NSA
China mulls probe into IBM, Oracle, EMC after NSA hack claims – report • The Register – they won’t be the only people looking carefully at US hardware and software after the NSA revelations
Windows 8+TPM: Germany Warns of ‘Loss of Control’ – Open Enterprise – concerned about NSA back door
Groklaw – Forced Exposure ~pj – Groklaw has gone offline. It feels like the NSA is dismantling the whole of US geek culture. The bad news is these are the kinds of people who gave the US competitive advantage in cyberspace
Business
Do Your Employees Really Love You? | Fast Company – failure of internal communications and employee engagement or reputation is as reputation does
Consumer behaviour
Ethnic minority consumers keenest on gadgets, reveals Ofcom study – mirrors similar patterns in the US
Design
Stack « Mugi Yamamoto – I haven’t wanted a printer this badly since my old Apple StyleWriter II that I used at college and saved me fighting for IT resources in the college computer labs
Economics
James Surowiecki: Why Do So Many Jobs Pay So Little? : The New Yorker – or why can’t America have more higher value jobs?
How to
A helpful image sizing guide for social media profiles | Econsultancy – so useful
Ideas
“People just don’t ask for better anymore. I think we’ve lost the knowledge of how to do that”: Jeff Mills versus the modern condition – FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music. – people just don’t ask for better anymore. I think we’ve lost the knowledge of how to do that. I assume that we’ve reached a point where that to expect more from entertainment is a request that often get over shadowed by the powerful marketing machines and the waves of popular persuasion
Innovation
3D printing technology deemed unprofitable in China｜WantChinaTimes.com – however they are smart and will learn fast
TelecomTV | Gartner’s peddling its ‘Hype Cycle’ – yet more chance for them to get it wrong, I think that they have it a little bit off in terms of 3D printing
Legal
Screw you, Brits! Google says UK privacy law doesn’t apply to it • The Register – it is the underlying form that is interesting Google is trying to avoid a precedent that would allow governments to rein it in country-by-country
Luxury
Jing Daily: Gold iPhone debate on Weibo – To speak the truth, when I first saw the gold iPhone, my immediate reaction was, ‘This is too tacky for me.’ But after a few minutes, I calmed down a lot–every time Apple makes something, it always smashes people’s existing notions and broadens the world’s possibilities. – I guess everyone in Apple’s brand marketing can now die happy after that remark
Media
What PR people need to know about online ad boycotts | The PRWeek Blog – really nice 101 on online advertising exchanges
Musician calls for big bands to come clean on secret backing tracks – News – Music – The Independent
The entertainment industry and online media: Pennies streaming from heaven | The Economist
Pay-Per-Gaze Advertising: New Google Patent May Reveal Plans For Monetizing Google Glass – interruption advertising or contextual?
Facebook Study: User Happiness Declines as Facebook Use Increases | BGR
Daring Fireball Linked List: Microsoft on Google’s Blocking of Their YouTube App – for those of a technical bent over the age of 25 the irony of Microsoft complaining about access is rather ironic. The secret APIs in Windows that hampered Borland and Lotus or the campaign to crush Netscape spring to mind…
BBC – Culture – Micro movies beat China’s censors – expect stricter government regulation of online video
Yahoo, Foursquare In Talks Over Data Partnership – ok this could be an interesting contextual map: location versus mobile ads and behavioural targeting or even re-targeting
Online
Google goes dark for 2 minutes, kills 40% of world’s net traffic • The Register – sounds like the start of a Tom Clancy novel
Embedded Posts Now Available to Everyone- Facebook Developers
Yahoo #1 Web Property Again In US, First Time Since Early 2008 [Updated with comScore Statement]
Retailing
Security
Software
Microsoft to bring Skype app to ‘front and centre’ of Windows 8.1- The Inquirer – interesting move that is going to make life difficult for efforts to shift units through wireless operators
Jolla wraps up its first production batch, but remains fuzzy on numbers — Tech News and Analysis
Technology
Tech industry slips into a surprising slump – latimes.com – not that surprising
Happy birthday MIDI 1.0: Getting pop stars wired for 30 years • The Register
Big Data: the backlash begins | Econsultancy
Mark Cerny: The Man Behind the PlayStation 4 | MIT Technology Review – I’ve had decades to get used to the increasing complexity of video games. But these days children learn how to play games on iPads and smartphones, which are buttonless. So we have a gulf between the beginner players and the blockbuster game players
Web of no web
Microsoft to kill Tag barcode program, licensing technology out | The Verge – can’t say I am terribly surprised given the difficulties in printing Tags rather than QRcodes. Interesting the level of sunset period Microsoft has given it though in contrast to Google, Yahoo! et al
LG GD910 Mobile Phone – LG Electronics UK – I remember seeing Iain Tait with one of these before he went to W+K a number of years ago, that he got as a going away gift from a client. I guess that’s why the smart watch will have a bigger reaction from others than from me. Don’t also forget the Sony companion devices for Android phones, the Bluetooth enabled G-Shocks and Microsoft Spot. Looking forward to the contextual device future
Wireless
Apple sucking triple the phone switchers as Samsung – report • The Register – BMW versus Ford….
Samsung, Sony Said to Plan Device Debuts Ahead of IPhone – Bloomberg – battle royale, my money is on Sony and Apple blindsiding Samsung
Samsung Japan smartphone sales analysis: Sony doubles GS4 sales | BGR – not surprising given the lukewarm reaction to the S4
Samsung China smartphone revenues: lower than expected | BGR