribly touchy zoom feature? Is the fact that for whatever the reason, the now standard “horizontal display” option has been permanently disabled? The answer: It’s all of those things, and so much more. Our apologies for sounding like elitist snobs, but we here at the Free Line would like the ten minutes we spent on this browser back.
Overall Score: Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

As we have established before, we live in a society that is growing increasingly dependent on information. When things work the way that they are “supposed” to work, no one complains. When several major “news sources” come up dry and ultimately bring nothing new to the table, however … things seem to break down fairly quickly. It is at this point that we in the blogging community try to make something — anything — interesting and unique. A few days ago, the major tech sites were all abuzz about the Chrome operating system and the surprising success of Bing. Today, on the other hand, the sites were overflowing with stories about several “minor” Twitter updates and a merger of two companies that, quite frankly, no one has ever heard of. If you got lucky, you just might have “stumbled” upon a discussion about Steve Ballmer or the various health issues facing Steve Jobs. It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes or Lenny Briscoe to notice that their just might be a problem here.

The obvious solution to this “problem,” of course, is simply to turn off our monitors, put down the keyboards, and wait for something to happen. Be it right or wrong, life does not exactly work in that way anymore. So we fill the void with various media sources, hoping that it will fill the “dead space” of a slow news day. Some watch Brock Lesnar beat poor Frank Mir until he cries on YouTube for the five hundredth time. Others go to TMZ in order see the “forgotten” footage of Michael Jackson’s hair catching fire. Still others figure out a way to watch the Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court hopeful Sonja Sotomayor. While all of these activities do give us our “media fix,” they are about as productive as watching paint dry. One can only watch a former professional wrestler insult everyone within earshot, burning hair, or politicians yell at each other for so long before going completely insane. So we decide to go back to work on our pet projects, hoping that one day it — and by extension, we — will become successful enough to be covered the likes of Michael Arrington and Henry Blodgett on a slow news day.

And therein lies what makes this moment in time different than the media controlled dystopia of Max Headroom: power. We are ultimately in control of the content given to us, not some cryptic television network run by Charles Rocket and Jeffery Tambor. The New York Times doesn’t decide what news is “fit to print,” we do. While it’s great to scope out The Drudge Report or Mashable for new things to read and/or learn about, it is more important in our society to “create” that next big idea. So we work on our blogs and fiddle with our various web 2.0 applications, all with the hope that our contributions will turn the “information tide” our way. This is our time, and we will make damn sure that we get every last second out of it. Biz Stone did it. Tim Brenners Lee did it. Now it’s our turn.

…And there you have it. On the behalf of everyone at the Free Line, we sincerely hope that you have enjoyed our three-part series about the future, media, and everything in between. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for more of that web 2.0 news you can use. Until then, we bid thee adieu.

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 you might have heard, Firefox isn’t the only browser that uses the Gecko rendering engine. On today’s browser-centric edition of the Showdown, we take a look at four of the strangest Gecko-based browsers available today.

Browser #1: Sea Monkey

Website: http://www.seamonkey-project.org/
Programmer: The SeaMonkey Council
Special Talent: Looking and acting as close to the old Netscape browser as humanly possible.
First Impression: “No sir, I don’t like it.”
Positives: The nostalgia factor is high on this one. Those who long for the days of Netscape Communicator 4 will find a lot to love here. Everything is exactly how you remembered it, from the low resolution icons to the built-in IRC client.
Negatives: Not everyone was a fan of Netscape Communicator 4.
Overall (Out of 10): 4
Final Thought: “Long live the 1990’s.”

Browser #2: Flock

Website: http://flock.com/
Programmer: Flock, Inc.
Special Talent: Social networking
First Impression: “Oooh … Networks!”
Positives: Those who enjoy social media and networking will no doubt love this browser. Links to all of the major social sites, from MySpace and facebook to Flickr and YouTube, have been given its own frame at the side of the screen. Need to update your blog? Send a tweet? Post something new on Digg? Flock allows you to do all of those things and more without even batting an eye.
Negatives: Remove the social media aspect, and all you’re left with is a slightly modded version of Firefox.
Overall (Out of 10): 7
Final Thought: “Flock is the perfect browser for social networking fans.”

