craigslist

Craigslist overtook MySpace as the most searched-for term on the Web last week, according to traffic-tracking firm Hitwise.

"U.S. searches on the term 'Craigslist' have increased 105 percent for the week ending March 14, 2009, compared with the same week last year," Hitwise reported. MySpace has been the top term since March 11, 2006.

This was the first time in three years that searches for Craigslist topped MySpace, Hitwise said.

The research group suggested more consumers are logging on at Craigslist, the Web's largest classifieds publication, as the ailing economy prods them to look for bargains. … Read more

Whether you're moving to a new place or you just want to be more familiar with your surroundings, there are a variety of sites on the Web that fill you in on everything from restaurants to businesses to apartments in your area.

BooRah If you're only looking for restaurants, BooRah is for you. The site features information on how to get to a restaurant, but really shines when you read through the informative reviews from users and consider the "similar restaurant" tab, which features a listing of local eateries that are similar to … Read more

Craigslist released numbers Monday it touted as evidence of its success in reducing the volume of "erotic services" ads appearing on the Web classified site in an apparent response to a federal lawsuit that accuses the site of facilitating prostitution.

The number of ads for such services is down 90 percent to 95 percent during the past 12 months on Craigslist sites that serve five major U.S. cities, according to information posted on a company blog. The site credited the "spectacular" reduction on its joint effort with 40 attorneys general and the National Center for … Read more

We get a call from a person in Chicago directly affected by the idea of Craigslist shutting down the erotic section of its service. We also have a rousing discussion about the quality of digital music and Rafe comes close to telling a Bris joke. But he doesn't.

Compact Disc turns 30 http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/09/compact-disc-turns-30-mp3-doesnt-bother-to-send-a-gift/

Survey shows increasing preference for MP3 by youngsters, audiophiles weep http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/09/survey-shows-increasing-preference-for-mp3-by-youngsters-audiop/

Wolfram promises computing that answers questions http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/03/08/2155216 … Read more

Everywhere one has turned this week, folks have wanted to talk prostitution. Craigslist is supposedly the nation's biggest bordello. And prostitution is stunningly rife in every leaf-filled American suburb.

In an attempt to get away from the more troubling side of existence, I ventured to the Los Angeles Times, knowing that the only obscene discussion I would find there would revolve around money and plastic surgery.

Choking on my allergies, I fell upon a very interesting article by David Lazarus, one of America's foremost writers on the subject of consumery-businessy stuff.

And there he was revealing that a … Read more

Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster has responded to the lawsuit filed this week by the sheriff of Chicago's Cook County against the Web classified publication.

Buckmaster suggested that the suit is a waste of time. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart called Craigslist one of the country's largest sources of prostitution in the complaint he filed in federal court and asked the court to force Craigslist managers to remove their erotic services section.

Buckmaster said in a statement late Friday that Craigslist wrote Dart in 2007 and explained that the law is pretty clear and favors Craigslist.

"As our … Read more

Tom Dart, sheriff of Cook County, Ill., says Craigslist is the largest source of prostitution in the country and is suing the site to stop placement of advertisements for such services. But the other side of the story is that the site has also been a goldmine for law enforcement to make arrests for those perpetrating such crimes. CNET News reporters Greg Sandoval and Declan McCullagh talk about how the site helps sex workers weed out violent customers and aids police in catching those who prostitute children.

Also on today's podcast: Boxee sneaks Hulu back onto its service, an … Read more

We get tricked into supporting Robot teams we don't know anything about, plus we talk about Pluto's pimps, also known as the Illinois Assembly. And speaking of pimps, Cook County Sheriff's are trying to get Craigslist to stop helping prostitutes. Thank goodness Veronica was here to set them straight.

Sheriff files lawsuit over Craigslist’s red-light district (Updated) http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009/03/sheriff-sues-craigslist-over-mass-levels-of-prostitution.ars

Seattle paper may shift to online-only: reports http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2009/03/reuters_us_hearst_pi

Palm investor: Pre will trump … Read more

Dan Ackerman joins us on today's show to talk about his not-critically-acclaimed album "Tales Out of Night School" and the technology world in general. Be sure to check out his podcast Digital City on iTunes. Also, he give his opinion on digital-music distribution and makes fun of our game of marry/boff/kill with Ms. Natali Del Conte.

On today's show, we talk about the release of the new "Watchmen" movie. The first reviews are mixed. Justin is still holding out hope that the film will be watchable. In other movie and television news, Showtime, a sister company of CNET, is releasing Emmy screeners on iPods. Amazon finally gets the sense to pull a video game featuring rape simulation. The cast of "Seinfeld" rejoins on "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Hopefully, Michael Richard won't drop any bombs on the show. Justin is disappointed that a sheriff in Cook County is finally starting to crack down on prostitution on Craigslist. And Matel releases a Barbie doll in China with a tattoo.… Read more