Facebook’s numbers
I like to look at raw numbers every once in a while, without external influence, to recalibrate my ability to judge the magnitude of things. Here are some of the numbers from Facebook’s most recent S-1 filing (published on May 3rd) which I think are important as metrics to compare against when thinking about relative success and opportunity. (Sources are at the bottom.)
http://dcurt.is/facebooks-numbers

Online Gambling: What a Long Strange Trip It’ll Be
Gambling is coming to a social game near you. This was the unanimous opinion of everyone who attended GIGse, the Global Gaming Expo, in San Francisco last week. The big question is when?

The answer, based on the all the legal and regulatory roadblocks that exist, is not anytime soon. And, in the ad-libbed words of the Grateful Dead, “what a long strange trip it’ll be.”
http://mashable.com/2012/05/04/online-gambling/

Loeb Demands Yahoo Board Fire CEO by Monday Over False Resume
Now that activist shareholder Dan Loeb has discredited Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson’s educational credentials and credibility, he’s going full bore after the company’s directors.
In a new letter to Yahoo’s board of directors today, Loeb and his shareholder firm Third Point called for the company to disclose details of Thompson’s vetting process and, more importantly to reveal whether or not Yahoo directors knew of the holes in his academic background. They also demanded that Yahoo fire Thompson and director Patti Hart, about whose academic background questions have also been raised.
http://allthingsd.com/20120504/loeb-demands-yahoo-board-fire-ceo-by-monday-over-false-resume/

How smartphones and tablets are fueling commerce
Smartphones and tablets are driving both in-store and online commerce, but their roles are distinct in many ways. Nielsen shed some light on how consumers are using both types of devices to aid their shopping.

Overall, 79 percent of respondents in a survey conducted in the first quarter said they had shopped using their smartphone or tablet. But when it came time to buy, 42 percent of tablet owners said they bought purchased items on their device compared to 29 percent of smartphone owners.
http://gigaom.com/2012/05/03/how-smartphones-and-tablets-are-fueling-commerce/

Feds Seized Hip-Hop Site for a Year, Waiting for Proof of Infringement
Federal authorities who seized a popular hip-hop music site based on assertions from the Recording Industry Association of America that it was linking to four “pre-release” music tracks gave it back more than a year later without filing civil or criminal charges because of apparent recording industry delays in confirming infringement, according to court records obtained by Wired.

The Los Angeles federal court records, which were unsealed Wednesday at the joint request of Wired, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the First Amendment Coalition, highlight a secret government process in which a judge granted the government repeated time extensions to build a civil or criminal case against Dajaz1.com, one of about750 domains the government has seized in the last two years in a program known as Operation in Our Sites.
http://m.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/05/weak-evidence-seizure/

Your Embarrassing MySpace Profile Will Probably Never Be Deleted From the Internet
It’s time to talk about one of the overlooked banes of the internet: The Curse of the Zombie MySpace Profile. Many former MySpace users are stuck forever with old profiles stamped across their Google results like a bad butterfly tattoo, reminding everyone of how lame they once were. Including me.
http://gawker.com/5907459/your-embarrassing-myspace-profile-will-probably-never-be-deleted-from-the-internet?utm_campaign=socialflow_valleywag_twitter&utm_source=valleywag_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Floyd Mayweather Pulls No Punches With Social Media [Q&A]
Floyd “Money” Mayweather will tell you he’s the greatest boxer in the world, and with a professional record of 42-0 he may well be right. But what’s not up for debate is whether any other fighter is within punching distance of him in the digital ring.

Mayweather has more than 2.7 million followers on Twitter, where he frequently interacts with fans and posts updates on adventures with his crew of friends and supporters, the Money Team. But Twitter is just the beginning of Mayweather’s online involvement. He has about 1.3 million subscribers on Facebook, and his YouTube channel has amassed nearly 5 million views. He’s even using Instagram, where he’s racked up nearly 300,000 followers to become one of that network’s most popular athletes.
http://mashable.com/2012/05/03/floyd-mayweather-social-media/

FBI: We need wiretap-ready Web sites — now
The FBI is asking Internet companies not to oppose a controversial proposal that would require the firms, including Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo, and Google, to build in backdoors for government surveillance.

In meetings with industry representatives, the White House, and U.S. senators, senior FBI officials argue the dramatic shift in communication from the telephone system to the Internet has made it far more difficult for agents to wiretap Americans suspected of illegal activities, CNET has learned.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57428067-83/fbi-we-need-wiretap-ready-web-sites-now/

Angry Birds Land On Facebook Timelines
Angry Birds can now take flight directly from Facebook users’timelines following developer Rovio’s introduction of its new “Share & Play” feature.

Share & Play allows Angry Birds players to share and embed levels directly onto their timelines, as well as onto blogs and Web pages, and the game can be launched and played instantly from those locations.
http://allfacebook.com/angry-birds-share-play_b87922

Facebook IPO to Seek $85 Billion to $95 Billion Value
Facebook Inc. is planning to set the price range for its impending initial public offering in the high-$20s to mid-$30s a share, valuing itself at roughly $85 billion to $95 billion, said people familiar with the matter.

The pricing puts the social network on track to become the most valuable U.S. Web company at the time of an IPO, exceeding Google Inc.’s $23 billion valuation in 2004. It would also put Facebook just behind the market capitalization ofAmazon.com Inc. and ahead of other technology giants like Hewlett-Packard Co
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052702304746604577382210530114498-lMyQjAxMTAyMDAwMzEwNDMyWj.html

For TV networks, social is hugely important
n the heyday of television, networks and advertisers craved the hottest TV shows, those capable of producing “water cooler” conversation the next morning.

My, how times have changed in the digital era. “The water cooler used to be the next day, now it’s while the show is going on,” says Greg Kahn, executive vice president of ad-buying firm Optimedia.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/talkingtech/story/2012-05-02/social-media-tv/54705524/1

Skype Knew of Security Flaw Since November 2010, Researchers say
Skype was told a year and a half ago about a security flaw that allows for the location tracking of customers, but left it unfixed, the security researchers who first discovered the vulnerability told CIO Journal.

The flaw, which allows hackers to secretly track IP addresses, should be of interest to CIOs. Skype, which is now owned by Microsoft, said last year about 37% of its 663 million community members use the “Skype product platform occasionally or often for business-related purposes.”
http://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2012/05/01/skype-knew-of-security-flaw-since-november-2010-researchers-say/

Amazon TV: Retail Giant Gets Into Original Programming With New Comedy And Kids’ Shows On The Way
Amazon is looking to add some new shows to its streaming video library — specifically, yours.

