China Internet User Count surpasses the United States

The Associated Press is reporting that China’s booming Internet population has surpassed the United States to become the world’s biggest, with 253 million people online despite government controls on Web use, according to government data reported last Friday. The latest figure on Web use at the end of June is a 56 percent increase from a year ago, the China Internet Network Information Center said. It said the share of the Chinese public using the Internet is still just 19.1 percent, leaving more room for rapid growth…

.NZ July ’08 Newletter Released

The new .nz :: DNC :: July ’08 Newsletter (http://dnc.org.nz/content/july_08_newsletter.pdf) was released today. It covers the following topics:

Authorisation of Registrars / Connection Process – Updated Policies
Policy Consultations closed in July DNC Annual Report
Improvements to the DNS Infrastructure

Statistics In June, the number of active .nz domain names increased from 332,794 to 336,305, a net increase of 3,511.

Any Comments? If you have any questions or concerns about the SRS, please don’t hesitate to contact the DNC .nz registry. For registry or technical matters, contact Nick Griffin at support@nzrs.net.nz. For all other matters, contact Debbie Monahan at info@dnc.org.nz (mailto:info@dnc.org.nz).

Source: DNC Submission to DomainNews.com on July 29th – Posted by Roland G. Buck – Chief Editor

WIPO Domain Name Dispute Decisions July 24th – 29th

Most recently notified WIPO Domain Name Decision(s) between July 24th through July 29th:

electrolux-appliance.com (http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0823.html)
> Transfer
narnia.mobi (http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0821.html)
> Transfer
blackberrycoaching.com (http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2008/d2008-0758.html)
> Transfer

Google Counts More Than 1 Trillion Unique URLs

A report from Google has counted there are more than one trillion
unique URLs, as opposed to domain names, reports IDG. Google openly
admit they do not index every one of these pages many of them are
similar to each other, or represent auto-generated content … that
isn’t very useful to searchers, wrote Jesse Alpert and Nissan Hajaj,
software engineers in Google’s Web Search Infrastructure Team.

Domain Industry and Valuations – Part 1

Since the beginning of the year many of the parking companies have reported a steady decline in earnings per click payments from their upstream providers. This decline seems to have really unnerved many domain owners and a flood of domains for sale (albeit secretly ) has recently hit the market.

At the beginning of the year I spent quite some time analyzing where I thought the industry was heading and what was likely to take place over the next couple of years. I then presented this information at the Las Vegas TRAFFIC conference and summarized much of it in a single powerpoint slide. I think that now we are just past half way through the year that it would be a good idea to explore this slide further.

What Will Happen To Direct Navigation When The World Moves to Scanning Devices?

Via P8TCH (http://p8t.ch/) :

Think of it as a TinyURL you can wear. Each two-by-four-inch, velcro-backed twill p8tch has a Mysterious Commando Design on the top, and a QRCode on the bottom:

The QRCode on the p8tch contains a URL. If you scan the code with your iPhone, Mobile Safari will take you directly to that URL. Or, if it’s a Google Maps link, directly to the Google Maps app. Or, if it’s a YouTube link, it’ll show a movie. Cool, right?

Beyond The American Dream

What I’m going to write here may sound simple to you but truth be told, I believe most around the world don’t know it. If you find it enlightening, if you enjoy reading, pass to a friend. Hopefully this story will affect one person and if it does, I’ve done my job for the day!

About a year ago Ron Jackson of DNJournal (http://dnjournal.com/) told my story (http://www.dnjournal.com/cover/2007/may.htm) to the world, a rags to riches story, one you have heard many times by now of those who started with very little and achieved financial independence. What is financial independence then and is it the end of all means? I have a nice car although I hardly use it these days. I have a nice house although I spend most of my time in front of a 24 inch computer screen. I have a gym membership although I hardly ever use it. I have the option to jump on a private jet in a moment’s notice to have dinner in Vegas although I have yet to do it. Yes, it is well worth the effort to get to that level financially (don’t believe those who tell you it is not) however, there’s more to life than that, many times over!Domain Name News, The Domain Industry News, ICANN News, Registry News, Domainer News, Domain – Administration [Joomla!] (administrator/index2.php?option=com_content sectionid=0 task=new)

AS Number Change could affect Internet Routing starting January 1st 2009

Amsterdam – Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), including the RIPE NCC (Network Coordination Centre), have warned that routers and network management software should be upgraded ahead of the increased distribution of four-byte (also known as 32-bit) Autonomous System (AS) numbers.

AS numbers are a vital part of the Internet’s core routing system, the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). With existing two-byte AS numbers predicted to run out in early 2011, RIRs will issue four-byte AS numbers by default (unless otherwise specifically requested) beginning 1 January 2009, as the next phase of a transition from two- to four-byte numbers. Following a globally coordinated policy, RIRs began allocating four-byte AS numbers by request only in January 2007; January 2009 marks the transition to allocating four-byte AS numbers by default…

Google about to buy DIGG.com ?

According to several reports from the tech industry, Google’s negotiations to purchase Digg.com have been recindled over the last six weeks. Google’s fascination with the Digg voting concept estimates the acquisition price to be in the $200 million range. The two companies have reportedly signed a letter of intent, getting them closer to a deal that will add Digg.com to the Google News property umbrella.

However, it could be a couple of weeks before the deal is finalized, but the acquisition could still fall apart. Microsoft, which was previously interested in the company, may be willing to step back into the bidding war.

Source: Posted by Roland G. Buck – Chief Editor on July 25th, 2008

ALAC Review: Final Report by Independent Evaluator Released

ICANN is posting the summary (http://www.icann.org/reviews/alac/summary-alac-independent-review-25jul08.pdf) [PDF, 85K] and final report (http://www.icann.org/reviews/alac/summary-alac-independent-review-25jul08.pdf) [PDF, 561K] of the Independent Review of the ALAC submitted by Westlake Consulting. These documents will be available shortly in multiple languages.

ICANN is seeking public comment on the report. Details on the public comment forum can be found here (http://www.icann.org/en/public-comment/public-comment-200809.html#alac-rev-jul08) .

Westlake Consulting was selected by ICANN’s Board to conduct the independent review of the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) and related structures. Key objectives of the review include: