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Common Sense Junction
Technology Blog Headlines

  1. SCO boss: I was offered $2 million by Utah’s top prosecutor

    → Ars Technica | 24 May 2013 | 3:50 pm MDT

    CEO recorded money talks and gave recording to feds, report says.

  2. iOS 7 likely to be flat ... and black and white?

    → feeds/tech+feeds/techvideo | 24 May 2013 | 3:24 pm MDT

    Apple has scheduled the keynote address for the annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) for June 10. On that day, we expect to hear the latest about the company's mobile and desktop operating system. It's the mobile operating system, or iOS, that has our attention in particular though, because the rumor mills are predicting some dramatic changes.According to 9to5 Mac's Mark Gurman, his sourc...
        




  3. Google to build YouTube app for Windows Phone 8

    → CNET News | 24 May 2013 | 3:08 pm MDT

    After a public tussle, Microsoft and Google have agreed to jointly build a native YouTube app for Windows Phone 8, which will be released within a few weeks. [Read more]
        




  4. Judge Says Customers Won’t See One Red Cent Of Unredeemed Borders Gift Cards

    → Consumerist | 24 May 2013 | 3:06 pm MDT

    Ineffective rectangular frisbees? Tiny coasters? Better start thinking of some ideas for any of those unredeemed Borders gift cards you may still have lying around: A judge ruled this week that customers won’t see a nickel of a total of $210.5 million in remaining balances on gift cards they failed to use before Borders bit the big one and went … [More]



  5. Microsoft refutes reports about Xbox One used game sales

    → CNET News | 24 May 2013 | 2:56 pm MDT

    But the software giant won't disclose its policy regarding reselling used titles for the new video game console. [Read more]
        




  6. The World's Most Expensive Weapon Just Got A Little Cheaper

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 24 May 2013 | 2:45 pm MDT

    The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

    USAF

    Cost projections for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program declined $4.5 billion last year.

    File this under something you don't see every day. The total projected price for the Pentagon's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program--the most expensive weapons development program in history--has dropped. Though its program history is riddled with cost and schedule overruns alongside unforeseen engineering and design issues, the total price tag for the JSF fell $4.5 billion in 2012, the first time in the program's history that the projected cost has gone anywhere but up (and up and up).

    The cost savings come from the Pentagon's annual selected acquisitions report (SAR), which reviewed 78 DoD programs and found that to absolutely no one's surprise the overall cost of Pentagon acquisition programs grew by nearly $40 billion (or 2.44 percent) on the whole last year. But it seems all the talk of federal belt-tightening might be having an impact on Pentagon culture. This was also the first time in a long time that no program in the SAR went 15 percent or more over its budget.

    Pentagon officials credited the Better Buying Power initiative, an in-house effort to reform weapons procurement to better allocate resources and reduce redundant or wasteful spending, with helping to curb spending on several programs.

    For a program with such a checkered past--it's been considered for the budgetary chopping block more than once--the drop in overall cost is huge for the JSF program and an indicator that it may finally be moving toward initial operating capability. Often a program finds a way to spend the money it already has in its projections, so the downward revision in total price may amount to something the JSF program really needed: a public relations boost at a point when pricey government programs are not popular with anyone.

    So not only is the JSF the most expensive weapon ever developed, but it might now hold the title--at $4.5 billion--for the most expensive PR moment ever purchased.

    [Defense News]

        




  7. Google builds bigger crypto keys to make site forgeries harder

    → Ars Technica | 24 May 2013 | 2:30 pm MDT

    No one has cracked a 1024-bit key yet, but Google isn't taking any chances.

  8. Report: Google wants to connect the developing world with wireless

    → GigaOM | 24 May 2013 | 2:12 pm MDT

    WSJ reports Google has ambitions of connecting a billion new people to the internet using a combination of white space, satellite and aerial technologies. Given those technologies' limitations, though, a billion is a stretch.
        




  9. VMware’s revolving door keeps on spinning

    → GigaOM | 24 May 2013 | 2:12 pm MDT

    Javier Soltero, CTO of applications and SaaS for VMware and Kevin Henrickson, who worked on Zimbra, both signed on with Redpoint Ventures.
        




  10. Xbox One uncertainty, earnings drag down GameStop

    → CNET News | 24 May 2013 | 2:08 pm MDT

    The game retailer's shares have taken a hit this week, falling nearly 20 percent. [Read more]
        




  11. Back up your DVDs with free BDlot ISO Master

    → CNET News | 24 May 2013 | 2:08 pm MDT

    Whether you're outfitting the ultimate home-theater PC or just trying to protect your copy of "Toy Story 3" from the kids, this utility can help. [Read more]
        




  12. Settling into Denver

    → alexking.org » Blog | 24 May 2013 | 2:05 pm MDT

    Ever wonder what it’s like to accept a job at Crowd Favorite and move to Denver? Craig does a great job outlining his past 6 months. My favorite bit is probably this: There’s still much that I don’t know, and I’ll always be asking questions, but my coworkers are incredibly intelligent, helpful, patient, and they…

    #



  13. Why There Was No New Hardware At Google I/O

    → alexking.org » Blog | 24 May 2013 | 2:04 pm MDT

    The statement made by Google yesterday, instead, is that the war for mobile will not be won with devices or operating systems. It will be won instead with services. I like this approach for Google. Good things generally happen when companies play to their strengths.

    #



  14. Will Google (And The US Government) Permit Google Glass To Recognize Faces On Sight?

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 24 May 2013 | 2:01 pm MDT

    Google Glass Sans Person

    Google

    "Okay, Glass. Who's that?"

    TechCrunch has a nice look at a new API from Lambda Labs, an "early-stage startup" (meaning, brand-new) from San Francisco, that's causing a bit of consternation. Lambda Labs makes a facial recognition API, which you can actually try out here in your browser. But now Lambda has released a version of that API specifically for Google Glass.

    There are certain software restrictions that hold back what the hardware can do--in this case, you can't use the facial recognition API to get a real-time identification. Instead, you have to take a picture, send it to the app's developers for it to be analyzed, and then receive the ID. That doesn't take long, but it's not exactly a Robocop-level ID system.

    But the Glass hardware is capable of that kind of real-time information flow, to a degree. Glass isn't an augmented reality system; it's more like a tiny notifications screen in the corner of your field of view. You won't see a face with a name under it, but you might see a face, then tilt your eyes up and to the left and see text with an ID on it.

    The bigger and perhaps more interesting issue here is whether this will fly with Google and the US government. In a New York Times article, Steve Lee, director of project management for Google Glass, said: "We've consistently said that we won't add new face recognition features to our services unless we have strong privacy protections in place." And then there's the inquiry from eight members of Congress about Google Glass's potential privacy implications.

    I've written about how Google Glass isn't a surveillance device, but this is something a little bit different: the debate here is all fine lines and shades of gray. The API already exists, the technology is common, and the hardware is out there. Does it really matter if you're performing this action with a smartphone or Google Glass? Can you ethically stop someone from accessing previously-accessible data just because it's in a slightly different form? It's a nuanced and complex question, one we don't have an answer to--but one that Google and lawmakers will have to address.

    [via TechCrunch]

        




  15. The Fiery Debate Raging Over Charcoal Briquettes Vs. Lumps Is Making Us Very Hungry

    → Consumerist | 24 May 2013 | 2:00 pm MDT

    Full disclosure: I’m clueless when it comes to lighting grills, be they charcoal or gas. As such, I never realized there’s a heated debate (pun totally intended) over what kind of charcoal one uses, should that be the grill of choice. I see chunks of black stuff on fire cooking up a burger and I think, “Yum. Gonna eat that.” … [More]



  16. Google Translate says 'Hola!' to Chrome

    → CNET News | 24 May 2013 | 1:55 pm MDT

    The latest Chrome beta for Android integrates Google Translate support directly into the browser, just like it does with its desktop counterpart. [Read more]
        




  17. Australian researchers get closer to scalable quantum computing

    → GigaOM | 24 May 2013 | 1:51 pm MDT

    Researchers in Australia are making progress in executing on a vision for quantum computing involving a phosphorus atom, which means a new commercial product might not be so far off in the future.
        




  18. Secret 'Twitter garden' reveals itself when you tweet

    → CNET News | 24 May 2013 | 1:50 pm MDT

    Who needs Miracle-Gro when you've got Twitter? The Digital Capabilities garden responds to live tweets by revealing hidden areas of exotic foliage. [Read more]
        




  19. Steering clear of the iceberg: three ways we can fix the data-credibilty crisis in science

    → GigaOM | 24 May 2013 | 1:41 pm MDT

    Science has a data problem, There's been a rash of experiments that no one can reproduce and studies that have to be retracted, But there are some nascent efforts to address this credibility crisis by changing the way the data is handled.
        




  20. Yahoo said to press play on Hulu bid

    → CNET News | 24 May 2013 | 1:35 pm MDT

    The media company is reportedly keeping things cool with another big bid -- this time for online video. [Read more]
        




  21. Report: Better Place to file for bankruptcy

    → GigaOM | 24 May 2013 | 1:33 pm MDT

    If Better Place files for bankruptcy in a few days, as reported by Fortune, it would represent a sober end to a high-flying dream that raised hundreds of millions of dollars.
        




  22. After A House Fire, Watch Out For Actual Criminals, Not Just Scummy Contractors

    → Consumerist | 24 May 2013 | 1:30 pm MDT

    Earlier this week, we posted about the public adjusters and contractors who show up at the scene of a house fire, often before all of the flames are even out. Reader Josh’s family has been through a fire recently, and he wrote in to warn people about a whole different set of entrepreneurs who might stop by your home … [More]



  23. I’ve killed this bug at least three times. Zomb…

    → alexking.org » Blog | 24 May 2013 | 1:28 pm MDT

    I’ve killed this bug at least three times. Zombie bug.


  24. Google may build wireless networks in emerging markets, WSJ says

    → CNET News | 24 May 2013 | 1:22 pm MDT

    Google is reportedly going into the cellular business in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia in an effort to connect more people to the Internet. [Read more]
        




  25. How Amazon’s cloud competitors are trying to find cracks in AWS’s armor

    → GigaOM | 24 May 2013 | 1:19 pm MDT

    News flash: The public cloud "ain't all that," says every cloud provider in the universe (except for Amazon Web Services.)
        




  26. Apple's iOS could get a makeover

    → CNET News | 24 May 2013 | 1:18 pm MDT

    The iPhone operating system is expected to get a new look, the latest Xbox One report sheds new light on used games, and Digg Reader is set to launch in June. [Read more]
        




  27. AT&T’s GoPhone prepaid service can now connect to LTE

    → GigaOM | 24 May 2013 | 1:16 pm MDT

    Starting Friday, if you buy an LTE or HSPA+ compatible device on GoPhone -- or bring your own -- you will be able to connect to AT&T's fastest networks.
        




  28. My iPhone 5's got a V-8

    → CNET News | 24 May 2013 | 1:14 pm MDT

    Id America's new case for the iPhone 5 is designed to look like a head gasket for a V-8. [Read more]
        




  29. Prenda shell ordered to pay $9,425 in attorney’s fees

    → Ars Technica | 24 May 2013 | 1:10 pm MDT

    When it's time to collect, will the coffers at AF Holdings be empty?

