Jackson queries cause Google meltdown

June 27, 2009

A deluge of search queries for Michael Jackson led Google News, the news aggregator of web search engine Google, to initially believe it was under attack, the internet giant said.

Google, in a blog post on the company website on Friday, said that "millions and millions" of people around the world begin searching for news about the pop star on Thursday as reports emerged about his hospitalisation and death.

It rated the "hotness" of Jackson-related searches as "volcanic".

"The spike in searches related to Michael Jackson was so big that Google News initially mistook it for an automated attack," Google said.

"As a result, for about 25 minutes yesterday, when some people searched Google News they saw a 'We're sorry' page before finding the articles they were looking for," it said.

The "We're sorry" page tells users their query "looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application" and forces them to type in a series of squiggly characters before it will process their request.

Popular micro-blogging service Twitter also suffered a slowdown in performance on Thursday as users exchanged thousands of messages per minute about Jackson's death at the age of 50.

Web portal AOL said its AIM instant messaging service was down for about 40 minutes.

Yahoo! said the news area on its front page received five times its normal traffic and its front page story "Michael Jackson rushed to hospital" was its "highest clicking story" ever with 800,000 clicks within 10 minutes.

AFP

Source: smh.com.au

Going digital: Is your TV ready?

The analogue signal will be switched off in some regions next year.

Louisa Hearn

June 23, 2009

The world's gaze was trained on the US last week after it became the first country to switch off the old analogue television system in favour of digital. So how will Australians fare when we take our first solo steps with the new broadcast technology next year?

Although the impact of the US switchover is still being reviewed, sales of digital set-top box and televisions reportedly skyrocketed in the days leading up to it, and many viewers are thought to have lost their TV service because they were ill-informed or lacked the technical know-how to bridge the gap alone.

The Australian Digital Switchover Taskforce is banking on $140 million of extra funding and a national advertising campaign to smooth the way for our national switch-off, which will be phased in over the next four years. But the latest digital survey data indicates that over 50 per cent of households have not yet upgraded to digital, even though analogue television signals will cease in some regions in the first half of next year.

The Victorian region of Mildura - where seven out of 10 households have made the switch to digital - will be the first to lose its analogue signal. Broken Hill residents will follow in the second half of the year, and other regional centres over the next two years. Major cities will wait until 2013, allowing more time to iron out the reception issues associated with high density residential dwellings.

Although a recent survey suggested that 64 per cent of households believed they knew how to convert a TV to receive digital signals, Andy Townend, executive director of the Digital Switchover Taskforce, said there were still a large number of people who thought they needed to splash out on expensive equipment.

"One of biggest misconceptions is that people think they need to replace their TV. You don't need to buy a new television but if you do decide to change your television, then it is important ensure it is digital," he said.

Another murky area for many is digital television reception. Although you may need to upgrade an ageing aerial when you switch to digital, it is not necessary unless you are unable to get an adequate signal from your existing equipment.

"One big myth is that you need a digital aerial. An aerial is an aerial," said Mr Townend.

According to Choice magazine, consumers also need to be on their guard against retailers upselling equipment above and beyond their requirements.

"There is a lot of confusion about digital technology for many consumers. The early adopters are already there but a lot of sections of the community are very confused about what they need," said Choice spokeswoman Elise Davidson.

"A lot of people that are not fluent in electronics get totally overwhelmed. We are running a campaign to try to help people distinguish between different types of equipment."

To clear up some of the misinformation in the community, the Digital Switchover Taskforce is planning to supplement the information on its website with two-minute instructional videos.

It has also established a national helpline and appointed community liaison officers to assist vulnerable groups such as the elderly. Financial and technical support will also be offered directly to disadvantaged groups meeting certain criteria.

So what are your options for going digital?

Set top box
This is the cheapest method of converting to digital. A digital set top box will cost from about $40 and enables any traditional analogue TV to pick up digital signals. (Owners of much older televisions without sockets for a set top box cable may need to buy an additional component called an RF modulator to connect them).

Set top boxes come in a range of models. The most basic convert the signal to a standard definition picture while high definition (HD) units have been developed for LCD and plasma televisions with inbuilt high-definition tuners. Some set top boxes also include electronic program guides.

Video/DVD players that do not have an inbuilt digital tuner will require their own separate set top box if the user wants to record one channel while watching another - even if there is already a digital tuner or set top box for the television. (For simple recording of the channel you are watching, an additional set top box would not be necessary.)

