Technology And Gadget News Tech-Point.Info

First Iron Man 2 Poster: Ker- Boom

Ho. Lee. Crap. The first (real) teaser trailer's coming in December, but after seeing this poster, I don't know if I can't wait that long. And yes, I know tomorrow is December. [Yahoo via Ain't It Cool]

Bit.ly Moves to Combat Twitter Scams

Twitter spam and scams: We know that they have been appearing more frequently and have become more dangerous. And it’s been a problem since relatively early on for Twitter.

The scammers are smart though and have beaten Twitter’s defenses consistently. Now Twitter’s default URL shortener, Bit.ly, has decided to take action of its own to combat the recent wave of Twitter scams.

Today the growing company announced that it will integrate Bit.ly with spam and malware protection services to make sure that Bit.ly links don’t take users to fake websites, spyware, and other malicious content.

The three services that will soon be part of Bit.ly are iDefense IP (made by VeriSign), Threatseeker Cloud (made by Websense), and Sophos. iDefense IP blacklists malicious code, URLs and domains based on the malware it detects. Threatseeker Cloud analyzes web content to figure out whether a website or URL is spam or a phishing site. Sophos is an antivirus and security firm that will utilize “behavior-analysis technology” to compliment the blacklists of Threatseeker Cloud and iDefense IP.

The move should help build additional trust for Bit.ly links, which is essential if it is to continue its growth. However, it won’t solve the Twitter malware problem as spammers will choose far less secure URL shorteners to host their content. Soon though, you can feel very confident that the bit.ly link you just got in your direct message inbox is actually content, not spam.

Tags: bit.ly, scams, twitter, Twitter Scams

The Facebook Verified App Saga Ends Tomorrow

For the last six months, you may have noticed that some of your favorite apps on Facebook Platform carried a special badge deeming them to be “Facebook Verified”. These apps “passed Facebook’s review for trustworthy user experiences”, and were given both greater exposure in the App Directory and less restrictive limits on the number of messages they could send to users. And tomorrow, just over six months after the program launched, Facebook is killing off Verified Apps for good.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise: Facebook announced plans to end the program in late October, and has been Emailing developers about it for weeks. But now that Verified Apps are going away, it’s a good time to look back at the long, convoluted road Facebook took to a program that was ultimately very shortlived.

The Verified Apps program has been anything but a smooth ride for developers. It was first announced at the Facebook developer conference in July 2008, with the intention of helping users identify the most trustworthy apps on the platform. In return for meeting Facebook’s guidelines, apps would be rewarded with bonuses like advertising credits and relaxed rules on how many notifications and messages they could send to users.

More concrete details about the program were revealed the following November, when Facebook opened up the program to applications. Developers were charged a $375 fee to apply, which we likened to a protection racket. But after developers paid their money, Facebook went silent about the program for half a year. That understandably led to growing developer unrest. Finally, nearly a year after it was first announced, Verified Apps made its debut in May 2009.

But Verified Apps was only supposed to be a stepping stone to the site’s true cream of the crop. The most elite class of applications was to be called “Great Apps”, and launched with iLike and Causes as inaugural members. But that was another false start. Two months after the launch of Verified Apps, Facebook revealed that it was canceling its plans for its Great Apps program and demoting current members to regular Verified Apps. Or, as Facebook put it, they were getting rolled into the same thing, so Verified Apps were getting the benefits that would have been reserved for Great Apps.

Despite these logistical hurdles, developers certainly benefited from the program. For example, CampusBuddy, a verified app we covered in September, has grown from 60,000 to over 150,000 monthly active users. CEO Michael Moradian says that the company will especially miss the “extra boosts” that applications received as part of the program because they helped virality. But while CampusBuddy would have liked to see the program continue, Moradian acknowledges that times may be changing. You can see his blog about the news here.

So why is Facebook getting rid of Verified Apps? Facebook gives the following explanation:

We are standardizing the idea of verification to apply to all of the applications on Facebook Platform. We are evolving the program to improve the overall user experience and ensure that applications on Facebook Platform meet verification standards. We intend to make sure that the experience that our users have on Platform is of the same quality as they experience elsewhere on Facebook, which is something that we are constantly asked for by developers.