  30. How New York State’s Indoor Smoking Ban Has Led To An Uptick In Bowling Alley Lawsuits

    → Consumerist | 24 May 2013 | 1:00 pm MDT

    In one corner, you’ve got your run-of-the-mill bowling alley. You’ve probably been to one, so you know the drill — everyone’s got to wear those darling bowling shoes. In the other, you’ve got New York State’s ban on smoking indoors. Put those two things together and you’ve got an uptick in lawsuits against bowling alleys.

    If you’re having trouble making … [More]



  31. Games for the weekend: Dude Perfect

    → GigaOM | 24 May 2013 | 1:00 pm MDT

    Inspired by the real world YouTube sensation of the same name, this game uses clouds, buildings, trucks, balloons, fences and even flying saucers as obstacles to sinking the perfect shot.
        




  32. Rumor: HTC will follow suit with a “Google Edition” of the One

    → Ars Technica | 24 May 2013 | 1:00 pm MDT

    The rumor mill started earlier this week and now it just won't stop.

  33. Big Pic: Hubble Space Telescope Captures The Ring Nebula In Astonishing Detail

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 24 May 2013 | 1:00 pm MDT

    The Ring Nebula

    New images of the Ring Nebula captured by the Hubble Space Telescope are redefining the way astronomers understand its shape.

    NASA, ESA, C.R. Robert O'Dell (Vanderbilt University), G.J. Ferland (University of Kentucky), W.J. Henney and M. Peimbert (National Autonomous University of Mexico)

    Astronomers love to point their telescopes at the Ring Nebula. Located 2,000 light years away in the constellation Lyra, this ring of glowing gas has a distinctive elliptical shape when seen from Earth. But new images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope suggest that the nebula actually looks a lot more like a football or a misshapen doughnut.

    Scientists now believe that the blue and green gaseous material at the center of the ring is a large football-shaped region sheathed by a ring of cooler gas (the yellow and orange ring) at its fattest point near the center. So the ends of the hotter football-shaped gas cloud protrude from either end of the ring, and we're looking directly at the end of the football, so we see the enveloping cooler gas as a ring encircling the hotter blue/green gas.

    What does all that mean? If you're an astronomer it means you have a better understanding of the Ring Nebula. That in turn provides insight into the way our own sun's nebula will form in another six billion years or so when it runs out of fuel, sheds its outer gasses, and collapses in on itself (it won't look like this because our sun isn't as big, but nonetheless there will be similarities). For the rest of us, it means look at that amazing image of the Ring Nebula!

    [NASA]

        




  34. Collapsed I-5 bridge gone from Google Maps — almost as quickly as it fell

    → feeds/tech+feeds/techvideo | 24 May 2013 | 12:55 pm MDT

    On Thursday evening, a bridge along Interstate 5 in Washington State collapsed. Early on Friday, Google Maps already reflected the incident. Google's secret for such a speedy update? An army of volunteers."As soon as the local news picked up on the bridge collapse, someone used the Map Maker tool to go into Google Maps to edit it to reflect the bridge collapse," Google spokesperson Sierra Lovelace...
        




  35. ‘Clone by phone’ makes for faster vaccine preparation

    → Ars Technica | 24 May 2013 | 12:50 pm MDT

    Researchers take DNA sequence, make modified virus that can help with vaccines.

  36. Samsung Thinks Women Would Upgrade Husbands Into Creepy Housework Robots

    → Consumerist | 24 May 2013 | 12:49 pm MDT

    If you could upgrade your partner’s skills and abilities with a bit of hardware or software, would you do it? To promote their “Evolution Kit” that upgrades the processor and capabilities of their smart TVs, a Samsung ad imagines what would happen if humans had similar upgrade capabilities. In the ad, a woman upgrades her husband into a creepy and … [More]



  37. Where are they now (Fisker edition)? The story gets even weirder

    → GigaOM | 24 May 2013 | 12:43 pm MDT

    The long disturbing tale of electric car maker Fisker Automotive keeps on going, and keeps getting more weird.
        




  38. Ohio bans those dangerous dens of iniquity, Internet cafes

    → Ars Technica | 24 May 2013 | 12:30 pm MDT

    Cafes said they offered online "sweepstakes" but were hounded by prosecutors.

  39. Floating robot tries to save polluted canal in Brooklyn

    → feeds/tech+feeds/techvideo | 24 May 2013 | 12:21 pm MDT

    Pity the Gowanus Canal. A forgotten relic of Brooklyn's industrial past, the garbage-choked waterway is now home to a putrid stew of toxic waste. Where barges once served tanneries and paper mills, all that remains today are high levels of mercury, lead, raw sewage, cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other pollutants. The Gowanus Canal achieved further notoriety in January 2...
        




  40. What we think we know about what Microsoft isn’t saying about the Xbox One

    → Ars Technica | 24 May 2013 | 12:20 pm MDT

    We parse the reports on used games, online connections, and privacy concerns.

  41. HTC reportedly takes a cue from Samsung, will offer “Google Edition” HTC One

    → GigaOM | 24 May 2013 | 12:07 pm MDT

    HTC will reportedly reverse course and offer a "Google Edition" HTC One phone, with the official announcement expected next week. That could give HTC a boost by getting more marketing help and making pure Android fans happier.
        




  42. Think You Can Tell A $99 Wedding Dress From An $1,800 One?

    → Consumerist | 24 May 2013 | 12:00 pm MDT

    Times used to be, you wanted to buy a wedding dress, you had to go to bridal shops boasting designer creations, with the prices to match. But now retailers are getting into the wedding game, providing cheaper options for customers. Target just threw its veil into the ring with its new line of bridal gowns starting at the low price … [More]



  43. Disco-Ball People And Other Amazing Images From This Week

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 24 May 2013 | 12:00 pm MDT

    Disco-Ball People

    For an exhibition at Christian Larsen gallery in Stockholm, artist Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen covered mannequins in broken mirror shards, then projected light onto them, turning the mannequins into disco-ball people.

    Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen via Colossal

    Plus a Lamborghini from the future, a full-size Lego X-wing, and more

        




  44. If Tumblr Were a Person, They'd Be This Annoying

    → Valleywag | 24 May 2013 | 11:42 am MDT

    Cloying, GIF-happy, nostalgic, attention span devoid—this woman-as-website impression could only be better if she, well, did some really horrible things! But it's otherwise perfect.

    Really, Yahoo could have spent a lot less and just hired Dara Katz.



  45. Ars Technicast, Episode 27: Will the revolution be 3D-printed?

    → Ars Technica | 24 May 2013 | 11:35 am MDT

    How 3D-printed guns are made, and what, if anything, we should do about them.

  46. AT&T decides to take another $0.61 per month from customers

    → Ars Technica | 24 May 2013 | 11:25 am MDT

    Company joins Verizon and Sprint in charging new "administrative fee."

  47. FTC Targets Google Again for Advertising Practices

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 24 May 2013 | 11:17 am MDT

    So far, the antitrust probe is in early stages, and Reuters reported that Google hasn't even received any antitrust notifications from the FTC yet
        




  48. Chill, Mom! Snapchat's self-destructing messages are about silliness, not sex

    → feeds/tech+feeds/techvideo | 24 May 2013 | 11:15 am MDT

    A service that lets you send images that self-destruct after 10 seconds? Why would parents freak out about that? While the initial furor over Snapchat — Young people will use this to sext! Young people don't understand that nothing digital ever truly goes away! — has died down, an increasing number of kids are using the surprisingly addictive service."We send mostly embarrassing things," Beth Hann...
        




  49. At long last, Ricoh and Xerox hit back at scanner trolls

    → Ars Technica | 24 May 2013 | 11:15 am MDT

    Mystery company's $1,000-per-worker demands are challenged at PTO.

  50. Robotic Kite Power Could Turn The Sky Into A Wind Farm

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 24 May 2013 | 11:15 am MDT

    Turbines and Kites

    Makani Power

    Google's acquisition of a kite power generator manufacturer suggests a strong future for the technology.

    Google has acquired a Bay Area technology company that generates power through wind turbines attached to robotic kites. The news comes just a couple weeks after the company, Makani Power, completed the first fully autonomous flight of a kite power system.

    How flying generators work: the kite flies in a circle, off nothing more than lift and wind, and uses that motion to push air over its propellers, which in turn generate electricity. The energy is then transmitted down a tether attached to a landing station, dubbed the "spar buoy." Makani claims that the system generates more energy than conventional turbines and costs less to build.

    Why is Google interested? Google uses a tremendous amount of electricity, and has copped to being a little embarrased by how much fossil fuel it uses. Google actively seeks out renewable energy, and has invested in wind farms before. Efficient, futuristic renewable energy harvested by flying robots? Ideal.

        




  51. ITV news Twitter account hacked by Syrian Electronic Army 

    → feeds/tech+feeds/techvideo | 24 May 2013 | 11:04 am MDT

    LONDON —British broadcaster ITV on Friday became the latest media outlet to have one of its Twitter feeds hacked by anonymous supporters of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, just days after Twitter beefed up security to prevent such attacks. Twitter said on Wednesday that it had started rolling out an optional two-step authentication program for its users to thwart hackers. The Associated Press, ...
        




  52. Delivery Guy Caught Treating Customer’s Pizza As His Personal Snack Bar

    → Consumerist | 24 May 2013 | 11:04 am MDT

    The next time your pizza seems a bit skimpy on the toppings, you might want to consider asking your delivery guy if he was feeling particularly hungry. A pizzeria employee  in St. Petersburg, Russia responsible for ferrying a customer’s pie on its journey to consumption couldn’t resist the urge to snack before the pizza reached its final destination. Unfortunately for … [More]



  53. Victoria’s Secret Charges Me $15 For The Privilege Of Returning Stuff

    → Consumerist | 24 May 2013 | 10:52 am MDT

    When Debra placed an online order from Victoria’s Secret and then returned everything unworn, she didn’t know that she would have to pay an underpants rental fee. She returned merchandise that she had paid $114.16 for, and received $96.69 back. Was that a shipping charge? No, Debra paid to ship the items back herself. Did the items go on sale … [More]



  54. Facebook Eyeing Shiny New Downtown Manhattan Office?

    → Valleywag | 24 May 2013 | 10:35 am MDT

    Crain's says Facebook is tired of its lackluster digs in the Bank of America Tower, nuzzled between finance offices filled with its corporate antitheses. So how about a very expensive relocation to one of New York's priciest neighborhoods?

    The rumored 160,000 square foot spot at 770 Broadway, would put Facebook's east coast team right next to NYU, away from its current byzantine midtown floor plan, seen here. It'd also cost the company a massive bundle—this is one of the most expensive places in the world to get office space.


    A Facebook rep says only, "We do not comment on rumors and speculation."



  55. Bridge Collapse in Washington State Sends Two Cars Plunging Into The Skagit River

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 24 May 2013 | 10:29 am MDT

    The collapsed I-5 span over Washington's Skagit River
    No one was killed, but it's just another example of how badly American infrastructure is crumbling.

    It's been a rough week for bridges around the U.S. At about 7 p.m. local time in Washington state yesterday a bridge spanning the Skagit river north of Seattle (part of Interstate 5) collapsed after a truck carrying a tall load collided with one of the spans, sending two cars plunging into the river below. The three people in those cars all survived with non-life-threatening injuries, but it should probably come as a surprise to no one that the bridge--which services about 71,000 crossings of the Skagit river every day--is rated "functionally obsolete" by the Federal Highway administration.

