Category: Tech news

 A few days ago a $400 charge hit my credit card and Amazon notified me that my 21.co bitcoin computer was on its way. Essentially a Raspberry Pi connected with a custom bitcoin-mining ASIC and a heatsink, the computer is one of the most interesting MVPs in modern memory. While you could easily recreate it yourself, the fact that 21 is building and selling these for a few hundred dollars is… Read More

 Google today is making a big change in terms of its ability to surface the content found in mobile applications through Google search: it’s no longer requiring that apps have matching web content in order to be indexed through Google’s search engine. In addition, when Google finds in-app content that points to a mobile app you don’t already have installed on your… Read More

 STEM education and the maker movement have flooded our nation’s schools, making project-based learning much easier to mark off of the instructional “must do” checklist toward meeting new criterion and readying students for a career. Our school districts are feeling the pressure to be innovative and find new ways to engage students with technology while adhering to the… Read More

 Freedom is critical to the economic engine of Silicon Valley, but laws are not often written to preserve it. A federal decision in October let consumers unlock cell phones, tinker with their tablets and hack into some aspects of their connected vehicles’ software — as long as they don’t break other laws. Unfortunately, this decision has to be renewed every three years, through… Read More

 Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg committed to turning on Safety Check in more human disasters going forward, responding to criticism that the company turned on its safety feature for Paris but not for Beirut and other bombings.
Zuckerberg explained that the Paris terror attacks marked the first time the company has enabled Safety Check for a human disaster, not a natural disaster like an… Read More

 It’s tough to see at first glance that diversity matters in Portland, Oregon. After all, Portlandia is widely known as the “whitest city in America.” But hidden within this environmentally friendly rain-soaked scenic city, there are intentional efforts ongoing in economic gardening across multiple community sectors to cultivate the growth of a diverse landscape of job creators. Read More

 Before the robots replace us we will make love to them. This point is becoming increasingly clear as I wander through the odd world of teledildonics and marvel at the leaps and bounds by which the technology – once in the realm of fantasy – has become a mundane reality. If you are skittish or squeamish about human sexuality I beseech you to click out right now or visit another,… Read More

 People have long had a complicated relationship with their governments — a tension that is often exacerbated by government policies and processes that cannot keep pace with today’s on-demand culture. It doesn’t have to be like this. The tech community — especially those working in civic tech — know this to be true. From enabling crowdfunding campaigns to… Read More

 As valuations continue to rise, early stage VCs are getting more “creative” with their deal structuring. In particular, I’ve seen a rise in requests for ESOP shares to be allocated to lead investors for their “value added services.” It’s common to give ESOP to advisors for their value add, so why not investors? Read More

 Selling is a competitive sport, and quota-seeking salespeople are the athletes of that sport: They are scored and compared, there are frontrunners and underdogs and there are winners and losers. Confronted by today’s more informed customer who has readily available competitive, pricing and rating data, salespeople are facing unprecedented pressure to perform — they are expected to… Read More

 After NY’s Attorney General ordered DraftKings and FanDuel to cease and desist all operations in the state, the two companies have responded, filing lawsuits seeking an injunction against the order.
“Today, we have taken decisive legal action to prevent a unilateral, misinformed and legally misguided attempt by the New York Attorney General to act as “judge, jury and… Read More

 When my Brilliant Bicycle arrived in the mail last week, I had a minor epiphany: I’ve never actually purchased a bike on my own before. When I was young my parents chose my bike, and though I spent a few months on a borrowed bike in Europe, I have very little knowledge when it comes to making bike-based purchasing decisions. Sure, some folks have been cyclists since before the… Read More

 If you want to work for GitHub, the software development collaboration hub built on the open source Git project, you have to be independent and able to work outside the confines of what most organizations would consider normal operational guidelines.
You don’t have to come to the office. In fact, you are encouraged to work where you want in the world at whatever timing makes sense for you. Read More

 You probably don’t own a 3D printer yet. Like computers in the early 1980s, it’s an intriguing new technology that hasn’t quite found its place in the home. However, schools and universities are proving to be a petri dish of innovation, where there is an existing space for experimentation and practical application, as well as palpable enthusiasm for the technology among… Read More

 Evernote made a name for itself as the platform where you could store your ideas and notes for life, and beyond. But the same permanence does not apply to the people who work there. We’ve confirmed through multiple sources that Linda Kozlowski, Evernote’s COO, has put in her notice and will be leaving the company by the end of this year. It’s the latest in a series of… Read More