Techmeme: I Won't Use Flickr Until They Release My Photo Hostages (Michael Arrington/TechCrunch)

5:05 PM ET, April 8, 2011

Top Items:

ITA Software acquisition cleared for takeoff — How cool would it be if you could type “flights to somewhere sunny for under $500 in May” into Google and get not just a set of links but also flight times, fares and a link to sites where you can actually buy tickets quickly and easily?

Discussion: SAI, NetworkEffect, The Register, Googling Google Blog, Digital Trends, ReadWriteWeb, Fast Company, Hillicon Valley, CNET News, Tech Trader Daily, TG Daily, Google, Techie Buzz, 901am and WebProNews

The United States Department of Justice:

Justice Department Requires Google Inc. to Develop and License Travel Software in Order to Proceed with Its Acquisition of ITA Software Inc. … WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice announced today that in order for Google Inc. to proceed with its proposed acquisition of ITA Software Inc. …

Leena Rao / TechCrunch:

DOJ Willing To Approve Google's $700M ITA Deal, With Conditions — Google has just come close to winning approval from he U.S. Justice Department of its $700 million acquisition of travel software company ITA. Google has been embroiled in an investigation by the Justice Department …

Discussion: PC World, Ars Technica, Computerworld, MediaPost, I4U News, WebProNews, SlashGear, Reuters, Mercury News, Bloomberg, NBC Bay Area and The Next Web

Joe Mullin / paidContent: Why Google's Opponents Are OK With The ITA Merger

Jacques Hebert / YouTube Blog:

YouTube is going LIVE — With over 2 billion views a day, it's easy to think about YouTube as a place to watch videos recorded in the past. But you've told us you want more - and that includes events taking place right now. In response, we've live streamed a number of popular concerts …

Marshall Kirkpatrick / ReadWriteWeb:
YouTube Finally Launches Live Streaming Portal to Select Partners

Discussion: BGR

Jessica Guynn / L.A. Times Tech Blog:

Exclusive: Google CEO Larry Page completes major reorganization of Internet search giant — Larry Page, who returned as chief executive of Google on Monday, put his stamp on how he will run the Internet giant with a major reorganization of his management team on Thursday.

Nicholas Carlson / SAI:
Here's The Memo Telling ALL Google Employees Their 2011 Pay Depends On Google Sucking Less At Social

Discussion: Computerworld, Examiner, GigaOM, SocialTimes.com, The Business Insider, Techland, Inquirer, PC Magazine, Google Watch, Communications … and broadstuff

John Paczkowski / Digital Daily:
PageYank: As New SVPs Are Born at Google in CEO Reorg, What Happens to the Old Ones?

Discussion: Tech and China

Georgina Prodhan / Reuters:

Steve Wozniak says would consider return to Apple — (Reuters) - Steve Wozniak would consider returning to an active role at Apple, the company he co-founded, and believes the consumer electronics giant could afford to be more open than it is, he told Reuters.

Discussion: VentureBeat, CNET News, Epicenter, IntoMobile, TechSpot, WebProNews, NBC Bay Area and Shiny Objects

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry / SAI:

Technology IPOs: SEC Might Raise Shareholder Limit — The SEC has said it is considering raising the shareholder limit for private companies in a letter to Rep. Darrell Issa obtained by the WSJ. — The SEC has a rule that says that once a private company reaches 500 individual shareholders …

Discussion: All Facebook, Mashable!, Fortune, @tedr, Felix Salmon, SiliconANGLE and The Business Insider

Dan Primack / Fortune:
Mary Shapiro's letter on private company stock sales

Discussion: CNNMoney.com

Fred / A VC:
The SEC and Private Markets

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, GeekWire, PE Hub Blog and Betabeat

Long Zheng / istartedsomething:

Windows 8 to feature native SmartScreen file checking — As Microsoft anticipates a richer “apps” ecosystem for Windows 8, they appear to be taking some extra steps to shield users from malicious applications with the introduction of an in-built file verification policy powered by the SmartScreen Filter.

