Microsoft bows to Chrome's dominance, delivers Office Online add-on for browser rival | Computerworld

Beyond the melodramatic headline, this is another encouraging example of Microsoft's new customer-focused leadership -- and a smart way to invite more people to explore Office Online + OneDrive as an alternative to Google Drive

"The small extension adds an icon to Chrome that when clicked exposes the most recently-edited documents in OneDrive or OneDrive for Business; lets the user create a new document in the browser-based versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote or Sway; and open locally-stored documents.

While Microsoft has been beating the cross-platform drum company-wide since CEO Satya Nadella took over in early 2014, the recognition that Microsoft's biggest browser rival deserves special treatment was still stunning."

Microsoft bows to Chrome's dominance, delivers Office Online add-on for browser rival | Computerworld

Amazon Launches ‘Pay With Amazon’ Buttons for Mobile Apps | Re/code

Tangentially, PayPal Reports a 29% Jump in Earnings (NYT)

"The e-commerce giant is bringing its “Pay with Amazon” buttons to mobile apps, while “tripling down” on placing its Pay with Amazon buttons on websites in overseas markets like Japan. The moves are the latest in the company’s on-again, off-again efforts to take advantage of the more than 200 million customer accounts it has on file by processing payments on websites outside of its own walls.

Earlier this year, Amazon hired PayPal vet Patrick Gauthier to lead a newly created team dedicated solely to building a payments business across the Web and app world. The payments industry is watching closely. For years, it has been waiting for Amazon to become a real player, perhaps challenging PayPal along the way."

Amazon Launches ‘Pay With Amazon’ Buttons for Mobile Apps | Re/code

Google Plans to Introduce Android Laptops, Replacing Chrome as OS | Re/code

"Replacing Chrome" is a stretch; the article also notes "The Chrome browser and operating systems aren’t disappearing — PC makers that produce Chromebooks will still be able to use Chrome. But they will now have the choice of Android." Also see Google is 'very committed' to Chrome OS after Android merger reports (The Verge).

"Google loves scale. It shutters products with user numbers that many companies would kill for (remember Reader?) because they don’t reach the billion-plus of its flagships. Chrome primarily lives on Chromebook devices. Gartner estimates Google will ship 7.9 million devices this year. Android, Google recently announced, crossed 1.4 billion users. Very different scale.

Despite some traction, Chromebooks are still a tiny slice of the market, and Google has faced difficulty corralling developers to build apps for it. It hasn’t had the same problem with Android."

Google Plans to Introduce Android Laptops, Replacing Chrome as OS | Re/code

Apple’s Secrecy Hurts Its AI Software Development - Bloomberg Business

Research different

"What makes developing AI different from a mobile operating system—apart from the uncharted technical territory—is the small pool of potential hires. “The really strong people don’t want to go into a closed environment where it’s all secret,” Bengio says. “The differentiating factors are, ‘Who are you going to be working with?’ ‘Am I going to stay a part of the scientific community?’ ‘How much freedom will I have?’ ”
Besides alienating the industry’s stars, Apple’s secrecy risks turning off promising graduate students, says Trevor Darrell, managing director of a machine-learning research center at the University of California at Berkeley. The ability to continue publishing and otherwise maintain a presence in the scientific community is the most important factor for top students making career decisions, he says. Says Sergey Levine, a research scientist at Google and a postdoctoral researcher at Berkeley: “It’s very hard to do science like that.” On Oct. 22, Google announced what it’s calling a residency program focused on AI research and publication to further tempt experts."

Apple’s Secrecy Hurts Its AI Software Development - Bloomberg Business

With new site, Google makes public many of its internal HR tactics - The Washington Post

From the re:Work site: "We’ve launched re:Work as a curated platform of tools and lessons from Google and our partners, designed to help you use data and science to make things better, no matter where you call work."

"Now, anyone wanting to adopt other Google HR practices has a dedicated place to look. On Thursday, Google is launching what it calls a "curated platform" on the Web for sharing management ideas—both its own and those of other companies. Called re:Work, the new site will feature research-backed examples of how Google approaches things like hiring and anti-bias training, providing free public tools such as slide decks and checklists that the company uses internally. Details about the site were shared first with the Washington Post."

With new site, Google makes public many of its internal HR tactics - The Washington Post

Amazon’s Twitch Crafts New Strategy to Draw Users - Digits - WSJ

And, presumably for a limited time only, pumpkin carving; also see Twitch will stream every episode of Bob Ross’ ‘Joy of Painting’ (Washington Post), which notes "Twitch has fast-become a household name among gamers, but faces heavy competition from other tech firms looking to expand their live-streaming options. Google's YouTube recently launched its own gaming vertical called YouTube Gaming that takes direct aim at the Twitch's grip on the livestreamed gaming market."

"After spending hours watching professionals vanquish aliens in Halo, Twitch wants you to turn your attention to…knitting?

The live video game streaming website, a subsidiary of Amazon.com Inc., has been quietly building out new categories of content that are more Martha Stewart than Super Mario. The videos, ranging from the art of landscape painting to baking to costume design, are bringing in tens of thousands of viewers even without the draw of explosions or car theft."

Amazon’s Twitch Crafts New Strategy to Draw Users - Digits - WSJ

EU Parliament Clears a Path to Give Snowden Asylum | WIRED

To which Snowden tweeted "This is not a blow against the US Government, but an open hand extended by friends. It is a chance to move forward." Also see The EU’s vote to offer protection to Snowden is a hollow gesture (TNW).

"On Thursday the EU parliament voted by a narrow margin of 285-281 to protect Snowden from extradition if he were to reside in Europe, a step toward allowing the NSA leaker to leave Moscow and safely live or travel on the continent. The motion, according to a statement from the parliament, will “drop any criminal charges against Edward Snowden, grant him protection and consequently prevent extradition or rendition by third parties, in recognition of his status as whistle-blower and international human rights defender.”

Snowden himself reacted with excitement to the news, calling it “extraordinary” and a “game-changer” on his Twitter feed—a strong sign that he may take the EU up on its offer."

EU Parliament Clears a Path to Give Snowden Asylum | WIRED

Alphabet’s Google to Fold Chrome Operating System Into Android - WSJ

Optimized for the next generation of toaster-fridge devices...

"Android is the world’s most widely used operating system, powering more than one billion phones and other devices made by dozens of companies. Chrome powers personal computers, most often laptops, called Chromebooks. They are niche players, accounting for less than 3% of PCs according to research firm IDC.

Google’s new version of Android will also run PCs, giving users access to Google’s Play store, which offers more than one million apps, the people familiar with the matter said. Google wants to get its software and moneymaking services such as Search and YouTube on as many devices as possible. It also hopes to curry favor with independent developers, whose apps will work on more devices with fewer modifications.

Chromebooks will get a new, as yet undetermined name, the people familiar with the matter said. Google plans to retain the Chrome name for its Internet browser, which runs on both PCs and mobile devices, they said."

Alphabet’s Google to Fold Chrome Operating System Into Android - WSJ

U.S. Technology Device Ownership 2015 | Pew Research Center

Time to invent some new device categories...

"Today, 68% of U.S. adults have a smartphone, up from 35% in 2011, and tablet computer ownership has edged up to 45% among adults, according to newly released survey data from the Pew Research Center. Smartphone ownership is nearing the saturation point with some groups: 86% of those ages 18-29 have a smartphone, as do 83% of those ages 30-49 and 87% of those living in households earning $75,000 and up annually.

At the same time, the surveys suggest the adoption of some digital devices has slowed and even declined in recent years."

The slowing or declining categories (see the report link below for details): desktop/laptop, game console, e-book reader, and MP3 player

U.S. Technology Device Ownership 2015 | Pew Research Center

Superintelligence Now! — How We Get To Next — Medium

Final paragraphs from a superintelligence reality check by Steven Johnson

"The fact that some of us are still debating whether global warming is even happening shows us that we’re still not experts at this kind of thinking. But in a way, those failures are understandable: It’s hard enough to project forward 50 years as an individual, much less as a society. But debates like the ones we are having today about AI make it clear that we are beginning to exercise these cognitive muscles. With AI, all the projections of future threats may well turn out to be false alarms, either because true AI turns out to be far more difficult to achieve, or because, as Stewart Brand suggests, we discover new techniques that minimize the danger before the machines march on past Mount Einstein. But if artificial superintelligence does turn out to pose an existential threat, our best defense will likely come out of our own new powers of human superintelligence: hypothesizing, predicting, simulating, thinking ahead."

Superintelligence Now! — How We Get To Next — Medium

The Internet is getting less and less free - The Washington Post

A disconcerting digital divergence; tangentially, see Project Loon wants to encircle the globe in 2016 (Engadget) and Mark Zuckerberg, in India, Defends Facebook’s Plan to Expand Internet Access (NYT)

"Surveillance, attacks on digital speech, outright censorship and imprisonment are making the Internet less and less free, an annual Freedom House study has concluded.

