Suppose you look up the new Batman soundtrack on Amazon.com. You decide to think it over, and keep surfing. A page or two later, a link to the soundtrack of another new movie, War of the Worlds, shows up on the left side of your screen.

By watching shopping habits, Amazon has learned that many people interested in one product are also interested in the other. They figure you might feel the same way -- and so they give you a little nudge.

This week, Amazon received the latest in a series of patents for this basic idea: That the preferences of shoppers can be recorded and used to make recommendations for other shoppers. Patenting an obvious business concept like this does not sit well with some others in e-commerce.

Guest: Chris Cleveland, CEO of search technology company Dieselpoint, who wants to know: "When will this stupidity end?"

Amazon did not return a call to discuss its new patent on so-called "product viewing histories." It is worth pointing out that the actual Amazon patent of what some see as a simple business concept is 37 pages long. (Jeff Horwich guest-hosts.)

Elsewhere:

"Apple adds director of podcasts to iTunes lineup" (San Jose Mercury News)

"Cows milk benefits of stem cells" (Wired News)

"Indian firms striving for the $100 computer" (CNet's News.com)

A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Monday that Internet file-trading networks like Grokster and Morpheus can be held liable when their users copy music, movies and other protected works without permission.

The recording industry is praising the decision, but one analyst says the ruling will do little to curtail piracy.

Guest: Josh Bernoff, Forrester Research

Elsewhere:

"Entertainment firms win file sharing duel" (USA Today)

"Justices reinstate suits on file shairng" (New York Times)

"Grokster loss sucks for tech" (Wired News)

"File-swap fallout" (CNET News.com)

Computers can whip top players of chess, backgammon and other games. But Annie Duke could surely beat a machine at Texas Hold 'em.

Next month in Las Vegas, poker "robots" will play against other robots, and humans, in an event called the World Series of Poker Robots.

Jonathan Schaeffer is professor of computer science at the University of Alberta, which is in the forefront of research into artificial intelligence as it applies to games. Schaeffer helped create the technology that powers a leading poker computer game, Poker Academy. He says computers lack the ability to beat humans at poker for one reason: They can't know what cards their opponents are holding.

Elsewhere:

Tsunami alert system takes shape (BBC)

Days of tax-free Internet sales numbered (New York Times)

Google to launch online video playback (Searchblog)

India emerging as tech powerhouse (CNET News.com)

Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Times pulled the plug on an experiment that allowed readers to re-write the newspaper's editorials. The Times used wiki technology -- software that lets users make and edit a Web document collaboratively.

One thousand people signed up for the LA Times "wikitorial" but the paper ended the experiment after a couple of days because people posted obscene words and pictures.

Advocates of Internet-based citizen journalism are worried that the aborted project could set the movement back.

Former mainstream journalist Jeff Jarvis blogs at Buzzmachine. He says the Times' heart was in the right place.

Elsewhere:

Iran targets dissent on Internet (BBC)

Universities battle for biotech supremacy (USAT)

Zombie computers attack (New York Times)

Online pornographers dodge bullet (Wired News)

Women and some racial minorities are "significantly underrepresented" in the U.S. technology industry, according to a new study from the industry's trade group. Women made up 32% of the tech work force in 2004, a drop from 41% at its peak in 1996. That's largely because of the shrinking number of administrative jobs in the tech industry, the Arlington, Va.-based Information Technology Association of America said.

Hispanics were the most underrepresented racial group, according to the ITAA's analysis of data from U.S. Department of Labor.

Hispanics made up 13% of the U.S. labor pool but only 6.4% of the tech work force, an underrepresentation of more than 50%. Still, the numbers have improved since 1996, when Hispanics made up a scant 5.3%.

Blacks were underrepresented by 22% and whites by 6.6%. Asians and Asian-Americans were overrepresented by nearly threefold compared with the general U.S. labor force, the study found.

With such underrepresentation, fewer people are available overall to work in high-tech, putting the nation at a disadvantage compared with China and India, where universities are graduating hundreds of thousands of science and engineering students per year — in some cases with nearly equal numbers of women and men.

"We can ill afford to miss out on anyone with the right aptitude, skills and motivation to succeed in technical fields," ITAA President Harris N. Miller said.

New research from Johns Hopkins University finds that the human brain cannot give full attention to visual and auditory tasks at the same time, suggesting the cell phone conversations negatively affect driving skills.

Guest: Steven Yantis, professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences

Elsewhere:

Father of integrated circuit dies (USA Today)

IBM's BlueGene/L still worlds top supercomputer (BBC)

Critics raise concerns over "black boxes" in cars (Wired News)

When digital bullying goes too far (CNET News.com)

A survey by Nielsen/NetRatings (PDF) says one in five newspaper readers look at Internet editions only. That could be seen as a bad sign for newspapers, most of which are steadily losing subscribers.

