• Social networking flavor-of-the-month Facebook has released an open-source sample of its programming code called the Facebook Open Platform. The open-source release includes the API infrastructure, the FQL parser, the FBML parser and FBJS. It also includes some dummy data and code for inserting tags.
• Users of the Norwegian-based browser Opera will be delighted to hear that version 9.5 will include malware blocking technology courtesy of Haute Secure, a recently launched malware blocking website and software that uses a community of users to stop unwanted programs from attacking computers.
• Gloofi.com is a new search engine that invites users to contribute new pages and assist in translating sites.
• For adult webmasters who aspire to one day challenge the Kasparovs of the world, there are a multitude of online chess communities, including the standard chess networking site ChessPark, collaborative chess gaming site CrowdChess and WuChess, which combines knights and bishops with a hip-hop sensibility.
• Backblaze is a new online utility that backs up all data for $5 a month.
• New startup iCall delivers VOIP calls directly to the Apple iPhone.
• Addicts of social-bookmarking sites like Reddit and Digg might enjoy POPrl.com, which turns the idea on its head. Instead of going to a central site to vote on interesting links, users of POPrl distrubute shortened POPrl links. The more those links get clicked, the higher they rise on the POprl homepage.
• In a tragic for randy online gamers, someone hacked the multiplayer role-playing game "Age of Conan" and inserted a bug that reduced the cup size of extremely busty avatars.
• Wireless USB monitors are on the way.
• An unusual new confidence-building program teaches men to be more assertive with women by making them stare at various female figures for hours at a time.
• For the more active webmaster, a sweat-analyzing T-shirt determines whether someone needs more fluids or not.
• And for the avid golfer, the UroClub lets players discreetly urinate while still on the course.
