Daily News Brief: Canada Mulls Internet Fee for Legal Music Sharing

Canada Proposes Flat-Fee Legalized Music Sharing

In what some in the U.S. would consider a losing battle, the Songwriters Association of Canada think they have a solution to illegal file sharing - make it legal! Naturally there's a caveat, which comes in the form of a $5 per home internet connection surcharge. The money would go towards royalties for music artists, though it remains to be seen how SAC plans to distribute the funds.

Unlocked iPhones

Apple sold roughly 3.75 million iPhones last year, and a new study estimates as many as 1 million of those may be unlocked by the end user to run on unauthorized networks. If true, that equates to 27 percent of iPhones sold. Tony Sacconaghi, a top-ranked computer analyst by Institutional Investor magazine, says Apple stands to lose between $300 million and $400 million in future revenue and profit. Read more here.

Geeked at Birth

Can you recall the exact moment you stepped out from technologically curious into true geekdom? Maybe it was your first self-built PC, or when you learned Linux. The next generation of geeks could get a headstart on all of us, as 'Baby sites' continue to rise in popularity. BabyHomePages.net, a site where parents can create a digital scrapbook of their newborn, is home to about 20,000 clients and expects to grow by 30 percent in 2008. BabyHomePages isn't alone either. Totsites offers a similar service and ups the ante with music and video functionality for paid premium accounts.

Ender's Game: Play It!

You've read Orson Scott Card's book, and if all goes to plan, you may soon get to play the video game. In a press release, Chair Entertainment Group announced a partnership with Orson to create a gaming series based on on the novel. Development will begin later this year and focus on the "Battle Room" games, with releases expected "across all next- generation consoles, handheld platforms, and PC."

EBay Shakes Things Up

Bill Cobb, president of eBay North America, announced several changes today on both the pricing front and feedback structure. Effective February 20, listing fees will go down and the Gallery feature will be made free. Final value fees, which represent's eBay's commission, will go up. Sellers will no longer be able to leave negative feedback for buyers, a move eBay hopes will help buyers leave more honest feedback without fear of negative retaliation. Read the full list of changes here.

Naughty Novelty

Every once in awhile, we stumble upon a website that we can't help but share with the world, and today's, um, gem belongs to PoopSenders.com. True to its name, you can send that unspecial someone a pile of poo, and we're not talking about the virtual variety either. These are real packages filled with your choice of cow, elephant, or gorilla droppings and sent anonymously. The FAQ suggests it might not be authentic, but ensures it sure smells like it. For a naughtier, NSFW version, click the Raunchy Version link. Special thanks to forum member drew and not u for the find.