Web startups are made out of two things: people and code. The people make the code, and the code makes the people rich. Code is like a poem; it has to follow certain structural requirements, and yet out of that structure can come art. But code is art that does something. It is the assembly of something brand new from nothing but an idea. More »

posted by friends:  (5)

posted by friends of friends:  (4)

Nick Bilton, in today’s The New York Times, writes about Facebook’s ability to look at what is happening on its network and predict the future. He says since more than nine million apps and services use Facebook Connect, the Open Graph developer platform, the company can essentially predict what comes next. Maybe! In reality, what is more likely is that Facebook can turn on or turn off the traffic spigot and hence play the king maker. Bilton quotes an anonymous source as saying, “Facebook is now  show all text

posted by friends:  (4)

posted by friends of friends:  (2)

An ode to the father of the electric age. View

posted by friends:  (3)

posted by friends of friends:  (2)

Web architect Nicole Sullivan says legacy systems present a big problem when it comes to fixing web performance issues. IT management seems simple enough — in a vacuum. But the trouble is nobody has a technology vacuum unless you are a virgin start-up with no legacy systems in place. Most companies however, don’t have the luxury. Most organizations are in fact burdened by a slew of legacy systems and if you are a hospital or insurance company, you could still have databases dating back to the 6...  show all text

posted by friends:  (4)

posted by friends of friends:  (0)

The Floppy Disk Icon means "save" for a whole generation of people who have never seen one. — Scott Hanselman (@shanselman) May 9, 2012 What happens when all the things we based are icons on don't exist anymore? Do they just become, ahem, iconic glyphs whose origins are shrouded in mystery? Floppy Disk - Save Save? Save where? You know, down there. Adding the Arrow to the 3.5" floppy makes me smile. Is it pointing to under my desk? What's a floppy? Why not a USB key? Maybe a cloud icon? That wi...  show all text

posted by friends:  (5)

posted by friends of friends:  (1)

Kara Swisher / AllThingsD: Exclusive: Yahoo's Thompson Out; Levinsohn In; Board Settlement With Loeb Nears Completion  —  Yahoo's embattled CEO Scott Thompson (pictured here) is set to step down from his job at the Silicon Valley Internet giant, in what will be dramatic end to a controversy over a fake computer science degree …

posted by friends:  (5)

posted by friends of friends:  (0)

Facebook’s founder will soon face the unfamiliar landscape of running a public company, monitored by a merciless stock market.

posted by friends:  (4)

posted by friends of friends:  (1)

When Eduardo Saverin was 13, his family discovered that his name had turned up on a list of victims to be kidnapped by Brazilian gangs. Saverin’s father was a wealthy businessman in São Paulo, and it was inevitable that he’d attract this kind of unwanted attention. Now the family had to make a permanent decision. They hastily arranged a move out of the country. And of all the places in the world they could move to, the Saverin family saw only one option. They took their talents to Miami. Would ...  show all text

posted by friends:  (3)

posted by friends of friends:  (3)

Gina Trapani says the technology companies that promote a culture of frat house fun will lose out in attracting the smartest people.

posted by friends:  (4)

posted by friends of friends:  (5)

posted by friends:  (6)

posted by friends of friends:  (0)

Mr. Sendak, known in particular for “Where the Wild Things Are,” was widely considered the most important children’s book artist of the 20th century.

posted by friends:  (3)

posted by friends of friends:  (5)

posted by friends:  (5)

posted by friends of friends:  (2)

New York Magazine was kind enough to ask me to write a big story on Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook to celebrate the company's long-awaited IPO. The story's out now, and you can read it here. If there's anything good in it, it's probably the result of excellent editing and research by James Burnett, Adam Moss, Thayer McClanahan, and the rest of the team at New York. Anything you don't like about it you can blame on me. Here's what the story says: Most people still think of Mark Zuckerberg as a sort  show all text

posted by friends:  (2)

posted by friends of friends:  (2)

Most new announcements by Apple are digested and understood by the tech press instantaneously. Great products are great products, and it doesn't take much time to realize how exciting things like the iPad or Retina displays are. But some moves can take years to completely understand. So, I now bring you, my two favorite tactical moves by Apple, which I have only recently come to fully appreciate. Move #1: Windows Compatible iPods I remember it like it was yesterday. The summer of 2002. I had a ...  show all text

posted by friends:  (2)

posted by friends of friends:  (3)

