Immigration

Virtual Skinny: Inter-Webs…

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

8.23.2016

Good to Know: Time to celebrate … The Inter-Webs turn 25 years old today! Still waiting on that quarter-life crisis. 

happy bday

THE SKINNY

When You’ve Turned Over a New Leaf (Sort of) …

If you’ve been following U.S. politics, then you’ve probably noticed that Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump is trying to do better. He’s trying to stay on script and talk more policy. Top of the list? Immigration. 

When You Still Want to Build That Wall …

Trump unveiled his immigration plan last week, and it went further than just building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. He talked a lot about “extreme vetting” for those wanting to immigrate to the U.S. 

When You’re Not Sure What This Means …

‘Many people’ are wondering (see what we did there?) what this meant for H-1B work visas, which is a big deal in the tech world. It’s unclear, but Trump has said in the past that he would want to reform the H-1B program to stop ‘rampant abuse.’ He’s even called out Disney as a major culprit.

When You’re Confused… 

Meanwhile, Silicon Valley and the tech world are still not feeling Trump even with his new approach. With the exception of entrepreneur Peter Thiel, even Silicon Valley Republicans are staying clear of the Donald. They’re either backing down-ticket candidates. throwing their money at Hillz, or sitting the election out all together. #InterestingTimes 

confused

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

Nope, Not On My Watch …

Google, Facebook, and Twitter are not pleased with a proposal from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The agency thought it would be a good idea to ask foreign U.S. visitors arriving on visa waivers to voluntarily hand over their social media account info. It’s all in the name of id-ing potential terrorists. Internet companies said ‘no way Jose.’ The proposal would spell major trouble for social media and free speech generally in the U.S.of A. Not to mention, it would send the wrong message to other countries that they should do the same. #SorryNotSorry

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

What to do after retirement? Former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant retired from the NBA this year. Now, he’s getting into investments. Bryant and his partner Jeff Stibel announced that they’ve launched a US $100 million venture capital fund called Bryant Stibel. They’re looking to invest in tech, media, and data companies. Not really a surprise, Bryant and Stibel have been lowkey investing in companies since 2013. 

Tired of your Spotify or Pandora? Amazon’s stepping into music streaming service ring. The service is still in the works, but rumor has it that it’ll cost around US $5/ month. Oh and there’s a catch, the service will only work with Echo hardware aka ‘Alexa.’ Now that Alec Baldwin/Missy Elliott commercial is starting to make sense. #PepRally 

Ride-hailing service Lyft wanted out of the biz. It tried to sell to the likes of Uber and for US $9 billion. But, Uber said “too rich for my blood” … It was willing to do $2B and not a penny more. It wasn’t just a money issue … CEO Travis Kalanick didn’t think it’d be a good idea on account of the Feds (i.e., antitrust issues). 

While we’re on Uber, ICYMI, it’ll start letting real people into its self-driving cars. To be specific, it’ll start by testing out 100 Volvos in Pittsburgh, PA. But don’t worry, there’ll be a human at the wheel in case things start to go left

Daydream is no longer falling asleep beneath the flowers. It’s the name of Google’s new service for virtual reality films and programs. The company’s throwing millions of dollars at the service and at Inter-web stars for content. 

MAKIN’ MOVES

Amazon Web Services former marketing vet Adam Selipsky is going to be the top guy at software company Tableau.

Dropbox CFO Vanessa Wittman is walking away from her post due to health reasons. She’ll be replaced by financial deputy Ajay Vashee in September. 

Virtual Skinny: (Almost) Festival Season …

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on 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

SXSW

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.

pew

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 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 

at

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: “Dislike” Would’ve Been Just Fine…

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

2.25.2016

Good to Know: You can now react in more ways to your friend’s Facebook updates. FB globally released its reactions feature so people can express themselves in more ways than just “liking” stuff.  But, some people feel like FB did the most, when a “dislike” button would’ve done the trick: 

dislike button

THE SKINNY

Where Do We Start?

Remember how the U.S. government asked Apple to unlock the iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino terrorists? A ton’s happened since last week.