    As noted above, the collapse didn't happen purely due to the poor state of the bridge. A tractor-trailer carrying an overly tall load struck one of the overhead supports on the bridge as it crossed, precipitating the collapse. That doesn't sound like something that should happen, but the author acknowledges that he is not a civil engineer and does not understand all the nuances of bridge building.

    Although to really understand this particular collapse one would need to be a civil engineer circa 1955, which is when this particular span of I-5 was constructed. The rating of "functionally obsolete" doesn't mean that this bridge was structurally deficient, but that its design is outdated, particularly in some specific ways. For instance, its shoulders were too narrow. And perhaps more importantly, its overhead clearance was too low.

    In a November 2012 inspection it scored 47 out of 100 on a sufficiency rating. And it's not alone. A quarter of Washington state's 7,840 bridges are considered structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. And lest you be shaking your head wondering how the bureaucrats in Washington state ever let it come to this, be advised: If you're currently in the U.S., your state likely isn't doing much better. Collectively America holds a D+ rating on its infrastructure report card issued by the American Society of Civil Engineers (who actually are civil engineers). Those engineers estimate we need $3.6 trillion in investment by 2020 to shore up our crumbling infrastructure (there are a few ways to do this, like this and this). No big deal.

    In other, more video-friendly infrastructure news, this 300-yard wooden railway bridge caught fire and collapsed in Lampasas County, Texas, (that's just northwest of Austin) earlier this week. Firefighters were on the scene for 15 hours trying to save it this rail link spanning the Colorado river before it succumbed to the fire damage. This bridge--which was built in 1910 and still handles regular railway freight--didn't collapse from infrastructure deficiencies (that we know of). But it did collapse spectacularly.

    [Fox News]

        




  56. Field Notes: County Fair, Red Blooded, National Crop

    → Ryan Boren | 24 May 2013 | 10:28 am MDT



  57. Microsoft "Hopes" Developers Will Make Xbox One Games Unplayable Offline

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 24 May 2013 | 10:13 am MDT

    Company also nixes backwards compatibility, suggests used games may come with an extra fee
        




  58. We’re All Basically Clueless When It Comes To How Many Calories Are In Fast Food

    → Consumerist | 24 May 2013 | 10:10 am MDT

    Maybe you can’t be bothered with those pesky calorie counts on fast-food menus, or perhaps that info isn’t posted at restaurants in your area, and instead think, “Hey, I’m sure I’m just eating [insert best estimate] calories!” You’re probably off. Way off, says a new study that looked at just how wrong diners are when it comes to estimating how … [More]



  59. These 11 Robot Bartenders Will Get You Drunk

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 24 May 2013 | 10:00 am MDT

    The MakrShakr Shaking Arm

    MIT

    These robotic bartenders can do everything from mix drinks to evaluate the quality of your wine


    Click here to enter the gallery

    In the future, we'll take self-driving cars to cookouts, raise a glass to the robots fighting wars abroad (or, okay, to their remote human operators), and drink cocktails made by robots.

    Wait, what? Robot bartenders! They're everywhere! Here, I've assembled 11 of the most intriguing autonomous machines involved in serving alcohol. Some are test models, others are hobbyist creations, and at least one is a successful crowdfunded project (yes, people are willing to pay for a bartender who doesn't sneer when you order a Malibu bay breeze--so I like fruity drinks, so the hell what?). Check out the gallery for a peek at tomorrow's most talented bartenders.

        




  60. Acid Whey: The Less Delicious Byproduct Of The Greek Yogurt Boom

    → Consumerist | 24 May 2013 | 9:55 am MDT

    Greek yogurt is a delicious dairy product that’s produced by taking regular yogurt and straining it to a delicious, protein-rich thickness. The thing is, though, all of that straining means that you’re straining something out of the yogurt. That something is more than water: it’s post-fermentation liquid called acid whey. For every three or four ounces of milk that enter … [More]



  61. Doctors Save Baby's Life With Temporary 3D-Printed Bronchus

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 24 May 2013 | 9:49 am MDT

    Printed tissue will be repopulated with healthy tissue, will dissolve within two to three years
        




  62. Federal Judge Sides with U.S. DOJ in Apple E-Books Preliminary Hearing

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 24 May 2013 | 9:46 am MDT

    This judge will oversee the trial starting June 3
        




  63. Yes, Silicon Valley, You Are as Exactly as Vain as They Say

    → Valleywag | 24 May 2013 | 9:40 am MDT

    George Packer's thesis in this week's New Yorker is simple and sober: "After decades in which the country has become less and less equal, Silicon Valley is one of the most unequal places in America." Yep. But it's the hideous truth behind the gilded new information economy, and the sloppy apologias are already streaming out.

    It takes only a zap of criticism to irritate the egos of Big Tech. The investors, founders, and engineers all live in a vacuum of negativity, where unbridled optimism is the neutral state, and food delivery via iPhone is tantamount to Nobel physics. When these fantasies are disturbed, the hive reacts in one coordinated throb—like lifting a log off a mass of Stanford-educated worms. So when Packer accuses Silicon Valley of presiding over a massive, violent shift in values, wealth, and politics, it notices—and cheerily, it tries to disrupt right back.

    "Yes, the Valley can be vacuous – but it’s more complicated than the New Yorker would have us believe" — PandoDaily, which has to issue an investor disclosure within its first two paragraphs.

    "Learning From Los Gatos: Why Silicon Valley is not the second coming of the Gilded Age," typed by Packer-target and prominent writer Steven Johnson.

    Both retorts are gracious to the point of meek, and only really serve as flaccid reminders of Packer's point: the industry is self-centered and oblivious.

    "To dismiss all the 'hottest tech start-ups,'" Pando complains, "is to ignore the work being done by serious entrepreneurs tackling serious problems." For example, medical tech software firms like Practice Fusion, Zenefits, or something called "Asthmapolis." Most of these companies are rarely covered by sites like PandoDaily. Instead, what we hear about—and where the money slides—are startups that are about "solving rich white-boy problems in Silicon Valley." Sure, "It’s easy to point to the likes of Uber and Exec," says Pando if you want to make an argument about startups favoring the indulgent and trivial. It's easy because Pando writes about them so much, and tells tales of their funding with the wide-eyed amazement of a Homeric singer.

    Startups that dream of enhancing medical care are fine and all, but they're a relative rarity, and take for granted the fact that you have health care—something plenty of people in Silicon Valley don't enjoy.

    Johnson tries to sort out Packer's spotlight on the Valley's growing split between paper millionaire and guy sleeping on a pile of newspaper:

    No doubt about it, the explosive rise in wealth and income inequality in the U.S. may well be the single most pressing problem that we face, the slow but steady reversal of the last century’s rising tide.

    But...

    I think he gets the Silicon Valley part of the story wrong, even if his motives are in the right place. Early in the piece, he cites a telling statistic: “There are fifty or so billionaires and tens of thousands of millionaires in Silicon Valley.” Think about that for a second: tens of thousands of millionaires, almost all them created by companies that didn’t exist two decades ago.

    So there you have it: wealth inequality ain't no thang, because there is more... wealth... Wait. This is exactly the problem of wealth inequality! There are indeed a hell of a lot more millionaires (and beyond!) strutting around SoMa, made overnight at the detonation of an IPO or Yahoo acquisition. This is the entire basis of the growing silicon money gap, not its antidote. It's these Google engineers and Facebook designers who are pricing out working class families and cruising in Wi-Fi-enabled buses past bread lines. There's an income explosion in California, but it's a laser-focused one, favoring, largely, the fair-skinned employees of lucrative haute tech firms. To Johnson, this is evidence against the techno-libertarianism Packer describes: would a cabal of Randians spread wealth around like Facebook is? "There’s a real estate crisis in Silicon Valley because," John has the gall to claim, "the companies in the region are much more generous in the way they share the wealth, not less." Self-generosity is not generosity. There's another term for it: selfishness.

    PandoDaily and Steven Johnson aren't malicious, they're just thoughtless. Tech's greed is a generally thoughtless one, the greed of children who don't realize that by hoarding toys, the rest of the class gets less—the greed that sees itself as progress, as a thrill, never as greed at all.



  64. NASA Inspects Ion Engine Prototype For Asteroid-Hauling Rocket

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 24 May 2013 | 9:32 am MDT

    Ion Propulsion Thruster

    An ion propulsion thruster, developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, that's being considered for NASA's Asteroid Retrieval Initiative. This thruster uses xenon ions.

    NASA/JPL-Caltech

    A look at possible propulsion for NASA's plan to bring an asteroid home for study.

    When NASA sends a rocket out to tow an asteroid into Earth orbit, it'll be ion propelled.

    Ion propulsion engines harness magnetic fields to create thrust, instead of depending on chemical explosions the way chemically fueled engines do. NASA engineers are developing such an engine for the agency's plans to bring an asteroid into Earth's orbit and then send astronauts there to study it. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden went to see a prototype engine yesterday at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the Associated Press reported.

    Bolden also praised the bring-it-to-us asteroid study plan. Originally, the Obama Administration wanted to send people to the asteroid belt, but bringing an asteroid here instead will be cheaper. The technologies the Asteroid Retrieval Initiative develops will help NASA shuttle people to Mars in the future, Bolden told the Pasadena Sun.

    Ion thrusters are more fuel efficient and last longer than chemical engines, characteristics the U.S.' asteroid-hauling rocket will need, John Brophy, an electric propulsion engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told the Pasadena Sun. NASA began researching the technology in the 1950s and first used it in a spacecraft in 2001.

    The Asteroid Retrieval Initiative will cost an estimated $2.6 billion. It should have people on an asteroid in six to 10 years. The project's leaders are looking to bring in an asteroid that's 20 to 25 feet in diameter-something that would burn up in the Earth's atmosphere in the event that it strays too close to home.

        




  65. 2 apps to help make traveling faster, cheaper

    → feeds/tech+feeds/techvideo | 24 May 2013 | 9:30 am MDT

        




  66. Chinese farmer builds own bionic hands

    → feeds/tech+feeds/techvideo | 24 May 2013 | 9:30 am MDT

        




  67. Video game aims to help young cancer patients

    → CNN.com - Technology | 24 May 2013 | 9:24 am MDT

    In the battle against cancer, one video game is taking the deadly disease head-on. And some young patients are the winners.


  68. Star Wars X-Wing Starfighter lands in NYC

    → feeds/tech+feeds/techvideo | 24 May 2013 | 9:08 am MDT

        




  69. Decode Darwin's Handwriting To Help Science

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 24 May 2013 | 9:00 am MDT

    Darwin's Chicken Scratch

    A beetle collected by Charles Darwin in Tierra del Fuego, Chile in 1833.

    Courtesy UC Berkeley News Center

    A citizen science project is transcribing handwritten field notes for more than a million insect specimens.

    Do you have a special talent for reading scribbled handwriting and an interest in looking at dead bugs?

    Rather than setting a handful of bleary-eyed undergrads with the task of transcribing hand-written field notes that correspond with its more than a million insect specimens, Calbug, a consortium of nine major entomological collections from across California, is opening the project up to the public, asking citizen scientists to help convert the records into an electronic form so they can be made available worldwide.

    Led by the University of California, Berkeley's Essig Museum of Entomology, the crowd-sourced transcription project will digitize field notes and records that correspond to insect specimens in their collections, some of which are more than 100 years old.

