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Jan 16th

3 tags

Facebook Sponsored Story Ads To Appear In The Web... →

TechCrunch: Starting in January 2012, Facebook will gradually begin showing Sponsored Stories social ads in the main news feed of the web version of the site, a representative of the company tells us. Facebook hasn’t shown ads in the news feed since 2008, so this has big ramifications for advertisers and the user experience. Twitter did it first, but that does not make it okay.

Dec 21st

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Kayak releases updated and unified iPad and iPhone... →

VentureBeat: This is actually a major update that will turn Kayak‘s free iPhone app into a unified app optimized for all iOS devices, including the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The two-year-old standalone iPad app will be phased out, which means Kayak faces the tricky task of making sure all of its users switch to the new app. Kayak’s app for the Mac OS X App Store is also fantastic....

Dec 21st

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NBC, NFL TO STREAM SUPER BOWL LIVE ONLINE →

NBC Sports: The Super Bowl, Pro Bowl and NBC’s wild-card playoff games will be streamed online and on mobile phones for the first time, the NFL announced Tuesday. Last year, 111 million people tuned in to watch the Super Bowl live on NBC. This year, the National Football league decided that in addition to broadcasting the the event on television it will also stream it online. I wonder...

Dec 21st

3 notes

6 tags

“The problem with just about every prediction made by industry firms like...”

– Seth Godin, on why George Colony’s “end of the web” prediction is wrong.

Dec 21st

2 notes

3 tags

“There are now over 700,000 Android devices activated every day.”

– Andy Rubin, Google‘s Android Chief.

Dec 21st

2 notes

3 tags

Watch

Paul Kedrosky on Bloomberg West discussing Zynga’s less-than stellar IPO.

Dec 21st

8 notes

5 tags

RIMM is worth less than Apple's iOS App Store →

Brian S. Hall: I wrote earlier today that, at it’s current price of $13.44, that $RIMM is worth a mere $7.04 billion. Apple ($AAPL), by contrast, is worth $354 billion. More than 50X. Per analysis from Trefis, iTunes and App Store each contribute approximately 2% to Apple’s market cap. For those doing the math at home, that means App Store contributes $7.08 billion to Apple’s...

Dec 20th

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5 tags

AT&T Ends Bid To Add Network Capacity Through... →

AT&T: AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) said today that after a thorough review of options it has agreed with Deutsche Telekom AG to end its bid to acquire T-Mobile USA, which began in March of this year. »» :-/

Dec 20th

4 notes

12 tags

Google's Android Update Alliance Is Already Dead →

PC Mag: “Google’s Android Update Alliance Is Already Dead” »» Dude, really? I understand how difficult it must be to port over new versions of Android to old hardware, but most of the phones that PC Mag lists are barely a year old. With this knowledge in hand, consumers are going to start making more educated purchasing decisions — they are going to start buying...

Dec 18th

9 notes

4 tags

Dec 18th

5 tags

Dec 16th

3 tags

Dec 15th

6,589 notes

4 tags

Federal safety board wants nationwide ban on cell... →

Network World: The federal National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) called for the first-ever nationwide ban on the use of any personal electronic devices while driving a car. »» The NTSB wants to ban people from using smartphones while driving cars. This had to happen sooner or later. There were more than 3,000 deaths last year that were directly attributed to smartphone use while...

Dec 15th

6 notes

1 tag

“There isn’t a shortage of developers and designers. There’s a surplus of...”

– Naval Ravikant, on Why You Can’t Hire.

Dec 15th

11 tags

Busted: BitTorrent Pirates at Sony, Universal and... →

Earlier this week, a website called YouHaveDownloaded.com went viral. YouHaveDownloaded.com checks your ip address, then shows you your download history. The popular torrent blog, TorrentFreak, got a hold of YouHaveDownloaded.com’s logs. By cross-comparing those logs with its own records, TorrentFreak discovered that many people who work in the entertainment industry are actively using...

Dec 14th

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4 tags

Northwestern Adds Master's in Analytics to... →

Go Cats Go! smarterplanet: Northwestern University has added a new degree program focused on the study of data analytics. The McCormick School of Engineering is taking applications for its Master of Science in Analytics, to begin in fall 2012. This follows on the introduction in fall 2011 of the Master of Science in Predictive Analytics, an entirely online program offered by the School of...