Oh Please…

The U.S. government said “BYE Apple” and dismissed its messaging as a mere marketing ploy – nothing more, nothing less. It just wants Apple’s help to get to the bottom of this specific instance by helping crack the phone’s passcode.  Apple stayed on message and said this whole thing is about protecting people’s civil liberties. The company refuses to create a special software to give the government access to its devices.

Where’s that “dislike” button when you need it? 

The government eventually found a way to reset one of the terrorist’s (Syed Rizwan Farook) iCloud password, which allowed investigators to see the dude’s backed-up data. Apple said wait a minute (or as the kids say “wayment”) and claimed that resetting the password only made it virtually impossible to get data straight from the phone. Now, there’s chatter that Apple’s been working on creating new security measures that would prevent any workarounds from being used to break into iPhone devices. Experts says if and when Apple creates these new measures, it’s pretty much game over unless Congress amends existing law to require companies like Apple and Google to make their data available to law enforcement.

When People Go Off-Script…

Silicon Valley regulars have rallied behind Apple but not everyone. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates added his two-cents, and he isn’t buying what Apple is selling.  Gates says what the government is asking the company to do is possible without compromising people’s general privacy and safety.

What Next?

Well, in the short-term, Apple still has to respond to the court order issued by a federal judge last week that set all of this into motion. The order requests that Apple give the government special access to the phone in question. The deadline is tomorrow.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

Getting the Band Back Together …

Calling all for entertainment firms, tech companies, community organizations, social media companies! On Feb. 24, the White House invited a select few for an hours-long pow-wow. Why? Terrorists, of course. Apparently, they stay recruiting peeps online. The U.S. government isn’t afraid to admit that it’s out of its league on this one. So, it’s calling on the private sector for back-up. The goal? “[To] help communities and young people amplify their own messages.” Looks like a joint effort between Facebook and government agencies to fund a peer-to-peer college course to teach kids how to craft their very own anti-militant messaging could do the trick. A FB rep says we’ll know if its working by monitoring the number of shared messages and how people interact with them.

Watch What You Say on the Interwebs …

At least if you’re applying for a U.S. visa or seeking asylum in the country.  While the government is working with the private sector to help implement programs to curb terrorists’ online recruitment, it’s taking to social media itself to screen visa applications. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) isn’t messing around and plans to build tools so it can dig deep into applicants’ social media profiles for any red flags. Legislation has also been popping up in the U.S. Congress that would require DHS to screen pretty much anyone trying to make their way to the U.S. Those bills haven’t seen traction yet though.

Don’t Throw the Baby Out with the Bathwater …

Immigration advocacy groups feel like all of this social media talk to screen out potential immigrants could leave some people out who don’t deserve to be. Besides, a new study shows that innovators in the U.S. are actually well-educated immigrants and not necessarily young college dropouts. The study found that more than 1/3 of U.S. innovators were born outside the U.S.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Alphabet, formerly known as Google, wants you to meet Atlas, its 5’9”, 180 lbs, battery run humanoid robot.

Not sure where to go for your next vacation? Travel site Expedia is knee-deep in user-experience research to make sure your trip planning is as easy, efficient, and enjoyable as possible.  Happy Planning!

Grocer Whole Foods wants in on grocery delivery startup Instacart. Both companies also plan to partner up for at least the next 5 years.

Online personal styling startup Stitch Fix is getting into the men’s wear game.

Are the 80s making a comeback? Amazon’s working on a new show called Jean-Claude Van Johnson and starring Belgian actor Jean-Claude Van Damme. It’s being described as a “comedy-thriller.” Oh and the e-commerce company turned content company also forked over $15 million for Woody Allen’s new movie.

First Paypal, now LinkedIn … The social platform is set to air its first ever TV commercial during the Oscars on Sunday. It’s space-themed and the message? LinkedIn believes in you. The platform is often described as “the FB for professionals.” But, the company wants people to know that it’s much more than that through a large-scale marketing campaign.  We’re sensing a trend here …

The Virtual Skinny: The Swing of Things…

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

11.10.2015

Good to Know: ICYMI, yesterday Google featured Hedy Lamarr who is more known for her acting chops back in the day than being the designer of a communication system during World War II that set the groundwork for modern Wi-fi. 