The online e-commerce giant with theburgeoning Instant Video site hasannounced a major initiative from its Amazon Studios wing: Starting now, Amazon is accepting ideas for TV shows from anybody who has a pilot script, an idea for five or six episodes, and an Internet connection. Amazon says that it wil be selecting one idea per month to put into development. If it passes muster and Amazon decides to produce a full slate of shows, the creator will be given $55,000, up to five percent on sales of licensed merchandise, and “other royalties and bonuses,”per a press release from Amazon.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/02/amazon-tv-original-programming_n_1471757.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

LifeStreet Media Closes $66 Million Financing to Reign Supreme Over Facebook and Mobile In-App Advertising
What if there was a company that had paid mobile and social app publishers more than $100 million in ad revenue and driven 200 million app downloads to date but almost no one knew about it? What if that same company was serving 21 billion monthly ad impressions to 300 million unique Facebook users and 160 million unique mobile users? How could a company like this stay under the radar?

Until recently, LifeStreet Media has purposefully kept behind the scenes. It’ll have a much harder time doing so after today’s announcement of its $66 million financing led by Nautic Partners. The company has not released information on any previous financings, however it is reported to have raised only $3.6 million to date.
http://pandodaily.com/2012/05/03/lifestreet-media-closes-60-million-financing-to-reign-supreme-over-facebook-and-mobile-in-app-advertising/

Google Pledges $200 Million to Market Premium YouTube Channels
Google, which has already pledged $100 million to create a slew of premium video channels on YouTube, announced on Wednesday it will sink another $200 million into marketing them across its various ad networks.

The company will use YouTube, the Google Display Network, and other formats to promote the channels, according to a YouTube rep. Google also threw a big bash in New York Wednesday night featuring Jay-Z, Julie Stiles, Jennifer Beals, Virginia Madsen and Flo Rida to make some noise about the channels during the TV network upfronts, the annual event in which network execs and media buyers converge in the Big Apple to sell ad commitments based on the upcoming fall season. In addition to the new marketing heft, YouTube is planning a programmable channel guide to make finding such premium content easier.
http://mashable.com/2012/05/03/youtube-premium-channels-marketing/

Is remote work bad for introverts?
Traditional business culture, with its emphasis on networking, meetings and pitching, doesn’t generally favor introverts. And as Susan Cain argued fairly recently in The New York Times, the current management mania for collaboration, is making matters worse for the quiet ruminators among us. Is remote working the solution to the problem?

We tackled this question in relation to the coworking movement previously, soliciting opinions from space owners and users. Many of them argued that, though coworking spaces have a social element and stress togetherness and connection, the fact that the user sets their own level of contact, as opposed to having interactions dictated by a boss, meanscoworking provides a good balance of interaction and alone time for introverts.
http://gigaom.com/collaboration/is-remote-work-bad-for-introverts/

Microsoft Hires 14 Yahoo Researchers to Kick-Start New NYC Research Lab
Over the weekend, I reported that Duncan Watts, the well-known social network researcher, had left Yahoo to join Microsoft. Turns out he’s not the only one.
Microsoft snatched up not only Watts, but 13 other Yahoo researchers to kick-start a yet-to-be-opened New York research lab. That includes algorithmic economist David Pennock — who will oversee day-to-day lab operations — and machine-learning expert John Langford.
http://allthingsd.com/20120502/microsoft-hires-14-yahoo-researchers-to-kickstart-new-nyc-research-lab/

Zynga’s New Ad Pitch for Draw Something: ‘Draw This Brand’
Zynga’s latest big-ticket acquisition has already figured out how to draw in users, but now Draw Something has an ad model that brings brands into the picture.

Until recently, the Pictionary-like game had only run spammy banner ads in its free mobile app that, including the paid no-ads version, has amassed a staggering 50 million downloads in five months. Now, with a direct-sales force that’s been on the ground for a whole eight weeks, Draw Something is inserting advertisers’ paid terms into the game for players to literally draw brands.
http://adage.com/article/digital/zynga-s-ad-pitch-draw-draw-brand/234515/

Spotify (Finally) Shows Up on the iPad
You wanted a Spotify iPad app? You’ve got a Spotify iPad app.

It’s pretty, and it takes advantage of the tablet’s bigger screen to showcase artist artwork and other cool stuff. Just like you’d expect from an iPad app.
http://allthingsd.com/20120502/spotify-finally-shows-up-on-the-ipad/

The Future of Money and Mobile Commerce
If you’re over the age of 20, you’ve likely used a credit card, counted change and maybe even written a check. But is all that about to change?

Mobile payment hasn’t become the de facto method of financial transactions just yet, but it is projected to overtake those archaic checkbooks and bank notes you’ve been lugging around.
http://mashable.com/2012/05/02/future-of-mobile-payments/

An Apple CEO-in-waiting sells 95% of his company shares
Scott Forstall took home a chunk of change Friday.

Taking advantage of Apple’s (AAPL) relatively high (but not record) share price, the company’s senior vice president for iOS software — someone often mentioned as possible successor to Steve Jobs and Tim Cook — sold 64,151 shares at prices ranging from $601 to $605 to clear $38.7 million in one day. (SEC Form 4.)
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/05/02/an-apple-ceo-in-waiting-sells-95-of-his-company-shares/

Unifyo launches as a unified inbox for maintaining social relationships (exclusive)
A startup called Handy Elephant has just released an app to bridge the gap between your inbox and cloud applications. The app, called Unifyo, is to be a unified inbox where people can check and respond to all incoming social networking messages in your email client.

The product’s makers ultimately hope to help people successfully maintain and build deeper relationships with the thousands of contacts they’ve encountered on the web.
http://venturebeat.com/2012/05/02/unifyo/

Jennifer Lopez to Premiere Music Video on Twitter
Pop singer Jennifer Lopez announced that she will be premiering her new music video “Follow the Leader” exclusively on Twitter Thursday.