Dec 13th

18 notes

2 tags

How to Pitch a VC: 11 Insider Secrets →

Josh Linkner: As VCs, we’re excited to hear your idea for a breakaway company that can change the world. At the same time, if we have to sit in another buzzword-filled, vague, overly-complex, grandiose, hyperbole-peppered session, we’d rather drink bleach. Here are some tips to help you shine and protect our sanity »»

Dec 13th

4 tags

Dec 13th

11 tags

Apple TV Set-Top Box Predicted to Sell 4 Million... →

Apple is dominating the smart TV market, which is still in its infancy. Not bad considering that the Apple TV it is just a hobby.  I wonder what would happen to the Apple TV if it ever became more than just a hobby? Jia Wu: As Apple prepares for its expected launch of smart TVs in 2012, rival platforms must accelerate their development plans to keep Apple from running away with the connected...

Dec 13th

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3 tags

No Copyright Intended →

Andy Baio: What happens when — and this is inevitable — a generation completely comfortable with remix culture becomes a majority of the electorate, instead of the fringe youth? What happens when they start getting elected to office? (Maybe “I downloaded, but didn’t share” will be the new “I smoked, but didn’t inhale.”) »»

Dec 11th

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13 tags

Watch

An Introduction to Stock & Options for the Tech Entrepreneur or Startup Employee, by David Weekly.

Dec 11th

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4 tags

“And so I think what stands out in the promising founders is this genuine...”

– David Lee, partner at SV Angel, on founder/market fit.

Dec 10th

8 tags

Dec 10th

6 notes

8 tags

On Groupon Buying The Alfred App

Alfred might be the best example of artificial intelligence used on a restaurant recommendation app. Yesterday, Jason Kincaid wrote that Groupon is on the verge of acquiring Clever Sense, the company behind Alfred. This acquisition should bode well with $GRPN investors.  If you have never heard of Alfred, imagine an iPhone app that ‘speaks’ restaurant recommendations to you. What separates...

Dec 9th

4 notes

8 tags

Spotify Radio gets a big makeover, goes truly... →

Should be titled, “Why Pandora Is Royally Screwed”

Dec 9th

5 notes

6 tags

RILA: Amazon's Holiday App Proves Urgent Need for... →

Earlier this week, Amazon kicked off an aggressive marketing campaign against brick-and-mortar retailers. The promotion, which can only be accessed on Amazon’s Price Check app, promises $5 off any Amazon purchase that is made while standing in a brick-and-mortar retailer. In response, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) released the following statement: Amazon’s...

Dec 9th

14 notes

3 tags

“We believe a huge part of the Uber experience is luxury.”

– A software engineer at Uber, on why Uber connects passengers with limousine drivers and not taxi cabs.

Dec 8th

3 notes

8 tags

Dec 6th

2 notes

3 tags

“The top 5% of programmers probably write 99% of the good software.”

– Paul Graham, taken from Hackers and Painters.

Dec 5th

36 notes

1 tag

An iPhone App That Acts Like A "Pre"-Prepared Meal...

Everyone eats. By extension, everyone cooks. But not everyone enjoys cooking! Technology could be used to solve this problem. The real question is whether customers are ready to use their mobile devices (iPhones, iPads) to purchase food. Webvan failed historically, but mostly because the experience of buying groceries on a 56k modem is terrible. But now we have smartphones and tablets, and our...

Dec 5th

3 tags

Dec 5th

86 notes

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Facebook acquires Gowalla to boost Timeline team →

CNN is reporting that Facebook has acquihired Gowalla. The team will transition to Facebook’s Palo Alto offices to work on Facebook’s new Timeline feature. CNN: “As far as the big picture, Gowalla’s vision is about people telling stories, and Facebook’s vision for Timeline is about stories about important moments in life.” Gowalla recently relaunched as a...

Dec 3rd

28 notes

1 tag

I am building something...

If your resources are limited like mine are, then read along. This is what I have learned in the last few weeks since I made the big move to San Francisco. My wish is that that this writing will help the younger version of myself. Maybe next year, or the year after that. This is just the beginning of my story. So you just moved to Silicon Valley. You have the best idea in the world. But it is...