In other words, Facebook wants every app to be trustworthy. To do that, they’re planning “to expand [the] team responsible for policy enforcement on Platform so that they can support the upholding of the principles we’ve introduced as part of our roadmap.” It’s not really clear why they wouldn’t have done this from the start.

The timing is certainly interesting. Some of the companies we called out in our ScamVille posts for using scammy offers, like Zynga, have some of their apps Verified. Granted, Facebook announced the decision to end Verified Apps a few days before we first broke the Scamville story, but they’ve been aware of the infringing games, offers, and ads for a long time. In effect, they’ve been stamping their seal of approval on games using tactics that are the target of a class-action lawsuit.

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Can You Figure Out All the Uses for the Piranha Multitool?

When it comes to multitools, you can never have enough functions and the Pocket Tool X Piranha really takes that thought to heart. I can't even figure out half the things it's supposed to do. Can you?

I know that there's at least a bottle opener, a nail puller, a scraper pry ends, a double-ended bit holder, a bunch of wrenches on this thing, but it somehow looks like you're getting some sort of hidden functions for your $50. I just don't know what they are. [PocketToolX via Wired via Engadget]

What’s Behind That Short Link? Bit.ly Steps Up Its Efforts To Sniff Out Spam.

With the rise of Twitter, we’ve also seen the rise of link shorteners (standard URLS take up too many characters). The king of the link shorteners right now is bit.ly, which is the default shortener on Twitter and accounts for more than 75 percent of all short URLs on the service. Every month, bit.ly shortens about 1 billion links. For spammers, that’s one huge honey jar.

The flip side of a short link like this one—http://bit.ly/6PwhcP—is that you can’t tell by looking at it what website it redirects to. It could be a TechCrunch post, or it could be a spam site. There’s no way to immediately tell the difference when you see the link in a Tweet. (Don’t worry, it’s a TechCrunch post). You can find out more about any bit.ly link by cutting and pasting it into your address bar and adding a “+” at the end like this—http://bit.ly/6PwhcP+—that will take you to a bit.ly page with all the stats for that page.

The spam problem is getting worse, which is why bit.ly is taking more serious measures to sniff out spam behind its short links. Today it announced it is working with three new services to fight spam and malware: VeriSign’s iDefense, Websense Threatseeker Cloud, and Sophos. These efforts will be in addition to its current attempts to warn users when it suspects malicious sites behind its links.

It’s going to be a constant battle. The best protection from spam is to only click on links from people you trust, but even they can be fooled. And then friendships are lost, society crumbles, and the spammers win. Unless bit.ly can weed out most of those bad links before you even click on them.

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Hot Electric Metal Encased in a Sphere of Glass

LEDs are efficient. But by choice, my house is still bathed in the warm glow of hot electrified metal, in a bulb of glass and inert gas.

We take the miracle of the lightbulb for granted. We've been doing this for probably almost 100 years now, within a generation or two after the world figured out AC was the way to send power over distance, and the subsequent widespread adoption. But as LEDs get better and studies are done, the old regular lightbulb is going to villainized as an energy hog. Which it is.

A study covered by the NYTimes today drives the point home even further. Done by lightbulb company (of the old and new kind) Osram, it went beyond the typical lumen-per-watt analysis and studied the entire lifecycle, from manufacturing to disposal. And it was damning. Even considering the relative complication of an LED lightbulb's design, the equivalent life of incandescent bulbs are not as green. Five times less green, they say.

I lament every study like this that passes the news wire. Some others are skeptical of LED lightbulbs today, even while believing in the future of them. Maggie Koerth-Baker at Boingboing covers LED lighting as a beat and says that the best lights are commercial—that the 20 dollar kind at Home Depot are basically, a big fat lie. The thousands of hours they're supposed to live are often off by factors of 20, and that throws the whole green equation off, if you assume Osram didn't do real testing of LED life. And I doubt they did since they're the manufacturer of bulbs, but have no data here. Let's believe that for a moment, ignoring the vague conflicts of interest that may exist in a company that sells lightbulbs, even if it sells both. No matter what you say, LED lightbulbs are efficient as hell. And the new and efficient must replace the old.

