December 2011
34 posts
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
1 note
3 tags
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
6 notes
3 tags
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
16 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
WatchWatch
Paul Kedrosky on Bloomberg West discussing Zynga’s less-than stellar IPO.
Dec 21st
17 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
4 notes
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
8,411 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
9 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
6 notes
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
44 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
2 notes
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
18 notes
13 tags
WatchWatch
An Introduction to Stock & Options for the Tech Entrepreneur or Startup Employee, by David Weekly.
Dec 11th
7 notes
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
6 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
7 notes
8 tags
Dec 6th
2 notes
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“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
3 tags
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
29 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
3 notes
5 tags
Dec 2nd
207 notes