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What Games Are: My Three GDC Themes
Mar 31, 10:00PM
Women in games, the continuing rise of microconsoles and the normalizing of real money gaming. These were the three themes that I noticed most at this year's Game Developers Conference.Facebook's Android Homescreen Could Expose Apple's Inflexibility
Mar 31, 9:54PM
The mainstream has had little reason to care that Android gives developers much more customization freedom than iOS. But if Facebook's fabled Android homescreen is a hit, the stubbornness of Apple's closed mobile platform could be framed as a drawback after years of its cohesive design and ease being seen as assets.Eventbrite's Julia And Kevin Hartz On Building A Business As A Couple, And More [Video]
Mar 31, 9:25PM
We all know that co-founders with a longstanding personal bond have a better chance of building a successful company than co-founders who don't share a strong friendship. But what about when that bond between two co-founders is a bit deeper, as a romantic relationship? Eventbrite co-founders Julia and Kevin Hartz have shown that building a business with your significant other -- in this case, a spouse -- can lead to big success. The online event planning and ticketing platform, which is understood to be making its way to an IPO, just hit a major milestone this week, crossing $1.5 billion in gross sales and 100 million tickets sold.Happy World Backup Day! Go Backup Your Stuff! Seriously.
Mar 31, 9:20PM
Hard drive backups are like the socks of gifts you give yourself. They're initially about as unexciting as gifts can get, only to become the best gift ever in a pinch. Got a meeting in 20 minutes and your normal sock reserve is empty? Thanks for the bag-o-socks, Uncle Steve! Your HDD just exploded, taking the past 3 years of your digital life with it? Thanks for the backup, past-me!As Crowdfunding Takes Off, SEC Greenlights AngelList's Investment Platform
Mar 31, 8:00PM
The Securities and Exchange Commission is making way for a number of startups and online investment platforms to enable startups to crowdsource investment. Early last week, Y Combinator-backed FundersClub received notice from the SEC that the agency would not pursue action against its crowdfunding platform. But it wasn't alone: a few days later, AngelList received a similar letter from the SEC.Data Is Not Killing Creativity, It's Just Changing How We Tell Stories
Mar 31, 7:00PM
I keep seeing this topic push up about how data is affecting creativity. Some say we are losing our sense of narration and storytelling. It’s not this at all. We are just experiencing a shift that other civilizations have faced when the traditional means for storytelling transform to give a sense of the changing times facing society. That does not mean a rejection of the narrative form. The ancient Greeks developed a rich oral tradition for telling stories. Out of that they created a common language, which formed the foundation for fables, legends and myths. Now we see that data, shaped by software, creates a space to tell stories in new ways. Narrative methods to express our imagination will change as techniques emerge that allow us to use programming languages to carry on what we know for the next generations. Om Malik says it’s this sense of data storytelling that will become so important. Today, he explains, data is used as a blunt instrument. The ones that use data more effectively well remind of us how we relate to each other. Cloudera Co-Founder and Data Scientist Jeff Hammerbacher said on the Charlie Rose show earlier this month that it’s not that “numerical” imagination” is better than using “narrative” imagination. It’s just that now, for the first time in thousands of years, we need to think more about using data analytic methods for developing stories. For example, Hammerbacher is working as an assistant professor at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, developing a storage and data analysis infrastructure. Like Malik, Hammberbacher said it’s how we find ways to pair data that will give us insights. For instance, finding ways to integrate genetic databases and electronic health records that tell a story that both physicians and patients understand. Hammerbacher recounted a story to Rose about a lump that appeared on his chest. The doctor examined it and sent him to another doctor. Hammebacher asked the question: “Don’t you want to quantify what is in my body?” He followed by saying the amount of insight we get into a server at Facebook is greater than we have about our own bodies. The ones who can quantify our own human data and network it will give society new ways to explain who we are through dimensions we never imagined. Hammerbacher and Malik have views from different spaces across the information spectrum. But theyCrunchWeek: Amazon's Purchase Of Goodreads, YC's Smaller Demo Day And Bitcoin Hitting $1 Billion
Mar 31, 6:11PM
It's time for CrunchWeek, that very special time each week when a few of us writers gather around the TechCrunch TV cameras to shoot the breeze about the biggest and most interesting stories from the past seven days.Iterations: Calendar Frenzy, Google Now, and Apple's "Anticipatory Computing" Problem
Mar 31, 5:00PM