Personal video recorder
A PVR with a digital tuner can also convert an analogue television to digital. These include electronic program guides and allow viewers to pause, replay and record live TV.

Digital TV
If you're ready to splash out on a new digital television then there is a huge range of devices on the market, with the cheapest costing around $350. You can buy either a standard definition television which is broadcast at the same resolution as analogue, or high-definition television, depending on your budget.

High definition officially broadcasts at 576p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p - although some countries consider 576p standard definition. (A high definition "tick" logo introduced by The Australian Digital Suppliers Industry Forum can only be added to televisions with 720 active vertical scanning lines (720p) or better.)

To be fully compatible with a Blu-ray high-definition DVD player, you need a television with 1080p high definition.

TV Aerials
The benefits of switching to digital include a wider range of TV channels and vastly improved images and sound, with ghosting and snowy pictures becoming a thing of the past. It can also deliver better reception in areas where analogue performance is patchy. But digital broadcast signals are not without their issues. Some older aerials will not pick up a strong enough signal, and with digital technology a poor signal can cause heavy onscreen pixelation or no picture at all.

One consumer reported to Choice that every time a bus went past their house they lost their digital signal and so ended up jumping back and forth between analogue and digital.

Living in a multi-level buildings with a shared antenna can also spell trouble for digital broadcasting. If the building is unable to pick up an adequate digital signal, then residents may be left without television altogether when the analogue network is switched off. Electronic devices can also interfere with digital signals, which may compound reception problems in high-density areas.

The Digital Switchover Taskforce says it is working with the building sector to ensure appropriate action is taken prior to the move to digital, especially for city-dwellers. It will offer technical advice to consumers with reception problems via its helpline on 1800 201 013.

Theres some twister in us all

Telling a story in 140 characters or less

Agence France-Presse

Created 06/19/2009 - 22:58

Telling a story in 140 characters or less

---

Agence France-Presse | 06/19/2009 10:58 PM

NEW YORK – Arjun Basu writes short stories. Very short stories.

"I'm doing 140-character stories on Twitter," said Basu, one of scores of authors, poets and other creative types who are downsizing their literary talents to the limited format of the hot micro-blogging service.

"I call them Twisters because everything on Twitter has a stupid name," the 42-year-old Basu told AFP at the 140 Characters Conference, a two-day talkfest devoted to all things Twitter held in New York this week.

"Each story has a beginning, a middle and an end," said Basu, a Canadian, who readily acknowledges that he has developed a greater following on Twitter than for his more traditionally published works.

"I'm now at over 6,000 followers on Twitter," the Montreal-based Basu said. "I published a book of short stories last year and that was with a small press so maybe 2,000 people bought the book.

"So I have more readers now than I used to."

Basu, whose Twitter handle is @arjunbasu, said he began writing the Twisters last year.

"I started with one story. I had an image in my head and I just did it," he said. "And I slowly built up a following."

"They went out hunting. They killed some large mammals. Later they saw the animals butchered. And one by one they ordered salads that evening," reads one of Basu's Twisters.

"The marriage didn't survive the honeymoon. They acknowledged the majesty of their mistake. But they remained together. Because of the gifts," goes another.

Haiku, which lends itself to the 140-character format, is another popular literary form on Twitter and the search term #haiku occasionally rises into Twitter's list of "Trending Topics," the 10 most popular topics on the site.

"And in the middle / of the rising city heat / the fountain is dry," reads a Haiku from a Twitter user and poet with more than 3,800 followers who goes by the handle of @LadyParadis.

Websites have also popped up collecting the best of Twitter Haiku -- known variously as Twaiku or TwiHaiku -- and many users take part weekly in what is called Haiku Thursday.

Basu, who works in the magazine industry, said he has been surprised at the reception his byte-sized stories have received. "Things that I couldn't have imagined," he said.

"Some people have been using my stories in classes -- English as a second language, creative writing," he said. "There's one guy who's translated a bunch of them into Portuguese. Another guy who's translated them into Italian."

"I did find an agent and we're trying to figure out what to do with this," Basu said. "Publishers are trying to wrap their heads around it. They're having a hard time with Twitter in general I think."

Basu said he had also been contacted by Filminute, the international film festival dedicated to the best one-minute films.

