With ICANN approving the Applicant Guidebook for new generic Top Level Domains and the window for applications opening on 12 January, the second .NXT conference in San Francisco in late August is focussing on giving potential applicants, registries and consultants the very latest information on the process and prepare for launch. The conference will be held Wednesday to Friday, 24-26 August at the San Francisco InterContinental. A full conference pass includes all sessions, exhibit hall access and lunches. It is also anticipated there will be great networking opportunities with hundreds of internet professionals and education to take your career to the next level. One of the key speakers is Chris Disspain, CEO of auDA, the .AU policy and regulatory body, member of the Internet Governance Forum’s main decision-making body, the Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) and as of the last ICANN meeting held in Singapore in June is now an ICANN Board member. Disspain will steer both the opening and closing sessions of the conference, pulling out critical details about the internet’s expansion from a series of experts, as well as summarising the outcomes of the conference itself on the last day. Other confirmed speakers include Shawn Gunnarson (Kirton & McConkie), Markus Kummer (ISOC), John Matson (Architelos), Rob Hall (Momentous.com) and Monte Cahn (co-founder and President of Right of the Dot). Registration costs $695. For more information and to register, go to dot-nxt.com .

The newly elected ICANN chair, and one of the internet’s founding architects, has been announced as the keynote speaker at the upcoming “newdomains.org – The Munich Conference on new TLDs” meeting in September. The two-day conference will kick-off in the Bavarian capital of Munich on 26 September and will bring experts in the fields of technology, trademark law and business from around the world. The focus of the conference will be the recent approval of the new TLD programme that ICANN approved at the beginning of their recent meeting in Singapore. The announcement of Steve Crocker as the new ICANN chair replacing Peter Dengate Thrush was one of the last announcements of the meeting. Being the first of its kind in Europe, the conference offers a unique opportunity for all interested parties to build valuable connections and network with experienced industry professionals. Additionally, it will deliver answers to all questions concerning this major change for the internet The conference organisers are anticipating over 400 applications for new TLDs from cities, regions, brand names and special interest groups. “Who better to open the only event in Europe focusing on this important topic than one of the people who has had such decisive influence on the development of the internet–a tool we all now so commonly use,” said Markus Eggensperger, co-founder of united-domains, the host of the newdomains.org conference. Regarding the upcoming event, Dr. Crocker stated, “The internet has experienced unprecedented changes in its 40 year history and the introduction of new top-level domains will be one such challenge. I’m delighted that I can contribute the keynote and hope we can all make the most of this unique moment for the good of the global Internet community.” More information about the conference at www.newdomains.org

WHIR editor Liam Eagle presents at a WHIR Networking Event in Los Angeles (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — iNET Interactive ( www.inetinteractive.com ) announced today that Liam Eagle, editor in chief of prominent industry news and analysis publication for the hosted services industry, the Web Host Industry Review ( www.thewhir.com ), has been named co-chair of HostingCon 2011 ( www.hostingcon.com ), the premier conference and tradeshow for the hosted services industry. In this new role, Mr

All adult industry professionals and supporters of the adult entertainment community are being encouraged to protest against the proposed .XXX sTLD (sponsored Top Level Domain) at the ICANN meeting in San Francisco next week. In the final of five articles written by Diane Duke, Executive Director of the Free Speech Coalition, in which Duke has called .XXX “all bullshit” in each article, Duke has called for a protest on Thursday 17 March from 12:30 to 14:00. Given the domain name industry’s interest in scantily clad women, such as the DOMAINfest Global conference that has included a visit to the Playboy Mansion as part of the conference activities for the past three years, the protest is sure to attract a lot of attention and camera-wielding attendees.

Google.com reveal Chrome OS Cr-48 Notebook Wednesday, December 08, 2010, 10:40:31 AM In the last 24 hours, Google (GOOG) have made significant announcements regarding Chrome OS. The Cr-48 Chrome Notebook, the first notebook to feature the operating system will be released to a selection of applications for beta testing this month.

Top 5 Tech Trends For 2011 My top-level take away from the recent InformationWeek 500 Conference is that the economic doldrums may not be completely over, but people are working as if they are. I sensed more pent-up enthusiasm in the conference hall than at any time during the past three years. CIOs are chomping at the bit, not just to keep their business in the game, but to pull ahead of competitors

Black Hat reflects a changing industry, says founder In the 13 years since its inception, Black Hat has emerged as one of the premier conferences in the security industry. Each year, Black Hat attracts thousands of security researchers, security practitioners and government types to its annual events in Las Vegas, Tokyo, Amsterdam and Washington. On the eve of the annual conference in Vegas, Black Hat founder Jeff Moss talks about the show and how it has evolved.