    The bug-enthused can catch an inside glimpse at huge sections of the museum collections, while helping make those records more accessible to people around the world. Calbug is part of Notes From Nature a larger natural history transcription project from Zooniverse that also includes Herbararium, a project to transcribe plant records from the southeast U.S.

    Zooniverse already has already enlisted citizen scientists' to help identify objects on the sea floor, classify new planets and find gravitational lenses.

    "Without the help of citizen scientists, processing the sheer volume of records held in natural history collections - estimated to be well over 2 billion worldwide - would take generations," Essig Museum director Rosemary Gillespie said in a press statement.

    Calbug's first 20,000 images came online at the end of April as part of Notes From Nature's beta launch, and 38 percent have now been catalogued by a total of 2,144 people. Herbararium's collection is currently 26 percent transcribed.

    "Along the way, you will be possibly be finding species that have never been observed anywhere else!" the Notes From Nature website adds.

    Add your own efforts to the mix here.

    [UC Berkeley News Center]

        




  70. Haswell to Bump Active Battery Life ~50 Percent, Increase Standby Time 20-Fold

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 24 May 2013 | 8:55 am MDT

    New chips take voltage regulator module (VRM) off the motherboard for the first time, into the package
        




  71. 8 big kid beach toys for sand and surf

    → feeds/tech+feeds/techvideo | 24 May 2013 | 8:45 am MDT

        




  72. Bob Lutz, Wanxiang Group Offer $20 Million for Fisker Automotive

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 24 May 2013 | 8:45 am MDT

    The company was valued at nearly $2 billion in 2011
        




  73. Oh No: Another Techie Reality Show

    → Valleywag | 24 May 2013 | 8:35 am MDT

    Bravo's attempt at making programmers interesting wasn't skull-fuck boring enough, so a new contender has risen: "Alley Girls."

    The conceit of Alley Girls is a fine one: let's show that women can do everything men can do in tech fields. But this email casting call—which denies that it's a casting call, or that this is even a reality TV show (what is it then, an opera?) dashes any hope for positivity. It isn't a sitcom, it isn't a documentary, and nothing that produced positive social change ever started with a "sizzle reel." Simply, you cannot make a reality show about programmers that isn't awful. Let's all stop trying. Full email plea below, and a look at the production company's earlier work, above.

    ————— Forwarded message —————
    From: Teresa Bigelow <teresa@vscpr.com>
    Date: Thu, May 23, 2013 at 5:36 PM
    Subject: Sizzle reel for new series / social action campaign - we want to hear your story! 5/30 @ Inc./Fast Co offices
    To: XXXXXXXX


    Hi ladies of New York tech, media and business!


    It is my pleasure to invite you to participate in the development of a new web/TV series about women in the NY tech industry — rest assured...this is NOT a reality show.

    We are shooting interviews for the sizzle reel (pitch video) next Thursday, May 30th, and we need your stories!

    As I mentioned this is not a reality show, and this is not a casting call. This is because my team and I have plans to produce a smart, entertaining and informative show about amazing women doing amazing things with the hope of motivating an intelligent — while a smidgen overstimulated — generation of females to also do amazing things. Your stories will inspire our stories.

    When: Thursday, May 30th, 11 AM - 6 PM
    Where: 7 World Trade Center - New York, NY (Inc./Fast Company)

    We are shooting interviews in 20-minute intervals. Please respond to teresa@vscpr.com with 2-3 time slots that will work for you between 11 am and 6 pm.

    The video will be unveiled at an event on June 27th! More details on that coming soon...

    What is Alley Girls?

    In collaboration with Left Brain/Right Brain Productions, we are looking to create a new series about women working and building companies in Silicon Alley.

    The high-level purpose of the series is to chip away at the subconscious perceptions that still exist in many of our girls, women and just as importantly, boys and young men across the nation – that is, the misleading notion that females are not leaders nor are they capable of maintaining the same entrepreneurial backbone as their male peers.

    This series and its campaign will hopefully help stimulate a new awareness in Gen Y / millennial youth by depicting the stories of successful, relatable and passionate female entrepreneurs of the NY tech community (i.e. YOU!), in a way that is engaging and entertaining.

    But we can't do it without you!

    At its core, this is a community-built project. You are the inspiration for this. You are the women who ignored the "Boys Only" sign and marched right in, anyway.

    We'll handle the production, logistics and snacks if you can take 20 minutes to come share your story.

    I hope you'll join us!

    Thanks for being awesome,
    Teresa



  74. Brazilian Government Invests In Robocops To Prep For World Cup, Olympics

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 24 May 2013 | 8:30 am MDT

    iRobot 510 PackBot

    iRobot

    The same robots used by the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan come to Brazil.

    Brazil has a big couple of years coming up: the FIFA World Cup and the pope are both coming to Brazil in 2014, and the summer 2016 Olympic Games will be held in Rio. To ensure the safety of those attending those events, Brazil has brought in the big guns: robots.

    The Brazilian government has contracted iRobot, makers of both circular vacuum-bots like the Roomba and military/rescue tools, to provide iRobot 510 PackBots for the preparation of these events. The 510 PackBot will be used during the construction of the Olympic stadia, to make sure no explosives are being planted during this messy phase, and also to clear routes. It's not a dissimilar job from what the 510 PackBot does in the military--and over 5,000 of them have been deployed worldwide, for military purposes. They're even used by the US military in Afghanistan.

    Brazil contracted iRobot to provide $7.2 million worth of 510 PackBots. The PackBot uses a remote controller, not unlike a videogame controller, and its base model is weatherproof and capable of withstanding a six-foot drop (and righting itself, if it lands upside-down). But it can also be equipped with all kinds of sensors and gadgetry, from high-def cameras to bomb-defusing devices to explosive detection sensors to a hazardous materials sensor that can collect and identify samples from the air.

    It's not totally clear what Brazil intends to do with the PackBots, though it's safe to assume reconnaissance. They should arrive this year, to prepare for next year's events. Read more over at CNET.

        




  75. Automattic After-Market

    → Matt Mullenweg | 24 May 2013 | 7:33 am MDT

    One of the most striking shifts in entrepreneurship when I started Automattic seven years ago was the rise of the Founder Friendly VCs. The standard operating procedure at the time for VC-backed companies consisted of bringing in “adult supervision,” founders often taking largely-ceremonial roles like “chief architect” after the business had scaled to a certain […]

  76. Lockheed F-35 Program Costs Plummeted $4.5 Billion in 2012

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 24 May 2013 | 6:00 am MDT

    All programs covered in the annual selected acquisitions report state under their spending caps
        


  77. HTC Considers "Senseless" One Smartphone

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 24 May 2013 | 6:00 am MDT

    HTC One with plain old Android expected this summer
        




  78. After months in space, gravity can be a real drag for returning astronauts

    → feeds/tech+feeds/techvideo | 23 May 2013 | 7:31 pm MDT

    Three astronauts who recently spent months together aboard the International Space Station reunited on Earth on Thursday during a Google+ Hangout to talk about their experiences aboard the orbiting lab and the challenge of readapting to life with gravity."It's great to all be back together," said NASA astronaut Kevin Ford from the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Ford, who returned to Earth on Mar...
        




  79. Meet the 28-Year-Old CEO of Bang With Friends

    → Valleywag | 23 May 2013 | 4:30 pm MDT

    The last time I met up with “C”, the CEO of Bang with Friends, it was for a boozy night of bar-hopping that ended up on a Brooklyn rooftop. He refused to tell me his last name. That changed last week when the Webutante Ball inadvertently outed Colin Hodge and his cofounder Omri Mor by listing their names in the ballot for “king” of the ball.

    The founders intended to reveal their identities on a high-profile nighttime talk show that had expressed some interest, but sometimes Internet Week has other plans for you.

    Hodge, a 28-year-old who majored in computer science at Cornell, is hardly the Tucker Max misogynist you might have expected to invent something like this. Rather, he comes across more like a friendly, sex positive brogrammer in search of a viral loop.

    As the name suggests, Bang with Friends brings the startup world’s obsession with “frictionless” service to the world of casual sex. The app serves up images of your Facebook friends and lets users click a button below each profile pic to indicate whether you would like to bone. Using the revolutionary new “double blind” formula (also employed by the dating app Tinder), users are only notified if the same friend also selected you as a potential indoor sports partner.

    According to Hodge, the service has more than 1 million users who log in about 70,000 times a day. He said that it racked up more than 19 million “down to bang” clicks since January—19 per user on average—and more than 200,000 “couples.”

    Hodge had been working on another dating site called HeardAboutYou (tagline: “IT'S LIKE LINKEDIN...FOR LOVIN”), when they got the idea for Bang with Friends. Mor was working on Ziibra, a startup that helps people rake in recurring revenue by selling subscription packages to top customers. The pair, along with a third cofounder—who is still anonymous because he's in college and his parents don’t know—met at an incubator in San Mateo called Boost. (The program is run by the same venture capital firm behind the Boost Bitcoin Fund because this is our world now).

    HeardAboutYou and its competitors had “a very sugarcoated approach,” to people’s motivations for online dating, Hodge told Valleywag. “You still had to deal with a lot of bullshit and false intentions.”

    In the year and a half he spent in the industry, said Hodge, women complained in customer interviews that there was no place they could find short-term sex partners “without looking like a total, you know, tramp.” Craigslist or Adult FriendFinder seemed too extreme—and if they checked the “casual sex” box on sites like OkCupid, they were immediately overwhelmed with messages. On the flip side, dating site regulars said they would meet people who claimed to be “looking for a relationship” only because they were worried about being filtered out otherwise.

    “After a few drinks [at Boost], the whole conversation turned to let’s just simplify this,” he said. “We decided, hey everybody has at least one friend that they’ve had an eye on.” Thus they narrowed the pool of potential mates to just Facebook friends. “From there we came up with the racy logo and decided to just go full speed ahead with making it as funny and as objectionable as possible.”

    Objectionable? “Well let me change that word,” Hodge said, backtracking, “as funny and straightforward as possible.”

    In a way, he’s right. At some point almost everyone has wanted to sleep with someone in their friend circle. I believe it’s the plot of a romcom or twenty. But if you haven't mustered the courage to ask, are you really going to outsource that secret desire to a startup? Besides, it’s not so much doing the deed, as the aftershocks to one’s relationship that can hold people back.

    The numbers, however, convinced them they were onto something. “For us, it stopped being a joke site in the first day we launched and saw the huge pick up,” he said. “I could tell immediately compared to my other dating startup. People just grokked to the idea so much faster. There was no explanation really necessary, and that’s a key point to making something viral. They’re not making this huge commitment or having to create these long profiles.”

    As of this past month, Bang with Friends has the most users in Brazil, followed by the U.S. in second and Germany in close third. College campuses are also seeing a lot of natural growth, despite the presumption that the dorm room petri dish of alcohol and lack of parental supervision would render the app unnecessary. Veteran ad exec Cindy Gallop, founder of MakeLoveNotPorn, previously told me Oxford University students raved about it.

    The reception in the tech world hasn’t been as glowing.

    Hodge says he has a good relationship with Facebook, which desperately needs its user base of 18-to-25-year-olds, especially “now that you’re hearing a decent amount of stories of people signing off.” But Apple banned Bang With Friends from the App Store after a week, citing guideline 16.1, which rejects “excessively objectionable or crude content.”