Lopez posted a note on Facebook that told fans to follow her on Twitter (@Jlo) for a tweet with the video.
http://mashable.com/2012/05/02/jennifer-lopez-twitter/

How Treyarch created realistic human faces in Call of Duty: Black Ops II
As the cinematics lead for Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Adam Rosas has a tough job. Rosas (pictured below) had to use current-generation console technology to create convincing facial expressions and performances for the characters in the game such as Frank Woods. The end result are some highly realistic animated characters who have believable face-to-face conversations in the title’s movie-like sequences that take place in between gameplay scenes.
http://venturebeat.com/2012/05/01/how-treyarch-created-realistic-human-faces-in-call-of-duty-black-ops-ii/

Google introduces ‘VC Office Hours’, Google+ hangouts with top Silicon Valley figures
Google+ is often lamented for failing to capture the attention of mainstream social network users and, almost in response to that accusation, Google is launching an interesting initiative that will see top figures from Silicon Valley participate in hangouts on the social network.
http://thenextweb.com/google/2012/05/02/google-introduces-vc-office-hours-google-hangouts-with-top-silicon-valley-figures/

Mozilla Slams CISPA, Breaking Silicon Valley’s Silence On Cybersecurity Bill
While the Internet has beenbristling with anger over the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, the Internet industry has been either silent or quietly supportive of the controversial bill. With one exception.

Late Tuesday, Mozilla’s Privacy and Public Policy lead sent me the following statement:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2012/05/01/mozilla-slams-cispa-breaking-silicon-valleys-silence-on-cybersecurity-bill/

Revealed: Facebook Messenger for iPad, iPhone app with video chat in the works
While Facebook has focused on smartphones for its standalone Facebook Messenger app, the company is currently developing a version for the Apple iPad. A reliable source has provided an in-depth look at an early beta version of Facebook Messenger iPad, and those comfortable with the iPhone version should feel right at home with the new app. Facebook Messenger for iPad is basically a larger version of the iPhone application with one-to-one messaging, group chatting, push notifications, the ability to see friend locations on a map, and more. We have a full gallery of the iPad app after the break.
http://9to5mac.com/2012/05/01/revealed-facebook-messenger-for-ipad-iphone-app-with-video-chat-in-the-works/

Bing Strips Down Results Page To Make Google Look Like “Search Overload”
While Google keeps cramming its search results pages full of tools and social content, today Bing confirmed with me the full roll out a redesigned search results page that completely clears the left sidebar, and replaces the tabbed header with a cleaner set of links. Bing’s Facebook integration is also more subtle now, instead of plastering names and faces beneath Liked results.
http://techcrunch.com/2012/05/01/bing-redesigned-search-results/

Exclusive: $99 Xbox 360 + Kinect bundle launching next week with two-year subscription
Microsoft is planning to launch a $99 Xbox console package with a monthly subscription as early as next week, according to our sources. The software giant will offer the 4GB console with a Kinect sensor at its range of Microsoft Stores in the US, subsidized with a monthly cost of $15. We’re told that the two-year subscription will provide access to the Xbox Live Gold service and possibly some additional streaming content from cable providers or sports package providers. Customers who sign-up for the deal will also be covered under a two-year warranty.
http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/2/2993600/99-xbox-360-kinect-subsidized-bundle

Louis C.K., Facebook, Instagram Among 2012 Webby Awards Winners
When Louis C.K. released his comedy special “Live at the Beacon Theater” by himself on his website for $5, it was little more than a cautiously optimistic experiment.

Less than two weeks later, it had reaped more than $1 million. Already among the most respected stand-ups in the country, Louis C.K. was suddenly a new media trailblazer, too.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/01/webby-awards-2012-louis-ck-facebook-instagram_n_1467235.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

The New Pay Phone and What It Knows About You
The term pay phone has a new meaning today.

For consumers who wish to ditch their wallets, paying through a mobile phone can be awfully convenient. Those same consumers can also, often unwittingly, give up valuable information about themselves to merchants that want to sell them things.

A new survey by law professors at the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that most Americans are uneasy with the idea that their phones could divulge behavioral and personal information, like phone numbers and in-store browsing habits.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/30/the-new-pay-phone-and-what-it-knows-about-you/

Facebook’s new ‘life-saving’ feature: Share that you’re an organ donor on your Timeline
We knew that Mark Zuckerberg would announce something that would help Facebook users ‘save lives’ but today the company has revealed that it will allow users to state that they are organ donors on their Timeline, providing links to help them sign up with a donor registry also.

The social network aims to help the 114,000 people in the US and millions around the world who are awaiting transplants, alerting friends and family that they are registered to donate their organs in the event of their death.
http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2012/05/01/facebooks-new-life-saving-feature-share-that-youre-an-organ-donor-on-your-timeline/

Growing Up Google: How Cloud Computing Is Changing a Generation
A few weeks ago, a school administrator shared a story about how he tried to block Google’s chat feature, but his students created a workaround. They opened up a new Google Doc, shared it with friends, and used the sidebar chat to talk with each other.

Although the behavior was worrisome to the administrator, it was hard not to be impressed at how cleverly these 7th graders interacted with the software. These students literally grew up on Google’s products, and that’s largely thanks to Google.
http://mashable.com/2012/04/30/generation-growing-up-google/

Facebook IPO Docs Could Get Approval This Week, Followed by Road Show With Zuckerberg (No Guarantee on Tie)
According to sources close to the situation, Facebook is anticipating getting approval from government regulators to officially distribute its S-1 public offering prospectus to investors within days, which would mean its road show could begin as early as next week.

As I reported back in January, the social networking giant is expected to go public in the second or third week of May, a timeline (get it?) which currently appears to be on track.
http://allthingsd.com/20120501/facebook-ipo-docs-could-get-approval-this-week-followed-by-road-show-with-zuckerberg-no-guarantee-on-tie/

Mobile App Marketers Get New Tools From AdWords
Those marketing mobile applications via Google AdWords are getting some new weapons in their arsenal this week. Google has announced four new tools: a new Mobile App extension for AdWords, additional information to the click-to-download format, the ability to see Google Play stats in AdWords, and Custom Search Ads for mobile apps.
http://searchengineland.com/mobile-app-marketers-get-new-tools-from-adwords-119891

Samuel ‘Mouli’ Cohen Sentenced To 22 Years In Prison For $30 Million Fraud
A former high-tech executive convicted of defrauding investors of at least $30 million was sentenced Monday to 22 years in prison after a judge denounced him for fleecing nearly 100 victims to finance an “obscene lifestyle” of private jets, gaudy jewelry and Swiss bank accounts.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said Samuel “Mouli” Cohen was “nearly sociopathic” for refusing to show remorse for actor Danny Glover and others who suffered after he told them a company Cohen launched called Ecast that made electronic jukeboxes for bars was about to be acquired by Microsoft Corp.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/01/samuel-mouli-cohen-sentence-prison_n_1467105.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

Nope! Still No Bubble Here, Says Marc Andreessen.
It will be a man-bites-dog story when a prominent tech investor comes out and declares that we are in fact in a bubble, and that they’ve stopped investing in tech companies.

