Interesting perspective from Dave Winer. For him, Google launched Open Social because they “were scared because Facebook has a better advertising story than Google does.”

Joss Whedon on the Writer’s Strike in the US: “Compared to what the studios have made off me my share is tiny and cute, but I’m in no position to complain…. This is an era of change, and for the giant conglomo-tainment empires …” (A good read!)

Ze Frank briefly returns to the videoblogging world for a very amusing and insightful look a the US Writer’s Strike.

“… the unhappy saga of Michael Noonan’s PhD project on the disabled at the Queensland University of Technology seemed close to playing itself out with the resignation of John Hookham and Gary MacLennan…”

“The enforcement arm of the Australian music industry has dismissed damaging overseas research that found illegal music sharing actually increased CD sales.” (I’m shocked …)

“More than one-third of teenage girls in Australia have been sexually harassed via the internet, and more than a quarter admit to cyber-bullying other girls, according to a survey released yesterday. A psychologist, Michael Carr-Gregg …”

“Hackers have unlocked violent content that was censored by the publisher of the game Manhunt 2 to give it a marketable rating. The game, initially given an Adults Only rating by the US Entertainment Software Rating Board…”

An interesting look at “subfans”, those international fans of usually English TV shows who produce rapid sub-title translations, often as part of the peer 2 peer sharing of TV shows via Bittorrent.

“Researchers introduced a state-of-the-art social robot into a classroom of 18- to 24-month-olds for five months as a way of studying human-robot interactions. The children not only came to accept the robot but treated it as they would a human buddy…”

Good summary post on the way the WGA strike will impact Battlestar Galactica, and the clear support of Ron Moore and the show’s writers for strike action. (Esp relevant to BSG as it’s been into digital media payment grey areas already with webisodes.)

Funny clip looking at exactly what some of the most notable writers in the US are doing for a crust during the WGA strike! (Via Gregg Rossen. Thanks!) Also: WGA Strike Channel.

A good, accessible explanation of the issues at play in the WGA writer’ strike in the US from media scholar Jason Mittell.

“Joss Whedon is heading back to TV– along with his “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” ingenue, Eliza Dushku. Dushku will star in the Whedon-penned series “Dollhouse,” which has been given a seven-episode order by Fox.”

“Hip British graffiti artist Banksy, whose true identity has long remained a mystery, was thrust into the spotlight on Wednesday after the publication of a snatched picture allegedly of him at work.”

“Video game developers are jubilant after the [Australian] federal Opposition signalled it might extend a 40 per cent tax break to their industry if it takes power in the November election.”

“What amazed me the most was how [Barack] Obama’s 1 Million Strong Group took more than 8 months to get about 380,000 members, but Colbert’s 1 Million Strong Group took less than a week to get 750,000 members,” Mr. Vachhani wrote …

“High-school teachers and college professors receive next to no training on copyright law and fair-use doctrine, a new [US] report argues, and their students are suffering as a result.”