The organization's latest Internet freedom report marks the fifth year in a row that digital civil liberties around the world have been curtailed. Of the 65 countries Freedom House looked at, 29 percent are considered "not free," while even fewer — 27 percent — are said to have a "free" Internet.

In other words, there are now more countries with an un-free Internet than there are countries with a free Internet. (Last year's rankings showed 19 countries as "free" and 15 as "not free.")"

The Internet is getting less and less free - The Washington Post

Flipboard, Once-Hot News Reader App, Flounders Amid Competition - WSJ

A tumultuous transition time for Flipboard; also see Flipboard's Fanfare Fades as Executives Exit, Sale Talks Stall (BloombergBusiness)

"Flipboard, once hailed as the best iPad app by Apple Inc., now is fighting for survival in a sea of competition that includes Apple itself.

In recent weeks, the news reader app’s co-founder, Evan Doll, and its chief technology officer, Eric Feng, have left, adding to the talent drain in the past year that includes the heads of finance, product and revenue.

The exodus comes as Flipboard’s investors, which bet $210 million on the company, have put more pressure on co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Mike McCue to revive the business model or find a buyer, according to people familiar with the matter."

Flipboard, Once-Hot News Reader App, Flounders Amid Competition - WSJ

Apple TV Review: A Giant iPhone for Your Living Room - WSJ

From another hands-on Apple TV review; also see Mossberg: The Apple TV Gets Smart (Re/code)

"What’s holding back the Apple TV from being the only device most of us need—just like every other streaming box and smart TV—is content. The owners of some popular shows, including big networks and sports leagues, still haven’t been convinced to sell it outside a cable subscription.

People looking to cut cable entirely still have to make compromises, but there are six streaming apps that have become essential: Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, YouTube, Amazon Video and Sling TV (which streams some live cable TV networks for $20 a month). On its first day, the new Apple TV won’t have the latter two. 

Apple says its TV app store is open, including to rivals. Amazon made a stink a few weeks ago about not selling the new Apple TV because it wouldn’t “interact well” with its video service, but it’s Amazon’s responsibility to make an Apple TV app. (An Amazon spokeswoman declined to comment.)"

Apple TV Review: A Giant iPhone for Your Living Room - WSJ

The New Apple TV Invigorates the Set-Top Box - The New York Times

It'll be interesting to see the first wave of Apple TV apps next week

"You can trust me because after testing hundreds of new devices for nearly a decade in this line of work, I’m usually blasé about products. My editor was concerned that body snatchers had taken me when I said I was positive about Apple TV. But I reserve excitement for products that I think will make a difference, this being one of them. 

For Apple, this type of reaction to Apple TV is important. The box, which made its debut in 2007, was long labeled a “hobby” by the company, and it accounts for a single-digit percentage of its revenue. With the new device, Apple is aiming to push hard into consumers’ living rooms, where it faces competition from players including the Microsoft Xbox and Amazon’s Fire TV device."

The New Apple TV Invigorates the Set-Top Box - The New York Times

Proposed cyberlaw gives feds too much access to our data | BetaBoston

Excerpt from a CISA reality check

"CISA will encourage companies hit by online criminals to share data with the US government, federal investigators, in order to devise better defenses. But it could also deliver sensitive data on millions of Americans to the same intelligence agencies that for years have secretly tracked our cellphone calls and monitored our Google searches.

In the aftermath of a hack attack, companies scour through their stored data looking for the criminals’ digital fingerprints. They search corrupted files, questionable e-mails, buggy software, suspicious Internet addresses — anything that might offer a clue. But since the bad guys often attack multiple targets, they might be easier to track if all the victims share their data with the Internet cops."

Proposed cyberlaw gives feds too much access to our data | BetaBoston

There is no money in commodity cloud | ZDNet

A hyperscale cloud investment reality check

"Charles Fitzgerald, an investor who used to be Microsoft's general manager of platform strategy and helped build Cloud Foundry at VMware, estimates that Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have all probably already spent more than $50bn building their cloud datacentres around the world and continue to spend at least $5bn a year each on them. 

The billion dollars that Huawei, Oracle, or IBM often talk about investing in public cloud isn't enough to make them one of the 'hyperscale' players."

There is no money in commodity cloud | ZDNet

Microsoft Sees Apple has Been Right All Along | Tech.pinions - Perspective, Insight, Analysis

Tangentially, see Windows 10 arrives for Xbox One consoles on 12 November (SuperSite for Windows)

"But if you look at Microsoft’s new strategy, one can’t help but see this is an acknowledgment Apple’s business model of owning the hardware, software and services is ultimately the best one that assures Microsoft’s control of their destiny. At the moment, it looks like Microsoft will only have three serious PC partners — HP, Dell, and Lenovo — doing any volume. Some are asking how long even these vendors will continue to support PCs given shrinking margins.
It is no secret this move into hardware has angered their current PC partners. While not necessarily seen as a betrayal, they would have preferred Microsoft not get into hardware and put more of their design and software UI resources into their partnerships instead of creating their own hardware and tailoring it for their own devices. However, Microsoft ultimately has no control on how successful Dell, HP or Lenovo will be or even if they will continue to support Windows in PCs, given the volatile state of the market and the level of consolidation that continues today."

Microsoft Sees Apple has Been Right All Along | Tech.pinions - Perspective, Insight, Analysis

Oracle Will Not Build a Giant Cloud System Like A.W.S. - The New York Times

Cloud co-opetition; also see Oracle talks up a slew of Amazon-like cloud services (Fortune)

"Counter to the expectations of many industry watchers, Oracle, the world’s largest maker of software for businesses, is not planning a global computing system to rival Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure, the other big global cloud companies.

While it has built out a network of 20 data centers, largely filled with Oracle equipment, it now plans to go after customers by offering faster updates of its core products, new ways of customizing applications and a much younger, retooled sales force.

“We’ve made our investments,” Mark Hurd, co-chief executive of Oracle, said in an interview. Compared with A.W.S., he said, “the place we like is one of higher profit margins.”"

Oracle Will Not Build a Giant Cloud System Like A.W.S. - The New York Times

Google Asus OnHub Release Date, Price and Specs - CNET

In other Google networking news, see Don’t Blame Google Fiber For That World Series Outage (Wired)

"Two months after releasing the first OnHub router using TP-Link hardware, Google today announced the new OnHub it created with the help from Asus.

According to Google, the new Asus OnHub is essentially the same as the one made by TP-Link. This is a dual-band AC1900 Wi-Fi router with the top speed on the 5GHz band of up to 1,300Mbps and on the 2.4GHz band, up to 600Mbps. It also has just one Gigabit LAN port and one USB 3.0. The new router also has built-in Bluetooth and supports the Home Automation wireless standard, though these functions are not activated at launch."

Google Asus OnHub Release Date, Price and Specs - CNET

EFF Disappointed as CISA Passes Senate | Electronic Frontier Foundation

Also see CISA Security Bill Passes Senate With Privacy Flaws Unfixed (Wired)

"The passage of CISA reflects the misunderstanding many lawmakers have about technology and security. Computer security engineers were against it.  Academics were against it. Technology companies, including some of Silicon Valley’s biggest like Twitter and Salesforce, were against it. Civil society organizations were against it. And constituents sent over 1 million faxes opposing CISA to Senators.

With security breaches like T-mobile, Target, and OPM becoming the norm, Congress knows it needs to do something about cybersecurity. It chose to do the wrong thing. EFF will continue to fight against the bill by urging the conference committee to incorporate pro-privacy language. And we will never stop fighting for lawmakers to either understand technology or understand when they need to listen to the people who do."

EFF Disappointed as CISA Passes Senate | Electronic Frontier Foundation

Apple's Sales Forecast Indicates Another Record Holiday Quarter - Bloomberg Business

Another take on Apple's latest quarter

"Apple’s success largely hinges on the iPhone. Defying a broader slowdown in the global smartphone market, the company sold 48 million handsets last quarter, up 22 percent from a year earlier. The device generated sales of $32.2 billion, making it bigger than Microsoft Corp. and Facebook Inc.’s quarterly businesses combined. Introduced on Sept. 25, the newest models -- iPhone 6S and 6S Plus -- come with an improved camera, faster processor and new 3D Touch screens.
For the all of fiscal 2015, Apple reported total sales of $233.7 billion. Net income grew 35 percent to $53.4 billion for the year."

Apple's Sales Forecast Indicates Another Record Holiday Quarter - Bloomberg Business

Dismal Twitter Forecast and Flat User Growth Send Its Stock Lower - The New York Times

Tbd if the "dismal" forecast will put TWTR into an acquirer's strike zone

"On Tuesday, Twitter gave a dismal forecast for its fourth-quarter revenue and profits. Shares in Twitter, a social media company, plunged as much as 13 percent in after-hours trading as Mr. Dorsey and his lieutenants offered little explanation for the gloom in a conference call with investors. In a similar call three months ago, Mr. Dorsey’s pointed critique of Twitter’s product failings sent the stock down 11 percent.

