Lindsay Lohan is getting her life back together -- and one online networking site is making her the bold offer of a year's rent in Manhattan and cold hard (online) cash

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TMZ is told that Capazoo.com, a new social networking site, has offered Lindz one year's rent "for a luxury apartment in Manhattan" and even funds for a fourth turn in rehab, should things go badly again. With the site's tipping and referral bonuses, execs say she could make up to $1 million.

Gates demonstrates the memory power of a CD in 1987.

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More personalisation by trustedplaces.com

Reviews site trustedplaces.com has introduced an updated version of its service with more personalisation for users. Trustedplaces' TasteMatcher technology has been brought to the front of the site to offer users a selection of places they might like as soon as they log on. The facility is part of the site's bid to be more proactive and offer more than just the results of people's searches. The latest version of the site also features video reviews as well as the concept of a 'local expert' which rates users on how much content they provide and how their content is rated by other visitors. According to chief executive Sokratis Papafloratos the 'local expert' feature is another way for people to easily find content they can trust. He also said trustedplaces is now enabling people to create their own lists and guides of favourite places such as restaurants and bars and share them with everyone or a closed group of people. Papafloratos said the enhancements were about making the service more useful. He also said the service further features and content would be added before Christmas. Trustedplaces.com was one of the dotcom start-ups that Howzat, the investment vehicle led by Cheapflights Hugo Burge and David Soskin, invested in earlier this year. by Linda Fox

Local Search Sites Rival Phone Books for Ads

Locally targeted search engines are starting to replace phone books as the starting point for millions of people seeking plumbers, lawyers or hair stylists. The trend is creating a big business opportunity for Web advertising start-ups and traditional yellow-pages publishers.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-local9oct09,1,7624035.story

BBC buys into Lonely Planet

BBC Worldwide has bought a majority stake in travel guide company Lonely Planet. The corporation's commercial arm has acquired a 75 percent stake in the privately owned company using part of its 350-million pound debt facility designed to snap up companies outside the UK. Independent: The BBC said the deal would enable it to develop a "huge amount" of digital and online opportunities with the brand.

 

The acquisition fits with BBC Worldwide's ambition to move from programming into a content business, it said in a statement.

 

The Lonely Planet operation will boost BBC Worldwide's travel output, which includes over 500 hours of travel programming such as Michael Palin's New Europe and Planet Earth.

It is better for civilization to be going down the drain than to be coming up it.

- Henry Allen