1. How Google tamed ads on the wild, wild Web

Five years ago, Web advertisers were engaged in an ever-escalating competition to grab our attention. Monkeys that asked to be punched, pop-ups that spawned still more pop-ups, strobe effects that imparted temporary blindness--these were legal forms of assault.

For more on this:
- read full story from CNET News.com, Nov 20 2005


2. Cisco's IP vision becomes reality

Cisco Systems is putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to the promise of Internet protocol convergence and the networked home.

For more on this:
- read full story from CNET News.com, Nov 18 2005


3. Skype in US retail distribution pact

Skype, the Internet-calling phenomenon that eBay Inc. acquired for $4.1 billion, is set to break into the U.S. consumer mainstream by selling its telephone kits in RadioShack stores.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Nov 20 2005


4. Getting Skittish About Skype

It's the kind of notoriety that comes with a $2.6 billion buyout. Since Luxembourg-based Internet telephone startup Skype Technologies was gobbled up by online marketplace eBay Inc. for that princely sum in September, Skype has added 12 million more users, for a total of 66 million -- and has attracted a boatload of closer scrutiny.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Nov 18 2005


5. Google Downplays Gmail Security Fix

Google Inc. has quietly patched a security bug in its Gmail service, but the company is downplaying the severity of the risk to its users. Google confirmed that it made "modifications" to Gmail to cover an attack vector that allowed malicious hackers to take complete control of a victim's Gmail account.

For more on this:
- read full story from eweek.com, Nov 18 2005


6. Yahoo! Wins Search Victory

In the ongoing battle for high-level search expertise, Yahoo! announced a key hire in its research department, tapping the former chief scientist at AltaVista to lead its developmental search projects in this hot area of the Internet.

For more on this:
- read full story from forbes.com, Nov 18 2005


7. Internet still young, faster access to spur growth

The Internet has given rise to profitable companies such as Yahoo Inc., Google Inc., eBay Inc. and others, but the industry is still in the early days and will be further fueled as even faster Internet access proliferates through the United States and other countries, executives said on Wednesday.

For more on this:
- read full story from Yahoo! News, Nov 19 2005


8. Windows Live Custom Domains - Free Email Hosting

A new service was added to the Windows Live Beta family today - Windows Live Custom Domains. The basic idea is that anyone with a domain can now point their MX record to the Live servers.

For more on this:
- read full story from neowin.net, Nov 19 2005