Lamarr Wilson joins as we ponder the wonders of an IPO based on Candy Crush, and watch our audience debate a la carte cable TV.

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Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

New details on Samsung’s high-end smart phone: Bloomberg reports Samsung’s forthcoming high-end smartphone will have a 5.2-inch screen with improved resolution.  Marketing will focus on improved security, an upgraded camera and integration with wearable devices. It also may be sold for less than the Samsung Galaxy S4. The phone is expected to be released at the same time as an update Galaxy Gear smart watch. Samsung has an event scheduled for Monday 2/24.

New Snowden docs show debates in NSA about treatment of WikiLeaks: Glenn Greenwald and Ryan Gallagher of The Intercept revealed details from documents leaked by Edward Snowden, showing debates in the NSA about how to treat organizations like WikiLeaks and The Pirate Bay as well as general Internet users. The debates centered on when it was required to filter out data on US users, when monitoring visitors to a site like Wikileaks. One document argued Wikileaks particularly should be dubbed a “malicious foreign actor” so that no filtering would be required. ON a side note, The Verge reports AT&T issued their first transparency report, indicating the company received 301,816 total requests for phone records and subscriber information in 2013.

 News From You

AllanAv called our attention to this Verge article about BitCoin ATMs coming to Seattle and Austin this month. Robocoin will install similar machines to the one it set up at Waves coffee in Vancouver last year. Robocoin also plans to bring its machines to Asia in a few weeks. The Vancouver ATM processed more than $900,000 in transactions in its first month.

Maurice emailed us a Daily Mail story about an organization called the Media Development Investment Fund that wants to create wifi access beamed from hundreds of cubesat satellites launched into orbit by 2015. The company calls the project the Outernet. Each satellite would receive data from a network of ground stations and use UDP to send data to users. The folks at Lightsquared will likely be very interested to see if this is allowed.

gigitrix posted this GameSpot article about the weekend craze of up to 7,000 people at a time playing a game of Pokemon on Twitch. An emulator allowed viewers to input text commands like A, B, Start and Select in chat which controlled the game. As of yesterday the game had four badges under its belt, and more than 80,000 people watching. You can watch and play at:  http://www.twitch.tv/twitchplayspokemon

KAPT_Kipper pointed us to the Verge article about Gabe Newell’s blog post where he explains why Valve’s Anti-Cheat software was looking at users DNS data. What VAC does look for is DNS that matches the DRM used by cheat software. Details on matching DNS entries are sent, checked again and if matched to known cheat software, the client is marked for a future ban.

and pete_c submitted the Ars Technica article about hackers taking advantage of a known critical vulnerability in Asus routers to place text files on drives connected to the routers. Asus reportedly patched the vulnerability late last week. Readers are advised to lock down their routers by installing any available firmware updates, changing any default passwords, and ensuring that remote administration, Cloud, and FTP options are set to off if they’re not needed.

More links from the show

AT&T files first transparency report

Candy Crush maker King files for IPO

Irrational Games, creator of BioShock Infinite  to close

NVidia reveals new power-efficient GPU architecture

Microsoft makes Skype and Lync more compatible

Just a quick glance at the headlines. No guest today as it’s a holiday in the US.

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Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke and scottierowland on the subreddit

Brian Ibbott is on the show and we’ll talk about the PS4 doubling Xbox One sales, Pandora guessing your political party, and what tech Coverville’s Mayor uses for music. Plus Len Peralta draws the show!

MP3

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

(more…)

Don Reisinger joins us to talk about the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger and the new Xbox One remote. Guess which one he likes? That may be a trick question.

MP3

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Comcast, Time Warner Cable agree to merge, deal must receive regulatory approval from FCC & DOJ:  Bloomberg reports Comcast has agreed to acquire Time Warner Cable for $45.2 billion in stock, combining the two largest cable television and Internet companies in the US. TWC stock holders will receive 2.875 shares of Comcast for each TWC share they hold, valuing TWC shares at $158.82. Charter Communications had been attempting to acquire Time Warner Cable, with Comcast’s help but talks broke down. The acquisition would give Comcast 30 million total customers, just under 30% of the US market and operations in New York City and Los Angeles. The merger must receive regulatory approval from the FCC and US Department of Justice, neither a foregone conclusion. There is no breakup penalty if the deal does not go through.

