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Thursday, 2 October 2014



Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter late Wednesday evening to give everyone something to discuss over the next week. In the post, Musk said it’s about time to unveil the “D” and something else.

Accompanying the post was a teaser photo of what is likely the company’s next electric vehicle. It’s anyone’s guess as to what exactly the “D” is but there’s no shortage of speculation.

This past summer, Tesla confirmed plans for a smaller and cheaper electric vehicle dubbed the Model 3. Musk explained at the time that it was to originally be called the Model E but Ford threatened to sue them if they used that name.

Auto Express, which had an exclusive on the story, posted a series of images of the car. The front of that car does resemble what little bit is visible in Musk’s Twitter teaser picture but then again, it also resembles the front bumper of the Model S. Considering Musk said the budget sedan wouldn’t be unveiled until next year, that’s probably not what he has in store for next week.

That said, we could be looking at a revision of Tesla’s first vehicle, the Roadster. Musk promised that the outdated battery pack in its debut ride would be upgraded in the near future. Or perhaps the Model X is hiding behind the garage… although we already know what it looks like as it’s being delivered to customers this fall. Or maybe it's something entirely new.

Whatever the case, we'll find out for sure on October 9.

Tesla chief Elon Musk to unveil "the D and something else" on October 9



Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter late Wednesday evening to give everyone something to discuss over the next week. In the post, Musk said it’s about time to unveil the “D” and something else.

Accompanying the post was a teaser photo of what is likely the company’s next electric vehicle. It’s anyone’s guess as to what exactly the “D” is but there’s no shortage of speculation.

This past summer, Tesla confirmed plans for a smaller and cheaper electric vehicle dubbed the Model 3. Musk explained at the time that it was to originally be called the Model E but Ford threatened to sue them if they used that name.

Auto Express, which had an exclusive on the story, posted a series of images of the car. The front of that car does resemble what little bit is visible in Musk’s Twitter teaser picture but then again, it also resembles the front bumper of the Model S. Considering Musk said the budget sedan wouldn’t be unveiled until next year, that’s probably not what he has in store for next week.

That said, we could be looking at a revision of Tesla’s first vehicle, the Roadster. Musk promised that the outdated battery pack in its debut ride would be upgraded in the near future. Or perhaps the Model X is hiding behind the garage… although we already know what it looks like as it’s being delivered to customers this fall. Or maybe it's something entirely new.

Whatever the case, we'll find out for sure on October 9.

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Posted at 06:57 |  by 1565

Wednesday, 1 October 2014

Facebook apologizes to those affected by real-name policy snafu, improvements inbound


Facebook has issued a public apology over its real-name policy after coming under fire for locking San Francisco-area drag queens out of their accounts and requesting they use their real names instead of stage names. The social network also told these individuals to set up fan pages for their drag personas.

In a post on the matter, Facebook chief product officer Chris Cox said the entire incident caught them off guard and came about when a single Facebook user reported several hundred accounts used by drag queens, drag kings, transgender people and those in the LGBT community as fake.

Cox pointed out that these reports were among the several hundred thousand fake name reports they process each week, the vast majority of which are “bad actors” doing bad things like impersonation, bullying, trolling, domestic violence, hate speech and so forth.

Because they receive so many requests, Facebook didn’t notice the pattern with the aforementioned accounts. As such, hundreds of members of the community that use stage names to protect their true identity were locked out of their accounts.

Cox went on to explain that Facebook’s policy has never been to require people to use their legal name but rather, the authentic name they use in real life and until recently, it’s never been a problem. He said that Facebook believes this is the right policy for the social network because it differentiates the service from the rest of the Internet where the use of pseudonyms is the norm.

As a result of this event, Cox said they’ve realized there is a lot of room for improvement in the reporting and enforcement mechanisms as well as the customer service for anyone who’s affected. Facebook is already working on a fix that’ll help authenticate the real people and keep the so-called bad actors out.

Facebook apologizes to those affected by real-name policy snafu, improvements inbound

Facebook apologizes to those affected by real-name policy snafu, improvements inbound


Facebook has issued a public apology over its real-name policy after coming under fire for locking San Francisco-area drag queens out of their accounts and requesting they use their real names instead of stage names. The social network also told these individuals to set up fan pages for their drag personas.

In a post on the matter, Facebook chief product officer Chris Cox said the entire incident caught them off guard and came about when a single Facebook user reported several hundred accounts used by drag queens, drag kings, transgender people and those in the LGBT community as fake.

