Virtual Skinny: Extra, Extra…Read All About It

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on May 10, 2016 in Internet & Tech, Newsletter 0 Comment

5.10.2016

Good to Know: Is Apple being a little extra? Now may be a good time to back your media all the way up. Otherwise, Apple can and will delete files from your internal hard drive. The files are downloaded to Apple’s database and served back to you when you want to take a listen. It’s all in the iTunes Terms of Use.

THE SKINNY

When Shots Have Been Fired …

Gizmodo just went after the Facebook News curating process. Last week, Gizmodo sounded off on Facebook’s trending news team. Think young journalists groomed by Ivy League schools or private East coast universities.

When A Week Makes A Difference …

This week, Gizmodo went all the way in on Facebook News. The news outlet chatted with a former member of the social media’s trending news team, and the person described the curating process in one word – bias. The anonymous source, who happens to be conservative, piped up and said that most team members lean left on the political spectrum. So naturally, conservative news stories were hard to come by on Facebook news.

When It Doesn’t End There …

The source had things to say about management too. Facebook says its trending topics are based on algorithms that pick up on what people care about on the platform. The source says not so much. As FB tries to compete with Twitter, the source says management would often tell the team to “inject” news stories that weren’t trending at all on FB but were covered by major news publications like CNN, New York Times, BBC, etc (e.g., Black Lives Matter, disappearance of Malaysian Airline MH 370, Charlie Hebdo attacks, etc.) . Oh, and if news about FB popped up, the person claims they were told to keep it moving unless they got approval to include it.

When You’ve Gotta Respond …

FB is denying everything. It put out a statement saying there are rules in place “to ensure consistency and neutrality” with its Trending Topics section. A spokesperson said it also doesn’t suppress political viewpoints. Now, the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee that oversees media and consumer issues is like “Facebook, what’s good?” It’s fired off a letter to FB about its practices.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

Reclaiming “Basic…”

If you’re known to go off in the comments section on Reddit, you may want to reconsider. Researchers at the University of Southern California say that the longer you comment, the more basic you sound. Apparently any more than an hour, and you run the risk of your posts being “shorter” and “less sophisticated.” They study is specific to Reddit so no word yet on how this goes on Facebook or Twitter.

QUICK POLL – BY THE NUMBERS

Take our poll! Let us know what you think!

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Ripple.co is a new app that says it’s for local journalists and storytellers.

Content publishers want a piece of that Snapchat action. They’re allegedly ponying up some “Benjamins” to get a spot on the app’s Discover feature. Snapchat’s being mum on this.

Uber and Lyft said “nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey hey hey, goodbye” to Austin, Texas. Residents voted against Proposition 1, which was intended to do dial back on some regulatory protections the city put in place last December (2015). Turns out Austin residents do want fingerprint-based background checks for Uber and Lyft drivers. Residents also weren’t feeling the $8.6 million marketing campaign the companies pushed to do away with the regulations. Uber and Lyft say they already use legit background check services and fingerprints aren’t reliable. So for now, they’re done with Austin.

If you build it, they will come. Amazon’s created a new service called Video Direct to go head-to-head with YouTube. Amazon wants content creators to upload their works for its Amazon Prime audience.

Virtual Skinny: Diamonds and Pearls…

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on April 22, 2016 in Internet & Tech, Newsletter 0 Comment

4.22.2016

Good to Know: Let your life shine bright like a diamond by spring cleaning with these organizational apps.

THE SKINNY

When We’ve Lost Another Great One …

STUNNED is what we all were after learning that 57-year old, legendary pop star Prince passed away yesterday. No official word yet on the cause. So far, reports are citing his recent hospitalization for flu-like symptoms Regardless, it was a sad day for not only music lovers but the world. Insanely private, Prince was incredibly humanitarian. #YesWeCode, an initiative to teach people of color how to code, is just one of his many social contributions. #RIP #Prince

When It’s Time to Pay Tribute …

Pretty much everyone, including celebs, took to social media to share their condolences. Hit Broadway shows, namely Hamilton and the Color Purple, paid special tributes. But for us regular folks who wanted to stream his music, you probably had a hard time finding his work online.