Browser #3: Wyzo

Website: http://www.wyzo.com/
Programmer: Radical Software Ltd.
Special Talent: Downloading interactive media of all shapes and sizes.
First Impression: “Are you sure that I just didn’t load Firefox again?”
Positives: Wyzo is designed to make the free exchange of copyrighted intellectual property as painless as possible. Every file — BitTorrent, music files, photographs … the list goes on and on — is downloaded within the confines of the browser instead of in a separate “downloading” box. Not only does this make things a bit easier for the user, it cuts down on the number of open windows. Wyzo also makes good use of CoolIris, a Firefox add-on that specializes in the dissemination of online video. Thanks to CoolIris, getting to sites such as Hulu and Mevio are as easy as pressing a button.
Negatives: Wyzo looks and acts like Firefox a bit too much for our tastes.
Overall (Out of 10): 7
Final Thought: “It’s interesting.”

Browser #4: Kirix Strata

Website: http://www.kirix.com/
Programmer: The Kirix Corporation
Special Talent: Data analysis.
First Impression: “What the heck is this?!”
Positives: Kirix Strata combines the so-called “traditional website experience” with the thrill of spreadsheet creation and cost report analysis. Despite everything, Strata truly is a nice spreadsheet program that many hardcore accountants will no doubt love. It just happens to be attached to a web browser.
Negatives: We seriously doubt that there is a huge market out there for people who wish to read the Drudge Report or CNN and crunch numbers at the same time. Another thing: Unlike the multitude of browsers we’ve reviewed over the past few days, the full version of Kirix Strata costs a mind numbing $249.
Overall (Out of 10): 2
Final Thought: “It costs that much? What were they thinking?”

- Popular online movie rental hub and video streaming service Netflix has decided to enter the burgeoning web app game in a big way. The company has rolled out several gadgets, tools, and extensions, all designed to expand and enhance your renting experience. Several major players in the worlds of tech and entertainment are already making their proverbial presences felt, including Facebook, Twitter, and movie review meta-site Rotten Tomatoes. Like with most sites of this nature, each app is able to be sorted by name, ranking, and overall popularity. While it isn’t exactly major of an upgrade, the Netflix App Gallery does add some much needed interactivity to the otherwise “by-the-numbers” site. The new Netflix App Engine is available now for all subscribers. For those who wish to try their hand at programming for the rental giant, a free to use API is also available.

- When discussing modern technology, it’s easy to overlook Silverlight. Although it can’t exactly be considered a “dud” at this point, it’s not a mainstream powerhouse by any means. Microsoft, however, is attempting to rectify that situation … sort of. In a recent press release, the computer giant claimed that Silverlight has been loaded nearly three hundred million times, surpassing the download rates of the Firefox, Safari, and Chrome web browsers. It’s an interesting tidbit of knowledge, provided that you overlook one tiny, little fact: Silverlight is not a web browser. It’s actually a real time multimedia platform, similar to Adobe Flash. While the actual reasoning behind the cryptically worded hype piece is unknown, many within the industry believe it’s a roundabout way to tout the success of Silverlight’s “brother in arms,”  Internet Explorer. Neither Adobe nor any of the browser developers mentioned above have responded to the release at this time.

- As you might have guessed by the multitude of news stories, celebrity comments and late night comedy sketches, Twitter is the “it” web application in the US right now. In its two years of activity, the service has been used to do everything from report on earthquakes in China to insight an Eastern European revolution. Billionaire Mark Cuban uses it to complain about the NBA. Oprah uses it to keep in touch with her fans. President Barack Obama employed it in his most recent campaign. So who is the latest Twitter sensation? Hint: it’s not Moldovan revolutionaries or President Obama. It’s a cat named Sockington. Sockington uses his small corner of the web to discuss topics that truly matter — eating, sleeping, and running from the attic to the dining room and back again. The animal world’s favorite microblogger currently has over 500,000 followers, which is more than controversial baseball star Alex Rodriguez, Vice President Joe Biden, and Neil Diamond have combined. We at the Free Line congratulate Sockington on the achievement. Your catnip is in the mail … possibly.

The Great Linux Experiment just keeps on keeping on. In today’s post, we will attempt to describe what it’s like to compile a program from scratch. So follow along with us as we try to get the new “Epiphany with WebKit” browser running in Fedora 10.

Before actually installing the browser, Angela has to install the WebKit rendering engine first. While that might seem easy, it’s not. She first has to load a rather large file directly from Terminal (the command line) before even attempting to put it all together. Since unpacking the thing is taking a bit longer than initially expected, we have the following:

The folks at MTV seem to have modern social media on their collective minds. The former music video station/trendsetter is planning to use the likes of Twitter and Facebook to create a “flagship show” in the style of the now defunct Total Request Live. Like with the previously mentioned CNN program Rick Sanchez Direct, the show will be based around host Alexa Chung’s interactions with viewers that inhabit the various services. The fans will also have an opportunity to submit their own videos to the show. Expect the as-yet unnamed program to debut sometime this summer.

