Internet Computer Network

Time Warner Cable Inc. customers beware: If you're what the company considers a heavy Internet user, you could soon be charged as much as $150 a month for online access. The sky-high charge is part of a new "consumption-based billing" system that Time Warner will test this summer to address what it says is the possibility of "brownouts" on the Net within three years because of soaring usage.

When Adam Hendricks wants an obscure film that isn't available on Netflix, he isn't exactly out of options. The 26-year-old West Hollywood resident turns to one of the dozens of "torrent tracking" websites that index and make searchable the hundreds of millions of files -- some legal, most not -- distributed on the Web via the BitTorrent file transfer technology. "It's really easy," he said, listing a number of popular sites. "I use isoHunt first and Pirate Bay sometimes.

The Public Broadcasting Service turns 40 this year, and on Tuesday it gave itself a gift that just might make it feel young again. PBS' new video portal allows online viewers to stream an array of its best-known shows over the Web. The new site gathers more than 130 episodes of nearly 20 programs, including marquee fare such as "Frontline," "Nova" and "Masterpiece Theater." PBS says thousands of hours of programming should be available to users by the summer.

An activist in a police state should know when to sprint. Mohamed Abdel Aziz has bolted from trouble a number of times, including dashing from security forces closing in on a demonstration in the port city of Alexandria. His less mercurial moments have three times landed him in police stations, but upon each release he has returned to his computer, opened his blog and conspired in cyberspace to end President Hosni Mubarak's 27-year rule of Egypt. That's an unlikely prospect.

There is no Twittering about Tiananmen Square, or anything else, in China this week. In a crackdown apparently timed to the 20th anniversary Thursday of the crushing of pro-democracy demonstrations, the Chinese government has pulled the plug on the social networking site Twitter and dozens of other Internet sites and blogs. Not to neglect the old-fashioned methods of censorship, foreign newspapers sold in Beijing in the last few days have had pages strategically ripped out.

A Santa Barbara company said Friday that the Internet-filtering software that China has mandated for all new personal computers sold in that country contains stolen programming code. Solid Oak Software Inc. said parts of its filtering program, which is designed for parents, can be found in the Green Dam Youth Escort filtering software that must be packaged with all computers sold in China starting next month.

In 2006, Shane Felux was on a makeshift set near his home in northern Virginia producing a Web video when he received an out-of-the-blue phone call from Barry Jossen, who was then executive vice president of production for Disney's ABC Studios.

Even a new-age reading of the 10 Commandments would seem to make it quite clear: Thou shall not steal. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's computer files and text messages. But one news story in recent days suggests it's not quite that simple. New technology has supercharged the debate over what should be in the public domain but done nothing to clarify the answers.

Thanks to the Internet, the humble ukulele is pushing its recent popularity well beyond anything that old-time performers Don Ho, Arthur Godfrey or even Tiny Tim could imagine. From YouTube to manufacturers' websites, from bulletin boards to iPhone and BlackBerry applications that mimic ukes and teach chords, the Internet has been stoking the craze for nearly two years and unveiling fresh talent.

The popular Firefox Web browser, developed by a grass-roots group, reached a major milestone Friday -- its billionth download. The download counter rolled over the 1-billion mark early Friday, marking a feat for a browser that, unlike Microsoft's Internet Explorer or Apple's Safari, is run by a nonprofit organization, Mozilla, with fewer than 250 employees. Despite its lack of big corporation backing -- or maybe partially because of it -- Firefox has become hugely popular worldwide.