When You Want To Stream “Diamonds and Pearls…”

It’s no secret that Prince was no fan of YouTube and Spotify. In 2015, he pulled most of his work from streaming services and decided to work exclusively with Tidal, a streaming service owned by rapper turned mogul Jay Z aka Beyoncé’s hubby. Tidal’s mission is to be more artist-friendly by giving them more money for each music stream and allowing artists to have more control over their work on the service. Prince, being protective of his image, was on board.

When Not All Hope Is Lost …

Even if you’re not a Tidal subscriber, you can still find ways to stream some of Prince’s music. Check it out here.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

Ugh, Not This Again …

The European Union doesn’t play when it comes to Google and alleged antitrust violations. It has officially charged the company with “abusing its power” with the Android operating system. Apparently, Google requiring phone makers to pre-install some of its apps like Google Search and Google Chrome is no buneo. Kind of a big deal since Android is a monkey maker for the company, bringing in $11 billion in ad sales alone last year.

When You’re Ready to Settle …

A bunch of Uber drivers in Massachusetts and California sued the company over their employment status. The drivers wanted to be considered employees, but Uber was like nah, they’re just independent contractors. The employee v. independent contractor status matters when it comes down to benefits. But, looks like a judge won’t have to decide either way. Uber settled the case for US $100 million, of which $84 million is reserved for the drivers. That amount could increase depending on whether the company’s value continues to grow. Uber agreed to change up some of its practices and help set up a drivers’ association in each state. Copy cats, anyone?

QUICK POLL – RUN THOSE NUMBERS …

The FBI shelled out US $1.3 MILLION to crack that San Bernardino iPhone. That’s more than the FBI Director James Comey’s total compensation for the remaining seven years of his tenure. Yikes!

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Feel more like a local on your next trip with AirBnB’s “Guidebook.”

Twitter users came for Snapchat after the company released its Bob Marley filter in honor of 4/20 aka the unofficial weed “holiday.” They weren’t here for virtual blackface. So, Snapchat put out a factual statement claiming that it works with Bob Marley’s estate on the feature. No apology needed.

While we’re talking Snapchat, looks like MTV Cribs is coming back via the app.

The Shade Room thinks Facebook (FB) is being shady. The popular gossip publisher, a place where people can “go in” on the latest pop culture news, had its fair share of drams this week. It was booted off FB for alleged copyright violations. The publisher, which got its start on Instagram and now has over 4 million followers, says it had no warning. #TheShadeOfItAll

In other FB news, the social media platform could soon allow you to cash in on your posts with “tip jar.”

Wedding season is upon us. If you’re getting married (Mazel!), HoneyFund is here to help you get those coins together for your honeymoon.

Virtual Skinny: Run That Back …

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on April 15, 2016 in Internet & Tech, Newsletter

4.15.2016

Good to Know: Reminder, if you haven’t gotten your U.S. taxes done, you’ve got until Apr. 18th. tax, Run

THE SKINNY

When You Swear It’s Déjà Vu …

Now that the Apple v. U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) court battle has died down, Microsoft’s got next.

When You’re Like Hold Up! Run That Back …

The company wants to give you a heads up when the U.S. government is getting all up in your online biz. But, the government allegedly won’t let Microsoft put you on notice so the company’s fired shots with the lawsuit it filed earlier this week.

When You Need The Details …

Microsoft’s argument comes down to the information you store in the “cloud.” For years, tech companies and privacy advocates have been calling out the U.S. government for using an old-school law (Electronic Communications Privacy Act aka ECPA) to gain access to people’s personal information stored in the cloud. They want the law changed.

When You’re Like, But How?

Well, look at it this way. If the government wanted access to information you’re keeping in your house or mailbox, it would need a search warrant under the 4^th Amendment. But, when it comes to your online stuff, less is required of the government to gain access.

When Things Are Backwards …

Even though it makes a ton of sense to change the law, not much has happened (sigh, politics). The latest development is that the U.S. House Judiciary Committee approved its version of an amended bill to keep up with the times. #SmallVictories

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

Try Take Over The World …

Mark Zuckerberg is legit on ‘Pinky and the Brain’ status. This week, Facebook put on F8, its annual developer conference. Per usual, FB’s got a lot on its “to do” list. The Zuck kicked things off by not missing a chance to throw shade at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Then, he kept the zingers coming (in a good way) by unveiling his company’s 10-year plan. Basically, it comes down to chat bots, virtual reality, and sponsored messages (in case you were wondering why you may have gotten a FB message from Lyft). Looks like FB Messenger is going to be kind of a big deal. We’re talking potentially being able to use Messenger to interact directly with businesses to meet our needs (i.e., pizza).

