By The Editors 12/27/12 4:30pm

In Hindsight

BETA BEAT Celebrates The Pitch Series

The Best of Betabeat: A 2012 Retrospective

As 2011 came to a close, we looked back at our most popular posts. But this year, we’re a little older (a mature year and nine months!), a lot wiser, and thought we’d try something a little different. Thank you for reading!

LONGREADS

Ultra-Orthodox Jews Take a Hard Line on the Internet at Rally of 40,000 Men (And Me) In which our intrepid reporter sneaks into Citi Field in drag. 

Faith, Hope, and Singularity: Entering the Matrix with New York’s Futurist Set It’s the end of the world as we know it, and they feel fine. Read More

By Kelly Faircloth 7/03/12 9:30am

Geek Chic

But first, don't forget to download all your patches! (Photo: CinemaBlend)

Russian AntiVirus Maker Wants to Make You Batman For a Day

This week, in questionable partnerships: The antivirus makers at Kaspersky Labs have teamed up with The Dark Knight Rises for “The People of Gotham City Sweepstakes.” The winner gets to be Batman for a day (though without the onerous crime-fighting responsibilities), because why not?

If the name Kaspersky Labs sounds familiar, that’s probably because it’s the company that figured out the connection between the Flame and Stuxnet viruses.

The contest posits that the villainous Bane has unleashed a devastating computer virus on Gotham, and humbler Interneters like yourself must fight back, by entering this contest. We’re envisioning a frustrated Batman, suited up to bash heads but instead peering over the shoulder of a computer technician, which just sounds thrilling.

In a statement released yesterday, founder and CEO Eugene Kaspersky sounded really, really excited about this contest and about The Dark Knight Rises in general: Read More

By Kelly Faircloth 5/25/12 5:22pm

Nerds!

6 Photos

Jeff Bezos

7 Famous Techies We Suspect are Living Out Their Childhood Dreams

Obviously, the best thing about joining the ranks of the fabulously wealthy and successful is the freedom to do whatever you want. For some people, this might mean racing sports cars and popping bottles with models. (Fair enough, Eduardo.) Maybe you’d like to move into venture capital. (That sounds lovely, Marc.)

But a select few think a little bigger and get a little crazier. In fact, we’re starting to wonder whether they’re executing on plans they’ve had since they were 13, because their current lives are exactly what a 13-year-old boy would dream up if he were asked to imagine being a billionaire.

There are seven guys (yes, they’re all dudes) that we’ve got in mind.