So, Notre Dame’s star quarterback Manti Te’o had a girlfriend. And she died. Sort of. It turns out the the girl wasn’t real, so neither was her tragic death. Plus, Te’o claims he didn’t even know that his girlfriend was fake, because it was an online relationship. He says he was the victim of “someone’s...
Daily Archives: January 16, 2013
AD OF THE DAY: A Great Samsung Spot That Isn’t For a Phone
Samsung has done it again. After a fantastic advertising year in 2012, the company has started 2013 on another high note. This time, their winning spot is not for a phone, but for a washing machine. The ad looks like it’s filmed by an amateur crew (on purpose, of course) in the woods. They’re held...
The Ultimate Social Network Is Twice The Size Of Facebook
Youtube See Also This Baby Photo Of Sheryl Sandberg Is The Kind Of Thing That Might Make People Freak Out About Facebook Search Facebook Has Publicly Redefined Itself As A Search Company There Are A Ton Of Ex-Googlers Working On Facebook Search What’s the best way to connect to every single person on the...
LoopMe raises $500,000 to organize mobile ads into a smart, unobtrusive inbox
Mobile advertising inbox LoopMe has announced today that it has raised $500,000 in new funding through a number of “Super Angels” and VCs, led by Ballpark Ventures. Russ Buckley, who was the first employee and managing director of AdMob (a global mobile advertising network that was sold to Google for $750 million) represented Ballpark Ventures in the deal....
Office 2013 subscription pricing: Who is getting a deal, who is getting screwed?
The genial Mary Jo Foley published the key pricing statistics of Office 2013 today, laying bare the revenue mechanisms that Microsoft intends to employ to wean its customers, big and small, off of software purchases, and acclimate them to paying for their productivity software on a recurring basis. What you once purchased, you will eventually rent....
Uber rides into Germany as its first cars start operating in Berlin
Private car service Uber is at it again, this time expanding to the German market after giving customers their first rides in Berlin. Interestingly enough, Soundcloud co-founder Alexander Ljung was the first passenger, riding in style in a Mercedes S-Class. The company says it’s still in testing phase, starting out with just a couple...
PopuLeaks’ "NRA Bet" Stumbles Toward A Lighter, More Effective Hacktivism
In a publicity bid this week, German website Populeaks.org announced The NRA Bet, challenging the National Rifle Association - in fractured English – to use its guns to “keep all non-public data a secret till April 30, 2013.” If the NRA manages to protect its data, the site promises to provide two unrequested staffers to...
Irish Newspapers Want To Charge For Links
Who owns the links we click and embed? Should the original creator of that content be paid when that material is shared online, even with just links? Across the pond in Ireland, newspapers are wresting with this issue as they attempt to charge third parties for linking and displaying the paper’s content for commercial purposes. ...
‘Aaron’s Law’ Promises To Reduce Hacker Penalties
As the Internet activist, inventor and alleged criminal Aaron Swartz was memorialized in a Chicago-land synagogue yesterday, on the other side of the country a new bill was proposed aimed at reducing the penalties for Internet hackers. Facing a fine of up to $1 million and as many as 35 years in prison for computer fraud,...
How Redbox Instant is gamifying its beta test
Redbox Instant by Verizon is doing something interesting to get more feedback on its invite-only beta test: The Netflix competitor recently launched a separate website dubbed Redhead Nation that invites Redbox Instant users to take part in games and in return win prizes ranging from a Redbox rental to an Xbox. Some questions are...