Report: Spam spikes to 62% of mail last month
The new can-spam law couldn’t have come at a better time. U.S.-British filter firm MessageLabs reports that spam e-mail accounted for nearly two-thirds of all e-mail traffic in December, a record high. More than 62 percent of the mail MessageLabs filtered globally last month was spam.  Spam made up 55 percent of all monitored e-mails in November and 51 percent in October. The company said a marginal increase in spam was expected before the holiday season as spammers sent out their best deals, but the actual figures were much greater. By comparison, in January 2003, spam accounted for only 10 percent of all e-mails, and MessageLabs predicts numbers to reach 70 percent by April 2004. Analysts say the hike in spam could be due to the ineffective new anti-spam laws and “viral techniques” in which spammers hijack computers to increase distribution.

Internet geek? Nah, a well-read TV disdainer
Web surfers can sweep computer-geek labels aside, according to a new study. The first World Internet Project report has found the average internet user is into books and spends more of his or her time involved in social activities than non-users. Television doesn’t keep the typical internet user home, either, with viewing down in some countries by as much as five hours per week. The information found from the study comes from surveys of internet users and non-users in 14 countries, including the United States, Britain, Germany, Japan, South Korea and China. Television viewing may be down because more than half of internet users surveyed said most of the information they find on the net is credible. South Koreans trust the internet the most, while Swedes are most suspicious when it comes to online news.

Angry Brits threaten RIAA-like swapper suits
If you’re an online song swapper abroad, the British may be coming after you. The British Phonographic Industry wants to increase consumer awareness of the legal consequences of internet file sharing and introduce legitimate services, but if that doesn’t catch on, legal enforcement will follow, the company threatened this week. The legal onslaught will be proportional, similar to the U.S. crackdown conducted by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which has filed more than 300 lawsuits against individuals who swap the most songs. BPI also suggested that the legal blows wouldn’t start coming until legitimate download services, such as Apple’s iTunes and Roxio’s Napster, have their European launch later this year. If these services take off, legal proceedings might not be necessary.

Rings lord over more than $3.5 billion in sales
Valentine’s Day is coming, and more people than ever are in search of the perfect ring -- for their phone. Cell phone ring tones, those little song samples programmed into millions of mobile phones worldwide, are being sold at a rate 40 percent higher than last year, according to a study by London-based telecommunications consultancy The Arc Group. Ring tone sales, which have reached $3.5 billion, began as a marketing device for music labels and cell phone companies. Now they represent approximately 10 percent of the $32.2 billion global music market. The Arc Group predicts sales will steadily rise through 2008, when downloads will reach $5.2 billion. But, just as piracy has run rampant with other forms of music, web sites have popped up selling discounted, unauthorized ring tone files.

New Japanese device guarantees sweet dreams
Takara Co. Ltd., the Japanese company behind the BowLingual gadget that translates dogs’ barks into human words, is ready to demystify something else. The new Yumemi Kobo, or “dream workshop,” device can actually direct your dreams, according to the company. Before hitting the hay, the user looks at a photo of what he or she wants to dream of, then the user records the story line on the $140 dream machine. A combination of the voice recording with lights, music and smells helps to stimulate users during rapid eye movement sleep and assist in directing their dreams. After a restful eight hours, it wakes dreamers with music and lights that imitate sunlight. The process is gradual to avoid any shock that could destroy memories.