By Patrick Clark 2/25 8:04am

Linkages

bloomberg

Booting Up: Bloomberg, Tech Investors to March (Virtually) for Immigration Reform

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is teaming up with a group of high-profile investors, including Fred Wilson, Ron Conway and Paul Graham, to “push for smart immigration reform to attract and keep the best, the brightest and the hardest-working to fuel innovation and American jobs.” [March for Innovation]

It wasn’t so long ago that the Nook was the key to Barnes & Noble’s future. Now the bookseller is planning to back off of its efforts to sell its own e-reader, and is working on strengthening partnerships with tablet suppliers. [NYT]

It’s not that Julian Assange isn’t giving interviews—it’s just that he’s leading a busy life inside the Ecuadorian government’s London embassy, and it’s a question of fitting reporters in. [Ars Technica]

Kara Swisher leans into the backlash against Facebook COO’s Sheryl Sandberg’s new book. [AllThingsD]

In case you can’t wait for the competing biopics currently in production, here’s what it’s like to go on a double-date with John McAfee. [PandoDaily]

By Jessica Roy 2/01 4:03pm

Hollywood Tech

(Photo: Zap2It)

Walking Internet Avatar Benedict Cumberbatch Reportedly in Talks to Play Alan Turing in Biopic

This should delight the Sherlock fangirls on Tumblr: Benedict Cumberbatch, who’s currently shooting The Fifth Estate, in which he plays controversial Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, is reportedly in talks to take on his next awesomely nerdy role. Deadline reports that Mr. Cumberbatch may be gearing up to play Alan Turing in a biopic about the famous British mathematician’s life. Read More

By Steve Huff 12:14pm

WikiLeaks Woes

(Photo: Free Assange)

Ecuador Requests Medical Safe Passage for Julian Assange

Citing health concerns, Ecuador has asked the British government to guarantee medically related safe passage for  WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Mr. Assange, who faces allegations he assaulted two women in Sweden in 2010, has been living inside Ecuador’s London Embassy since June. British authorities have insisted they will arrest Mr. Assange should he leave the embassy, but Reuters reports that Albuja Martinez, Ecuador’s vice foreign minister, seeks a formalized exception: Read More

By Steve Huff 9/27/12 1:28pm

LEAKS

Julian Assange

Military Investigation Docs Reveal U.S. Considers Julian Assange and WikiLeaks Enemies of State

Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act have revealed that the United States considers WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange an enemy of the state. Soldiers who contact Mr. Assange or WikiLeaks could be charged with communicating with an enemy. Members of the military found guilty of such communication could be sentenced to death in a military court of law.

Technically, this status puts Mr. Assange and his site on the same legal footing as the Taliban.

As Australia’s National Times reports, the government’s view of the whistle-blowing organization and its founder was revealed in documents regarding an investigation into an Air Force officer’s actions while stationed overseas: Read More

By Steve Huff 9/13/12 12:49pm

Bad Ideas

Screengrab

WikiLeaks Seems to Think Attacks on U.S. Embassies Are All About Them

With an ill-advised tweet posted Wednesday, WikiLeaks may have won the tacky self-interest sweepstakes. The tweet, which was quickly deleted, suggested a deadly attack aimed at the American Embassy in Benghazi, Libya was justified by Julian Assange’s refugee status inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

The Guardian assumed the tweet was written by Mr. Assange. Whoever posted the statement, they clearly weren’t looking much further than their own navel, writing: Read More