THE SKINNY

When Tragedy Strikes …

Freelance journalist Zak Stone published a seriously tragic and heart-wrenching story about how his dad died while staying at an AirBnB rental during a family trip.  The incident happened about two years ago but now he’s letting everyone know how a major safety hazard on the AirBnB property took his dad’s life.

Now What?

His family’s story adds fuel to the ongoing debate about sharing economy services and their consumers’ safety. In AirBnB’s case, questions are being raised about the company’s responsibilities regarding safety.  The site offers safety pointers to hosts under the “Trust” section of its site.  The company also suggests to hosts that getting renter’s or homeowner’s insurance is probably a good idea.  The insurance issue a huge deal.

Why?

Well, the problem is a lot of home owner’s insurance policies out there don’t include commercial activity like AirBnBs.  So basically, people can get the insurance, but it still wouldn’t cover their AirBnB rental.  To fix that issue, the company began offering Host Protection Insurance for up to $1 million earlier this year.

What to Do?

AirBnB and other sharing economy companies are working to put more safety measures in place.  But, Zak notes that AirBnB is still not held to same standards as hotels (which is a huge point of contention between AirBnB and regular hotels).  Sharing economy companies say that users’ reviews will weed out all the bad folks in their system, but consumer advocates want more than that.  The struggle continues between balancing the benefits of these services with issues like safety.

In the Meantime … 

Here’s Zak’s post in full but please proceed with caution.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

Not Many Things In Life Are Free … 

Google is giving away its machine learning software TensorFlow.  In normal people speak, TensorFlow is software the company uses to make computers “smarter” (e.g., teaching a computer to recognize cats by saturating its computer network with millions of cat images courtesy of YouTube).  No, this doesn’t mean Google is going to kill its own business.  The search company wants people to spend time with the software, come up with new ways to use the thing, and also hopefully improve the software.  If you’ve got what it takes, then by all means, have at it!

When People Are Playing Games … 

Immigration is a major issue in the United States (U.S.) and will continue to rage with upcoming presidential elections next year.  The tech industry has been pretty vocal about the need for more H-1B visas, three-year work permits for foreign-born professionals to legally work in the U.S. With each passing year, the demand for these visas (only 85k available in total) are only going up.  The demand is so high that the U.S. government had to put in place a lottery so regardless of whether people are qualified or not, their chances to legally stay in the U.S. to earn a living comes down to the luck of the draw. French born software engineer Théo Négri thought he had a promising career in San Francisco. But, that dream was cut short after he didn’t make it through the lottery. Négri later found out through data analysis that large global outsourcing companies are “gaming” the system by submitting thousands of applications and clogging up the system, leaving American companies with fewer chances of locking down a visa for their foreign-born applicants. Things definitely need to change.

The Clock Is Ticking …

A Belgian court wants Facebook to stop tracking people who aren’t users of its site.  For the past five years, whenever an Internet user visits FB, a cookie (aka a file that tracks when someone visits a site and also certain online activities) is instantly triggered. This applies to non-FB users, which the court doesn’t think is right.  The court says FB can only track people who directly give their consent; otherwise, the company will be fined 250,000 euros (£180,000) daily.  The court gave FB two days to come into compliance, but the social networking is putting up a fight and plans to appeal the decision.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

U.S. President Barack Obama got a Facebook for the country’s top position.  His first post is about climate change.

Facebook Messenger is relying on facial recognition technology for its new Photo Magic feature.  Photo Magic can i.d. your friends in photos and then asks if you want to send it to them or not.  Photo Magic makes its first debut “Down Under.”

Match Group, Inc., parent company of many dating sites and apps that we know, is looking to get in the money. The company is looking at a $3.4 billion IPO and wants to raise $536.7 million to get there.

Tag Heuer Connected is Android’s answer to Apple Watch. You can get yourself one of these bad boys for $1500.

Indian e-commerce company Flipkart partnered with Google to revamp its new mobile website. One point for Google! It’s a good way to get new Internet users from emerging markets, especially since most of them live in India and will be accessing the web via mobile phones.

Social platform Twitter is looking to diversify its Board of Directors.

Some execs recently peaced out on Yahoo so its CEO Marissa Mayer came up with an idea. Mayer wants the remaining execs to sign a pledge saying they’ll stay on with the company for three to five years.  Interesting.

Apple’s 12-inch iPad Pro hit stores tomorrow.

