The Computing Trend that Will Change Everything
The performance of computers has shown remarkable and steady growth, doubling every year and a half since the 1970s. What most folks don’t know, however, is that theelectrical efficiency of computing (the number of computations that can be completed per kilowatt-hour of electricity used) has also doubled every year and a half since the dawn of the computer age.
http://www.technologyreview.com/business/40016/
Google’s Washington Night
The annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is Hollywood’s big night in Washington.
Movie and television stars arrive by the private jet load. Cable channels like MSNBC spend lavishly on parties. Moguls like Rupert Murdoch and Robert A. Iger endure banquet food in hopes of rubbing an important political elbow or two.
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/08/googles-washington-night/
AOL Sells 800 Patents For $1.1 Billion To Microsoft [Memo To Staff]
This just in: one chapter of AOL’s patent journey is coming to an end. The company is selling 800 patents to Microsoft for just north of $1 billion: $1.056 billion in cash to be exact.
Tim Armstrong, the CEO of AOL (which owns TechCrunch), says that the company will continue to hold on to about 300 patents and patent applications after the sale. These span “core and strategic technologies” around advertising, search and content generation, he noted in a memo to employees. [Full memo below the break.]
http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/09/aol-sells-800-patents-for-1-billion-to-microsoft-memo-to-staff/
AT&T to sell most of Yellow Pages business to private equity firm Cerberus for $950M
AT&T Inc. on Monday said that it had agreed to sell a majority stake in its Yellow Pages business to the private-equity firm Cerberus Capital for $950 million.
The sale is part of AT&T’s strategy to jettison shrinking parts of its business to focus on growing ones, particularly wireless. Revenue from the Yellow Pages business has shrunk 30 percent in two years, as consumers turn to the Web instead of phone books.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/industries/atandt-to-sell-yellow-pages-business-to-private-equity-firm-cerberus-for-950m-plus-stake/2012/04/09/gIQAuAkn5S_story.html
Google Plots Web Domain-Buying Spree
This week marks a major step toward a dramatically expanded internet, but only a few brands — including Google and Deloitte — say they’ll take advantage of it.
On April 12, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers will stop accepting applications for a new round of generic top-level domains, or gTLDs, the part of a web address that appears to the right of the period (“com” and “org” are among 22 current top-level domains). The application process is expected to result in hundreds, if not thousands, of new gTLDs, which will likely start going live sometime next year.
http://adage.com/article/digital/google-plots-web-domain-buying-spree/234009/
Meet Generation C: The Connected Customer
Marketers, educators, parents, it seems that almost anyone in the Generation X or Boomer demographic is scratching their heads trying to figure out Generation Y aka the Millennial. After all, it’s the first generation to seemingly possess digital prowess as part of their DNA. And, it’s the first generation to receive both a birth certificate and a social profile or presence upon delivery into this world.
A study published in 2011 by security company AVG and Research Now surveyed 2,200 mothers from around the world and found that 81% of children under the age of two currently have some type of digital footprint. 92% of U.S. children have an online presence created for them by the time they are 2 years old. In many cases, a digital presence is born before the child, with sonograms (23%) actively published and shared on social networks and blogs.
http://www.briansolis.com/2012/04/meet-generation-c-the-connected-customer/
MPAA Joins Google, Facebook, EFF In Repeat Infringer Copyright Battle
As the battle over the DMCA’s requirements and boundaries heats up, Google, Facebook, the EFF, Public Knowledge and now the MPAA have become involved in a copyright case currently being heard by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. Is it enough for a site to perform takedowns when copyright holders demand them, or must it also take additional steps to remove repeat infringers?
Flava Works, Inc v. Gunter is an ongoing case involving an adult studio plaintiff and a user-submitted video links/video embedding site.
http://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-joins-google-facebook-eff-in-repeat-infringer-copyright-battle-120409/
Ex-Facebook insiders building next wave of Silicon Valley firms
All eyes are on Facebook Inc., which is on the verge of a $100-billion initial public stock offering.
But the people to watch are an elite group of former company insiders. Already loaded, or soon to be, thanks to the looming Wall Street payday, these Facebook pals are furiously building the next generation of Silicon Valley companies.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-facebook-friends-20120407,0,6838779.story
On Release Date, Crucial Nokia Phone Is Hard to Buy in New York
AT&T said last month that when Nokia’s new Lumia 900 phone went on sale April 8, it would benefit from the company’s biggest product introduction ever, exceeding even the iPhone’s.
The big day is here. But nearly all 39 AT&T stores within proximity of Times Square in Manhattan were either closed for Easter Sunday or did not answer phone calls. The few that were open did not have the handset in stock.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/08/nokia-lumia-900-easter-sunday/
