Show Notes November 4th, 2013

1988 news report about the first computer ‘virus’ to spread via the Internet. This particular virus, known as the Morris worm, was written by Cornell student Robert Morris and distributed on this very day – November 2 – 25 years ago.

6d
Amazon Kindle MatchBook offers deep discounts on digital versions of books you already own Amazon has launched a new program called Kindle MatchBook that allows customers to purchase a digital version of a print book they purchased new on the site for a fraction of what it’d cost otherwise. Pricing for e-book versions range from free up to $2.99, we’re told.
6d
Man forgets about $27 Bitcoin investment made four years ago, now worth $1M 100+ Four years ago, Christopher Koch was working on a thesis paper about encryption. His research led him to the budding digital currency known as Bitcoin and on a whim, purchased 5,000 Bitcoins for just $27. He quickly forgot all about his investment until widespread news reports jogged his memory this past April.
5d
Google’s social network usage has jumped 37 percent since May 21 Google’s social network is still far behind that of rival Facebook but it has been making serious strides in the past several months. On Tuesday, the company revealed that 300 million users visit the site each month which is up from 190 million visitors in May – good for a…
5d
Sprint Loses 313,000 Total Subscribers, Posts a Net Profit and Operating Loss Sprint’s LTE rollout continues to move ahead and its wireless platform set a revenue record
5d
Google releases images of Glass redesign with new mono earbud Yesterday, Google announced that it was expanding the Explorer program and that existing Glass owners would be eligible to a one-time hardware exchange. The swap will let owners trade-in their existing device for the upgraded model. While at that time the company wasn’t prepared to give us a look at…
5d
Dell Smell: Latitude Ultrabooks’ Cat Urine Odor Confirmed 66 According to Dell the smell is not hazardous to your health (though possibly hazardous to your image)
4d
It’s official: FAA to allow personal electronics during takeoff, landing 9 This was all leaked weeks ago, but it’s now official. The U.S.’s Federal Aviation Administration has eased restrictions on the use of electronics in commercial airliners. Using tablets, laptops, and other gizmos will soon be allowed during “all phases of flight,” although cell phones will still need to have their cellular radios disabled.Here’s the skinny, straight …Read more…
4d
Silent Circle, Lavabit to take back email privacy with Dark Mail Alliance Silent Circle and Lavabit may have abruptly shut down in August amid growing pressure from the National Security Agency to hand over user information, but that doesn’t mean they’ve given up on secure email services. Rather, the two are teaming up under the newly formed Dark Mail Alliance to develop…
1d
Watch this 1988 news report about the world’s first computer worm 33 You’d think the world was coming to an end judging by this 1988 news report about the first computer ‘virus’ to spread via the Internet. This particular virus, known as the Morris worm, was written by Cornell student Robert Morris and distributed on this very day – November 2 –…
14h
Warhammer Online goes free before shutting down Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is moving to a free-to-play model in its final days before the servers are shut down in December.
6h
iPad Air adoption five times higher than previous generation during opening weekend 8 Apple’s new wave of iPads might be missing some anticipated features like Touch ID but that isn’t doing much to deter customer interest. According to mobile analytics outfit Fiksu, the iPad Air’s adoption rate is five times higher than of the previous generation tablet, three times the adoption rate of…
6h
Maingear claims world’s thinnest 17” gaming laptop There’s a new 17″ gaming laptop out there—and this one isn’t a gigantic, workstation-sized thing with a two-inch thick chassis. In fact, according to the press release that went up on Engadget this morning, Maingear claims its new 17″ gaming notebook is the world’s thinnest. …Read more…
4h
Fairfax’s $4.7 billion acquisition of BlackBerry is off the table, CEO Thorsten Heins steps down 11 Fairfax Financial Holdings’ $4.7 billion deal to purchase struggling handset maker BlackBerry is off the table today. What’s more, BlackBerry chief Thorsten Heins has stepped down and is being replaced by interim CEO John Chen.
6h
Nintendo’s Wii Mini arrives in the US by ‘the middle of November’ for $100 100+ Despite discontinuing Wii shipments in both Japan and Europe, Nintendo is apparently charging ahead with Wii sales in the US by offering a $100 Wii Mini this month with MarioKart Wii packed in. The previously Canada-exclusive console is the final iteration of Nintendo’s extremely popular Wii game …
5h
Hackers turn Kobo Glo e-reader into a fully fledged Android tablet 100+ You wouldn’t expect an e-reader to be very customizable, but they’ve provided a rich seam of fodder for enterprising hackers. The latest to be broken is Kobo’s Glo, which has has been tweaked to run a full version of Android by a user on MobileRead’s forums. It was relatively easy, as the Glo shares …
1h
One day only: Amazon slashes 15 percent off Kindles in celebration of recent FAA decision 10 Amazon is offering customers 15 percent off the regular sales price of multiple Kindle devices. The one-day sale is in celebration of the Federal Aviation Administration’s recent decision to allow airline passengers to use electronic devices during all phases of a flight including during takeoff and landing.
8h
Implanted Biometric Chip Takes Wearable Tech To A New Level 65 Biohacker Tim Cannon inserted a biochip into his arm to monitor his bodily data and transmit it to an Android device.
5d
Amazon Raises its Free Shipping Threshold: what it Means for Amazon Shoppers & Everyone Else Last week, Amazon raised it’s free “Super Saver” shipping threshold from $25 to $35. The previous $25 minimum order to qualify for free shipping was in place for more than a decade. For those who buy … Amazon Raises its Free Shipping Threshold: what it Means for Amazon Shoppers… [Read the rest of the story at 20somethingfinance.com]
4d
FAA to allow personal electronic devices during takeoff and touchdown 5K Sure it’s not healthy, but we admit that we get a bit shaky in the time it takes to complete our final descent. We’ve read all of SkyMall, and it’s just too hard to be away from the warming glow of our Kindle Paperwhite. Thankfully, however, the FAA has finally pulled the trigger on the long-awaited …
5d
No, Selfies at Funerals Doesn’t Prove Teenage Millennials Are Any More Narcissistic Than Adults 24 Teens! Teens are the worst. I say that as someone who was once a teenager, even if I was more of the sullen, awkward variety than one who was blessed with early puberty and athletic abilities. And I thank the Internet gods every day that I didn’t have Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and — oof, can you imagine? — YouTube back in the late ’90s and early ’00s. My online self-expression then was limited to
6d
Google could start mass production of its smartwatch within months, says WSJ 400+ We’ve already had an inkling of a Google smartwatch, courtesy of some timely patents, company acquisitions and Wall Street Journal’s unnamed sources. The latest gossip points to a launch next year, if the WSJ’s contacts are correct, because development on the wearable has apparently reached the …
6d
Amazon’s Matchbook service now live, works with over 70,000 books for $3 or less 300+ Amazon’s Matchbook service, which offers e-book versions of hard copies of books like Amazon’s Autorip offers digital versions of physical music, is now live. The service supports over 70,000 books at launch with digital equivalents costing $3 or less. The service recognizes purchases from as far as …
6d
Motorola Unveils Project Ara to Create Modular Smartphones 35 Motorola today announced Project Ara, a new initiative with the goal of developing an ecosystem that creates and supports modular handsets. Motorola says it wants Ara to do for hardware developers what Android has done for software developers. Motorola says Ara modular phones will be based on an endoskeleton, which is the structural frame that holds all the modules in place. Device owners then can
8d

 

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