How Facebook, Vine and Snapchat Make Us Cheat

How Facebook, Vine and Snapchat Make Us Cheat $FB

"Cheating is as old as the institution of marriage.

It might even arguably be the default mode for our species — it’s not that we have to fight to cheat; we have to fight not to cheat. Because let’s face it: It’s not that difficult for us to allow — and want to allow in — the excitement of new desires, the thrill of a new connection, the high of a new experience.

But it’s even harder in a world where technology changes the notion of space and time, breaking down some of the barriers that may have protected us from cheating before."

Kim Dotcom will sell you a Mega membership for just half a bitcoin

Kim Dotcom will sell you a Mega membership for just half a bitcoin

"Kim Dotcom yesterday announced that the Mega storage service is now accepting payment via bitcoins, an encrypted, peer-to-peer digital currency that isn't backed by any government.

While Mega allows free access to 50GB of storage, there are payment plans allowing anywhere from 500GB to 4TB. The exchange rate for one bitcoin is equal to just under 20 euros. With Mega's membership fees beginning at €9.99 per month, that means bitcoin-paying users can get on board for a little more than half of one bitcoin. Bitcoin purchases can be made through BitVoucher, a reseller of Mega services."

'Halo' creator unveils gaming epic 'Destiny'

'Halo' creator unveils gaming epic 'Destiny'

"Two of the video gaming industry's biggest powerhouses have teamed up to deliver a new sci-fi action opus: Destiny.

Bungie, the creators of the multibillion dollar Halo franchise, inked a 10-year deal with Activision, the world's largest independent video game publisher, responsible for the highly successful Call of Dutyand Skylanders franchises, among others."

Death in Singapore, US electronics engineer Shane Todd was found hanging in his Singapore apartment $VECO

Death in Singapore, US electronics engineer Shane Todd was found hanging in his Singapore apartment $VECO

Future PCs threat to $AAPL Apple? Yes, says top analyst

Future PCs threat to Apple? Yes, says top analyst

"Apple's "limited innovation" in tablets this year will make it vulnerable to newfangled PCs -- so says a Citibank analyst.

Yes, you heard that right, PCs. While financial analysts write lots of research notes about Apple every week, this one from Citibank analyst Glen Yeung -- sent out early in the week -- got my attention.

 We believe Apple will launch an iPad Mini Retina and a thinner/lighter iPad5 (both likely sporting newer processors) in 3Q13...iPad innovation of this nature is insufficient to reverse share loss.

Whereas we see limited innovation in tablets in 2H13, we see growing innovation in PCs. The growing presence of touch-based, ultrathin, all-day notebooks at improving price points (e.g., Intel requires all Haswell-based Ultrabooks to have touch and envisions price-points as low as $599) could create competition for 10" tablets not fully anticipated by the market.

So, after getting their keisters kicked by the iPad for the last three years, PC makers may finally get some payback.

Citibank, like other analyst groups, is pegging a lot of this prognosticated PC success on new designs based on Intel's upcoming Haswell processor and Intel's stipulation that Haswell-based ultrabooks must have touch screens.

In other words, expect more designs like Microsoft's Surface Pro and Samsung's ATIV Smart PC Pro, but thinner and lighter with better battery life (though I suspect battery life won't approach that of the iPad)."

Facebook hacked ‘in a sophisticated attack’ $FB

Facebook hacked ‘in a sophisticated attack’ $FB

"Facebook Inc. said on Friday it had been the target of an unidentified hacker group, but it found no evidence that user data was compromised.

“Last month, Facebook security discovered that our systems had been targeted in a sophisticated attack,” the company said in a blog post posted on Friday afternoon, just before the three-day Presidents Day weekend. “The attack occurred when a handful of employees visited a mobile developer website that was compromised. The social network, which says it has more than one billion active users worldwide, also said: “Facebook was not alone in this attack. It is clear that others were attacked and infiltrated recently as well.” Facebook declined to comment on the motive or origin of the attack. A security expert at another company with knowledge of the matter said he was told the Facebook attack appeared to have originated in China."

Apple Said to Have Team Developing Wristwatch Computer of 100 Designers $AAPL

Apple Said to Have Team Developing Wristwatch Computer of 100 Designers $AAPL

The team, which has grown in the past year, includes managers, members of the marketing group, and software and hardware engineers who previously worked on the iPhone and iPad, said the people, who asked not to be named because the plans are private. The team’s size suggests Apple is beyond the experimentation phase in its development, said the people.