    Apple allows other hookup apps like Grindr; the only photos Bang With Friends shows are Facebook profile pictures. “Go figure,” said Hodge, who emphasized that he’s confident he can get it back in the App Store.

    Then there was the glitch, unearthed by the Daily Dot, which showed which Facebook users had registered for Bang With Friends, depending on their privacy settings. But Hodge insisted it didn’t affect sign-ups. “I think as much as a lot of the press sensationalized the headlines, Gawker included, the truth is that the vast majority of people are just not showing up on the searches,” he said, pointing out that “the most important anonymous factor” (whom you want to bang) stayed anonymous.

    Pitching venture capitalists on the idea has also been tricky.

    “We really see it as the future of how our generation can meet other people. But yeah, a lot of them are just hesitant to touch sex,” he said. “The tech industry in general, has this kind of code that let’s take the easy path, let’s take something that won’t bring a lot of controversy. We personally don’t agree with that.” The standard line seems to be, “Hey, I’m supporting you from the sidelines,” he said, with the caveat that the pitch won’t get past certain partners in a firm.

    Meanwhile, the cofounders are plugging away improving the service. I can’t check out the current version of the iPhone app, for obvious reasons. But log into the web-based version and you’ll see an infinite scroll of all your Facebook friends, sortable by gender. The first few times I tried it, some notable VCs (ehem) and happily married individuals appeared on screen.

    “We don’t want to just show you actual users because that would out everyone who is actually using it,” Hodge explained. But Bang With Friends intends to get better at displaying people who might be of interest, including incorporating its “Bangability” quotient, which factors in the number of times people have elected to “bang” someone, as well as the number of Facebook friends they have and how many of their friends use the service.

    The way things are going, maybe someday you’ll be able to get better credit just for being fuckable!

    As for how being the CEO of Bang With Friends affects his own bangability, Hodge said he’s “definitely had mixed reactions from women. Most of them can’t get over it. The whole night they’ll be like, ‘I can’t believe a Bang with friends founder blah blah blah.’ It definitely doesn’t help my game, so to speak. It’s only hurt it a few times, I guess, so it’s kind of a mixed bag.”

    If you’re in New York City and want to blah blah blah Hodge yourself, he’ll be at at the party Bang With Friends is hosting tomorrow night at the Pink Elephant.

    To contact the author of this post, please email nitasha@gawker.com.



  80. White House Admits 4 Americans Killed in Warrantless Middle East Drone Strikes

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 23 May 2013 | 3:05 pm MDT

    Admission comes after months of denials, obfuscation, and silence
        




  81. HTC One Hits 5 Million Sales in First Month, Despite Issues

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 23 May 2013 | 2:04 pm MDT

    Sales are roughly half the first-month sales of the Samsung Galaxy S IV, and a third of the Apple iPhone 5's
        




  82. Amazon Votes No on Political Transparency

    → Valleywag | 23 May 2013 | 1:30 pm MDT

    That place that sells e-books and deodorant bulk packs just held its annual shareholder meeting. There was only one proposal. It did not pass:

    That didn't lead to the issues disappearing altogether, though. In this year's annual meeting, a shareholder activist group called Investor Voice offered a shareholder proposal calling on Amazon to release a semiannual report that discloses its policies and procedures for making political contributions. That proposal lost, garnering 23.6 percent of the shareholder vote.

    CNET also notes "[Amazon CEO Jeff] Bezos faced a few critical questions from shareholders, predominantly regarding the sale of violent movies and video games." Not exactly a tough crowd today.



  83. Sean Parker's Decadent Wizard Wedding Escapes Government Crackdown

    → Valleywag | 23 May 2013 | 10:28 am MDT

    Polish your Dothraki blade and down some... Game of Thrones wine (?), because it looks like the lavish Parker/Lenas fantasy wedding has hurdled California's pesky permits. A mere construction code violation will not stop the bedding ritual of a mega-rich Facebook investor.

    It was looking dicey for a minute: state officials took issue with Parker's plans to literally build part of a castle in the middle of Big Sur's Ventana Inn campground (seen above), and claimed the required construction paperwork hadn't been filed. Castle paperwork. But the show will go on, says the Monterey Herald:

    "We are in frank, candid conversations with the county and the Coastal Commission staff," Monterey attorney Aengus Jeffers said Monday, confirming that the plan is for the event to proceed as planned.

    There's no code violation severe enough that a billionaire's lawyer can't fix it with an invisibiltiy spell. Documents pertaining to the matter are coveniently "confidential" at the moment, and the Herald notes that "the campground was reportedly already closed to the general public for sewer system repairs." What occult ceremonies are taking place there? We'll have to wait and see—but for now, we've got a few tipstery tips:

    • Wedding invites are still being handed out—as rewards for being acquired by the companies of other invitees.
    • The fare will be Greek, which is exotic enough to pass for medieval, I guess.
    • Lenas' family is ticked off about her out of wedlock steampunk baby.

    But it will be the richest steampunk baby to ever adorn itself in monocles and chainmail—does that count for nothing?



  84. Yahoo Resumes Buying Things that Make Zero Sense

    → Valleywag | 23 May 2013 | 9:35 am MDT

    The Tumblr afterglow is starting to fade, and Yahoo is back to dumping money into oddball startups without any explanation. Why? Don't ask why.

    TechCrunch reports the newest impulse buy is PlayerScale, a gaming firm that helps developers port their titles between platforms. Yahoo's reasoning on the buy is typically vague:

    “The team has built an incredible gaming platform that is used by over 150 million players worldwide. We intend to continue to support and grow PlayerScale’s technology, and we look forward to building great new experiences on Yahoo! using the PlayerScale platform.”

    The company's current gaming strategy consists of 90s hits like "Deep Sea Mahjong" and "Daily Crosswords." How will PlayerScale add to that? Is it not supposed to? Is Yahoo going to be a gaming company now, too? Is it going to integrate gaming with the other startups it's acquired, which deal in social networking, video chatting, news summarization, airline rewards, and public polling? Is this just going to be the Boxcar Children of technology? Are these companies being selected via some sort of Hunger Games death lottery? Will this mean Yahoo Mahjong for my iPhone?

    Marissa. Marissa, are you there? Marissa...



  85. Who is "Satoshi Nakamoto," the mysterious creator of Bitcoin?

    → Valleywag | 23 May 2013 | 8:48 am MDT

    Who is "Satoshi Nakamoto," the mysterious creator of Bitcoin? Maybe one of these people.



  86. The bright new world of electric paint

    → CNN.com - Technology | 23 May 2013 | 8:21 am MDT

    A group of students in London has developed an electrically conductive paint, which could change the way the world is wired.


  87. The Start-Up Ride Stops Here

    → Valleywag | 23 May 2013 | 8:14 am MDT

    Come in, close the floating glass door behind you and take a seat on the purple mitt chair. Laugh and high-five me as I tell you this: After a period of exponential growth from a single formica table into the hall of mirrors you find before you, the company has to rightsize.

    Ha ha ha! Show me those veneers—all that stands between this conversation and the rest of the office is a suspended glass cube and fourteen narwhal decals.

    The entire ROFL team is being cut, but that information is embargoed until tomorrow. We can’t have any ZOMGs out of the staff, and won’t have their commenting privileges disabled until midnight. We don’t intend to let a single downvote loose. I need you to wait until after the Thursday night luau, then quietly tape up the handles of the fußball table, turn off the M&M fountain, and put out the electric tiki torches. By morning, we’re going to be a subsidiary.

    On Friday, you will start by packing up the ball pit. You can shove it, and any social media editors you find playing there, by the “virals incubator,” aka “copyroom,” and for fuck’s sake don’t let me catch you taking the slippery slide on the way out if you want to see this Magritte-knockoff pixel rug again. Store the giant magnets in the giant cupboard under the giant whiteboard. Come to think of it, stick the giant Sharpie in there too. Effective tomorrow, HR will no longer be issuing novelty oversized checks; you will find a direct deposit form on our new Intranet, formerly the Memery. Here’s a tip, Super Mario: You’re going to want to change your intranet avatar of Mr. Cooper to something a little more professional, like a money clip or a Kindle.

    Have an intern windex the Ideas Wall clean, and rake the Digital Sandpit. I don’t want corporate getting an eyeful of our jungle gym. All Macs will be replaced with PCs, because this is a business, not a summer camp. If Russell Crowe can play Javert, you can use MS Expression to mock up your wireframes. And we’re not all “amigos” now Ben, I’m your “boss.” Nikki’s too, but there is a clanking silo wall between you and her, so if you need rescuing, you sure as hell better yell up.

    You know what’s for lunch, Ben? Whatever you buy yourself. Don’t be thinking that management gives a shit about your protein intake anymore. Dusan and his omelette station are already halfway to Indiana. Ha ha ha, lulz! You can eat your food in the common area, if you want to attempt a banh mi in front of five security cameras, or at your desk, which will be reconfigured before tomorrow’s all-company jamboree from “pods” to “batteries.” There are only three other people in your battery, for a total of four nodes. You can make a battery out of a lemon, a nail, a penny and a wire, Pacman. Never forget that you are expendable, and these people aren’t your allies, although you’ll probably want to go in on Seamless orders together now you’re all treating yourselves to lunch.

    Here are the next steps: I am going to take Nikki into YOLOand give her this same talk, because you’ve both done some good work here. But don’t think Tweeting is going to pay the bills. Filip is history, despite his FavStars—boy wouldn’t know a good gif if it hit him in the face every three seconds. Your new reading list is Jim Collins. All the Jim Collinses. Get rid of that Gladwell, and don’t bring up your “feels” ever again.

    Now hoover up those Rick Astley videos from the LAN, get yourself a real shirt, and take those ridiculous glasses off. Fist bump.

    This post originally appeared on McSweeney's. It has been republished here with permission. You can follow the author, Janet Manley, on Twitter, of course.


  88. First Apple computer up for auction

    → CNN.com - Technology | 23 May 2013 | 4:56 am MDT

    In this era of ever-accelerating technological development, we all tend to be so fixated on the gizmos of the future that we rarely take the time to think about the glorious technology of the past.


  89. Survey: Teens cooling on Facebook

    → CNN.com - Technology | 23 May 2013 | 4:54 am MDT

    There's fresh evidence that American teenagers may be growing weary of Facebook.


  90. 5 'Iron Man'-like robot suits

    → CNN.com - Technology | 22 May 2013 | 4:09 pm MDT

    Bionic exoskeletons that make us superhuman could soon be a reality -- take a look at five of the most incredible robot suits being developed.


  91. Here's how to pronounce 'GIF'

    → CNN.com - Technology | 22 May 2013 | 4:07 pm MDT

    We can't settle iPhone vs. Android or "Star Wars" vs. "Star Trek" for you. But another long-running geek debate was put to rest Tuesday night.


  92. Understand the Favicon

    → alexking.org » Blog | 22 May 2013 | 12:10 pm MDT

    This is a great overview. It should be easy and simple, but has certainly gotten more complex of late.

    #



  93. It's settled! Creator tells us how to pronounce 'GIF'

    → CNN.com - Technology | 22 May 2013 | 9:05 am MDT

    We can't settle iPhone vs. Android or "Star Wars" vs. "Star Trek" for you. But another long-running geek debate was put to rest Tuesday night.