Bob Calder, director of consumer research at the Readership Institute, says these are challenging times for newspapers.

Elsewhere:

The Freecycle movement (BBC)

Lost credit card data improperly kept (NY Times)

Google planning PayPal rival (NY Times)

Justice to rule on fate of file swapping (CNET News.com)

A coalition made up of the World Bank and companies from India and the U.S. is planning to build thousands of Internet centers in under-served areas of India.

The centers, which will include cheap and rugged Internet-connected terminals, will enable residents to conduct banking and business with the government. The government-subsidized project will include training for residents.

An American company, Wyse Technology, is providing the Internet terminals, sometimes called "thin clients."

Elsewhere:

Scientists working on Internet "teleporting" (BBC)

Labs won't print "too professional" photos (AP via USAT)

Cell phones as iPod killers? (Wired News)

What is the legal status of bloggers? Are they journalists who are afforded special privileges? Are they exempt from liability when others post material to their blogs?

These are some of the questions covered in a new guidebook from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. It's Legal Guide for Bloggers also addresses defamation, copyright law, and political advocacy.

Elsewhere:

Patches! Get your Microsoft patches here! (BBC)

Motorbike runs on hydrogen power (USAT)

iPod as tool of choice for corporate espionage (Guardian)

Baffled by the latest in computer chips? You're not alone. Computer shoppers have a lot to sort out. Should you buy a PC with a 32 bit or 64 bit chip? Should you look for AMD or Intel? What's this "dual core" business all about?

Technology columnist Dwight Silverman is here to help you make sense of it all.

Elsewhere:

Microsoft censors Chinese blogs (BBC)

The new space capitalists (New York Times)

HD radio picks up steam (Wired News)

Apple's decision to use Intel chips in its computers is a prelude to a merger -- a grand plan to dethrone Microsoft. That's the provocative theory of author, columnist and documentary producer Bob Cringely.

Last week, Apple announced it will dump IBM processors in favor of Intel, whose chips have long powered Microsoft Windows PCs. Some analysts are puzzled by the move, saying Apple sales will take a huge hit in the next year or two, because consumers will rightly fear any Apple machine with IBM chips will become obsolete when the new models hit the market.

In his recent column on PBS.org, Cringely wrote that the Apple-Intel partnership must be part of a larger strategy.

Jon's tech news links:

Portable data drives pose security risk (BBC)

Companies rushing to encrypt computer backup tapes (USA Today)

Should you move to dual core chips? (Wired News)

Sirius moves beyond satellite radio (CNET News.com)

Before most people had discovered the Internet, cyberspace consisted of bulletin boards. Crude by today's standards, the dial-up information services were cutting edge when they hit the scene in the late 1970's.

A new documentary film chronicles the history of bulletin boards. BBS: The Documentary features interviews with dozens of old bulletin board enthusiasts.

Jon's tech news links:

Michael Jackson spam hides virus (BBC)

Top CEOs describe future technologies (AP via USAT)

Apple, Intel trying to dethrone Microsoft? (I, Cringely)

To the dismay of parents and schools, kids often divulge too much personal information which could appeal to predators. Some engage in overt sexual talk, and even bully classmates. Now, MySpace is announcing a partnership with Internet safety organization WiredSafety to make the service safer for young people.

Tor got its start in a U.S. Navy laboratory. Now the anonymizer is backed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which says it can help protect Americans' free speech rights.

Guest: Chris Palmer, EFF

U.S. consumers bought more laptop computers last month than desktop machines. Research firm Current Analysis says laptop sales jumped to 53 per cent of the total PC retail market.

Spyware is a catchy term, but not very precise. It includes software that spies on users, yes, but some spyware doesn't spy, it merely serves up unwanted ads on your computer screen. Other spyware seems designed to slow your computer to a crawl - or at least that's the primary result. Now anti-spyware software companies and consumer groups are forming a new coalition to better define spyware.

Guest: David Fewer, Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic

Jason Scott collects podcasts. Scott, a filmmaker, is archiving about 1500 different podcasts. He's written a small program that automatically finds and downloads the podcast files. Scott listens to very few podcasts, but takes an anthropologists interest in them. One reason they're worth collecting, says Scott, is because so many podacsters quit after a few months.

Jon's tech news links:

Fake Bin Laden e-mail hides virus (BBC)

Illinois library requires fingerprint (CSM)

Microsoft's Korean MSN site hacked (AP)

Fashion industry covets "iPod factor" (New Scientist)