The Virtual Skinny: Making Waves

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

3.31.2015

Good to Know:  No more lame texts.  Magisto Shot, an app related to FB messenger, wants to bring you what its founder Oren Boiman calls Video 2.0.  Basically, Boiman wants to bring back body language, facial gestures, etc. through video messages. We’re interested. 

THE SKINNY.

I’M A HUST-LAH… 

Earlier this week, Jay Z launched his new music streaming service, Tidal.  To be fair, it’s actually a re-launch.  Hova through one of his companies, Project Panther Bidco, put up $54 million to purchase Tidal from its former owner Stockholm based company Aspiro. 

Ok, And? 

We know what you’re thinking … what makes this any different from Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or other existing music streaming services?  Tidal is being marketed as offering high definition music streaming services as well as access to HD music videos and industry news courtesy of the company’s editorial team.  Unlike Spotify, there is no “free” option. Basic service will cost about $10 and premium service twice that amount at $20.  #RICH

Why Should I Consider It? 

During the Tidal press event (which according to popular opinion was a bit off), big name artists like Rihanna, Kanye West, Madonna, Daft Punk, and Beyonce (obvi) to name a few are supporters of Tidal.  It’s reported that these artists will stream exclusively on the platform.  Even Taylor Swift who caused an uproar not too long ago by pulling her entire catalog of music from Spotify wants in (1989 is still out of the question though).  Other than personal and professional relationships to lock in these artists, it looks like Tidal’s promise to pay these artists more per stream than other existing services is a good selling point for their participation.  #TIDALforALL   

Don’t Knock It Before You Try It? 

Tidal is offering a 30-day free trial.  Interested? Try it out and let us know how you feel.  Tweet us at @Briefed_me!

What Else is Going On?

In Other Music News … 

Apple and Beats are teaming up for its very own music service to rival Spotify and now Tidal. This service is in addition to its  iTunes Radio. Pricing will be on par with its competitors since Apple was unsuccessful in securing a $2 markdown from $10 to $8.  Also, on the global scene, Alibaba is making good on its promise to be the world’s largest digital empire.  The Chinese e-commerce site just secured a digital distribution deal with BMG, a German music rights group. BMG exec Hartwig Masuch sees this deal as a huge opportunity, “Internet and paricular mobile media are quickly providing an answer to the music industry’s long-time challenge of how to monetize the vast untapped potential of the Chinese market.”

Stepping Up to the Plate …

Tech industry leaders are jumping into social issues in the aftermath of Indiana’s new law.  What law? Well, ICYMI the state’s Republican Governor Mike Pence recently signed into law the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.  The issue is this new law could potentially lead to discrimination against the LGBT community. Arkansas passed a similar bill.  In a joint statement out today by many tech leaders, the group said, “To ensure no one faces discrimination and ensure everyone preserves their right to live out their faith, we call on all legislatures to add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes to their civil rights laws and to explicitly forbid discrimination or denial of services to anyone.”  Sidenote: Pence is rumored to be considered a 2016 presidential run.  This should be interesting …

Other Woes …

It’s that time of the year again and the tech community is not pleased.  April 1 marks the period where U.S. immigration accepts H-1B wok visa applications.  In recent years, demand has always outpaced supply when it comes to potential employees and their employers securing these visas.  This year won’t be any different.  There are 85k visas available, and the U.S. government expects to reach this cap in just five days.  Immigration reform can’t come soon enough …

The Streets Are Talkin’

Amazon is expanding its service offerings with “Home Services.”  This service will make it easier for shoppers to reach local service providers (e.g., TaskRabbit, Dish satellite-TV service, etc.).   Also, the Web company recently announced its “Dash Button,” which allows consumers to place orders for essential household items by simply pushing a button. #ThatWasEasy #MaybeTooEasy

As Heidi Klum says, “one day you’re in, next day you’re out.”  And, it looks like Meerkat is out and Periscope (Twitter’s answer to the app) is in.

The Virtual Skinny: Time to Give Thanks.

