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If You Watch One Daft Punk Remix Performed By Robots (And Jack Conte) Today, Make It This One
Jun 18, 1:40AM
Jack Conte, musician and founder of Patreon, has been on a tear lately with a set of unique music remixes performed by him and a group of pneumatic robots that fire off audio sequences to create some amazing music.
Why Was Apple Late To The PRISM Party?
Jun 18, 1:13AM
If there’s one striking thing about those PRISM slides, other than their hideous aesthetics, it’s that Apple’s allocated yellow oval, instead of a date, has the words “(added Oct 2012)” underneath it. That difference is most striking when you consider the fact that Apple competitor Microsoft cooperated with the government a full five years earlier. The company, which denies ever having heard of PRISM, released its FISA request numbers today, starting on December 1st, 2012, through this May 2013. Though it’s plausible that the government would not have disclosed the name of the program, the NYT confirmed Apple’s participation in a government surveillance network designed to make data collection more efficient for the NSA — whatever that entails, like “a broad sweep for intelligence, like logs of certain search terms.” From Claire Cain Miller’s article: While handing over data in response to a legitimate FISA request is a legal requirement, making it easier for the government to get the information is not, which is why Twitter could decline to do so. The October 2012 date is notable as coming a year after the death of Apple founder Steve Jobs. Perhaps, because it is an interesting coincidence, it’s led to speculation that Steve Jobs resisted systematic data collection from the NSA until his death. That statement was echoed on the record by NeXt developer Andrew Stone, who told Cult of Mac, "Steve Jobs would've rather died than give into that, even though he had a lot of friends at the NSA. Microsoft caved in first, then everyone else. Steve would've just never done it." The speculation, which I’ve heard from a couple of sources, has grounds. NeXT was publicly a vendor for the NSA and many other security agencies, and Jobs had many contacts at the agency who perhaps had offered him immunity. It could be that his connections, Apple’s brand popularity or straight-up his legend allowed him to escape Microsoft’s, which had been embroiled in a series of antitrust cases up until then, or Yahoo’s fates. All of these explanations make sense, though it could be something like the Twitter loophole that caused Apple’s tardiness. In Twitter’s case most of its data is public, so it’s not that big of a loss to the NSA until it becomes more of a communication node. Perhaps only recently did Apple collect the kinds of data the government would want, like the metaBig Brands Are Growing More Quickly On Twitter Than Facebook (According To Optimal)
Jun 17, 11:16PM
Here's a fun comparison from Optimal, a social advertising and analytics startup: If you look at big brands on social networks, their following seems to be growing more quickly on Twitter than on Facebook. Optimal says it looked at the data from 4,330 brands, representing a total of 3.49 billion Facebook Likes and 595 million Twitter followers. Last week, those brands added 18.5 million new Likes and 4.5 million new followers — so on a percentage basis, their following grew 55 percent more quickly on Twitter than it did on Facebook.Oculus VR Raises $16M To Build Their Crazy Virtual Reality Gaming Goggles
Jun 17, 11:15PM
Following up on their massively successful $2.4M Kickstarter campagin, Oculus VR has just locked down a gigantic $16M Series A to help them build their truly amazing virtual reality goggles, the Oculus Rift.PalTalk: It Was "Flattering" To Be Included In The PRISM Slidedeck
Jun 17, 10:51PM
The eyesore of a PowerPoint deck that contractor Edward Snowden had leaked had globally recognized names: Microsoft. Google. Yahoo. Facebook. Apple. AOL. Skype. YouTube. The NSA had allegedly collaborated with all of these Internet giants to request and access data on foreign users. But then there was also PalTalk. WTF? Even Stephen Colbert ribbed them last week. “You heard right. They’re monitoring PalTalk. Folks. You know what that means. We are that close to learning what PalTalk is….” PalTalk, a profitable group video chat site that’s been around for more than a decade and has about 5.5 million monthly uniques, officially says it had no idea what PRISM was until the slidedeck was published — just like every other tech company. And then added — like every other tech company — that it doesn’t let any government agency have direct access to its servers, but that it legally complies with court orders. “First of all, it was flattering to be included in that list of the top eight tech companies in the world,” said PalTalk president Wilson Kriegel, who recently came over from Zynga and OMGPOP. “But we weren’t aware of Prism. We’re not giving backdoor access to the NSA and we comply with the law as the law states we should.” Unlike Apple and Facebook, which have recently shared more data about the volume of requests they receive from law enforcement agencies, Kriegel said PalTalk wasn’t disclosing the number of types of requests it had received. The company’s