"They've been putting me in touch with some directors," he said. "My Twisters may become the source for some really short movies."

Basu said one of the most satisfying things about Twitter was that it was a "great connector."

"As a writer you get instant feedback which for a writer is like catnip," he said. "You get this feedback immediately after you've sent something out.

"It makes the whole process a lot less lonely in a way."

We watched Southern Star go up now we watch it come down

Cabins removed from troubled Southern Star wheel

June 16, 2009 - 10:59AM

The cabins on Melbourne's giant ferris wheel will be removed as work continues to fix structural problems. Photo: Sebastian Costanzo

The cabins on Melbourne's giant ferris wheel will be removed as work continues to fix structural problems caused by a heatwave.

The 120-metre high tourist attraction in the Docklands precinct closed in January after a three-day hot spell caused buckling and cracks in support structures.

It will take a couple of weeks to remove the 21 cabins that carry riders on the Southern Star wheel.

Work will then begin to disassemble the outer structure, including the rim and spokes, a Southern Star spokesman said.

The work is being carried out by the manufacturers of the Southern Star Japan's Sanoyas Hishino Meisho Corporation.

The wheel is expected to be out of commission for at least 12 months.

Old curios of Melbourne town

Hidden places' open day

June 15, 2009

A GHOSTLY librarian and small child are said to haunt the oldest part of the State Library of Victoria, Queens Hall.

The story is not so hard to believe considering the dust and cobwebs that have settled on its giant columns and ornate ceilings in the six years since it was closed to the public.

But visitors will be allowed to visit the 153-year-old hall for one day next month as part of Melbourne Open House Day.

On July 19, the curious can explore hidden corridors beneath Federation Square, the Gothic glamour of Collins Street's Manchester Unity building's boardroom and the concrete catacombs of Melbourne's first electricity substation.

The event, based on popular open days in New York and London, attracted 30,000 visits to eight of Melbourne's hidden places in its inaugural year last year.

R we paying for info on the net with advertising or not?

Internet free ride soon over

Gordon Farrer

June 13, 2009

WITHIN five years internet users will have to pay to access content now free, according to Barry Diller, chief executive of InterActiveCorp in the United States, which runs about 30 websites and turns over $US1.5 billion ($A1.8 billion) each year.

"I absolutely believe the internet is passing from its free days into a paid system," he told the Advertising 2.0 conference in New York this week.

Mr Diller said the paid model would include subscriptions, one-time purchases for access to sites and micro-payments.

But not all agree. "That's quite a prediction," said Neil Ackland, managing director of the Sound Alliance Group, the largest independent online publisher in Australia. Its niche music and lifestyle sites — such as FasterLouder, SameSame and Mess+Noise — attract 500,000 unique hits a month.

"We've been doing that for more than 10 years and manage to make a profit out of advertising as our model — why would we want to change that?"

Mr Ackland said people would be willing to pay for some content "but I think people are already paying for that content: finance, investment, dating, real estate information, high-end information. People already recognise that value.

"But a news story that is on 600 websites around the world simultaneously doesn't have any value to the end user. It doesn't have any exclusive value they can't get elsewhere."

Andrew Sims, general manager of marketing and products for Melbourne-based internet service provider iPrimus agrees: "If one of the big newspapers today wanted to make everyone pay for content, people would go elsewhere … there'll be another two, three maybe five sites out there that'll provide the services (free)."

The demise of respect for copyright on the internet plays a role. Canny consumers can find their way around information toll booths; once someone has access to content they can put it out there for others to access.

"We see that with all types of things," said Mr Sims, "(such as) illegal downloads of video content and music."

Companies must learn to survive on revenue via advertising on their sites, he said.

"Advertising companies are moving away from traditional media — print and TV — and putting their money online because they feel they get better bang for their buck. As that trend continues you'll see more and more people spending online, which will certainly help websites whose ultimate goal is to deliver quality content."

The shift in how young people, especially, found information was also a factor, said Mr Ackland.

"A lot of people now already get a lot of their news and information from forums and blogs — when they happen to stumble across news that's been posted in forum threads …

"Twenty years ago there was a limited number of places where information could get published and distributed. Now there's an infinite number … The idea of putting information behind a walled garden? I just don't see it happening."