This desertion of technology where raw energy is being wasted has a side effect of eliminating the beauty that comes from devices closely harnessing and taming the most primal forces. In the last half century, I feel as if we've turned away from wanting to know where untamed power comes from, much like we stopped wanting to know where meat comes from. First the nuke plants went boom in Chernobyl, and then our dreams for a safe, nuclear-powered future go with it. And steam-powered devices, even in play, are ok, as long as we don't talk about the majority of steam powered devices being powered by ugly, sooty coal. Electric cars are seen as far more futuristic, efficient and cool than the muscular cars that harness fire—fire!—in blocks of metal, powered by sipping pickled dinosaur juice. Electric ranges are being used in the most tech'd high end restaurants for sake of control and efficiency, and although BBQ will never die, I would find it hard to argue with the efficiency of electric range if I were building a new home. We think "fire"—smoke or smokeless—is primitive and has no place in our future. Consider this all more man vs nature conflict, where man further tames the wild and natural. And another step in the suppression of an analog world by digital means. This decade, the lightbulb, driven by hot filament so ready to ignite if only it were given oxygen and a chance, finds itself under this same scrutiny. This coming decade will find it a relic and a terrible thing to have around, given a greener alternative.

Somewhere along the line, because of these treehuggers and the energy bean counters and studies obsessed with efficiency, we forgot about how wonderful lightbulbs look. The hot light you'd find in a blacksmith's forge as he hammered away at horseshoes. Or a miniature Sun, (although nothing alike) because of the way the yellow lights brand marks into your eyes if you stare directly at them. Like the fire of a hundred candles, on demand. I like this. But never mind that, the studies say. We will come leaps and bounds forward with LED lightbulbs. For efficiency!

Most of this does not concern me, or move me to object in any way to LED lightbulbs, as much as the thought of LED light itself, so alien, in my house. In wikipedia, we get a description, under the disadvantages of the problems of white LEDs that "spike at 460 nm and dip at 500 nm," causing objects to be "perceived differently under cool-white LED illumination than sunlight or incandescent sources, due to metamerism." I don't know what that means, exactly, but it's easy to imagine and be horrified by the thought of my home filled with the kind of blue/white lighting more appropriate for the bridge of a space ship than the place where my intimate life occurs. I cannot imagine and would not read, make love, bathe, have friends over, eat dinner, listen to music or play with my dogs under LED lighting blue enough to make hospital or high school lighting fixtures look as natural as skylights after sunrise.

The general trend is that LEDs get twice as bright/efficient every 36 months, but brightness is not the issue here. They should stop this research, and focus on whatever it takes to make LED lightbulbs look like they're powered by hot tungsten on the verge of incinerating itself to illuminate our private night lives. That kind of raw power and energy might be a wasteful relic of our past, but quality of glow is something we should be mindful of measuring, too. Lightbulb makers, you should not forget where we came from when building the future.

Custom Band-Aid Machine Covers Any Length of Cut

Normally, Band-Aids are a fine size for any minor cuts I have. But what if I have a huge wound and I don't have health insurance? I need an unreasonably large Band-Aid, dammit!

This custom Band-Aid machine is a mere concept at the moment. And while being able to make custom-sized Band-Aids seems like a good idea, the fact that this can really only make very long and thin Band-Aids make me wonder how useful it would really be. If I lose a finger, for example, I'll need something that's more of a square. That'd be the more sensible choice than wrapping one long one around the stub. I mean, come on! [YankoDesign]

Cyber Monday? More Like Fail Whale Monday

Millions of people might be hitting retail sites today for Cyber Monday, but are they also hitting Twitter to the point that the site is failing?

We’re not sure, but thousands of users are currently seeing the infamous “fail whale” when attempting to load pages on Twitter.com.

Twitter posts on their status blog:

“Starting about 10 minutes ago [about 4:15et], we began experiencing a very high rate of errors and we are working on the underlying problem.”

We’ll let you know when we hear more. In the meantime, feel free to let us know “what’s happening” in the comments.

Update: Twitter says that “The Lists feature is temporarily unavailable as we diagnose the cause of the outage.” This comes hours after Twitter’s most popular desktop client – TweetDeck – added support for Lists to its application.

