Will this approach to online dating work? It is, of course, too early to tell, and Gelato will have to contend with the fact that anyone interested in finding love online already has a myriad choices. But there is something to be said for giving people a better sense, up front, of what they’re really dealing with in the scary world of online dating, and if Gelato works as described, users will at least be able to know if their potential mates are as interested in Burning Man, USC football, a

This was originally published at ZDNet’s Between the Lines.

Google on Wednesday said it will acquire On2 Technologies, a video compression company, for $106.5 million.

Google just made a few penny stock investors very happy. On2 shares closed at 38 cents a share on Tuesday.

In a statement, Google said that it will take On2’s technology and make it part of the Web platform. On2’s interim CEO Matt Frost said he was thrilled with the deal, w

2. Weather Underground: Since it’s unique to your location, you should find everything you want with Weather Underground.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

EarthSky helps you find constellations each night.

If you’re an amateur astronomer or someone looking to get started with the hobby, you might be surprised to know that there are online tools to help you tonight, when you want to see Perseids, and every other night you go in the back yard and set up your t

Research into those topics–as well as studies finding that diamonds could be created from tequila and giant panda feces are good for composting–received Ig Nobel Prizes in a ceremony on Thursday night at Harvard University.

Meanwhile, other Ig Nobel-honored research suggests that farmers can benefit from improved human-bovine relations. Researchers at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom won the veterinary-medicine prize for their work showing that “Bessie” is likely

The company also announced a special version of KeepVault that works with Windows Home Server, a special OS from Microsoft designed specifically for network storage devices such as the HP MediaSmart LX195.

The company announced Tuesday the availability of version 3.15 of its KeepVault backup solution. The new version provides support for Windows 7 (both 64-bit and 32-bit) as well as Windows Vista and Windows XP.

The KeepVault backup solution is available now and you

The studies were presented at the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation’s 2009 annual meeting in San Diego this week. One study, which analyzed the audiometric testing data from 5,290 people ages 20 to 69, finds that more than 13 percent suffer from some level of NIHL, which means some 24 million Americans might as well. The strongest association they found is gender, with men being 2.5 times as likely as women to develop NIHL. Among men, those who are married (t

Disclosure: CNET News is published by CBS Interactive, a unit of CBS.

“The evolution of marketing television in the fall–it used to be as simple as this,” Schweitzer said, holding up a vintage copy of TV Guide. “It was axiomatic in those days. If you took an ad in TV Guide, people watched your program. Not anymore.”

(Credit:
Caroline McCarthy/CNET)

This post was updated at 1:38 p.m. PT with more details about Americhip’s technology.

The technology for the b

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Yahoo/Microsoft )

“What this deal is really about for everyone is scale,” Bartz said. By combining, they can deliver a viable alternative.

“You really have to say what data gets shared and how does it get shared,” he said.

Ballmer said that the deal benefits advertisers, publishers, and consumers.

“This deal won’t happen overnight,” Bartz said. First, the companies will have to convince regulators it’s a good thing.

Funny how

Correction to indicate the Paulson will only be an investor in Coda Automotive.

Joining Paulson as an investor and President Clinton’s former chief of staff Thomas “Mack” McLarty. Other investors include investment bank Piper Jaffray, energy investor Tom Steyer, former Edison International CEO John Bryson, and company executives.

The company, which plans to sell an all-electric sedan in California next year, said on Tuesday that it has completed a series B ro

Full-service ATMs do many of the same things, but they generally don’t serve the “unbanked,” like this business does. Point of Wealth is a very solid concept with a strong business model: The machines are free to the establishments that install them, and Point of Wealth takes small fees for each transaction.

The kiosk is designed to be placed in businesses where employees are paid mostly in cash. The idea is that the employees, when they’re paid, can then deposit their cash i