Google's Linux-based Chrome OS Aura interface has a new friend: Linus Torvalds. Linus Torvalds, Linux’s primary creator, hasn’t been happy with the direction his formerly favorite Linux desktop interface, GNOME, has gone. In fact, Torvalds downright hates GNOME 3.x. He’ll get no argument from me. I hate GNOME 3.x too. Recently though, Torvalds has start toying with Google’s new Chrome operating system’s Aura interface and, guess what, he kind of likes it. Torvalds wrote, “And I haven’t really p...  show all text

posted by friends:  (4)

posted by friends of friends:  (0)

We've already established that members of Congress are pretty bad at informing the public via their websites. The good news is that you can find a number of excellent sites for keeping an eye on the U.S. government. Not surprisingly, most of these are provided by third parties, rather than the government itself. To help ReadWriteWeb readers as the election season approaches, we've pulled together a list of the best sites for seeing just how the sausage is made. Just remember: What's been seen c...  show all text

posted by friends:  (5)

posted by friends of friends:  (0)

Even though it's been around for some time, Big Data in many respect is just getting started. Here's a look at a few vendors you'll most likely be hearing from soon if you haven't already.

posted by friends:  (5)

posted by friends of friends:  (0)

Technology is being used more frequently to save lives, whether in surgery , to safeguard the elderly , or now, in the event of a disease outbreak during a catastrophe. Faced with the potential for mass casualties, emergency managers have to make

posted by friends:  (5)

posted by friends of friends:  (0)

posted by friends:  (2)

posted by friends of friends:  (3)

Blackberry has faced years of steep and steady decline in US sales, but its CEO says there is more to the company than the US market. For its sake, there had better be. It’s easy to just dismiss RIM as another company that missed the mark when the market changed. That’s because if you judge RIM by its US market share numbers, the situation is pretty dire indeed, but RIM is more than the US market, a fact RIM’s CEO made clear at a press conference this week at RIM’s Blackberry World Conference. ...  show all text

posted by friends:  (5)

posted by friends of friends:  (0)

posted by friends:  (5)

posted by friends of friends:  (0)

Google Translate takes the next step: You’ll soon be able to write e-mail in your language and have it arrive to a friend or co-worker’s e-mail box in their language.

posted by friends:  (7)

posted by friends of friends:  (0)

The partners behind a one-time "next big thing" go to South by Southwest to win back the adoration of the tech world--and figure out how to make their partnership work. Last summer, Turntable.fm set techie hearts pounding: Billy Chasen and Seth Goldstein, co-founders of a struggling start-up called Stickybits, had pulled an audacious pivot, scrapping their service and betting everything on online music, the most treacherous business on the Internet—and it worked. The whimsical site they release...  show all text

posted by friends:  (4)

posted by friends of friends:  (4)

Every week a “we are in a tech bubble” article seems to come out in a major newspaper or blog. People who argue we aren’t in a bubble are casually dismissed as promoting their own interests. I’d argue the situation is far more nuanced and that people who engage in this debate should consider the following: 1) Public tech companies: Anyone with a basic understanding of finance would have trouble arguing many large public tech companies are trading at “bubble valuations” – e.g. Apple (14 P/E), Go...  show all text

posted by friends:  (6)

posted by friends of friends:  (2)

Small start-ups that make money often find it difficult to recruit additional investment. By keeping their revenue at zero, they can pluck a projected valuation out of thin air.

posted by friends:  (5)

posted by friends of friends:  (1)

posted by friends:  (8)

posted by friends of friends:  (5)

Up until this afternoon, the final vote on CISPA was supposed to be tomorrow. Then, abruptly, it was moved up today—and the House voted in favor of its passage with a vote of 248-168. But that's not even the worst part.The vote...

posted by friends:  (4)

posted by friends of friends:  (4)

posted by friends:  (3)

posted by friends of friends:  (5)

Photo: Garry McLeod Last spring Sam Fiorella was recruited for a VP position at a large Toronto marketing agency. With 15 years of experience consulting for major brands like AOL, Ford, and Kraft, Fiorella felt confident in his qualifications. But midway through the interview, he was caught off guard when his interviewer asked him for his Klout score. Fiorella hesitated awkwardly before confessing that he had no idea what a Klout score was. Also in this issue The Man Who Makes the Future How ...  show all text

posted by friends:  (4)

posted by friends of friends:  (5)

posted by friends:  (6)

posted by friends of friends:  (0)