Mr. Huttler (Photo: Twitter)

Despite all the New Tech City buzz and the thousands of practice and performance spaces scattered across the five boroughs, it appears no one had thought to develop a centralized platform allowing your scruffy downstairs neighbor to book a performance space somewhere in Bushwick next Tuesday. Not anymore, however. Behold, the most stereotypically New York of new platforms: NYC Performing Arts Spaces, a site wholly devoted to helping artists find and book practice and performance space.

An earlier version of  the site, which has been around for nigh on a decade, allowed users to search venues and their capabilities. But it served as more of a directory--you still had to pick up the phone to check availability. The new online booking system makes booking and paying online for one of 2,300 venues infinitely easier, thereby maximizing the amount of time your aforementioned neighbor can spend working shifts at Cafe Grumpy.

"What we've done now is really taken it to an entirely different place, by allowing venues to connect their rental calendars in real time to the website," said Adam Huttler, executive director of Fractured Atlas, the arts organization behind the project. "That creates the opportunity for a real marketplace," he added. Versions of the site also exist for San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.

That, in turn, fits nicely with Fractured Atlas's efforts to help artists and arts organizations "be more effective as businesses."

Theaters can use the service for a mere $20 a month, and Fractured Atlas claims the platform is already helping beta testers bring in business. One organization, Fourth Arts Block, has reportedly rented as much space in the last month as the four months prior. The system also promises to be a good way to fill last-minute vacancies, similar to what Hotels.com and Expedia do for the travel business. Half of beta testers were looking for space within the next seven days, while 25 percent wanted something within the next 48 hours.

However, the site isn't intended as a money-maker. While Mr. Huttler hopes that the fees will help cover the costs involved, "fundamentally this is a noncommercial service." They’re just excited about helping venues attract new customers.

“The arts is a tough business," he explained. "Any opportunity for new revenue streams and new relationships that help people do business better is a boon for the field.”

Best without bugs. (Photo: flickr.com/violetmonde)

Algorithms: They're not just for Amazon recommendations and online dating anymore. The latest application, as per the New Scientist: Battling oriental fruit flies, a species that inspires the cold sweats in anyone who makes his livelihood on a fruit orchard.

These pests are a far more serious threat than the nuisances spawned by slovenly kitchen habits. They infest at least 230 different kinds of crops. The result? Rotten, maggot-infested fruit and crop losses that can add up to billions of dollars.

Luckily, scientists in Taiwan--where the bugs are a persistent problem--are working on a solution:

In Taiwan, fruit fly populations are normally monitored using traps that are manually checked every 10 days. Cheng-Long Chuang and colleagues at the National Taiwan University in Taipei wanted to automate the counting process, so they placed infrared beams in the traps. Each trap records when the beam is broken, indicating that an oriental fruit fly has entered, attracted by a chemical designed to lure the insect. The results collected are sent via radio to a local station every 30 minutes, allowing real-time measurements of the population.

Cool, right? However, the next step sounds just a tiny bit like a Skynet for insects:

Part-funded by the Taiwanese government, the team have so far set up 240 traps on fruit farms around the country. Machine learning algorithms pool the continuous data arriving from each of these traps and predict when the local fruit fly population is about to explode.

When conditions go critical, government officials get a heads up via text message, allowing them to deploy insecticide.

We can't help but be a little concerned at the thought of an unfriendly artificial intelligence targeting creatures that a) spread rapidly and b) wreak havoc on the environment around them. Somebody better give the Singularitarians the bad news.

Pics or it didn't happen. (Photo: Instagram, via TechCrunch)

TechCrunch reports that the fancy-pants Four Barrel Coffee--which doesn't deign to offer Wifi--recently posted a list of rules for patrons. It was promptly posted on Instagram. The luddite baristas then posted an updated list of rules, adding, “No posting this on Instagram, you hipster.” The sign was, once again, promptly posted on Instagram.

If someone posts a screenshot of the TechCrunch post on Instagram, then the entire Internet will disappear in a cloud of self-referential smoke.

Just hanging out, maybe collecting some emails. (Photo: flickr.com/paul_everett82

Ronald McDonald probably isn't the first person who comes to mind when parents think "internet dangers," but you probably don't want your kids getting unsolicited emails about the glories of french fries, either.

Well, bad news: The New York Times reports that several advocacy organizations have filed a complaint with the FTC, alleging that Micky D's and four other companies--Viacom, General Mills, Subway and Turner--are exploiting a legal loophole in their online marketing to kids.

In true corporate fashion, however, these companies aren't doing anything so straightforward as simply asking for 9-year-olds' email addresses. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act in fact requires sites to get parents' "verifiable consent"  before they can collect the personal info of kids younger than 13.

But that's just so involved, you know? And there are McNuggets to be peddled. Instead, HappyMeal.com and five other sites stand accused of an underhanded-looking work-around:

But, in complaints to the F.T.C., the coalition says six popular Web sites aimed at children have violated that law by encouraging children who play brand-related games or engage in other activities to provide friends’ e-mail addresses — without seeking prior parental consent.

Say what?

Obtaining information about adults’ social networks to e-mail marketing messages to their friends is a common industry practice called “tell a friend” or “refer a friend.” But now an increasing number of children’s sites are using the technique by inviting children to make customized videos promoting certain products, for example, and then sending them to friends.

There is, in fact, a loophole in the law that allows companies to collect friends' addresses and send one--and only one--email, and the companies who responded to the Times piece insist that they are fully compliant with existing laws.

However, let's put this in its proper context: The FTC is currently updating rules regarding kids' online privacy, taking into account technologies like cookies (of the tracking variety, not the Cookie Monster kind).

Better get to hamburglering those email addresses while you still can, McDonald's.

Mr. Tisch. (Photo: We are New York Tech)

David Tisch has just announced that he is stepping down from his position as managing director of TechStars NYC. Word came via his blog, where Mr. Tisch offered little in the way of explanation, other than to say that "the time has come for me to move on to the next challenge and take a step back from my day-to-day role."

However, he's not departing the program entirely:

"So with a deep level of appreciation for the experience and sense of pride, I have chosen to take this less-active role to focus on starting and building new projects. I will continue to be actively involved in TechStars NYC, as a Co-Founder, investor, mentor and participant in the company-selection process."

Mr. Tisch didn't reveal much about his plans, other than to say that he's continue angel investing through Box Group and he's "excited to share more about what is next shortly."

Now, could we please pause the Friday afternoon news dump? It's August, folks--go to beach and wait ’til Monday.

And so Betabeat has decided to do a little curation for you. We haven't limited ourselves to the strictly pornographic, either--we're taking a pretty expansive view of "sexy," here. But in case you're looking, don't worry, there is plenty of raunch. Please note, before we begin, that "not safe for work" does not even begin to do this slideshow justice. Proceed accordingly.