If Jobs is behind this (and I suspect he has a hand in it as the single biggest Disney shareholder, and a member of the board) I would expect the system to be released as an open standard that any media company could adopt.

One can only hope…

Slashdot News Story | Disney Close To Unveiling New “DVD Killer”.

GPS Puzzle Box Only Opens In One Specific Location – Puzzles – Gizmodo.

USB PC Prankster: guaranteed to freak out, enrage your cubicle mates.

So it should come as no surprise that, even though Apple has taken steps to combat iPhone jailbreaking, that eventually an exploit will be found. It might not be soon, but it will happen…again and again and again. As long as they continue to attempt to lock down the device, so will people try to circumvent those locks.

If you’re interested in leaning more, you can continue reading about iPhone jailbreaking here…

New iPhone 3GS bootrom not jailbreak-proof — with a catch | Phones | iPhone Central | Macworld.

Anyone interested in a weekend project on the coast?

Apartment Therapy Re-Nest | Almost Free Plans For Building Your Own Tiny House.

You want real-time web links? There are probably already more blog posts being pushed out in real time for free consumption using Pubsubhubbub and RSSCloud than there are links shared on Twitter. As we discussed in our recent post Ten Useful Examples of the Real-Time Web in Action, there’s a lot more going on around the web outside of Twitter. Much as we love Twitter, most people suspect its growth is slowing. The rest of the real-time web is believed to be at the beginning of an explosion of growth that will take over the entire internet – eventually almost all information online may be pushed to those who want it, in real time.

via Two Reasons Why Twitter May Not Be Worth So Much to Google and Microsoft After All .

The difference between Google and destination social networks like MySpace, Friendster, and Facebook is that Google doesn’t have a specific URL. Instead, it is creating elements that envelope the web, by enabling every online (and mobile) activity to possibly be social one –then running it all on their own centralized platform. Google isn’t going after a frontal, brute force assault on Facebook and the other social networks — it simply can’t win at that game on a global basis. Instead Google is pursuing a softer approach, a zen-like attach much like water flowing around a rock. It is using its strengths — ubiquity and open platforms — to put “social” into every corner of the Web.

This is the stealth threat — that today’s social networks won’t really be losing share to the “Google network”, but rather, that they will become slowly less relevant as EVERYTHING gets social thanks to advances by Google. Their end goal? Google’s social network is designed to exist everywhere –not be centralized in any one location. By the way, two can play at this game and we see Microsoft making similar moves in the future. (Edit: It was pointed out to Charlene that Yahoo! is also making similar moves with its social APIs).

via Revealing Google’s Stealth Social Network Play « Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang | Social Media, Web Marketing.

Check it out…

Mantle Panorama

For any small business starting out, cash flow can be a major issue. It seems like we’re always stuck somewhere between the past-due bills and outstanding invoices. One of the best ways that a small business can ease the flow of funds from customer accounts to their own is by providing the ability to pay with a credit card.

For online merchants who sell products this is a no-brainer. But service providers should consider this option as a way to get paid faster, especially when dealing with other small businesses trying to handle their own cash flow problems.

A lot of entrepreneurs will go right to the bank to set up this service, but in my research that was usually the worst option in terms of fees and commitment. When I looked at setting up a merchant account with Washington Mutual the processing fees were much higher, and they wanted me to sign a two year commitment, with a $250 termination fee. Add to that a monthly service fee and it was going to cost me nearly $100 to process a $1,500 charge to one of my clients. When I saw that I nearly choked. $100 for some computers to pass a few packets back and forth, and change the balances in a few accounts?!?! I don’t think so ….

Here are a few easy ways to get started accepting credit cards, without the hassle or expense of setting up a merchant account with your bank.

ProPay

The payment service from ProPay is geared towards the small business that only has a few credit card transactions a month, and small ones at that. The service is very affordable to start out, but the trade off is the amount you can process per transaction, and per month. In addition, the percentage charged on transactions is pretty high, starting at 3.5% for the basic level of service. For a small business just starting out and desperate for a way to process cards, this could be a good way to go, but watch out for the higher fees as you cross your processing limits. The tiered levels of service give businesses more options, but if you need to process more than a few times a month, or for more than a couple thousand dollars, you’re probably better off elsewhere.

PayPal Merchant Services

PayPal’s merchant services integrate nicely with their existing payment services to offer businesses a more unified place to manage these types of payments. PayPal also offers a wide variety of ways to process the card. You can send email invoices, or let customers submit payment directly through your site. I haven’t completed the process of setting up a merchant account and processing a card, but the fees associated with the service are some of the lowest around. Once Google starts charging for their service, it will be worth taking a second look.

Google Checkout

Last year Google launched their PayPal competitor and offered customers $10 off their first purchase when they used the service. The service has been widely adopted by online merchants as an alternative payment method. In addition to the payment service, Google Checkout also allows users to create and send invoices via email. The emails contain a link to a page where customers can submit their payment. The transaction is processed, and funds appear in your associated bank account in about 48-72 hours. In an attempt to draw customers to the service, Google is offering to process cards without a fee through the end of the year. If you’re an online merchant just getting started this is definitely the way to go. With the holiday shopping season coming up, this could mean literally thousands in savings on processing fees. Once the new year rolls around, Google’s service will still be competitively priced, and it will still be free to non-profit organizations who use it to process donation transactions through the end of 2008.

I ended up going with Google and processed my first transaction for free – no charge at all! I’ll keep doing that while I can and will reevaluate the services when Google starts charging me next year. My clients are already singing the praises of the service and thanking me for letting them keep their cash on hand. Now I get paid faster than ever before, and that makes me sleep better at night.