Bill de Blasio teams up with Craglists to create “NYC’s Worst Landlords” section, Obama’s campaign uses Facebook to recruit members, Google’s April Fool’s joke gets fooled, scientists may remove the high in medical marijuana, Conde Nast asks for its $8 million back, Larry Page takes over Google, and Josh Namoy reveals secrets on the special effects of TRON legacy. Check it all out in Monday’s tech round-up!
1. Obama’s Reelection Campaign Appears On Facebook. President Barack Obama’s campaign has just launched and is making clever use out of Facebook, yet again. When you log-in to Facebook on the campaign website, an interactive banner appears that tells you which friends haven’t joined. You’re invited to post a message on friend’s walls to invite them into an “Are You In” application. [TechCrunch]
2. Larry Page Takes Over Google…Again. Recently, Eric Schmidt stepped away from his platform as CEO to make way for co-founder Larry Page. Not much is expected to change, though. Larry will lead technology development and strategy, which means filtering out mediocre search content and creating more Google products. They’ve already unveiled Google +1, a version of Facebook’s “like” button. More risks, all in all. [Gizmodo]
3. Conde Nast Paid $8 Million to Scammer. In early November, Conde Nast received an e-mail from an employee at Quad/Graphics that asked why they hadn’t been paid since mid-November. After falling for his scam, and paying the company $8 million, Conde Nast is asking for it back. [Forbes]
4. Scientists May Alter Medical Marijuana. New Scientists reports that “an ingenious set of experiments could open the way to cannabis-like drugs that provide people pain relief without causing unwanted highs.” The new study posits that THC can dull pain by binding its receptors to the neurotransmitter glycine, which means it’s separate from the “mind-altering” function. Awesome for clients who feel uneasy with the side effects of cannabis, like decreased motor skills and too many cupcakes, and not awesome for clients that enjoy both. [Gawker]
5. Student Presses Charges Against Professor For Shutting Lap Top. Apparently, Frank Rybicki of Valdosta State University has been charged with assault after he closed the lap top on the hands of a student. Rybicki is now on probation, and the police urge students to avoid speaking of the incident. [Gawker]
6. Internet Wish List. In a project by Armit, this Tumblr acts as a suggestion box for the future of technology. Simply post an idea on Twitter and include the hashtag #theiwl. A couple good ones:[Tumblr]
“I wish all major metropolitan cities were required to release comprehensive and up-to-date apps for their public transit services.”
– @gnylund
“I’d like a real-life equivalent of command-F, as in “Find” my keys, wallet, phone, pen, etc.”
– @joeippolito
7. Erase The Past. For some, typing their name into Google reveals scars and slander they would rather forget. Now, by asking online reputation managers, their digital history can be altered. Reputation.com promises to improve the client’s image by highlighting flattering features and concealing negative ones. Another site is Metal Rabbit Media, which provides online image fixing. Most of the programmers delve into Google, find out how it works, and create dummy websites to manipulate the ranking of websites, which sends the negative sites to the back. [NYT]
8. Craigslist Creates NYC’s Worst Landlords Section. Many New Yorker’s suspect their landlords of deceit, like not fixing that rodent problem or replacing the dishwasher that’s falling out of the wall. Now, tenants are able to find out about these slipshod agents by clicking the link “NYC’s Worst Landlords” in the apartment search section. This provides info that highlights locations via Google Map and landlord’s worst inspection records. Bill de Blasio, the city’s public advocate, approved this as a part of his eight point plan, which will increase legal help for tenants in housing court, and put tougher restrictions on building fines for landlords. Thank god. [NYT]
9. On The Bubble: Rick Webb vs. Chris Dixon. Webb tells us we in fact are in a bubble, marketer’s aren’t going to pay more than they do not for new customer data, and TV ad money will not transmute into Internet money. [Tumblr]
10. Remember Netscape? Engineers reminisce on the Netscape moment, when 20 year old Andreessen moved to Silicon Valley and created Netscape’s 1995 IPO, which generated one of the biggest stock market jumps in history. [TechCrunch]
11. Google Gets Fooled: Hackers Turn Gmail Joke Into Reality. On Friday, you may have been introduced to Gmail motion, a program that uses the body to allocate, check, and send mail. Google created an extensive video that explained how it works. For example, throwing your fist backwards would be like hitting “reply.” This was all a joke, until hackers at the University of Southern California for Creative Technologies made it a reality. Programmers combined the Microsoft Kinect sensor with software they had built for previous projects to create a fully functioning Gmail motion. Watch the hacker’s response in this video: [NYT]
12. Light Dawns on RSA Hacker Attack. Last month, RSA, the security division of EMC, was hacked to many employees’ surprise. How exactly did they pull this off? Although the EMC refuses to provide any information, the RSA shed some light on the attack. First, the hacker “phished” around and sent an e-mail labeled “2011 Recruitment Plan” to several employees. Unfortunately, one of the employees opened the Excel file, which contained “zero-day” malware that opens a backdoor into the Adobe program. From there, the hacker was able to control the computer from afar. He stole a couple passwords from the daft employee, and from there gained access to many other systems. Smooth moves. [NYT]
13. Nazis Used Terror Gadgets In Plans To Build Fourth Reich. Nazi agents were instructed to kill high ranks in the military, while other odd strategies were put into place to spread terror among the civilian and army populations in Europe, America, and Northern America. Lord Rothschild, head of the M15, listed a few of their tactics: poison disguised as Bayer aspirin, poisonous glass powder that would be sprayed over door handles and desk tops, and a special cigarette lighter that had a hidden component to store a pellet that when lit would blow up. And of course, there was narcotics and marijuana- free joints for the Allies! [Gizmodo]
14. Discover Web Content On Your T.V. In Ten Ways. Most consumers access online content in their television sets through HDTV, Roku, or the Bokee Box, and even Netflix and Hulu. A great difficulty is finding fresh content, and with apps and sites like Redux, Plex, and XBMC additional channels and files can be added to your television. [Mashable]
15. Awesome Mini Apple Store, PLAYMOBIL. Although released as an April Fool’s gig, ThinkGeek now has this faux Apple Store for sale! It features tiny Macbooks, iPhones, iPods, etc., with Steve Jobs presented at the top in the Keynote Theater. A tiny Apple store for tiny children. [ThinkGeek]
16. Checkerboard Home For The Elderly. Designed by the architectural firm Aires Mateus, this elderly home in Portugal looks way cooler than any of the one’s I’ve visited. The architects shed light on its representation of time and form: [DesignMilk]
The project is based on a attentive reading of the life of a very specific kind of community, a sort of a micro-society with its own rules. It is a program, somewhere in between a hotel and a hospital, that seeks to comprehend and reinterpret the combination social/private, answering to the needs of a social life, and at the same time of solitude. Independents unities aggregate into a unique body, whose design is expressive and clear. The reduct mobility of those who will live in the building suggests that any displacement should be an emotive and variable experience. The distance between the independent units is measured and drawn to turn the idea of path into life, and its time into form.
17. Josh Nimoy On Secrets Behind Tron Legacy Special Effects. [Core77]
18. Brand Keyboard – From A to Z. [IgnacioPilotto]