Facebook to allow users to choose genders other than male and female:  Reuters reports Facebook is letting users choose genders other than male and female when they create or edit their profiles.  Members in the US can choose male, female or the new ‘custom’ option. The custom option allows the user to select from 10 different gender identifications, including transgender, intersex, and fluid. Users can also restrict who can see their gender selection and choose to be referred to by the pronoun their instead of his or her.

Hyperlinks allowed. Whew.  PC World reports the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled Thursday that a website does not require authorization to link to a freely accessible copyright work, even if they Frame it so it looks like its on their site not the works. The CJEU provided the advice to the Court of Appeal in Svea, Sweden, regarding a case where journalists complained their articles were linked to from Retriever Sverige in a way that made them look like they were on Retriever’s site.

News From You

Maurice from Easy New Orleans, sent in this story from the Kansas City Star about Mason Wild who used the Johnson County library’s 3-D printer to make a hand for nine-year-old family friend, Matthew. Such a hand would normally cost around $18,000. Instead, Wild used a freely available design from Ivan Owen and South African woodworker Richard Van As, 8 hours of time on the library’s printer and $60 worth of materials. Boom. Hand.

cosmicvibes pointed us to a TechCrunch article on Google and VMWare’s partnership to allow Chromebook users to access Windows app and the Windows desktop on their Chrome machines. While this kind of access to virtual machines already exists for ChromeOS, the partnership will provide a secure enterprise-ready way to do it.

AllanAV posted a Futureistech post describing how physicists have produced nanoribbons of graphene — single-atom-thick carbon — that conduct electrons without resistance at room temperature. The international researchers measured ballistic transport that exceeded theoretical limits by a factor of ten. Good know for potential graphene-based electronics that could greatly outperform silicon-based devices.

And habichuelacondulce submitted this Register article that the Chinese Jade Rabbit lunar explorer, thought to be dead after an emergency shutdown has started to receive signals normally again. However it’s still troubled by a mechanical control abnormality that led to the shutdown in the first place.

More links from the show

Verizon confirms ‘More Everything’

LG unveils G Pro 2

BlackBerry updates BlackBerry Messenger App for iOS and Android

Square announces Square Cash,  a new pay by email system

Jeff Cannata joins us to talk about the FCC’s new commitment to Net Neutrality. Should you believe it? Fear it? Ignore it? Plus a Flappy Bert chaser. Yes, you read that correctly.

MP3

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Apple plans to introduce a new Apple TV set-top box by April: Bloomberg reports Apple plans to introduce a new Apple TV set-top box as early as April. The company is negotiating with Time Warner Cable and other partners to add video content. The idea is to have the box available for sale by the end of the year, though problems striking deals could still delay it. Oh wait— I’m sorry— I’m reading a story from last year— wait no from 2012— OH no, no this is from today. It’s so hard to tell with these Apple TV rumors.

FCC Chairmen says agency is working to reinstate Net Neutrality protections:  KAPT_Kipper, ssnapier, and many others pointed us to versions of this story. CNET reports that during a speech at the University of Colorado Law School, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said his agency is working on a plan to re-instate Net Neutrality protections. A Federal Appeals Court recently ruled that the FCC could regulate broadband providers but had used an incorrect legal justification in its Open Internet Order. Wheeler said: “…the Court of Appeals invited the Commission to act to preserve a free and open Internet. I accept that invitation, and in the coming days, I will be outlining how I propose to proceed.”

Most important story ever! Our producer Jennie spotted this psfk story about some folks from Studio Diip giving goldfish the keys to a car, sort of. “Fish on Wheels” is a fish tank, a motorized go cart controlled by Arduino,a Beagleboard, and a webcam pointed at the fish. The cart moves automatically in the direction the fish swim. Likely a demonstration of the companies image recognition prowess, we prefer to think it’s because somebody cared that fish get bored.