  94. 10 fun Tumblr blogs to follow

    → CNN.com - Technology | 22 May 2013 | 6:46 am MDT

    Sure, serious-minded folks from the White House on down have taken to Tumblr, the popular blogging platform that Yahoo announced it had purchased this week.


  95. What, no ruby slippers?

    → Ryan Boren | 21 May 2013 | 6:58 pm MDT



  96. I *think* I’ve worked out the necessary changes fo…

    → alexking.org » Blog | 21 May 2013 | 11:01 am MDT

    I *think* I’ve worked out the necessary changes for WP 3.6 post formats compatibility in FavePersonal (the theme used on alexking.org).


  97. 'Toilet of the future' solves big issues

    → CNN.com - Technology | 20 May 2013 | 2:45 pm MDT



  98. On Yahoo-Tumblr

    → Matt Mullenweg | 19 May 2013 | 9:38 pm MDT

    It now looks pretty certain that Yahoo has pulled off a deal to buy Tumblr for 1.1B. The relationship between WordPress and Tumblr has always been pretty friendly: Tumblr’s own blog used to be on WP, WordPress.com supports Tumblr as a Publicize option alongside Twitter and Facebook, our Akismet team sends them daily emails of […]

  99. Summer Hat

    → alexking.org » Blog | 19 May 2013 | 3:25 pm MDT

    8755506094_d8fc1dcd18_b



  100. What’s in My Pocket

    → Ryan Boren | 18 May 2013 | 2:20 pm MDT



  101. Broccoli with Macadamia Nut and Hemp Milk Dip

    → Ryan Boren | 18 May 2013 | 2:14 pm MDT

    Raw is real. I just ate all of that raw broccoli and it was good.

  102. Houston: Modern American Boomtown

    → Matt Mullenweg | 18 May 2013 | 7:18 am MDT

    The Wall Street Journal interviews Annise Parker on Houston and calls it “The Modern American Boomtown”. I think Houston is the most under-appreciated city in North America, as anyone who’s hung out with me for more than a few hours has heard me preach.

  103. Scotch eggs for lunch. Ira’s first attempt at maki…

    → ChrisMerriman.com | 18 May 2013 | 2:46 am MDT

    Scotch eggs for lunch. Ira’s first attempt at making them! Salivating already twitpic.com/crdpy6

  104. Still More Chill Than You

    → Ryan Boren | 17 May 2013 | 7:40 pm MDT



  105. Turnip Steak

    → Ryan Boren | 17 May 2013 | 7:35 pm MDT



  106. Coffee Can Stash Tins

    → Ryan Boren | 17 May 2013 | 7:15 pm MDT

    If you know someone who still buys pre-ground coffee in 3 lb cans, get dibs on those cans.  I stripped the labels and then distressed these with sandpaper, liver of sulphur, a blowtorch, and tack hammer blows. The lids are spray painted with chalkboard paint and then chalked with lines from the 4th amendment and […]

  107. The Physical Graph

    → Matt Mullenweg | 17 May 2013 | 3:31 pm MDT

    Wired has a great cover story on Audrey portfolio company SmartThings: In the Programmable World, All Our Objects Will Act as One.

  108. The true measure of a new best practice is how pai…

    → alexking.org » Blog | 17 May 2013 | 12:39 pm MDT

    The true measure of a new best practice is how painful it is to return to projects that don’t use it.


  109. Vegan Sausage in the Greens

    → Ryan Boren | 16 May 2013 | 2:18 pm MDT

    Presented without comment.

  110. Vibrations Positive: Love’s Dart (Rude Pravo Version)

    → Ryan Boren | 16 May 2013 | 1:17 pm MDT

    By Django Django.

  111. More Chill Than You

    → Ryan Boren | 16 May 2013 | 1:08 pm MDT

    Re-laxed.

  112. Screeny Green Screen Revisited

    → alexking.org » Blog | 16 May 2013 | 10:23 am MDT

    I was certainly not alone in my problem with Screeny recording nothing but a green screen. Interestingly I got the same results from Quicktime, which made me think it was a system issue rather than an app issue. When experiencing the issue, I was on my (retina) MacBook Pro disconnected from an external monitor. I…

  113. 100 App.net Invites

    → alexking.org » Blog | 16 May 2013 | 10:05 am MDT

    If you’d like to join App.net for free, this link is your huckleberry. There are 100 invites attached to that link, so sign up quickly if you’re interested. I’ve been finding App.net making it’s way into my social stream more and more these days. With the folks I’m following, I’ve seen engagement ramp from around…

  114. My day always brightens a bit when the API I’m tal…

    → alexking.org » Blog | 15 May 2013 | 10:48 am MDT

    My day always brightens a bit when the API I’m talking to will send back JSON data.


  115. Blog Exercises: Excerpts and Continue Reading

    → Lorelle on WordPress » WordPress News | 15 May 2013 | 5:41 am MDT

    Encountered the front page of a blog where the posts ran on and on and on and on, stretching across the length of the page? Do you ever wish you had more control over the length of your posts on the front page of your site? This Blog Exercise explores the use of the “more” […]

  116. Saudi Arabia Surveillance

    → Matt Mullenweg | 14 May 2013 | 11:42 pm MDT

    A Saudi Arabia Telecom pitched Moxie Marlinspike on how to intercept Twitter, WhatsApp, Viber…

  117. University Site on WordPress? Let Akismet Kill Your Spam

    → Akismet Blog | 13 May 2013 | 12:10 pm MDT

    Much like the peanut butter and chocolate, Akismet and higher education are a match made in heaven. If your college, university, or higher educational institution’s website uses WordPress, Akismet is the best, most cost effective solution to keep your site’s forums, comment boards, and blogs free of spam. Over 150 colleges and universities trust Akismet […]

  118. Kazakh authorities,if u r going2b dumb enough2thin…

    → ChrisMerriman.com | 12 May 2013 | 11:03 am MDT

    Kazakh authorities,if u r going2b dumb enough2think that blocking WordPress.com blogs=prevent info sharing, block individual accts.

  119. WordPress 3.6 Beta 3

    → WordPress News | 10 May 2013 | 9:44 pm MDT

    WordPress 3.6 Beta 3 is now available! This is software still in development and we really don’t recommend that you run it on a production site — set up a test site just to play with the new version. To test WordPress 3.6, try the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (you’ll want “bleeding edge nightlies”). Or you can download the beta here (zip). Beta […]

  120. How to Get Listed in Technorati | CrazyEasyProfits.com

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 8 May 2013 | 2:41 pm MDT



  121. Technorati

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 8 May 2013 | 9:42 am MDT



  122. The 'Shark in Turbulent Water

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 8 May 2013 | 8:19 am MDT



  123. Ron Paul wins California Republican straw poll

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 5 May 2013 | 5:42 pm MDT



  124. Blogging Trends for 2012: What You Need to Know | Social Media Examiner

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 2 May 2013 | 2:31 am MDT



  125. WordPress 3.6 Beta 2

    → WordPress News | 29 Apr 2013 | 4:48 pm MDT

    WordPress 3.6 Beta 2 is now available! This is software still in development and we really don’t recommend that you run it on a production site — set up a test site just to play with the new version. To test WordPress 3.6, try the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (you’ll want “bleeding edge nightlies”). Or you can download the beta here (zip). The […]

  126. “respect Russia’s … ethical … & moral stan…

    → ChrisMerriman.com | 28 Apr 2013 | 2:33 am MDT

    “respect Russia’s … ethical … & moral standards”. LMFAO. Tosspot. Putin rejects foreign gay adoption buff.ly/Y5QH1k

  127. Four Little Numbers

    → Matt Mullenweg | 26 Apr 2013 | 3:19 pm MDT

    Four Little Numbers, Joen Asmussen talks about working on this year’s new default theme for WordPress, which also just launched on WordPress.com.

  128. Fragment Caching in WordPress

    → Mark on WordPress | 26 Apr 2013 | 7:11 am MDT

    Fragment caching is useful for caching HTML snippets that are expensive to generate and exist in multiple places on your site. It’s like full page HTML caching, but more granular, and it speeds up dynamic views. I’ve been using this … Continue reading →

  129. Because, Because…

    → ChrisMerriman.com | 26 Apr 2013 | 7:08 am MDT

    Someone decided to display their anger at a minister here in Kazakhstan (who does not command a great deal of respect locally, due to his inability to display much comprehension of the troubles of the average man) by launching a few eggs in his direction. I’m surprised to see this form of protest, I just [...]

  130. 4.8GHz on air-cooled i5 2500k!Still a lot of tweak…

    → ChrisMerriman.com | 26 Apr 2013 | 5:29 am MDT

    4.8GHz on air-cooled i5 2500k!Still a lot of tweaking/benchmarking 2b done,but not bad4starters.5GHz still a possibility.Until Summer ?

  131. State of the Blogosphere 2010 Introduction - Technorati Blogging

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 24 Apr 2013 | 10:51 pm MDT



  132. Summer Mentorship Programs: GSoC and Gnome

    → WordPress News | 24 Apr 2013 | 9:18 pm MDT

    As an open source, free software project, WordPress depends on the contributions of hundreds of people from around the globe — contributions in areas like core code, documentation, answering questions in the support forums, translation, and all the other things it takes to make WordPress the best publishing platform it can be, with the most […]

  133. Top 100 Blogs - 1 to 25 - Technorati

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 24 Apr 2013 | 6:04 pm MDT



  134. Tim and Anna check out the new setup (a mostly new…

    → ChrisMerriman.com | 24 Apr 2013 | 6:16 am MDT

    Tim and Anna check out the new setup (a mostly new PC for my birthday). TV in use as 4th monitor for films etc. twitpic.com/clkugs

  135. Interesting news, but”normal annual fee”quote show…

    → ChrisMerriman.com | 24 Apr 2013 | 5:56 am MDT

    Interesting news, but”normal annual fee”quote shows journo didn’t fact-check w/users-Nokia phone gets Whatsapp button bbc.co.uk/news/technolog…

  136. Joi Ito - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 23 Apr 2013 | 6:06 pm MDT



  137. WordPress 10th Anniversary Tees

    → WordPress News | 23 Apr 2013 | 10:40 am MDT

    In honor of the upcoming 10th anniversary celebrations, we’ve put a special 10th anniversary tshirt in the swag store at cost — $10 per shirt plus shipping. They’ll be on sale at this price until the anniversary on May 27, and they’ll start shipping out the week of April 29. Some people who are planning […]

  138. The Brute-Force Password Attack on WordPress Sites

    → Lorelle on WordPress » WordPress News | 22 Apr 2013 | 10:47 pm MDT

    My mother emailed me and asked if WordPress was under attack. With all the news of last week’s attack of the Boston Marathon, the attacks on WordPress and other PHP-based web publishing sites was low on the priority list for myself and others, but this is something to take seriously. As we get back to […]

  139. Jawbone UP vs Basis

    → Matt Mullenweg | 22 Apr 2013 | 11:05 am MDT

    I’ve always been into personal analytics. From Wakemate to the Nike Fuelband I’ve tried pretty much every device that’s come on the market to help you become more self-aware of your activities, and hopefully improve them as well. Lately I’ve settled on two that I think are really high quality: the Jawbone UP and the Basis […]

