Online TV, Movie Guide Impresses

(NEWSER) - The concept of Twitter, widely copied in the US and abroad, has found a home at a mommy-centric website, the Wall Street Journal reports. The site Today’s Mama hosts a new microblog called “Connect," which, unlike Twitter, allows users to join groups by region or topic. But it still hews to the basic format; mothers who want to write more than 140 words need not apply. More»

MIT offers a look new software to improve how we communicate online

(NEWSER) - What’s next in the wide world of Web? MIT’s Technology Review lists 10 up-and-coming apps and gadgets to make communicating even easier:

1. Pinger. Like texting, but with your voice: leave voice messages for your friends on the company’s server.
2. Pownce. A microblogging service like Twitter—but users can send large files back and forth, too.
3. Qik. Broadcast live to the Internet using just your mobile phone.
4. Dash Navigation. Road-ready Internet access that lets drivers grab traffic info on the fly.
5. Ushahidi. To help get the word out during disasters, text messages appear on a web-based map showing the texter’s location.

Natalie Portman steals top spot from Johnny Depp this year

(NEWSER) - When you want to ogle an actor, the Internet Movie Database is a reasonable destination. So which 10 celebs racked up the most IMDb profile page views in 2011? The top spot now belongs to Natalie Portman , who snagged the crown from Johnny Depp (now No. 3, he's been No. 1 for six out of the last seven years). IMDb's managing editor certainly isn't shocked at the new queen bee: Natalie "won a Best Actress Oscar for Black Swan, was in the news welcoming a son into the world in June, and appeared in three films." Mashable reports on the rest of the top 10:

2. Mila Kunis : another Black Swan star

'Red Social' launches a year after Cuban Wikipedia clone

(NEWSER) - Cuba has introduced its very own Facebook-style social network called Red Social. The website appears to be sponsored by the communist nation's Ministry of Education, reports USA Today . Red Social imitates both the look and feel of Facebook, and its homepage features the slogan "A virtual meeting point for Cuban universities." The new social network arrives a year after Cuba launched its own Wikipedia, EcuRed, but it is only available from within the country. The domain name is facebook.ismm.edu.cu. More»

Rocky economy, online TV to blame: Nielsen

(NEWSER) - The rocky economy and an upswing in Internet viewing contribute to a surprising new statistic: In America, 96.7% of households have a television set—down from 98.9% previously. It's the first such drop in two decades, the New York Times notes. The Nielsen Company, which collected the data, notes that some low-income households likely cannot afford new digital sets or antennas. In addition, some young people are opting not to purchase a TV when they move out on their own, instead watching shows and movies on the Internet. More»