But for the record: Marc Andreessen, who is now perhaps Silicon Valley’s most prominent investor, does not think we’re in a bubble.
http://allthingsd.com/20120501/nope-still-no-bubble-here-says-marc-andreessen/

This Is What a Kickstarter Scam Looks Like
When Kickstarter projects go wrong, backers often think they’ve been scammed; usually, the creators simply overpromised. But a campaign for an action video game, MYTHIC: The Story Of Gods and Men, has just been busted by forum users at Reddit, SomethingAwful and Rock, Paper, Shotgun. The creators claimed to be an independent studio, “Little Monster Productions,” of 12 industry veterans in Hollywood. “Our team has done a significant amount of work on the World of Warcraft series as well as Diablo 2 and the original Starcraft,” says the project page.
http://www.betabeat.com/2012/04/30/this-is-what-a-kickstarter-scam-looks-like/

Apple Doesn’t Want Musicians to See Secret Steve Jobs Deposition
Aftermath Records, a division of Universal Music Group, is about to go to trial in a case that will determine what money is owed over digital music to producers of many hit Eminemrecords. Meanwhile, in another case — a class action against UMG brought by many musicians including Rob Zombie, the estate of Rick James, and others — the plaintiffs are demanding to see trial exhibits, expert reports, depositions and other documents from the Eminem case. The discovery request has brought a strong objection from Apple Inc., which is trying to shield these documents from coming out. Among the evidence being sought is a deposition of Steve Jobs, which when it was first produced, led to the extraordinary move by the judge of ordering most everyone out of the courtroom, including UMG’s employees.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/apple-steve-jobs-deposition-universal-music-317999

Top Startup Incubators And Accelerators: Y Combinator Tops With $7.8 Billion In Value
Incubators have become an increasingly important part of the tech startup scene in recent years.

A number of hot startups have emerged from these programs, encouraging more new entrepreneurs to apply. They’ve become so popular that about one accelerator a day launches these days, says David Cohen, head of TechStars. Not only are they popping up in many cities, but also in specific verticals, such as education. These incubators have been called alternatives to MBAs. Emphasizing that concept, Y Combinator now even accepts applicants who don’t even have a startup idea.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2012/04/30/top-tech-incubators-as-ranked-by-forbes-y-combinator-tops-with-7-billion-in-value/

Mark Zuckerberg joins Viddy – it might really become ‘Instagram for video’ now
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg just signed up to video sharing mobile appViddy, and he has just posted his first video on the service too.

‘Zuck’, as his nickname on the service is, posted a video of his dog Beast playing around in his house.
http://thenextweb.com/apps/2012/04/30/mark-zuckerberg-joins-viddy-it-might-really-become-instagram-for-video-now/

Start-Ups Look to the Crowd
When Eric Migicovsky, an engineer, wanted to develop a line of wristwatches that could display information from an iPhone — like caller ID and text messages — he went the traditional route of asking venture capitalists to finance his company.

But he couldn’t even get a foot in the door, let alone secure any money for what he called the Pebble watch.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/30/technology/kickstarter-sets-off-financing-rush-for-a-watch-not-yet-made.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all

Visa digital wallet V.me launching in UK, Spain, and France this fall
Visa has announced that its digital wallet solution V.me will be launching in the UK, France, and Spain starting this fall. The service, which was announced last year, lets users combine their bank accounts with credit and debit cards into a payment service that’s accessible with a username and password, much like PayPal. Visa says that V.me will be available through its member banks and will let users add multiple cards to their wallets. At launch it will only be available as a website, though mobile apps and NFC-based payment solutions are expected to be added in the future.
http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/30/2988307/visa-vme-digital-wallet-european-launch

B&N Spins Off Nook Business Into a New, Microsoft-Backed Venture
Confirming its recent announcement about the possible Nook business spinoff, Barnes & Noble has entered a strategic partnership with Microsoft in a new Barnes & Noblesubsidiary, focused on ebooks.
http://mashable.com/2012/04/30/barnes-noble-microsoft/

TheFind launches Glimpse, a Pinterest rival built on Facebook likes
Pinterest’s rise has helped highlight the value of social discovery over traditional search for shopping and the lesson hasn’t been lost on competitors. TheFind, a shopping search site with a trove of product data, is going after Pinterest with the launch of Glimpse, a new Facebook shopping discovery app that is built on top of Facebook “like” data. The app curates shopping pages for users based on their likes, as well the stuff their friends like.
http://gigaom.com/2012/04/29/thefind-launches-glimpse-a-pinterest-rival-built-on-facebook-likes/

Skype Reveals Remote and Local IP Address Of All Online Users
If you are a user of the messaging software Skype, you know that you can see the location of your contacts in the Skype interface. What you probably do not know is that there is currently a way to display a Skype user’s remote and local IP address as well.

A script has been uploaded to Github that offers these options. According to the page, it can be used to lookup IP addresses of online Skype accounts, and return both the remote and the local IP of that account on a website.
http://www.ghacks.net/2012/04/29/skype-revealing-remote-and-local-ip-address/

The Pirate Bay must be blocked by UK ISPs, court rules
The Swedish website hosts links to download mostly-pirated free music and video.

Sky, Everything Everywhere, TalkTalk, O2 and Virgin Media must all prevent their users from accessing the site.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17894176

LG Cloud, a streaming service for all three of your screens, launches on May 1st
LG is entering the cloud service race, allowing users to upload their content to the company’s servers and stream it to all of their devices. LG Cloud enters beta on May 1st and will let you access your stored photos and videos on your smartphone, PC, smart TV, or set-top box.

The key piece of software is the LG Cloud Android app (no announcements for iOS), which users will be able to download from Google Play or LG Smart World. The app automatically synchronizes what’s on your smartphone with LG’s back end, allowing you to view it on other devices “almost instantaneously.” You will also be able to upload videos from your computer to LG Cloud, presumably through a interface. 3D video and photos are supported, which is good news if you have a 3D camera.
http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/30/2988005/lg-cloud-announcement-release-date

Nokia in advanced talks to sell luxury Vertu unit: FT
Cellphone maker Nokia (NOK1V.HE) is in advanced talks to sell its UK subsidiary Vertu to private equity group Permira PERM.UL, the Financial Times reported.

