Announcing Google TV: TV meets web. Web meets TV.
(googleblog.blogspot.com) - If there’s one entertainment device that people know and love, it’s the television. In fact, 4 billion people across the world watch TV and the average American spends five hours per day in front of one*. Recently, however, an increasing amount of our entertainment experience is coming More...
Panera Bread Co.: Pay what you can afford
(bizjournals.com) - Panera Bread Co. has reopened a downtown Clayton location as a nonprofit where customers can pay what they can afford.
“Take what you need, leave your fair share,” says a sign at the entrance of the Saint Louis Bread Company Cares Café. Patrons who can’t pay are asked to volunteer their time
simple-tricks-to-remembering-names: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance
(finance.yahoo.com) - Is it Joe or Jim? Sally or Susan? Here's some help.
Few situations will make you cringe more than standing next to someone you've met several times and drawing a blank on his or her name.
Plenty of business deals and romantic rendezvous have been foiled because someone failed More...
Why Is Conservative Media Crushing Liberal Media?
(businessinsider.com) - In the light of the recent ratings news--CNN implodes, FOX soars, MSNBC
does okay--it's worth asking a question that no one seems to have a good
answer to:
Why is conservative media crushing liberal media?
It's crushing it in ratings, crushing it in profits, crushing it in
influence.
It's Time For One Data Plan to Rule All Our Gadgets
(gizmodo.com) - Imagine a model in which people buy total access to a wireless network, whether it be on a contract or month-by-month basis. Once you've paid for your "unlimited" data connection—a word which wireless providers are already comfortable throwing around in relation to single devices—you can connect More...
Detroit 2010: 1,000 Tesla Roadsters have been built, Model S still over two years away
(green.autoblog.com) - Tesla's press conference at the Detroit Auto Show yesterday was refreshingly short and consisted of nothing more than CEO Elon Musk talking in front of the red Model S. He said that his company has now built 1,000 Roadsters (a year ago, it was just 150), negotiated a lease for More...
Chinese entrepreneurs, investors on Google: "Just quit. We don't care."
(digital.venturebeat.com) - Going to be interesting to see how this all plays out.
AT&T vs. Google Voice: Sex, money, the feds, and your phone bill
(dailyfinance.com) - Despite what a handful of lawmakers may say, the dispute between Google and AT&T over the search giant's Google Voice application is not so much about fairness or rural access as it is about steamy phone sex and piles of money. These lawmakers, including Steve Buyer, an Indiana Republican and More...
Big T-Mobile Annoucements & The Mysterious "Project Black"
(tmonews.com) - It’s been a while since we’ve heard something REALLY BIG. Well the guys over at PhoneArena have received word from a tipster that T-Mobile is about to shake up the status quo of the U.S. cellular industry. T-Mobile employees are being trained tomorrow for “Project Black”. This mysterious but catchy sounding name More...
Apple Buys Their Very Own Maps Company (See Ya, Google Maps) - placebase
(gizmodo.com) - The Apple/Google divorce continues to come into focus: Apple quietly bought Placebase, a mapping service company, back in July. Apple doesn't buy companies it's not going to use. Meaning, Apple's getting into making their own maps. Peace out, Google.
Thorkil Sonne: Recruit Autistics
(wired.com) - Most occupations require people skills. But for some, a preternatural capacity for concentration and near-total recall matter more. Those jobs, entrepreneur Thorkil Sonne says, could use a little autism.
Sonne reached this conclusion six years ago, after his youngest son was diagnosed with the mysterious developmental disorder. "At first I was More...
'Take Back the Beep' Campaign
(pogue.blogs.nytimes.com) - Over the past week, in The New York Times and on my blog, I’ve been ranting about one particularly blatant money-grab by American cellphone carriers: the mandatory 15-second voicemail instructions.
Suppose you call my cell to leave me a message. First you hear my own voice: “Hi, it’s David Pogue. Leave More...
Amazon Buys Zappos; The Price is $920m., not $847m.
