When a Blog Gets Caught in Your Throat

Shutterstock/vesna cvorovic

 "Let’s get this straight up front: I am now writing a blog post, not blogging a blog," writes Forrest Wickman at Slate, the good people who brought you the great two-spaces-after-a-period debate. Oh yes. Oh yes. They are at it again, this time with a post in which he takes on the matter of what to call this thing we do.

By Rebecca Greenfield

Jan 3, 2013

FTC Clears Google on Anti-Trust Claims

Google is getting off pretty easy: after a two-year investigation into Google's possibly anti-competitive antics, the Federal Trade Commission has ruled that Google hasn't done anything wrong, saying "evidence does not support a claim" that Google unfairly favors its own products in its search results.

Comments | 345 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Jan 3, 2013

Can the Government Really Ban Twitter Parody Accounts?

Arizona is entertaining a law that will make it a felony to use another person's real name to make an Internet profile intended to "harm, defraud, intimidate or threaten," which to some sounds like a law against parody Twitter accounts.

Comments | 345 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Jan 3, 2013

The Google Maps of the Future Sounds Useful but Creepy

The Google Maps of the future will be a very smart computer program that knows you very well, which sounds part useful, part annoying, and part creepy.

Comments | 5,260 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Jan 3, 2013

Why Google Really Wants You to Use Google+ This Year

Google has always made it all too easy to join its not so beloved social network, but now it's forcing users to log in with Google+ in order to get better (and more lucrative) data for advertisers.

Comments | 5,209 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Jan 2, 2013

What Happened to the 2012 Tech Bubble That Never Was

The final numbers for last year in venture-capital IPOs and acquisitions are in, and while there was no dot-com-era type of explosion, the much hyped new tech bubble appears to have just... petered out.

Comments | 2,275 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Jan 2, 2013

Chart of the Day

Searching for 'Blog' Now Means Searching for 'Tumblr'

The term "blog" may be outdated, at least according to this Google Trends chart being passed around today.

Comments | 2,202 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jan 2, 2013

Why Is Eric Schmidt Going to North Korea?

Don't call him an ambassador, and don't count on Google North Korea just yet, but Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt is going on a North Korean vacation with former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

Comments | 2,313 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Jan 2, 2013

The Spartan Life of Tumblr's David Karp

Tumblr founder David Karp lives a "spartan" life with his $1.6 million 1,600 square-foot Williamsburg loft outfitted a restaurant-grade kitchen, explains Forbes's Jeff Bercovici in this month's cover story. Wait, what?

Comments | 2,153 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Jan 2, 2013

iPhone's Y2K13 Do-Not-Disturb Bug Still Isn't Fixed

The iPhone bug that automatically disabled the "Do Not Disturb" scheduling feature on iOS6 will fix itself on January 7, Apple announced today, which means you'll have to deal with the glitch for another five days.

Comments | 1,273 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Jan 2, 2013

Why Intel's Stealth TV of the Future Just Isn't Ready Yet

So, about that revolutionary streaming TV device that Intel is supposedly creating in secret and will reveal at next week's Consumer Electronics Show: don't believe the rumors, at least not right now.

Comments | 4,033 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jan 1, 2013

Bandits Make Off with $1.3 Million Worth of Apple Products in Paris

Some people in Paris were apparently unsatisfied with the post-Christmas sales at the Apple store in Paris, France, so they decided to give themselves a five-finger discount to the tune of $1.3 million. Now that's some extreme couponing. 

Comments | 6,106 Views

By David Wagner

Dec 31, 2012

Today in Research

What Science Can Tell Us About 2013

Discovered: Scientists hazard their latest guesses about what we'll experience in the new year, showing us previews of rising sea levels, soaring temperatures, and a close encounter with a supercomet. 

Comments | 12,750 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 31, 2012

Why Does Netflix Always Stop Working Right in Time for the Holidays?

A week after the Great Netflix Outage of Christmas 2012, some but not all users complained that Netflix was down once again on New Year's Eve day, and nobody's entirely sure why this keeps happening at the most inopportune time.

Comments | 10,164 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 31, 2012

Year in Review

What Does the Future Hold for YouTube in 2013?

After another year of big ups, a few downs, and the same old viral hits, YouTube is still the undisputed king of Internet video. Can Google keep you surfing long enough to transform YouTube without breaking it?

Comments | 3,621 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 31, 2012

Private Facebook New Year's Messages Go Public for Other Side of the World

What were supposed to be private Facebook messages on the occasion of New Year's Eve were not private at all, and everyone got to see what people in Australia and New Zealand were saying to each other — new privacy settings and all.

Comments | 1,912 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 29, 2012

Facebook's SnapChat Intimidator Was Great for SnapChat's Business

This probably isn't the outcome Facebook was hoping for. After Facebook created Poke, its very obvious SnapChat intimidator, the rival app saw a big boost in numbers. 

