Biz Stone, the co-founder of Twitter, has a new startup he’s working on called Jelly. Guess which Smartphone has just taken the #3 spot in the world’s most popular phones? Plus the Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone has had a very successful debut even though their 16GB storage is only half!
He may only work part time, but Bill Gates has become the world’s richest man for a second time thanks to a nest egg of shrewd financial investments – and a little help from the Mexican government.
The software mogul snatched the title from Mexican mobile phone tycoon Carlos Slim yesterday after Bloomberg revealed his personal fortune had blossomed to an eye-watering $72.7billion.
On Thursday, the company’s stock price hit a five-year high. Slim’s wealth has fallen $2 billion this year as Mexico’s Congress passed a monopoly-busting telecom bill that threatens his company America Movil SAB’s commanding position in the market.
Since 2007, Gates and his wife Melinda have given more than $28 billion to charity. The couple plans to eventually give away 95% of their fortune.
The surge in Microsoft stock comes despite reportedly poor sales for Windows 8, the company’s latest operating system. In a recent interview, Gates said he expects the OS to build momentum over time and that iPad owners are frustrated by the lack of a keyboard and Microsoft Office functionality.
Gates, who has spent his life at the vanguard of computer innovation since he founded Microsoft in 1976, last wore the crown in 2007 but was usurped by Slim three years later.
Crowdsourced hip-hop lyrical annotation and analysis service Rap Genius is growing beyond its roots. Until just a few months ago, Rap Genius was a website seemingly happy to reside in relative obscurity. When tech venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz announced its funding of Rap Genius to the tune of $15 million in October 2012, interest in the site transcended hip-hop fans and scholars.
From Rap Lyrics to Current Events
Annotation and crowdsourcing are intrinsic factors of the Web 2.0 paradigm shift. It is easy to realize the sheer value and potential of enterprises such as Wikipedia in this regard. Other sites such as YouTube and Instagram excel at media aggregation, Reddit is a great platform for trending issues and Twitter seems to easily tie everything together in real-time.
The Rap Genius’ hip-hop lyrical database is certainly impressive and egalitarian; it archives lyrics from chart-busting behemoths such as Jay-Z and Lil Wayne to underground stars like Blackalicious and MF Doom. The crowdsourced annotations range from the obvious to the scholarly brilliant. Early tracks by Run DMC, for example, may not require much in the way of explanation, but it is always valuable to read nuggets of wisdom with regard to the zeitgeist when the track was recorded or a short biographical tidbit on the artists. The real value of Rap Genius can be gleaned by reading the annotations on the brilliant, yet cryptic, lyrics of Kool Keith and Jurassic 5. Want to know the geopolitical context and backgrounds in the songs of Rage Against the Machine? Check out Rap Genius.
News Genius is the latest venture from the Rap Genius crew, and it is a natural progression. News Genius keeps it old-school by allowing users to annotate, clarify, enlighten, and comment on breaking news. Just like Rap Genius relies on the strength of its user base when it comes to elucidating rap lyrics, News Genius has the potential of attracting newshounds who really know how to read between the lines.
Leaning on Star Power
Rap Genius has had no problem attracting attention from power players in the worlds of business, hip-hop and entertainment. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is a fan, and his COO Sheryl Sandberg is a respected annotator. Actor Ashton Kuchter and rapper Nas are investors.
On the genius continuum, the company also plans to release an annotating service for documents that can be even more cryptic than lyrics by Afrika Bambaataa or the Wu-Tang Clan: Business and financial filings. Reading between the lines is a skill that respected analysts on Wall Street spend years honing; in the near future Enterprise Genius annotators may be able to decode the esoteric verbal output of Alan Greenspan and the reassuring stanzas of Ben Bernanke.
Guest post from Ryan Harris. Ryan is a part-time tech blogger, and a full-time copywriter with internetserviceproviders.com. Got any questions or requests for Ryan? Connect with him on Twitter: @harrisryan30.
Facebook’s Growth Since IPO In 12 Big Numbers. April Was a Loser for Video Game Industry. Tableau Software shares soar in NYSE debut
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – This Google Street View vehicle was spotted on the streets of London. The controversial “Street View” programme by Google allows a car equipped with cameras to photograph street-scapes which Google Maps users can view when they want a closer look at an area they have searched for. This car is fitted with all sorts of equipment including 360 degree cameras which take a freeze frame of time for Google users across the world to see. Concerns have been expressed about privacy issues. Wednesday July 2 2008.
Smartphones are now part of our every day lives. We use them for all sorts of things, like getting reminders of important calendar appointments (say, a first date), and driving directions to the Italian restaurant where your table for two awaits. Today, Google with the launch of Google Now on iPhone and iPad, your smartphone will become even smarter.
Google Now is about giving you just the right information at just the right time. It can show you the day’s weather as you get dressed in the morning, or alert you that there’s heavy traffic between you and your butterfly-inducing date—so you’d better leave now! It can also share news updates on a story you’ve been following, remind you to leave for the airport so you can make your flight and much more. There’s no digging required: cards appear at the moment you need them most—and the more you use Google Now, the more you get out of it.
Google Now for iPhone and iPad is available as part of the updated Google Search app. Together, Google Now and voice search will make your day run a little smoother.
In addition to the handy cards in Google Now, the Google Search app still gives you instant answers to all your questions. Try tapping the microphone and speak to your phone—you’ll get quick answers spoken back to you. For example, ask Google, “Do I need an umbrella this weekend?” and you’ll get the forecast. Or ask “Who’s in the cast of ‘Oblivion’?” to decide if you want to see it. Voice Search is particularly handy on the go—try “Show me nearby pizza places” and you’ll see a map of restaurants around you with directions, phone numbers, ratings and hours.
Google Maps is getting a makeover and they just revealed their streaming music service! Apple’s app store has reached the 50 billion downloads milestone! While a group of prosecutors in Sweden are trying yet again to shut down the Pirate Bay, the file-sharing database while a group of people banded together to tried to sue YouTube for copyright infringement in a class action lawsuit.
Google announced at its I/O Developer Conference it will allow users to send money using Gmail through their Google Wallet accounts.
In addition to Google’s music service, the search giant announced updates to Maps and Hangouts and new photo services.
Lets play a Gooogle game!
“Atari breakout”
here: http://goo.gl/BBhAe
Or search “Atari breakout” in Google Images =)
