By Kelly Faircloth 6/19 11:00am

Meanwhile Back at the Valley

(Photo By Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Fitter, Happier, More Productive: Silicon Valley Just Can’t Get Enough Inner Peace

Do you ever look at a centuries-old spiritual practice and think, “Huh, how can I use this to make myself a better employee of Google?” Apparently someone does: Wired reports that meditation and mindfulness are the hottest thing going in Silicon Valley.

Googlers are signing up in droves for “Search Inside Yourself” training, and the company has instituted “mindfulness lunches.” Facebook and Twitter apparently have “regular in-office meditation sessions and arranging for work routines that maximize mindfulness.” Read More

By Jordan Valinsky 6/17 8:55am

Linkages

Imagine the videos she'll create.

Booting Up: Instagram Might Soon Add a Video Feature

Vine killer? Instagram is rumored to be adding a video function this week. [TechCrunch]

Saudi Arabia might block WhatsApp within the next few weeks unless it establishes a local server so government officials can monitor activity. [CNET]

Not to be left out, Apple says it has collected between 4,000 to 5,000 requests for user data from the government. [TNW]

Google is building a high-tech system to scrub the Web of child porn. [Telegraph]

It finally pays off to have purchased a Samsung phone: Jay-Z is giving away 1 million free copies of his new album to owners next month. [Verge]

By Kelly Faircloth 6/14 8:53am

Linkages

$$$ (BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Booting Up: Shh, No One Mention Money

“Right on cue, we hear cynics asking, ‘But how will they ever make money?’ let alone ‘enough money to justify the valuation.’ Just this weekend, the rumors (and doubts — for example, read the comments) were all about Snapchat.” No, but seriously. [Medium]

Speaking of cash, though: Base salaries for New York City tech jobs are skyrocketing. No surprise there. [Crain's]

Fred Wilson, cool mom: “I like to be the person the founder calls when he wants advice and counsel.” [PandoDaily]

As appealing as we find the idea of a real-time Google Maps based on Waze’s data, that sounds like it’ll take even longer to load. [Forbes]

In the trial hashing out whether Apple conspired to drive up ebook prices, exec Eddy Cue admitted yesterday that yeah, he totally expected prices to increase as the result of Apple’s plans. But hey, more books! [CNET]

By Jordan Valinsky 6/12 8:34am

Linkages

Jobs/Kutcher. (Photo: ScreenRant)

Booting Up: Former Palm’s CEO Calls HP’s Purchase a ‘Waste’

“Talk about a waste.” That’s how former Palm CEO Jon Rubenstein described the purchase of the company from HP. As an aside, remember Palm? [Fierce Wireless]

Google is still the most popular search engine in the U.S., but Bing’s market share is rising. Microsoft’s site registered a 17.4 percent slice, compared to Yahoo’s 11.9 percent. [CNET]

Interns at Google are living the good life as they earn as much as $6,000 per month. That can buy them a lot of tickets for The Internship. [CNN Money]

Reddit is adding even more benefits for its Gold subscribers! The site is teaming with Uni Qlo to randomly select a member to receive a fancy gift from the Japanese clothing retailer. Hint, hint? [TechCrunch]

Get excited! Ashton Kutcher’s biopic Jobs is slated to be released August 16. [Entertainment Weekly]

By Jordan Valinsky 6/10 8:45am

Linkages

Google's possible new purchase.

Booting Up: Hopefully This Is the Last Waze Acquisition Rumor We’ll Ever Hear

Is the long saga of ‘Who’s Acquiring Waze Today’ finally nearing a finale? The Israeli startup is nearing a deal with Google to be snapped up for a cool $1 billion. [WSJ]

On the heels of reportedly raising $100 million in new funding, Snapchat is ramping up its sales department [TechCrunch]

AT&T is extending its upgrade window from 20 months to two years. [AllThingsD]

Apple is expected to unveil iRadio, Siri, and a revamped iOS at the company’s developer conference, which kicks off today. [CNET]

Speaking of the new iOS7, screenshots of it have supposedly leaked. It’s very flat, but colorful. [9to5Mac]

By Jordan Valinsky 6/07 10:23am

glassholes

Not worried. (Photo: Getty/Justin Sullivan)

Larry Page Isn’t Concerned That You’re Concerned About People Wearing Glass Into Restrooms

Obviously the concerns of wearing Google Glass, the Internet-enabled face computer with a built-in camera and Keurig machine, are causing some alarm for privacy advocates. Because these paranoid people figure someone with a lightweight recording device strapped to their head might find some way to do evil, go figure. However, Google’s CEO Larry Page isn’t worried. Read More

By Jordan Valinsky 6/07 8:48am

Linkages

Google is king. (level343.com)

Booting Up: For Now, Google Is America’s Favorite Tech Company

Uber has a novel idea to fend off competition: Lower its prices. UberX, its comparatively less expensive on-demand car service, plans to slash prices next week by 25 percent in San Francisco. [TechCrunch]

Google has won the popularity contest of which tech companies Americans love! Around 83 percent of respondents said their view of Goog is “favorable,” with Apple (72 percent) and Facebook (60 percent) following behind. Let’s see how long this lasts. [Washington Post]

Facebook is revamping its advertising plans by dropping several ad units to make it simpler. Rather, it will ask companies what results they want to achieve and help them pick the best plan. [AllThingsD]

Now real estate sites are creating apps for Google Glass with Trulia being the first one to do so. [New York Times]

Some YouTube founders have created a Vine knock-off in China. [TechCrunch]