The new projections, delivered as the company exceeded analysts’ expectations for its third-quarter results, provided fresh evidence that Twitter is failing to win over advertisers, the source of most of its revenue, as it confronts stiffening competition from Facebook, Instagram and Google."

Dismal Twitter Forecast and Flat User Growth Send Its Stock Lower - The New York Times

Demand for iPhone Drives Apple Profit, but Outlook Is Muted - The New York Times

See the Apple press release for details

"Over all, Apple posted a profit of $11.1 billion for its fiscal fourth quarter, up 31 percent from a year ago. Revenue was $51.5 billion, up 22 percent from last year. The results exceeded Wall Street estimates.

Yet while the performance was bolstered by sales of the iPhone — Apple said that it sold 48 million iPhones in the quarter, up from 39 million in the same period last year — the company was more cautious about sales for the key holiday sales period."

Demand for iPhone Drives Apple Profit, but Outlook Is Muted - The New York Times

Apple Watch Owners Remain Satisfied | Tech.pinions - Perspective, Insight, Analysis

Check the full post for some timely market research

"Last quarter, the Wristly team and I set out to run the first even Apple Watch customer satisfaction report. Our first survey returned a customer satisfaction level of 97%, which, for a first generation product, is quite impressive. While there were some concerns about bias in our panel because it was an opt-in panel of Apple Watch owners, the reality is all ownership panels are opt-in. This early in the Apple Watch adoption cycle, one can only run a customer satisfaction survey after building up a panel of owners, as Wristly did. So concerns about the panel are moot in my mind. However, we decided to see what customer satisfaction is now that a healthy portion of our existing panel has owned the watch for even longer. We found some interesting results."

Apple Watch Owners Remain Satisfied | Tech.pinions - Perspective, Insight, Analysis

Facebook notifications update - Business Insider

A portable personal portal

"For example, you can now change your notifications settings to have the tab include TV reminders, suggestions of where to eat nearby, the weather, or things that are taking place in your local community. 

Facebook will let you personalize your settings, and notifications like weather or local events will only work if you have your Location History turned on. 

With this new hub, Facebook is essentially trying to wipe out the need to check your weather app, Fandango, Yelp, or any sort of news aggregator."

Facebook notifications update - Business Insider

Oracle's Ellison Says Cloud Industry Still in Early Days - Bloomberg Business

Later in the article: "“Oracle will lead this decade-long transition to the cloud,” Hurd said during a keynote on Monday. “We now have virtually 100 percent of our portfolio rewritten, rebuilt, modernized for the cloud.”"

"Leadership in the field remained up for grabs with the biggest cloud-only businesses still relatively small -- none at around $100 billion, Ellison said, probably referring to annual sales. Oracle now counts relatively newer entrants such as Amazon.com Inc, Workday Inc. and Microsoft Corp. among its most formidable competitors, the company’s billionaire founder said on Sunday. 

“This is how much our world has changed,” Ellison said during a keynote at Oracle OpenWorld in San Francisco. “We no longer pay any attention” to traditional competitors SAP SE and International Business Machines Corp. “It is quite a shock.”"

Oracle's Ellison Says Cloud Industry Still in Early Days - Bloomberg Business

The Bitcoin Startup Boom Comes Back Down to Earth - Bloomberg Business

A bitcoin ecosystem reality check

"Investors are now more interested in bitcoin’s underlying technology, called the blockchain. It’s a mechanism for quickly and accurately recording transactions in an online ledger, and it could have important applications in banking and e-commerce to facilitate faster bank transfers or international transactions. On Oct. 14, bitcoin startup Bitreserve changed its name to Uphold and switched its focus to letting people transact in any form of money or commodity they choose, using the blockchain. “There’s a lot of pivoting of companies saying we want to build things for companies on the blockchain,” said Michael Terpin, an investor in bitcoin who is backing more startups this year than he did in 2014."

The Bitcoin Startup Boom Comes Back Down to Earth - Bloomberg Business

Chris Cox on How Facebook Sees Itself - WSJ

From an interview with Facebook’s chief product officer

"MR. COX: The core of Facebook is about two fundamental ideas. The first is being a directory, which is where Facebook gets its name. The past 10 years have been about taking down barriers to let new groups of people come onto Facebook: Let’s make it work for people outside of college. Let’s make it work for people outside of the U.S. Let’s make it work for non-English speakers. Let’s make it work on mobile. And now the fundamental challenge is, how do you make it work on a 2G connection, on a Moto E, in Hindi?

The second piece is as a medium. Just how do you express your experience to somebody else? If you look at Messenger and WhatsApp, you have intimate, high-frequency communication with people you care about a lot. If you move up, you have groups and events, which are about communicating with hundreds or thousands of people at a time. And then if you move up to news feed and Instagram, you have an even higher scale of audience. And depending on where you look in the world, you have people using those things in very different ways."

Chris Cox on How Facebook Sees Itself - WSJ

The Inside Story of Surface Book, Microsoft's Next Big Thing | WIRED

From an extensive "inside" Surface Book overview; for a different perspective, see Apple resists Macbook, iPad Pro convergence as Microsoft struggles with Surface Windows 10 hybrids (AppleInsider)

"So Panay’s team set a different goal: to reinvent the laptop. They spent two years designing, prototyping, and fine-tuning—all to get to the Surface Book that goes on sale today. It’s the product of everything Microsoft has learned from making the first Surface machines, and from watching Apple eat its lunch. It’s a story right out of Cupertino, really: A small group of creatives sits in a room together, passionately slaving over every tiny detail of a product until it’s perfect. To go after Apple, Microsoft learned from Apple—and then found a few places to take right turns toward the future it imagines. It cost Panay much more than one night’s sleep."

The Inside Story of Surface Book, Microsoft's Next Big Thing | WIRED

Facebook At Work Signs Up Its Biggest Business Yet: 100,000 Workers At The Royal Bank Of Scotland | TechCrunch

Later in the article: “Almost everyone uses Facebook outside of work. That means I don’t have to train anyone. Some nuances are different but there are more similarities.”

"Earlier this year, Facebook took the wraps off Facebook at Work: an enterprise version of the social network that Facebook had designed for businesses that want to build social networks for their employees. After months of pilots, Facebook today is announcing its biggest customer yet: the Royal Bank of Scotland, which plans to have 30,000 workers on its FB@Work network by March of next year, and its entire workforce of 100,000 using the platform by the end of 2016.

The deal signals a new phase for Facebook at Work. It demonstrates Facebook’s ambitions to scale this B2B service just as it has its consumer product (which now has 1.5 billion monthly active users on desktop, 1.3 billion on mobile). And it demonstrates how enterprises are taking Facebook’s effort seriously."

Facebook At Work Signs Up Its Biggest Business Yet: 100,000 Workers At The Royal Bank Of Scotland | TechCrunch

Russian Ships Near Data Cables Are Too Close for U.S. Comfort - The New York Times

Trench of spies?

"The issue goes beyond old worries during the Cold War that the Russians would tap into the cables — a task American intelligence agencies also mastered decades ago. The alarm today is deeper: The ultimate Russian hack on the United States could involve severing the fiber-optic cables at some of their hardest-to-access locations to halt the instant communications on which the West’s governments, economies and citizens have grown dependent.

While there is no evidence yet of any cable cutting, the concern is part of a growing wariness among senior American and allied military and intelligence officials over the accelerated activity by Russian armed forces around the globe. At the same time, the internal debate in Washington illustrates how the United States is increasingly viewing every Russian move through a lens of deep distrust, reminiscent of relations during the Cold War."

Russian Ships Near Data Cables Are Too Close for U.S. Comfort - The New York Times

Google Turning Its Lucrative Web Search Over to AI Machines - Bloomberg Business

Final paragraphs from a Google machine learning snapshot

"Google’s decision to deploy AI into search shows that companies are starting to entrust their most valuable businesses to systems controlled in part by machine intelligence. Facebook Inc. uses AI techniques to filter the newsfeed that comprises the personalized homepage of the social network and Microsoft Corp. is using artificial intelligence to increase the capabilities of its Bing search engine. Microsoft declined to be more specific about whether it’s using a similar approach to Google.
“Search is the cornerstone of Google,” Corrado said. “Machine learning isn’t just a magic syrup that you pour onto a problem and it makes it better. It took a lot of thought and care in order to build something that we really thought was worth doing.”"

Google Turning Its Lucrative Web Search Over to AI Machines - Bloomberg Business

The Internet ads that would not die - The Boston Globe

Advertise different

"“That’s a disaster, and not just for individual publishers who are going to lose money,” said Mendels. “It’s a bad thing for society,” because millions will lose access to vital news and information services if ad-supported sites are driven out of business.

