http://www.kentucky.com/108/index.xml News, sports, and entertainment from Kentucky.com en-us Copyright 2008 Kentucky.com Technology 60 Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:18:39 EDT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench webmaster@kentucky.com http://www.kentucky.com/572/story/465058.html http://www.kentucky.com/572/story/465058.html Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:59 EDT
In the age of the Internet, it might not be hard to guess what happened to those pictures: Someone posted them on the social networking site Facebook. And that offered remarkable evidence for Jay Sullivan, the prosecutor handling Lipton's drunken-driving case.

Sullivan used the pictures to paint Lipton as an unrepentant partier who lived it up while his victim recovered in the hospital. A judge agreed, calling the pictures depraved when sentencing Lipton to two years in prison.

Online hangouts like Facebook and MySpace have offered crime-solving help to detectives and become a resource for employers vetting job applicants. Now the sites are proving fruitful for prosecutors, who have used damaging Internet photos of defendants to cast doubt on their character during sentencing hearings and argue for harsher punishment.

"Social networking sites are just another way that people say things or do things that come back and haunt them," said Phil Malone, director of the cyberlaw clinic at Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet & Society. "The things that people say online or leave online are pretty permanent."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/572/story/465495.html http://www.kentucky.com/572/story/465495.html Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:59 EDT
The amount of money spread across 990 deals in the April-June period was unchanged from the same time last year, according to figures released Saturday by the National Venture Capital Association, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Thomson Reuters.

But all is not well in the venture capital industry, largely because the stock market has turned a cold shoulder to initial public offerings of unproven startups.

Just five startups funded by venture capitalists have completed IPOs so far this year, and none of them made their stock market debut in the second quarter. It's the first time in 30 years that an entire quarter has passed without at least one IPO by a venture-backed startup.

To make matters worse, fewer buyers appear interested in acquiring startups. Through the first half of the year, the number of acquisitions involving startups backed by venture capitalists had dropped by 28 percent from last year, according to the National Venture Capital Association, a trade group.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/572/story/465497.html http://www.kentucky.com/572/story/465497.html Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:09 EDT
The amount of money spread across 990 deals in the April-June period was unchanged from the same time last year, according to figures released Saturday by the National Venture Capital Association, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Thomson Reuters.

But all is not well in the venture capital industry, largely because the stock market has turned a cold shoulder to initial public offerings of unproven startups.

Just five startups funded by venture capitalists have completed IPOs so far this year, and none of them made their stock market debut in the second quarter. It's the first time in 30 years that an entire quarter has passed without at least one IPO by a venture-backed startup.

To make matters worse, fewer buyers appear interested in acquiring startups. Through the first half of the year, the number of acquisitions involving startups backed by venture capitalists had dropped by 28 percent from last year, according to the National Venture Capital Association, a trade group.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/572/story/465498.html http://www.kentucky.com/572/story/465498.html Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:59 EDT
THE BAD: The stock market has turned a cold shoulder to the initial public offerings made by startups, making it more difficult for venture capitalists to realize profits and more reluctant to commit new money to entrepreneurs trying to fund new ideas.

THE OUTLOOK: Unless the IPO market becomes more receptive, more venture capitalists will get stingy.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/572/story/465211.html http://www.kentucky.com/572/story/465211.html Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:33 EDT
With Friday's announcement, Legg Mason Capital Management Inc. became the biggest major Yahoo shareholder to publicly declare it will vote for the nine current directors - a group that has been under fire since Microsoft withdrew a $47.5 billion takeover bid 2 1/2 months ago in a disagreement over price.

Legg Mason, a mutual fund manager, owns 4.4 percent of Yahoo's stock.

The final ballots in Yahoo's battle with Icahn will be cast at the company's annual meeting Aug. 1.

Signaling that Yahoo is pulling out all the stops in its campaign, the company on Friday began promoting its argument against Icahn on the main page of its Web site - one of the world's most trafficked online destinations.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/572/story/464062.html http://www.kentucky.com/572/story/464062.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:18 EDT
The challenge came into sharper focus late Thursday after Google released second-quarter earnings that fell below analysts' expectations and management acknowledged the economic turmoil appears to be causing consumers to click less frequently on the ads that generate virtually all its profits.

That was enough to unnerve already jittery investors, despite Google management predicting the Mountain View-based company will still thrive even if the economy weakens further.

Google shares fell $40.69, or 7.6 percent, in extended trading after finishing Thursday's regular session at $533.44. If the descent holds in Friday's trading, it will wipe out about $13 billion in shareholder wealth and leave Google's stock price below $500 for the first time in three months.

The red flags raised Thursday included a dramatic slowdown in the company's hiring pace and Google Chairman Eric Schmidt's description of the economy as "challenging." Google's chief economist, Hal Varian, even participated in the company's conference call for the first time to discuss business conditions.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/572/story/464092.html http://www.kentucky.com/572/story/464092.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:58 EDT
Analysts, however, wondered how long Wall Street can wait to see those bets pay off.

Microsoft said Thursday its fiscal fourth-quarter profit jumped 42 percent - or 13 percent, factoring in a hefty charge a year ago - as revenue topped $15 billion.

But due to weakness in the online business, which makes most of its money from Web advertising, the software maker missed Wall Street's earnings forecast by a penny and issued softer-than-expected guidance for the current first quarter.

Shares sank $1.65, or 6 percent, to $25.87 in after-hours trading, after rising 26 cents to close at $27.52.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/572/story/464741.html http://www.kentucky.com/572/story/464741.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:48 EDT
The LM Ericsson and Sony Corp. joint venture blamed the earnings decline on tougher market conditions, higher development costs and negative effects from exchange rate fluctuations.

Company spokeswoman Lisa Canning in London said the company would cut 2,000 jobs "within the next 12 months" as part of an effort to reduce operational costs by 300 million euros ($470 million) per year.

In a statement, Sony Ericsson President Hideki Komiyama said his company estimates restructuring charges to "be of the same magnitude as our reduction in operating expenses."

Net profit in the quarter fell to 6 million euros ($9.5 million), down sharply from 220 million euros in the same period a year ago.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/572/story/466102.html http://www.kentucky.com/572/story/466102.html Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:17 EDT
In the age of the Internet, it might not be hard to guess what happened to those pictures: Someone posted them on the social networking site Facebook. And that offered remarkable evidence for Jay Sullivan, the prosecutor handling Lipton's drunken-driving case.

Sullivan used the pictures to paint Lipton as an unrepentant partier who lived it up while his victim recovered in the hospital. A judge agreed, calling the pictures depraved when sentencing Lipton to two years in prison.

Online hangouts like Facebook and MySpace have offered crime-solving help to detectives and become a resource for employers vetting job applicants. Now the sites are proving fruitful for prosecutors, who have used damaging Internet photos of defendants to cast doubt on their character during sentencing hearings and argue for harsher punishment.

"Social networking sites are just another way that people say things or do things that come back and haunt them," said Phil Malone, director of the cyberlaw clinic at Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet & Society. "The things that people say online or leave online are pretty permanent."]]>