By Jordan Valinsky 4/22 11:54am

First World Problems

Problem child. (Photo: Flickr)

Parents Now Shipping Their iPad-Addicted Kids to Therapy

We’re all going to enter therapy for our addiction to technology eventually. Might as well start them young. That’s what they’re doing over in the United Kingdom to a four-year-old girl who, after using her iPad for more than four hours a day, became “distressed and inconsolable” when it was taken away.

Her mother entered her into a rehab after she showed “increased agitation” when the iPad was removed. Enter hero Dr. Richard Graham, the creator of Britain’s first-ever technology addiction program, who claims cases like hers are growing and creating “dangerous” long-term effects. He told The Telegraph that the electronic form of amusement was preventing kids from forming IRL social relationships and leaving kids very exhausted from the constant swiping. Read More

By Jessica Roy 2/22 5:39pm

Hoaxes

(Photo: Top13.net)

How a Fake Press Release Convinced the Internet Banksy Had Been Arrested

Famously elusive street artist Banksy has not been arrested. His real identity has not been revealed. His name is not Paul William Horner.

But you’d be forgiven for thinking so. Earlier today, outlets like Jezebel, Complex and Death and Taxes published stories saying that Banksy had been arrested by British police. These outlets sourced their reports to a press release that purported to be from the BBC, posted on the press release hub PRLog. (The release has since been removed.) Read More

By Kelly Faircloth 7/31/12 5:30pm

Twittergate

Mmmm, Orwellian. (Photo: flickr.com/revstan)

Olympics Controversy Culminates in a Shamefaced Apology from Twitter

Twitter has not had a great 48 hours. After spending years developing a reputation as an especially open and free-speech-friendly platform, suddenly the company looks an enthusiastic handmaiden to corporate interests. And so it’s none too surprising to see a lengthy exegesis of corporate policy, complete with apology, appear on the official blog.

Of course, the company had little choice after NBC ratted out them out to the Telegraph, revealing that Twitter had contacted NBC and suggested they file a complaint regarding the gadfly journalist Guy Adams, who’d been lambasting the network’s Olympics coverage, including posting the email address of an NBC Sports exec. That complaint, of course, resulted in Mr. Adams’ suspension from Twitter, thereby quieting his nonstop complaints but unleashing a torrent of Internet fury.

Twitter’s tardy response, authored by general counsel Alex McGillivray, explains that, “The Trust and Safety team does not actively monitor users’ content,” adding: Read More

By Kelly Faircloth 7/25/12 1:05pm

Eye of the Tiger

Get your own. (Photo: flickr.com/jspatchwork)

Get Ready to Watch the London Olympics Play Wack-A-Mole With the Internet

The first “Twitter Olympics” start Friday. And how is that going, so far? Let’s just say the games are off to a rocky start, and we’re popping popcorn in anticipation.

As we’ve mentioned before, the International Olympic Committe rolled into town with a long list of social media rules for athletes, volunteers and anyone with a press pass. The document concluded with a warning: “The IOC will continue to monitor Olympic on-line content to ensure that the integrity of rights-holding broadcasters and sponsor rights as well as the Olympic Charter is maintained.”

So how’s that going? Well, it’s not even day one and already an Olympian has been booted from the games for offensive tweets, athletes’ complaints are going viral, and organizers are begging participants not to tweet about and therefore spoil the opening ceremony.  Read More

By Kelly Faircloth 7/23/12 7:00am

Linkages

London calling. (Photo: flickr.com/anniemole)

Booting Up: Decadent Tech Party Edition

Turns out Twitter’s mobile ads are more engaging than Facebook’s. [VentureBeat]

Amazon is opening a new “digital media development” office in London, which is likely to focus on streaming TV. Naturally, it is located in techie Shoreditch rather than the traditionally bookish environs of Charing Cross. [Telegraph]

The company arrives just in time for the tech talent wars to hit Europe. [TechCrunch]

“One industry party I attended had a jungle theme. This included a real, 600-pound tiger in a cage and a monkey that would pose for Instagram photos.” [New York Times]

Lots of users are less than thrilled about Google’s acquisition of Sparrow. [GigaOm]

Meanwhile, in cleantech: Researchers at UCLA have developed a transparent solar cell. Dare we dream of window-unit solar panels? [Engadget]

By Jessica Roy 7/13/12 8:12am

Linkages

Elon Musk (Photo: Mark Lennihan/AP)

Booting Up: London Calling, IPOs Not Answering Edition

Elon Musk got his crazy futurism on at PandoMonthly. He’s the best, isn’t he? [PandoDaily]

London ain’t got nothin’ on New York’s IPOs. [Wall Street Journal]

Meanwhile, the U.S. is going after a 24-year-old British kid who set up a portal to find pirated content, but never hosted any of it himself. FYI, America, ya look desperate. [New York Times]

Facebook is monitoring your chats for “criminal activity.” Maybe keep your cybering to off the record Gchats? [Mashable]

You can now go on a road trip through California’s national parks without ever having to leave your house. [Google]

By Jessica Roy, Adrianne Jeffries 2:56pm

Big Leaks

(Photo: Wikipedia)

WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Seeks Political Asylum at Ecuadorian Embassy in London

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange really doesn’t want to be extradited to Sweden for allegations of sex offenses, where he may be handed over to U.S. authorities. In a tweet at 2:40 p.m., @WikiLeaks said that the Australian activist “has requested political asylum and is under the protection of the Ecuadorian embassy in London.” In a followup tweet they added, “We will have more details on the Ecuadorian situation soon.”

Ecuador’s foreign minister confirmed to USA Today that Mr. Assange is at Ecuador’s U.K. embassy where he is seeking political asylum. Read More

By Nitasha Tiku 8/10/11 3:37pm

Antisocial Media

nypd

Guard Your Facebooks and Twitters, NYPD Social Media Unit Is Now Official (Thanks for That, London!)

Back in June, Commissioner Ray Kelly revealed that the NYPD is just as likely as your ex-boyfriend to troll Facebook to see if you’ve been up to anything bad, at least the public events page. “We look at social networking. We’re very much focused on weekend parties,” said Mr. Kelly. Now, it seems, they’ve made it official.

Fresh off the heels of the Catch a Looter Tumblr that attempted to out rioters using political strife as an excuse to get a new iPad (or in some cases what looks like a Tanqueray bottle), The New York Post reports that the police have formed a new unit social media unit “to track troublemakers who announce plans or brag about their crimes on Twitter, MySpace and Facebook.” In London, rioters have been using both Twitter and BlackBerry messages to find targets and outwit the authorities. Read More