Comments | 978 Views

By David Wagner

Dec 28, 2012

Today in Research

Fukushima's Nuclear Disaster Made Its Kids Fat

Discovered: Radiation worries are expanding Japanese children's waistlines; birds respond to music like humans; chemo changes the brain; asparagus each day keeps the hangovers away.

Comments | 5,738 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 28, 2012

What the Future of China's New Internet Crackdown Looks Like

The Chinese government on Friday approved regulations that will require all of the country's Internet users to register their names with service providers, but it remains unclear what, exactly, will happen when they go into effect.

Comments | 2,497 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 28, 2012

Did Instagram Really Lose 25% of Users?

Instagram lost 4 million of its 16.4 million daily active users over the Christmas holiday, according to the usage trend monitors at AppData — but let's not jump to conclusions.

Comments | 2,710 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 28, 2012

When SnapChat Videos Don't Disappear

The secret guide to stopping the app's sexy messages from self-destructing has arrived, and the most unsettling part is that SnapChat doesn't seem to care.

Comments | 7,556 Views

By David Wagner

Dec 27, 2012

Today in Research

94% of High Schoolers Now Use Their Cellphones During Class

Discovered: Pretty much every student in the world with a phone is on it when he shouldn't be; glowing shellfish found in Scotland; Antarctic drilling research called off; monkeys process nice gestures.  

Comments | 3,793 Views

By David Wagner

Dec 27, 2012

The Trouble with Adam Lanza's DNA

In a rare and now controversial investigation, scientists have been asked by Connecticut's medical examiner to study the Sandy Hook shooter's DNA for clues about his violent behavior — but the genetics community doesn't think that's such a good idea.

Comments | 21,709 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 27, 2012

How 'Project X' Became the Most Pirated Movie of the Year

TorrentFreak has released its 2012 list of the most stolen films on the Internet and Todd Phillips's Project X, a very little movie with very big party appeal, somehow took the top spot. Huh?

Comments | 1,423 Views

By David Wagner

Dec 27, 2012

How Not 'Awesome' Was Lisa Jackson at the EPA?

After almost four years of guiding controversial decisions on fracking, the Keystone XL pipeline, and coal, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson is stepping down. Now, the hunt is on for a new director who won't be able to please anyone.

Comments | 1,112 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 27, 2012

Why Apple's First American-Made Mac Minis Wouldn't Create Jobs

If the latest rumors are true, Apple's made-in-America shift will be an extremely experimental, low-cost operation — and if you look at the supply chain, that may point to more of a symbolic gesture than a genuine engine of job creation.

Comments | 3,892 Views

By David Wagner

Dec 27, 2012

Today's Best

Five Best Thursday Columns

Jonathan Cohn on Starbucks and the fiscal cliff, Jacob Sullum on Adam Lanza and mental health, James Bessel on Chuck Hagel and Israel, Leonid Bershidsky on the new cold war, and William H. Janeway on American-made startups.

Comments | 2,414 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 27, 2012

Tim Cook Took a Huge Pay Cut This Year (Sort of)

After collecting the largest paycheck of any American CEO, Cook 2012's salary topped out at just $4.2 million in Apple's first year without Steve Jobs — still not exactly the Jobsian dollar-a-year policy, especially since it's more than it seems.

Comments | 974 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Dec 26, 2012

Foxconn's Big Improvements Include Chairs, Knitting Classes

The New York Times took a victory lap of sorts, when it published the latest installment of its iEconomy series explaining how Foxconn changed after global outrage over working conditions.

Comments | 172 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 26, 2012

Year in Review

The 10 Best New Apps to Download Now

Maybe you got a new smartphone or tablet for Christmas, or maybe you're just re-stocking your device. Either way, these are the new essentials for your iPad, Android device, and, in all cases, your iPhone.

Comments | 17,588 Views

By David Wagner

Dec 26, 2012

Today in Research

Early Childhood Obesity Is Way Down Among the Poorest Kids

Discovered: children from poor families are getting less obese; a supervirus may lead the UK to cry over its milk; chicken farmers swap oregano for antibiotics; ultramassive black holes are unfathomably huge.

Comments | 1,207 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 26, 2012

Did Instagram Promote Your Photo as One of the Best of 2012?

You were mad enough when you thought Instagram was going to use your photos for ads, so it stands to reason that you might be a little ticked Instagram used them for a year-end roundup, right?

Comments | 2,491 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 26, 2012

How Microsoft Can Come Back in 2013

The tech turf wars are raging on, and there is one notable giant largely missing from battle, report The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. So Microsoft lost 2012. But what about next year?

Comments | 973 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 26, 2012

Facebook Privacy Is So Confusing Even the Zuckerberg Family Photo Isn't Private

Mark's sister got a little sensitive last night over a photo of the Zuckerberg clan celebrating the holidays — the public outing of which may say as much about Facebook as it does about its first family.

