IDK.

Recording artist Will.i.am, as you may know, is something of a self-styled technologist. Besides holding down a sweet gig as Intel's director of "creative innovation," he pops up in pro-coding propaganda and once featured a Makerbot in one of his videos, because why not. Now he's further demonstrating his devotion to technology in the title of his latest track: "#thatpower," released today. 

Justin Bieber guests on the song, contributing such lyrical gems as "I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive" and "I can fly, I can fly, I can fly."

In case you're curious about the creative process that generates this sort of magic, MTV got the goods:

He recalled, "So actually we went shopping first and we were like 'hey, let's just have a chilled day' and we went shopping for shoes, then after that we went to the studio, watched the BRITs [last month], recorded that and then trucked off to see Justin Timberlake perform. So that was a pretty full day."

It's the latest single from Mr. .am's upcoming solo album, #willpower. Perhaps he's taking some inspiration from Ben Parr's #DominateFund?

(h/t Lindsey Weber)

(Photo: Code.org)

Agitprop about "coding as the new literacy," lost momentum last year somewhere around the time adults felt compelled to issue public apologies to Codecademy for ignoring their email tutorials. But with President Obama shouting out high tech high schools in the State of the Union--and Chinese hackers inspiring a possible "Sputnik moment"--the cause of educating young minds in the ways of coding seems to have taken on new urgency.

Witness, for example, this video produced by Code.org, a nonprofit devoted to enhancing computer programming education. "Learn about a new 'superpower' that isn't being taught in in 90% of US schools," the description advertises. Wait, America still has a chance at staying a superpower? Tell me more!

The five-minute spot attempts to make coding seem more approachable--you don't have be a genius is the commercial's refrain--by equating it with other creative, challenging disciplines like learning an instrument and playing sports. Not sold? Here, let Miami Heat's Chris Bosh convince you. Mr. Bosh, whose bio reads "NBA All-Star, Coded In College," tells the camera about the after-school program called Whiz Kids (ok, legit adorable) where he first learned to write code. "People found out. They laughed at me and I was like, man I don't care, I think it's cool and I'm leaning a lot and some of my friends have jobs."

The whole thing ends with Will.i.am ("Created the Black Eyed Peas, Now Taking Coding Classes") calling coders the new rock stars.

The video gives nod to all the different disciplines where knowing programming can help: Banking! Agriculture! Entertainment! But Code.org's donors since corporations like Microsoft, Google, and Facebook provided support for the video and Code.org's advisors include investors like Marc Andreessen and Ron Conway, there are plenty of shots of cushy startup cafeterias, scooters, music rooms, and other amenities.

The only thing we can't believe is that self-appointed Glass Ambassador Sergey Brin missed an opportunity to show off his new toy.

(Screencap: YouTube)

When one mulls over the future of manufacturing, naturally the first question that comes to mind is: How we can we as a nation effectively mass produce cornerstone products, like a plastic bust of performer Will.i.am?

Luckily, Mr. Am--who last we heard was hurtling our planet towards a Martian attack--has ushered 3D printing into the mainstream by including it in his newest video, "Scream and Shout," also featuring the eminently GIF-able Britney Spears. At around 1:38 in the video, a 3D printer sitting on a platform displaying the Makerbot logo is seen printing thin layers of plastic to create a bust of that vital American commodity: Mr. Am's head.

As VH1 notes, the entire video is really a holiday gift guide for gadget lovers. For the smug hipster in your life, there's an iPad plugged into a typewriter; for the person who has literally everything they could possibly want, there's a "scuba" case that lets you submerge your iPhone in water, which makes for a really neat party trick that won't make people think you're an asshole at all.

And of course, because Mr. Am is no stranger to the tech world, "Scream and Shout" also prominently features his new line of cell phone accessories, which Gizmodo notes are "worse than his band." High praise!

Meanwhile, YouTube commenters offered similar accolades for his new song. Wrote one, “This video gave me cancer.”

This man certainly looks qualified and capable of finding the next great American entrepreneur. (Photo: Deadline)

It's the news no one in tech has been waiting for with bated breath. Hot on the heels of the announcement that Randi Zuckerberg's Silicon Valley Start-ups will debut on Bravo next month, a new tech show is rumored to be in the making. Except this time it's an X Factor-style talent show, featuring ex-American Idol judge Simon Cowell and Black Eyed Peas singer Will.i.am.

“Singing and performance create a couple of jobs. But this will create lots," Will.i.am. told The Sun. “It’s about getting in touch with youth and giving them a platform to express themselves — whether that’s in science or mathematics.”

Will.i.am's involvement is unsurprising given his penchant for space hype. A song he wrote for kids about math and science was recently broadcast from the surface of Mars, leading some to conjecture whether or not it would instigate a full-scale alien attack on our planet.

The show seems to still be in its very early stages, but one thing is clear: These producers obviously have no idea how boring working to become a successful entrepreneur actually is. How will the show even test the contestants' skills? "Write a PHP script that generates the numbers 1-10 in a vertical line." "Write a blog post about your morning routine and post it to App.net." "Get a controversial screed against MongoDB to the front page of Hacker News."

Titillating television, y'all.