Nokia, which last week had its credit rating cut to “junk” status by ratings agency Standard & Poor’s, will raise about 200 million euros ($265.19 million) from a potential sale, the FT said in a piece published on its website on Sunday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/29/us-nokia-sale-idUSBRE83S0G020120429

Revealed: How Twitter’s secret offer for Instagram made Facebook pay $1B
The secret details of the $1 billion deal between Facebook and Instagram are more convoluted than anyone thought. VentureBeat has learned that Instagram chief executive and co-founder Kevin Systrom first got an offer and a term sheet from Twitter, then shrewdly doubled the value of his young company by striking a deal with Facebook.

On Monday, April 9, Facebook announced that it was buying photo-sharing sensation Instagram for $1 billion in cash and stock. The unexpected, mammoth deal was a shock to the Internet community, and to many of Instagram’s own investors — including new investors in a $50 million round of funding that closed prior to the buyout (Instagram has yet to confirm the round).
http://venturebeat.com/2012/04/26/facebook-paranoia/

Are You Running a Stupid Company?
When a pre-revenue company with about a dozen employees gets a $1B Silicon Valley payday, tongues wag.

Did Facebook pay too much for Instagram – the popular photo-sharing app that lets users take and customize pictures with their phones – or not enough?
http://www.cnbc.com/id/47176520/

‘Pivoting’ Pays Off for Tech Entrepreneurs
Technology entrepreneurs of past eras took two years to build a product, hire a staff and figure out whether there was any real market for their service. But today all that typically takes only a few months as founders cycle quickly through different ideas until they find one that sticks.
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052702303592404577364171598999252-lMyQjAxMTAyMDIwNjEyNDYyWj.html

How CISPA would affect you (faq)
It took a debate that stretched to nearly seven hours, and votes on over a dozen amendments, but the U.S. House of Representatives finally approved the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act on April 26.

Passions flared on both sides before the final vote on CISPA, which cleared the House by a comfortable margin of 248 to 168.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57422693-281/how-cispa-would-affect-you-faq/

Samsung sends protesting flashmob to Sydney Apple Store, tells customers to ‘Wake Up’
Samsung’s marketing machine appears to have gone into overdrive with reports that advertising agencies working on its behalf sent a bus full of protesters to the Apple Store in Sydney, Australia to tell customers to ‘Wake Up’.

We know that Samsung is readying the launch of its ‘Next Galaxy’ smartphone, which is due to be unveiled on May 3, but the company may also be working on creating buzz for the handset in Australia.
http://thenextweb.com/apple/2012/04/26/samsung-sends-protesting-flashmob-to-sydney-apple-store-tells-customers-to-wake-up/

Most of the Internet’s Top 200,000 HTTPS Websites Are Insecure, Trustworthy Internet Movement Says
Ninety percent of the Internet’s top 200,000 HTTPS-enabled websites are vulnerable to known types of SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) attack, according to a report released Thursday by the Trustworthy Internet Movement (TIM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to solving Internet security, privacy and reliability problems.

The report is based on data from a new TIM project called SSL Pulse, which uses automated scanning technology developed by security vendor Qualys, to analyze the strength of HTTPS implementations on websites listed in the top one million published by Web analytics firm Alexa.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/254546/most_of_the_internets_top_200000_https_websites_are_insecure_trustworthy_internet_movement_says.html

Nintendo to begin simultaneous digital and retail releases
In an investor meeting following the news of Nintendo’s £330m annual loss, president Satoru Iwata has outlined his views on the state of the industry and some plans for the future.

The big announcement is that the company is radically changing its approach to releasing games on the 3DS console. Starting with the launch of New Super Mario Bros 2 this summer, the manufacturer’s in-house titles will be simultenously available via retail stores and digital download.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2012/apr/27/nintendo-begins-digital-and-retail-releases

Precise Pangolin rolls out: Ubuntu 12.04 released, introduces Unity HUD
The developers behind the Ubuntu project have announced the availability of Ubuntu 12.04, codenamed Precise Pangolin. The new version of the popular Linux distribution brings updated software, several major user interface improvements, and a number of changes to the platform’s default application lineup.

Ubuntu is released every six months on a time-based schedule. The version number is based on the year and month of the release. Version 12.04 is the sixteenth release since the original launch of Ubuntu in 2004. Ubuntu’s audience grew at a rapid pace and quickly elevated it to the status of the most popular Linux distribution for the desktop. The distribution has since been expanded to support servers and mobile and embedded systems
http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2012/04/precise-pangolin-rolls-out-ubuntu-1204-released-introduces-unity-hud.ars

YouTube co-founders raise Series A funding for AVOS from Google Ventures, NEA and others
Internet company AVOS Systems has raised a Series A round of funding, co-founder Chad Hurley announced on stage during a fireside chat at The Next Web Conference in Amsterdam today.

New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and Google Ventures led the round, with participation from Madrone Capital and China-based incubator Innovation Works.
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/04/27/youtubes-co-founders-raise-series-a-funding-for-avos-from-google-ventures-and-nea/

Facebook’s next patent push: The top suspect
When Yahoo filed its sweeping patent lawsuit against Facebook, claiming that Facebook essentially built its social network on the back of Yahoo’s intellectual property, Mark Zuckerberg took little time to take up arms.

In just over a month, Facebook has snapped up more than 1,400 patents — 750 from IBM in March, and on Monday, 650 from Microsoft. It’s all a swift attempt to bolster its position against Yahoo and to amass a war chest to scare off others looking to sue a company whose pockets will grow ever deeper once it goes public.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57422475-93/facebooks-next-patent-push-the-top-suspect/

Apple kills Chomp for Android
Apple acquired app discovery service Chomp earlier this year, betting that it would help make app discovery easier and better on its iTunes Appstore. The casualty of that acquisition is the Chomp for Android app which seems to have been discontinued. It is hard to figure out what is going to happen to Chomp’s deal with Verizon. Anyway, the upside of Chomp for Android being put out to pasture is that it means less competition for rival app discovery platforms such as AppsFire and others, who can work with carriers for better app discovery on their Android stores.
http://gigaom.com/apple/apple-owned-chomp-kills-android-app/

Google Set to Meld GDrive With Chrome OS
Google will tightly integrate its new Google Drive online storage service with an upcoming version of its Chrome OS operating system, according to Sundar Pichai, the man who oversees development of the company’s Chrome products as well as its Google Apps online services.

Chrome OS is Google’s effort to move all applications and data onto the web. First released last year on “Chromebook” laptops from Acer and Samsung, this lightweight operating system revolves around a single local application: Google’s Chrome browser. The idea is to streamline the way we use, update, and secure our laptop and desktop machines, and though it succeeds in some cases, the OS still hasn’t mastered the art of moving files from place to place.
http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/04/google-gdrive-chrome-os/

Exclusive: Amazon Starts Bringing the Art of Recommendations to Daily Deals
E-commerce site Amazon is taking the first step in bringing the recommendation technology that it is known for to the daily-deals space.