Discussion: TechSpot, Windows 8 News, Hardware 2.0 Blog, Windows 8 Beta, gHacks Technology News, Softpedia News, The Next Web and Neowin.net

Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Fortune:

The day Fred Wilson dumped AAPL — The VC at the center of an Android vs. iOS debate bet publicly against Apple two years ago — “I am selling my entire position in Apple this morning including the stock I bought earlier than last fall. My average price on my entire position in Apple is $96 …

Discussion: InfoWorld, @fredwilson, @fredwilson, WebProNews, Daring Fireball and 5by5 Master Audio Feed

Zach Epstein / BGR:

Best Buy responds to alleged iPad 2 sales freeze divulged by Best Buy staffers [updated] — Reports of an iPad 2 sales freeze that may have gotten Best Buy in hot water with Apple emerged Thursday night, and the possible explanation given by someone claiming to work for Best Buy was odd at best.

Discussion: Examiner, CNET News, MacRumors, AppleInsider, TUAW, GeekSmack, GottaBeMobile, PadGadget, PC World, Appolicious Advisor, PC Magazine, Geek.com, iPhone Alley, SlashGear, MacNN, Techland, mocoNews, App Advice, WebProNews, MacStories and everythingiCafe

Agence France Presse:

Russian security service ‘wants to ban Skype, Gmail’ — MOSCOW — The Russian security service is proposing to ban Skype, Hotmail, and Gmail as their “uncontrolled use” may threaten Russia's security, a service official said during a government meeting on Friday.

Discussion: Inquirer, The Next Web and Electronista

BBC:
Russia's President Medvedev denounces cyber-attack

Discussion: techPresident, The Register, Reuters, Inquirer and TechEye

Alexandra Odynova / The Moscow Times:
State Blamed in LiveJournal Attack

Discussion: WebProNews and ONI

Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:

I Won't Use Flickr Until They Release My Photo Hostages — Freemium business models are always hard. You have to give users enough for free that they try your service out and get hooked. Then you hit them with fees for upgraded features that make it even better.

Kai Lukoff / TechRice:

Blockbuster Rumor: Facebook Partners with Baidu to Enter China — The internets are ablaze tonight with a blockbuster rumor: Facebook will enter China. Marbridge Consulting reports: According to a microblog post by Hu Yanping, founder of Beijing-based market research firm Data Center of the China Internet …

Discussion: @christinelu

Robin Wauters / TechCrunch:
From The Rumor Mill: Facebook Plans To Enter China Through Major Partnership(s)

Discussion: Digital Trends, Thomas Crampton, TechRice, @niubi, Fast Company, Digital East Asia, @niubi, Digital East Asia and Neowin.net

Todd Haselton / BGR:

Verizon Wireless to eliminate one-year contract option on April 17th — Verizon Wireless has confirmed to BGR that it will eliminate the option to sign on for a 1-year contract beginning on April 17th. “The reason behind the change is the greater majority of customers sign up for a 2 year contract …

Discussion: Engadget, Gadget University, Computerworld, MobileWhack, MobileCrunch and GeekSugar

Farhad Manjoo / Slate:

Google has developed speech-recognition technology that actually works. — If you've got an Android phone, try this: Hit the microphone icon on the home screen, then ask, “How many angstroms in a mile?” Use your normal speaking voice—don't speak slowly or strain to over-pronounce “angstrom.”

E.B. Boyd / Fast Company:

Facebook's Next Hardware Project: Data Storage — Yesterday we heard about the Open Compute Project. Facebook's director of hardware design, Frank Frankovsky, tells us about part two of the social network's plan to spur suppliers to build the products it needs.

Thanks:noahr

Jon Stokes / Ars Technica:
Why Facebook open-sourced its datacenters

Discussion: internetnews.com, Fortune, GMSV, Joyeur, Daring Fireball and GigaOM

John Paczkowski / Digital Daily:

IPhone Product Cycle Now More of a Platform Cycle — If Apple's not unveiling the iPhone 5 at its 2011 Worldwide Developers Conference, when can we expect to see the device? Autumn, perhaps? Certainly that seems the most logical option if Apple is moving away from its traditional June/July timeframe.

Discussion: The Loop

Dave Schappell / GeekWire:

Two Days in Silicon Valley: An inside look at 23 startups from Dave McClure's Demo Days — I've been thinking a lot about passion lately — passion for ideas, teams, the shared pursuit of common goals. More and more, I believe passion is the critical differentiator between really good, and great, teams.

Discussion: TechCrunch, Plancast and TechCrunch

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