 [DANNY WOOL, SV411]
It wasn’t that long ago that the internet served two main functions: email and porn. The times they are a’changing, however, and web surfers today tend to spend more time on Facebook and game sites than email (porn was not included in the survey results, probably because no one will answer honestly).
Of course, email is still a key component of the internet, and one of the three major activities for which it is used. It is in decline though. If at one time it accounted for 28 percent of the time people spent online, this has now dropped
Continue reading The Changing Face of the Internet
 [MASHABLE]
Culture jamming pranksters The Yes Men have released their latest film on BitTorrent, unable to do so via conventional distribution channels because they are being sued by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The Yes Men pose as corporations, governmental organizations or NGOs they believe are hypocritical or enacting harmful policies. They deliver speeches, send out press releases and set up websites to either take the organization’s policies to what The Yes Men believes are their logical conclusions, or to reverse the organization’s official position.
In theory, the latter is useful as a PR stunt because it forces the organization to step forward and
Continue reading ‘Yes Men’ Dodge Legal Challenge
 [DANNY WOOL, SV411]
Paul Ceglia thinks that he should own Facebook. Ceglia, from Alleghany County, NY, claims that back in 2003, he made a deal with Mark Zuckerberg that he would design the social networking site for $1,000 and a 50 percent ownership stake. While it is unknown whether he got the $1,000 dollars, he certainly did not get his 50 percent. In fact, Mark Zuckerberg himself only owns about 24 percent of the company, currently valued at up to $22 billion.
But the case gets weirder. Ceglia also claims that the terms of the agreement stipulate that for every day that
Continue reading Man Sues for a Piece of Facebook
 [VALLEYWAG]
Remember Chatroulette? The crazy random videochat thing? Its founder wants to turn it into a more legitimate business, which means cutting down on the number of disgusting things one witnesses there. Can he do it? (Probably not.)
TechCrunch says that the rawness that drew millions to Chatroulette in the early days is beginning to scare them and—more importantly—investors away. Seems that Chatroulette is the one place on the Internet people aren’t looking for naked pictures.
So, Chatroulette’s founder, 17 year-old Russian Andrey Ternovskiy, has been trying to cut down on the number of penises. According to TechCrunch:
Look for feature changes soon that
Continue reading Chatroulette’s War On Penises
[DANNY WOOL, SV411]
No wonder Apple is doing so well. The company reports that in the two months since it launched its new iPad, it has sold more than two million of them. And there are plenty more to sell too.
This weekend, Apple starting selling iPads in Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and several other key markets. Nine more countries will be added in July, and even more by the end of the year, provided that the manufacturers can keep up with demand. Apple has already pushed back the launch of international sales because of high demand in the U.S.
Then
Continue reading Apple Sells Two Millionth iPad
 [DANNY WOOL, SV411.COM]
Steve Jobs once famously said: “Apple’s market share is bigger than BMW’s or Mercedes’s or Porsche’s in the automotive market. What’s wrong with being BMW or Mercedes?” But that was long ago. Today he could just have easily added any other company in any other market, except maybe Exxon—and we all know what the future of big oil is. Apple’s market capitalization has officially surpassed Microsoft, making it the second largest company in the world.
As TechCrunch points out, the turnaround came in the last five years, as Apple’s stock went up 550 percent. During that same time, Microsoft’s
Continue reading The Big Apple
 [JESSICA LUSSENHOP, SV411]
Tesla, the Palo Alto-based electronic car company, is coming to the rescue of the closed NUMMI plant in Fremont. In a surprise announcement yesterday, Tesla revealed a partnership with Toyota to build its new electric sedan at the famous factory. The Japanese carmaker will reportedly sink $50 million into Tesla. Industry insiders are buzzing that this is the first earnest interest shown by Toyota in the electronic vehicle market.
NUMMI (New United Motor Manufacturing Inc.), which first opened in the ‘60s, was an experimental partnership between General Motors and Toyota that taught Japanese car-making and business philosophy to GM
Continue reading Tesla and Toyota at NUMMI
 [DANNY WOOL, SV411]
The impending war between Facebook and Zynga seems to have been averted. For a while it seemed like a real life Mafia War between the boardrooms that control cyberspace. The two companies, both known for their cavalier “cash-in-at-all-costs-but-especially-the-users” mantras have hammered out a five-year agreement that expands the use of Facebook credits in Zynga games.
Zynga CEO Mark Pinkus said, ” We are excited about Facebook’s long-term commitment to social gaming and Zynga, and look forward to working with them and other platform providers to bring the best social gaming experience to users worldwide.”
Could it be that he got
Continue reading War Between Facebook and Zynga Comes to an End
 [DANNY WOOL, SV411]
The verdict is still out as to what caused the wild fluctuations of stock prices on Wall Street yesterday. Was it Greece or was it some dyslexic trader who couldn’t tell an M from a B? Regardless, the market went for a wild ride, taking Silicon Valley stocks with
Continue reading Yesterday’s Rollercoaster Ride for Silicon Valley Stocks
 [TechCrunch]
“Hey Foursquare and MyTown, suck it.”
Okay, Google’s Steve Lee didn’t actually say that during the location panel at the Web 2.0 Expo today, but he may as well have. While Foursquare may have just crossed 1 million users, and MyTown now has 2 million, Lee revealed today that Latitude, Google’s location-based service, has 3 million active users — and some 8 million have signed up since the service launched.
“Latitude is not dead,” Lee said in a half-joking manner, presumably refering to the fact that no one really talks about it despite all the talk of the location space right now.
Continue reading Google Latitude Has 3 Million Active Users, Check-Ins Likely On The Way
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