CEO Jason Katz is a lawyer by training, however, and PalTalk works with New York-based law firm Fross Zelnick to evaluate in-bound requests. “Zuckerberg and Sergey [Brin] have to make public statements because they have at least a billion users. Trust is a component that can erode quickly. But for us, I’m not sure if there’s anything to gain at the end of the day from sharing data like that,” said Kriegel, who added that none of PalTalk’s metrics, engagement figures and daily actives have seen any major impact from the Prism news. Kriegel said that he hadn’t been at the company long enough to know whether PalTalk had ever disputed a government request based on its constitutionality or whether it overreached. Other companies like Twitter have been more antagonistic with federal requests for user data. But Kriegel did share some insights into how or why the company might have held such interest for federalWith $1.9M From Venrock And Others, Trumaker Wants To Bring Made-To-Measure To The Masses
Jun 17, 10:48PM
When most men go out to buy a casual shirt, they think of sizing in terms of small, medium, or large. But a new startup called Trumaker wants men to start expecting more from the fit of their day to day shirts, by bringing personalized made-to-measure fitting to the world of casual men's shirts -- all at a price point that's in line with the current offerings from mainstream men's clothing companies. To help in achieving its mission, Trumaker has raised $1.9 million from a group of seed backers that include Venrock, RRE, and angels including Alex Bard, David Tisch, Bonobos CEO Andy Dunn, Velos Partners, Eniac Ventures, and others.In First NSA Interview, Obama Can't Confirm If Courts Ever Rejected Spying Requests
Jun 17, 10:28PM
President Obama finally took a sit-down interview on the National Security Agency scandal and we’ve pasted a partial transcript below. Disappointingly, most of it is (very) generic and defensive. But, there is one important takeaway: President Obama couldn’t answer whether oversight courts (FISA) have ever rejected a single NSA spying request. PBS’s Charlie Rose asked, pointedly, “has FISA court turned down any request?” The president appears to bumble through the answer, “The — because — the — first of all, Charlie, the number of requests are surprisingly small… number one. Number two, folks don't go with a query unless they've got a pretty good suspicion.” This is problematic, since leaker Edward Snowden has claimed that the FISA courts are essentially a “rubber stamp” for any NSA investigations. As a result, they routinely exploit legal and technical loopholes to spy on Americans with direct and indirect ties to foreign suspects. The rest of the partial transcript shows Obama defending the program, claiming that it doesn’t permit broad spying on U.S. citizens, and touting his civil liberties record. Transcript below (via BuzzFeed): Barack Obama: Well, in the end, and what I've said, and I continue to believe, is that we don't have to sacrifice our freedom in order to achieve security. That's a false choice. That doesn't mean that there are not tradeoffs involved in any given program, in any given action that we take. So all of us make a decision that we go through a whole bunch of security at airports, which when we were growing up that wasn't the case…. And so that's a tradeoff we make, the same way we make a tradeoff about drunk driving. We say, "Occasionally there are going to be checkpoints. They may be intrusive." To say there's a tradeoff doesn't mean somehow that we've abandoned freedom. I don't think anybody says we're no longer free because we have checkpoints at airports. Charlie Rose: But there is a balance here. Barack Obama: But there is a balance, so I'm going to get to your — get to your question. The way I view it, my job is both to protect the American people and to protect the American way of life, which includes our privacy. And so every program that we engage in, what I've said is "Let's examine and make sure that we're making the right tradeoffs." Now, with respect to the NSA,Online Coupon Giant RetailMeNot (Formerly WhaleShark Media) Files For $230M IPO
Jun 17, 10:20PM
Online coupon giant RetailMeNot has just filed for $230 million IPO, according to an S-1 released today.Living In The Future With The Form Labs Form 1
Jun 17, 8:47PM
"The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed," wrote William Gibson. He's right. Luckily, the future is mostly in my attic workshop. I've been lucky enough to have access to a Form 1 3D printer for the past week and have come away with a better sense of the platform, the way forward of 3D printing in general and Form 1 in particular. In short, the Form 1 is one of the simplest and most usable printers I've ever used and, barring a few minor peccadilloes, it is well worth the hype -- and price tag.Why Gaming Is Still A Great Bet For Investors
Jun 17, 8:46PM
TechCrunch writer Kim-Mai Cutler and Benchmark Capital general partner Mitch Lasky recently wrote two insightful pieces on venture investment in games (here and here) – both expressing some degree of skepticism of venture capital models for funding game startups. I agree venture funding is not for every game startup, and certainly not every game startup makes for a great venture investment. However, I would argue the case for venture funding for games is today stronger than ever both for both game startups and investors.Win Admission To creativeLIVE's "Secrets From Silicon Valley" Workshop