(techcrunch.com) - News has just broken that Amazon.com has purchased hot ecommerce up-and-comer Zappos for 10 million Amazon shares or $880 million. (The Amazon release said it was $807 million, but that was based on a trailing 45-day estimate of its share price. Closing price today bumps the deal up to $880 More...
The Yo-Yo Has Had Ups and Downs, But It's Far From End of Its String
(online.wsj.com) - Dave Schulte tells his students that if they aren't getting head injuries, they're not trying hard enough.
The 39-year-old Mr. Schulte is a professional yo-yoist who makes $50,000 a year giving lessons and performing. He's got the world on a string -- and a right index finger that's numb from years More...
Google Mucks Up Outlook
(reuters.com) - Last week, when Google (GOOG) launched a plug-in that allowed business customers to switch to Google Apps while retaining the Microsoft Outlook interface, industry watchers regarded it as Google's most aggressive effort yet to challenge Microsoft (MSFT) in the enterprise market. After all, Google Apps is cheaper and easier to More...
10 Essential Twitter Tools for Business
(businesspundit.com) - Most people struggle when it comes to using Twitter effectively. This may be especially true for businesses, which tend to feel pressure to join Twitter, but don’t quite know where to begin. If you want to use Twitter, but aren’t sure how to use it well, these process by using More...
Google's Android predicted to grow by 900%
(technewsworld.com) - Worldwide sales of Android-based smartphones are expected to grow 900 percent by year's end, according to a report from research firm Strategy Analytics.
GM may seek 1-for-100 reverse stock split
(msnbc.msn.com) - General Motors Corp. said Tuesday it is planning a reverse stock split that would give shareholders one share of new stock for every 100 shares they currently own.
Apple to buy Twitter?
(techradar.com) - Apple and Twitter are reportedly in serious negotiations over a possible $700 million sale of the social networking site, with the deal set to be announced in June if successful.
Drama at GE shareholders meeting
(hollywoodreporter.com) - The hostility between Fox News Channel and MSNBC reached a fever pitch Wednesday when a Fox producer infiltrated the GE shareholders meeting.
Just before GE re-elected board members, company brass were hit with questions from shareholders critical of an alleged leftward political slant at MSNBC.
XKCD Creator to get book deal
(nytimes.com) - IT’S not exactly Quentin Tarantino directing Ibsen, or Jeff Gordon racing go-carts, but the idea that Randall Munroe, creator of the online comic strip xkcd — wildly popular among techies the world over for its witty use of programming code in its gags — would for the first time publish a book is still something of a head scratcher.
Oracle Buys Sun
(in.sys-con.com) - Oracle Corporation (Nasdaq: ORCL) and Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq: JAVA) announced today they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Oracle will acquire Sun common stock for $9.50 per share in cash. The transaction is valued at approximately $7.4 billion, or $5.6 billion net of Sun's cash and debt. "We More...
Wireless Carriers Are Wrong to Cripple Skype for iPhone
(pcworld.com) - Everybody loves the idea of cheap VoIP calls on cell phones. Everybody, that is, except for wireless carriers who charge usurious fees for voice and data plans. Cellular providers around the globe are placing restrictions on Skype for iPhone and other Internet phone services, and that’s bad news for consumers.
I.B.M. Withdraws $7 Billion Offer for Sun
(nytimes.com) - I.B.M. withdrew its $7 billion bid for Sun Microsystems on Sunday, one day after Sun’s board balked at a reduced offer, according to three people close to the talks.
Sources: Google In Talks To Acquire Twitter (Updated)
(techcrunch.com) - Here’s a heck of a rumor that we’ve sourced from two separate people close to the negotiations: Google is in late stage negotiations to acquire Twitter. We don’t know the price but can assume its well, well north of the $250 million valuation that they saw in their recent funding.
SunRun teams with Virgance to finance solar for consumers
(venturebeat.com) - Hard economic times mean fewer consumers will shell out for expensive solar panels. Also hard hit are startups that offer no-money-down programs to lease panels or buy their power but can’t find banks to partner with. So, teaming with SunRun — one of the few outfits that still has a More...
