Web searches predict the future

Researchers have said Web search terms are a good predictor of the success of films, songs and video games even weeks ahead of release, reports the BBC.

The findings echo a study in April showing the number of mentions of a film on Twitter could predict its opening box-office take.

Jake Hofman, co-author of the latest study, explained that the search data seemed to make the most difference in the case where the data available ahead of release was limited, such as video games.

The latest Apple TV isn't even in people's hands and it's already close to being jailbroken, reveals The Register.

According to a post on Monday on the iPhone Dev Team Blog, members were able to crack the customised iOS firmware shortly after its release on Monday on an Apple download site.

The release came the same day as Apple began shipping the $99 device.

An Iranian news Web site reported today that Hossein Derakhshan was sentenced to nearly two decades in prison by a court in Tehran, says CNet.com.

Derakhshan is an influential Iranian-Canadian blogger, who was arrested two years ago when he returned from self-imposed exile to live in Iran.

The court also banned him from taking part in politics or working in the media for five years, and ordered him to forfeit what it called "received funds in the amount of EUR30 750, $2 900 and £200".

According to UK minister for culture, communications and the creative industries, Jeremy Hunt, the government plans to publish its strategy for universal broadband and next-generation broadband "before Christmas", writes Computing.co.uk.

"The plan will lay the foundations for next-generation broadband to meet our stated objective of having the best superfast broadband network in Europe by 2015," he said.

The government said in July that a "funding gap" meant it had to put back the date by which a minimum 2Mbps broadband access would be available to everybody in the UK to 2015.