Skyway Recommended May 6th to May 12th

Each Monday we’ll pass on links to articles we thought were well worth reading from the previous week, for those who live where we do (British Columbia, Canada), work like we do (high speed business internet), and think about things we do (internet trends, internet privacy, internet censorship, cutting-edge technology, etc.). If you don’t want to wait ’til Monday, we usually tweet and link to these as we come across them…

The Observer | 20 ways to keep your internet identity safe from hackers

Do you use the same password for all websites? Do you overshare on Facebook? If so, you’re a target for cybercriminals – whose computer scams are costing Britain £27bn a year. The Observer asked experts for their top tips to beat the fraudsters. Read More…

The Guardian | Shots fired from world’s first 3D-printed handgun

The world’s first gun made almost entirely by a 3D plastic printer has been successfully fired in Texas. The successful test of the plastic handgun, which was built by Defense Distributed using an $8,000 3D printer, came after a year of development. The company, which is run by 25-year-old Cody Wilson, now plans to publish the blueprints for the gun online. Read More…

The Atlantic Wire | TV’s Pay-Per-Channel Future Is Nigh

For the cord-cutters and cable-company haters out there eagerly awaiting the next era of television, in which you no longer have to pay your provider for a bundled package of junk you never watch, YouTube officially launched 14 of its rumored pay-to-subscribe channels on Friday. And, sure, the site that taught us to love free viral videos might not provide the best top-shelf content just yet, but this is the dream of à la carte Internet TV — or at least a shell of it. Read More…

GigaOm | Microsoft Q3 earnings: Windows wasn’t as bad as expected but it wasn’t good either

The biggest news out of Microsoft’s third quarter earnings call was that its flagship Windows business held up better than expected after reports of the demise of the PC market. But it still wasn’t perky. Once a big upgrade was factored in, Windows revenue was flat year over year — more sobering news for a company that built its fortunes providing operating system for PCs. Read More…

GigaOm | Skype video calls arrive in the browser with Outlook.com

Skype in the browser is finally arriving, but there’s a bit of a catch: The service is fully integrated with Microsoft’s Outlook.com email service. It’s a smart move by Microsoft to integrate the service, which will require a browser plug-in. Read More…