Lonely Planet snaps up Microsofts sci fi computer

The Lonely Planet application being demonstrated on Microsoft's Surface coffee table computer.

Lonely Planet gets touchy feelyLonely Planet is the latest high profile company to utilise Microsoft's newest interactive computer, 'Surface'.
Asher MosesJune 11, 2009 - 1:29PM

Lonely Planet in Australia has become the first local company to harness Microsoft's radical new Surface coffee table computer that responds to natural hand gestures and real-world objects.
The travel publishing company, which is opening up its first brick-and-mortar store in Sydney Airport next month, gave Microsoft license to develop a proof-of-concept application for Surface with a view to installing the state-of-the-art computers in its stores in future.
First unveiled last year, the $US12,500 ($15,400) machines have already been introduced into some US restaurants and hotels - such as the Sheraton, Starwood and Harrah's chains - letting customers order food directly, book entertainment and play music and games.
The computers, which feature a 30-inch touchscreen panel, are controlled by hand gestures similar to those found in the science fiction movie Minority Report. They can also interact with non-digital objects placed on top of them.
With the Lonely Planet application, shown off today at Microsoft's REMIX 09 conference in Sydney, customers can pick up any of the Lonely Planet guidebooks in the store, place it on the table, and they are then presented with an array of rich content about that destination including videos, maps, images and, down the track, live weather details and relevant posts on the Lonely Planet forums.
All of the content can be resized and moved around the table using hand gestures. The customer can then pick up a mini cardboard "passport", place it on the table and then drag over any content they would like to revisit on to the passport.
Each passport has a URL and a unique code, so when the user gets to their destination, they can log on to the internet at an internet cafe, enter the code, and then retrieve all of the content they saved using Surface.
"Lonely Planet is the first Australian brand to start seriously exploring what you can do with Surface," said Microsoft Australia's user experience evangelist, Shane Morris.
"They saw this as the way to bridge their physical product with their virtual product. Every year they make less money from guidebooks, they know that their future is online."
At Starwood Hotels in the US, customers can pay for items by dropping a credit card on to the touchscreen, while those visiting stores of US telco AT&T can compare phone features and plans by placing two different phones on the table.
Casino giant Harrah's has introduced Surface computers at the Rio, which let patrons order drinks, make dinner reservations, book shows, watch YouTube videos, play touchscreen games and even flirt with people sitting at other tables.

At some hotels and restaurants, bills can be split by placing two cards on the table and dragging menu items onto the card.
Surface has yet to officially launch in Australia, and Morris would not say when companies here would be able to buy them. But the tables have already launched in the US, Canada, the Middle East and 15 countries in Europe, so an Australian launch does not appear to be far away.
Three of the tables have made their way to Australia, one located at Microsoft's headquarters and two located at the Microsoft-owned Australian marketing company Amnesia, which developed the Lonely Planet application.
Amnesia's founder, Iain McDonald, said he had four staff developing concept applications for the machines, some of which can be viewed here. But the company was not yet officially developing applications for other Australian companies.
Lonely Planet, whose headquarters is in Victoria but acquired by the BBC in 2007, said there were as yet no specific plans to deploy the Surface computers in its Sydney store.
"Nevertheless, Lonely Planet and Lagardere Services Asia Pacific (who are collaborating on the store) are both very excited by the possibilities, and are very open to the possibility of deploying offerings like this one in the future," the company said.

Create your own user name on Facebook this Saturday from 2pm

200m members ready for Facebook name grab

Asher MosesJune 10, 2009 - 3:28PM
Get ready for the great Facebook land grab - at 2pm on Saturday, the social networking site will allow members to register their own user names to make it easier for others to find their pages.
The new system - already offered by MySpace and Twitter - will give people a simple, unique address, such as http://www.facebook.com/joebloggs, instead of the current system whereby profile pages have a URL with a randomly assigned number such as "www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=123456789".
But Facebook designer Blaise DiPersia said the user names would be handed out on a "first-come, first-serve basis", a move that is sure to spark a land rush as the site's 200 million members race to register their favourite names first.
The social networking site has created a special page for people to go to to choose their user names on the day.
"This way people will have an easy-to-remember way to find you," DiPersia wrote on a blog post.
"We expect to offer even more ways to use your Facebook user name in the future."
But only existing members who had signed up before the usernames announcement will be eligible on Saturday in order to "prevent people from creating new accounts just to take advantage of reserving a username".
New Facebook users will be able to claim their username on June 28.
Unlike MySpace, Facebook has a strict rule forcing people to use their real names when signing up to the site, and has even banned people with unusual names after suspecting they were fake.
But, for the user names, it appears any name is fine as long as it is at least five alphanumeric characters. Facebook said it "prevents certain words from being included in usernames", which most likely refers to swear words.
Having a unique username will be particularly useful for those with common names such as "John Smith", as these people are often difficult to find using the search feature on the Facebook site since there are hundreds of John Smith profiles to sift through.
Facebook users should think carefully about the username they choose, as, once it's been selected, they will not be able to change or transfer it, DiPersia said. This is probably to prevent people from selling popular usernames on sites such as eBay.
Members should also be aware that Facebook can remove or reclaim "any username at any time for any reason".