Aliens can't even handle this. (Photo: Last.fm)

When one considers the ultimate symbol of American progress and invention, there is really only one person who comes to mind: Black Eyed Peas singer Will.i.am. His sartorial savvy? Swoon-worthy. His talented vocal breadth? Impeccable. Will.i.am. is not the hero America needs, but he is the one we deserve.

We can only imagine that this is why, during an educational initiative spearheaded by NASA that launches today at 4 p.m., the Curiosity Rover will broadcast a new single by Will.i.am. called "Reach for the Stars," natch. (Did we mention what a brilliant lyricist Mr. Am is?)

According to a NASA press release:

 NASA will hold an educational event to share findings about Mars with students and premiere a new song by musician will.i.am that will be broadcast from the surface of the Red Planet via the Curiosity rover....Members of the team that successfully landed the rover on Mars earlier this month will explain to students the mission and the technology behind the song's interplanetary transmission. will.i.am will then premiere "Reach for the Stars," a new composition about the singer's passion for science, technology and space exploration.

We certainly identify with the pressing need to teach children about science, but how do you think extraterrestrial life will react when they hear the stylings of Mr. Am projected over the wires? Otherworldly beings aren't prepared for such majesty. Whole alien civilizations could crumble when they realize that their native music could never compare to Mr. Am.

Don't say we didn't warn you.

(h/t Gawker)

Mr. Parker (flickr.com/mager)

Airtime, the super stealth video startup from Napster cofounders Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning, is launching at a press event this morning at Milk Studios in NYC, and celebrities on Twitter are apparently really, really excited about it. It's perhaps unsurprising, though, considering the company that Shawn & Sean are used to keeping: Airtime's investors include Ashton Kutcher, will.i.am and Justin Bieber's manager Scooter Braun. But who knew Martha Stewart was so plugged in to the startup scene? Perhaps Nick Bilton was right about tech being the new Hollywood.

We, too, are looking forward to the launch of Airtime, but could Sean & Shawn maybe fix their website first?

UPDATE: Jimmy Fallon is apparently hosting this thing.

Incriminating evidence?

UPDATE: Federal Prosecutors Shut Down File Sharing Site Megaupload for Piracy Violations

UPDATE 2: Megaupload Lawyer: Swizz Beatz Was Merely 'Negotiating to Become the CEO'

With all the blackouts and SOPA? PIPA? NOPA! chanting yesterday, we missed this exquisite gem of a revelation: Swizz Beatz, husband to Alicia Keys and producer-in-residence at NYU, also happens to be the CEO of Megaupload.com. [Ed note: Megaupload's lawyer now says Mr. Beatz was only negotiating to the CEO.]

For the uninitiated, Megaupload is a service that lets users send and share large media files. It also happens to the site Betabeat used just last night to watch a, um, free version of the latest episode of "New Girl" since the ad-supported version was unavailable on Hulu. Under SOPA's strict guidelines, we believe the punishment for such impudence is being drawn-and-quartered.

According to the New York Post, which "outed" Mr. Beatz as the company's chief executive, the musician has gotten his celebrity friends in trouble by asking them to promote the site. Everyone from Kim Kardashian to Chris Brown to Serena Williams appears in the company's catchy new "Mega Song" commercial. But Sean "Diddy" Combs, Kanye West, and Will.i.am, in particular, caught heat for it because their label, Universal Music Group, issued a take-down notice last month for unauthorized performances when the promo appeared on YouTube. Guess it didn't help that Kanye appeared sorta blazay blah to be participating.

Megaupload's Crunchbase page says the company was launched in Hong Kong in 2005. Wikipedia, that patron saint of lazy students everywhere, lists Kasseem Dean (Swizz Beatz's given name) as the company's CEO without a citation, which means if the Post is correct, he came in at a later stage in the company's history. Betabeat has reached out to Mr. Beatz's agent and publicist and will update you when we hear back. UPDATE: His publicist just confirmed to Betabeat that Swizz Beatz is the CEO of Megaupload.com. [Ed note: Megaupload's lawyer now says Mr. Beatz was only negotiating to the CEO.]

Back in December, Megaupload sued Universal alleging that its service had signed contracts from the performers, including Will.i.am, reported Wired.com. Although Universal admitted to using YouTube's content filers to have the $3 million production removed, UMG argued it wasn't an abuse of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and maintained that Megaupload had no grounds for a lawsuit.

Yesterday, a representative for Megaupload told the Post:

“We have never received any word that any artist has [individually] filed a take-down . . . [we have] legally binding agreements with the performers that appear in the video . . . They promised that they had the rights to enter into that agreement and it’s not interfering with any third-party rights.”

The record industry, of course, has been engaged in a heated battle with file sharing sites like Megaupload and lobbied Congress on behalf of SOPA and PIPA to censor their growth. In the commercial, Megaupload claims to have 1 billion users overall and 50 million per day.

As Fact Mag notes, "The fact that one of hip-hop’s leading producers holds such a high position in a site like this could represent the final nail in the coffin for record sales as a valid part of the genres’s economy – if that nail hasn’t been hammered in already." So much for that without-SOPA-there-is-no-Adele argument, huh?

Here's the offending commercial, we promise its at least as good as anything to come out of the Black Eyed Peas canon:

MEGA UPLOAD SONG!!!! HTTP://OKFOC.US from OKFocus on Vimeo.