After evaluating Internet Explorer 8, the folks over at the exo.performance.network are declaring it to be one seriously bloated piece of software. Not only is it “fatter” than IE 7, it’s also more resource-intensive. Here are the stats in all their gruesome glory:

* 350-400MB memory footprint

* 150-200 concurrent execution threads

* 6 discrete iexplore.exe process instances

* Over 2x more demanding than Firefox

The above was recorded during a rather pedestrian-sounding, 10-site browsing scenario featuring popular sites like Fox News, CNet, and the New York Times, not to mention InfoWorld.com. During testing, they compared IE 8 to IE 7 and FireFox 3.01 running atop box Windows XP (SP3) and Vista (SP1), using the DMS Clarity Tracker agent to record system and process metrics from the test boxes.

Of course, the numbers don’t mean much without some context. Suffice to say that IE 8 consumes more RAM than Windows XP does (the entire OS). If I boot XP (SP3) on a 1GB system, I have more than 800MB free. Add IE 8 to the mix and, depending on the site workload, I can suddenly find myself with less than half that. The situation is even worse under Vista. In fact, IE 8 is fatter than my word processor (Word 2007), spreadsheet (Excel 2007), and presentation software (PowerPoint 2007) combined. It’s even fatter than Visual Studio 2008 with 10,000 lines of code and several complex, multi-part Web forms loaded into the IDE.

It’s hard to think of Apple and Facebook as obstructions to innovation and the free flow of information, but that’s exactly what the companies could become one day, according to Jonathan Zittrain, a Harvard law professor and a proponent of free speech on the Web.

Apple and Facebook have generated lots of consumer satisfaction by each creating environments where third-party developers can tailor software for the iPhone or Facebook’s social network. Part of their success is due to the quality control the companies maintain over the applications running on their platforms, Zittrain said. But he also worries that Apple and Facebook–as well as other companies that might be tempted to follow their lead–will begin to exert more control over independent software development than ever before. He’s skeptical this would be good for anyone.

Although the IEEE 802.11n specification is still a year or more away from release, a small group of engineers is already moving ahead to the next generation of wireless networking. The goal? Gigabit Wi-Fi, to match the wired gigabit Ethernet links of today’s PCs.

A working group is preparing to propose what may eventually be known as IEEE 802.11 VHT (Very High Throughput), in what some call the successor to 802.11n. Two working groups each are suggesting proposals to push throughput in excess of one gigabit per second, roughly ten times that of the 802.11n specification.

At this point, the IEEE has yet to formally approve what’s known as a PAR, or a Project Approval Request, the first step on the road to an IEEE standard. However, that approval is expected. The proposed technology has also not yet been blessed by the Wi-Fi Alliance, which governs the technology.

Fans of such NBC shows as Knight Rider, Chuck, and 30 Rock will be able to see their season premieres first on Hulu.

NBC Universal, which created Hulu in partnership with News Corp., decided to debut the season premiers on the Web video.

While this is the first time that Hulu has streamed season premieres from a major network, this isn’t the first time it’s happened. NBC.com did it last year and according to Chris Albrecht over at Newteevee, HBO released Flight of the Conchords on the Web last year as well.

Still, the trend of premiering TV shows on the Web continues to illustrates how much TV networks and cable channels are beginning to respect the Internet as a distribution channel.

Most consumers probably associate eBay Inc. more with vintage lunch boxes and low-priced electronics than with laptop bags made from recycled plastic by women in New Delhi.

The online auction operator is trying to change that perception with WorldofGood.com, a Web site due to launch Wednesday to sell goods produced with social and environmental goals in mind.

EBay developed the site with World of Good Inc., a startup focused on “ethical supply chains” behind consumer products, and licensed the group’s name for the marketplace. World of Good will get a share of the revenue from the site, which had been operating for the past six months as an online community focused on the social impact of business.

The site will sell fixed-price goods that purportedly have some positive effect on people and the planet. The goal is to help consumers align their social values with their shopping decisions, WorldofGood.com general manager Robert Chatwani said.

Apple Inc is expected to unveil new iPod music players — and possibly price cuts — at a media event next Tuesday but may not launch a long-awaited update to its MacBook laptop computers until a later date.

Apple, which also makes iPhone mobile devices, e-mailed reporters an invitation to a September 9 event entitled “Let’s Rock,” which has an image of a man jumping in the air while listening to an iPod, with the words “playing soon.”

No further details were available from the company, which often sends provocative invitations to events that end up being product launches. Creating an allure around its brand has only helped drive Apple’s market capitalization above Google Inc, despite fears about the weak U.S. economy, which is slowing consumer purchases.