So Brightcove’s new service will deliver video ads to consumers, even if they’re running an ad blocker. “We inject the ad into the video before it even gets to the page, so the ad blocker can’t block it,” said Mendels. “We’re not blocking the ad blocker; we’re just avoiding it.” He claimed that one unidentified customer saw ad revenues rise 50 percent after signing up for the Brightcove service. (The Boston Globe uses the Brightcove system on its website.)"

The Internet ads that would not die - The Boston Globe

The Movie 'Steve Jobs' Bombs at the Box Office Nationwide - Patently Apple

tbd if that's a first-nationwide-weekend blip or a leading indicator; this and other recent reviews have been very critical of Sorkin's creative fiction; also see ‘Steve Jobs’ Film Disappoints as Moviegoers Skip Oscar Hopeful (Bloomberg Business)

"In a new report published late this afternoon it's being reported that the most frustrating stumble at the box office this weekend was the 'Steve Jobs' movie by far. After scoring the year's best per-screen average two weeks ago and slowly expanding with positive results, 'Steve Jobs' failed to stick the landing when it was finally ready to go nationwide. It made a disappointing $7.3 million from 2,443 locations. That barely beat the $6.7 million that Ashton Kutcher's critically excoriated 'Jobs' made in its initial weekend, reports Variety."

The Movie 'Steve Jobs' Bombs at the Box Office Nationwide - Patently Apple

Search FYI: Find What the World is Saying With Facebook Search | Facebook Newsroom

See Facebook Expands Search To All 2 Trillion Posts, Surfacing Public Real-Time News (TechCrunch) and Facebook updates its search feature to drive more conversation (Washington Post) for assessments

"Welcome to Search FYI. With over 1.5 billion searches per day and over 2 trillion posts in our index, search is an important, long-term effort at Facebook. The team’s goal with Search FYI is to share our progress more frequently.

When something happens in the world, people often turn to Facebook to see how their friends and family are reacting. Today, we’re updating Facebook Search so that in addition to friends and family, you can find out what the world is saying about topics that matter to you:

• Better search suggestions: When you tap into the search box and start typing, we’ll now offer timely, personalized search suggestions. As you type, we’ll highlight things that are happening right now so you can follow popular stories as they unfold. 
• Search results with public posts and posts from friends: When you search, you’ll now see the most recent, relevant public posts along with posts from your friends. Search results are organized to help you cut through the noise and quickly understand what the world is saying about a topic in the moment. You also can pull-to-refresh and see the latest public posts. 
• Find public conversations with search: When a link gets shared widely on Facebook, it often anchors an interesting public conversation. Now there’s a new way to quickly dive into that discussion. With one tap, you can find public posts about a link, see popular quotes and phrases mentioned in these posts, and check out an aggregate overview of sentiment. This feature is a first step—we look forward to people using it and giving us feedback so we can make it even better."

Search FYI: Find What the World is Saying With Facebook Search | Facebook Newsroom

Apple lays the groundwork for next week’s Apple TV launch - The Washington Post

See the full article for a preview of apps/channels

"Apple's all set to open orders for its new set-top box, the Apple TV, on Oct. 26. But before the new, Siri-powered multimedia devices starts landing on doorsteps, the company's laying some groundwork.

Many people were excited that the latest iOS update came with a long-awaited taco emoji, but what you may not have realized is that it also came with updates that will make your iPhone play well with the new set-top box.

Users will need an iOS device to set up the Apple TV. So if you're planning on picking up the new TV, take care of that latest download."

Apple lays the groundwork for next week’s Apple TV launch - The Washington Post

CEO Jack Dorsey Gives a Third of His Twitter Stock Back to Employees - Bloomberg Business

Also see Jack Dorsey is giving almost 20% of Square to an organization serving struggling communities (Quartz)

"Twitter Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey is giving a third of his Twitter stock to the company’s employees, he said in a tweet today.
The shares amount to 1 percent of the San Francisco-based company, worth about $200 million. The move is to “reinvest directly in our people,” he said Thursday. It will go into the employee equity pool.
“I’d rather have a smaller part of something big than a bigger part of something small,” Dorsey tweeted. “I’m confident we can make Twitter big!”"

CEO Jack Dorsey Gives a Third of His Twitter Stock Back to Employees - Bloomberg Business

The Cloud Is Raining Cash on Amazon, Google, and Microsoft - Bloomberg Business

Check the full article for a stark EMC, HP, IBM, Oracle, and other traditional enterprise IT vendor reality check

"Amazon.com, Google, and Microsoft all topped profit estimates last quarter, highlighting the widening gulf between companies that deliver computing via server-laden warehouses and a generation of latecomers to the cloud boom. Together, the three companies added more than $90 billion in market cap in after-hours trading following their earnings reports on Thursday."

The Cloud Is Raining Cash on Amazon, Google, and Microsoft - Bloomberg Business

The Fun Math Behind Alphabet’s $5 Billion Stock Buyback - Digits - WSJ

N is for nerd

"It’s not the first time Google has played around with formulas to make decisions about its finances — or even its name.

The name Google is a play on googol, which is the number 1 followed by a hundred zeroes. When it first filed to go public, it said it planned to raise $2,718,281,828, a billion times the value of “e,” an important mathematical concept in calculus.

Nearly a year later, it said it was going to sell 14.2 million shares of stock. Well, not exactly 14.2 million, but 14,159,265, the numbers that follow the decimal in pi. And when the company made a move to buy Nortel Network patents, one of its bids was actually “pi” — around $3.14 billion. (Its other bids were plays on numbers, too; Google lost the bid.)"

The Fun Math Behind Alphabet’s $5 Billion Stock Buyback - Digits - WSJ

About the OS X El Capitan v10.11.1 Update - Apple Support

Emphasis below is mine

"The OS X El Capitan 10.11.1 update improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, and is recommended for all users.
This update:

• Improves installer reliability when upgrading to OS X El Capitan. 
• Improves compatibility with Microsoft Office 2016. 
• Fixes an issue where outgoing server information may be missing from Mail. 
• Resolves an issue that prevented display of messages and mailboxes in Mail. 
• Resolves an issue that prevents certain Audio Unit plug-ins from functioning properly. 
• Improves VoiceOver reliability. 
• Adds over 150 new emoji characters with full Unicode 7.0 and 8.0 support. 
• Resolves an issue that caused JPEG images to appear as a gray or green box in Preview."

About the OS X El Capitan v10.11.1 Update - Apple Support

Amazon Posts an Unexpected Profit, and Its Shares Soar - The New York Times

AMZN is up ~10% in after-hours trading; also see Amazon earnings beat estimates with huge surge in cloud sales and profit (The Verge)

"Amazon showed Wall Street just what it was capable of in the third quarter, and investors roared their approval.

Revenue at the Seattle-based retail, computing and entertainment company rose 23 percent to $25.4 billion in the third quarter, $500 million more than analysts were expecting.

An expected loss turned into a profit. Net income was 17 cents a share."

Amazon Posts an Unexpected Profit, and Its Shares Soar - The New York Times

Microsoft Earnings Climb, Lifted by Strong Growth in Cloud Computing - The New York Times

Microsoft in transition -- lower revenue but more profitable and more focused

"Microsoft’s revenue may have fallen 12 percent because it sold fewer smartphones and copies of Windows. But its earnings rose and the company had strong growth in the right place for investors — cloud computing, a business that is intoxicating to Wall Street because it represents the future of technology.

All else was forgiven as the tech giant posted its results on Thursday."

Microsoft Earnings Climb, Lifted by Strong Growth in Cloud Computing - The New York Times

Google Announces Stock Buyback as Earnings Rise - The New York Times

A strong quarter for the company formerly known as Google

"Excluding the cost of stock options and related tax benefits, Google’s profit was $7.35 a share, compared with $6.25 a year ago. Analysts had expected $7.20 a share according to Bloomberg.
Those numbers represent the closing act for a company that we can now call “old Google.” The company this month reorganized into the holding company Alphabet. Starting next year it will separate the financial results of Google’s traditional search and advertising businesses from the dizzying number of appendages — A to Z — that includes, among other things, a pharmaceutical company, two venture capital arms and a project to build self-driving cars. (The exact value of the stock buyback was $5,099,019,513.59 which mirrors the square root of 26, as in 26 letters of the alphabet.)
The company’s shares were up nearly 11 percent in early after-hours trading Thursday."

Google Announces Stock Buyback as Earnings Rise - The New York Times

HP's Helion Public Cloud will soon ride into the sunset | InfoWorld

A less cloudy future for HP/2

"It's a significant retreat for HP and comes just two weeks before the company will split itself in two parts. While rivals like IBM and Oracle continue to build out public cloud services, HP will take a tack more similar to Dell and partner to offer a choice of public cloud offerings. 

