Sunday, October 7, 2007

Via paidContent. Facebook and Music? Facebook Working On a Music Platform For Bands; Not iTunes Killer, But MySpace; Apple Tieup. Facebook is working on an artist platform to be launched later this year, which in essence is supposed to be better than what MySpace allows with its platform, according to multiple sources I have spoken to since this morning after a slightly off-the-mark rumor came out earlier. The platform will allows bands and labels to create artists pages, and allow various widgets to be embedded for music promotion, organizing events, etc. Among those widgets would be iLike, the most popular app inside Facebook, but will also include iTunes widgets for sampling (to being with), and eventually buying music through Apple (NSDQ: AAPL). The service will still have the utilitarian sensibilities of the Facebook platform, the sources stress, rather than the more chaotic and flashy platform that MySpace has. Facebook has been making the rounds of music labels trying to get this service off the ground. For now, this squarely takes on MySpace, not iTunes as the rumors said this morning. Facebook will have an actual deal with Apple, though it is conceivable down the line it could start selling music through the artists' platform. Whether users will gravitate towards Facebook from an already thriving and deep music community on MySpace is what remains to be seen. By (Rafat Ali). [paidContent.org] 5:30:04 PM

Mikael Fyrek on the Podstation Kahvi #221a: Mikael Fyrek / The tiny greens and whites. "a beauty" while it lasts [Mediaburn Podstation 2408 on GigaDial Public] 4:34:11 PM

Over at the Barn Presidential candidates woo voters at Democrats' barbecue. Five Democratic presidential hopefuls dined on barbecue Saturday and delivered their stump speeches to about 1,800 party faithful packed into a swine barn at the Johnson County fairgrounds. [azcentral.com | thebuzz] 4:28:05 PM

The Blog of William Henry Bonser Lamin WW1: Experiences of an English Soldier. WW1: Experiences of an English Soldier This blog is made up of transcripts of Harry Lamin's letters from the first World War. The letters will be posted exactly 90 years after they were written. "Dear Kate, Just a line to let you know I'm going on alright. We had an exciting time and this time up the line. We had only been in about six hours when fritz's came over to us. We had an hour and a half of it but we beat them back and they lost a good many men too not many got back I can tell you. We lost #### (pencilled out - censored?) which I'm sorry to say and about #### wounded. I think the mug will be all right for Willie which Jack is getting for him. If you send me anything it will come in very nice the chocolate is very good I should like a bit of cake, if you could afford it really gets crushed so if it is not packed careful. With best love from Harry" [MetaFilter] 4:24:05 PM

AP Utrasound Article by Marilynn Marchione Small Scanners Find Hidden Heart Disease. (AP) -- What if your doctor could swipe a wand over your neck and reveal whether you have hidden heart disease? That is now possible in places other than the sickbay of the starship Enterprise. [PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news] 11:13:40 AM