Now that the Mailbox sale to Dropbox is complete, let's move on to the next native iOS app that everyone wants to replace: The Calendar. Yes, the calendar. Nearly every other conversation I had this past week included some chatter about all the new calendar apps (see the screenshot of my iPhone). Peeling back the layers on all these calendar apps and the herd-like interest in the space, however, reveals both challenges and opportunities that go much deeper than comparing mobile apps based on product features. For those among us who use Android, Google Now is the type of anticipatory computing, powered by data and algorithmic learning, that enables a machine to guide us in life almost like an assistant would. On Apple's iOS, however, there is no such thing like "Apple Now," and as a result, savvy entrepreneurs are seeking to build that service as a third-party application. And, curiously, they're using the mobile calendar on Apple to kickstart this game and using calendar "intent" to infer what to send to the user.256 Shades Of Grey
Mar 31, 4:00PM
I want a black and white computer, and I don't want it out of sheer, wanton weirdness. I actually think it's a good idea. Here's why.Google's Doodle Features American Labor Leader Cesar Chavez On Easter Sunday, Users Retaliate On Twitter
Mar 31, 3:25PM
Google's Doodles on the Google.com search page don't frequently stir up too much controversy, but today many users are outraged by the search giant's choice in featuring Cesar Chavez, an American farm worker, labor leader and civil rights activist. Of course, today is also Easter, which is one of the most observed and celebrated religious holidays for Christians around the world.YouTube Announces That It Has Been An 8-Year Contest, Will Shut Down On April 1 To Determine The Winner
Mar 31, 2:48PM
Bad news, guys. YouTube is shutting down. The platform launched eight years ago, and some of us have gotten so distracted by YouTube videos that we've forgotten that the whole thing is actually a competition. Or, YouTube never actually mentioned that it is a competition. Either way, that competition, called YouTube, is coming to a close.Blunts And Dancing Dogs In Tutus: How The Sharing Economy Is Re-Humanizing Business
Mar 31, 2:30PM
I feel oddly guilty rejecting my Uber driver’s offer of a beer and a blunt. It’s 4 am. I’m drenched, hungover, and bewildered as to why I’m in a rustic garage on the outskirts of downtown Austin, watching tattooed pedicab drivers dance with a tiny dog in a pink tutu. This was not the ride home I expected. Yet, my experience isn’t entirely unusual. After two years of experimenting with Internet services that allow everyday individuals to sell their cars, houses, and things — the so-called “sharing economy” — I’ve become accustomed to getting a face full of the sellers’ hopes, fears and quirks. Between services rendered and cash exchanged, friendships are forged, awkwardness is experienced, and memories are made. Before the Industrial Revolution uprooted us from our small-town community roots, I imagine most business transactions included a side of humanity. Modern-day business sterilize transactions of the personal element. Human resource departments have hollowed out their employees, leaving little more than a pleasantly smiling husk of a person. South By Southwest By The Sharing Economy Every March, over 25,000 technology enthusiasts cram into the moderately sized metro of downtown Austin for the annual tech pilgrimage, South By Southwest Interactive. Hotels are sold out six months in advance, and every public service is bleeding out their windows with demand. You’d have an easier time catching a cab stumbling naked and drunk down Times Square on New Years Eve than hailing a taxi during SXSW. At 4 a.m., after the final after parties had simmered down, the only shot I had at making it back to my bed before I had to wake up the next morning was Uber, the popular smartphone taxi application that had contracted with independent pedicabers during SXSW, to usher sleepy technologists to and fro downtown Austin. I did not, however, foresee the torrential downpour halfway though my trip that instantly saturated my clothes to my frigid bone. No longer able to stand the sharp icicles falling from the sky, yet still needing to finish the ride, our courtesy pedicab driver took a pit stop at Pediacab HQ to pick up his car and stow his bike. Pedicab headquarters is like the second-class deck of the Titanic, a dimly lit haven where free-spirited tattooed servicemen party their blue collars off to loud music, an abundance of cheap beer, and liberally available recreational drugs. “I got jungle juice forAll Things SXSW (Re)Considered
Mar 31, 2:00PM
Editor's note: Marc Ruxin is CEO and co-founder of TastemakerX. If you went to SXSW 20 years ago, you would have been there to see and discover new music. You worked at a label or publishing company, or perhaps you were a journalist or PR rep. Sure, there were locals and college kids swaying next to you at the shows, but in the end, SXSW was an industry event where bands were discovered, signed and given a chance to break out. There were no cell phones. There was no social media.Lowest Cost Raspberry Pi Microcomputer Now On Sale In The U.S. - $25 Model A Suited For Battery/Solar Powered Projects
Mar 31, 12:41PM
The Raspberry Pi microcomputer prides itself on being affordable, with its tiny $35 price-tag for the original Model B Pi. But now its lowest cost board -- the $25 Model A -- has gone on sale in the U.S. The Raspberry Pi Foundation confirmed to TechCrunch that Model A can now be purchased in the U.S. via reseller Allied Electronics.Google Glass Early Adopters Want To Build Learning, Healthcare, Accessibility & Safety Apps
Mar 31, 11:53AM
Wondering who has won a Google Glass? Stanford PhD student Andrej Karpathy has used Twitter's API to compile a partial list of the so far close to 4,000 winners of Google's Glass Explorers first adopter competition who applied to buy the high tech specs via Twitter. Google still hasn't confirmed that the last Glass winners have been named yet so there may yet be a few more invites to go out.Are Viral Loops Or Viral 'Oops' Driving Your App's Growth?
