Microsoft Buys Stake in Facebook

The investment ends two months of jockeying among Microsoft, Google and Yahoo for the right to invest in and forge close ties with the fast-growing social networking Web site.

New York Times

New eBay site helps finance poor

Ebay launches a new web site that allows people to invest in loans that lift people out of poverty.

BBC News

Virtual worlds threaten 'values'

Virtual worlds for children could undermine the human values that societies need them to learn, says industry veteran.

BBC News

Facebook Experiments With Ads Targeting People’s Interests

The big promise of advertising on social networks has always been the ability to target members by their own self-proclaimed interests and demographics. Facebook, as expected, has quietly taken a step in that direction with its Facebook Flyers ads (these are sidebar advertising widgets that Facebook still controls, as opposed to the majority of ad inventory on Facebook that falls under its deal with Microsoft). In terms of revenues, these Flyers probably don’t amount to much yet, but this is one Faecbook experiment worth keeping an eye on.

TechCrunch

Smelly screens selling beer on the streets

The aroma-emitting Kaoru Digital Signage display will be appearing in front of a Tokyo beer hall called Kirin City from October 21 and will assault the noses of passers-by with scents of orange and lemon and the eyes with video of foaming jugs of beer.

Apparently, the men in suits reckon the citrus is “associated with beer” so the field test resulting in crowds flocking to the bar like journalists to, well, a bar will show that they’re correct. Either way, each installation uses ultrasound to vaporize aromatic oils and can waft the result over 500 cubic meters.

Digital World Tokyo

BlinkBox: User Generated Ads For Movies, TV (and it’s fun)

A new UK startup launches on Monday called BlinkBox. Users take pre-created clips from movies and television shows (the clips can be shortened by the user) and add a personalized message at the beginning.

TechCrunch

Google’s Purchase of Jaiku Raises New Privacy Issues

While Google’s Jaiku purchase may not seem like an earth-shaking event, some say it is the start of a truly interconnected world, where a chunk of our existence will migrate online.

New York Times