"Our customers are telling us that the lines between all the different cloud manifestations are blurring," Hilf said. "We will move to a strategic, multiple partner-based model for public cloud capabilities."

HP has already added greater support for Amazon Web Services as part of its hybrid delivery with HP Helion Eucalyptus, and it has worked with Microsoft to support Office 365 and Azure, he noted."

HP's Helion Public Cloud will soon ride into the sunset | InfoWorld

Tesla’s autopilot gets pulled over for doing 75 in a 60 - The Washington Post

Having a follow-the-speed-limit setting for autopilot would probably not be a popular feature; tangentially, see Drivers Push Tesla’s Autopilot Beyond Its Abilities (MIT Technology Review)

"The most exciting new feature for Tesla owners is its autopilot. Nimble enough to keep the car within its lane and intelligent enough to sense other drivers, the recent update to Tesla's software gives customers a first, early taste of what driverless driving feels like. But the Tesla evidently isn't smart enough to outwit speed traps — yet.

In a test-drive showing off the autopilot control, Drag Times took the latest Tesla software for a spin. On a stretch of Interstate 95, however, the Tesla got pulled over for doing 75 mph in a 60 mph zone. Oops."

Tesla’s autopilot gets pulled over for doing 75 in a 60 - The Washington Post

YouTube Introduces YouTube Red, a Subscription Service - The New York Times

From an overview of YouTube's new subscription-based service

"YouTube has become one of Google’s big growth drivers, generating $5 billion to $10 billion in revenue, according to the best guesses of analysts. The research service eMarketer predicts YouTube will generate $9.5 billion in ad revenue for Google this year.

Whatever the number, YouTube is the most popular video service in a world where people are spending less time watching television and more watching video on tablets and mobile phones. Americans are projected to spend four hours and 11 minutes a day watching television this year, down 11 minutes from last year, according to eMarketer.

But the time they spend watching video on digital screens is expected to rise 10 minutes, to one hour and 34 minutes a day, this year."

YouTube Introduces YouTube Red, a Subscription Service - The New York Times

Nexus 5X and 6P Review: Why It’s Time to Buy a Phone From Google - WSJ

Final paragraphs of a bad-news-for-Samsung review

"The entry-level Nexus 5S has 16GB of storage, while the Nexus 6P starts at 32GB. There’s no MicroSD card reader, so you have to pay extra if you want more storage space, but a Nexus will still be cheaper than a Galaxy S6, which starts at $600, and an iPhone 6s, which starts at $650.

If you’re on a budget and want the latest, cleanest version of Android, the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P are impossible to beat. And buying them outright then picking any carrier you want? That’s not a burden. That’s bliss."

Nexus 5X and 6P Review: Why It’s Time to Buy a Phone From Google - WSJ

Microsoft’s Rule-Breaking Vision of a Future With Countless Devices - The New York Times

Also see Review: Microsoft Surface Book (Wired), Microsoft Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 Review: New Hope for Windows Hardware (WSJ), and Microsoft Surface Book review: A nice laptop, but still not my 'ultimate' PC (ZDNet)

"The Surface Book, Microsoft’s new laptop, could prove similarly influential. For one thing, it should spur Windows PC makers to do something they’ve long neglected — make good products for a change.
For years, most PC makers have chased low prices by forgetting about user experience; they’ve larded their machines with preinstalled adware, failed tests of basic functionality (Windows trackpads were difficult to use) and abandoned customer service. That’s why Apple dominates the high end of the PC business, and why Mac sales have grown as the rest of the PC business has declined.
The Surface Book, by contrast, is a genuinely fantastic machine — a light, fast, solid laptop with a dazzling display that, on the whole, feels every bit as thoughtfully crafted as anything bearing the bitten-Apple logo. Its trackpad is a pleasure to use, not a trudge."

Microsoft’s Rule-Breaking Vision of a Future With Countless Devices - The New York Times

Opinion: Apple’s fourth-gen Apple TV will be worth the $149 gamble | 9to5Mac

Check the full article for reasons to rationalize a new Apple TV order (on 10/26)

"Next week, pre-orders will start for the fourth-generation Apple TV, and it would be easy to say “pass:” none of the prior versions has been fantastic, and once again, Apple deliberately left out an arguably major feature — 4K Ultra HD support — that competitors jumped on, and will probably topline the inevitable fifth-generation Apple TV. But I’d personally suggest that you consider ordering the new $149 Apple TV anyway. Even though its potential won’t really be tapped until (at least) next year, early adopters are about to have a fun ride as it develops into an amazing new living room entertainment platform…"

Opinion: Apple’s fourth-gen Apple TV will be worth the $149 gamble | 9to5Mac

Yelp Sues South Park For $10 Million Over Latest Episode - NBC News

Classy action

"Matt Stone and Trey Parker, creators of the popular animated series, were quick to issue a statement of their own.

“We’ve taken a hard look at the information presented to us, and after reviewing it, we have given Yelp and their lawsuit only one star. Their lawyers delivered us legal documents in a very unprofessional manner; not bothering to smile or even a quick handshake. The writing on the envelope was barely legible and in two different colors. It is our personal opinion that Yelp could do a much better job by not suing us for ten million dollars.”"

(p.s. it's a parody; also see Dumb Satire of Yelp South Park Lawsuit Rises (Briefly) to Top of Google News (Re/code))
Yelp Sues South Park For $10 Million Over Latest Episode - NBC News

EMC And VMware Spin Out Virtustream As Jointly Owned Company | TechCrunch

Multifaceted hybrid

"The move comes against the dramatic backdrop of the announcement last week that Dell was acquiring EMC for $67 billion. You see, EMC owns 80 percent of VMware. To complicate matters, VMware is traded as a separate company, and the newly formed Virtustream will be owned 50/50 by both companies. It gets even trickier because Virtustream’s financial results are going to be consolidated into VMware financial statements beginning in Q1 2016.

Got that? To sum up: Dell is buying EMC. EMC owns most of VMware. VMware is a separately traded company. VMware and EMC own Virtustream together, but Virtustream’s financials will become part of VMware."

EMC And VMware Spin Out Virtustream As Jointly Owned Company | TechCrunch

Instant Articles Launches to Everyone on iPhone, With Thousands of New Articles Published Daily | Facebook Media

Check the full post for some publisher-specific features and How Facebook Turned Unloved ‘Paper’ Into ‘Instant Articles’ (Wired) for additional background; also see Facebook rolls out instant articles to all iOS users and announces an Android beta (The Verge)

"We’re excited to announce that everyone who uses the Facebook for iPhone app can now read thousands of Instant Articles every day in News Feed. Starting today, people will see a lightning bolt on the top right corner of some stories shared in News Feed. The lightning bolt indicates it’s an Instant Article. When you tap the story, it loads ten times faster than a standard mobile web article."

Instant Articles Launches to Everyone on iPhone, With Thousands of New Articles Published Daily | Facebook Media

Apple Tells Judge It Can’t Unlock New iPhones - Digits - WSJ

Another privacy feature of iOS >= 8; tangentially, see Apple and Dropbox say they’re against a key cybersecurity bill, days before a crucial vote (Washington Post)

"Apple Inc. told a federal judge that it “would be impossible” to access user data on a locked iPhone running one of the newer operating systems, but that it could likely help the government unlock an older phone.

In a brief filed late Monday, the company said “in most cases now and in the future” it will be unable to assist the government in unlocking a password-protected iPhone. The brief was filed at the invitation of U.S. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein, who is considering a request from the Justice Department that he order Apple to help government investigators access a seized iPhone."

Apple Tells Judge It Can’t Unlock New iPhones - Digits - WSJ

After Disappointing Results, Yahoo Promises More Focused Strategy - The New York Times

Final paragraphs from a stark Yahoo reality check

"Danny Sullivan, founding editor of Search Engine Land, said that the marketplace had changed since the last Google-Yahoo deal was proposed and the partnership could be more palatable to regulators now. “Yahoo lost all the market share it could lose, gave up its search technology and became this outer fiefdom of Microsoft,” he said.

But Mr. Sullivan said partnering with Google would not solve Yahoo’s longer-term problems in search. “Whatever numbers you look at, Yahoo’s the third-place player,” he said. “How do you get back to being a second-place player?”"

After Disappointing Results, Yahoo Promises More Focused Strategy - The New York Times

A Revised and Reduced Role for Traditional SharePoint in Office 365 | CASAHL

Lead paragraphs from an overview of SharePoint's evolution and Office 365 migration opportunities

"Microsoft SharePoint has been broadly successful since it was first released in 2001, and it has largely vanquished earlier enterprise content/collaboration platforms competitors such as IBM Lotus Notes/Domino. As Microsoft increases its focus on its Office 365 and Azure cloud platforms, however, the traditional role for SharePoint is being significantly revised and, in many ways, reduced. Traditional SharePoint – the content/collaboration platform optimized for on-premises deployments — will continue to be popular for years to come, as many enterprises will undertake multi-phased migrations to Office 365, but SharePoint in Office 365 is now Microsoft’s strategic focus for enterprise content/collaboration needs, and it differs from traditional SharePoint in some fundamental ways. Enterprise planners seeking to fully leverage Microsoft’s latest content/collaboration offerings need to understand the advantages of Microsoft’s cloud opportunities and to begin migration planning.