Update #2: Twitter has turned Lists back on (6:30pm ET)

Tags: cyber monday, twitter

Twitter’s Downtime Also Downs Downforeveryoneorjustme

So this is funny. Yes, Twitter is having downtime issues right now. Yes, again. But that’s nothing new, obviously. What is new is that Twitter being down has also apparently borked the site many people use to check if Twitter is down, downforeveryoneorjustme.

While the site, made by Ryan King, is working for every other site on the web, the image below shows what is returned when you put in twitter.com now. Did I mention King is now a Twitter employee? Beyond meta.

And yes, I tried putting in downforeveryoneorjustme.com into downforeveryoneorjustme — and I somehow ended up inside John Malkovich’s head.

Update: Both are back up now, however the Twitter Lists feature appears to be disabled.

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Another Google Wave Use: Manhunt

Apparently, like everyone else, the Seattle Times is very interested in trying to figure out what to actually use Google Wave for. But while most are trying to use it for either fun, realtime chats, movie reenactments, or inner-business workings, the Seattle Times have tasked Wave with a larger goal: Catching a killer.

This public Google Wave has been set up to involve the community by offering realtime information that anyone may know about the location of a man suspected of killing four Seattle police officers. A search of a Seattle-area home this morning turned up nothing, but various reports of sightings are coming in, and the Times is opening a Wave to help with the flow of information.

About 45 minutes ago, the Wave was opened with just a few people in it. Already, there are over 100 people in here now communicating quickly with updates. Included are Wave elements with links to police scanner audio, live video footage of the search, a suspect description, and information about local schools on lockdown. It’s actually quite amazing to watch this unfold and get updated before your very eyes.

That said, it will also be a bit overwhelming for many people to follow. In just the first Wave message in the thread, there are four people currently updating things, for example. As one users participating wrote, “distracting/annoying, mostly,” with regard to the live-typing element of Wave. Another simply wrote, “google wave is a mess… back to twitter.”

But others participating are amazed at the rapid flow of information coming in. And plenty are able to follow along. As someone else writes, “That last radio about the fresh blood was pretty chilling… hopefully they are close.”

The fact that this is a public Wave that anyone can join is also both a blessing and a curse. Right now, the comments are pretty much all on-point, but that’s only because many people on the web still don’t know about, or have access to Wave yet. If they did, undoubtedly forums like this would turn into a mess of spam. That’s something Google has to think very seriously about for Wave going forward.

Still, a use case like this is very interesting. A manhunt is all about gathering information. Could there be misinformation? Of course, but there could be on tip lines as well. If a police department had someone watching this Wave (I’m not sure if that’s the case right now), they could do their best to attempt to filter the good information from the bad. Something like this could also be potentially useful for a missing child.

Of course, for all of these types of cases, a solid mobile interface may be better than someone sitting at their computer using Wave. Presumably, the best tips will come from someone who is out and about and sees the suspect.

[thanks Brian]

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Interview With Eventbrite Founders, Plus Rare Insights From Sequoia Capital

San Francisco based Eventbrite went prime time earlier this month when they raised $6.5 million from Sequoia Capital, and added partner Roelof Botha to their board of directors. We had a chance to sit down with Botha as well as founders Kevin Hartz and Julia Hartz and talk to them about their business and the fundraising.

We were supposed to talk for just ten minutes, but the interview went on for a solid 25 minutes before we were done. Julia and Kevin talked about Eventbrite’s growth to ten million registered users based only on word of mouth advertising. The company lets people sell (or give away) tickets to events – something only the big venues could do previously through companies like TicketMaster.

The service is free for people who give away tickets, and they charge a small percentage on non-free sales. The free tickets spread the word to new users, who often come back to sell tickets to their own events. This year, Eventbrite will rack up $100 million in gross ticket sales, says the company. The average ticket price, not factoring in the free tickets, is $60.

Why did Sequoia invest? Botha talks at length about the business model and explosive growth, and the fact that Eventbrite invented the market. The potential market for small-scale event tickets, says the company, may be as high as $36 billion in the U.S.

If you’re trying to raise money, listen closely to what Botha says. This is the guy who first invested in YouTube, and he’s one of the young guns at Sequoia. You’ll also want to read Good Question! The Eight Best Questions We Got While Raising Venture Capital, where Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman – he gives more details on the types of companies that Botha looks for when investing.