China Vies to Be World’s Leader in Electric Cars
(nytimes.com) - Chinese leaders have adopted a plan aimed at turning the country into one of the leading producers of hybrid and all-electric vehicles within three years, and making it the world leader in electric cars and buses after that.
Nintendo has shipped 50 million Wii consoles
(joystiq.com) - Satoru Iwata's GDC keynote has revealed a somewhat unsurprising fact about the Wii. Iwata explained that global shipments for the Wii have reached "more than 50 million," propelling it to be "the fastest selling video game hardware in history." Let's look at some recent numbers, shall we?
Under Armour CEO voluntarily cuts his salary
(baltimoresun.com) - Under Armour Chief Executive Officer Kevin Plank took home a base salary of just $26,000 last year after the Baltimore-based sports apparel company he founded did not meet revenue goals.
The Open Company - Running your business as if it were an Open Source Project.
(e-texteditor.com) - The Open Source movement has shown that loose groups of people, each working of their own accord on whatever they feel is important or interesting, can create great software. Not only has this worked for small hobby projects, but also for huge well known projects such as Linux, Firefox and OpenOffice.
World's cheapest car is launched
(news.bbc.co.uk) - The Tata Nano, the world's cheapest car, has been launched in India.
Costing just 100,000 rupees ($1,979; £1,366), the Nano will now go on sale across India next month, with deliveries starting in July.
Twitter Unveils New Premium Accounts
(bbspot.com) - Twitter co-founder and CEO Evan Williams today announced part of the company's long-awaited business model: Twitter Premium accounts.
Poll: Frustration Growing Over Bailouts
(cbsnews.com) - A growing number of Americans are opposed to providing government assistance to ailing financial institutions, according to a new CBS News poll.
The poll also shows that the public clearly blames the management of the banks for the crisis and that many Americans are feel resentful that irresponsible banking executives could More...
Cafe owner thrives with no-pricing policy
(cnn.com) - Cafe owner Sam Lippert has come up with an innovative way to cope with the recession: He's done away with pricing and simply asks customers to pay what they want.
Lippert says sales and customer count has increased markedly since the change, and he's looking at adding more staff.
Weak economy...strong dollar
(money.cnn.com) - Stocks are at their lowest levels in about 12 years. The economy shrunk by more than 6% in the fourth quarter. Companies are laying off people left and right.
And oh yeah, the government has essentially nationalized Citigroup and AIG.
There's no denying that the U.S. economy is in tatters. But how More...
Solar Panels Get Cheap, But Will the Trend Last? - Research says Silicon Solar Panels like First Solar Uses May Not Hold Up to Scale
(popularmechanics.com) - A solar power milestone was reached on Tuesday when First Solar Inc brought its manufacturing costs for solar panels down to $1 per watt. But a study from the University of California and Lawrence Berkeley National Labs suggests that this might be the bottom for a price-point—if solar power is More...
GM posts $9.6 billion 4Q loss
(washingtontimes.com) - General Motors Corp. says it lost $9.6 billion in the fourth quarter and burned through $6.2 billion in cash as it sought government help to avoid running out of cash.
Why the Music Industry Hates Guitar Hero
(wired.com) - Nobody expected the number-one-with-a-bullet rise of the music videogame—least of all the music industry. Armed with little more than crappy graphics, plastic guitars, and epic hooks, play-along titles like Guitar Hero and Rock Band have become an industry in their own right, raking in more than $2.3 billion over the More...
25 Innovators in Technology
(portfolio.com) - They’re changing the way we do business (and not always for the better). Don't miss features on Twitter CEO Evan Williams, Google's gambit with the power grid, and an essay about CEO Steve Jobs' leave of absence from Apple.
AmEx paying card holders to close their accounts
(reuters.com) - American Express Co, battered by mounting credit card losses, is offering $300 to a limited number of U.S. card holders who pay off their balances and close their accounts, the company said on Monday.
40% of geeks surveyed really work fewer than ... say what?
(networkworld.com) - The poll asks a single question: "How many hours do you REALLY work each day?"