Comments | 28,451 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 25, 2012

The Newtown and Firefighter Shooters Used the Same Type of Gun

There's something about this Bushmaster AR-15: Both Adam Lanza and William Spangler, the two gunmen in the Newtown and Firefighter shootings, respectively, got their hands on the exact same make of semi-automatic, the .223 caliber rifle.

Comments | 11,109 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 25, 2012

The Great Netflix Christmas Outage Is Thankfully Over

The service is now back after going down last night, during arguably one of the worst possible times ever, when many people stuck at home with their families would hope to seek a little refuge in some streaming movies.

Comments | 7,248 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 25, 2012

The Pope Isn't Likely to Get His Christmas Wish for Peace This Year

During his annual Christmas address at the Vatican this year, the Pope prayed for peace in Syria, something that doesn't look likely any time soon.

Comments | 1,724 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Dec 24, 2012

Facebook Shrugs Off Instagram's New Class Action Lawsuit

For Instagram, there's good news and there's bad news about the class action lawsuit just filed against them. Bad news first: Somebody just filed a lawsuit. Good news: Facebook's lawyers have plenty of practice getting rid of these.

Comments | 5,157 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Dec 23, 2012

Even Israel Is Fact-Checking the NRA Now

On Sunday morning, Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the National Rifle Association, told the world that armed guards stopped school shootings in Israel. Israel begs to differ.

Comments | 24,761 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Dec 23, 2012

The FBI Treated Occupy Like a Terrorist Group

Now that it's been over a year since the Occupy movement swept across the country, FOIA requests are being fulfilled, revealing uncomfortable details about how authorities viewed the protestors.

Comments | 45,282 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 22, 2012

Mark Zuckerberg Put Some Very Personal (and Creepy) Touches on the Poke App

Mark Zuckerberg usually leaves the coding to the plebes. He's a CEO now, b- you know the rest. Anyway, he's CEO now. But it turns out he put some very personal touches on Facebook's new Poke app, his company's answer to Snapchat. 

Comments | 17,587 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 22, 2012

The Case of the 2 Billion Missing Youtube Views

Youtube released its view counts earlier this week for its biggest channels, and people who watch these things noticed that some major record companies had their numbers drop by a whopping 2 billion views. So, where the heck did they all go? 

Comments | 17,170 Views

By David Wagner

Dec 21, 2012

Today in Research

Understanding the Holidays, Through Science

Discovered: the new secret of mistletoe; it's actually the lack of thought that counts; why holiday shoppers are so rude; miracle at Christmas market.

Comments | 1,704 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 21, 2012

Facebook's SnapChat-Style Sexting App Is Called Poke (Seriously)

Friday afternoon Facebook released its iPhone app for the incredible vanishing half-message — because that is apparently what the kids like sending these days, if SnapChat's huge, sexy success is any indication.

Comments | 10,262 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 21, 2012

How to Make Your Battery Last Longer with the New iPhone Operating System

Apple's new iOS update has users complaining that their iPhones are losing power faster than ever. Thanks to some help from the Apple forums, here are three (and a half) quick tips on making your phone live longer with iOS 6.0.2.

Comments | 14,311 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 21, 2012

Why Instagram Will Never Be the Same

Even though Instagram has both apologized and now walked back its terms of service, the mutiny over the photo-sharing app has given its once universally loyal users a preview of a tech universe very much prioritizing money over user experience.

Comments | 8,122 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 20, 2012

Instagram (Mostly) Going Back to Its Old Privacy Policy

Remember when tech companies changed things and didn't listen to all of the people complaining about it? Those days are long gone, apparently. Instagram is reverting back to their old Terms of Service, the company announced in a blog post Thursday evening

Comments | 1,117 Views

By David Wagner

Dec 20, 2012

Today in Research

Singapore Is the Saddest Nation on Earth

Discovered: Singapore is home to the least positive people on Earth; megapiranhas could swallow a turtle; the human hand has evolved to punch things; bats fly above virus vulnerability.

Comments | 8,363 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 20, 2012

What the New York Times's 'Snow Fall' Means to Online Journalism's Future

The Times debuted a multimedia feature Thursday so beautiful it has a lot of people wondering if the mainstream media is about to forgo words and pictures for a whole lot more, or at least a new Times redesign. We spoke to the designers behind "Snow Fall."

Comments | 34,690 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Dec 20, 2012

How the Gaming Industry Already Lost a Newtown Lobbyist Fight to the NRA

There was one piece of legislation introduced on the Senate floor yesterday in response to the Newtown shootings. It came ahead of any of the legislation from Sen. Dianne Feinstein or Vice President Biden's new commission. It was about video games. Why?

Comments | 10,691 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 20, 2012

Your Facebook Inbox Is Now for Sale

Now comes word, by way of an announcement buried deep inside the social network, that your Messages inbox will be monetized, whether you like it or not.

Comments | 2,729 Views

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