Botha also shows off his MBT shoes at the end of the video, which apparently make him a happier and healthier venture capitalist. I know what I want for Christmas.

And for everyone that couldn’t care less about this stuff, just skip to the outtakes at the end. Just skip to 24:40.

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

Searches On Google For Black Friday Deals Were Up 50 Percent From Last Year

As online retailers are witnessed strong Black Friday results, Google is reporting that there was a surge in online shopping searches with “Black Friday” on Thanksgiving day and the Friday after the holiday. Searches with the term “Black Friday” were up by more than 20%, year over year, according to Google. Searches for “black friday sales” and “black friday ads” were both up by more than 50%, year over year.

This data indicates that consumers match deals around this time of the year with Black Friday and that these deals are increasingly displayed online versus on TV or in newspapers. The most fast growing store-specific search terms were “Walmart Black Friday”, “Kohls Black Friday Ad”, “Sears Black Friday Sales” and “Target Black Friday Deals Online.”

Searches for “printable coupons” on Thanksgiving and Black Friday were up about 50% over last year and searches for “sales” were up by more than 25%. Google also released a few interesting data points about consumer interest in specific verticals. Searches in the apparel and toys categories rose about 50% and searches in the consumer electronics category more than tripled over last year, with “Black Friday Computer Deals” and “Best Buy Black Friday Deals” also topping the fastest growing search terms during the holiday period.

It should be interesting to see how Cyber Monday fares in Google Search.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

Gadget Deals of the Day

Cyber Monday means big savings on all sorts of electronics. Get in on the excitement now so you don't find yourself bored and gadgetless on Ordinary Tuesday.

Top Deals:
• 15.6" Lenovo G550 Dual Core Laptop with 4GB RAM for $399 plus free shipping (normally $549 - use coupon code USPDEAL10G550).
• Aliph Jawbone 2 Wireless Bluetooth Headset for $49.99, Jawbone Prime for $64.99 (normally $79 and $99).
• Big Kahuna Reef Game for $0
• 15% off All Gunnar Optiks Products with free shipping Use coupon code DEALZ15. (Check out our review here).

Computing and Peripherals:
• 23" HP TouchSmart 1080p All-in-One Mult-touch Desktop PC for $979.99 with free shipping (normally $1,249.99 - use coupon code: SVMY478761).
• Dell Vostro 220MT Dual Core Desktop with 19" LCD for $349 (normally $588).
• HP Elite e9270t Core i5 Desktop PC for $879.99 with free shipping (normally $1,149.99 - use coupon code: SVMY478761).
• 18.4" HP dv8 Quad Core i7 Laptop w/Blu-ray for $899.99 with free shipping (normally $1,349.99 - use coupon code: NBM7RTX).
• 16.4" Sony VAIO VGN-FW520F Laptop with Zune HD 16GB MP3 Player for $799.20 plus free shipping (normally $999).
• 16" HP G60t Laptop for $359.99 with $29 shipping (normally $469.99 - use coupon code: SV6462).
• 15.6" Lenovo IdeaPad Y550P Core i7 Laptop for $1,061.65 with free shipping (normally $1,249.99 - use coupon code: USP15SVEBIG).
• 15.6" Lenovo G550 Dual Core Laptop with 4GB RAM for $399 plus free shipping (normally $549 - use coupon code USPDEAL10G550).
• 15.6" Compaq Presario CQ61Z Laptop for $299.99 with $29 shipping (normally $399.99).
• 15.5" Sony VGN-NW250F/S Intel Laptop plus 16GB Zune HD for $780 plus shipping (normally $999).
• 12" Lenovo ThinkPad X200 Laptop for $767.20 plus free shipping (normally $1,399 - use coupon code USPCBRMONDAY).
• 9" Dell Vostro A90 SSD Ubuntu Netbook for $206 (normally $324).
• 24" Dell ST2410 1080p LCD for $184 with free shipping (normally $259).
• 22" Acer X213Hbbd Widescreen LCD for $109.99 plus free shipping (normally $170).
• 1TB Fantom GreenDrive GD1000EU External Hard Drive for $59.99 (normally $110 - use this form and this form).
• HP OfficeJet 6000 Wireless Color InkJet Printer for $39.99 plus free shipping (normally $55 - use coupon code SVMY478761).
• Logitech MX Air 2.4 GHz Cordless Laser Rechargeable Air Mouse for $69.99 plus free shipping (normally $115).