Baby Steps …

While Facebook’s on that world domination tip, Google’s taking a local approach. According to reports, Google – now known as Alphabet – is using one of its subsidiaries called Sidewalk Labs to build out a “digital district.” The company’s allegedly got big name consultants and urbanists on its team to “create an area in the U.S. that serves as a testbed for new technologies from super fast Internet to autonomous cars.”

QUICK POLL – RUN THOSE NUMBERS …

In honor of Equal Pay Day this past Wednesday (Apr. 13), Facebook and Microsoft said they’re progressive because they basically pay men and women equally for the same job (for every $1 a man makes, a woman makes 99.8 cents). Not quite equal pay, and the gender pay gap is still a major problem.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Twitter has its work cut out for it. It’s been on a take-down rampage of tweets and accounts related to terrorism. But, a good thing has turned into a never ending battle. As soon as Twitter takes a tweet or account down, similar ones pop right back up. Enemy #1 is Abu al-Walid. He’s now on his 464^th Twitter account. Oy …

While we’re on Twitter, can we talk about the Jack Dorsey- Azealia Banks connection? Let’s get into it. In 2015, Banks sent out tweets to promote Square Cash, the Venmo-like feature of Dorsey’s other company Square. Banks said she only did it because Dorsey promised to promote her mixed tape in return. He didn’t. She claims that he instead sent her his hair samples to “make him an amulet for protection.” Ok so, two things: (1) What TF is really going on? And (2) Watch your back, Jack. Yikes!

“Please silence your phones.” We’ve all heard that gentle reminder to not be that annoying person on their phones in the middle of a movie. Turns out AMC Theaters is admitting defeat. The CEO gets that millennials can’t part with their phones for too long so they want to make it acceptable for people to text and watch at their theaters. #ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmm …

Amazon’s trying to get knee-deep in the fashion world so it’s looking to buy up startups like Everlane, Le Tote, Rent The Runway, ThirdLove and PreeLine.

Old things are becoming new again. While the 90s are coming back with a vengeance, so are vinyl records. Startup ReplyYes wants to help you get your hands on the right vinyl records with its daily text recommendations.

Drone racing. Coming to ESPN in August 2016.

Virtual Skinny: No-no-no-NOTORIOUS!

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on April 4, 2016 in Internet & Tech, Newsletter

4.4.2016

Good to Know: Techies are notorious for acronyms. Here’s a guide to what letter combos like MVP (minimal viable product) and UV (unique viewers) mean.

THE SKINNY

When You Gotta Get Those Pay-pers …

The “Panama Papers” that is … Yesterday, the entire world learned about Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm at the center of what is being called the biggest leak of private documents to date. In other words, this leak makes Edward Snowden’s NSA leak look like child’s play.

When You Want to Know What’s Going On …

Well, it really took one push of a button. About a year ago, an anonymous source sent an encrypted message to German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ). The message contained documents leaked from the Panamanian law firm about shell companies and offshore accounts belonging to some major celebs, politicians, and even organizations (ahem, FIFA) that are no strangers to alleged corruption. Within a year, the stack grew to 2.6 terabytes of data. Basically, that’s enough information to fit onto just under 450 CDs (Remember those? Talk about Throwback!)…

**When You’re No-no-no-NOTORIOUS…**

After SZ got their hands on the docs, it sent the information over to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Apparently, sifting through these docs is a joint effort – 107 media companies (including BBC Panoroma) spread across 78 countries are involved. Already, we know that these docs discuss things like $2 billion that link to Russian president Vladimir Putin and his peeps, Iceland’s Prime Minister’s undeclared stakes in an offshore company, and members of FIFA.

When You Want No Misunderstandings …

To be clear, some shell companies are actually legit. For instance, the media believes Apple created shell company, SixtyEight Research, to secretly build a car with minimal media attention. Even tax avoidance (not to be confused with tax evasion) is on the up and up. But, other shell companies and offshore accounts are simply just criminal. From the looks of it, the “Panama Papers” could potentially expose what the world’s 1% are doing on the down low.