The $300 Million Button
(uie.com) - It's hard to imagine a form that could be simpler: two fields, two buttons, and one link. Yet, it turns out this form was preventing customers from purchasing products from a major e-commerce site, to the tune of $300,000,000 a year. What was even worse: the designers of the site had no clue there was even a problem.
Startups in 13 Sentences
(paulgraham.com) - One of the things I always tell startups is a principle I learned from Paul Buchheit: it's better to make a few people really happy than to make a lot of people semi-happy. I was saying recently to a reporter that if I could only tell startups 10 things, this More...
Cable Firms Look to Offer TV Programs Online
(online.wsj.com) - But the catch is that they are only going to offer them to TV subscribers. So in essence, they are trying to make sure that if you wanted to ditch your TV subscription and just watch content online, that they content wouldn't be available. Sneaky and underhanded.
Oil Rigs Become Luxury Hotels
(i.gizmodo.com) - What do you do with 4,000 decommissioned oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico? Instead of blowing them up—costing millions and killing aquatic life—Morris Architects' Hotelier At Sea project turns them into Dubai-esque luxury hotels.
Nokia says agrees to 500M euro loan with EIB
(forbes.com) - The five-year loan will be used to partly finance software research and development (R&D) projects Nokia is undertaking during 2009-2011 to make Symbian-based smartphones more competitive.
5 Things You Didn't Know: Wal-Mart
(askmen.com) - Love it or hate it, here are five things you didn’t know about Wal-Mart; your friendly neighborhood retail monstrosity.
GM considering Chapter 11 filing and creating new company
(news.yahoo.com) - General Motors Corp, nearing a Tuesday deadline to present a viability plan to the U.S. government, is considering as one option a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing that would create a new company, the Wall Street Journal said in its Saturday edition.
Sirius XM Prepares for Possible Bankruptcy
(nytimes.com) - He was planning to cut costs and expand a business that was already a fixture in the lives of millions of Americans. “Forty-three cents a day — it’s not even vending machine coffee,” he said at the time, parrying a question about whether the softening economy might hurt subscriptions.
But now More...
Recruiting Drops at Business Schools
(online.wsj.com) - Graduating students who left secure, full-time jobs to enter business school in 2007 are finding the recruiting season even worse than they anticipated. Far fewer companies are coming to campus and those who do show up have few, if any, jobs to offer.
Career officials say this is the worst recruiting More...
10 Confessions Of A Cash4Gold Employee
(consumerist.com) - From the acid-cloud haze of the Cash4Gold processing center steps forth a shadowy figure, fingers stained with orange testing fluid. It's an ex-Cash4Gold employee and in-between tuberculosic wheezes he manages to pass you a yellow legal paid with 10 confessions about how his former employer taught him to rip people More...
James Dyson on Creating a Vacuum that Actually, Well, Sucks
(rd.com) - It took James Dyson 5,127 prototypes, 14 years of debt, and multiple lawsuits to create the top-selling upright vacuum cleaner in the United States.
Social Media "Expert" ironically kills career with social media
(davidhenderson.com) - Ironic, hilarious and sad all at the same time.
Social Media's Good, Bad, Ugly and Unexpected
(technology.inc.com) - It’s no longer a question whether you should embrace social media. It’s now a question of identifying the business opportunities in doing so.
What Carriers Aren’t Eager to Tell You About Texting
(nytimes.com) - Text messaging is a wonderful business to be in: about 2.5 trillion messages will have been sent from cellphones worldwide this year. The public assumes that the wireless carriers’ costs are far higher than they actually are, and profit margins are concealed by a heavy curtain.
7 Rules for Making a Good Impression
(businessweek.com) - Here are seven rules that will guarantee a strong first impression and a powerful, lasting one.
Nokia eyes wider use of Linux software in phones
(reuters.com) - "In the longer perspective, Linux will become a serious alternative for our high-end phones," Ukko Lappalainen, vice president at Nokia's markets unit, told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the "Nokia World" industry conference.