  140. WordPress Introduction Course in Vancouver, Washington

    → Lorelle on WordPress » WordPress News | 16 Apr 2013 | 11:36 am MDT

    I will be teaching the WordPress I Introduction course at Clark College Corporate and Continuing Education starting Saturdays, April 27 – July 13, 2013, 9am – noon, in Vancouver, Washington, just across the river from the Airport at the Columbia Tech Center. What a great way to get to learn about how WordPress works without […]

  141. Coping With Stress

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 15 Apr 2013 | 8:29 pm MDT



  142. Dave Keeps Working

    → Matt Mullenweg | 15 Apr 2013 | 6:57 pm MDT

    Dave Winer tweeted this on Saturday: I have a little spare time today so I decided to start on River3. It’ll be much much smaller and more focused than River2. — Dave Winer ? (@davewiner) April 13, 2013 One of the things I love and admire about him is that many, many years after he […]

  143. Passwords and Brute Force

    → Matt Mullenweg | 12 Apr 2013 | 5:55 pm MDT

    Almost 3 years ago we released a version of WordPress (3.0) that allowed you to pick a custom username on installation, which largely ended people using “admin” as their default username. Right now there’s a botnet going around all of the WordPresses it can find trying to login with the “admin” username and a bunch […]

  144. New music ‘rewarding for the brain’ http://t.co/D…

    → ChrisMerriman.com | 12 Apr 2013 | 5:47 am MDT

    New music ‘rewarding for the brain’ bbc.in/157mkMx

  145. Save the Date: May 27

    → WordPress News | 11 Apr 2013 | 7:48 am MDT

    What’s on May 27, you ask? May 27, 2013 is the 10th anniversary of the first WordPress release! We think this is worth celebrating, and we want WordPress fans all over the world to celebrate with us by throwing their own parties. We’re using Meetup Everywhere to coordinate, and will be putting up a website […]

  146. 10 Insights on Social Media and Blogging Influence: New Research | Jeffbullas's Blog

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 10 Apr 2013 | 2:45 am MDT



  147. RSPB: James Delingpole “has not looked into the ev…

    → ChrisMerriman.com | 9 Apr 2013 | 12:29 pm MDT

    RSPB: James Delingpole “has not looked into the evidence in a balanced way”, Pope Catholic, Bears shit in woods newstatesman.com/economics/2013…

  148. WordPress 3.6: shortcode_atts_{$shortcode} filter

    → Mark on WordPress | 4 Apr 2013 | 9:12 pm MDT

    Since WordPress 3.6 is in beta, I thought I’d use this nearly-abandoned blog (hey, been busy working on WordPress!) to talk about some of the cool stuff for developers. For the first installment, check out the new shortcode_atts_{$shortcode} filter. The … Continue reading →

  149. The Secret Recipe of Comment Spam Comments

    → Lorelle on WordPress » WordPress News | 4 Apr 2013 | 4:05 pm MDT

    Mr. Louis Vuitton just sent me a message in my blog comments I’d like to share with you. I share this touching message because it is highly educational when it comes to the art of spam comments, and serves to remind us of why we love having Akismet, the best comment spam fighter, on our […]

  150. WordPress 3.6 Beta 1

    → WordPress News | 4 Apr 2013 | 11:25 am MDT

    WordPress 3.6 Beta 1 is now available! This is software still in development and we really don’t recommend that you run it on a production site — set up a test site just to play with the new version. To test WordPress 3.6, try the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (you’ll want “bleeding edge nightlies”). Or you can download the beta here (zip). We’ve […]

  151. Tangents Are Fun To Follow

    → ChrisMerriman.com | 1 Apr 2013 | 6:55 am MDT

    And so the latest artist to pop into my random clicking? E-dubble The Freestyle Friday tracks display a rawer talent, and perhaps my predilection for rap/hip-hop that isn’t all about bee-atches and guns. Whilst I have your attention, if you have ever enjoyed any of the Rap Battle News embeds on this blog, you may [...]

  152. I am taking my leave of Weblog Tools Collection, and thanks for everything!

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 31 Mar 2013 | 7:41 am MDT

    Not many of the present readers might know me very well, and that in part, is the reason that I have made the decision to transfer WLTC to more willing and presently capable hands. I am a stranger on my blog and the time has come for me to make sure that this blog, its contents and its knowledge are archived and preserved and maybe rejuvenated at a later time. I delved into blogging tools back in 2004 when I started my Masters degree in CS. I wanted some code to mess around with in my free time and everyone was talking about blogging. I looked into a variety of tools, built a small Linux server for myself at home, and installed a few of the tools that were freely available at that time. I had a heck of a time getting a hold of MT (Moveable Type, the most well-known name) and [...]

  153. Where to Find WordPress News

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 30 Mar 2013 | 6:05 pm MDT

    The landscape of news has changed so much over the last few years that news about a particular topic or platform is readily available to anyone within an instant. With WordPress, I imagine that could be one of the perks of powering over 16% of the web, but it’s true that news is becoming incredibly accessible. In short, news is everywhere. Speaking of WordPress in general, you can of course acquire official direct news from WordPress News, but you can also take a peak behind the curtain and follow news in the making at Make WordPress.org. Though it’s only specific to the WordPress.com blogging platform, WordPress.com News is also worth watching for WordPress development news, as WordPress.com users often get access to new WordPress features before they’re released, so you’ll be able to try new features rather than just read about them. There’s more news than just direct official news, like I [...]

  154. WordPress Plugin Releases for 3/30

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 30 Mar 2013 | 8:00 am MDT

    New plugins GC Message Box allows you to highlight your key message(s) in smart ways within articles and blog posts. Simple Social Icons allows you to insert social icons in any widget area. Stick It allows you to stick the navigation menu in any theme to the top of browser window. Updated plugins Jetpack allows you to supercharge your WordPress site with powerful features previously only available to WordPress.com users. Nav Menu Images enables uploading of images for nav menu items on the menu edit screen.

  155. (Un)organized Consumption

    → Matt Mullenweg | 29 Mar 2013 | 8:20 am MDT

    On (Un)organized Consumption by Automattician Cheri Lucas. “I stopped using Instapaper. Early on, I relied on it as a space to store ideas and information I could draw from, but it quickly became my intellectual limbo: the unfortunate vault of forgotten stories and Twitter residue.” (Un)organized Consumption

  156. WordPress Theme Releases for 3/28

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 28 Mar 2013 | 8:00 am MDT

    AirTime is a subtle and simple theme. FirmaSite is a responsive theme with BuddyPress and bbPress support. Stark Lite is a minimalist and simple theme.

  157. Fight Against Trackback Death

    → Lorelle on WordPress » WordPress News | 27 Mar 2013 | 1:25 pm MDT

    I’ve heard the many threats of trackbacks and pingbacks dying over the years, going the way of the virtual dinosaur, but I’m terrified to hear from Andraz Tori that Typepad is killing pingback functionality and stating that WordPress might be considering it, removing the joy of getting a notification that someone online is talking about […]

  158. WordPress Plugin Releases for 3/25

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 25 Mar 2013 | 12:03 pm MDT

    New plugins Easy Watermark automatically adds watermark to images when they are uploaded. Internet Defense League Cat Signal automatically loads either the modal or the banner Cat Signal when there is an active campaign from the Internet Defense League. Updated plugins BFT Autoresponder allows scheduling of automated autoresponder messages and managing a mailing list. Google Analytics Dashboard for WP will display Google Analytics data and statistics inside your Dashboard. WordPress MU Domain Mapping allows users of a WordPress MU site or WordPress 3.0 network to map their blog/site to another domain.

  159. WordPress Theme Releases for 3/23

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 23 Mar 2013 | 8:00 am MDT

    Memori Jingga is a responsive, clean, and simple theme. Rockers is a responsive theme with a clean design. Satu is an elegant single-column responsive theme.

  160. WordCamp San Francisco 2013 Dates Announced

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 22 Mar 2013 | 4:24 pm MDT

    The dates have been announced for WordCamp San Francisco 2013, an event which is often heralded as the annual WordPress conference. WordCamp San Francisco 2013 will be held on July 26 and 27 at the Mission Bay Conference Center with a Developer Hack Day on July 28. A list of speakers is not yet available, but they would like you to nominate your favorite past WordCamp speakers. Will you be attending WordCamp San Francisco this year?

  161. WordPress Plugin Releases for 3/21

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 21 Mar 2013 | 8:00 am MDT

    New plugins Google Adsense Dashboard for WP will display your Google Adsense earnings and related reports inside your Dashboard. Google Analytics Dashboard for WP will display Google Analytics data and statistics inside your Dashboard. Updated plugins Ad Code Manager allows you to manage your ad codes through the WordPress admin in a safe and easy way. BFT Autoresponder allows scheduling of automated autoresponder messages and managing a mailing list. CampTix Event Ticketing is an easy to use and flexible event ticketing plugin.

  162. WordPress Theme Releases for 3/19

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 19 Mar 2013 | 8:00 am MDT

    Cazuela is a neutral colored theme. Ilisa is a clean and minimal theme that can be easily used as a personal portfolio or a business website. Partition has a light, lively, colorful, yet professional and classic appearance.

  163. WordPress Plugin Releases for 3/17

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 17 Mar 2013 | 8:00 am MDT

    New plugins Barc Chat provides a simple yet feature rich chat room for your whole community to interact in real-time directly on your site. Get Directions is a flexible and responsive map plugin. Namaste! LMS is a learning management system for WordPress. Pinterest Verify Meta Tag simply inserts the Pinterest meta tag verification code to the correct section of your site. Updated plugins BackWPup allows you to backup your WordPress database, files, and more. Ooyala Video allows you to easily embed videos from the Ooyala Video Platform.

  164. WordPress Anniversary: WordPress and Evil

    → Lorelle on WordPress » WordPress News | 11 Mar 2013 | 2:29 pm MDT

    As I look back on the ten years of WordPress, there is a dark side to blogging. While many blamed WordPress for the evil, like guns, WordPress doesn’t cause evil, people cause evil. In fact, WordPress, Automattic, and the WordPress Community has fought longer and harder against the evil doers in the world than most […]

  165. Writing for the Web Course Starts June 3, 1013

    → Lorelle on WordPress » WordPress News | 7 Mar 2013 | 4:02 am MST

    I will be teaching “Writing for the Web” at Clark College Corporate and Continuing Education in Vancouver, Washington, Tuesdays and Thursdays, June 3 – July 8, 2013. The class will be at the West Coast Bank Building in downtown Vancouver, Washington, just a few minutes from downtown Portland, Oregon. Writing on the web is now […]

  166. WordPress Course at PCC-Rock Creek in Beaverton

    → Lorelle on WordPress » WordPress News | 6 Mar 2013 | 5:44 am MST

    I will be teaching a WordPress Introduction college course at Portland Community College in Beaverton, just west of Portland, Oregon, starting April 3 – June 12, 2013. The course is a hybrid online course meetings Wednesdays from 6-9PM with a minimum of two hours online per week. Called “CMS Website Creation: WordPress,” this 3 credit […]

  167. Introduction to WordPress Class at Clark College Continuing Education

    → Lorelle on WordPress » WordPress News | 5 Mar 2013 | 2:13 pm MST

    I will be teaching another Introduction to WordPress course at Clark College Corporate and Continuing Education in Vancouver, Washington, starting Saturdays, April 27 through July 13, 2013. The class will be at the Columbia Tech Center in eastern Vancouver, just across the Columbia River off Interstate 205, just a few minutes from downtown Portland, Oregon. […]

  168. Meet the Rules of the Internet

    → CNN.com - Technology | 27 Feb 2013 | 7:37 am MST

    Hello! Welcome to the Internet. It's a big place, so let me show you around.