Travelling overseas soon... some good tips here to remind you to take care

Dirty dozen: top 12 travel scams and cons

June 5, 2009

Travellers beware ... tourists lose billions each year to scams and con artists. Illustration: John Shakespeare

Travellers lose billions each year to series of scams, cons and tricks - the majority of which occur in foreign destinations when people are at their most vulnerable. Here are 12 to look out for:

The journey:

Tyres and fliers

You are driving along the motorway when a driver draws alongside you, pointing to one of your tyres and gesturing to you to pull over. You stop on the hard shoulder and the other driver kindly pulls over to help. While you inspect the tyre, he lifts all your valuables from the front seat. A new version on this is when you return to your parked car and get in, only to see a flier stuck under the rear window wiper obscuring your view. So you jump out to remove it, thieves nip in and drive off in the car - more than likely taking your bag/shopping with it.

Tip: If you fear you have a flat tyre, try to continue until the next service station. If you do have to remove the flier, ensure your valuables are hidden. In both cases, always keep the car locked.

Metal detector

You place your laptop on the airport security scanner while waiting for a couple of people to pass through the metal detector. The first passes, but the second person triggers the alarm and laboriously takes out coins, jewellery and mobile phone from his pockets. By the time you go through, the first person has long gone, as has your laptop. Most prevalent in countries where you can go in and out of the departure area, such as the United States.

Tip: Never put your belongings on the conveyor belt unless the metal detector is clear.

Currency cons

Unscrupulous cashiers in banks or bureaus de change adopt suspect counting methods when handing over money to foreigners. With irregular pauses they miss out numbers in the countback in the hope that the tourist is not concentrating or does not understand. Another scam is to give someone the wrong currency when exchanging money for example, Czech koruna (50 to 1) instead of Polish zloty (six to 1) - or confuse them with one zero too few (think Turkish lira). More often than not, the tourist will fail to notice.

Tip: Find out about the currency and exchange rate before leaving (www.xe.com), pay attention to those zeros and insist on counting back your money in front of the cashier.

Hire or liar

It's the end of your holiday, you are in a rush to catch your flights, so you hurriedly hand back the keys to the hire car representative who gives you a nod and sends you on your way. Only when you arrive back home do you find your credit card has been charged for damage you never inflicted. This is increasingly prevalent in Europe.

Tip: Make sure you mark any damage before you hire the car and ensure you get a signature for the "all clear", a copy of the paperwork before departing.

By day:

Travelling light

Crowded streets, malls, markets and railway stations are the obvious spots. While moving through the crowds you bump into a passer-by: you apologise and move on. It is only later that you notice you are travelling light - your keys, wallet or phone has gone.

Tip: Make sure your bag is zipped up. Never leave your wallet in a back pocket. Take what you need in a money belt and leave the rest in your hotel safe.

Compensation claim

Someone will bump into you in a crowded place, drop a pair of spectacles or a precious ornament (always previously broken), feign horror and claim to the world and his wife that you have to pay up for the damage. In some African countries, this scam extends to pedestrians bumping into your car and then writhing around on the ground while a hostile crowd asks for compensation.

Tip: Ask to resolve the situation at a police station or hotel reception the crook is more likely to give up the ruse.

Mess take

You are admiring the sights when you feel the unmistakable splat of bird droppings on your shoulder or perhaps you have something spilt on you by a clumsy passer-by. As you stop to examine the damage, an amiable local helps you clean off the mess, while cleaning out your wallet.

Tip: You could chain your wallet to your belt, but a money belt is the safest option.