Twitter and Facebook aren’t the only Internet sensations that are currently being eyeballed by MTV. The bigwigs at the network are in talks with controversial ex-WWE World Champion/notorious free spirit Jeff Hardy for a reality show based upon his life. According to those close to the situation, the show will actually be a “big budget” version of The Hardy Show, the surprisingly popular web program starring Jeff, his brother Matt, and mutual friend Shannon Moore. (Like Jeff, both Matt and Moore are full time professional wrestlers.) An air date for the program is unknown at this time.

…And we are back! Unfortunately, the file is still unpacking. While we definitely appreciate the “completeness” of the package, we are beginning to wonder if all of these individual bits are truly necessary. We understand why we would need files labeled as “kernel” or “browser.” The “OS X Tiger” files, on the other hand … now that is a real head scratcher. Needless to say, I think we’re in this for the proverbial “long haul.” In the meantime…

As many of you are quite well aware of, piracy is alive and well on the Internet. While there are those out there who are okay with the practice, most within the industry aren’t exactly thrilled that it’s still happening. Independent game programming house The ACE Team have crafted their own special way to deter the practice: engaging the user in polite, civil dialog. Each copy of their new game, Zeno Crush, has a message attached asking the user if they would consider buying the game sometime in the near future. “We cannot do anything to stop piracy of the game (and honestly don’t intend to do so) but if you are downloading because you wish to try before you buy, I would ask that you purchase the game (and support the independent game development scene) if you enjoy it,” writes the programming team. While it is still a bit too early to see if the rambling, yet genuinely heartfelt, note has affected sales, early word seems positive. Many ardent BitTorrent users claim that they are now planning to actually buy the game, thanks solely to the letter. As always, we will have more on this story as it becomes available.

…And we’re back yet again. Before anyone asks, yes. The file is still unpacking itself. Because of this, the planned install will have to be posted tomorrow. Don’t worry; it will be worth it. Until tomorrow, we bid you all a fond adieu from the land of penguins and GNUs.

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.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been fined $25,000 by the NBA after using Twitter to complain about league officiating. “Just found out [that I] got fined $25K by [the] NBA,” the always opinionated Cuban wrote/Tweeted Monday. “Nice … [We] can’t say that no one makes money from Twitter now. The NBA does.”

As many sports fans are aware, this isn’t the first time that he has used modern technology to question the competency of the league. During the January 13th meeting between the Mavericks and the Denver Nuggets, he reportedly saw Nuggets shooting guard J.R. Smith elbow opposing small forward Antoine Wright in the head. Feeling that the refs blew the call, the ever present Cuban took it upon himself to personally confront Smith about the incident. He then wrote a sarcastic letter of apology to the player, which was then immediately posted on his blog. The incident earned the Mavericks’ owner a $25,000 fine and a personal condemnation from NBA commissioner David Stern, a noted critic of Cuban’s off-the-court antics.

Needless to say, the situation has gotten people talking. Interestingly, the conversations have more to do with the nature of microblogging and social networking than the so-called “wacky antics” of Mark Cuban. According to some, such as Denver Post columnist and ESPN personality Woody Paige, using modern technology to vent your frustrations is no different than using a telephone to tell a friend about an annoying coworker. “[Social media applications such as Twitter and Facebook] don’t count,” said Paige on the ESPN program Around the Horn. “You’re just trying to have a conversation with somebody. It just doesn’t count.” CNET columnist Chris Matyszczyk tends to agree with Paige, saying that Cuban was merely doing what he does best — speaking his mind to those who will listen. As far as he is concerned, the NBA is trying to “censor him” in order to hide the fact that he is “more intelligent than most of its members.”

Not everyone shares that point of view, however. Many writers, including featured AOL Fanhouse columnist and fellow ESPN personality Jay Mariotti, feel that Cuban has crossed the proverbial line yet again. “It was for public consumption,” said Mariotti. “You can assume that he really didn’t mean it or that he wasn’t sending it to the NBA. But once it’s on Twitter, it’s out there for the masses [to read]. He deserved to be fined.” These sentiments echo those of noted sportscaster Tony Kornheiser, who believes that using social media applications such as Twitter and MySpace to “vent” are essentially no different than writing an op-ed column in a traditional newspaper. According to Kornheiser, the writer is using an established forum to air his or her views. If the writer says something controversial, then he or she should be held responsible. The “newness” of that forum should not be taken into account, as it still a public forum.

