Techmeme: Murdoch's New iPaper: One Last Tragic Roll Of The Digital Dice (Paul Carr/TechCrunch)

5:50 PM ET, August 15, 2010

Top Items:

Kara Swisher / BoomTown:

Exclusive: Facebook Snaps Up Chai Labs — In yet another small acquisition, Facebook has bought Chai Labs, several sources said. — BoomTown could not confirm the price for the purchase of the content-focused start-up, but it is likely to be around $10 million and more focused on acquiring talent.

Discussion: CNET News

Seth Weintraub / Fortune:

Google to open ‘Google Ideas’ global technology think tank — Hoping to apply technology solutions to solve the world's problems, Google is hiring Washington technology insider Jared Cohen. — Jared Cohen in 2007. Image Credit: Washington Life Magazine

Discussion: Pulse2, Thanks:llsethj

Long Zheng / istartedsomething:

Conceptual USGA golf scoring app by Microsoft shows Windows Phone 7 apps done right — With the developer momentum building behind Windows Phone 7, there's a lot of work-in-progress applications flying around. Although many of them show a lot of potential, it's easy to get distracted …

Discussion: MSDN Blogs, Download Squad, WMPoweruser.com and Big in Japan

Paul Carr / TechCrunch:

Murdoch's New iPaper: One Last Tragic Roll Of The Digital Dice — “Rupert Murdoch To Launch New National Newspaper”. — As headlines go, that's up there with “DeLorean To Unveil New ‘Gull-Wing’ Car”, “Freddy Laker Reveals Trans-Atlantic Airline Plans” and “Charge! says Light Brigade” …

Discussion: broadstuff

Felix Salmon:
The huge obstacles facing Murdoch's new tablet newspaper

Discussion: Engadget

Harry McCracken / Technologizer:

iPadversaries! 32 Tablets, Slates, Pads, and More — Why are iPads selling as fast as Apple's Chinese subcontractors can crank them out? In part, it's because the iPad has a suddenly-hot product category pretty much to itself. Before scuttlebutt that Apple was working on a tablet started to heat up …

Discussion: Liliputing, Fortune, Silicon Alley Insider, GottaBeMobile, blogs.chron.com, techblog.dallasnews.com, Gizmodo, PalmAddicts and New York Times

Joe Nocera / New York Times:

Real Reason for Ousting H.P.'s Chief — The resignation of Mark V. Hurd last week from his seemingly secure post as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard has got to be one of the great head-scratchers in recent times. — Here's a guy who walked into a very troubled situation, replacing Carleton S.

Discussion: SiliconANGLE, VentureBeat and GottaBeMobile

Agence France Presse:

N.Korea uses Twitter for propaganda offensive — SEOUL (AFP) - North Korea's propaganda campaign has surged into the 21st century with a new Twitter account, hot on the heals of its foray into video with clips posted on YouTube. — South Korea blocks the site and few in North Korea have access even to a computer.

Tim Bradshaw / blogs.ft.com:

Why Playfish is rooting for Google Me — As Google gears up its social push, attracting the right games to its platform will be critical. So the search giant will welcome the endorsement of Playfish, and with it, parent company Electronic Arts, for its plans in Google Me.

Discussion: Financial Times

Eric Eldon / Inside Social Games:

Slide's History Points to Google's Social Plans — Why did Google buy social application developer Slide? A main line of speculation has been that the company wants to build a social gaming platform, and there are many reasons to assume that. — But we're hearing that the search leader …

Josh Fruhlinger / InfoWorld:

It's not you, it's me: Microsoft kills IronRuby — Down to one part-time Ruby programmer, Microsoft's move may signal end of flirtation between big companies and small projects — Microsoft's decision to pay the salaries of several Ruby hackers was akin to a lawyer dating the bassist from a cool local band.

Greg Sandoval / CNET News:

Suit alleges Disney, other top sites spied on users — A lawsuit filed in federal court last week alleges that a group of well-known Web sites, including those owned by Disney, Warner Bros. Records, and Demand Media, broke the law by covertly tracking the Web movements of their users, including children.

Discussion: Techie Buzz and New York Times

Sean Hollister / Engadget:

Leaked Intel roadmap details Sandy Bridge CPUs, expands SSD lineup? — If a set of supposedly leaked slides are legitimate (and they sure look convincing to us) then the shape of Intel's dirt-brown 2011 plans has finally been revealed. As you can see immediately above …

Discussion: Electronista and Gizmodo

Pete Carey / Mercury News:

Apple manager arrested in kickback scheme — A midlevel Apple manager was arrested and accused of accepting more than $1 million in kickbacks from half a dozen Asian suppliers of iPhone and iPod accessories, according to a federal indictment unsealed Friday and a separate civil suit.

Seth Weintraub / 9 to 5 Mac: Apple iPod Operations Manager Paul Shin Devine held in supplier kickback scheme

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