When You’re Getting The Popcorn Ready …

Redditors are fired up and ready to go, and the Twitterverse is already a buzz with people sounding off on the #panamapapers … *Sips tea*

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

It’ll Happen When The Time Is Right …

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice dropped its case against Apple. It no longer needed the court’s help in compelling the company to help the U.S. government unlock an iPhone belonging to a terrorist in the San Bernardino attack. The government relied on technologists’ help and managed to unlock the iPhone. Now, the FBI is telling the law enforcement community that it’ll help them out in as soon as it’s cool under current law and policy. But, it may not work out that way. Reports say the solution is likely to leak, and Apple will likely jump on the leak with a quickness to fix the flaw.

MAP IT OUT…

Check out how the “Panama Papers” leak looks in comparison to some other major disclosures.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Fashion do(s) … Massachusetts Institute of Technology aka MIT, small textile company Warwick Mills, and the U.S. Department of Defense want to give the entire textile industry an upgrade. The collabo is focused on figuring out how to get tiny semiconductors into fabrics for seeing, hearing, communicating, warming up, and cooling down, etc. Think if your clothes were kind of like FitBits but better.

Ride-hailing companies like Uber and its Chinese competitor Didi Kuaidi are present in Latin America. But, now it’s a race to see who can dominate. All eyes are on Brazil. It’s kind of a big deal being the 5^th largest population in the world and all … Speaking of Uber, the company is making moves on the African continent. It’s coming soon to Ghana, Uganda, and Tanzania in June 2016.

Facebook Live, the social network’s live video feature, may just be another annoying notification to us regular folks, but media companies and amateurs are loving it. Drawing large audiences FTW …

eHarmony is known for matchmaking for dating, and now it wants to help folks find the right careers with new site, Elevated Careers.

Virtual Skinny FinTech Ed: Back At It Again With The …

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on March 30, 2016 in FinTech Edition, Newsletter

3.30.2016

Good to Know: Calling all FinTech social entrepreneurs! If you’re working on solving the financial inclusion problem, Village Capital’s: US FinTech 2016 business-training program is for you. Learn more here and apply here. Hurry! You’ve got until April 3, 2016.

THE SKINNY

When It’s Time To Regulate On ‘Em …

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), a top U.S. banking regulator, thinks it’s time for some rules around the growing financial technology (fintech) industry. Traditional banks and fintech startups are here for it.

When You’re For It, Just For Different Reasons …

Traditional banks have long been regulated and want competing startups to join the regulatory party. Startups don’t mind because they actually want to play by new rules so they create and innovate without having to watch their backs like no one’s biz. Could be a win-win?

When It’s Hard to Lead From Behind …

Other countries like the UK have already made moves to put in place a more fintech-friendly regulatory framework (e.g., the UK now allows what it calls the “sandbox model” aka a fancy way to say it lets startups experiment under the government’s watch). U.S. regulators now want to get on their level…

When You’re Finna Do Something …

Other U.S. regulators have published papers and conferenced on fintech, but the OCC is taking it one step further. On Thursday (Mar. 31), it’ll publish its very own white paper on “responsible innovation” intended to get people running their mouths on the best way to put together new rules and processes. Top issue for discussion? A more systematic way for consumers to complain about new products and services.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

What’s HIGER Than Being #1?

Japan thinks Asia needs to be the top dog when it comes to blockchain technology. So, the country is doing its part to get there. Japan’s got some strict banking laws, but it’s willing to dial things back to encourage more investment in its fintech sector. The country’s banking regulator, the Financial Services Authority, are putting new laws re virtual currency exchanges on the table. Authorities think that changing the laws will be a good look for its fintech industry. More collabos between banks and fintech ventures are on deck with these changes (e.g., giving banks the go-ahead to buy stakes in non-finance related companies).

When You’ve Been Traded In For A Younger (FinTech) Model …

Bitcoin could be so yesterday. The virtual currency and its network are about to be replaced by Ethereum aka Bitcoin 2.0. Ethereum is taking advantage of the ongoing fight over software within the Bitcoin community. Things are looking up for the new virtual currency on the block. Its price is up 1000% just in the past three months, companies like IBM, Microsoft, and JP Morgan Chase are drinking the Ethereum Kool-Aid, and people think it’s better than Bitcoin. Apparently, it’s not just about its virtual currency network. It can do things like execute smart contracts or programmable transactions. Oh, and not to mention, people have already created applications for it (e.g., managing and paying for electricity, betting on sports, and not so legit things like Ponzi schemes). It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. There’s some concern about Ethereum’s potential security problems.