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

11.25.2014

Good to Know: Thursday, November 27 is American Thanksgiving.  Of course, there will be a lot of turkey eating that day, but the question is – conventional (factory farmed) or heritage (free-range turkeys – which is popular amongst the foodies type)?  It pays to eat well as heritage turkeys are pricier than their conventional counters.  This year, Americans will eat an estimated 234,000 conventional turkeys compared to 30K-40K heritage. If you want to know more about what you’ll likely be eating this week, check out Bloomberg’s infographic.

THE SKINNY.

Breaking Point?

Google’s legal battles in Europe have reached an all time high.  In the midst of the European Union’s 4-year antitrust investigation into whether the Internet company favors its own services over competitors, the European Parliament announced last Friday that it is considering legislation to split up the company.

Wait… For Real?

Well, technically the European Parliament isn’t authorized to tell antitrust regulators what to do in terms setting policy or influencing their investigations.  However, it still plans to move ahead with a vote on a resolution to break up Google.  The vote is set to go down on Thursday, November 27.

In A Nutshell …

If the Parliament’s resolution turns out the be popular with European politicians, there’s a chance this could put pressure on Margrethe Vestager, Europe’s competition commissioner, to file formal charges against Google.  This would further derail efforts to settle the issue.  Like most things, we’ll have to wait and see.  But in the meantime, Pope Francis spoke to Parliament this week and said that Europe is seen by the world as “somewhat elderly and haggard.” He said it, we didn’t.

What Else is Going On This Week? 

And, the Drama Continues…

Uber’s been having a tough time lately.  First, one of its executives made a highly controversial comment about “digging up dirt” on reporters who aren’t their #1 fans.  Then came allegations of its “God View” internal tool to track a journalist without her permission.  This prompted the company to hire an expert privacy attorney to conduct an internal review of its privacy policies.  Now, Brussels is gearing up to put together a new law to regulate the app.  No word on the details of this legislation, but services like Uber often finds themselves at odds with traditional taxi firms.  Traditional taxis are subject to all sorts of safety requirements, insurance rules, and taxes.  Regulators say that Uber currently doesn’t pay taxes in Brussels so the legislation may aim to address that.  But, Uber says that it follows all applicable tax laws and pays taxes where it plays.  #TheStruggleIsReal

Somethin’ Is Better Than Nothin’… 

Last week, President Obama talked about his plans for an executive order on immigration.  For a while now, technology companies have been asking for changes to the immigration system that would allow more H1-B visas for foreign-born high-skilled workers and making the green card process more efficient, streamlined, and generally faster. While Obama can’t make that happen without Congress, his plan includes efforts such as giving special founder’s visas to foreign entrepreneurs and extend the amount of time someone with a U.S. technical degree has to temporarily work under an “optional training program.”   Some in the technology industry are pleased, but there’s still more work to be done – looking at you, U.S. Congress.

Speaking Of …

In 2013, Spain passed a law to help local businesses attract talented, foreign entrepreneurs.  The visa application is pretty straightforward merely requiring a government-approved business plan, health insurance, and enough funds to live in the country.  In addition to entrepreneurs, the government is also offering to investors who at least $625k in real estate, high skilled workers, and researchers, scientists, teachers, etc.  The new law isn’t without its challenges, especially if you’re a non-Spanish speaker; however, it’s said to be a fast track process with decisions made within 10 and 20 working days depending on the type of application.

The Streets Are Talkin’

The new thing for teens and investors is a new anonymous messaging app called Yik Yak.  It recently raised $62 million.  Unfamiliar with Yik Yak? Here are some “gems” to get familiar how it’s being used.

Rakuten, the Japanese e-commerce company, is looking to expand its reach, and it’s investing into a Singapore-based mobile ad tech company called PocketMatch.

Sony is not into its TV and mobile products. The company will be cutting these product lines to cut costs and is re-focusing on its PlayStation 4 and image sensor portfolio over the next three years.

The Virtual Skinny: Brrr, It’s Cold Out There!

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

11.18.2014

Good to Know:  Ever had trouble finding a parking spot in a major city?  Luxe Valet, a new app offering on-demand valet parking service, is about to change your life.  How does it work?  Simply turn on the app, input your destination and be on your way.  Once you arrive at your destination, a Luxe valet will greet you (by name). The valet does all the work while you go about your business.  Ready to leave? Just hit the app to get your car back.  All of this for just $5/hour and $15 daily. Luxe is set to launch in the LA area soon but could be coming to a city near you.  We can’t wait! 