Dec 3rd

1 note

5 tags

Dec 2nd

180 notes

6 tags

Apple Says Siri’s Abortion Answers Are a Glitch →

NY Times: Apple said Wednesday that the apparent inability of Siri, the virtual assistant in the iPhone 4S,  to retrieve information about abortion clinics and women’s health services in some areas was not intentional or deliberate. The company attributed the problem to kinks in the product that were still being ironed out. Siri is officially still a beta or test product. Siri is still in...

Dec 1st

1 note

10 tags

Spotify Apps are here!

Today Spotify released an API and an app store. You can catch up on the news over at Techmeme.   Spotify: Thanks to Spotify Apps, the best music reviewers can help you discover great music to listen to. Help yourself to recommendations through Last.fm and We Are Hunted, and expert tips from Rolling Stone, The Guardian, and Pitchfork. But that’s not all… Let’s say you’re listening to a new...

Nov 30th

6 tags

Zuckerberg's Strategy: Two Steps Forward, One Step... →

Liz Gannes: At this point, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s pattern on privacy is clear. Launch new stuff that pushes the boundaries of what people consider comfortable. Apologize and assure users that they control their information, but rarely pull back entirely, and usually reintroduce similar features at a later date when people seem more ready for it.

Nov 30th

13 tags

Should RIM port BlackBerry Messenger to iOS and...

VentureBeat: In yet another blow for BlackBerry loyalists, Research in Motion announced BlackBerry Mobile Fusion today, a tool that will allow businesses to make employee iOS and Android devices just as secure as RIM’s own smartphones. Related: RIM’s BlackBerry Messenger service is one of the best messaging platforms out there. How long before RIM gives up on BlackBerry and ports their...

Nov 30th

5 notes

2 tags

“Social apps have an ephemeral quality. We used to joke that sites like MySpace...”

– Nate Bolt, co-founder and president of Bolt | Peters.

Nov 28th

26 notes

6 tags

On Microsoft Office's Perilous Future

Microsoft’s technology dominates corporate IT departments. The sad reality is that businesses have been slow to adopt the new cloud stuff. And yet, when it comes time for businesses to finally upgrade their tech, they are realizing that Google’s offering is not only superior to Microsoft’s, but it is also a lot cheaper. NY Times: Google maximizes the appeal of documents,...

Nov 22nd

2 notes

3 tags

Nov 22nd

1 note

5 tags

Watch

3D printers have been around for a while. I have been meaning to get one, but money is a little tight. I cannot afford a $5,000 hobby. Yet I still want one. The ability to design an object and then print it is every modern designer’s dream. This is why I am excited for Printrbot. Printrbot is looking to bring 3D printing to the masses. And at a sub-$500 price point, it could happen. ...

Nov 22nd

5 tags

Nov 21st

3 notes

4 tags

Save our billboard!

Yahoo finally decided to stop paying for that ridiculous billboard of theirs here in San Francisco. I don’t know about you, but I am sad to see it go. I have fond memories of being greeted by that billboard on the way home from SFO after a long flight. Here’s to you, old friend.

Nov 18th

3 tags

Nov 8th

1 note

7 tags

Like Enron, Groupon Is Firing The Worst 10 Percent...

Reuters: Daily deals site Groupon is replacing the worst 10 percent of its sales staff as it pushes to win stronger deals from merchants and ensure it can keep growing, the company’s chief executive told potential IPO investors on Wednesday. Andrew Mason is fostering a culture of corruption at Groupon. The pressure is on. The bottom 10 percent of employees will be fired. This is as...

Oct 27th

64 notes

7 tags

Oct 25th

86 notes

7 tags

Netflix Q3FY11 Earnings: 800,000 Subscribers Lost...

Netflix ($NFLX) has plunged from a high of $295 on July 12th down to its most recent low of $118. The company’s stock price has been on a downward spiral ever since Reed Hastings announced that Netflix would be splitting its DVD business from its streaming video business. Less than a month later, on October 10th, Netflix reversed course and announced that Qwikster was headed for the...

Oct 25th

4 notes

7 tags

Before He Died, Steve Jobs Predicted That Obama...

  Bizarre news emerging from Steve Jobs’ not yet released biography. Steve Jobs allegedly told President Obama, “You’re headed for a one-term presidency.” Yikes! The encounter took place at the Westin Airport Hotel right here in San Francisco. Yep, they met at an airport hotel. This angered Jobs, who was expecting a personal invitation to the White House. Eventually...

Oct 21st

3 notes