According to someone, CableCARDs are not so popular. When will they get two way CableCARDs, anyway? CableCARDs have been as popular as a sunburn this summer as adoption continues to be abysmal. Consumers requested only 2,000 cards over the last three months, though tru2way may give the technology some utility at last. Ars Technica

A pair of public interest groups have weighed in on the curious case of BlockShopper, a tiny Chicago firm that has angered Windy City lawyers Jones Day. The law firm used trademark law to file a lawsuit, in part over BlockShopper's links to the firm's web site, but EFF and Public Citizen say that the case is nothing but hot air. Ars Technica

Circuit City has been poorly managed for awhile now. The CEO has taken a hike, and everyone cheered. Wall Street cheered, by running the stock price up almost 20%. The electronics retailer selects a new chief executive, president, and chairman while it tries to turn itself around. Technology News - CNET News

Verizon Wireless is offering customers the option to go month-to-month instead of signing up for a two-year contract. Technology News - CNET News

Apple is selling a lot of iPhones. More than most people expected. The financial analysts at Piper Jaffray are predicting that Apple will have sold 5 million iPhone 3Gs during its fourth fiscal quarter, which ends this week. Technology News - CNET News

Cell phone users in the U.S. have caught on to the texting craze. On a monthly basis, they send more SMS messages than make phone calls, according to a new survey. Technology News - CNET News

Adobe is using the horsepower available on graphics cards with its new Creative Suite 4. Smart guys. Photoshop CS4 will tap into graphics chip horsepower. Also new: better 3D, content-aware resizing, do-it-yourself control panels, and better panoramas. Technology News - CNET News

Windows Mobile is a stupid, slow, hard to use OS. Version 7 is late. Hard to believe just how well it sells. Microsoft's new cell phone operating system, aimed at helping the software maker better compete with Apple's iPhone, is now not expected until the second half of 2009. Technology News - CNET News

The Android OS works in stuff other than phones. I can see it in a set top box... I won't make much of a DVR, tho. One influential partner backing the open-source operating system says it'll show up in consumer electronics and cars, too. Technology News - CNET News

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Hildy Johnson: [Hildy's on the phone telling Walter how Earl Williams escsaped] Of course he had to have a gun to re-enact the crime with. And who do you think supplied it? Peter B. Hartwell. B For brains. His Girl Friday (1940) - Memorable quotes

Frog hunters hit the heights in Costa Rica's cloud forests BBC NEWS | Science/Nature

A team hoping to break the world land-speed record for a wind-powered vehicle blames global warming for its failure. BBC NEWS | Science/Nature

Scientists show how metal-munching earthworms can help plants to clean up areas with contaminated soils. BBC NEWS | Science/Nature

The future of set top boxes is being discussed by Verizon and the cable guys. I want them to go away. CableCard is the way to go.Hey, what's taking so damn long to get two way cableCards working? Verizon and the NCTA agree on the need for a "platform agnostic" video delivery system, but not without some skirmishes along the way. Ars Technica

You can't just let any mobile app on your phone. It could hose up the network for everyone. The CEOs of Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile talk about openness at a major trade show. But what they mean by "open" varies. Ars Technica

One of the strangest cases in IT history continues to bubble in San Francisco, as the actions and motivations of city network administrator Terry Childs are evaluated and weighed. Depending on who you listen to, Childs is either an over-dedicated employee, or a deranged network killer, and the investigation could shed a great deal of light on goings-on within SF's IT infrastructure. Ars Technica

The local telephone company in an 11,000 person Minnesota town objected when the town decided to lay its own fiber optic network. It filed a lawsuit, then suddenly rolled out its own fiber network. We talk to the company to hear how it is protecting residents from becoming shareholders in a boondoggle. Ars Technica

Passengers and airline attendants alike have begun to raise concerns over passengers potentially abusing their WiFi access to look at porn. This isn't a new problem, though, and thankfully at least one airline seems to be reserving judgment until after it happens. Ars Technica

Blackberry has a TiVo app with some limited functionality, and some newer Google apps. Whoopiie Research in Motion, maker of the popular BlackBerry smartphone, is looking to attract new customers with applications that extend usefulness of devices beyond e-mail. Technology News - CNET News

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How much more convenient is it to use a mobile device to pay for something, than to just use a credit card or debit card? Panel of payment industry leaders cites lack of understanding as one obstacle to greater mobile phone payment systems adoption in the United States. Technology News - CNET News

Sales of video game software and hardware in the U.S. rose 9 percent in August, the smallest monthly increase in more than two years, according to new research. Technology News - CNET News

"Z" alerted me to the second Microsoft commercial in the wildly expensive Seinfeld/Gates production. Pretty funny, again. It doesn't get to the point either, but it was funny. In the second installment of the new ad push, the Microsoft chairman and the TV star move in with a family. Spoiler alert: This time Gates does the "robot dance." Technology News - CNET News

Yahoo has its own mobile phone development system, to compete with Android. mmmmmk. It demonstrates what can be done when apps are added to its increasingly open Web properties. Technology News - CNET News

George Hanson: What's "dude"? Is that like "dude ranch"? Captain America: Dude means nice guy. Dude means a regular sort of person. Easy Rider (1969) - Memorable quotes

Scientists say an understanding of how the Twin Towers collapsed will lead to new steels needed to build fusion reactors. BBC NEWS | Science/Nature

Scientists hail as a success the start of an experiment to recreate the conditions a few moments after the "Big Bang". BBC NEWS | Science/Nature

Everything you know about US broadband is wrong. It's cheap, it's fast, and it's not a duopoly, says a new report from the Progress & Freedom Foundation. We take a look. Ars Technica

Researchers track the links that websites attract over the course of a year to determine what matters more: experience or novelty. Ars Technica

Browser developer joins the Nokia-led consortium, set up in June to turn the mobile operating system into an open-source platform. It also teams up with Nvidia. Technology News - CNET News

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Production versions of the plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt, showing a different design than the concept car, are picked up from the GM Web site but then are pulled by GM. Technology News - CNET News

Wilmington, N.C., became the first market to make the switch to digital TV broadcast, but the transition wasn't all smooth sailing, which officials say helps prepare them for the nationwide switch in six months. Technology News - CNET News

A year after NBC Universal pulled its shows from iTunes, the media conglomerate is back. To make that happen, Apple gave in on some pricing and packaging demands. Technology News - CNET News

Now Nokia is adding ActiveSync to get Exchange email. Trying desperately to catch the iPhone, eh? Nokia is embedding Microsoft ActiveSync in its smartphones as it battles Research in Motion for corporate smartphone customers. Technology News - CNET News

special coverage Between the dueling events, there are well over 100 new products and companies launching this week. Keep track of them here. Technology News - CNET News

Apple announced new versions of its iPods and that NBC is back on iTunes. That new iPod touch is very nice. I want one, but with more space. 32 Gigs just isn't enough. Maybe the best idea is to buy the small one, and just use it for games and cruising the web and getting email. Company didn't blow anyone away with its latest iPods, but it continues to make the right tweaks to its juggernaut. Technology News - CNET News

I'll be interested to read about Intel's new SSD, because it's supposed to be very very good. Improvements across the board. The other guys will need to find a way to catch up. Intel's new 80GB SSDs have launched today, and the company claims it's significantly improved performance, reliability, and power consumption compared to equivalent SSDs on the market. Intel's entry into this market, and the volume that implies, could mark a crucial turning point in SSD adoption. Ars Technica