This post provides an overview of the transition from traditional SharePoint to SharePoint in Office 365 and highlights some of the new opportunities and migration considerations."

(Disclosure: I've been a CASAHL advisor for several years)
A Revised and Reduced Role for Traditional SharePoint in Office 365 | CASAHL

Tech Startups Feel an IPO Chill - WSJ

From a stark unicorn market dynamics reality check

"In one way, Dropbox suffers from being compared with rival online storage firm Box Inc., which went public in December, according to investment bankers. Box has a stock-market value of $1.65 billion, or less than six times its expected fiscal 2016 revenue. Dropbox would need revenue of roughly $2 billion to support a similar valuation in the stock market, but one investment banker estimates the company’s revenue is likely to hit just $500 million this year. Dropbox declines to comment on its revenue.

“The thing that worries me the most about all these [billion-dollar valuations] is that you need a public market to get liquid,” says Chris Douvos, managing director of Venture Investment Associates, a Peapack, N.J., firm that invests in funds and startups. “But who’s going to buy at these valuations? It’s all priced for perfection.”"

Tech Startups Feel an IPO Chill - WSJ

Microsoft’s Windows 10 May Help, May Hurt Holiday PC Sales | Re/code

Also see Windows laptops need better engineering, not better marketing (The Verge)

"In the past, a new release of Windows has generally meant a bump in PC sales, especially for the first holiday after a new release.

But Windows 10 is different. It marks the first time Microsoft has offered consumers a free update for all PCs that are capable of running the software. Mix in the tension as Microsoft enters further into the hardware business with its Surface Book laptop and you have some interesting dialogue between Redmond and the companies that build computers using its software."

Microsoft’s Windows 10 May Help, May Hurt Holiday PC Sales | Re/code

Apple CEO Defends Encryption, Opposes Government Back Door - Bloomberg Business

A Tim Cook quote earlier in the article: "“You can’t have a back door in the software because you can’t have a back door that’s only for the good guys”

"Both [NSA Director Admiral Michael] Rogers and Cook discussed how to balance privacy and state-enforced security. The NSA director acknowledged the tension between the two while emphasizing threats he believed the U.S. faced. Cook said there wasn’t a trade-off to be made.
“Nobody should have to decide privacy and security. We should be smart enough to do both,” Cook told the conference, calling any compromise a “cop-out.”
“Both of these things were essential parts of our Constitution. It didn’t say prioritize this one above all of these,” he said. “I mean, these guys were really smart folks and they held all of these things and said all of these are what it means to be an American.”"

Apple CEO Defends Encryption, Opposes Government Back Door - Bloomberg Business

CIA Director’s Personal Email Allegedly Hacked - WSJ

You've got jail...

"The New York Post reported Sunday that a “teen stoner” claimed to have hacked into Mr. Brennan’s AOL account and accessed sensitive files, including his application for top-secret security clearance. The newspaper also reported that Social Security numbers and other personal information for numerous top intelligence officials were held in the account.

Aki Peritz, a former CIA analyst, said the hackers would likely face severe penalties if they are caught, regardless of age or intentions. “Posting the personal information of a senior government official and then bragging about it—you are going to have the full weight of the law come down on you,” Mr. Peritz said. “If these are actually teenagers, they have really messed up their life for a long time.”"

CIA Director’s Personal Email Allegedly Hacked - WSJ

Amazon Spars With The Times Over Investigative Article - The New York Times

A discouraging dialogue with the NYT executive editor, especially after Was Portrayal of Amazon’s Brutal Workplace on Target?, a constructively critical perspective from the NYT's own public editor, was published in mid-August

"It was the kind of sparring between a newspaper and the subject of an article that once might have taken place in private. Instead, both men, who have access to huge audiences of their own, published their posts on Medium, a site for essays and storytelling that is open to the public.

The spat took place two months after the publication of the article, which, with more than five million page views, is among The Times’s most-read pieces of the year. The debate, a spokeswoman for The Times said, prompted a fresh flood of readers to the original article."

Amazon Spars With The Times Over Investigative Article - The New York Times

IBM Sales and Profit Dropped 14% in Third Quarter - The New York Times

Another challenging quarter for IBM

"But investors and analysts are concerned that the decline at IBM’s large, lucrative businesses may accelerate faster than the new businesses grow. Until the new businesses account for more overall growth, those worries will most likely persist.

“The math is working against them now,” said Frank Gens, chief analyst at IDC. “Modest declines in the older business overshadow the new businesses.”

At IBM, Mr. Schroeter acknowledged the challenge. “The core is declining in a declining market,” he said. “We never said it would be a straight line.”"

IBM Sales and Profit Dropped 14% in Third Quarter - The New York Times

The new Apple TV: What we don’t know - Quartz

A useful collection of questions about the new Apple TV, which is supposed to be available for ordering sometime over the next 12 days

"Apple unveiled its new Apple TV streaming device in early September. The biggest change: It will now feature its own app store, including games.
In a media presentation, Apple CEO Tim Cook said apps were the future of television, and executives provided brief demos of new video search features and some potential apps. Apple has since sent test units to software developers to get started on creating apps. We haven’t heard much about the device since.
These are some of the things we’re eager to find out."

The new Apple TV: What we don’t know - Quartz

Twitter’s investors are the problem—not its business strategy - Quartz

Tangentially, Steve Ballmer Buys Into Twitter (NYT)

"The problem with Twitter isn’t its performance. The real problem is its investors have disproportionately high hopes.
Twitter went public before its business had fully matured. The timing of its IPO was largely determined by the fear that the generally buoyant stock market could take a turn for the worse at any moment. The company’s many founders and investors were also eager to become liquid as soon as possible. In contrast, companies like LinkedIn and Facebook went public when their revenue engines were well-oiled. That’s why they’ve been able to deliver quarterly results that satisfy shareholders."

Twitter’s investors are the problem—not its business strategy - Quartz

What to Think About Machines That Think: Leading Thinkers on Artificial Intelligence and What It Means to Be Human | Brain Pickings

Check the full Brain Pickings post for some excerpts

"From its very outset, this new branch of human-machine evolution made it clear that any answer to these questions would invariably alter how we answer the most fundamental questions of what it means to be human.

That’s what Edge founder John Brockman explores in the 2015 edition of his annual question, inviting 192 of today’s most prominent thinkers to tussle with these core questions of artificial intelligence and its undergirding human dilemmas. The answers, collected in What to Think About Machines That Think: Today’s Leading Thinkers on the Age of Machine Intelligence (public library), come from such diverse contributors as physicist and mathematician Freeman Dyson, music pioneer Brian Eno, biological anthropologist Helen Fisher, Positive Psychology founding father Martin Seligman, computer scientist and inventor Danny Hillis, TED curator Chris Anderson, neuroscientist Sam Harris, legendary curator Hans Ulrich Obrist, media theorist Douglas Rushkoff, cognitive scientist and linguist Steven Pinker, and yours truly."

What to Think About Machines That Think: Leading Thinkers on Artificial Intelligence and What It Means to Be Human | Brain Pickings

Getting LEAN with Digital Ad UX | IAB

The Interactive Advertising Bureau develops LEAN principles in an attempt to neutralize ad blocking; also see Ad networks promise to do something about the awful adverts you're all blocking, like, real soon (The Register)

"The rise of ad blocking poses a threat to the internet and could potentially drive users to an enclosed platform world dominated by a few companies. We have let the fine equilibrium of content, commerce, and technology get out of balance in the open web.  We had, and still do have, a responsibility to educate the business side, and in some cases to push back. We lost sight of our social and ethical responsibility to provide a safe, usable experience for anyone and everyone wanting to consume the content of their choice.

We need to bring that back into alignment, starting right now.

Today, the IAB Tech Lab is launching the L.E.A.N. Ads program. Supported by the Executive Committee of the IAB Tech Lab Board, IABs around the world, and hundreds of member companies, L.E.A.N. stands for Light, Encrypted, Ad choice supported, Non-invasive ads.  These are principles that will help guide the next phases of advertising technical standards for the global digital advertising supply chain."