QUICK POLL – RUN THOSE NUMBERS …

FinTech brought in the doll-ah doll-ah bills in Feb. 2016. We’re talkin’ $1.5 billion in financing…

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

How do you reach millennials during tax season? Get Instagram star Pierce Thiot, responsible for the “Will It Beard” trend, to stick money in his beard. Just the latest attempt for small companies (Fishback Tax) and larger ones to reach millennials and their cash. #TaxSwag

Speaking of millennials, roboadvisor company Betterment just raked in US $100 Mill to bulk up on new products and services (retirement guides and account aggregation), which it thinks will attract young peeps.

Will Facebook soon let us make in-app purchases? Potentially. Code has been discovered within Facebook Messenger that’s got people talkin’.

Swiss banks want a mobile payments platform for the country. They’re chatting with retailers on how to make it happen.

Startup Purse wants to be the Bitcoin marketplace version of Etsy. Introducing Purse Markets. Sell anything on the platform in exchange for some virtual coins.

MIT’s Digital Currency Initiative is offering up $100k in scholarship to boost under-repped minorities and women at Consensus 2016, NY-based conference on virtual currency and blockchain technology.

Virtual Skinny: Monday Motivation

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on March 28, 2016 in Internet & Tech, Newsletter

3.28.2016

Good to Know: “You’re not normal. You’re you. You’re awesome.” – @thekidpresident #mondaymotivation

THE SKINNY

When You’re Still Working Out the Kinks …

Over the weekend, a deadly bombing happened at a children’s park in Lahore, Pakistan,
taking the lives of 69 people and leaving about 300 injured. So, Facebook launched its “Safety Check” to let people “check in” as safe. But, it didn’t work as expected.

When Something Is A Major Fail …

The “Safety Check” is intended to be avail for people close to the event, but that wasn’t the case on Sunday, March 27. Instead, FB asked people all over the world (South Africa, Nepal, Canada, and U.S.): “Are you okay?”

When You Need to Apologize for Your Behavior …

Before it was too late, Facebook said “sorry.” The company copped to its mistake and blamed it on a bug that is “counter to the product’s intent.” Safety Check’s been giving FB some issues since its debut, but those issues have been more along the lines of FB alleging playing faves on when and where to launch the features.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

What’s your motivation?

By now, you’ve probably heard a lil’ something, something about Apple’s rumble with the U.S. government over encryption. Now, the issue is going global. With the recent terrorist attacks in Europe, France wants to act quickly. French lawmakers are seeking to make it easier for intelligence bodies to have more power in getting people’s personal data. A similar proposal allowing governments to “snoop” has cropped up in Britain. But, German and Dutch officials aren’t here for any of it and oppose “back doors” in encryption services. In the meantime, all eyes are on Britain since it’s a big market for American tech companies.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Ride-hailing app Uber is using its “Code on the Road” game to recruit engineering talent. Fun Fact: Some people who have played already work in engineering. Uber says it’s not playing the “targeting” game when it comes to who can play. Rather, the company says it’s launching the game in cities where there are tons of tech jobs. Hmmm … We’ll go along with that … for now. BTW, $10K is on the line for people who play and find bugs, which could threaten privacy and security.

Yahoo is putting its core Internet business (think search, email, etc.) up for sale. And, the latest word on the street is that Microsoft is chatting with Yahoo’s investors about a private equity deal.

You’re a lucky man, Ross Martin! He’s the first customer to receive the first Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.

Virtual Skinny: (Almost) Festival Season …

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on March 10, 2016 in Internet & Tech, Newsletter

3.10.2016

Good to Know: It’s almost festival season … Super cool tech and music festival South by Southwest kicks off this weekend. Even, U.S. President Barack Obama is making a cameo. #Jelly

THE SKINNY

When You’re Trying to Get Your House in Order …

These days, we’re used to hearing about the Googles and the Facebooks of the world trying to bring Internet access to emerging and underrepresented areas. But, this week, President Obama is keeping things closer to home. The Administration announced new broadband plan for the U.S. called ConnectALL.

