allfacebook - the unofficial facebook blog A division of The Social Times « Facebook Takes on Search With New Ad CampaignThe Facebok Scam » “Facing There” - A Virtual World Threat to Facebook? Posted by Will M on September 5th, 2008 4:45 PM There.com – A Virtual World’s App Strategy for Facebook and Open Social September 4th, 2008 – Los Angeles All Facebook sat down with Michael Wilson, CEO of There.com at the Virtual Worlds Expo in Los Angeles. Michael is a tech savvy visionary who was the 4th employee at eBay and an early employee of Oracle. There.com is a popular 3D social virtual world that allows users to build avatars that 1) express themselves in a graphically rich, online environment, 2) communicate with other users in real time via chatting and voice chat and 3) build social networks with other members via their avatars. There.com also creates a thriving virtual goods economy, where users can create, buy and sell virtual goods through an in-game auction platform. There.co - Paul Jacobson
<p><img alt="picasa_logo_sep08.png" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/im..." />Google's Picasa team released a number of major updates to both its desktop photo managing application Picasa and its <a target="_blank" href="http://picasaweb.google.com">online photo gallery</a> this week. On Tuesday, we already <a target="_blank" href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/ar...">reported</a> about the addition of face recognition to the Picasa web albums, but Google also added Creative Comments licenses and email uploads, while the <a href="http://picasa.google.com/intl/...">desktop application</a> now lets you create collages, retouch photos, add text to your images, and upload your videos to YouTube.</p><h2>Picasa3</h2><p>Google's desktop photo-managing software has always been a great product, and the newest version, which was released on Tuesday, builds on the success of its predecessors.</p><p>The overall layout has not c - Paul Jacobson
I like the idea of an option between the two interfaces. It is consistent with the idea of Facebook as a platform although I would hate to see Facebook become another MySpace. For my part I dig the new interface and have been using Facebook a lot more since I was switched over. - Paul Jacobson
I also prefer the new Facebook, but that's because they've added a ton of new features. Facebook hasn't done a good enough job promoting these new features and showing how they're linked to the new design. - mrshl
"You are welcome. As for a move, I'm not sure about that just yet but I do want to start travelling to Cape Town more often! Everyone else is doing it!" - Paul Jacobson
"They responded pretty quickly to the feedback about the clause. I don't think a license like this really makes all that much sense in a browser terms of use. It is far more applicable in a general terms of use like the Google Terms of Service or the terms you referred to." - Paul Jacobson
The new facial recognition tagging option in Picasa is really interesting and I wonder if we will see this advancement extend to Facebook. I seem to recall that this technology has been in place for a little while now. There was another photosharing site that did this too (I am sure there was an interview on Net@Nite with the woman involved in this) - Paul Jacobson
Faruk Ates compares the just-released Google Chrome to Safari 3.1 for Windows: "Sadly, it seems the WebKit build that Google Chrome uses has been mutilated to an extent: the text-shadow property has been stripped out (Why?!) and, worse, the CSS border-radius rendering is not anti-aliased (Why?!?!). - Paul Jacobson
This is a really odd thing to have in a browser terms and conditions especially the bit about licensing content displayed. That could be at odds with the licenses that already apply to that content and could also be a license the viewer isn't legally entitled to grant. - Paul Jacobson
First, let me say that Marshall stole my thunder!! LOL. I was totally writing this up when I found this on my new favorite feed, thanks to @drewolanoff and readburner for introducing me to Marshall.
Second, I am leaning towards reaadwritewebmans arguement. The mere fact that Google announces in section 9 of the EULA that you retain the rights to your content, but in section 11 Google implies that they can use it how they see fit as long as it is transmitted through their services worries me. I have always been concerned about how much power we give to these companies, and how we mindlessly click through TOS and EULAs because we desperately want to use a shiny, new service. I'm not saying that Google or any other company is necessarily out to "GET US", but what I am saying is that it never hurts to read what you are signing. Google is an information company, and as such, they create applications and services that either ask for your permission or inform you that they will be collecting information if you wan - 4four1ones via FriendFeed MT Plugin
This seems totally unnecessary/inappropriate. The services as Google refers to have their own Terms of Services which one has to agree to use them regardless of which browser they will use the services with. Why do it again in this browser. As others said, other browsers don't need this so hard to justify why Google needs it. My guess is that by services they refer to browser specific services like searching from the url bar etc. that is tied to google, if so, it should be a lot more restricted.