Getting LEAN with Digital Ad UX | IAB

Jack Dorsey is giving almost 20% of Square to an organization serving struggling communities - Quartz

For a different take on the numbers, see Jack Dorsey is giving up at least 50% of his stake in Square to help underserved communities (VentureBeat)

"Nestled between Square’s financials in its IPO filing yesterday (Oct. 14), Dorsey revealed he had created the Start Small Foundation to invest in “artists, musicians, and local businesses, with a special focus on underserved communities around the world.” His donated shares will be available for sale in the IPO, with the proceeds to benefit the foundation.
Dorsey—who is also the CEO of Twitter, and Square’s largest shareholder with 71 million shares—has given 15 million shares to Start Small, for sale during the IPO, and pledged another 40 million in the future. “I’d rather have a smaller part of something big than a bigger part of something small,” he said in the regulatory filing. The total number of shares represents 19% of Square’s shares outstanding.
Dorsey later said in a tweet that the organization’s first investment will be in Ferguson, Missouri."

Jack Dorsey is giving almost 20% of Square to an organization serving struggling communities - Quartz

Paper is Dropbox's new vision for how teams can work together (Engadget)

Also see Dropbox’s New ‘Paper’ Is Yet Another All-in-One Work Tool (Wired) and Hands on with Paper, Dropbox's answer to Google Docs (The Verge)

"Six months ago, Dropbox quietly announced a collaborative note-taking tool called Notes and launched it in an invite-only beta test. But starting today, the product is being officially branded as Dropbox Paper and the beta test is expanding significantly. You'll still need an invite, but the company gave us a preview of what's probably the biggest addition to Dropbox in years. It's far too early to tell if Paper will be able to keep up with entrenched tools from Google, Microsoft and many others -- but there are definitely some interesting features here that make it worth keeping an eye on.

For now, Paper is a web-only app that you can access through your Dropbox account, although the company says it'll have a mobile app ready to go when the product comes out of beta. At first glance, Paper's UI is reminiscent of the scores of minimalist, lightweight text-editing apps that have come out in the past few years, such as IA Writer. But while IA Writer and its ilk are designed for solo composition, Paper is all about working together. As in Google Docs, multiple users can edit a document at the same time. Each is designated by a colored cursor, and the user's full name is displayed in the margins, crediting their contributions to the file."

Paper is Dropbox's new vision for how teams can work together

Apple Updates iWork Apps On All Platforms With Major New Features | TechCrunch

Perhaps something to review while Apple and Microsoft continue to try to figure out how to make Office 2016 work on Mac OS X El Capitan; check this Apple page for the full update list

"Apple has been relatively quiet with Pages, Numbers and Keynote in the past few months. But the company just released a major update for these three apps on all its platforms — iOS, OS X and iCloud.com. The apps now support the last features in iOS and OS X, but also bring long-awaited features.

Let’s start with iOS. Pages, Keynote and Numbers now work with Split View, Slide Over and Picture in Picture on the iPad. You can now use all of iOS 9’s multitasking features with Apple’s apps, and these are perfect examples as you might want to work on a document and do research at the same time. Also worth noting, Apple improved VoiceOver support for visually impaired people."

Apple Updates iWork Apps On All Platforms With Major New Features | TechCrunch

Bret Taylor’s Quip Lands $30 Million to Take On Office, Google Docs | Re/code

Later in the article: "Taylor said Quip has millions of individual users and 30,000 business customers, though not all of those are paying."

"Bret Taylor now has another $30 million in the bank as he aims his startup, Quip, to take on Microsoft and Google in a battle for the hearts and desktops of corporate America.

Quip — which makes a hybrid communications, collaboration and productivity service — is announcing on Thursday it has raised a new round of funding led by Greylock Partners, with Greylock’s John Lilly joining the board and Benchmark also investing. Quip isn’t saying how much the new round values the company at, but says it is higher than when the company did its $15 million Series A. And no, Taylor said, Quip is not moving into unicorn territory."

Bret Taylor’s Quip Lands $30 Million to Take On Office, Google Docs | Re/code

Nevada Bans DraftKings, FanDuel as Unlicensed Gambling | Re/code

When fantasy meets reality

"The Nevada Gaming Control Board, after conducting an analysis of daily fantasy sports with the state’s attorney general, has ruled that playing on DraftKings and FanDuel is the same as gambling. And because you need a license to be a gambling operator in Nevada (which DraftKings and FanDuel don’t have), the services are illegal there.

It has been a rough couple of weeks for the two companies. On Oct. 5, a big New York Times story revealed an insider trading-type scandal in which DraftKings and FanDuel employees with access to proprietary information were making serious money from playing daily fantasy games. The next day, the New York attorney general’s office said it was opening an inquiry into daily fantasy. Both companies denied any wrongdoing, and FanDuel hired former Bush administration attorney general Michael Mukasey to conduct an internal review. The FBI is also investigating daily fantasy, although the agency is reportedly focusing on DraftKings."

Nevada Bans DraftKings, FanDuel as Unlicensed Gambling | Re/code

Apple is learning an expensive lesson about universities - The Washington Post

Educate different

"Apple is almost sure to appeal, and it could very well get the fines reduced further or eliminated, as it did with another recent patent case this year. Still, the ruling represents a stinging rebuke for a company that has spent years accusing its rival, Samsung, of essentially stealing its hardware designs.

There's one big difference between Apple's war with Samsung and its battle with the University of Wisconsin. While the former involves a fight with another tech giant, the latter pits Apple against a research institution, one that doesn't manufacture any products with its patents. As a result, the case falls smack into the middle of a debate on patent litigation reform that Congress has spent the last two years trying to resolve, at the behest of tech companies and retail businesses on the one side, and universities, pharmaceutical companies and biotech firms on the other."

Apple is learning an expensive lesson about universities - The Washington Post

I, Cringely It's Michael Dell versus the world and Dell will win - I, Cringely

From a Cringely perspective on Dell + EMC

"Apple is now a consumer IT shop so it probably won’t be affected by any of this. Dell is going to be the exclusive Small and Medium Business, (SMB) and Enterprise IT shop. This brings us back to compute, storage, network, cloud, security and operations/integration which will be Dell’s response to IBM’s CAMSS (cloud, analytics, mobile, social, and security) with the major difference between the two being that Dell’s focus is real and IBM’s is not."

I, Cringely It's Michael Dell versus the world and Dell will win - I, Cringely

JetBlue aiming for free Wi-Fi on every flight by fall 2016 | Digital Trends

20 mbps and an Amazon content partnership

"Low-cost carrier JetBlue is edging toward its goal of becoming the first U.S. airline to offer free high-speed Wi-Fi on all of its aircraft.

The New York-based airline said Wednesday it’s just completed installation of its free Wi-Fi service, known as Fly-Fi, on its fleet of around 150 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft. In addition, the carrier announced it’s just flipped the Wi-Fi switch on the first of its 60 E190 aircraft with the aim of completing installation of Fly-Fi on its entire fleet by fall 2016."

JetBlue aiming for free Wi-Fi on every flight by fall 2016 | Digital Trends

The catch-22 that could hurt Apple down the road - The Washington Post

From an assessment of how Apple's privacy policy perhaps precludes precise predictive personalization in Apple News and other services

"The problem Apple faces is that it is staking out a refined position on a topic that many do not fundamentally understand. The details on how Apple is handling people's data in an arguably more thoughtful way may be lost on most people. What they will see, however, is that they keep getting hockey articles when they don't really want them.

The stakes are only going to get higher as Apple and other big tech firms continue to expand into news, music and entertainment. Personal preference counts for everything when it comes to sorting through vast catalogues of millions of songs, TV shows and articles for recommendations. Over time, could Apple make a product as good as ones that are sucking up our data on a much broader scale? Maybe. That said, self-reporting — which Apple is relying heavily on to personalize its products — may produce less relevant recommendations."

The catch-22 that could hurt Apple down the road - The Washington Post

Firms Pit Artificial Intelligence Against Hacking Threats - The New York Times

Part of an extensive NYT security special section

"Sometimes the best way to stop a bad machine is with a lot of good machines.

Several companies are applying the techniques of artificial intelligence, or A.I., to the world of security, and they are using a whole bunch of machines strung together in so-called cloud computing networks to do it. Originally the province of university researchers and now one of the ways Google and other companies figure out what is going on across the web, A.I. technology is being employed by security companies who say they can beat criminals by using many of the same strategies."

Firms Pit Artificial Intelligence Against Hacking Threats - The New York Times

Wal-Mart warns that its profits will fall, shares plummet - The Washington Post

A retail revolution reality check; also see Walmart Takes Aim at ‘Cloud Lock-in’ (NYT)

"Wal-Mart delivered a disappointing message to Wall Street on Wednesday: Sales will remain sluggish, and profit will be hampered next year by efforts to raise workers’ salaries and improve ­e-commerce capabilities.

The mega-retailer’s stock plunged 10 percent on the news, wiping out about $20 billion in market value.

The lackluster forecasts underscore the problems that have dogged Wal-Mart in recent years: It has scrambled to catch up ­online to Amazon.com, which eclipsed it as the world’s most valuable retailer this year. And its focus on rock-bottom prices has come at the expense of having clean, well-stocked stores."