Unfair cop

A man approaches you to ask for directions or to offer you a currency exchange or even drugs. Then two men appear, flashing badges and claiming to be police. They demand to see your passport and check your wallet for "counterfeit money". When you hand them over the men either disappear into the crowd or one distracts you while the other relieves you of your cash. If you have been duped into changing money they may confiscate it, claiming that it is "counterfeit".

Tip: If approached by police, insist on checking their photographic identification and accompanying them to the police station before handing anything over.

Snooze and lose

You are waiting for a train, plane or bus, with your bags by your side, and a passer-by "accidentally" drops a wallet, money or keys from his pocket. Being honest, you grab them and run after him to return it. Your bags, meanwhile, are long gone.

Tip: If you are alone, err on the side of caution, even if this means appearing rude.

By night:

Unlicensed taxis

It is late, you have had a few drinks and it is a long walk home there are no licensed taxis at the rank and a man is offers you a lift. The fare seems reasonable but you could pay a much heavier price. The consequences can range from simple muggings to murder.

Tip: Never, however tempting, get in an unlicensed taxi in a foreign city that you don't know well, particularly if you are alone.

Bitter pill

While enjoying a few drinks in a bar, you nip to the lavatory and return to finish your drink or perhaps you have just accepted a drink from a friendly stranger. Either way, that will be the last thing you remember: your drink has been spiked. Hours later you wake up to find your wallet has gone, or far worse.

Tip: Never leave your drink unguarded or accept a drink from a stranger unless you see it served by the barman.

Unwelcome reception

You're settling down for an early night when your hotel room phone rings. It's the receptionist apologising for the late hour but asking you to verify your credit-card details. You read them out and drift back to sleep. The caller, of course, was not the receptionist and your credit card is taking a pounding. A variation on this is someone approaching you in what appears to be hotel uniform, saying that he needs to make a photocopy of your passport for hotel records. You hand it over and he disappears.

Tip: Only give out your card number or passport in person at reception, never over the phone.

The Telegraph, London

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Recently cancelled our home delivery but soon we will pay for on line newspapers?!

Future of newspapers is digital: Murdoch


News Corp chairman Rupert MurdochPhoto: Reuters
May 29, 2009 - 11:36AM
News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch says that the future of newspapers is digital, but it may be 10 to 15 years before readers go fully electronic.
Murdoch, in an interview with the News Corp-owned Fox Business Network, also said that newspapers, faced with eroding print advertising revenue and circulation, are going to have to start charging readers on the web.
The News Corp chief said newspapers in the future will continue to make money "from our readers, from our advertisers (but) the newspapers may look very different.
"Instead of an analogue paper printed on paper you may get it on a panel which would be mobile, which will receive the whole newspaper over the air, (and) be updated every hour or two," he said.
"You'll be able to get the guts or the main headlines and alerts and everything on your Blackberry, on your Palm or whatever, all day long.
"All these things are possible. Some of the greatest electronics companies in the world are working on this very hard," Murdoch said.
"I think it's two or three years away before they get introduced in a big way and then it will probably take 10 years or 15 years for the public to swing over."
Murdoch, who has announced plans to charge readers of his publications online, also said "you're going to have to pay for your favourite newspaper on the web".
The days of free news online were "going to stop," he said.
"I believe newspapers will be selling subscriptions on the web," he said.
"A (newspaper) website will be vastly improved, much more in them and you'll pay for them.
"There's a case that newspapers rushing on to the web to try and get a bigger audience and get more attention for themselves have damaged themselves," he said.
"Now they're going to have to pull back from that and say 'Hey, we're going to charge for this'."
Asked by Fox about a government bailout for newspapers, Murdoch said News Corp would never take government money.
"We'd give up our freedoms and everything else to criticise or to play our full role in the community," he said.
"Nothing that News owns will ever take money from the government and I don't believe even The New York Times would."
The 78-year-old Murdoch announced this month that he planned to begin charging readers of the websites of News Corp newspapers "within the next 12 months".
Murdoch's holdings include The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, The Times of London, the Sun and The Australian, among others. The Wall Street Journal online already requires a subscription fee for access to all of its content.
Murdoch's comments came as The Atlantic magazine reported that top US newspaper executives held a "discreet" meeting in Chicago on Thursday to discuss the future of the troubled industry.