Google CEO Hints at Semantic, Contextual Search Wouldn't it be nice if Google understood the meaning of your phrase but rather just the words that are in the phrase? We've made a lot of discoveries in that area that are going to roll out in the next little while. Google Watch.

Building a better spam-blocking CAPTCHA How do you let people create user accounts or post comments on your Web site without letting spam bots in? Simple -- make your users prove they're human. Many Web sites use CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart) technology to try to tell the bots from the people. Computer World.

General availability for the Windows 7 Beta to end February 10th, new downloads of the Windows 7 Beta will no longer be available. Product keys for the Windows 7 Beta will continue to be available. So if you have the Windows 7 Beta but didn’t get a product key you will be able to do so even after February 12th. Windows 7 Team Blog.

Microsoft Bill For 'Vista Capable' Put At $8.52 Billion Demand for PC components may have fallen off a cliff in recent weeks, but Microsoft could be forced to pony up for $8.52 billion-worth of memory and graphics cards, according to an expert witness for the plaintiffs in the ongoing "Vista Capable" class-action lawsuit. Channel Web.

Monster.com Reports Theft of User Data Monster.com is advising its users to change their passwords after data including e-mail addresses, names and phone numbers were stolen from its database. The break-in comes just as the swelling ranks of the unemployed are turning to sites like Monster.com to look for work. PC World.