Wal-Mart warns that its profits will fall, shares plummet - The Washington Post

Tesla Releasing Autopilot Software for Model S Cars - WSJ

Later in the article: "[Elon Musk] said the next update would include more autonomous features, and in three years Tesla will be capable of building a car 'able to take you from point to point, or drive from home to work, without you touching anything.'" "

"Tesla Motors Inc. begins distributing on Thursday an advanced set of autonomous driving features that stop short of being a fully driverless system due to regulatory and safety concerns.

Tesla’s software, announced earlier this year, will allow hands- and feet-free driving in everything from stop-and-go traffic to highway speeds, and enables a car to park itself. It will be available for 50,000 newer Model S cars world-wide via software download, with owners in the U.S. likely to get the features first.

The Palo Alto, Calif., luxury electric-car maker’s software requires a driver to grab the steering wheel every 10 seconds or so to avoid having the vehicle slow."

Also see Elon Musk vents about California’s lane markings confusing Tesla’s autopilot (Washington Post), which includes "'We still think of it as sort of as a public beta,' Musk said. 'So we want people to be quite careful when using autopilot.'" For more details, also see Tesla’s master plan uses its drivers to map every lane on the road (Quartz).

Tesla Releasing Autopilot Software for Model S Cars - WSJ

FBI, Justice Department Investigating Daily Fantasy Sports Business Model - WSJ

Tangentially, see The accidental godfather of fantasy sports (Boston Globe)

"The probe is in the preliminary stage, two people said. It is part of an ongoing discussion within the Justice Department about the legality of daily fantasy sites, in which customers pay entry fees to draft virtual sports teams that compete against each other for prize money based on the real-world performances of athletes. Congress in 2006 prohibited financial companies from transferring money to online gambling sites and several were shut down. But so-called games of skill were exempted. Fantasy-sports sites have since operated under that exemption. So-called daily fantasy sites like DraftKings and FanDuel, Inc. didn’t become popular until after the law was enacted."

FBI, Justice Department Investigating Daily Fantasy Sports Business Model - WSJ

Netflix Profits Slide 50% as Streaming Growth Lags - The New York Times

Not a great Netflix season for managing expectations; also see Netflix Blames Chip-Based Credit Cards for U.S. Growth Shortfall (BloombergBusiness)

"Netflix has hit a bump in the road on its quest to reach 60 million to 90 million subscribers in the United States and, by the end of 2016, become fully global.

The company said on Wednesday that third-quarter profit tumbled 50 percent compared with last year, missing its forecasts as it reported worse-than-expected streaming growth in the United States.

Netflix said it added 3.62 million total streaming members during the quarter, as it continued its aggressive global expansion and investment in original programming. That brings the total number of paid streaming members to 66.02 million, up from the 50.65 million during the same period of 2014."

Netflix Profits Slide 50% as Streaming Growth Lags - The New York Times

‘Moments’ is Twitter for the rest of us | BetaBoston

So Twitter is okay for an occasional moment, while Facebook warrants hours...

"Thanks to the 140-character limit, Moments isn’t much good for in-depth coverage. For that, you’re better off with the “Trending” feature on Facebook. This service, launched early last year, features the most popular stories among Facebook users, then filters them according to the user’s location or the Facebook pages she regularly follows. As a result, my Facebook Trending stories may be different from yours.

Facebook Trending serves up full-length stories from major media sites, with those posted by your Facebook friends at the top of the pile. Once you’ve read one or two stories, you know enough to have an opinion on the topic, so you can kick off a good-natured debate with your online friends. I’ve blown many an hour this way – my tiny contribution to Mark Zuckerberg’s billions."

‘Moments’ is Twitter for the rest of us | BetaBoston

Omid Kordestani Leaves Google, Joins Twitter As Its Executive Chairman | TechCrunch

tbd if it's a scouting mission...

"Yet more changes afoot for Twitter as the social network continues its big turnaround effort. A day after the social network announced a large round of layoffs under its new CEO Jack Dorsey, it has now appointed a new executive chairman: Omid Kordestani, poaching him from Google, where was the company’s chief business officer."

Omid Kordestani Leaves Google, Joins Twitter As Its Executive Chairman | TechCrunch

Mobile is not a neutral platform — Benedict Evans

From an insightful platform perspective

"Of course, all this sort of stuff is a big reason why Google bought Android in the first place - Google was afraid that Microsoft (it was that long ago) would dominate mobile operating systems and shut it out. The obvious fear was around things like preloads, and the justice of that fear was proven right with Maps, where Apple Maps now has 2-3x more users on iOS than does Google Maps, despite being a weaker product - the 'good enough' default wins and the platform owner chooses what that is. But the deeper issue is that we haven't just unbundled search from the web into apps - we're now unbundling apps, search and discovery into the OS itself. Google of course has always put a web search box on the Android home screen (and indeed one could ask why there needs to be an actual browser icon as well) but this is much more fundamental."

Mobile is not a neutral platform — Benedict Evans

EXCLUSIVE: Why Apple Is Still Sweating the Details on iMac — Backchannel — Medium

From a Steven Levy review of the new iMac product family

"“It’s not that simple,” says Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing. “We are in an amazing time where there are different ideas competing for your computing life. That’s great — we love that. And we have thought long and deep about what choices we want to offer customers. One is iPad — it can do many things you want to do on a PC, so many that people choose to make it their primary computing device, and it can do that. That’s more true with the iPad Pro than it’s ever been. But that’s not everybody. There are other people who will decide that nothing does the things they need in their lives as well as a Mac.”
Schiller, in fact, has a grand philosophical theory of the Apple product line that puts all products on a continuum. Ideally, you should be using the smallest possible gadget to do as much as possible before going to the next largest gizmo in line."

EXCLUSIVE: Why Apple Is Still Sweating the Details on iMac — Backchannel — Medium

Eric Schmidt Talks Alphabet, Encryption, European Policy | Re/code

From a supposed-to-be-closed-door Internet Association trade group summit

"He said he was “very worried” about recent data privacy proposals in Europe, such as its Safe Harbor ruling last week, that assign digital regulation to individual nations — creating “per-country Internets,” in Schmidt’s words. “If that occurs,” he said, “we would lose one of the greatest achievements of humanity.”

He was not asked about the antitrust cases Google has faced and currently faces, nor did he bring them up.

None of Schmidt’s comments on policy were new. His statements on Alphabet reiterated what (little) the company has said. But he did voice what’s been unsaid, yet largely assumed, about the conglomerate — that there may be many more subsidiaries to come.

How many? “After 26, we’re going to probably transcendental numbers” like π, Schmidt said to laughs. “You think I’m kidding?”

He went on: “I’ve been meeting with the current CEOs of the Alphabet companies and the proposed ones. So you’ll see a lot coming.”"

Eric Schmidt Talks Alphabet, Encryption, European Policy | Re/code

Cyberspace Becomes Second Front in Russia’s Clash With NATO - Bloomberg Business

From a Russian cyberattack reality check

"Russian computer attacks have become more brazen and more destructive as the country grows increasingly at odds with the U.S. and European nations over military goals first in Ukraine and now Syria.
Along with reported computer breaches of a French TV network and the White House, a number of attacks now being attributed to Russian hackers and some not previously disclosed have riveted intelligence officials as relations with Russia have deteriorated. These targets include the Polish stock market, the U.S. House of Representatives, a German steel plant that suffered severe damage and The New York Times."

Cyberspace Becomes Second Front in Russia’s Clash With NATO - Bloomberg Business

Amazon’s $50 Fire Is the Paperback of Digital Entertainment - WSJ

Excerpt from a better-living-through-lowered-expectations tablet market dynamics snapshot

"Using the $50 Amazon Fire for the past week, I wasn’t drafting presentations or burning through email. It doesn’t have anywhere near the necessary speed or screen resolution for serious work. Performance is almost beside the point. Instead, the Fire seizes on the reality that, for many of us, tablets are entertainment—a means to read novels, binge on Netflix in bed and sling Angry Birds.

Half as powerful as an iPad but one-eighth the cost, Amazon’s tablet is cheap yet good enough to have fun. And like a checkout-aisle thriller, it won’t mind getting battered at the bottom of a gym bag or even dropped on the floor."

Amazon’s $50 Fire Is the Paperback of Digital Entertainment - WSJ

Intel’s Results Reflect Move to Cloud Computing - The New York Times

From a snapshot of Intel's increasingly cloudy business model

"Intel’s mix of cloud-computing customers shows how much influence is wielded by just a handful of big operations. Of 200 cloud company customers that Intel tracks, just seven take one-third of those chips: Google, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and Facebook, as well as Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent of China.

While the rest are now growing at twice the rate of the top seven, Ms. Bryant said, the big companies are unusually demanding customers, even designing their own chip modifications to make their global clouds work better."

Intel’s Results Reflect Move to Cloud Computing - The New York Times