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Potential Presidential Candidate To Speak In Second Life (New World Notes via BoingBoing)
Former Virginia governor and undeclared presidential candidate Mark Warner will make a live appearance in the multiplayer online world Second Life today in a public event sponsored by Forward Together, a political action committee. Warner, in the shape of an animated avatar, will enter into Second Life today at 3:30PM EST to announce the first-ever virtual-world town hall on American politics later this fall.

Egyptian Novelist Naguib Mahfouz Dies At 94 (Slate)
Naguib Mahfouz, the only Arab ever to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, died yesterday at the age of 94. AP via San Jose Mercury News: Actor Glenn Ford dies at 90. AP: Psycho scriptwriter Stefano dies at 84.

China Sentences Journalist To 5 Years For Spying (AFP)
A Chinese court has sentenced Hong Kong journalist Ching Cheong to five years in jail for espionage on behalf of Taiwan. The verdict on Ching, who worked for Singapore's Straits Times newspaper, was handed down by the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court, Xinhua news agency reported.

With Google's CEO On Board, Apple Eyes Turn To Microsoft (NYT)
The alliance between Google and Apple may make the prospect of outdueling Microsoft's empire better than ever.

Court Freezes Conrad Black's Assets (AP via Houston Chronicle)
A Canadian court has frozen all of the assets of former media tycoon Conrad Black and his wife, Barbara Amiel Black, putting the couple on an allowance of about $20,000 a month, according to a person familiar with the court order.

Google Offers Book Downloads (CIO)
Google has expanded its controversial book search service to allow people to download whole copies of books in PDF to their computers. The service was launched in Beta form yesterday.

G.M. Drops Survivor But Says Racial Format Isn't the Reason (NYT)
General Motors has decided not to advertise on Survivor's coming season, one that has attracted criticism because the makeup of the competing teams will be based on race. Both G.M. and CBS said the decision to was made three months ago and was unrelated to the show's race-based format.

UK To Criminalize Violent Pornography (Reuters UK)
The British government is to make possession of extreme and violent pornography a criminal offence punishable by up to three years in jail, the government announced on Wednesday.

Press Freedom Organization Urges Apple To Get Lawsuit Against Journalists Dropped (SFGate.com)
Reporters Without Borders has sent an open letter urging Apple CEO Steve Jobs to intervene on the behalf of two Chinese journalists who were sued for a critical story on an iPod manufacturer in China. Foxconn, a Taiwanese manufacturer with a plant in China that makes iPods for Apple, sued Wang You, a reporter for China Business News, and Weng Bao, an editor at the newspaper, for $3.77 million. Their assets were also frozen. AP: Apple working to resolve dispute with manufacturer.

Jennifer Aniston to Sign With Nike (AdRants)
While it's been rumored for some time, a deal between Nike and Jennifer Aniston appears to be on the verge of signature. The deal, sources say, may be the largest sum ever paid by the sportswear company for a celebrity endorsement.

Warner Bros. To Release HD Films (Reuters via Yahoo!)
Warner Home Video said on Wednesday it will release 10 high-definition titles on September 26, including six in the Blu-ray format and four in the competing HD-DVD format.

New Film Attacks Hollywood's 'Censorship' System (Reuters via Yahoo!)
When This Film is Not Yet Rated director Kirby Dick wanted to learn the identities of the most secretive group in the film industry, he resorted to a time-honored Hollywood tradition — he hired a private eye to follow them and go through their garbage.

Films That Come Over the Net Don't Come Easy (NYT)
Obstacles — including meager libraries, frustrating download times, copyright issues — have hamstrung online movie offerings to date. But the biggest challenge has been what those in the industry refer to as the "last 10 feet" problem: You can download a digital copy of a movie to your computer, but you're stuck watching it on the PC.

Time and Newsweek Face Challenge Of 21st Century Reinvention (WSJ)
"Both magazines share a common challenge," says Walter Isaacson, former managing editor of Time magazine and now chief executive of the Aspen Institute think tank. "It's not a question of one beating the other but both being smart enough to reinvent themselves for the 21st century."

Paris Album Sales Only Sort of Hot (Zap2it.com)
Paris Hilton, the currently celibate hotel heiress and Simple Life star's debut album, Paris, joined the Billboard 200 album chart at No. 6 this week. It sold 77,000 copies in its first week in stores, which isn't bad but is hardly earth-shattering.

Carson Daly-Backed Online Video Site Launches (FishbowlNY)
Daly, the ex-MTVer and host of NBC's Last Call, is behind The Daily Reel, an online publication created by independent film producer Jamie Patricof and ex-Details executive Jeffrey Stern. Daly is slated to be a regular contributor to the project, which its creators say is driven by a "need to create a viable economic model" in the buzzy online video space. The site's lofty goal is to be a sort of editor for the seemingly unmanageable amount of video content on the Web.

Toronto Star Launches Downloadable Afternoon Newspaper (Journalism.co.uk)
The Toronto Star is launching what it claims is North America's first downloadable afternoon newspaper. Star PM will be available for download at 3:30PM EST every weekday from September 5, with a final update at 4:15.

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