Today’s Baltimore Sun brings us a disturbing report that the Internet may no longer provide a level playing field for the Davids and Goliaths of the business world, or for information of any kind:

This is news to most people because the major news media have not actively pursued the story. Yet both the House and Senate commerce committees are promoting new rules governing the manner by which most Americans receive the Web. Congressional passage of new rules is widely anticipated, as is President Bush’s signature. Once this happens, the Internet will change before your eyes.

The proposed House legislation, the Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act (COPE), offers no protections for “network neutrality.”

Currently, your Internet provider does not voluntarily censor the Web as it enters your home. This levels the playing field between the tiniest blog and the most popular Web site.

Yet the big telecom companies want to alter this dynamic. AT&T and Verizon have publicly discussed their plans to divide the information superhighway into separate fast and slow lanes. Web sites and services willing to pay a toll will be channeled through the fast lane, while all others will be bottled up in the slower lanes. COPE, and similar telecom legislation offered in the Senate, does nothing to protect the consumer from this transformation of the Internet.

The telecoms are frustrated that commercial Web sites reap unlimited profits while those providing entry to your home for these companies are prevented from fully cashing in. If the new telecom regulations pass without safeguarding net neutrality, the big telecom companies will be able to prioritize the Web for you. They will be free to decide which Web sites get to your computer faster and which ones may take longer – or may not even show up at all.

Full article here

There are those special items, when placed strategically ’round the pièce de l’amour, that help set the tone for a wild night.

And then there are these. From Wales with love, Christian marital wipes.

The latest Igor named entity is called Mojo. Go figure. From TV Week:

Mojo will debut June 18 on iN Demand’s hi-def linear channel INHD. Unlike male-centric basic cable network Spike TV, Mojo will target more upscale viewers-playing GQ to Spike’s Maxim.

“We’ve done a lot of research [since] we launched INHD in 2003. There are a lot of affluent men out there who have bought an extensive home entertainment set-those are our customers,” said Robert Jacobson, president and CEO of iN Demand Networks. “Mojo is dedicated to being an exhilarating resource for men who live accomplished and adventurous lives. This is a chance to better connect with an ongoing basis with the active, affluent male.”

Programming will include nine new series. The order adds significantly to iN Demand’s current slate of originals, which is dominated by the company’s programming for its Howard Stern On Demand channel.

Though INHD is available in only about 4 million homes, most of the programming will also be made available via video-on-demand to the 25 million digital cable subscribers who can order iN Demand Network’s standard-definition programming.

The new shows, all half-hours unless otherwise noted, include:

• “Taste”: A travel series hosted by comedian Zane Lamprey, who searches the world and participates in local drinking customs (eight episodes).
• “Beer Nutz”: Visiting some of America’s beer-making centers to learn the history and traditions of the cities and their breweries (eight episodes).
• “After Hours With Daniel”: Chef Daniel Boulud hosts a look into the community of top New York chefs as they prepare late-night dinners at several top eateries (eight episodes).
• “Decades” and “London Live!”: Two concert series of varying length. The former features classic artists (10 episodes), the latter top United Kingdom acts (20 episodes).
• “Doctor Danger”: NBC news correspondent Dr. Bob Arnot seeks out exotic and dangerous locations around the world.
• “Fueled”: An inside look at the Pontiac GTO’s debut at The Rolex 24 at Daytona, a 24-hour endurance race (six episodes).
• “Technical Difficulties”: “The Amazing Race” meets high technology as teams compete in a scavenger hunt involving the mastery of tech toys (eight episodes).
• “Wall Street Warriors”: A documentary series that follows Wall Street traders (eight episodes).

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