Gaming:
• Sony PlayStation 3 Slim 250GB for $319.99 + free shipping (normally $349.99).
• PS3 Slim 250GB with Infamous and Uncharted Drakes Fortune for $349.99 plus free shipping (normally $425).
• The Beatles: Rockband Limited Edition Premium Bundle (360) for $199.99 (normally $249.99).
• Ghostbusters: The Video Game (360/PS3/Wii) for $19.78 (normally $30).
• Forza Motorsport 3 (360) for $39.99 plus free shipping (normally $50).
• Assassin's Creed (360) for $9.98 (normally $19).
• Dragon Age: Origins (360/PS3) for $39.99 plus free shipping (normally $50).
• Need for Speed: Shift (360/PS3) for $39.99 plus free shipping (normally $50).
• Tales of Vesperia (360) for $14.98 (normally $28).
• Pro-Evolution Soccer 2010 (PS3) for $49.99 with free shipping (normally $59.99).
• Logitech G27 Racing Wheel (PS3, PC) for $251 with free shipping (normally $299.99).
• Left 4 Dead 2 (PC) for $29.99 plus free shipping (normally $40).
• Gold's Gym Cardio Workout (Wii) for $9.99 (normally $17).
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Wii) for $29.99 plus free shipping (normally $40).
• Madden NFL 10 (Wii) for $29.99 plus free shipping (normally $40).
• The Beatles: Rock Band (Wii) for $40.00 plus free shipping (normally $50).

Home Entertainment:
• 52" Sharp AQUOS LC-52D85U 1080p 120Hz LCD TV for $1,179.00 plus free shipping (normally $1499).
• 52" Samsung LN52A750 Red ToC 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV for $1,399.99 plus free shipping (normally $1,499).
• 50" LG 50PQ30 720p Plasma HDTV for $675.83 with free shipping (normally $999.99 - use coupon code: BONUSBUY).
• 50" Panasonic TC-P50X1 720p Plasma HDTV for $691.84 with free shipping (normally $999.99 - use coupon code: BONUSBUY).
• 47" Sharp LC47SB57UT 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV for $799 with free shipping (normally $1,199.99).
• 42" LG 42PQ10 720p 600Hz Plasma TV $499.99 plus free shipping (normally $547).
• 37" VIZIO VO370M 1080p LCD HDTV for $499 with free shipping (normally $599.99).
• 37" LG 37LG30 720p LCD HDTV for $479.99 plus free shipping (normally $599).
• 32" AOC Envision L32H961 1080p LCD HDTV for $389.99 plus free shipping (normally $499).
• 32" Samsung LN32A550 1080p LCD HDTV for $499.99 plus free shipping (normally $649).
• 15.6" Toshiba 15LV505 LCD TV with Built-in DVD Player for $169.99 plus free shipping (normally $235).
• Samsung BD-P2500 Netflix Blu-ray Player for $199.99 plus free shipping (normally $249).
• LG BD370 Blu-ray Player plus Free Blu-ray Movie for $129.99 (normally $165).

Personal Portables and Peripherals:
• iPod Touch 64GB (new 3rd gen) for $339.99 plus free shipping (normally $358).
• iPod Touch 8GB (newest 3rd gen) for $169.99 plus free shipping (normally $182).
• Beats by Dr. Dre Tour High-resolution In-ear headphones for $127.46 with free shipping (normally $179.99).
• Creative Labs Vado HD 4GB Pocket Camcorder (2nd Gen) for $90 plus free shipping (normally $140).
• Creative Labs Vado HD 8GB Pocket Camcorder (2nd Gen) for $129 with free shipping (normally $199.99).
• 4.3" TomTom XL 340S Live Internet Connected GPS for $199.99 with free shipping (normally $299.99).
• ooma Telo Free Home Phone Service for $199.99 with free shipping (normally $249.99).
• Microsoft Zune HD 32GB Touchscreen MP3 Player for $269 with free shipping (normally $289.99).
• Microsoft Zune HD 16GB Touchscreen MP3 Player for $197.99 with free shipping (normally $219.99).
• HP 12-inch Digital Photo Frame for $90 plus free shipping (normally $110).
• Aliph Jawbone 2 Wireless Bluetooth Headset for $49.99, Jawbone Prime for $64.99 (normally $79 and $99).

