I have a predication. In fact, it is a prediction about the future of weather forecasts. No, I am not a weather man–although I like to think that I am sometimes am more accurate than some of the weather forecasters in my area. So, what’s my prediction? Your weather, or how you get your weather, is going to become more social in nature (no pun intended). Why? The Weather Channel looks to be planning some sort of push towards making how we get our weather more social. [Read more…]

Domainers, those who buy and sell domain names for a living, are not all evil. There are plenty of domainers that are smart business people, and then there are those who have a heart–like Bob Olea, who recently bought the domain name JeffBezos.com at an aftermarket domain auction and returned it to its rightful owner: Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com. [Read more…]

As you may or may not know, I usually monitor the domain name purchases of some of the major online retailers and web properties. Certain domain name purchases catch my eye, and I try to post about it when something noteworthy is in the works. Usually, when someone has plans for something, they will purchase the domain name related to the new product or service–and companies planning big campaigns or products and services are no different. [Read more…]

3M Corporation has filed a trademark infringement and anti-cybersquatting lawsuit over domain names that appear to be similar or confusingly similar to their own trademark. [Read more…]

UPDATE: June 16, 2011 Looks like I was wrong with my prediction of Engadget and AOL Tech Guru. Anyhow, you can’t be right all of the time. AOL has launched their AOL Tech Guru service at www.AOLTechGuru.com, where they are providing technical support. According to the site, AOL TechGuru offers remote technical support you can trust, anytime and anywhere, 24×7. Let our U.S. and Canada-based techs get your PC back on track today!” The following is the original blog post, where I speculated about the AOL Tech Guru domain name purchases: [Read more…]

As you may or may not know, I typically watch the domain name purchases of many of the web’s biggest brands online. And I do it on a regular basis. Some of these purchases are interesting to see, and some notsomuch. [Read more…]

Last month I first discovered that Microsoft had secretly acquired 47 domain names related to a brand called “Synsup Labs”. Those domain names had previously been pointed to the Bing.com search results for a keyword search for SynsupLabs. Now, about a month later, the total count of domain names related to Synsup Labs that Microsoft owns is an even 50, and each of those domain names have been set to resolve to their own name server. [Read more…]

In an interesting move that might indicate an upcoming acquisition or a major project in the works, Microsoft has acquired 47 domain names related to Synsup Labs. I have done some initial research, but am unable to come up with anything even remotely related to Microsoft and Synsup Labs or even Synsuplabs, so I am convinced that this most likely is related to an upcoming major project over at Microsoft.

Here is the list of domain names related to Synsuplabs that Microsoft has quietly acquired today:
synsuplabs01.com
synsuplabs02.com
synsuplabs03.com
synsuplabs04.com
synsuplabs05.com
synsuplabs06.com
synsuplabs07.com
synsuplabs08.com
synsuplabs09.com
synsuplabs10.com
synsuplabs11.com
synsuplabs12.com
synsuplabs13.com
synsuplabs14.com
synsuplabs15.com
synsuplabs16.com
synsuplabs17.com
synsuplabs18.com
synsuplabs19.com
synsuplabs20.com
synsuplabs21.com
synsuplabs22.com
synsuplabs23.com
synsuplabs24.com
synsuplabs25.com
synsuplabs26.com
synsuplabs27.com
synsuplabs28.com
synsuplabs29.com
synsuplabs30.com
synsuplabs31.com
synsuplabs32.com
synsuplabs33.com
synsuplabs34.com
synsuplabs35.com
synsuplabs36.com
synsuplabs37.com
synsuplabs38.com
synsuplabs39.com
synsuplabs40.com
synsuplabs41.com
synsuplabs42.com
synsuplabs43.com
synsuplabs44.com
synsuplabs45.com
synsuplabs46.com
synsuplabs47.com

There are several companies on my radar whose domain name acquisitions always pique my interest, for a few reasons. Microsoft’s domain acquisitions are rather interesting based on their history of domain name acquisitions: Microsoft does not usually acquire domain names and point them to their main nameserver, msft.net. Today was an exception, though, as Microsoft as acquired a whopping 47 domain names.

Currently, these domain names resolve to actual search queries at the Bing.com search engine.

Today, the internet gambling industry just got turned on its head. Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Janice Fedarcyk, Assistant-Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), unsealed an indictment charging the founders of the three largest Internet poker companies doing business in the United States with bank fraud, money laundering, and illegal gambling offenses. Others were charged, as well. [Read more…]