AP-AM Prep-Cyber Corner

(Canadian Press Broadcast Wire (Canada) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) MORNINGPREP-MORNINGPREP-MORNINGPREP-MORNINGPREP ! CYBER CORNER ! IN THE NEWS: FACEBOOK REDOES ITS NEWS FEED MENLO PARK, California (AP) _ It's another virtual facelift for Facebook _ one designed to keep people connected to the social media site at a time a growing number of users are getting bored with it. The changes centre on the ``News Feed'' _ where most people check in to find out what's going on. These days, a lot of what's ``going on'' is stuff you aren't necessarily interested in _ and that has turned some Facebook users off. Part of the problem is that as people grow their network of friends, there can be a wide variety of information on the feed _ not all of it newsworthy. The update to the feed includes an emphasis on photos and videos posted on the site. And users are being given more control to sort out photos and other materials to better appeal to their personal interests. One useful feature is the ability to block posts using a smartphone or other mobile device. Until now, you had to be logged onto a computer to purge your feed of posts or material you find offensive _ or just don't care about.

Online: Facebook site: http://www.facebook.com IN THE NEWS: KUWAITI ACTIVISTS JAILED FOR TWITTER POSTS KUWAIT CITY (AP) _ Imagine the reaction here in the U.S. if people were arrested for comments considered offensive to the president. If you checked most any site that allows comments, you could conclude there'd be a lot of people in jail. In Kuwait, two activists have been jailed in Kuwait for Twitter posts that authorities feel are offensive to the country's ruler. The sentences against the tweeters _ reportedly two years in prison for one and a year in prison for the other _ are part of a growing backlash against increasing political unrest. Last week a columnist for an anti-government newspaper was jailed for a month for publishing an article suggesting that a politician was corrupt.

ON THE WEB: GAMESTOP OFFICIAL IMPRISONED CYBERSPACE (AP) _ The former corporate spokesman for computer game retailer GameStop is headed to prison. Frank Christopher Olivera was the VP for corporate communications and public affairs for the company that sells new and used gaming consoles, games and accessories. He was sentenced by a federal judge in Dallas to 4 years and 3 months in prison after he admitted defrauding the company out of almost $2 million. He could have gotten up to 20 years and fined up to $250,000.

Online: GameStop site: http://www.gamestop.com IN STORES: IK MULTIMEDIA SAMPLE TANK APP FOR iPHONE 5 SUNRISE, Florida (AP) _ Good news for those who love to make music on their iOS devices _ as well as listen to it. IK Multimedia is out with a new batch of audio doodads for the iPhone 5 and the new iPod Touch. ``SampleTank 1.4'' features an upgrade in polyphony _ for those who aren't musicians, that means the number of notes that can be played at one time. That can enhance the sound of music created electronically, since you can blend chords and intricate melodies without losing notes. The app is also set up to take advantage of the larger screen of the new Apple devices _ and the increased sharpness of the retina displays. The set of samples go hand-in-hand with devices like the portable keyboard, iRig KEYS and iRig MIDI _ which lets you plug a keyboard into an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The new SampleTank is available from the Apple store. The update is free for those who already have SampleTank.

Online: IK Multimedia SampleTank site: http://www.AppStore.com/SampleTank by Oscar Wells Gabriel II Oscar Gabriel can be reached at ogabriel(at)ap.org.

(The Associated Press) (c) 2013 The Canadian Press

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