When Things Aren’t As They Seem …

Over the past 15 years, Internet access has been growing like gangbusters in America but is still very much out of reach for some households. ConnectALL intends to bring broadband access to underserved communities.

When You Need to Move, NOW …

The Administration is wasting no time and plans to kick off an immediate effort – a new digital literacy pilot project. Calling all, Americorps volunteers to help people step up their computer skills at libraries, museums, and other community centers located in these areas.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

When You Haven’t Over-Stayed Your Welcome …

The Obama Administration is coming out strong this week with yet another announcement. This time, it’s talking immigration policy for highly-skilled, foreign-born workers – always a hot topic in tech sector. Good news for foreign students studying science, technology, math, or engineering (STEM). After snatching up their diplomas, they’re now welcome to stay in the country for 3 years to get jobs and get their hands on those sometimes elusive H-1B visas aka work visas to stay state-side legally. But of course, not everyone’s happy on account of the counter-argument that this will take jobs away from Americans and all.

Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda …

Billionaire media mogul and former New York City Michael Bloomberg bowed out of getting into the U.S. presidential election as an independent. It’s unfortunate for some, including sharing economy companies like Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, AirBnB, etc. The word is Bradley Tusk, who led Bloomberg’s NYC campaign, would’ve incorporated these services into Bloomberg’s would’ve-been campaign. Tusk figured since there’s no blue print to run as an independent, the sharing economy would’ve been the perfect match to get things going for field operations (e.g., hiring Ubers to get people to the polls). Oh, what would’ve been!

Real Quick …

While we’re on the election, former HP CEO and former Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina has officially backed Senator Ted Cruz in his bid … In case you didn’t get that. That’s Fiorina telling Cruz: Hello? It’s me. I was wondering if after all the months, I could be your potential VP.

QUICK POLL – RUN THOSE NUMBERS …

About 47% of Americans surveyed are #TeamApple, and we’re not talking Apple Martin aka the daughter of actress Gwyneth Paltrow and rocker Chris Martin. Most Americans in a recent Pew survey are siding with the smartphone manufacturer in its beef with the U.S. government over encryption.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Not an astronaut? No worries, Amazon CEO and owner of space startup Blue Origins Jeff Bezos is working on test flights for regular folks beginning in 2017. The goal is to make things offisch by selling tix for short suborbital flights to us in 2018. Your move, Elon Tusk & SpaceX …

Anonymous messaging app Yik Yak is probably getting tired of always being in the middle of controversy. User names are now a thing for the app.

Facebook and Google want to share their data center designs with you via the Open Compute Project. It’s a win-win … People get to give these companies a hand in advancing Internet hardware and the companies get to keep their hardware costs low, low, low, low …

BTW, Facebook isn’t back down from competitor Snapchat. The OG social media platform (relatively speaking) just bought video filter app Msqrd.

It’s getting’ hot out there … You know what that means? Let the trip planning begin. Not sure where to go? Google it, duh! The search engine’s got a new feature called Destinations to help with your planning needs.

Instagram just pulled the kill-switch on “Being,” its app intended to give users an inside look into another user’s Insta for discovery purposes. Probably for the best on account of all its technical problems.

Virtual Skinny: Need A Moment

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on March 8, 2016 in Internet & Tech, Newsletter 0 Comment

3.8.2016

Good to Know: Let’s take a moment of silence for Raymond Tomlinson, aka, the man who put the “@” in email addresses. He passed away at 74 over the weekend. #RIP

THE SKINNY

When People Are No Longer Checkin’ For You …

For the first time in five years, more U.S. residents are moving out of Silicon Valley than those that are moving in…

When You Need To Rephrase That …

To be clear, the talent pool is still growing thanks to highly educated foreign-born workers but homegrown talent is dipping out of the area in search of more affordable housing.

When You’ve Been Replaced …

People are migrating to smaller tech hubs like Seattle and Austin with each city bringing additional 17,000 and 720 workers, respectively. These days, turns out things are slowing all the way down in Silicon Valley and San Francisco’s tech sector (e.g., companies laying off peeps and venture capital money drying up).

