Teenagers aren't actually more skilled at surfing the Web than adults. That's according to a report, "Teenagers on the Web: Usability Guidelines for Creating Compelling Websites for Teens," from the Nielsen Norman Group (NNG), a user experience research firm, which finds that teens aren't necessarily the technogeeks many adults think they are.

Yesterday, Amazon's A9 subsidiary introduced a local search tool that offers still images of local businesses. It seems that Yahoo! also unveiled a new local search tool yesterday that allows consumers to send restaurant and business information in the form of text messages to cell phones. It's a cool feature and one that makes a lot of sense. How many times do we forget the address of a restaurant and walk blocks out of our way until we break down and call directory assistance?

It seems that Amazon is going local. Today, the world's largest online purveyor of books, music, video, and lots of other stuff is introducing a local Web search service through its A9 subsidiary, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The service will offer maps, images, and other information for restaurants and businesses in 10 cities. The local search function makes sense for Amazon. One thing that doesn't make as much sense though, is the video shorts it's been hyping on the home page. While they're smart and stylish, the Minute doesn't really understand what they do for Amazon.

A coalition of entertainment companies filed court papers yesterday complaining that file-sharing networks Grokster and StreamCast Networks are "breeding grounds" for piracy. They want the networks to be held responsible for the actions of their users. Illegal downloading and file sharing of music tracks, videos, and other content is a big deal for the entertainment industry. When there is so much entertainment content widely available, why do people need to engage in illegal file sharing?

Google's latest? It seems the high-flying search giant wants to dabble in TV.

A report out today from the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that only one in six users of Internet search engines knows the difference between organic search results and paid search ads.

I don't know about you, but we're running right out today to get one of those Angus Steak burgers. The 'street smart' team marketed them so successfully last night on "The Apprentice" that they've actually become a real product.

Nielsen//NetRatings confirms what many of us already suspected about online shopping.

Yahoo! reported earnings yesterday and oh, what a quarter it was. In fact, quarterly profits nearly quintupled. How many times a month can one actually use the word "quintupled?"

More holiday-related online traffic tallies are in today. ComScore Media Metrix reports that holiday-related content dominated online traffic in December with seasonal sites accounting for eight of the top 10 gaining properties and nine of the top 10 gaining categories.