Mar 31, 10:00AM
Editor's Note: Nir Eyal writes about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business at NirAndFar.com. Follow him @nireyal. Recently, MessageMe announced it had grown to 1 million users in a little over a week’s time. The revelation captured the attention of envious app makers throughout Silicon Valley, all of whom are searching for the secrets of customer acquisition like it’s the fountain of youth. “Growth hacking” has become the latest buzzword, as investors like Paul Graham profess it’s functionally that matters. Clearly, everyone wants growth. To someone creating a new technology, nothing feels better than people actually using what you’ve built and telling their friends. Growth feels validating. It tells everyone the company is doing things right. At least that’s what we want to believe. Good Growth, Bad Growth Sometimes viral loops drive growth, because the product is truly awesome, while in other cases growth occurs for, well, different reasons. As an example of good growth, it’s hard to top PayPal’s viral success in the late 90s. PayPal knew that once users started sending money to each other, mostly for stuff bought on eBay, they would infect one another. The allure that someone just “sent you money” was a huge incentive to register. PayPal nailed virality. Both sides of the transaction benefited from utilizing the platform and a classic network-effects business was born. In order for users to get what they wanted, they had to open an account and the product spread because it was useful and viral. However, sometimes viral loops are less about the customer's interests and more about short-term greed. When the product maker intentionally tricks users into inviting friends or blasting social networks, they may see growth, but it comes at the expense of goodwill and trust. When people discover they’ve been tricked, they vent their hatred and stop using the product. Unfortunately, we’ve all encountered the ways companies drive growth in deceptive ways known as “dark patterns.” Viral Oops Good and bad growth is relatively easy to identify. What is harder to decipher is the gray zone in between. A “viral oops” occurs when users unintentionally invite others, but when they look back on what happened, they blame themselves, not the app. When MessageMe pre-selects everyone in my contact list as a default, I’m likely to think that only those who are un-checked will be invited. However, the opposite is true. With two taps, myStrategies For VCs To Increase Startup Success Odds
Mar 31, 6:00AM
Editor's note: David Teten is a partner with ff Venture Capital and founder and chairman of Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of Greater New York.. Lots of venture capitalists claim to add value to the companies in which they invest. But how do they do it? And does it really produce better returns for their investors? We recently wrapped up a study on best practices of venture capitalists in creating portfolio company value through operational support, exploring exactly these questions.Backed Or Whacked: May The Funds Be With You
Mar 31, 4:00AM
Editor's note: Ross Rubin is principal analyst at Reticle Research and blogs at Techspressive. There are a number of schools regarding the existence of alien intelligent races. Among those who refute that we've been able to detect extraterrestrials among us, there are a broad range of theories. Perhaps such beings don't exist. Perhaps they haven't advanced far enough to reach us. Or to the contrary, perhaps they are so advanced that we can't detect them.Developer Freedom At Stake As Oracle Clings To Java API Copyrights In Google Fight
Mar 31, 1:00AM
Editor's note: Sacha Labourey is CEO and Steven G. Harris is senior vice president of products for CloudBees. APIs exist for a reason: They act as the communication channel, the lingua franca, the boundary, between the provider of the implementation and users of that implementation -- developers. Will our economy thrive and be more competitive because companies can easily switch from one service provider to the other by leveraging identical APIs?Nextdoor Hits 10K Neighborhoods, Gets Me To Stop Running At Night
Mar 31, 12:11AM
After I had been running at night for more than a decade, a relatively under-the-radar startup called Nextdoor got me to start running during the day. Almost nobody likes to exercise, and for many, overcoming the motivational hump of putting on your shoes and gym clothes can be trying on even the best of days. One evening late in January I had finally overcome this initial barrier to entry, and was just about to stop blogging to do my usual 30-minute nightly sprint when I got the email. “Woman robbed at gunpoint in Dogpatch, San Francisco” the subject line screamed. Unlike many of the emails I constantly receive, this was highly relevant to me, especially because, upon further inspection, the robbery had happened one block from my house. Until this email, I hadn’t given too much thought to Nextdoor , a service that I signed up for at the Allen & Co conference last summer, where co-founder Nirav Tolia had given a talk about the local social network. The company started out as Fanbase in 2009, and was an attempt to create a user-generated content version of ESPN. Founders Tolia and Sarah Leary decided to pivot around May of 2010, and spent the next four to five months testing out different ideas. Fanbase officially pivoted to Nextdoor in September of 2010, starting out its pilot in Lorelei, a neighborhood in Menlo Park. Now a Facebook for your neighborhood, about half the Fanbase funding ended up carrying over, and Tolia and Leary ended up raising an additional $40.2 million for the new Nextdoor product. Initially enthusiastic, I had also invited my neighbors to use the platform, which had resulted in a de facto neighborhood support group (including the services of a pet psychic) when their adventurous cat Kiki went missing. I wrote a post about it for TechCrunch and then sort of forgot about it, rarely logging on to peruse the listings of free stuff and garage sales. Well I was certainly giving the service some thought now: “What if I had been that woman who was robbed?”"What if I had ventured out of my house just 15 minutes earlier?” I was still in my gym clothes, after so much effort, and feeling antsy from my day of work. Worse, I was now worried about a random stranger I had only heard about through the Internet, and I still needed aIf at any time you'd like to stop receiving these messages, just send an email to feeds_feedburner_com_techcrunch+unsubscribe-hmdtechnology=gmail.com@mail.feed2email.net.
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