Have you ever had your computer seemingly taken over by invaders? I wrote a column here more than two years ago on how to remove certain spyware applications, and I was inundated with thank-you notes from readers. These tiny .exe files that get dropped on users' hard drives can corrupt hard drives, take over users' search functions, and basically distract anyone from what they do online.

Major League Baseball Advanced Media is having a little trouble sending video coverage of baseball games to your cell phone. The technological issues they are facing are interesting, but it's the sociological issues that should really give us pause.

In a number of recent presentations, I've stated that emerging media formats are important when they achieve critical mass, but not everyone agrees with my definition of what critical mass is, so I thought I'd ask you what you think.

I've found that I can gauge how well the emerging media business is doing by looking at the last few new business phone calls that have come in. The more tactical the request, the better the marketplace is doing overall. I find that's a good barometer for the industry's health.

Greetings from the world of now-I've-heard-everything. I don't think I'm the last to know, but I sure might be. I was just made aware of a new cyber-dating trend called "toothing."

Here's why you should--and no, this is not going to be any kind of polemic favoring one candidate or platform over another.

A few great gowns, some embarrassing acceptance speeches, some wonderful acceptance speeches... all in all, 2006 offered a pretty typical night at the Oscars. Except this was an atypical year. Box office receipts were down, and the industry was closing ranks and thinking small. I don't know what was more disturbing, the clip packages or the big screen sales pitches.

We all have to remember that business is cyclical. There are always factors that will drive your results down, because the laws of nature try to maintain equilibrium in competition--so the time when you're flying high and things are great, is the best time to take some calculated risks!

How much is too much, as far as media choice is concerned? Our own experiences in non-linear media like the Web have taught us that some interesting and chaotic things happen when people are presented with too many choices.

Hey, have you heard about Wal-Mart's new music gig? Well, the mega-retailer is making headlines online. The company recently announced the launch of Wal-Mart Soundcheck, an online service that touts exclusive studio performances available on its newly launched store, along with interviews with new and established bands and musicians.