Jun 17, 8:41PM
We tend to do a fair number of giveaways here on TechCrunch, but today we’re giving away something extra special: power. Well, no — it’s more like we’re giving away knowledge, but knowledge is power. So we’re giving away power. The world’s largest video education platform creativeLIVE is hosting a “Secrets from Silicon Valley” workshop later this week, where some of the Valley’s best minds will be sharing their wisdom with a handful of attendees. Only 30 tickets to this event were released, and they can’t be purchased anyway… but we have five of them to give away. Here’s just a sampling of some of the folks who will be leading classes at the event: Reid Hoffman, Founder LinkedIn Tim Ferriss, New York Times best-selling author and founder of 4-Hour Workweek David Goldberg, CEO Survey Monkey Guy Kawasaki, New York Times bestselling author Glenn Kelman, CEO of Redfin Sara Leary & Nirav Tolia, co-founders of Nextdoor Spencer Rascoff, CEO of Zillow Toni Schneider, CEO of WordPress Megan Smith, VP of Google[x] Gary Swart, CEO of oDesk Niniane Wang, CTO of Minted If you don’t win, don’t panic too hard — you’ll still be able to catch the classes, but from afar. creativeLIVE will be streaming the event, live and for free, right here. Want to come? You should! Follow the steps below. 1) Become a fan of our TechCrunch Facebook Page: 2) Then do the following: Leave us a comment below telling us why you want to come. The contest starts now and ends soon. At 5pm PT tonight. So, enter soon. We’ll choose our winners and contact them tonight. Please note this giveaway only includes 1 ticket per person.Indonesian Instagram-Clone PicMix Gets Monetization Right From The Start
Jun 17, 7:56PM
At first glance, the similarities between PicMix and Instagram are obvious. Both apps are photo sharing platforms with simple, square Polaroid-esque aesthetics, and display photos from friends in streaming feed. But while Instagram is figuring out how to monetize, Indonesian startup, PicMix seems to have nailed it from the get-go. PicMix makes it part of the core photo posting process for users to add frame and text embellishments. Many of the frames included in the app are branded from labels (who have paid for the privilege) that users actually want to use on their photos. It’s not hard to imagine getting a user in Asia to willingly use a Hello Kitty or Louis Vuitton frame around their picture. The company offers these frames to users as part of branding campaigns that are run by labels. They also put up photo competitions, and the criterion to enter is to use one of the branded frames around their photos. The visual impact of a frame or brand’s “sticker” on a photo is far more significant than hashtagging a brand. Stickers and frames are catching the wave of users warming up to adding extra bells and whistles on their photos, beyond photo filters. While Instagram hasn’t departed from its genesis as a vintage, Polaroid-style filter app, a crop of photo editing apps have blossomed around it to fill that gap. These third parties allow you to add captions and combine several photos into a single collage, ready to be loaded into Instagram. Two popular examples are Photo Grid for Android and Photo Collage Creator for iPhone. Right now, PicMix charges an absurdly low $5,000 per brand campaign, but as its user base grows, it’s likely to increase that. Mike Prasad, a marketing and brand development consultant and co-founder of Hawaii-based accelerator, Kinetiq Labs, said he was impressed by PicMix’s execution of brand marketing. “Getting brand insertion without ill will is key. It’s amazing that it’s got users to want to insert brands, in a process that is not negative,” he said. Since the company launched less than a year ago, it’s already attracted 11 million users to the platform. 35 percent of those are in Indonesia, with the rest in South Africa and Venezuela. The reason for that spread is that unlike most photo sharing apps which tend to prioritize the iPhone upon launch, PicMix is available on feature phone platforms like theGoogle Will Soon Start Selling Chromebooks At Walmart And Staples, Other Retailers Coming Soon
Jun 17, 7:21PM
Google sure isn't giving up on its Chromebook initiative, even though it's not clear that the company's Chrome OS-based laptops are selling all that well. Today, Google announced that it's expanding its brick-and-mortar retail efforts for Chromebooks through partnerships with Walmart and Staples.Apple's 2013 13-Inch MacBook Air Sweetens The Deal For One Of The Best Available Computers
Jun 17, 7:11PM
The MacBook Air was the only new Apple hardware to be announced and launched at WWDC this year (besides the new AirPort Extreme), and while it isn't a big change from the previous version, it packs some crucial improvements that really cater to the Air's existing strengths. The 2013 Air is really Apple pushing the envelope with its ultraportable, and that has helped make one of the best computers in the world even better.CrunchBase Daily, Everything You'll Need To Start The Day!