Cox pointed out that these reports were among the several hundred thousand fake name reports they process each week, the vast majority of which are “bad actors” doing bad things like impersonation, bullying, trolling, domestic violence, hate speech and so forth.

Because they receive so many requests, Facebook didn’t notice the pattern with the aforementioned accounts. As such, hundreds of members of the community that use stage names to protect their true identity were locked out of their accounts.

Cox went on to explain that Facebook’s policy has never been to require people to use their legal name but rather, the authentic name they use in real life and until recently, it’s never been a problem. He said that Facebook believes this is the right policy for the social network because it differentiates the service from the rest of the Internet where the use of pseudonyms is the norm.

As a result of this event, Cox said they’ve realized there is a lot of room for improvement in the reporting and enforcement mechanisms as well as the customer service for anyone who’s affected. Facebook is already working on a fix that’ll help authenticate the real people and keep the so-called bad actors out.

No comments
Posted at 22:45 |  by Unknown


Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most successful. Just look at Minecraft, a modern title featuring graphics from the 8-bit era in which players use blocks to build things. And how can you forget about Tetris, a 30-year-old game that challenges players to strategically stack blocks?

These titles share more than 8-bit graphics and blocks in common. Following the announcement of a Minecraft movie earlier this year, we’ve now learned that Tetris is being made into a live-action movie. No, I’m not kidding.

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Threshold Entertainment has teamed up with the Tetris Company to create a live-action film based on the iconic game. Although there isn’t a cast and directors haven’t been selected yet, the two companies already have a storyline in place.
Threshold CEO Larry Kasanoff said it won’t be a movie about a bunch of lines running around the page as they aren’t giving feet to the game’s geometric shapes. Instead, they’re pitching it as a “very big, epic sci-fi movie.” He added that brands are the new stars of Hollywood and the story behind Tetris makes it a much more imaginative thing.

Kasanoff has been down this road before as he was responsible for the game-to-film adaptations of Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation in the mid-90s.
The executive said what we will see in the Tetris movie is just the tip of an iceberg that has intergalactic significance.
Do you think Tetris will end up being a blockbuster (sorry) once it falls into theaters (sorry, again)?

Tetris is being made into a live-action, sci-fi movie



Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most successful. Just look at Minecraft, a modern title featuring graphics from the 8-bit era in which players use blocks to build things. And how can you forget about Tetris, a 30-year-old game that challenges players to strategically stack blocks?

These titles share more than 8-bit graphics and blocks in common. Following the announcement of a Minecraft movie earlier this year, we’ve now learned that Tetris is being made into a live-action movie. No, I’m not kidding.

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Threshold Entertainment has teamed up with the Tetris Company to create a live-action film based on the iconic game. Although there isn’t a cast and directors haven’t been selected yet, the two companies already have a storyline in place.
Threshold CEO Larry Kasanoff said it won’t be a movie about a bunch of lines running around the page as they aren’t giving feet to the game’s geometric shapes. Instead, they’re pitching it as a “very big, epic sci-fi movie.” He added that brands are the new stars of Hollywood and the story behind Tetris makes it a much more imaginative thing.

Kasanoff has been down this road before as he was responsible for the game-to-film adaptations of Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation in the mid-90s.
The executive said what we will see in the Tetris movie is just the tip of an iceberg that has intergalactic significance.
Do you think Tetris will end up being a blockbuster (sorry) once it falls into theaters (sorry, again)?

No comments
Posted at 01:23 |  by 1565
Google is continuing its attempted takeover of the classroom. Just this past Summer the company launched an online education tool for teachers called Classroom, allowing for online class management, among other things. Now, Google is launching an updated version of Google Drive for education.

“Today we’re announcing Drive for Education, an infinitely large, ultra-secure and entirely free bookbag for the 21st century,” said Ben Schrom from Google Apps for Education.

The new Google Drive offers free, unlimited storage (with a massive 5TB file size limit) for students and teachers as well as Google Vault access for archiving. There will also be an auditing system describes as the company’s “solution for search and discovery for compliance needs” made available by the end of this year.

It appears the system works similar to the company’s Drive for Work corporate solution, meaning only students and educators that attend or work at institutions that are registered with Google Apps for Education have access. However, unlike Drive or Work which starts at $10 a month, its educational counterpart is available for free with no ads to all non-profit education organizations.

It will be a few weeks before the 30 million students and teachers involved in the program will see the current 30GB cap lifted on the Drive education accounts. While 30GB is likely plenty for most students, Google seems to be attempting to lock youngsters in to its online platform earlier on.

The company says it will be rolling out the new features one at a time, so once everyone is set up with the free storage, the Vault access and other things will get added into the mix.

