Tech News – October 18th 2012 to October 20th 2012
Tech news – October 18th 2012 to October 20th 2012:
- Issa’s Benghazi document dump exposes several Libyans working with the U.S. | The Cable –
- Tribune Endorsement: Too Many Mitts | The Salt Lake Tribune –
Nowhere has Mitt Romney’s pursuit of the presidency been more warmly welcomed or closely followed than here in Utah.
- What it’s like to be on Jeopardy – Boing Boing –
A spam filter almost scotched my chance to be on television. I was scanning through the usual detritus of offers in July 2011 to enhance body parts and transfer large sums of money from people in distant lands, and spotted this subject line: "Jeopardy! Contestant Audition in Seattle"
- Facebook Officially Begins Shutting Down “Questions” Product, May Refocus On Search | TechCrunch –
It was no Quora. Today Facebook finally confirmed it is retiring Questions, which originally launched in July 2010. The Questions Dashboard and option to share a poll to the news feed are being removed. Questions will still be available in Groups and Pages, plus you can look at your old ones but it seems Facebook’s resources are better spent building something else, like, oh I don’t know, search.
Back in mid 2010, there was a lot of talk that Facebook had to launch a Q&A product. People thought… show all text - “Weird Twitter” explained | Slacktory –
This is a response to a recent blowup over a grad student discovering and examining a group of Twitter users.
The mere existence of this post will piss someone off. I think. Maybe they’re just joking. Whatevs.
What is Weird Twitter?
“Weird Twitter” is, simply, a loose group of Twitter users who write in a less-accessible form, using sloppy punctuation/spelling/capitalization, poetic experimentation with sentence format, first-person throwaway characters, and other techniques little known to the… show all text - The Washington Post: Login – The Washington Post –
- Video: Navy’s Humanoid Robot Dances Gangnam Style | Danger Room | Wired.com –
Meet CHARLI-2, Virginia Tech’s skinny, five-foot tall humanoid robot. His balance is enviable: Jostle him, and he’ll right himself — which is one of the reasons the Navy is using him for research on its firefighting robot of the future. Oh, and as the video above shows, he also dances Gangnam Style.
On Monday, CHARLI-2 will formally meet his flesh-and-blood shipmates at an expo in Virginia thrown by the futurists at the Office of Naval Research. His creator, engineer Dennis Hong of Virginia Tec… show all text - The Onion Endorses John Edwards For President | The Onion – America’s Finest News Source –
Choosing who should be entrusted to lead our nation’s government is not a responsibility that should be taken lightly, and never has that maxim been truer than in this current election cycle. - The Critic Wall Street Loves To Lunch With | The New Republic –
THERE AREN’T MANY people who can get the Treasury secretary on the phone—and fewer still who can get away with yelling at him on the call. His wife, sure. Probably the president. Add to th - Musicians get paltry pay from worldwide digital play — paidContent –
New figures for musicians’ royalty earnings shine a light on a significant digital income gap.
UK royalty collector PRS For Music reports British songwriters and composers collectively earned £187.7 million ($301 million) in 2011 from plays of their songs outside the UK.
That total was 10.6 percent more than in 2010. But it contains downloads and streaming royalties of a tiny £2 million ($3.2 million).
That is miniscule, perhaps scandalous. Domestically, last year’s digital royalties totaled £3… show all text - Minnesota bans Coursera: State takes bold stand against free education. –
Honorable mentions go to New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission for driving out Uber’s online taxi-hailing service and to automobile dealers’ groups in four states for trying to have Tesla dealerships declared illegal. But the grand prize in this week’s unexpectedly heated competition for most creative use of government… - Switch Reports Record Sales at Vegas SuperNAP » Data Center Knowledge –
An illustration of the SuperNAP-8, the latest high-density data center being built by Switch in Las Vegas. (Image: Switch)
It’s getting hotter in Vegas – at least in the market for data center space. Switch, the operator of the SuperNAP in Las Vegas, had its strongest month ever in September, selling 533 cabinets of colocation space and 7.6 MVA of power over a single 30-day time period, the company said today. The record-breaking sales were distributed across approximately 40 new clients and wi… show all text - Google News faces mass newspaper boycott in Brazil — paidContent –
This will sound familiar to anyone who has watched Google News’ relations with news publishers over the years..
The next country in which tension has erupted is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.
All 154 members of the Association of Newspapers in Brazil (ANJ), comprising 90 percent of the country’s newspaper circulation, recently opted out of Google News, claiming the search firm should pay them to re-run their headlines and excerpts.