Jun 17, 6:32PM
You know who you are. You check into CrunchBase every day, maybe a few times, just to make sure your competition has not closed that new round. If you are that guy, CrunchBase is about to make your life a little easier. Today we are launching the CrunchBase Daily, an email roundup of the latest funding data from CrunchBase. You can sign up for the CrunchBase Daily by joining our mailing list or following us on Twitter where we'll tweet each day's recap.Squrl Updates iOS Apps To Simplify Video Discovery With Better Recommendations And Social Features
Jun 17, 6:30PM
There is no shortage of apps on the market to help users find new, interesting videos to watch and enjoy. But video discovery startup Squrl still thinks there's work to be done. The company just released a new version of its iPhone and iPad app that provides new ways to share with friends and find content that is more personally relevant to them.GitHub Rolling Out Major Redesign, Emphasis On Speed, Content And Interactivity
Jun 17, 6:27PM
GitHub is rolling out a major redesign over the next few days with the intent of putting more emphasis on content, speed and interactivity. A year in the making, the new redesign is meant to be optimized for how people interact with GitHub on a daily basis.Sorry, Fashion Apps, Here Are 7 Apps Fashionistas Would Actually Use
Jun 17, 6:11PM
This started out as a list titled Fashion Apps Actual Fashionistas Would Use, but in sifting through numerous style-centric apps, I realized that girls like Alexa Chung aren't going to be using any of them. Outfit selfie services like Pose and Cloth are awesome if you're an everyday clotheshorse looking to share your new haul — and, seriously, I'm all about the democratization of fashion — but not so much if your alternative is getting snapped by Tommy Ton. Trendabl and Snapette can be good marketing tools for brands, but if Derek Blasberg's last post was 39 weeks ago, it's not hitting the mark."Truth Is Coming, And It Cannot Be Stopped": The Best Of Edward Snowden's Q&A
Jun 17, 6:00PM
The most famous man on the lam, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, has answered reader questions in a live Q&A on the Guardian’s blog. Snowden skyrocketed to international fame/infamy after leaking a top-secret court order about the National Security Agency’s collection of all U.S. Verizon phone records. After disappearing from his Hong Kong hideaway, Snowden resurfaced for the online Q&A. You can read the full transcript on The Guardian; we’ve summarized the best of it below (edited for brevity and clarity). Passion, Righteous Passion “All I can say right now is the US Government is not going to be able to cover this up by jailing or murdering me. Truth is coming, and it cannot be stopped.” On Tech Company Denials “Their denials went through several revisions as it become more and more clear they were misleading and included identical, specific language across companies….They are legally compelled to comply and maintain their silence in regard to specifics of the program, but that does not comply them from ethical obligation. If for example Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Apple refused to provide this cooperation with the Intelligence Community, what do you think the government would do? Shut them down?” On Traitor Accusations “I did not reveal any US operations against legitimate military targets. I pointed out where the NSA has hacked civilian infrastructure such as universities, hospitals, and private businesses because it is dangerous. These nakedly, aggressively criminal acts are wrong no matter the target….I have had no contact with the Chinese government. Just like with the Guardian and the Washington Post, I only work with journalists.” “Further, it’s important to bear in mind I’m being called a traitor by men like former Vice President Dick Cheney…Being called a traitor by Dick Cheney is the highest honor you can give an American” Encryption Works, Kind Of “Encryption works. Properly implemented strong crypto systems are one of the few things that you can rely on. Unfortunately, endpoint security is so terrifically weak that NSA can frequently find ways around it.” Context: There are several popular applications to skirt government snooping, but none are perfect. Apple claims, for instance, that because only the sender and receiver of an iMessage SMS can decrypt the data on their respective devices (end-to-end decryption), their service is NSA-proof. End-to-end encryption is far more difficult when the sender and receiver are using different services that may be tapped by the NSA. For secureEncrypting Your Email Works, Says NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden
Jun 17, 5:53PM
In the "ask me anything" format made famous by Reddit, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden returned to the Guardian's website this morning to answer questions from the general public as part of a live event known as "AskSnowden." It was a fascinating exchange, and you can see the whole thing here -- and we'll have a rundown of the full event here soon. But there was one standout bit of good news from Snowden along with the disturbing details of the government's surveillance of our web activity: Encryption works as a method to keep your personal data private.If 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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