104: Straw Shoes and Straw Hats

The Frequency

Dan and Haddie discuss the latest in tech.

Links for this episode:

• Facebook Working on Incorporating the Hashtag - WSJ.com
  Facebook is working on incorporating the hashtag, one of Twitter's most iconic markers, into its service by using the symbol as a way to group conversations, said people familiar with the matter. It is unclear how far along Facebook's work on the hashtag is and the feature isn't likely to be introduced imminently, these people said.
• Apple offering iMacs with optional VESA mount adapters | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog
  Apple has begun offering iMacs with an optional VESA mount adapter. The new BTO option was first noticed by Macworld UK. Users who buy an iMac on Apple's online store can order the iMac with the VESA mount adapter instead of the standard foot stand for an additional US$40.
• Study: Only 16% of users will retry a malfunctioning app | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog
  First impressions are important when you are selling an app. According to a new study by Compuware that was reported by TechCrunch, you only have one chance, maybe two, to get a customer to become a regular user of your app. If glitches force a customer to try your app a third or fourth time, you risk losing 84 percent of your user base.
• Microsoft blames overheating datacenter for 16-hour Outlook outage | The Verge
  Microsoft's outlook.com webmail service suffered 16-hour long issues yesterday after a firmware upgrade at the company's datacenter went wrong. In a blog post detailing the outage, Microsoft reveals some customers couldn't access parts of SkyDrive, Hotmail, and Outlook. Although Microsoft has updated its datacenter firmware successfully previously, the regular process "resulted in a rapid and substantial temperature spike in the datacenter" due to an unspecified reason. The overheating was significant enough to activate Microsoft's safeguard process for a number of servers in the datacenter, preventing access to certain mailboxes.
• DeveloperAuction raises $2.7M for exactly what you’d think | VentureBeat
  The new job search platform has played host to around $225 million in job offers. And with today’s news, the company is seeing some inbound cash as well: $2.7 million in a first round of institutional funding led by NEA and Sierra Ventures with participation from Google Ventures, Crosslink Capital, and Jeff Clavier’sSoftTech VC.
• Reuters Editor Indicted For Conspiring With Hacker Group, Anonymous | TechCrunch
  Thomson Reuter’s Deputy Editor of Social Media, Matthew Keys, has been indicted for allegedly conspiring with hacktivist group, “Anonymous.” According to the Department of Justice, “Keys provided members of the hacker group Anonymous with log-in credentials for a computer server belonging to KTXL FOX 40’s corporate parent, the Tribune Company.”The indictment includes allegations of aiding hackers in defacing the Los Angeles Times websites. “That was such a buzz having my edit on the LA Times,” wrote a co-conspirator to Keys in a conversation intercepted by the Justice Department [PDF].
• White House Launches ‘Being Joe Biden’ Website. Can’t…Get…Enough…Folksy | TechCrunch
  In case you can’t get enough of the folksy musings of “America’s Happy Warrior,” the White House has launched the Being Joe Biden Portal. “If you want to keep people away during an earthquake, buy some shotgun shells,” said Vice President Biden, in response to a question about assault weapons bans during a Google hangout last January. If Biden’s first broadcast is any indication, the audio series will surely bring weekly smiles from the Veep’s lovable down-home charm.
• OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.3, Security Update 2013-001 now available | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog
  Apple has released OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.3 and the first security update of 2013. The update includes a number of good improvements including:The ability to redeem iTunes gift cards in the Mac App Store using the built-in camera on a MacBoot Camp support for installing Windows 8 and Macs with a 3 TB hard drive
• Digg – Yes, That Digg – Is Building A Google Reader Replacement, Complete With API | TechCrunch
  Google Reader being shut down by its malevolent overlords leaves a gaping, Google Reader-sized hole in the market where it used to be. Many are stepping up today to announce that their products or services can act as a replacement, but one source is specifically saying it will build a functionally complete replacement – news aggregation service Digg.Digg just announced on its official blog that it was previously planning on building a reader in the second half of 2013.
• Nonsensical texting may be only sign of stroke | Cutting Edge - CNET News
  Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit present a case study in which "dystexia" was the only symptom of a stroke. The patient had no trouble speaking, only texting.
• More change at Google as Maps-Commerce chief gets new role | Reuters
  Google Inc's mapping and commerce chief is stepping down in the latest senior management reshuffle after Android architect Andy Rubin moved on to a still-undefined role at the company on Wednesday.Google will split its Maps/Geo and Commerce group into two separate units. Senior Vice President Jeff Huber, who has led the group since 2011, is moving to Google X, the company's experimental projects group known for developing self-driving cars and the Google Glass wearable computer.
• UVeBand Tells You When To Reapply Sunscreen
  If you love spending time soaking up the sun, a new Kickstarter project can protect you from the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays.UVeBand, a slap bracelet, monitors your exposure to the sun and vibrates when you need to apply more sunscreen. The device works after you've applied your first layer of lotion or spray and automatically turns on after making contact with your skin.
• Samsung Launches The Galaxy S 4 With A Baffling, Overproduced Broadway-Style Show | TechCrunch
  In theory, illustrating different features of your new phone with real-world scenarios isn’t a terrible idea. And if you must hold your event in the Radio City, why not get theatrical? But what’s impressive here is how the skits are both terribly written and unconvincing (like, maybe intentionally so, because that makes it better?), and yet Samsung is really committing to them — actors get played on and off with cheesy music, and there have been multiple dance numbers. This was how Samsung introduced the Galaxy S4 yesterday and their methods were laughably received by the public.
• Kiln - Version Control and Code Review Software from Fog Creek Software
  Let your developers decide: Kiln Harmony helps your developers work together, whether they prefer Mercurial or Git.
• Marketing LandSamsung Launches The Galaxy S4
  Samsung formally unveiled the latest in its Galaxy S line-up of smartphones, the Galaxy S4 (or officially, the Galaxy S 4). The phone features a 5? screen without getting larger than the Galaxy S3 plus an array of features that seemingly put Samsung’s own brand ahead of Google and Android. Samsung said the phone will be available worldwide some time in April, supporting both 3G and 4G LTE.
• Samsung Introduces Galaxy S4 With Nary A Mention Of Android Or Google
  Samsung unveiled its heavily anticipated Galaxy S4 handset. The event had the hype and production values of an Apple product launch. But, what barely seemed in attendance was any idea that the S4 is an Android phone or contains Google services. Much of the product launch was devoted to showcasing software rather than hardware features. Samsung is positioning the phone as a “life companion.” Perhaps most interesting, Google was never mentioned and Android drew one lesser mention in the context of the phone’s “Knox” enterprise security system.
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