Hobomodo:
• Big Kahuna Reef game download for $0
• 12 oz Bag of Seattle's Best Coffee (after rebate!) for $0 (use this form).
• Lady Gaga Christmas MP3 Download for $0 (use this form).
• $10 Restaurant.com Gift Card for $0 (use this form).
• Sample of Hugo Boss Orange for $0 (use this form).
• 11 MP3 Downloads from Amazon—Peak Time Vol. 1 for $0 (use this form).

If a deal looks too good to be true, investigate the store and see if it's a good, reputable place to buy. Safe shopping!

[Thanks TechDealDigger, Dealzon, Logic Buy, GamerHotline, Cheap College Gamers, CheapStingyBargains and TechBargains.]

M.I.T., Google, And Umberto Eco Want To Erect a Realtime Cloud Over The 2012 London Olympics

What is it with architects that they feel the need to glom onto the latest buzzwords to justify their projects? A group from M.I.T.’s Senseable City Lab is looking for funding for an ambitious observation deck designed for the 2012 London Olympics. They are calling it the Cloud. It is a “lightweight transparent tower, composed of a ‘cloud’ of inflatable, light-emitting spheres . . . fed by real time information from all over the world.”

The structure is an architectural interpretation of the realtime cloud. Videos of the Olympic events, Twitter and Facebook streams, and other realtime data such as energy usage, Internet traffic, and mobile phone activity will be projected onto LED displays in the Cloud so that people in the Cloud can observe the events from high above London.

M.I.T. credits Google and the engineering firm Arup as part of the design team. Fiction author Umberto Eco is an adviser. In other words, it’s never going to be built. Not by 2012. They don’t even have building permits yet.

The drawings are nice though. Except I’m not sure what that person is doing inside one of those spheres in the bottom image. Is that some sort of realtime cage?  He looks like he needs saving.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

The Grumpiest Old Man Talks to Us About Computers

Andy Rooney was my weekly lesson in crotchetiness growing up, but I increasingly get the sense he's a corpse animated by secret government technology to keep senior citizens in line. He loves computers. And taxes. [The Awl]

Confirmed: IBM Acquires Database Security Startup Guardium For Undisclosed Amount

Rumors were swirling that IBM would be acquiring database security company Guardium after the Israeli financial newspaper, TheMarker, reported the acquisition yesterday (translated version here). Big Blue has officially confirmed to TechCrunch that it has acquired Guardium but did not disclose financial terms. TheMarker reported that IBM is shelling out $225 million for Massachusetts-based Guardium.

A subsidiary of Log-On Software, Guardium provides technologies that ensure security of enterprise databases. The startup protects databases for Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Sun Microsystems and other companies. The company’s technology is installed in more than 450 data centers worldwide. IBM says it will integrate Guardium within IBM’s Information Management Software portfolio. Guardium, which was founded in 2002, has raised a total of $21 million in funding from Cisco, Cedar Fund, Ascent Venture Partners, Stage One Ventures, Veritas Venture Partners and others.

Here’s a excerpt from the statement IBM issued:

The acquisition of Guardium will enable IBM clients to maintain trusted information infrastructures by continuously monitoring access and activity to protect high-value databases against threats from legitimate users and potential hackers. It will also help clients streamline compliance processes for ever-changing industry and government mandates with centralized and automated controls for all major platforms.

IBM said the acquisition represents a shift in its strategy to focus on investing in systems software for the enterprise, as opposed to hardware. This year alone, IBM has acquired six companies, including RedPill Solutions, SPSS, Ounce Labs, Exeros and Outblaze.

IBM’s strong Q3 earnings reflected this shift in strategy, with the software and business analytics business growing steadily. In fact, IBM said that software profit is expected to grow more than 20% this quarter, with $8 billion in software group profits predicted in this year alone.

