Anthony massucci

This month, Facebook made a sneaky change to its privacy settings, and the new policy is generating a fierce backlash. The social network's default privacy setting now allows anyone to see a user's personal information. While users are permitted to change those settings, through an option to limit how much information they share, many don't yet realize that their Facebook updates can suddenly be seen across the Web. That's not what most users signed up for, and many are angry.

How much does your illness cost you and your insurer? According to a recent study by General Electric (GE) and the U.S. Department of Health's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a 50-year old with diabetes will rack up more than $6,600 in medical bills over the course of a year; someone who has acid reflux will incur $5,500 in annual costs.

The high cost of illness, insurance and treatments is one of the key factors driving the U.S. health care reform debate in Washington. The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which was published last week, allows people to see just how much certain illnesses will cost them and their insurer based on age and, of course, the condition. After looking at these charts you'll pray you never get diagnosed with diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or emphysema.

Macy's (M) CEO Terry Lundgren says every dollar of online sales influences almost $6 of sales inside the retailer's stores. According to Lundgren, many shoppers first see an item online and want to look at it in person before making a purchase. For example, a customer may see a piece of clothing online but ends up visiting a store to check the fit.

The mutually beneficial relationship between online and real world shopping works both ways. Some customers see items in the store and choose to buy them online to take advantage of the shipping options. Whatever the motive, online sales are growing fast. "We're going to do close to a billion dollars in online sales this year and it's growing at 16 percent year-to-date," Lundgren said in an interview with DailyFinance at the company's Herald Square store in New York City on Black Friday.

Macy's (M) CEO Terry Lundgren said he's "encouraged" by the level of buying activity at the company's Herald Square store in New York City Friday.

The day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. is nicknamed Black Friday because it's the day when many retailers become profitable for the year. Macy's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Lundgren told DailyFinance that Macy's sales were strong Friday because of the number of people he saw in the store walking around with purchases.

Apple (AAPL) broke its silence in the advertising battle going on between AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ). The iPhone maker launched its ad campaign this week showing an iPhone user talking on the phone while surfing the Web as a voice asks, "Can your phone and your network do that?"

It's Apple's comeback to Verizon's latest attack on the iPhone which runs on AT&T's wireless networks.

Twitter co-founder and CEO Biz Stone said Thursday that Rupert Murdoch's potential plan to block Google from searching New Corp.'s (NWS) websites is doomed to fail. Murdoch has accused Google (GOOG) of stealing content from his publications, which include The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post in the U.S., and The Times and The Sun in the United Kingdom. The cantankerous tycoon said last week that blocking Google could be part of his strategy to get more people to pay for content online.

Here's a young man, all of 35, who runs a company that makes no money, telling an old man, 78, who runs companies that have made billions, that he is wrong. But while it's easy to dismiss Stone's comments as youthful bravado, I think he's giving Murdoch some valuable advice.

Two weeks ago, in a post about AT&T's spotty third generation wireless coverage, I posed a simple question: "How about an announcement telling customers how AT&T has been working with Apple to help boost the quality of its iPhone service?"

Now, that seems to be exactly what is happening. AT&T (T) reported on Tuesday that it had spent $65 million upgrading its wireless network in San Francisco since 2008. The phone company said it upgraded about 850 cell sites because of the rising demand put on its network since the iPhone started selling two years ago. That's good news to many iPhone users, whose phone has become synonymous with "dropped calls."

EBay (EBAY) is a Web pioneer, having built a multibillion dollar business out of allowing people to essentially put garage sales on the Internet. That simple idea led to fast growth more than a decade ago and helped define what was possible online for other companies that followed. The company's IPO in 1998 turned founder Pierre Omidyar and eBay President Jeffrey Skoll into instant billionaires.

Fast-forward to 2009, and the 1990s Internet darling is steering through turbulence. EBay seems to be want to be more an online retailer and less an online auction site. If it makes such a move, if will have to fight online retailers such as Amazon.com (AMZN) and Zappos and their impeccable customer service. It will also have to take on formidable brick-and-mortar retailers like Walmart (WMT) and Target (TGT), which are focusing more on online sales. Why does eBay want to join a battle it's not likely to win?

Anyone who has ever gone on a Big Mac binge in hopes of winning the $1 million prize in the McDonald's Monopoly game may be feeling a little more hopeful. Brandi Futch, of White House, Tenn., collected both Boardwalk and Park Place (the two pieces needed to win) after she ordered a McChicken sandwich, fries and a sweet tea. The big prize came on that sweet cup of tea.

Futch, 23, who couldn't be immediately reached by DailyFinance, works in customer service for the Grand Ole Opry and will receive $50,000 a year for the next 20 years. It may not be enough to retire on, especially after taxes, but it's enough to take care of most of her needs.

"I'm still in shock," Futch was quoted saying in a McDonald's (MCD) press release. "I haven't decided what I'll do with the money I've won, but I know that a new house and car are on my list." Even with her $1 million prize, Futch said she plans to keep playing the game.

This summer, for the first time in five years, I used Priceline.com (PCLN) to book a hotel room and rental car. Turns out, I am part of a trend. The online travel agency saw an increase in bookings over the summer. Now it forecasts sales in the current quarter rising 28 percent from last year's fourth quarter.

The stock closed 18 percent higher Tuesday, rising $30.49 to $202.22, the highest close in nine years. Count Priceline.com among the Internet companies that rallied in 2009. In the past year, Priceline has outperformed Amazon.com (AMZN) shares, which are up 168 percent and shares of Google (GOOG), which has gained 78 percent in the past 12 months. I decided to find out what's going on at the company, which is known for its business model of letting customers name their price for travel services and then seeing what they get at the price.