links for 2009-06-27

The Internet agency with key oversight of the monikers behind every Web site, e-mail address and Twitter post named former U.S. cybersecurity chief Rod Beckstrom Friday as its next chief executive.
The board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers approved his hiring in a voice vote Friday as ICANN capped weeklong meetings in Sydney, Australia. Beckstrom becomes CEO next Wednesday.
Beckstrom, who had resigned after less than a year as cybersecurity director amid persistent turf battles, brings credentials in industry, government and diplomacy — but little direct experience with domain names and broader Internet addressing issues, ICANN’s chief mission.

Why do Americans need to attach creation myths to everything, including the origins of our most visible business ventures? We idealize the lone inventor over the company man, the garage over the office space. We tell the story of Apple Computer not as that of two former Atari and Hewlett-Packard employees launching their own product, but two starry-eyed inventors in a garage, building a dream from scratch.

These 10 tools can help you get the recognition you’ve been craving.
Like most people, I like to save money. That’ s why I offer so many “do-it-yourself public relations” products. I’m also always on the lookout for great, inexpensive or free publicity tools.
Here’ s a list of tools you can use to get publicity on the cheap:
Like most people, I like to save money. That’ s why I offer so many “do-it-yourself public relations” products. I’m also always on the lookout for great, inexpensive or free publicity tools.

Google (NSDQ: GOOG) on Thursday began issuing invitations to users who have expressed interest in Google Voice, the company’s online voice mail and call management system.
“We are happy to share that Google Voice is beginning to open up beyond former GrandCentral users,” said Google Voice product managers Craig Walker and Vincent Paquet in a blog post. “If you requested an invitation on the Google Voice site or previously on GrandCentral, keep your eye out for an invite e-mail.”

As mobile users increasingly flock to the fancy applications on their smartphones — and potentially spend less time on the mobile web, where Google has staked its lead — the search giant had to find a way into those apps. So it is using its contextual ad program to serve up text and display ads inside mobile applications.

URL shortening services are experiencing a renaissance in the age of Twitter. When every character counts, these services reduce long URLs to tiny forms. But which is the best to use, when so many are offered and new ones seem to appear each day? Below, issues to consider and a breakdown of popular services, including recommendations and services to avoid (the new DiggBar being one of these).