I just stumbled upon this article on CNN that tells of the demise of Live Aid-like concerts due to…yep, the Internet.

Apparently artists are shifting to a more direct approach for soliciting charity donations, eliminating the need for a lot of work, time and money on their part (and the part of the organizers/producers, etc.).

I’m a little surprised to see this argument being made since I assume most artists have touted their chosen charities on their Web sites as long as the Internet has been in existence (U2 certainly has), and Live Earth wasn’t all that long ago.

But whatever the reason, I’m most surprised they didn’t mention U2 at all in their article because of their reputation for activism.

Unless of course that “mullet” they mention is in reference to Bono…

I’ll have to admit, I’m a faithful Mac user (except when I’m at work on my Dell), but the new (RED) PCs are tempting.

Because I have a Hotmail account, I was sent this advertisement, which features a gorgeous photo of the new Notebook.

With that bold red screen staring back at me, I couldn’t help but think of “Streets.” What a distraction that would be!

Bono shows up Tuesday night in a documentary airing on North Carolina public TV called Senator No. It’s about former Senator Jesse Helms, and Bono talks about gaining the Senator’s support to fight AIDS and poverty in Africa. You can see a clip of Bono’s interview on the Raleigh News and Observer blog.

Boxing Day may not be formally celebrated in the United States, but that doesn’t stop the shops from doing their post-Christmas sales.

I was able to go into Baby Gap and pick up some (RED) items for my lil’ chop at 75% off. Long sleeved onesies that were normally $20 were marked down to $4.99. They had all of their winter items rediculously marked down. I asked the store manager if Gap will still contribute the full amount to the Global Fund, and she was unable to answer that question. She did say that the spring arrivals were coming soon and they needed to liquidate their winter inventory, so if that meant that Gap needed to write off the remaining (RED) inventory, then so be it.

Hallmark had their (RED) cards, wrapping paper and ornaments 40% off. The manager there also did not know if Hallmark would contribute the full amount to the Global Fund even if it meant that Hallmark would be taking a greater loss on the product.

As a consumer, I felt quite conflicted - here I am trying to support what (RED) is doing, and the sale prices were very attractive to say the least. However, knowing that perhaps less would be going to the Global Fund, it left me feeling a bit sad that my need to save a buck or two may deprive those in need of the medication or the bed nets. It was the first time that this thrifty shopper actually felt bad about the sales.

Still Haven’t Found What You’re Looking For? OK…I have to admit, that phrase is getting *real* old, well 20 years old that is…I digress.

With (RED) items in the local shopping mall for sale, Edun apparel available as well, fans have choices to make a difference in people’s lives while at the same time helping to keep others alive in Africa. The Edge has also been a little busy in this front too.

Back in November, you might remember reading that The Edge had contributed a start-up jingle for the XO laptop computer from the OLPC (one laptop per child) organization. Headed up by MIT Media Lab’s founder Nicholas Negroponte, OLPC hopes to provide a connected laptop to each school-aged child in developing countries to empower and enable them to learn.

OLPC has extended their “Give One, Get One” program through the end of the year - for $399, you can buy an XO laptop for your family, and OLPC will give a laptop to a deserving child in the areas they are serving. If you live in the U.S., $200 of that purchase is tax deductible

The Edge has been collaborating with the MIT and the MIT Media Lab for quite a while now. He has served as a panel judge for a ringtone contest, contributed to an exhibit, and helped lead the now-disbanded MIT Media Lab Europe with Bono and a few others.

Creating start-up jingles isn’t a first for the creative members of U2. You might recall that Brian Eno created the Windows 95 start-up tune.

UPDATE: CNN posted this story on Monday about a laptop village in Peru that is benefiting from the OLPC project.

In The Name Of Love: Africa Celebrates U2 is an album that was sparked by the humanitarian efforts of producer Shawn Amos during his time in South Africa.

Released next spring, a portion of the album’s proceeds will benefit The Global Fund. The track listing is as follows:

1. Angelique Kidjo “Mysterious Ways”
2. Vieux Farka Touré “Bullet The Blue Sky”
3. Ba Cissoko “Sunday Bloody Sunday”
4. Vusi Mahlasela “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own”
5. Tony Allen “Where The Streets Have No Name”
6. Cheikh Lô “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
7. Keziah Jones “One”
8. Les Nubians “With Or Without You”
9. Soweto Gospel Choir “Pride (In The Name Of Love)”
10. Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars “Seconds”
11. African Underground All-Stars Featuring Chosan, Optimus & Iyoka “Desire”
12. Waldemar Bastos “Love Is Blindness”

To learn more, read this press release (thx to U2ropa for the tip).