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas r… show all text - The Business Insider, 1987 | The Reformed Broker –
- The tracks of my fears | MediaFile | Analysis & Opinion | Reuters.com –
Advertisers say that if they can’t track you online, your favorite websites will die. They’re wrong.
There is lots of bad TV, and lots of bad Internet. Reducing either would be a public service of incalculable proportions. But just as some broadcasters raise the possibility of Armageddon if ad-avoiding tech like TiVo proliferates, online marketers are now making the same empty threats about the Internet. They say that rich Internet “content” would disappear if something called Do Not Track beca… show all text - Why Windows Just Can’t Win | Gadget Lab | Wired.com –
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer talks about the future of Windows at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2011. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
Microsoft is about to have its biggest product release in nearly 20 years. Before the end of the month, Windows 8, Windows RT, Surface RT, and Windows Phone 8 will all launch. While you can already pre-order some of these products right now, the party’s really just getting started.
And Microsoft is already screwing it up.
On Oct. 16, in Redmond, Washington,… show all text - Shirky: ‘We are indeed less willing to agree on what constitutes truth’ | Poynter. –
- Airtime, a Pedigreed Start-Up, Is Tested –
Just four months after a much-hyped introduction, the video chat company has laid off employees and is tweaking its features. - Violentacrez on CNN –
- Trends show online ad revenue will overtake print this year | Poynter. –
Technology Review | Poynter Technology Review research editor Mike Orcutt combines data from four sources, including a report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau, that suggests online advertising revenue will cross print advertising revenue in 2012, if it… Read more
- Brett Bullington and the Heart of Silicon Valley – Kara Swisher – News – AllThingsD –
Sometimes, on my more cynical days in Silicon Valley — when I become convinced that the tech industry is only about money and jostling for power and status and the next careless funding — it has always been good to remember there are people like Brett Bullington around here.
Because from the time I met him — he was an executive at Excite when I got here in 1997 — to now, his excitement and enthusiasm for the very best parts of the digital arena has never failed to make me smile.
Whether it has … show all text - Boy Scout Files Give Glimpse Into 20 Years of Sex Abuse –
Details of sexual abuse and what experts say was a corrosive culture of secrecy in the Boy Scouts of America came to light in documents on accusations across the country. - CloudStack, Open Source and the God Particle: #Winning | Citrix Blogs –
- Color Labs To Be Acquired By Apple –
Color Labs, the photo-and-video-sharing social network that received much criticism over its pre-launch $41 million funding round, is about to be acquired by Apple. We’ve heard through trusted sources that the startup was nabbed for a price that is in the ‘high double digits’, as in millions, and that the deal is ‘done’, though papers have yet to be signed.
From what we know, founder Bill Nguyen has been away from the office for three months, after a period of intense strain between him and the… show all text - The State of Cloud Computing Around the World: Australia | CloudTimes –
Cloud computing has the potential to solve a lot of the problems that are being encountered by organizations these days with regard to expansion, cost effectiveness, and Information Technology. The concept itself has attracted the attention of big players in the government, business, and in the IT industry. However, many of the key decision makers are still in the dark, not knowing what cloud technology really means in practice, the benefits it brings, and the specific challenges that need to be show all text - Cloud Expo Commercial –
- Ubuntu 12.10 “Quantal Quetzal” takes flight with a bag full of Juju | Ars Technica –
Today, Canonical will release version 12.10 of its Ubuntu Linux distribution, codenamed "Quantal Quetzal" after a ridiculously awesome-looking bird. Quantal represents the start of a new two-year development cycle and lays the groundwork for what Ubuntu will evolve into by 2014. As such, the release is focused on figuring out what users are primarily doing on the desktop and in the enterprise and putting the right tools in front of them to help.
