For His Next Act, Ousted Groupon CEO Andrew Mason Will Release an Album of 'Motivational Business Music'
You Jelly? Jack Dorsey, Al Gore, Bono Invest in Biz Stone's Stealth Startup
Gizmodo Pivots From Gadgets to Design
Gizmodo, Gawker media’s tech blog, is getting a new editor and a new focus. Geoff Manaugh, a former senior editor at Dwell Magazine and contributing editor at Wired UK, will take over at Gizmodo. Mr. Manaugh will bring BLDGBLOG, his architecture and design website, along with him.
“We’ve hired Geoff Manaugh, one of the very coolest writers on design and technology, as EIC,” Gawker owner Nick Denton told us. “He’s a big deal in his field. The only non-architect to lecture at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture.” Read More
Whoops! Sean Parker Maybe Didn’t Get the Permits to Build That Lavish Wedding Set
It’s not a party ’til someone calls the cops! Or, in Sean Parker’s case, the local county planning department.
The Carmel Pine Cone (nice) reports that Mr. Parker didn’t secure the proper permits for the millions’ worth of building he’s doing at his wooded wedding venue in Big Sur. And so the Monterey County planning department (and also maybe the California Coastal Commission, yikes) has started poking around whether they’ve violated local construction restrictions: Read More
Politician Is Really Sorry for Liking a Facebook Photo of a Teenager’s Balls
There’s really not a whole lot going down down under, so this is what’s making news: An Australian politician has apologized for accidentally liking a Facebook photo of a 16-year-old prankster exposing himself. It was part of a prank called “sneaky nuts,” a time-honored tradition where teenaged boys sneakily expose their balls through their pants. Read More
Congress Is a Little Worried About the Privacy Implications of Google Glass
The world is rapidly sorting itself into two camps: Glassholes, and people who want you to take that damn thing off your face. The latest concerned parties, according to the Wall Street Journal: the Congressional Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus.
Imagine that: A bunch of politicians worried about a world where everyone wears a camera on his face, ready to snap a picture of any shenanigans by public figures.
Yesterday the group wrote an open letter to Larry Page, expressing their concerns: Read More
Jane Fonda Has a Great Idea: Cameron Diaz and Elon Musk, 2gether 4ever
Little did you know, but probable Hotmail user Jane Fonda is actually a famous Hollywood matchmaker. Yes, the Patti Stanger for the one percent is setting up coltish blonde actress Cameron Diaz on a date because the forgotten ’90s icon wants a millionaire boyfriend–something Mrs. Fonda knows a thing or two about. Read More
Yahoo’s Futile Search for the Fountain of Youth Continues, With Talk of Acquiring Tumblr
Looks like there might be a suitor waiting in the wings for Tumblr, that scatterbrained belle of the ball. He’s a real gray-hair, though. According to AllThingsD, the blogging site is talking to Yahoo about the possibilities for an alliance, an investment or even a lock-stock-and-barrel purchase. Ad Week says the highly hypothetical price tag could be as much as a billion dollars.
At this point, it might be easier to keep a list of the startups Yahoo hasn’t considered acquiring. Read More
Booting Up: Foxconn Employees Still Have it Pretty Terrible
Apple CEO Tim Cook is preparing for his upcoming Congress appearance about corporate tax code by promising a “dramatic simplification” of the ancient laws. [Washington Post]
It’s been a year since Facebook’s IPO. So let’s celebrate it with a ~one year later~ reflection piece. [WSJ]
Remember when you’re complaining about your long work week, it’s way worse for Foxconn employees. [NYT]
It sounds like the Facebook designers behind News Feed’s redesign were having the chillest of times on the project. They brought in lamps to create a “nice living room” and stared at posters on the wall to keep them motivated. [Taxi]
Ugh, we have some disturbing news: A website that bills itself as “Kickstarter for gigs” has launched in London. [BBC]
Porn Studios Are Going to Use Google Glass in Exactly the Way You Thought They Would
It looks like porn studios have finally figured out a way to integrate Google Glass into their shoots.
XBIZ, the adult industry news website of record, reports that studios are eager to get their hands on the device to get a grasp of their “full potential.” For example, since the face computers provide a more intimate angle than a traditional camera set-up, studios are thinking about making the actors wear them while they’re in various positions. Read More
