Google Music launching without Sony and Warner Google sent invitations today for a press event, to be held in Los Angeles, where the company is expected to add downloads to its cloud music service, as well as unveil social-networking features. CNET has learned that Google has signed a licensing agreement for the new service with Universal Music Group but does not have deals in place with Sony Music Entertainment or Warner Music Group... CNET
Dell says Thai floods will impact disk drive supply Leading personal computer maker Dell said Friday that flooding in Thailand is likely to tighten supplies of the all-important hard disk drives used in its computers. "Dell is continuing to actively monitor the Thailand flooding situation, and while we expect hard disk drivesupply to be limited in the next several weeks, we are working closely with our HDD suppliers to mitigate any customer impact"... AFP
Super-powerful X-ray beam will probe the center of the Earth It is much easier to get to Mars than to get deep inside this planet, so for all our knowledge about things like earthquakes and the magnetic field, Earth's interior is actually very poorly understood. To study how metals interact at the prodigious pressures within, scientists squeeze small particles in the lab and heat them up – but this is an inexact science and difficult to do. Popular Science
US court verdict 'huge blow' to privacy, says fomer WikiLeaks aide Icelandic MP and former WikiLeaks volunteer Birgitta Jonsdottir has slammed the decision by US courts to open her Twitter account to the US authorities and is taking her case to the Council of Europe. On Thursday a US judge ruled Twitter must release the details of her account and those of two other Twitter users linked to WikiLeaks. The Guardian
"Shoot the Pirate" copyright campaign descends into real violence While observers criticize Western companies for their 'aggressive' anti-piracy campaigns, elements of the creative industries in South Africa are taking things to a whole new level. With their "Shoot the Pirate" campaign, music and TV industry players have taken to the streets with threats to "fight violence with violence." TorrentFreak
Judge orders divorcing couple to swap Facebook And dating site passwords Most divorces require spouses to part with some of their property, but in Connecticut, a soon-to-be ex-husband and wife are being asked to give up more than just investments, cars, TVs, kids, and pets. They have to hand over their social networking passwords. Forbes
Skyrim reaches nearly 250,000 concurrent Steam users on day one, topples MW3 Skyrim's kind of a big deal. Seeing as you've probably heard it mentioned more than the word "the" in the past 24 hours, I doubt that comes as a Tamriel-sized surprise to you. That said, at this point, even my cold, jaded soul can't help but say damn. PC Gamer
Why PROTECT IP/SOPA is the exact wrong approach to dealing with infringement online As the various "battle lines" are supposedly being drawn between the entertainment industry and the tech industry in the fight over PROTECT IP/SOPA, it's worth pointing out that nothing is further from the truth. Techdirt
New, faster Firefox Beta is ready for testing A new Firefox Beta (v9.0) for Windows, Mac and Linux is now available for download and testing. This beta enhances JavaScript performance and adds developer tools that make Web browsing much faster. What's new in Firefox Beta... Mozilla
Judge tosses "iBrick" lawsuit over iOS 4 slowing iPhone 3G A California woman seeking a class action lawsuit against Apple after being dissatisfied with her iPhone 3G following an update to iOS 4 has had her case thrown out by the judge evaluating the complaint. AppleInsider
Apple's iOS 5.0.1 does *not* fix battery problems Or at least many users are claiming that Apple's update to iOS5 does not fix problems with battery life. Indeed, some are claiming that it has actually made matters worse... Forbes