To be sure, no one has yet solved targeting in the space — men are still being offered Brazilian bikini waxes and women get pitched discounts to the barbershop.
http://allthingsd.com/20120426/exclusive-amazon-starts-bringing-the-art-of-recommendations-to-daily-deals/

CoinLab Attracts $500,000 in Venture Capital for Bitcoin Projects
n the first official venture capital raise for a direct investment in bitcoin,CoinLab secured $500,000 today from seed stage Silicon Valley firm Draper Associates and others, including Seattle angel investor Geoff Entress, former assistant treasurer at Microsoft Jack Jolley, and familiar bitcoin investor Roger Ver. Jolley will also join the company as its Chief Financial Officer.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonmatonis/2012/04/24/coinlab-attracts-500000-in-venture-capital-for-bitcoin-projects/

Another Crowdfunding Player Enters The Fray: Apps Genius Launches GetFunded.com
This may not have been the U.S. government’s exact intention when when it passed the crowdfunding-friendly JOBS Act, but you have to wonder if it has also jumpstarted the number of crowdfunding sites out there competing for entrepreneurs’ and consumers’ attention. The latest comes from the social and mobile games developer Apps Genius — (in)famous for its scatological riff on Angry Birds, “Angry Turds” — which today announced that it is launching a new crowd-sourced funding site, GetFunded.
http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/26/another-crowdfunding-player-enters-the-fray-apps-genius-launches-getfunded-com/

Spotify Said Developing Pandora-Like Online Radio Service
Spotify Ltd., the London-based online music provider, is developing a U.S. Internet radio service that would directly challenge Pandora Media Inc. (P), said two people with knowledge of the situation.

Spotify’s current service functions like a music collection, allowing users to create playlists from specific albums and tracks. The new format would be similar to Pandora’s, which operates like radio and is cheaper to operate because royalty rates are lower and set by Congress.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-26/spotify-said-developing-pandora-like-online-radio-service.html

The Creative Monopoly
As a young man, Peter Thiel competed to get into Stanford. Then he competed to get into Stanford Law School. Then he competed to become a clerk for a federal judge. Thiel won all those competitions. But then he competed to get a Supreme Court clerkship.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/24/opinion/brooks-the-creative-monopoly.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all

WordPress Is Now A ~$50 Million Business, But It Still Won’t Take My Money
Hey, look at that. WordPress is becoming a decent business. But it’s still passing up an important segment of the market — sites like this one.

Here’s All Things D’s Liz Gannes on Automattic, the WordPress parent company:
http://www.splatf.com/2012/04/wordpress-hosting-business/

Apple = Sony
Apple will decline in the post Steve Jobs era. Here’s why.

Sociologist Max Weber created a typology of organizations in his 1947 book The Theory of Social and Economic Organization. He described three categories: 1) Legal/bureaucratic (think IBM or the U.S. government), 2) Traditional (e.g., the Catholic Church) and 3) Charismatic (run by special, magical individuals).
http://blogs.forrester.com/george_colony/12-04-25-apple_sony

Trimble Navigation to buy Google’s SketchUp
Trimble Navigation Ltd has agreed to buy SketchUp 3D modeling platform from Google Inc for an undisclosed price, the companies said.

As part of the SketchUp platform, Trimble will partner Google in developing SketchUp’s 3D Warehouse — an online repository where users can find, share, store and collaborate on 3D models, the companies said in a joint statement.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/26/us-trimble-google-idUSBRE83P0V820120426

Finally, Professional Social Network LinkedIn Gives Users An iPad App
Although the iPad has been available for more than two years, LinkedIn has yet to offer its users a native app despite the fact that mobile engagement has been growing at a fast pace for the network. But last August, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner said that the company is doubling down on its mobile strategy. And the network then debuted new versions of its iPhone and Android apps as well as an HTML5 mobile site. In fact, LinkedIn now says 22 percent of its active members have been visiting on mobile devices. And today, LinkedIn is finally launching its native iPad app to the public.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/26/us-trimble-google-idUSBRE83P0V820120426

Nintendo posts first annual loss of $460 million, predicts turnaround next year
Nintendo has announced its first annual operating loss following an initially lukewarm response to its new 3DS handheld and an aging Wii console — set to be replaced later this year. Nintendo made an operating loss of 37.3 billion yen ($459.54 million) from 2011 to 2012, but intends to spin it around to a 35 billion yen operating profit in the forthcoming year. Net sales dropped by 36.2 percent compared to 2010-2011 , despite price cuts on its existing hardware like the 3DS and Wii. The Japanese games manufacturer has also seen increased competition from new rivals on Apple and Android hardware, as mobile gaming continues to go from strength to strength.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/26/nintendo-annual-financials-2011/

Groupon Must Avoid Taking ‘Stupid Risks,’ CEO Says
Groupon Inc. Chief Executive Andrew Mason told the company’s employees on Wednesday that the daily-deals site needs to grow up—right after he apologized for drinking too much beer.

In a wide-ranging town hall meeting with employees that lasted about an hour on Wednesday, the 31-year-old CEO at times swigged from a beer bottle while he set corporate priorities for the next six months, including beefing up financial controls and hiring more finance staff. Mr. Mason also discussed how the Chicago company doesn’t “have any margin for error.”
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052702304723304577366282578172486-lMyQjAxMTAyMDIwNTEyNDUyWj.html

Getting in the ‘Tank’
If the chances of a new business succeeding are two in five, the chances of getting your new business on ABC’s hit business show “Shark Tank” are a handful in 24,000.

That’s how many entrepreneurs applied to get on the show in the last year, producers say. And that was before “Shark” broke out of the Friday night wasteland of low-rated programming.
http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/getting_in_the_tank_ujy7UVNdkIAg4HjnyWRe0N#ixzz1t4DzWbk6

Can an Algorithm Write a Better News Story Than a Human Reporter?
Had Narrative Science — a company that trains computers to write news stories—created this piece, it probably would not mention that the company’s Chicago headquarters lie only a long baseball toss from the Tribune newspaper building. Nor would it dwell on the fact that this potentially job-killing technology was incubated in part at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. Those ironies are obvious to a human. But not to a computer.
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/04/can-an-algorithm-write-a-better-news-story-than-a-human-reporter/all/1

Like a help desk for life: Wizpert puts you in touch with experts instantly
You can find the answer to plenty of questions online, but sometimes it’s helpful to chat with a particularly knowledgeable human. New York City-based Wizpert aims to simplify the process of finding and chatting with experts instantly — and in the process, the startup is moving one step ahead of hot Q&A outfits like Quora.

