New is slow, but it has been happening, while all this time I have been busy. So I think it's time for a catch-up post!

i'm Initiative concerns:
mess.be have discovered Microsoft have raised $1.5 million on the i'm Initiative campaign since its launch sixteen months ago. However, in ads on just one new campaign, the Talkathon Microsoft have spent $5 million! One could argue Microsoft aren't really raising money for charity, but are attempting to portray themselves in a favourable light to users, which in my book is a big no no.

TinyURL blocked:
The 3rd party company in charge of stopping viruses spreading though Messenger have come under fire again, when they blocked TinyURL links within messages. The system has been controversial since it blocked websites containing .info domains, or entire websites such as YouTube and eBuddy. The system is also ineffective as there are workarounds virus creators can implement and the poor coding means it slows down Messenger. This is probably not the last we will hear of the crazy blocking system either.

MessengerDiscovery Live update:
Version 1.5 brings webcam recordings, encrypted messages, pinable contacts and skinable alerts. Download the update from the official website. As always MessengerDiscovery is feature rich, containing many new and wonderful ideas. It is just a shame they are coded sloppy and this update continues that trend.

MSN Messenger UK stats: - Source



So there we are, a nice little wrap up of the news over the past week or so, but don't worry there is still more to come, some of which is more interesting than this dribble. But being honest, with no development updates, news has been and will remain slow until when Windows Live Messenger 9 is near ready.