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Laura Sydell
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Laura Sydell

Friday

Movies

Making an Animated Escape to 'Madagascar'

Dreamworks' latest film Madagascar opens this weekend. The digitally animated comedy is about a bunch of pampered New York City zoo animals that wind up in the wilds of Madagascar.

Making an Animated Escape to 'Madagascar'

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Saturday

Friday

Business

Video Game Boxes Do Battle at Entertainment Expo

The Electronic Entertainment Expo is often where the "next big thing" in computer games becomes clear. This year it's Sony and Microsoft battling for control of your living room with their new game consoles, the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Both will allow users to watch movies, show pictures and connect to the internet.

Video Game Boxes Do Battle at Entertainment Expo

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Sunday

Music News

Smaller Bands: Web Propels Music Sales

Not all musicians support the current crackdown on Internet file sharing. Some give their music away for free, trading some record sales in the hopes that they'll get more exposure from offering the downloads. The band Nine Inch Nails is currently streaming their new album online, ahead of the CD's commercial release Tuesday.

Smaller Bands: Web Propels Music Sales

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Monday

Technology

Moore's Law and Innovation, 40 Years Later

Tuesday marks 40 years since Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Intel, predicted the number of transistors on a silicon chip would double about every 18 months. That prediction has held true and has resulted in progressively smaller, faster computers. But engineers worry that Moore's Law may not last forever.

Moore's Law and Innovation, 40 Years Later

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Wednesday

Law

Legal Action Unlikely to Deter File-Sharing

The Supreme Court is deciding whether the online service Grokster bears responsibility when its users download copyrighted songs and films without permission. But even if the court rules against Grokster, no decision is likely to end the practice.

Legal Action Unlikely to Deter File-Sharing

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Wednesday

Movies

Miramax Founders, Disney Part Ways

After more than a decade of turning out blockbusters like Pulp Fiction, Chicago and The Aviator, Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the founders of Miramax, and Disney are going their separate ways. Disney had hoped the Weinsteins would stick to the low-budget/high-creativity formula that reaped large profits, while the brothers wanted to continue making big-budget films like the Civil War epic Cold Mountain.

Miramax Founders, Disney Part Ways

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Saturday

Music News

Video Games Setting Musical Trends

For decades record labels have turned to radio and music videos to introduce fans to new music. But video game soundtracks are making game producers important musical tastemakers. And the record industry is taking notice.

Video Games Setting Musical Trends

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Friday

Technology

Silicon Valley, Hollywood Square off in File-Sharing Case

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case involving Grokster, a company that makes a file-sharing program, to determine whether these programs are illegal. Entertainment companies say file sharing violates copyright laws. But the corporate giants of Silicon Valley are lining up to support Grokster.

Silicon Valley, Hollywood Square off in File-Sharing Case

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Wednesday

Technology

Sony's New Portable Gamer to Storm U.S.

Sony's looking for a big hit as its newest product launches in the United States Thursday. It's a hand-held game player that also plays mp3s and movies. The player created a big buzz at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo. And now analysts are wondering if it will be Sony's next Walkman phenomenon -- or another Betamax. NPR's Laura Sydell reports.

Sony's New Portable Gamer to Storm U.S.

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Tuesday

Monday

Technology

Internet Downloads Revive the Concept of Hit Singles

Some recording industry observers say the Internet is reviving the sale of hit singles. Others say the future of hit singles depends on whether the music industry can convince fans to pay for what they download.

Internet Downloads Revive the Concept of Hit Singles

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Thursday

Sunday

Technology

Wikipedia's Growth Comes with Concerns

Wikipedia is a dynamic, online encyclopedia that allows users to create and edit their own entries. Volunteers then fact-check the entiries to ensure accuracy. NPR's Laura Sydell reports that as Wikipedia has grown dramatically in popularity, some have begun to question its accuracy.

Wikipedia's Growth Comes with Concerns

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Tuesday

Business

Corporations Sue Google over Results for Competitors

Internet search engine Google says it is deciding whether to appeal a decision by a French court that has implications for its lucrative advertising model. The court ordered Google to stop displaying ads for competitors of Louis Vuitton when users searched for the luxury goods maker. There are similar cases being brought in the United States.

Corporations Sue Google over Results for Competitors

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