Also, I find the "open source" part a bit confusing. What is open source and what is not? Is the whole browser code available as open source, or is it just components? What would it take to build an alternative binary without all this nonsense introduced with the ToS? - berkay via FriendFeed MT Plugin
Being Open Source and the code's license should be enough: there is no need for a TOS in Chrome, and such a TOS existing is from redundant to bad. - Marcos Marado
@Michael,
The problem with section 11 is that it gives Google too much leeway in how they can potentially use the content your browse (GET) or create (POST) through the browser. They may never use this right, but there's nothing stopping them from using it in the future.
The whole copyright arguments falls apart under clause 11 since it essentially says that you retain the copyright but that they can reproduce your copyrighted content anytime anywhere they want. This is like buying a book from an author and giving you the right to reproduce the content for your own purpose without any regard to the author because the author has given you total rights to the content.
And I also agree with whoever posted above the comment about the need to change section 11 since we are arguing over it. This ambiguity needs to be clarified.
--Jim - Jim McCusker via FriendFeed MT Plugin
A workaround for this would be to compile Chrome/Chromium for yourself without the auto-updater, wouldn't it? Might take a bit of effort, but wouldn't you be exempt from the EULA that way? - Cyvros/fyc via FriendFeed MT Plugin
@ReadWriteWebMan, @Mark... I'm somewhat confused by this discussion (though I'm glad we're having it).
1. No one is forcing anyone to download and run Chrome. Therefore, Google can use whatever license it so chooses; it's up to the consumer of the application to read over the EULA and decide if they're willing to exchange the rights Google demands for the use of the Service.
If we think what Google is asking for is extreme, we can debate that, but it's purely an academic exercise. Perhaps Google will listen and clarify the language, perhaps not.
2. I'm curious about the distinction of calling a browser a "Service" as opposed to a "Product". If the browser itself is just another Google service, then it would seem that the same terms that apply to Google Docs would apply to Google Chrome. Is it the downloadable aspect that's confusing things?
3. While I can sympathize with @ReadWriteWebMan's take on things, the simple litmus test for me is syncing Google Bookmarks... Given that I create these on the clie - Chris Messina via FriendFeed MT Plugin
With that clause Chrome is dead to me. period. - Geoff Longman
Thanks for posting this so quickly and thoroughly, Marshall. It *definitely* caught my eye and kept me from downloading Chrome. Even Google doesn't read its own EULAs? not so shocking, I suppose.
Now if only I could successfully download and test the browser. - Andy Sternberg via FriendFeed MT Plugin
You all need to read the TOS for Apps. Very similar language... - Sprague D
does everyone forget so quickly? This isn't new with Google - Bwana McCall
they've publicly said they are retroactively editing the EULA. - Michael J Cohen
updated the post to note that Google has removed the part of the TOS in question - Marshall Kirkpatrick
the clause is dead. fantastic. Chrome is a live for me again. whew. - Geoff Longman
no they don't have the right to do that - Victor via twhirl
"Any indication how the plugin will interface with a blog that has Disqus installed? Would it just add it on somewhere around the commenting field?" - Paul Jacobson
"I'm reserving judgment on this for now. Between Firefox and Safari I am not sure what more I could need from a browser but then Google has this knack for sneaking up on the competition and really changing the game (or not - depends on the project).