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

Good News, Finally …

Lately, it’s been a tough road for DraftKings, FanDuel, and fantasy sport sites in general. After a slew of bad news, the industry finally got a breaky-break. Virginia (VA) just passed the “Fantasy Contests Act,” intended to allow those sites to be on the up and up in the state. The law would require these sites to do things like go through two independent audits each year, pony up US $50K to operate in Virginia, make sure all players on the sites are 18+, and make sure employees aren’t participating in their public contents, etc. Good looks, VA.

We’re Not Gonna Take This …

Last week, a New York federal judge said ‘nice try’ to the U.S. government in its against Apple, Inc. The government brought the case against Apple because the company refused to give it access to one of the iPhones involved in one of its investigations. Now, the government is appealing on account of it thinks that Apple can bypass the phone’s passcode to give the government access with no problems. Per usual, we’ll keep you posted on how this appeal turns out … In other news, Mac computers are under attack by Ransomeware. And, the software works in the way you’d think the name implies. Hackers infect your computer with the software, encrypt your data, and then the hackers ask you to hand over digital $$$ to get your data back. #SAVAGE

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Taking advantage of the situation? Who knows, but what we do know is … After Facebook failed to convince India’s government to accept its Free Basics program to bring Internet access to rural India, Google is now in talks with Indian telecoms to kick off its Project Loon. The project shares similar goals with Free Basics except it plans to use balloons to bring the people affordable Internet access.

Style Code Live, Amazon’s first live online show, is available tonight and is … wait for it … free! It’s a daily fashion and beauty show if you’re into that type of thing. In more Amazon news, it’s putting together its very own virtual reality program and is on the look out for a software development manager to take the lead. And, its second physical bookstore is setting up shop in San Diego. #GoodReads

Ryan Lewis, one-half of the Macklemore and Ryan Lewis duo, is getting into the startup game with his company Disruptive Multimedia featuring a tool called Superphone to scoop up info on customer relationship management and direct sales. The plan is to use the tool to figure out how to monetize audiences. Looks like venture capitalist and investor Ben Horowitz is here for it.

Virtual Skinny: Space(d) Out …

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on March 3, 2016 in Internet & Tech, Newsletter, Uncategorized

3.3.2016

Good to Know: American astronaut Scott Kelly came back down to Earth after spending 340 days in space. And in other space news, NASA continues to work on bringing the Internet (high speed networks) to galaxies far, far away.

THE SKINNY

When You Need To make space…

Google, Inc. wants to come in between us and the Zika virus. It is throwing resources – as in volunteer engineers and about US $1 million in grant money – to the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

When You Need A Reminder …

Zika, which is transmitted by mosquitoes and has been linked to causing microcephaly in newborns, has been wreaking havoc across the Americas for a minute now. So much so, that the World Health Organization gave it the official “public health emergency” stamp. Note: Microcephaly tends to cause newborns to have unusually small heads, which leads to other defects.

When You’re Coming Up with Solutions, Not Problems …

Google wants to create an open source platform intended to map out the virus’ spread and i.d. potential outbreaks by looking at things like travel and weather patterns and other data points. Why stop there? Well, it’s not. The Internet industry vet also wants people to learn more about the virus via a new web-based campaign among other things (i.e., develop a vaccine since one doesn’t currently exist).

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

When You Just Need to Get Used To It …

We’ll probably be talking Apple v. FBI for a while. This week, both sides took their arguments to U.S. Capitol Hill. And now, FBI Director James Comey is saying “our b.” During a hearing, Comey admitted that the FBI made the wrong decision by changing the Apple ID password linked to one of the San Bernardino shooters’ phones – a “180” from the agency’s previous statement.

When You’ve Watched One Too Many Episodes of ‘Lock Up…’

Earlier this week, Brazilian law enforcement picked up Diego Dzodan, Vice President of Facebook Latin American, in Sao Paulo. By now, it’s pretty much the same story, different script: Criminal activity (drug trafficking in this case) + law enforcement wanting information + WhatsApp denying law enforcement’s request = Judge Ordering WhatsApp to fork over the info. Well, the company stood its ground and said it doesn’t have access to what the police wants, which led to Dzodan’s arrest. FB isn’t pleased, particularly since WhatsApp operates as a separate entity. Meanwhile, over in Germany, FB is under fire for being too big and abusing its power with regards to user data.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

uberMoto, Uber’s motorbike hailing service, is now a thing in Bangalore, India. The company responsible for putting ride-hailing apps on the map is stepping its international expansion game all the way up. It’s shelling out US $250 million to get into areas like the Middle East and Africa. As of today, Uber’s now live in Pakistan.