Google launches Drive for Education with unlimited storage and new features

Google is continuing its attempted takeover of the classroom. Just this past Summer the company launched an online education tool for teachers called Classroom, allowing for online class management, among other things. Now, Google is launching an updated version of Google Drive for education.

“Today we’re announcing Drive for Education, an infinitely large, ultra-secure and entirely free bookbag for the 21st century,” said Ben Schrom from Google Apps for Education.

The new Google Drive offers free, unlimited storage (with a massive 5TB file size limit) for students and teachers as well as Google Vault access for archiving. There will also be an auditing system describes as the company’s “solution for search and discovery for compliance needs” made available by the end of this year.

It appears the system works similar to the company’s Drive for Work corporate solution, meaning only students and educators that attend or work at institutions that are registered with Google Apps for Education have access. However, unlike Drive or Work which starts at $10 a month, its educational counterpart is available for free with no ads to all non-profit education organizations.

It will be a few weeks before the 30 million students and teachers involved in the program will see the current 30GB cap lifted on the Drive education accounts. While 30GB is likely plenty for most students, Google seems to be attempting to lock youngsters in to its online platform earlier on.

The company says it will be rolling out the new features one at a time, so once everyone is set up with the free storage, the Vault access and other things will get added into the mix.

No comments
Posted at 01:21 |  by 1565


Streaming media dongles are a dime a dozen these days. Google’s Chromecast was the first on the block but since then, we’ve seen a number of different devices from major players like Microsoft and Roku. None, however, have been able to compete with Google on price… until now.

Matchstick is the first HDMI stick based on Mozilla’s open source Firefox OS. What’s different about this streaming media solution versus others already on the market is that it was built with the mindset to be a completely open platform in terms of hardware and software.

Powering Matchstick is a dual-core Rockchip 3066 processor, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of onboard storage. The company notes the bigger processor along with more RAM provides a better video playback cache and increased performance for games and custom overlays.

And because everything is open source, you can even build your own streaming stick. Reference designs and hardware schematics are readily available for download – very cool.

The dongle is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter with a goal of $100,000. With 29 days left as of writing, nearly 2,100 backers have collectively pledged a little over $46,000. Early adopters can secure a Matchstick for just $18 or wait until it hits retail priced at $25 – that’s still $10 cheaper than Chromecast.
Matchstick plans to ship their HDMI dongle to early backers starting February 2015.
It’s clear that streaming media sticks are here to stay and others are going to have to step their game up in terms of price and features / freedom if they want to compete on a level playing field.

Matchstick open source HDMI streaming stick runs Firefox OS, beats Chromecast on price



Streaming media dongles are a dime a dozen these days. Google’s Chromecast was the first on the block but since then, we’ve seen a number of different devices from major players like Microsoft and Roku. None, however, have been able to compete with Google on price… until now.

Matchstick is the first HDMI stick based on Mozilla’s open source Firefox OS. What’s different about this streaming media solution versus others already on the market is that it was built with the mindset to be a completely open platform in terms of hardware and software.

Powering Matchstick is a dual-core Rockchip 3066 processor, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of onboard storage. The company notes the bigger processor along with more RAM provides a better video playback cache and increased performance for games and custom overlays.

And because everything is open source, you can even build your own streaming stick. Reference designs and hardware schematics are readily available for download – very cool.

The dongle is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter with a goal of $100,000. With 29 days left as of writing, nearly 2,100 backers have collectively pledged a little over $46,000. Early adopters can secure a Matchstick for just $18 or wait until it hits retail priced at $25 – that’s still $10 cheaper than Chromecast.
Matchstick plans to ship their HDMI dongle to early backers starting February 2015.
It’s clear that streaming media sticks are here to stay and others are going to have to step their game up in terms of price and features / freedom if they want to compete on a level playing field.

No comments
Posted at 01:16 |  by 1565
Apple has announced that its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones will launch in China on Friday, October 17. Besides the company's online and retail stores, the devices will also be available at China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom stores. Customers can pre-order the new iPhones from the Apple Online Store beginning Friday, October 10.

“We are thrilled to bring iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to our customers in China on all three carriers at launch”, said Apple’s CEO Tim Cook. “With support for TD-LTE and FDD-LTE, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus customers will have access to high-speed mobile networks from China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom for an incredible experience”.

The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is priced at 5,288 RMB ($860) for the 16GB model, 6,088 RMB ($990) for the 64GB model, and 6,888 RMB ($1120) for the 128GB model, while the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus is priced at 6,088 RMB ($990), 6,888 RMB ($1120), and 7,788 RMB ($1264) for the 16, 64, and 128GB models. Both the iPhones will be available in gold, silver, and space gray colors.

