D-root is changing its IPv4 address on the 3rd of January

There is a scheduled change to the IPv4 address for one of the authorities listed for the DNS root zone and the .ARPA TLD. The change is to D.ROOT-SERVERS.NET, which is administered by the University of Maryland. The new IPv4 address for this authority is 199.7.91.13. The current IPv6 address for this authority is 2001:500:2d::d and it will continue to remain unchanged.

Don't use the Google Disavow tool

Matt explains why:

Essentially the Google Disavow tool is nothing more than a glorified crowd sourcing project.

Why try to identify low quality links via algorithmic signals when you can get an army of millions of webmasters around the world to do it for you?

And what better way to motivate that army than by telling them if they do all this work it will help

them?

It's nothing more than a bulk snitching tool dressed up as a solution to a problem it doesn't actually solve.

Freelancer.com acquires vWorker

After their recent acquisition of Scriptlance, Freelancer.com now also acquired vWorker (former Rent-a-Coder).

VWorker account holder received the following email:

Freelancer.com is proud to announce that we have just acquired vWorker, and we are delighted to welcome you to our vibrant freelancing marketplace. We have a suite of great features that will be of benefit to you, including our Rewards system and our great UI.

Our Rewards system is our way of recognising your professionalism and performance, and as you gain experience points, you will unlock unique benefits for your account, badges for your profile, and Freelancer.com credits. Basic, Standard and Premium members can then redeem these credits for rewards, including highlighted bids, a Freelancer T-shirt, and even a Skype session with the CEO!

Our UI is clean and intuitive. Gone are the days of tearing your hair out trying to manage a project. Freelancer.com streamlines and simplifies communication between employer and freelancer, taking the stress out of managing and working on projects.

Your vWorker account has been migrated into our marketplace. Included in this migration is your profile, balances, reputation, messages, existing and past projects, feedback, attachments and more. The migration of your feedback, attachments and past projects may take up to two weeks. During this time, your reputation may vary slightly - but after two weeks, it should very closely match the reputation you had on vWorker. We will also be giving you a unique vWorker Foundation Member badge!

Pro Testosterone Muscle Builder Affiliate Program

MarketHealth added a new site to their lineup: Pro Testosterone Muscle Builder.

Pro Testosterone is a completely natural supplement than can help you get over your low testosterone. Pro Testosterone was created by expert herbalists, combining ingredients long-used for their ability to address symptoms associated with low testosterone. Because the supplement is all natural, there are no side effects or downside to using this supplement. All you'll get is the enhanced sense of well-being that comes with getting your testosterone levels back on track.

Authorized Marketing Methods:

• Pay Per Click
• Search Engines
• Co-Registration

Wikipedia founder takes 'a lot of credit' for collapse of SOPA

At RSA Europe, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales said the site's blackout played a key part in defeating the USA's controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

The English version of Wikipedia, Reddit and hundreds of other smaller websites coordinated a notional service blackout for a day in mid-January to raise awareness of SOPA. Wales described SOPA as introducing a Chinese-style blocking system in response to complaints about copyright infringement. In response, Wales said, 10 million people contacted Congress (an unnamed senator told Wales) and the bill was pulled days later.

Jimmy Wales:

I am quite anti-piracy. This was a strike against bad legislation.

20% of online newspapers now have paywalls

More than one-fifth of U.S. newspapers now require a paying subscription for full digital access, twice the number that did a year ago.

That's according to News&Tech, whose growing list of newspapers with metered paywalls or some other form of digital subscription plan has surpassed 290. There are 1,387 daily newspapers in the U.S. as of 2009, says a Pew study published earlier this year.

Girl Gets Locked Up For Saying LOL on Facebook

One teen's misguided sense of humor earned her jail time when she posted a Facebook status update LOL-ing at the fact that she was cited for DUI.

Kentucky teenager Paula Asher had one too many that fateful night she decided to drive, and she sideswiped another car as a result. Though there were four people in the car hit, thankfully no one was hurt. Asher was cited by police for driving under the influence.

The 18-year-old laughed about driving drunk on her Facebook page after the fact, posting a status update reading,

"My dumbass got a DUI and hit a car LOL."

The judge presiding over Asher's case found little humor in a crime that results in, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 28 deaths each and every day. Asher was ordered to shut down her Facebook page as a result, and when she refused, the judge held her in contempt of court and had her thrown in jail for two days.

Asher's told her local NBC affiliate,

"I didn't think LOL would put me in jail."