No, wait. Flappy Bert  is more important:

News From You

t2t2 submitted this on the subreddit. In response to reports of large-scale surveillance, the European Commission has published a proposal for changes in Internet governance. The proposal calls for the globalization of ICANN, the institution that manages domain names and numbers. It also proposes strengthening the Internet Governance Forum, promoting more transparency in Internet Policy and commitments to globalize key decision-making while safeguarding the open and unfragmented nature of the Internet. The Commission does not support handing over the keys to the International Telecommunications Unions as some countries have proposed, but prefers a multi-stakeholder approach.

KAPT_Kipper pointed us to a TechCrunch article on how the “Day We Fight Back” protest went yesterday. More than 87,000 phone calls were placed to Congressional representatives, along with more than 182,000 emails. Nicole Perlroth at the New York Times, suggested a better response could have been had if the goals were clearer. Rather than the simple message of Stop SOPA, visitors were urged to fight one surveillance bill, the FISA Improvements Act, and support another, the USA Freedom Act.

More links from the show

Google’s Nest deal closes

Jobs time capsule discovered

Twitter redesign coming?

Mozilla to show ads when users open new tabs 

David Prager joins us as we enjoy “Today We Fight Back” “Safer Internet Day” and the idea of an airline gate agent wearing Google Glass being a first class ticket perk.

MP3

Warning: David’s video mysteriously disappears 20 seconds into the show. David’s video after that is replaced by YOUR IMAGINATION. Use it wisely.

Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.

A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.

If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel a day on Patreon. Thank you!

Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!

Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!

Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke and scottierowland on the subreddit

Show Notes

Dong Nguyen: Flappy Bird became addictive product Forbes spoke with Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen and got a little more info about his reasons for removing the popular game from the app stores. Nguyen said “Flappy Bird was designed to play in a few minutes when you are relaxed. But it happened to become an addictive product. I think it has become a problem. To solve that problem, it’s best to take down Flappy Bird. It’s gone forever.” Nguyen met a Forbes reporter at a hotel in Hanoi after meeting with Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Duc Dam. Nguyen also said he will continue to develop games and he does not plan to remove his other games, some of which are also highly ranked.

The internet fights back against surveillance: A broad coalition of organizations, companies, and individuals joined together today to take a stance against unwarranted mass spying—over 6,000 websites have demanded reform. Some links:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/02/today-we-fight-back-against-mass-surveillance

https://necessaryandproportionate.org/take-action/EFF

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/02/11/microsoft-google-and-twitter-mark-safer-internet-day-with-privacy-awareness-initiatives/#!vhUn0

News From You

spsheridan submitted a GigaOm story about HP deciding its time to start paying for firmware upgrades. In an HP Blog post Monday, ZDNet’s Ed Bott noticed that starting Feb. 19 HP says it will “provide firmware updates through the HP Support Center only to customers with a valid warranty, Care Pack Service or support agreement.” Everybody else has to pay. The new policy applies to ProLiant system ROM and CPLD firmware. Security patches will remain free, as will upgrades to HP’s iLO server management, I/O and controller firmware.

And oh what a little competition can do. jaymz668 pointed us to this Ars Technica story about San Marcos, Texas-based Grande bringing GigaBit Internet to western parts of Austin, Texas this week, several months ahead of AT&T and Google Fiber. Grande’s President Matt Murphy told the Austin American-Statesman that the service will cost $65 per month with no contract required.

More links from the show

Lithium Technologies will acquire Klout, the ranker of popularity on the Internet

Google and Foxconn discuss building robotic manufacturing technologies

Yahoo acqui-hires company that makes Days App

Verizon says they are not throttling Netflix

Hackers launch DDoS attacks across the Bitcoin eco-system in an effort to exploit the software vulnerability known as “transaction malleability”

Sprint Q4 earnings

Two competing wireless charging standards agree to join forces