Kenyan smartphone app, The Portable Eye Examination Kit (Peek), is making eye screening easy for schools located in rural areas of the country.

Tired of seeing pics of your friends’ kids every two seconds on FB? France may be the place for you. The government’s telling parents in the country to stop posting pics of their kids on FB in the name of protecting their privacy and security. Seems like it could be a win-win for everyone involved.

Watch out, Skype and Google Hangouts … New chat app Slack is coming for you with its soon to be launched video and voice feature. Side note: Slack is killing the fundraising game! The startup has raised over a billion dollars in just a year. #Impressive

Not so great news for SurveyMonkey employees … The cloud-based polling service is working to better its business offerings and will drop about 100 employees along the way.

BTW, new app No More Voicemail wants people to talk less and text more #YesPlease

Virtual Skinny: Super Tuesday!

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on March 1, 2016 in Internet & Tech, Newsletter

3.1.2016

Good to Know: Happy Super Tuesday! All eyes are on U.S. citizens residing in 12 states today. They are headed to the polls to vote on who could potentially be the presidential nominees for both the Republicans and the Democrats. While Democratic candidates Secretary Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders duke it out, Donald Trump is rumored to take the day on the Republican side. Btw, Trump is already winning on Twitter.

THE SKINNY

When You Gotta Take the “L” …

Apple – 1; U.S. Government – 0 … In the midst of all the drams between Apple and the U.S. government over the San Bernardino attacks (remember?), the government wants Apple to hand over iPhone info related to a drug case in NY. The federal magistrate judge in the case said the government’s argument is no bueno.

Why?

If you want to get into specifics, the government is betting on a very old law (we’re talking written in 1789 old) called the All Writs Act, which the government says allows it to require things not already covered by existing law. The judge wasn’t buying it and basically told the government to take it down several notches. In other words, the government doesn’t have that much power.

Kind of a Big Deal …

Even though the drug case has nothing to do with San Bernardino and what the judge said is limited to that particular situation, it still raises questions about what this could mean for the mega-blowout over San Bernardino. Hmmm….

Speaking of …

Since we’re on San Bernardino, here’s a quick update. Late last week, Apple met its court deadline and submitted its docs to dismiss the government’s case. This week, companies like Google, Facebook, and even Microsoft are stepping up to the plate to file their own court doc aka amicus brief aka a brief filed by someone with “skin the game” to support Apple’s position. In the meantime, Apple’s top lawyer Bruce Sewell is at on U.S. Capitol Hill today to tell the nation’s lawmakers that they respect the victims and their families and have zero tolerance for terrorists. But, the government has put it in an impossible position when it comes to protecting iPhone users. Sewell and the company want Congress to discuss this issue before any decisions are made.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

Devil’s in the Details …

Weeks ago, the U.S. and European Union agreed on how companies should protect Europeans’ info that U.S. companies shuttle back and forth across borders. Now, they’ve released the official text of the new framework called the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield. Let’s just say that this framework ups the ante in what companies need to do when it comes to their privacy policies and sharing people’s info with third parties. If you happen to be a European resident that uses the Internet, turns out you’ve got more power to bring legal action against U.S. companies if you feel it’s necessary to do so.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Get it directly from the source. Google’s now selling cardboard virtual reality viewers on its online sore. US $15 for a single and US $25 for a double. No need to make that McDonald’s run for their limited edition of ‘Happy Googles.’

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel told his investors that the app’s users are watching about 8 billion videos a day (same as Facebook!). But, the “Damn Daniel” vid is no longer one of them. A group hacked into the creator’s Twitter account and hit the delete button on the viral vid. All we can say to that is … #Damn

Israeli startup Skyfi is trying to beat Facebook and Google to the punch on offering global web access. The company’s working on a “self-correcting antenna” to transform small satellites into transmitters around the globe.

When it comes to startups, we don’t hear much coming out of the Middle East. But, online e-commerce company Souq is changing that by raising major moo-lah, about $275 million and counting in funds.