The funeral for Internet Explorer 6, one of the older members of the Microsoft family, was a pleasant affair with only a few protestors. Unfortunately representatives of the family were unable to attend and sent flowers and a note instead: Thanks for the good times, IE6. See you all @ MIX, where we’ll show a little piece of IE heaven. -The Internet Explorer Team @ Microsoft IE6’s funeral arrangements—right down to the photographer — were made by design company Aten Design Group. They actually made it into a rather decent looking event: Rest in peace, IE6.

A judge has finally ordered RealNetworks to put its DVD ripping service, RealDVD, to sleep because apparently it’s “illegal to bypass the copyright protections built into DVDs designed to protect movies against theft.” Whoops. As part of its legal loss against the Motion Picture Association of America, the media delivery company will be forced to shell out $4.5 million for legal costs. While this whole thing is a bit painful for RealNetworks, will anyone actually miss RealDVD when there are plenty of free DVD-ripping solutions ? [ All Things D ]

Facebook is now letting users memorialize pages of friends who have passed away. The contact information of the person memorialized is privatized and the pages cannot be logged into anymore. You need to submit proof of death, but beyond that, I think this is going to make for some really tacky pranking. In the end, I find this to be a nice digital analogue to that which inevitably happens to all Facebook Users. [ FB via BB ]

Les Paul , the legendary inventor behind the birth of rock n’ roll, died today of complications from pneumonia at the age of 94. During his long tenure on this planet, Les Paul was something like the Thomas Edison of music—he is responsible for such groundbreaking inventions as multitrack recording, overdubbing, delay effects and, of course, the solid-body electric guitar. His work eventually earned him induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005. Few names conjure up as much respect in an industry as Les Paul, and that doesn’t appear likely to change anytime in the near future.

DeviantArt user Liz Lukens posted this papercraft cubic Billy Mays template so you can fold him up and bring him everywhere. Highly visible arm hair is thoughtfully included. [ DeviantArt ]

The late King of Pop pioneered dance moves that looked mechanical and weren’t, like the moonwalk, and at least one that looked mechanical and was: The forward-leaning maneuver from his ” Smooth Criminal ” video. The secret is all in the shoes. Trying to lean beyond one’s center of gravity normally leads to a giant, awkward step forward to retain balance, so to achieve the 45-degree angle he wanted, Michael and his dancers used special shoes as well as a trick in the stage floor. When the time came for the move, a peg-like aperture would protrude from the dance floor. The heel of the dancers’ shoes featured a triangular cut out that could be hitched onto the peg, anchoring the dancers to lean much farther forward, and thus blowing the world’s collective mind.

It’s an instructional video from the MPAA showing how to record a TV screen for classroom use, rather than rip a DVD. I think they really mean it, too. =( [ BoingBoing ]

No clever invective needed: It’s an instructional video from the MPAA showing how to record a TV screen for classroom clips, instead of ripping a DVD. I think they really mean it, too. =( [ BoingBoing ]

Blockbuster just disclosed to the SEC there is “substantial doubt” about its ability to continue breathing, since there are no assurances it can meet the conditions of a $250 million loan that’s its current lifeline. And even if the loan keeps going it still not “may not have sufficient liquidity to finance the ongoing obligations of our business, which raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.” So, uh, who didn’t see this coming ? Unlike Circuit City though, this doesn’t exactly make me sad. [ MSNBC via Technologizer , Image CipherSwarm /Flickr ]

I don’t get iPhone cases . Or any gadget case. It’s like your grandma putting a plastic cover on the sofa. Things are designed to be enjoyed as they are.