You can think of Wizpert as an IT help desk for life. The company recruits knowledgeable bloggers, which it calls “Wizperts,” across topics like exercise, health/wellness, and parenting. Advice seekers can connect to Wizperts via their blogs or the service’s website, and most importantly, they can begin a conservation within seconds.
http://venturebeat.com/2012/04/25/wizpert-expert-help-era-demo-day/

Think GPS is cool? IPS will blow your mind
For all of their awesome applications — from portable navigation devices, to self-driving cars, to cruise missile targeting — the American Global Positioning System and its Russian cohort GLONASS have two fundamental flaws: They don’t work indoors, and they only really operate in two dimensions.

Now, these limitations are fair enough; we’re talking about an extremely weak signal that has traveled 20,200km (12,600mi), after all. Passing through concrete and other solid obstacles is hard enough for a strong, short-range cellular signal — you can’t seriously expect a 50-watt signal traveling 12,000 miles to do the same. Detecting a GPS signal on Earth is comparable to detecting the light from a 25-watt bulb from 10,000 miles.
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/126843-think-gps-is-cool-ips-will-blow-your-mind

China Escalates Crackdown On Internet Amid Scandal
China has stepped up its campaign to clamp down on the Internet, which has emerged as a virtual town square for exchanging information about the Bo Xilai scandal and the nation’s biggest political upheaval in years.

The popular Twitter-like microblogging service Sina Weibo on Tuesday deleted the accounts of several users, including that of Li Delin, a senior editor of the Chinese business magazine Capital Week, whose March 19 post helped fuel rumors of a coup in Beijing. The service announced the move to many of its more than 300 million user accounts, thereby turning it into a public lesson in the consequences of rumor mongering.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303459004577364190134631110.html

Google Launches Update Targeting Webspam In Search Results
Google has announced that it is releasing a new search algorithm that it hopes will better catch people who spam its search results or purposely do things to rank better that are against Google’s publishers guidelines. Going live today, Google says it will impact about 3% of search queries.
http://searchengineland.com/google-launches-update-targeting-webspam-in-search-results-119295

Apple’s Huge Quarter in Charts
Apple posted another monster quarter, just as some were starting to doubt it.

Again, Apple’s most impressive statistic is its overall sales growth: With more than $39 billion in revenue last quarter, Apple’s sales grew 59% year-over-year, far faster than its peers.
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/apple-huge-quarter-in-charts.php

Sundar Pichai: Google Drive Is About Context, Where Competitors Are About Files
In advance of the release of Google Drive, I sat down yesterday with Google SVP of Chrome and Apps Sundar Pichai and Google Drive product head Scott Johnston. I asked them to elaborate on how Google Drive emerged from within Google, how the product compares to the competition, and where they see it evolving.
What’s ironic is that Pichai was the guy who helped kill a previous product called Google Drive, or GDrive, as detailed in Steven Levy’s “In the Plex”:
http://allthingsd.com/20120424/sundar-pichai-google-drive-is-about-context-where-competitors-are-about-files/

Cispa cybersecurity bill opposed by Obama administration
A senior State Department official has stressed the Obama administration’s opposition to a controversial cybersecurity bill ahead of a vote in the House of Representatives later this week.

The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (Cispa) is intended to facilitate sharing of information on online threats across different federal agencies and private companies. It has been criticised by both activists and politicians of both Democrats and Republicans for vague wording and insufficient safeguards.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/24/cispa-cybersecurity-bill-opposed-obama

Introducing Google Drive… yes, really
Just like the Loch Ness Monster, you may have heard the rumors about Google Drive. It turns out, one of the two actually does exist.

Today, we’re introducing Google Drive—a place where you can create, share, collaborate, and keep all of your stuff. Whether you’re working with a friend on a joint research project, planning a wedding with your fiancé or tracking a budget with roommates, you can do it in Drive. You can upload and access all of your files, including videos, photos, Google Docs, PDFs and beyond.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/introducing-google-drive-yes-really.html

Facebook S-1 Amendment: New Stats From Q1 2012 And More
Facebook on Monday filed an amendment to its S-1 documents originally submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on February 1.

With its IPO date reportedly set for May 17, the social networking giant has published new stats that reflect growth and revenue over the last fiscal quarter, which ended on March 31. In addition, Facebook recently announced plans to acquire photo-sharing app Instagram and to purchase a large number of AOL patents from Microsoft.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/23/facebook-s-1-amendment_n_1446853.html?ref=technology&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008

Adobe Pivots to New Target
Adobe Systems Inc. lost a high-profile battle with Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs over a video technology last year. Now the software maker is reinventing itself as a one-stop technology shop for marketing departments.

Over the last year, Adobe folded its $1 billion-plus business unit aimed at information-technology departments, overhauled the business model for its flagship “Creative Suite” software and gave up its long-running effort to get its Flash video technology on mobile devices like Apple’s iPad.
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052702303978104577362192516252120-lMyQjAxMTAyMDIwMzEyNDMyWj.html

Why Earned Media Alone Won’t Cut It
Earned media is suddenly the belle of the ball. It has leaped from the world of public relations to being a main pillar of modern marketing strategies in the social era. The mantra “paid, owned and earned” is on the lips of many forward-thinking marketers. There’s something seductive about the idea that earned media is far more pure than paid media. The old saw by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is: “Advertising is the price you pay for having an unremarkable product or service.”

If only it were that simple. The messy fact of the matter is that earned media, even with owned media, doesn’t replace the need for paid media. It’s no coincidence that Amazon is doing plenty of advertising for Kindle. Google for years was held up as the paragon of the advertising-is-failure crowd. Now Google, with a big stable of products outside search, does plenty of advertising, even during the Super Bowl.
http://www.digiday.com/brands/why-earned-media-alone-doesnt-cut-it/

“The hidden side of your soul”: How the FBI uses the Web as a child porn honeypot
The e-mail arrived in James Charles Cafferty’s inbox on July 14, 2011. Unlike most unsolicited e-mail on the Internet, the message did not pitch mortgages, get rich quick scams, or penis pills. Instead, it provided a link to an under-the-radar child pornography website and the password needed to access it. Cafferty, a diplomatic security officer working for the US government at its London embassy, waited for three days, then clicked on the link. This is what he saw:

“Welcome to the hidden side of yur soul, where you view the yung and innocent. We have been around since 2002, offering the best of private and series Child Pornography (CP), (hardcore/soft core) all for FREE! All you have to do, enter in the password, and you’ll be viewing free CP for days. We move around when we have to… congratulations for finding us. Yur old password won’t work, so get the new one and you are IN!!!”
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/04/the-hidden-side-of-your-soul-how-the-fbi-uses-the-web-as-a-child-porn-honeypot.ars

Twitter commerce platform Chirpify raises $1.3M from social media execs
By turning tweets into transactions, startup Chirpify has secured an important transaction of its own.

