PCIN.net Update

From CNN:

Yahoo Inc.’s first-quarter performance sets the scene for a bitter battle over Microsoft Corp.’s takeover bid.

By delivering earnings and revenue Tuesday that surpassed analysts’ estimates, Yahoo added credence to its board’s contention that the Sunnyvale-based company is poised for a dramatic turnaround that justifies a higher sales price than Microsoft’s initial bid of $44.6 billion, or $31 per share.

But neither the first-quarter results nor Yahoo’s outlook for the rest of the year may be compelling enough to cause Microsoft to sweeten its offer.

“This isn’t going to make Microsoft come and out offer $35,” predicted Canaccord Adams analyst Colin Gillis.

That leaves the rivals at an impasse, just as they have been since Microsoft stunned Yahoo with its unsolicited takeover attempt nearly three months ago.

From the New York Times:

Contradicting earlier studies, conventional wisdom and politicians’ rhetoric, European researchers say that the Internet infrastructure of the United States is one of the world’s best and getting better.

The Global Information Technology Report issued on Wednesday found that the United States now ranked fourth in the world behind just three European nations: Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland. Last year the United States was ranked seventh.

The study, which has been issued annually for the last seven years, is an effort to draw a more complete picture of national network readiness.

From USA Today:

The breadth of a smile can be measured by new technology from Japanese electronics and health care company Omron Corp.

The software technology, shown to reporters Thursday, scans a video image to detect faces. It can find up to 100 faces in an image, according to Yasushi Kawamoto of Omron.

“Okao Catch,” which means “face catch,” then analyzes the curves of the lips, eye movement and other facial characteristics to decide how much a person is smiling using data collected from a million people and their smiles, he said.

In a demonstration, a camcorder took videos of journalists covering the announcement. Percentage numbers indicating how much each person was smiling popped up in bold blue letters next to their faces on a monitor, flashing higher or lower as their expressions changed.

The numbers ranged as high as 89% for a person who was grinning, while a somber face registered 0%.

From InformationWeek:

A majority of U.S. adults are uncomfortable with Web sites using a person’s online activity to deliver customized content, a study released Thursday showed.

However, Harris Interactive found that people became more comfortable after they were presented with Web-site privacy and security policies recommended by the Federal Trade Commission.

Based on a nationwide survey of more than 2,500 U.S. adults, the study found that six in 10 respondents were skeptical when Web sites like those from Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft used visitors’ online activity to tailor advertisements or content based on their hobbies or interests. A quarter of the respondents were “not at all comfortable,” and 34% were “not very comfortable.”