THE SKINNY.

There’s No “I” in Team But There’s A “Me”…

According to media reports, President Obama is planning to take executive action on immigration this week. His plan is expected to permit 5 million immigrants to change their undocumented status from illegal to legal by granting them work permits.

Changing Times… 

For a few years now, President Obama has consistently stayed away from taking executive action on immigration reform but has looked to Congress to pass comprehensive legislation for a much-needed overhaul of the current system.  Though the Senate passed a bipartisan comprehensive bill last year, efforts stalled in the House.  And with Republicans set to take control of both the Senate and the House next year, things may become increasingly difficult. Though President Obama previously stated that acting by his lonesome on this issue would be “very difficult to defend legally,” he now believes that it would be “legally unassailable.”   In other words, he’s ready to get things done.

What About Me? 

The tech industry has been lobbying hard for the U.S. government to make more H1-B  visas (or high-skilled worker visas) available in order to increase America’s competitiveness.  After all, immigrants founded some of the tech and Internet companies we know and love today (i.e., Google and Yahoo).  But, there’s only so much the President can do.  While there are no specific details on the plan, it’ll likely only make small changes to address this specific issue. Congress will have to act to bring about any major changes.

What Else is Going On This Week?

Back In the News… 

Spotify is making the media rounds again, but this time it’s much less controversial and doesn’t involve Taylor Swift. Uber announced this week that it’s teaming up with the online music service just to make you feel more at home while in an Uber car.  From what we hear, once you jump into an Uber, you’ll be able to listen to your Spotify music playlist. No word yet on how this will work technically.

Can We Talk?

Telecom companies and Google are talking but haven’t quite yet defined their relationship.  Google’s Project Loon aims to bring Internet access to rural, less populated areas via balloons suspended at about 65,000 feet.  The Internet company is already partnering with Australia’s largest telecom provider Telstra to test these balloons in Western Queensland.  While Google is optimistic about potential collabos to bridge the gap between telcos and rural populations, telecom analysts think that the telcos are a bit more skeptical.  Analysts say telcos fear that Google could turn into a potential competitor.  Keep you friends close and your enemies closer.

I Got My Mind on My Money, and My Money on My Mind Phone …

Since Apple launched Apple Pay, there’s been a lot of chatter about the future of mobile payments.  And, with its recent plans to work with UnionPay and AliPay (both Chinese payment systems), Apple intends to keep the chatter going.  This week, Apple announced that its working to allow consumers to link their Apple ID to their UnionPay accounts. This move makes it easier for Chinese consumers to purchase Apple’s apps.  As Oprah would say during the holiday season, you’re ALL getting AH-AHPPSSSS … You get an app, and You get an app … In other mobile payment news, Snapchat is working with Square on a new payment feature called SnapCash. This new feature will allow SnapChat users to quickly message funds to each other.

The Streets Are Talkin’

Did you get my Facebook ping? Facebooking at work may soon be safe.  The social network is reportedly gearing up to offer its services at work via “Facebook@Work.”  This new service will allow people to group chat at work but also work jointly on projects and documents.

You’ve been summoned. And by “you,” we mean Twitter and Facebook.  According to reports, Russia is requesting to meet with the Internet companies to discuss the country’s new laws basically requiring government registries for bloggers and also that Internet data about Russian residents be kept within the country’s borders.

Alibaba keeps making moves. The Chinese e-commerce company now wants to get into the movie making business with Hollywood. It has plans to be a major player in the content distribution business.  Bloomberg says the company wants to do so “by using customer shopping and viewing data” to predict what movies will be successful in the Chinese market.

Things That Break The Internet …

The verdict is still out on whether Kim Kardashian’s highly controversial, NSFW Paper Magazine pics actually broke the Internet, but it’s safe to say that LifeTime’s Aaliyah biopic and Solange’s recent wedding are definitely this week’s hot topics.

Note to LifeTime: Next time, maybe consider better casting choices – or not.  We did enjoy these HI-LARIOUS #LifeTimeBeLike memes. #WeCant #StopIt

And Solange, keep doing what you’re doing because your wedding jumper and cape and pretty much everything else about your wedding was perfection!