Internet Computer Network

With the future of Hollywood storytelling in flux -- movies, video games and social media are mashing into new shapes -- who knows how stories will be told in five years? Tough to say, but Anthony E. Zuiker, the architect of the massively successful "CSI" television franchise, is taking a stab at that future with "Level 26," a grisly hybrid of crime fiction, motion picture and online social community. Trademarked as a digi-novel, "Level 26" is both a book that arrives on store shelves Tuesday and a key that unlocks an enhanced companion experience online.

Liberals were disgusted when Sarah Palin warned that President Obama wanted "death panels" in his healthcare overhaul. They called it a deliberate deception and a despicable tactic. But the term went viral. And now two groups that favor the legislation, including Obama's own grass-roots organizing network, are trying to turn the phrase to their benefit. Search Google for "death panels," and often an ad headlined "Death Panel Myth" will appear. It directs users to a "Setting the Record Straight" page on the barackobama.

When Jiang Dabao lost his right hand to a molding machine three years ago, his factory boss said he wasn't eligible for workers' compensation. Unemployable, Jiang whiled away his days in the Internet bars that thrive here in China's manufacturing heartland. Eventually he tapped into an online forum on QQ, a popular social networking service, where he found a workers advocacy group that helped him win a $30,000 settlement. "Before I got hurt, I had no idea how to use a computer or even the Internet," said Jiang, who identified himself by his childhood nickname for fear of official reprisal.

As newspapers across the country struggle with declining readership and advertising revenue, News Corp. executives have been meeting in recent weeks with publishers about forming a consortium that would charge for news distributed online and on portable devices -- and potentially stem the rising tide of red ink. Chief Digital Officer Jonathan Miller has positioned News Corp. as a logical leader in the effort to start collecting fees from online readers because of its success with the Wall Street Journal Online, which boasts more than 1 million paying subscribers.

MySpace continued its evolution from teen hangout to entertainment destination, announcing Wednesday that it would acquire ILike, one of the premier music recommendation services -- and the most popular music application on rival social network Facebook. The deal, estimated to be worth about $19 million, signals MySpace's intention to dominate the online social music scene, building on the gathering momentum behind MySpace Music, a nearly year-old joint venture with the major music labels whose number of visitors has increased nearly 200% since its launch in September.

A Missouri woman is accused of cyber-bullying for allegedly posting photos and personal information of a teenage girl on the "casual encounters" section of Craigslist after an Internet argument. Prosecutors said Elizabeth A. Thrasher put the 17-year-old's picture, e-mail address and cellphone number on the website in a posting that suggested the girl was seeking a sexual encounter. St. Charles County police said the victim was the daughter of Thrasher's ex-husband's girlfriend.

Could this be the first Twitter baby? Twitter Chief Executive Evan Williams and his wife, Sara Williams, just had their first baby, an event shared with more than 16,000 of her Twitter followers from the time her water broke to baby's first diaper. The wildly popular micro-blogging website allows people to send out messages, each at a maximum of 140 characters -- about the length of a major contraction. But through it all, she kept up the tweeting. It started Monday at 8:46 p.m. when she messaged: "Dear Twitter, My water broke.

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.

Robotics expert Robert Finkelstein has had a company in the field for nearly a quarter of a century without controversy. He never paid attention to blogs, didn't have a company website until last year and never felt the need to issue news releases about his work. That is, until blogs and news sites feasted on his EATR project. EATR, for Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot, is a robotic ground vehicle that Finkelstein's small company is designing with U.S.

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.