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The New York Times has added a new feature to its Web site that takes a few cues from Facebook and Digg: TimesPeople, now in beta.

TimesPeople users can build up friends lists and can see a "news feed" of which stories their friends are recommending, sharing, and commenting on. Times online readers have been able to comment on stories, as well as rate reviewed restaurants and movies, for some time now, but recommending is new.

TimesPeople is currently available only as a Firefox browser plug-in, but software engineers told CNET News.com that it would eventually be … Read more

Making simple crop edits to videos of all formats shouldn't be tricky business, but most tools out there either do way too much or are so belabored with ads that no one knows what evil lurks within their code.

Open source on the GNU license, Avidemux for Windows and Mac is a breath of fresh air. Cropping a video is as simple as highlighting a section to remove and then hitting the Delete key. Re-encoding a video is equally painless: select the output format from the drop-down list, save the file, and you're good to go. When choosing … Read more

Jon Lech Johansen doesn't like DRM. His first public success at breaking it awarded him an indictment orchestrated by Norwegian and U.S. entertainment big-wigs. Though landing him in hot water with the authorities, it also landed him a job. "DVD Jon," who now works with doubleTwist Ventures, has turned his attention to iTunes (for Windows and Mac), and to a freeware application that wrests songs from iTunes control for delivery on a range of high-end mobile devices.

DoubleTwist desktop 1.0, released this week, does double and triple duty by converting any purchased iTunes tracks to … Read more

The torrent client Azureus changed its name and added some nifty social-networking features with the release of its latest upgrade. Now called Vuze, after the name of desktop video player it launched last year, the new client bundles the two together and throws in some new features.

The two most notable things about Vuze 3.1 are the search engine and the social networking. It's rejiggered but still open source; users can spider across multiple torrent-tracking Web sites such as MiniNova while looking for content. The social-networking features let you share your favorite torrents directly with friends and create … Read more

Firefox Mobile Concept Video from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.

Update 10:20 a.m. PDT: This was updated to clarify the point about mobile browser alternatives.

The buzz about Firefox these days might be focused on the impending Firefox 3, but the folks at Mozilla are already thinking beyond that browser--and beyond the PC. A blog post on Wednesday from Mozilla Labs' head of user experience, Aza Raskin, shows off a video of a conceptual Firefox Mobile.

Designed for touch-screen interfaces--not multitouch, like the iPhone--the mobile Firefox browser opens up to reveal a bookmarks list and a "plus&… Read more

Making simple edits to videos of all formats shouldn't be tricky business, but most tools out there either do way too much or are so belabored with ads that who knows what evil lurks within their code.

Originally written by a French programmer known as Mean, and gloriously open-source on the GNU license, Avidemux is a breath of fresh air and available for both Windows and Mac. Cropping a video is as simple as selecting the section you want to remove and then hitting the Delete key. Re-encoding a video is equally painless: Merely select the output format from … Read more

iTunes and Windows Media Player rule the roost when it comes to media players, but they're certainly not the only show in town. In addition to media playback, JetAudio Basic features CD burning, audio recording, and conversion to other audio file formats. Special features include effects such as reverb, smooth transitions between songs, and the skinnable interface lets you personalize your player just the way you like it.

Still not convinced? Then check out this First Look video for JetAudio Basic from CNET Download.com's Jason Parker.

When it comes to most endeavors, preparation is everything. Without the proper ingredients lined up, your major project will be dogged by inefficiencies. Segue to Celtx for Windows and Mac. The free preproduction application helps intermediate-to-advanced amateurs and professional creative teams plan out scripts, props, camera angles, and storyboards, and share them with teammates before any film is loaded, actor takes the stage, or cartoon is sketched.

Celtx 1.0, the first software release, delivers a few substantial improvements over the beta version. For one, it runs on a more finely tuned scheduling database in which the data you enter--props, … Read more

NEW YORK--If there were a meter of Internet "fameballing," as Gawker likes to dub those fine folks who get famous on the Internet for something and keep getting more and more notorious even though most people aren't really sure why, it would've been flying off the charts on Sunday night.

The reason? Two of the tech-gossip circuit's most popular poster boys, dapper Mashable exec Pete Cashmore and eccentric Vimeo founder Jakob Lodwick took the stage together in a game of Rock Band.

The performance of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps," with Cashmore on … Read more