And where does Mark Cuban stand on all of this? He blames the media. In a post on his blog, Cuban questions the legality of the original ESPN report, suggesting that the sports giant broke international copyright law by reprinting his Tweets without permission. “I Tweeted to the people who follow me. While I never asked that they not distribute it to other tweeters, I did not give anyone permission to republish my Tweets in a commercial newspaper, magazine or website.” He goes on to ponder the legal ramifications of the “stolen” Tweets and whether or not he should have expected them to remain private in the first place.

All in all, the entire Cuban/Twitter incident clearly illustrates the complexities of web 2.0-based communication. In many ways, these concerns mirror those brought about by the so-called “Napster fiasco” of ten years ago. As with Twitter and MySpace now, Napster was delivering an intellectual product in a way never before seen. When musicians such as Metallica and Dr. Dre questioned the new system, pundits initially focused more on the concept of “intellectual property rights” than on the fact that several million people were pirating copyrighted music. Although it might seem pointless now, it was a conversation that simply had to happen. After all, it was impossible to go after a person for violating “intellectual property rights” when no one knew exactly what those “rights” truly were. We are going through the same exact scenario now, only with hipper, more modern terminology. Once everything is straightened out, stories such as this will be nothing but a blip on the radar screen. In the meantime, however, we here at the Free Line suggest that you watch what you say online. The last thing any of us need to deal with is a $25,000 fine from David Stern.

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 one main disadvantage, if you want to call it that, to our hiatus last week was missing frightful fun of Friday the 13th. Well today, we are going to rectify that little problem with something we like to call “News of the Odd.” So sit back, relax and enjoy your Friday the 13th… five days late, of course.

Anyone who has seen a television news program in the past two years are familiar with the idea of “phishing.” Unlike most underhanded schemers, phishers have an uncanny knack of staying one step ahead of the curve when it comes to fake content. When one “opportunity” dries up, they just simply head to the next “big thing” and hope that people fall for it. Their latest target? Your love of local news. Like most nefarious plans of this nature, the scheme begins with an innocent looking email. In the letter, a panicky (yet unnamed) confidant asks you if you’re safe. At the bottom of the email sits a link to what appears to be a Reuters news story about a nuclear bomb going off near your hometown. What the site actually does is download and install the Waldec virus to your computer. The virus immediately picks up on your IP address, which is why your actual hometown appears in the phony article. While the virus is fairly harmless — if you can call spying and automatic duplication harmless, that is — many feel that the worst is yet to come. When dealing with a situation such as this, we here at the Free Line suggest you do the following three things:

1. Watch what you click. You have no idea what these idiots will attempt next.
2. Make sure that your anti-virus program is running at full vigor.
3. Take a moment out of your day to laugh at the criminals who thought that this was a good idea. Think about it. If a nuclear device really did go off in your hometown, chances are that you wouldn’t need a Reuters article to tell you all about it.

In other news, a criminal in England has found a new way to use Google Earth. According to a report by the London Telegraph, petty thief Dave Berge used the highly controversial mapping service to survey his next targets. Once the proper domicile was found, he would take what he felt was rightfully his — their roofing shingles. Unbeknownst to the owners of the homes, the shingles contain more than their fair share of lead. While the lead isn’t harmful to anyone, it does fetch a tidy sum on the open market. Berge is set to serve a variety of punishments for his crime, including eight months of jail time and a mandatory curfew.

And finally: Security guards for the Philadelpia Eagles aren’t the only people to get into hot water for what they say on Facebook. University of Calgary student Keith Pridgen was sentenced to two years of academic probation after using the social network to bash a rather unpopular teacher. The post, which celebrated the fact that the professor did not receive full-time employment, was seen as “inappropriate” by the university. Pridgen claims that he was merely “exercising his right to free speech” and should not be punished for his statements. Much of the U of C staff sees things a bit differently, however. “We have a culture now where websites are evolving that allow anybody to say anything,” computer science professor Tom Keenan told the CBC. As far as he is concerned, posting such comments on a public forum is not any different to writing them on notebook paper and hanging them throughout the campus. “You know people would tear [the notes] down, but it would still impugn somebody’s reputation, and you can still get sued.” U of C faculty will be meeting with students next week to discuss the controversy and brief them on the school’s Internet policy.