  169. Creating Footnotes in WordPress

    → Lorelle on WordPress » WordPress News | 26 Feb 2013 | 11:35 pm MST

    Among the many techniques students and clients request in my WordPress and blogging workshops and classes1, requests for creating footnotes in WordPress are rare, but they do happen. There are very distinctive differences between traditional writing and web publishing styles.2 Footnotes have been replaced by links to cite a reference or resource to support the […]

  170. WordPress 3.5.1 Maintenance and Security Release

    → WordPress News | 24 Jan 2013 | 3:23 pm MST

    WordPress 3.5.1 is now available. Version 3.5.1 is the first maintenance release of 3.5, fixing 37 bugs. It is also a security release for all previous WordPress versions. For a full list of changes, consult the list of tickets and the changelog, which include: Editor: Prevent certain HTML elements from being unexpectedly removed or modified in rare […]

  171. Sign into Akismet with WordPress.com Connect

    → Akismet Blog | 23 Jan 2013 | 3:32 pm MST

    With the new year upon us, your friends here at Automattic have resolved to make it easier to manage your accounts across all our services. Maybe you’re using Akismet to stop spam in its tracks, VaultPress to keep your site safe and secure, and Polldaddy to find out what your readers are thinking. Maybe you’re using WordPress.com to build a […]

  172. 2012: A Look Back

    → WordPress News | 31 Dec 2012 | 7:22 pm MST

    Another year is coming to a close, and it’s time to look back and reflect on what we’ve accomplished in the past twelve months. The WordPress community is stronger than ever, and some of the accomplishments of the past year are definitely worth remembering. Software Releases We had two major releases of the WordPress web […]

  173. A Spammy Year in Review

    → Akismet Blog | 21 Dec 2012 | 8:03 am MST

    It’s that time of the year again. Time for family members to joyfully gather for the holidays. Time to work on those ill-fated New Year’s resolutions. Time to relax and reflect on the past year and lessons learned. Here at Akismet, we proudly work year round to protect millions of sites from comment spam. To […]

  174. Akismet WordPress Plugin 2.5.7

    → Akismet Blog | 13 Dec 2012 | 2:12 pm MST

    Version 2.5.7 of the Akismet plugin for WordPress is now available. This is a maintenance release that fixes various minor bugs and includes some proactive security improvements. Changes include: Fix a bug displaying the Stats page in some versions of FireFox Fix mshots previews when using https Add .htaccess to block direct access to files […]

  175. WordPress 3.5 “Elvin”

    → WordPress News | 11 Dec 2012 | 9:54 am MST

    It’s the most wonderful time of the year: a new WordPress release is available and chock-full of goodies to delight bloggers and developers alike. We’re calling this one “Elvin” in honor of drummer Elvin Jones, who played with John Coltrane in addition to many others. If you’ve been around WordPress a while, the most dramatic […]

  176. Over 60 billion spams squashed

    → Akismet Blog | 4 Dec 2012 | 4:04 pm MST

    It works while you work, it works while you sleep, during your vacation, your weekends, and never takes a day off. Akismet, the best way to protect your online properties from spam, recently hit an incredible milestone we’re delighted to share: over 60 billion spam comments, forum comments, blog posts, pingbacks, trackbacks, and tweets squashed […]

  177. WordPress 3.5 Release Candidate 3

    → WordPress News | 4 Dec 2012 | 1:37 am MST

    The third release candidate for WordPress 3.5 is now available. We’ve made a number of changes over the last week since RC2 that we can’t wait to get into your hands. Hope you’re ready to do some testing! Final UI improvements for the new media manager, based on lots of great feedback. Show more information about […]

  178. We never talk any more: The problem with text messaging

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 31 Aug 2012 | 6:56 pm MDT

    You do not want to talk to me on the phone. How do I know? Because I don't want to talk to you on the phone. Nothing personal, I just can't stand the thing.

  179. How a supervolcano can threaten Earth

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 30 Aug 2012 | 12:27 pm MDT

    It's hard not to stand in complete awe of everything the Earth has to offer when you're in the middle of Yellowstone National Park.

  180. New York anti-fracking group draws celebrity support

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 30 Aug 2012 | 9:07 am MDT

    The family of late Beatles music icon John Lennon on Wednesday voiced opposition to a controversial process of natural gas drilling known as fracking,

  181. Apple ruling will hurt - but not for long

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 29 Aug 2012 | 7:42 am MDT

    On August 24, a jury of nine in a California federal court handed down a ruling that sent shockwaves through the global wireless phone industry. Samsung, the world's largest phone maker, was found guilty of infringing on key Apple hardware design and software elements. Samsung got Apple's attention because of its size, but every Android device manufacturer now needs to consider potential exposure areas that could put them in the crosshairs as Apple tries to slow Android growth.

  182. FAA reconsiders limits on consumer electronics in the sky

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 28 Aug 2012 | 2:19 pm MDT

    Will the familiar warning for airline passengers to "discontinue the use of all portable electronic devices" become a relic of the past?

  183. Nikon's latest camera runs Android

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 22 Aug 2012 | 11:28 pm MDT

    The gulf between smartphones and cameras is getting smaller, thanks to a new point-and-shoot camera from Nikon that's powered by the Android operating system.

  184. Apple and Samsung make final cases to jury in patent trial

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 22 Aug 2012 | 4:17 am MDT

    After three weeks, the closely watched Apple versus Samsung patent trial wound down Tuesday with four hours of closing arguments.

  185. Review: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet is mightier with pen

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 16 Aug 2012 | 9:59 pm MDT

    When Samsung's Galaxy Note smartphone went on sale in the U.S. in February, two things made it, um, noteworthy. At 5.3?, its display was the largest one ever offered on a phone. And the Note came with Samsung's S Pen, a precision stylus which let you jot notes and sketch pictures without jabbing at the screen with your finger.

  186. Twitter founders unveil new blogging tool

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 15 Aug 2012 | 10:39 pm MDT

    There's yet another way to post writing and photos and share them with other people online. Medium is a new blogging tool for people who feel constrained by Twitter and overwhelmed by Blogger or Tumblr.

  187. Saudi Arabia objects to .gay and .islam domain names

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 15 Aug 2012 | 9:13 pm MDT

    The Saudi Arabian government is objecting to a number of proposed new Internet address endings, including .gay, .bar, .baby and .islam.

  188. Pro Tip: Testing, testing

    → Akismet Blog | 19 Jul 2012 | 8:33 pm MDT

    If you’re developing a new implementation for the Akismet API, or integrating an existing library with your own application, you will of course need to test it. Often we see developers get ahead of themselves, making a few trivial API calls with minimal values and drawing the wrong conclusions about Akismet’s accuracy. Here are a […]

  189. Erroneous claims of vulnerabilities in the Akismet plugin

    → Akismet Blog | 18 Jul 2012 | 4:50 pm MDT

    Recently we were alerted to several claims of security flaws in the Akismet 2.5.6 plugin for WordPress. We tested the claims of vulnerabilities in the current version of the Akismet plugin, and found them to be baseless. There was a minor exploit possible in version 2.5.3, but this had already been fixed in a routine […]

  190. Legacy plugin 2.4.1 is now available

    → Akismet Blog | 18 Jul 2012 | 4:46 pm MDT

    Version 2.4.1 of the legacy Akismet plugin is now available. The 2.4 branch of Akismet is for old versions of WordPress only, WP 2.9 and earlier. This is a security update. 2.4.1 fixes a XSS vulnerability. Anyone still using an old version of WordPress should update to Akismet 2.4.1: akismet-2.4.1.zip (svn) Users of WordPress 3.0 […]

  191. WP Help 1.0

    → Mark on WordPress | 17 Jul 2012 | 10:05 am MDT

    My WP Help plugin just got a huge update. Version 1.0 is really worth checking out. I’m quite proud of it. WP Help WP Help is a plugin for creating documentation for display within the WordPress admin. Many WordPress installs … Continue reading →

  192. “The writer should be the one to click it”

    → Mark on WordPress | 27 Jun 2012 | 11:03 am MDT

    The beauty of Web publishing, and the specific beauty of TechCrunch, is that the only barrier between bloggers’ overflowing brains and readers’ racing hearts is a publish button. And the writer should be the one to click it. [...] Over … Continue reading →

  193. How WordPress Handles Dashes and Hyphens

    → Mark on WordPress | 25 Jun 2012 | 9:59 am MDT

    WordPress has always valued typography. Properly “curled” quotes, fancy dashes — like this — and more. I want to look specifically at dashes, and talk about how WordPress handles the conversion of hyphens to dashes. First, let’s talk about the … Continue reading →

  194. Pro Tip: tell us your comment_type

    → Akismet Blog | 18 Jun 2012 | 6:31 pm MDT

    This is the first in an irregular series of tips for developers interacting with the Akismet API. Akismet is very heavily dependent on the quality of the data included in API calls. Whether you’re developing a custom implementation, or maintaining an Akismet extension for a CMS or forum application, we’d like to help you get […]

  195. 50 Billion Little Pieces

    → Akismet Blog | 29 May 2012 | 7:39 pm MDT

    Akismet passed another milestone: we caught our 50 billionth piece of spam yesterday. TechCrunch has the details: In April, Akismet blocked 1.8 billion spam messages, or 60 million pieces of spam per day, 2.5 million per hour, or 700 per second. Whoa, that’s a lot of spam. Akismet, those with long memories will recall, was […]

  196. WordPress Skeleton

    → Mark on WordPress | 26 May 2012 | 9:16 am MDT

    At my “Scaling, Servers, and Deploys — Oh My!” talk (slides) at WordCamp San Francisco 2011, I talked a bit about my ideal WordPress repo setup. In the spirit of sharing, I’ve now made that skeleton setup into a GitHub … Continue reading →

  197. How I built “Have Baby. Need Stuff!”

    → Mark on WordPress | 15 May 2012 | 2:18 pm MDT

    Have Baby. Need Stuff! is a baby gear site that my wife and I just launched. I thought I’d share how I built it. WordPress Core WordPress is a Git submodule, with the content directory moved to the /content/ directory. … Continue reading →

  198. Act now to stop Internet censorship legislation in the United States

    → Mark on WordPress | 16 Nov 2011 | 1:02 pm MST

    Right now, the United States Congress is holding hearings on legislation that will have disastrous effects on free speech and the Internet. This video gives a good overview: One of the reasons that I help make WordPress is because of … Continue reading →

  199. Translating WordPress Plugins and Themes: Don’t Get Clever

    → Mark on WordPress | 5 Oct 2011 | 11:41 pm MDT

    When you use the WordPress translation functions to make your plugin or theme translatable, you pass in a text domain as a second parameter, like so: This text domain is just a unique string (usually your plugin’s WordPress.org repository slug). … Continue reading →

  200. That’s a lot of shortcodes

    → Mark on WordPress | 31 Aug 2011 | 12:54 pm MDT

    I did a scan of the WordPress plugin directory today, and found the following shortcodes in use. The list is non-exhaustive, as some shortcodes are specified with variables. This is just the list of basic quoted string shortcodes that I … Continue reading →



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