The announcement comes after Apple received approval from Chinese regulators who scrutinized the devices for potential security risks. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued the network access licenses, which is the final step in the approval process, after Apple addressed the privacy issues found in a government agency's safety test.

Both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus went on sale in the US on September 19. Three days later, Apple revealed that it sold more than 10 million iPhones in its opening weekend, surpassing the previous record of nine million with the launch of last year’s iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c.

Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus launching in China next month

Apple has announced that its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones will launch in China on Friday, October 17. Besides the company's online and retail stores, the devices will also be available at China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom stores. Customers can pre-order the new iPhones from the Apple Online Store beginning Friday, October 10.

“We are thrilled to bring iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to our customers in China on all three carriers at launch”, said Apple’s CEO Tim Cook. “With support for TD-LTE and FDD-LTE, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus customers will have access to high-speed mobile networks from China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom for an incredible experience”.

The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is priced at 5,288 RMB ($860) for the 16GB model, 6,088 RMB ($990) for the 64GB model, and 6,888 RMB ($1120) for the 128GB model, while the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus is priced at 6,088 RMB ($990), 6,888 RMB ($1120), and 7,788 RMB ($1264) for the 16, 64, and 128GB models. Both the iPhones will be available in gold, silver, and space gray colors.

The announcement comes after Apple received approval from Chinese regulators who scrutinized the devices for potential security risks. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued the network access licenses, which is the final step in the approval process, after Apple addressed the privacy issues found in a government agency's safety test.

Both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus went on sale in the US on September 19. Three days later, Apple revealed that it sold more than 10 million iPhones in its opening weekend, surpassing the previous record of nine million with the launch of last year’s iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c.

No comments
Posted at 01:12 |  by 1565
Reddit now has a $500 million valuation after closing on a $50 million Series B round of financing. While noteworthy in its own right, it pales in comparison to the fact that investors in this round have proposed to give 10 percent of their shares back to the community.

In a blog post on the matter, Reddit CEO Yishan Wong said they’ve long been trying to find a way for the community to own some of the self-proclaimed front page of the Internet as it is their contributions that help anchor the site and give it strength.

They’ve discussed ways to make this a reality over the years but they never worked or were met with legal hurdles that wouldn’t make it feasible. But now, Wong said, they think they’ve come up with a way. There are still a bunch of details that need to be figured out to make it work but they are hopeful.

Wong promised to share more details on the matter soon although he touched on the idea of creating a cryptocurrency in a separate post.
As for the new funding, Wong said they have chosen investors based on their belief in free speech, self-governing communities and the power of voting. He added that this freedom yields more good than bad.

The lead investor is Sam Altman with participation from Alfred Lin of Sequoia Capital and Marc Andreessen of Andreessen Horowitz. Individual investors in the round include Peter Thiel, Ron Conway, Paul Buchheit, Jared Leto,Jessica Livingston, Kevin and Julia Hartz, Mariam Naficy, Josh Kushner, Calvin Broadus Jr. (Snoop Dogg) and Yishan Wong.

Reddit to share funding with users, may create its own cryptocurrency to do so

Reddit now has a $500 million valuation after closing on a $50 million Series B round of financing. While noteworthy in its own right, it pales in comparison to the fact that investors in this round have proposed to give 10 percent of their shares back to the community.

In a blog post on the matter, Reddit CEO Yishan Wong said they’ve long been trying to find a way for the community to own some of the self-proclaimed front page of the Internet as it is their contributions that help anchor the site and give it strength.

They’ve discussed ways to make this a reality over the years but they never worked or were met with legal hurdles that wouldn’t make it feasible. But now, Wong said, they think they’ve come up with a way. There are still a bunch of details that need to be figured out to make it work but they are hopeful.

Wong promised to share more details on the matter soon although he touched on the idea of creating a cryptocurrency in a separate post.
As for the new funding, Wong said they have chosen investors based on their belief in free speech, self-governing communities and the power of voting. He added that this freedom yields more good than bad.

The lead investor is Sam Altman with participation from Alfred Lin of Sequoia Capital and Marc Andreessen of Andreessen Horowitz. Individual investors in the round include Peter Thiel, Ron Conway, Paul Buchheit, Jared Leto,Jessica Livingston, Kevin and Julia Hartz, Mariam Naficy, Josh Kushner, Calvin Broadus Jr. (Snoop Dogg) and Yishan Wong.

No comments
Posted at 01:08 |  by 1565
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