The young, Portland-based company has raised $1.3 million from social media executives and angels in its first formal round of funding. Voyager Capital, angel investor Geoff Entress, BuddyTV CEO Andy Liu, former Facebook executive Rudy Gadre, HootSuite CEO Ryan Holmes, and TiE Oregon Angels all participated in the round.
http://venturebeat.com/2012/04/24/chirpify-funding/

PinDollars Brings Affiliate Links Back to Pinterest — But Gives Money Directly to Pinners
Here’s a little hack meant to nudge Pinterest into sharing revenue with its curators. PinDollars is a substitute for Pinterest’s bookmarklet that scans pinned items and attaches affiliate links to related products when appropriate.

In a bit of an ironic twist, the affiliate links are managed by Skimlinks, a service Pinterest had for a short time experimented with, without disclosure to users.
http://allthingsd.com/20120423/pindollars-brings-affiliate-links-back-to-pinterest-but-gives-money-directly-to-pinners/

Asteroid Mining Venture Backed by Google Execs, James Cameron Unveiled
A newly unveiled company with some high-profile backers — including filmmaker James Cameron and Google co-founder Larry Page — has announced plans to mine near-Earth asteroids for resources such as precious metals and water.

Planetary Resources, Inc. intends to sell these materials, generating a healthy profit for itself. But it also aims to advance humanity’s exploration and exploitation of space, with resource extraction serving as an anchor industry that helps our species spread throughout the solar system.
http://mashable.com/2012/04/24/asteroid-mining/

Google Makes Its Big Video Push With AdWords For Video
A couple of weeks ago, early participants in the new AdWords for Video program gathered at the YouTube offices. The ostensible justification for the meeting was a fancy photo shoot, but YouTube executives also gave a little pep talk, laying out their vision to make video advertising available to small businesses. They even let themselves get a little dreamy, imagining a day when video might become as lucrative for Google as search.
http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/22/adwords-for-video/

Adobe Creative Suite 6 Pricing Revealed
Adobe is launching a new version of its Creative Suite later today at an event in San Francisco, but the prices for the package, as well as individual applications in CS6 have already been revealed.

Adobe Creative Suite 6 consists of 14 applications, which are available in four different packages – Adobe Creative Suite 6 Design & Web Premium, Adobe Creative Suite 6 Design Standard, Adobe Creative Suite 6 Production Premium, and Adobe Creative Suite 6 Master Collection.
http://mashable.com/2012/04/23/adobe-creative-suite-6-pricing/

The Flight From Conversation
WE live in a technological universe in which we are always communicating. And yet we have sacrificed conversation for mere connection.

At home, families sit together, texting and reading e-mail. At work executives text during board meetings. We text (and shop and go on Facebook) during classes and when we’re on dates. My students tell me about an important new skill: it involves maintaining eye contact with someone while you text someone else; it’s hard, but it can be done.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/opinion/sunday/the-flight-from-conversation.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all

GET RICH U.
Stanford University is so startlingly paradisial, so fragrant and sunny, it’s as if you could eat from the trees and live happily forever. Students ride their bikes through manicured quads, past blooming flowers and statues by Rodin, to buildings named for benefactors like Gates, Hewlett, and Packard. Everyone seems happy, though there is a well-known phenomenon called the “Stanford duck syndrome”: students seem cheerful, but all the while they are furiously paddling their legs to stay afloat. What they are generally paddling toward are careers of the sort that could get their names on those buildings. The campus has its jocks, stoners, and poets, but what it is famous for are budding entrepreneurs, engineers, and computer aces hoping to make their fortune in one crevasse or another of Silicon Valley
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/04/30/120430fa_fact_auletta#ixzz1sryP2IwL

Call of Duty website counting down to May 1st world reveal
The official Call of Duty website is counting down to a “world reveal” on May 1st during the NBA playoffs on TNT.

The site is also filled with “classified” pictures, some of which will unlock throughout the rest of April.
http://venturebeat.com/2012/04/23/call-of-duty-website-counting-down-to-may-1st-world-reveal/

Instagram
Two years ago we invested $250,000 in Instagram. Thanks to the spectacular vision and effort of Kevin Systrom and the Instagram team, the investment will be worth $78,000,000 when the Faceboook acquisition closes. The work that Kevin and team did will go down as legend in the industry and we thank them immensely. We also thank our co-investors Steve Anderson of Baseline and Matt Cohler of Benchmark.

Despite Instagram’s awesome performance and our monstrous return, a number of articles have come out criticizing us for not making even more money on our investment. Ordinarily, when someone criticizes me for only making 312 times my money, I let the logic of their statement speak for itself. However, in this case, the narrative that some critics put forth has the nasty side effect of casting two outstanding entrepreneurs—Kevin and Dalton Caldwell—in an unfair light and glosses over an important ethical issue that we faced. As a result, I will clarify what happened and why we didn’t make even more money.
http://bhorowitz.com/2012/04/22/instagram/

Disruptions: With New Comforts, Growing Complacent
Google and Facebook, young and successful companies that they are, risk being left behind as technology shifts from PCs and Web browsers to mobile devices.

This month, when Google showcased a new design for Google Plus, the company’s social network, it was as if mobile phones and tablets were still a glimmer in some future inventor’s eye. The made-over Web site was beautifully designed, but the smartphone app and mobile site were completely ignored. During the site’s redesign, a Google spokeswoman told me, “Today, the mobile experience will not change.”
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/disruptions-with-new-comforts-growing-complacent/

In its 3rd year, Kickstarter successfully raises over $119 million, taking home $6 million in commission
It’s easy to root for Kickstarter. The company has made it possible to bring new, innovative products to market and finance projects that would never get off the ground before the popularization of crowdfunding. It’s created an entirely new class of entrepreneur, and the way it turns the investment business on its head is a textbook example of disruptive technological innovation. But mostly, we’re all still just amazed at how money much the company has managed to help independent entrepreneurs raise.
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/04/22/in-its-3rd-year-kickstarter-successfully-raises-over-119-million-taking-home-6-million-in-commission/