Google's web-based apps are really great and they keep getting better but from what I hear about Android, I am going to stick with Nokia. There is a lot of potential in Android but it just seems that the development process is not exactly going all out to develop something really innovative, just more of the same with new hype." - Paul Jacobson
<p>After catching <a href="http://evansims.com/movies/the...">The Dark Knight</a> earlier today and loving it, I decided to pick up Gotham Knight and give it a try too. One can never get enough Batman, right? Gotham Knight is a direct-to-DVD anthology of six short, animated stories that take place in between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, with each film being written by different writers and produced by different animation studios. What makes Gotham Knight so interesting is that each studio, and indeed writer, was given free reign to explore entirely different aspects of Bruce Wayne, Batman and indeed Gotham City itself. Each story is <em>very</em> different from the previous in terms of subject and visual style, but perhaps more interestingly each story reveals something different about Batman himself.</p><p class="embedded-image"><img src="http://evansims.com/images/got..." alt="Scene from 'Have I Got a Story For You'" /></p><p>The first film, <strong>Have I - Paul Jacobson
Reading this post I don't mind not having loads more Facebook friends. Suddenly having actual friends as opposed to just random names isn't such a bad thing. - Paul Jacobson
Reading this post I don't mind not having loads more Facebook friends. Suddenly having actual friends as opposed to just random names isn't such a bad thing. - Paul Jacobson
So for non-lawgeeks, this won't seem important. But trust me, this is huge. I am very proud to report today that the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (THE "IP" court in the US) has <a href="http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/o...">upheld a free (ok, they call them "open source") copyright license</a>, explicitly pointing to the work of <a href="http://creativecommons.org">Creative Commons</a> and others. (The specific license at issue was the <a href="http://www.opensource.org/lice...">Artistic License</a>.) This is a very important victory, and I am very very happy that the <a href="http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/">Stanford Center for Internet and Society</a> played a key role in securing it. Congratulations especially to <a href="http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/p...">Chris Ridder</a> and <a href="http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/p...">Anthony Falzone</a> at the Center. In non-technical terms, the Court has held that - Paul Jacobson
So for non-lawgeeks, this won't seem important. But trust me, this is huge. I am very proud to report today that the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (THE "IP" court in the US) has <a href="http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/o...">upheld a free (ok, they call them "open source") copyright license</a>, explicitly pointing to the work of <a href="http://creativecommons.org">Creative Commons</a> and others. (The specific license at issue was the <a href="http://www.opensource.org/lice...">Artistic License</a>.) This is a very important victory, and I am very very happy that the <a href="http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/">Stanford Center for Internet and Society</a> played a key role in securing it. Congratulations especially to <a href="http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/p...">Chris Ridder</a> and <a href="http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/p...">Anthony Falzone</a> at the Center. In non-technical terms, the Court has held that - Paul Jacobson
<blockquote><p>[E]veryone can provide a budget. Everyone can live with a budget. The real questions are whether lawyers will agree to do so and whether clients will walk with their wallets when lawyers don't.</p></blockquote><p>See <a href="http://www.patrickjlamb.com">Pat Lamb</a>'s short but fine <a href="http://www.patrickjlamb.com/ar...">piece on budgeting litigation costs with a client</a>, a subject Hull McGuire is always re-thinking but infrequently getting right. "The Lie of Litigation Budgeting" is at his enduring and respected <a href="http://www.patrickjlamb.com/">In Search of Perfect Client Service</a>--the site which inspired the launch of <em>WAC?</em> three years ago. Pat, one the few litigators I've known with a natural gift for law firm economics, started the <a href="http://www.valoremlaw.com/">Valorem</a> firm in Chicago earlier this year. </p> - Paul Jacobson
<blockquote><p>[E]veryone can provide a budget. Everyone can live with a budget. The real questions are whether lawyers will agree to do so and whether clients will walk with their wallets when lawyers don't.</p></blockquote><p>See <a href="http://www.patrickjlamb.com">Pat Lamb</a>'s short but fine <a href="http://www.patrickjlamb.com/ar...">piece on budgeting litigation costs with a client</a>, a subject Hull McGuire is always re-thinking but infrequently getting right. "The Lie of Litigation Budgeting" is at his enduring and respected <a href="http://www.patrickjlamb.com/">In Search of Perfect Client Service</a>--the site which inspired the launch of <em>WAC?</em> three years ago. Pat, one the few litigators I've known with a natural gift for law firm economics, started the <a href="http://www.valoremlaw.com/">Valorem</a> firm in Chicago earlier this year. </p> - Paul Jacobson
Knowledge sharing has been a challenge for law firms for quite some time with the tendency being to hoard knowledge that gives those lawyers an edge. - Paul Jacobson