Technology News

Stumbleupon Goes Independent, Again

Source: PC Magazine
April 14, 2009

Less than two years after eBay purchased StumbleUpon for $75 million, the recommendation engine is a standalone company once again. In a blog post, co-founder “gmc" reported that the company is “now a startup again". Gmc, co-founder Geoff Smith, and “several great investors" have taken the comp-any independent again. Terms were not disclosed. “This change will help StumbleUpon move quickly and stay true to its focus - helping people discover interesting web content," Gmc wrote. “Our goal is to make ...

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Twitter, Facebook Won't Make You Immoral but TV News Might

Source: All About Jazz
April 14, 2009

A new study on the neurobiology of admiration and compassion has raised some intriguing questions about the effects of media consumption. It's too soon to say that Twitter and Facebook destroy the very foundations of morality, but it's not too soon to ask what they're doing.

In the paper, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 13 people were shown documentary-style multimedia narratives designed to arouse empathy. Researchers recorded their brain activity and found that empathy ...

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Congressman to Introduce Anti-Download Cap Bill

Source: All About Jazz
April 14, 2009

Time Warner Cable plans to test its controversial, new scheme to have users pay by the gigabyte in Rochester, New York, but the area's freshman congressman calls usage caps greedy and plans to introduce legislation to stop it.

New York Democratic Representative Eric Massa called TWC's proposal to switch its 8.4 million cable broadband customers to metered internet billing an “outrageous plan to tax the American people."

Massa, a longtime blogger at the liberal site DailyKos, says he will be ...

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FCC Asks Nation for Suggestions on Big Broadband Plan

Source: Michael Ricci
April 11, 2009

The Federal Communications Commission opened proceedings today to discuss the creation of a national broadband Internet system that will reach every American. The plan is due in Congress by Feb. 17, 2010.

The FCC is looking for input on ways to keeps costs manageable, effectively monitor the deployment of new infrastructure and, more expansively, “use broadband to advance consumer welfare, civic participation, public safety" and a slew of other national issues.

“If we do our job well," acting FCC Chairman ...

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A Google Whiz Searches for His Place on Earth

Source: Michael Ricci
April 11, 2009

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. Wheres Sanjay? Do We Need Foreign Technology Workers?

Readers are invited to join a conversation with experts about the impact of immigration policy on skilled workers and the industries that rely on them.

The question comes from one of dozens of engineers around a crowded conference table at Google. They have gathered to discuss how to build easy-to-use maps that could turn hundreds of millions of mobile phones into digital Sherpas guiding travelers to businesses, ...

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Congress to Investigate Bandwidth Caps

Source: All About Jazz
April 11, 2009

Time Warner Cable is trying to protect its lucrative cable TV business from the threat of online video with its plan to charge its broadband customers by the byte, consumer advocacy group FreePress charged Friday, and it wants Congress to investigate.

After a torrent of criticism from its customers and a skeptical press, Time Warner Cable changed, but did not withdraw, on Thursday its scheme to impose bandwidth caps and charge overage fees on its 8.4 million customers. TWC, like ...

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Open Mobile Internet Now!

Source: All About Jazz
April 10, 2009

NEWS ANALYSIS -- More than likely, your wireless carrier likes to advertise its data network as open, limitless and liberating. If so, those are lies told by companies more interested in wringing every last dollar from their customers than running a real mobile internet network.

Just ask Skype's government affairs director, Christopher Libertelli. His company's cheap calling application for the iPhone couldn't gain Apple's approval unless it crippled its own software to prevent its use on AT&T's data service. The ...

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Universal Music, YouTube Forge Partnership

Source: Michael Ricci
April 10, 2009

The music giant will provide videos from its biggest acts for a new channel on YouTube. U2 lead singer Bono, well known for his ONE campaign against poverty, has turned his focus to a charity case closer to home: the ailing music industry.

The rocker is credited with bringing together Universal Music Group, the world's biggest music company, and You Tube, Google Inc.'s online video site, for talks that Thursday resulted in a partnership to launch a new music video ...

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