The NSA: An Inside View
In which I relate my experience as an NSA employee and impart my thoughts on the policies in place, my former coworkers, and the current cyber war. — I am an American patriot. Many impressions may ...
Apple Can't Ban “Rate This App” Dialogs
There's been a lot of discussion in the last few days about those annoying “Rate This App” dialogs in far too many iOS apps today, initiated by John Gruber, summarized nicely by Chris Gonzales, and fo...
A profile of Google Maps, an integral part of the company's future location-aware products
Google's Road Map to Global Domination — Fifty-five miles and three days down the Colorado River from the put-in at Lee's Ferry, near the Utah-Arizona border, the two rafts in our little flotilla su...
Amazon Pushes Installment Plan Payments for Kindle Fire HDX Tablets
Amazon seems to be selling a lot of its newest Kindle Fire tablets*. But it would like to sell many more. — So here's Jeff Bezos' newest pitch: Buy a Kindle Fire HDX tablet today, and we'll give yo...
Too Different, Not Different Enough: Why Instagram Direct May Fail
My friends aren't using Instagram Direct, at least not yet. I've received just two IGD messages since it launched Thursday. In the meantime, over 20 close friends I regularly message with elsewhere ...
Chromecast in 2014: an open SDK, big international plans and maybe even new devices
Google landed a bit of a coup with Chromecast this year, launching a device that no one saw coming but that has proven to be very popular. Next year, the company plans to take Chromecast even further...
Leaked Windows Phone 8.1 screenshot reveals new on-screen buttons
Microsoft is still testing its upcoming Windows Phone 8.1 update internally, but a leaked screenshot reveals how the company is moving to on-screen buttons in the future. The tiny image, published by...
BT's default filter settings will block porn for new internet customers
New customers to BT's internet services will have adult content filtering turned on by default, meaning they won't be able to connect to any site focusing on adult themes unless they purposely decide ...
2013: The Year ‘the Stream’ Crested
The Stream is fun and fast, but don't you miss the sense of an ending? — The Stream has been the organizing metaphor for the web for the past several years. In May 2009, a high-ranking editor of Te...
Music streaming services struggle to attract paying subscribers amidst increasing competition
A Stream of Music, Not Revenue — When Spotify, the digital music company of the moment, announced this week an exclusive deal with Led Zeppelin and free access on mobile devices, it also reported im...
The future of Microsoft as seen by an insider who could be its next CEO
It's been a fun couple of weeks for Microsoft watchers. First Ford CEO Alan Mulally dominated headlines as a favorite for the top job at Microsoft, even as his board publicly said he would stay at th...