Music mogul maker… Location, location, China… Is your credit card on the net?… The cost of the Iraqi war

Put your money where your music is

Budding music industry moguls can now dip their toe in the entrepreneurial water via the SellaBand website, reports Trendwatching.com.

Fans of musicians and bands featured on SellaBand can invest in them by spending $US10 on a share, or “part” in their future. Once 5000 parts have been sold in a musician or band, SellaBand helps them professionally record an album, which is then posted online.

Apart from getting a limited edition CD, all investors (SellaBand calls them believers) receive a share in any ad revenue generated by directing listeners to the download page for the band. But best of all, fans who buy in early get to say they were there from the beginning – the ultimate street cred.

Going, going, China

Want to buy real estate in China? Telstra has just launched an English version of its Chinese web portal www.world.soufun.com. You can now surf the site to locate properties and receive assistance with relocation. But if you fancy a holiday shack in outer Mongolia, you’ll have to wait. The site is expected to only cover 75 locations/cities by the end of this year.

Stolen credit cards on the net

Had your credit card stolen? You might find it on the net being sold for as little as $1. A bi-annual report from Symantec on internet threat activity just published reveals that most (86%) of the stolen credit cards for sale on the net were issued by US banks and were selling for between $1-$6.

Cards issued by Australian banks only accounted for 1% of stolen cards.

As for identities, they cost a little more. A US bank account, credit card, birth date and a government issued ID number could set you back $US18.

The report also says home users were the most targeted sector, accounting for 93% of attacks. The US was the top country of attacks, accounting for 33% of worldwide activity. Government sectors worldwide accounted for 25% of all identity related data-breaches – more than any other sector.

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer was targeted by 77% of all attacks specifically targeting web browsers.

The cost of the war

The taxpayer’s bill for the war in Iraq is approaching $3 billion, including $668 million in debts waived by Australia, reports The Sydney Morning Herald. It’s a lot of money, but is dwarfed by the US spend. The US Government has spent more than $US750 billion ($938 billion) fighting in Iraq.

The costs for Australians include: $494.5 million in the base wage and personnel costs for Australian Defence Force troops deployed in Iraq not included in the net additional spending figures; $211.5 million spent by Foreign Affairs and other departments on aid, reconstruction, Australia’s diplomatic presence in Baghdad and tax concessions for soldiers; $668 million in Iraqi debts waived by Australia.