New research indicates that spontaneous buying is increasing on the internet. People are logging in and then buying something before they log off with no intention of doing so when they started. The Christmas season this year is expected to benefit from this apparent trend, as growth in Christmas shopping online is expected to grow again in the double digit range. E-Commerce News: Best of ECT News: Captitalizing on 'Spontaneous Buying' This Holiday Season

Google Earth has quietly taken over a healthy chunk of the mapping industry. Who goes abroad to a strange place without taking a look at Google Earth to see where they will be - and get to know their way to points of interest? Now it is undergoing an information explosion, and quickly becoming a mapped encyclopedia. Will it become an indispensible research tool as well? Will it fit into new business models for the tourism industry? Technology Review: Annotating the Earth

Everyone who has an internet account is familiar with the Nigerian money scams. A recent UK report has said that the scams cost Britons millions of dollars a year. No doubt the same is true of North America as well. The UK report also highlights some of the reasons why Europeans would fall for the scams. Nigerian scams cost Britons millions, says study | Top News | Reuters.com

Microsoft's new Vista Operation System will include extensive new Digital Rights Management (DRM) features that will cause problems for users, especially those pushing the edge on copyright issues. Some of the new built-in safeguards were put in at the request (demand?) of the movie industry to cut down on DVD piracy. But many of the new technologies are bound to cause issues for ordinary honest users as well. Vista and More: Piecing Together Microsoft's DRM Puzzle

Wireless technology is likely to be a major factor for economic development in Africa. That's one of the big reasons why the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize went to Muhammed Yunus and Grameen Bank, who developed the idea of microloans, which are being used for such purposes as using cell phones to start small businesses. globeandmail.com: World's poorest nations new frontier for cell giants

Voting continues to try to move into the electronic age, but as evidenced in the recent US mid-term election, problems are still being experienced - technological as well as user acceptance. E-Voting Glitches Abound: Five States with the Biggest Problems

Couchsurfing is a new Web application that travels. It involves using the web to make contact with someone else where you are travelling and make arrangements to crash on their couch. It's built somewhat on the principles of eBay, including a rating system. Yes, there are risks. It's not for the faint of heart. But it is catching on with young people. globeandmail.com: 'Couchsurfing' travel takes off on Web

Google's recent acquisition of Jotspot is part of its strategy to employ a 'wiki" style approach to workplace collaboration. Garner has a short paper on this subject at: Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for our clients to make the right decisions, every day.