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No definition for half of HDTV owners

While it's not that surprising that 49 percent of HDTV owners don't utilize their HD functions, what is surprising is that a quarter thought they were watching HDTV all along. Techdirt

• High Def, Low Cost: HDTV Prices Plunge PCWorld
• Flat panel HD TV market to begin gathering momentum DigiTimes
• Quad High-Definition LCD Unveiled PCWorld

Worker privacy: You have none

Under current U.S. law, there's little you can do to protect the confidentiality of your Internet use on the job. Here's a rundown of the rights you don't have at work. Wired News

• Employee E-Mail, IM Use Spurs Privacy Changes NewsFactor Network
• Companies ramping up e-mail monitoring CNET News.com

Song sites face legal crackdown

People offering unlicensed music tabs and lyrics on the web should be jailed, a music industry body says. BBC News

• Divvying Up the Download Payload Wired News
• Help for indies in download sales BBC News
• Music group considers share issue BBC News

Power could cost more than servers, Google warns

update Computer equipment power consumption could "spiral out of control," affecting affordability of computing, Google engineer says.

• Sun "opens" up Niagara Ars Technica
• Sun opens Niagara chip design to world+dog The Register
• Sun Hopes to Make Waves with 'Niagara' eWeek
• Sun Has High Expectations for Niagara OSNews

Panasonic Expands Blu-ray Disc Manufacturing

California factory can produce dual-layer discs in test line. PCWorld

• Fox sees Blu-ray DVDs gaining edge Reuters
• Blu-ray set for Spring 06 debut The Register
• HD DVD and Blu-Ray Already Outdated? Gizmodo

Big gamble

Online poker is lucrative for some, but the risks can be huge. BBC News

• Teenage kicks BBC Online
• Poker shares dip The Register
• Who Says Robots Can't Bluff? Wired News

Microsoft Planning IE7 Security Zone Lockdowns

The next version of Internet Explorer will ship with significant default setting changes to the security zones, including the scrapping of the "Intranet" zone for home users. eWeek

• Microsoft Patch Day: 2 Bulletins on Tap eWeek
• Internet Explorer 7 to see early 2006 public beta Ars Technica
• Browser developers agree on common security features Ars Technica

Buckyballs could disrupt functioning of DNA

Computer simulations suggest there is a risk the nanoparticles could bind to DNA and interfere with the molecule's ability to repair itself. New Scientist

• Scientists send Buckyballs to detox The Register
• Nano visionary Richard Smalley dies CNET News.com

Sober code cracked

Antivirus firms crack an algorithm that was being used by the worm to "communicate" with its author.

• Secret Code Lurks in Sober Variant PCWorld
• New Sober worm expected to hit Jan. 5 Zeropaid.com
• Sober Worm Jams MSN, Hotmail Servers (NewsFactor) Yahoo! News
• Zombies Boost New Sober Variant eWeek

NEC Develops Thin, Flexible Battery

Credit card-sized 'organic' battery recharges quickly and is eyed for ID cards. PCWorld

• NEC battery could save your desktop data the INQUIRER
• NEC's green battery for data backup CNET News.com
• New battery technology powers for 12 years Science Daily

Weird USB drives previewed

The Barbie device is odd. But odder are the USB fish shrimp, and the sushi, and the sake bottles. the INQUIRER

• Designer USB Gizmodo
• Cutest USB Hubs Around Gizmodo
• Kingmax introduces Super Stick flash drive DigiTimes
• Apps Launch from USB Drives PCWorld