The release is right on schedule. Canonical follo… show all text - Ow.ly – image uploaded by @NapaFilmFest –
- Hands on with Apple’s Lightning to 30-pin Adapters | Macworld –
Nearly a month after they were announced, Apple's adapters for using older, 30-pin accessories with the latest iPhone and iPod models are available. We've been testing them for compatibility; here's our full report. - How a YouTube Exec Built an Army With Google’s ’20 Percent Time’ – Bloomberg –
Officially, Hunter Walk has fewer than a dozen engineers working for him at YouTube on developing services for nonprofits and activists. Unofficially,
- Techmeme: Troubled media sharing startup Color Labs said to be acquired by Apple (The Next Web) –
The web's technology news site of record, Techmeme spotlights the moment's hottest tech stories on a single page. - Uber Blog » TAXI is arriving in San Francisco –
Uber is all about a convenient and efficient ride. Some folks might have a tough time describing San Francisco taxis in such terms. Uber SF would like to do something about that. Starting this week, we are testing TAXI as a new option in the Uber app, alongside our existing sedan and SUV service. This is a major addition, and pretty bold. To be honest, this is a bit of an experiment for our users. We’re rolling it out from our very own Uber Garage. So why are we doing this crazy experiment…… show all text
- Mission 26 The Big Endeavour on Vimeo –
- Some Advice From Authors on Avoiding Online Distractions – NYTimes.com –
Working on large projects with Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr luring you into a labyrinth of distractions can be incredibly difficult. Here is some advice from authors about keeping the distractions at bay. - Scott’s Story and the Election –
The experience of a college friend who lacked health insurance has lessons for us and our country. - Exclusive: White House review finds no evidence of spying by Huawei – sources| Reuters –
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – A White House-ordered review of security risks posed by suppliers to U.S. telecommunications companies found no clear evidence that Huawei Technologies Ltd had spied for China,
- 500 Startups invests in Social Tables to help seat Shakira | PandoDaily –
How much of a business can be built on helping to allocate seating at parties? Well, it depends on the party.
For Social Tables, which provides software for easily doing seating organization from events that span from weddings to galas, the parties are getting increasingly large. The Washington DC-based startup has just landed a deal with the Grammys to do the seating for the Latin Grammy Awards on November 15.
“When I saw Shakira’s avatar in a Social Tables seat, that was my ‘holy shit’ moment… show all text - Clouds Over Cuba –
- Let’s reconsider our "users" – Jack’s –
us·er /ˈyo͞ozər/
Noun 1. A person who uses or operates something, esp. a computer or other machine. 2. A person who takes illegal drugs; a drug user.
Synonyms consumer
During a Square Board meeting, our newest Director Howard Schultz, pulled me aside and asked a simple question.
“Why do you all call your customers ‘users’?”
“I don’t know. We’ve always called them that.”
It wasn’t something I’ve thought about for some time. The term “user” made its appearance in computing at the dawn of shared t… show all text - City sticker deadlines could change – chicagotribune.com –
Deadlines to buy Chicago vehicle stickers could be staggered throughout the year instead of coming on June 30 for every car, minivan, SUV and truck in the city, City Clerk Susana Mendoza said Wednesday.
- Nobody "Goes Online" Anymore – Liz Gannes – News – AllThingsD –
People say they spend less time going online than a year ago, but the reality is they don't realize how pervasive the Internet has become, says a Forrester analyst. - Guide to Photo Rights and Attribution for Social Media | Brands With Fans Blog –
Finding photos for use in online articles, blog posts and other online marketing efforts can be a source of frustration for many. Questions arise about rights, fair use and attribution. There are several resources available to find photos, and understanding creative commons, editorial use and attribution will help you navigate and find a photo while following the law.
Creative Commons
Online photo sharing sites like Flickr, Fotopedia and MorgueFile allow photographers to designate their photos show all text - Google Pays Engineers More Than Any Other Tech Company – Business Insider –
Google is the best paying tech company in Silicon Valley, according to a new study from Glassdoor.com, which collects data on employers.
John Letzing at Digits has a break down of the data:
According to the study, Google software engineers earn an average base salary of $128,336, ahead of Facebook’s $123,626. Apple Inc. registered at $114,413 this year, the study says, while eBay Inc. pays $108,809 and Zynga Inc. stands at $105,568.
…Most of the top Silicon Valley firms listed in the Glassdoor show all text - Consumer Comeback – Business Insider –
This is really the big story of the moment: The full-on comeback in everything related to consumers and households.
Let's just break it down really fast.
1. New housing starts are shooting straight up.2. Retail sales growth: Re-accelerating.
3. The Unemployment Rate: Collapsing (according to the government).
4. And the unemployment rate is collapsing according to Gallup.
5. And car sales are surging.
6. Revolving Consumer Credit. Back to growth.
7. Gallup Economic Confidence is the… show all text
- Earth Science Week 2012: Reddit Interview: Josh Willis –
Vital Signs of the Planet: Global Climate Change and Global Warming. Current news and data streams about global warming and climate change from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
- Would A Man Who Doesn’t Support Women Let His Wife Pick Out Any Oven She Wants For Her Birthday? | The Onion – America’s Finest News Source –
By Mitt Romney - How Obama or Romney Should Have Answered the iPad Question – Arik Hesseldahl – News – AllThingsD –
When CNN's Candy Crowley asked why iPad and iPhones can't be made in America, here is what one of the candidates — either one — should have said in response.
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