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Scientists Grow Pork Meat in a Lab, Annoying PETA People To Disappear Soon

Scientists in the Netherlands have successfully synthesized some real-deal pork meat without having to kill any pigs. Sure, it's not quite edible yet, but they predict you'll be eating labmeat in a mere five years.

What they made this time is what they're calling "soggy pork," which is fake pig muscle that's pretty gross because it's never been exercised. But once they figure out how to tone it up in the lab, you'll be looking at guilt-free pork chops.

And it's amazing news, really. Not only will vegetarians get to enjoy the deliciousness that is meat without guilt, but it'll do wonders for the environment. Do you realize how horrible the beef industry is for ol' Mother Nature? Very, very horrible. If we could replace all those factory farmed animals with slabs of meat rolling off an assembly line, we'd be doing the planet and animals a whole lot of good.

That is, provided it tastes good. If it doesn't, no one will eat it, and this will all be for naught. So make sure it's succulent, scientists! [Telegraph via Boing Boing]

Twitter Tagged by Gang Members in New York

Over the past 3 plus years, we’ve seen Twitter embraced by a variety of different communities — think big brands, small businesses, PR and marketing types, media outlets, journalists, moms, and public service agencies. Most of us know, however, that for every positive Twitter use case there’s one that’s just as negative.

There have already been stories of burglars hip to Twitter who rob unwitting victims that have tweeted their whereabouts, and now the New York Daily News is reporting that street gangs in New York have found both a tailored purpose and practice for the micro medium.

The profile piece highlights how gang members, ambivalent to the fact that their tweets may be watched, are not only using Twitter to purposefully and openly stir the pot with rival gangs, but are also using it to coordinate fights. These Twitterers attempt to avoid detection by using street lingo, but their activities are constantly being monitored by police and investigators.

The story follows a recent incident where, according to the piece, “a boy shot in the leg … may have been targeted because of a battle the Original Young Gangsters crew started on Twitter.” As mentioned, Manhattan police are aware of the gang members’ activities and are keeping a vigilant eye on Twitter in the hopes of finding evidence or preventing brawls. There have even been Twitter success stories, but just as gang members have adapted to a new medium, we’d expect them to adapt to the surveillance measures as well.

If anything, this story serves as a reminder of how powerful real-time communication is and that it can be used by both heroes and villains.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, johnandersonphoto.

Tags: twitter

Exclusive: Digg Steals A Google Exec As New VP Product

Digg has poached Keval Desai away from Google as their new Vice President of Product, we’ve confirmed from the company. Desai’s last day at Google is today.

Desai is a long time Google employee, first joining the company in 2003. He’s currently their Director of Product Management and has led development of product/businesses in Google’s advertising business (including AdWords, Syndication & TV Ads).

He’ll be Digg’s first head of product, a responsibility that has been shared at various times by founder Kevin Rose, CEO Jay Adelson and Chief Strategy Officer Mike Maser. And he’s got a big job ahead of him: Digg is hard at work on releasing an entirely new version of the site.

Digg continues to build out a top exec team. In the last year they’ve brought in Thomas Shin and then Chas Edwards on the sales side. And new head designer Jeffrey Kalmikoff is hard at work building out Digg’s next user experience.

And the company has been fairly quiet, moving steadily towards profitability, says CEO Jay Adelson. They certainly needed that quiet time after all the acquisition hype around the company up until last year. The company will likely have revenues of around $15 million this year, we’ve heard.

As an aside, I’ve known Desai for a decade. We first worked together at Achex, a startup I cofounded in 1999 and that we sold in 2001. He is an intense, intelligent and highly capable executive. He’ll be a great fit at Digg.

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Spectacular Wave Door Is Deceptively Complex

If you're going to have a door as elaborate and beautiful as this, you'd better have a damned impressive house for it to open into. Otherwise, it's all disappointment once you cross the threshold.

This door, created by Matharoo Associates for a diamond merchant in India, is flat-out crazy. It's 17 feet tall, five and a half feet wide, and is made up of 40 sections of Burmese teak. The door uses a counterweight, 80 ball bearings and 160 pulleys to create the incredible effect of reconfiguring into a sinusoidal curve when you push on any one section. Amazing.

[Architectural Review via FastCompany]