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2:45 PM ET, July 27, 2011

Techmeme

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Pastebin:
A message to PayPal, its customers, and our friends  —  Dear PayPal, its customers, and our friends around the globe,  —  This is an official communiqué from Anonymous and Lulz Security in the name of AntiSec.  —  In recent weeks, we've found ourselves outraged at the FBI's willingness …
RELATED:
Kevin Poulsen / Threat Level:
In ‘Anonymous’ Raids, Feds Work From List of Top 1,000 Protesters  —  It turns out there's a method behind the FBI's raids of suspected Anonymous members around the country.  The bureau is working from a list, provided by PayPal, of the 1,000 internet IP addresses responsible …
Paul Sawers / The Next Web:
Metropolitan Police arrest Topiary, suspected LulzSec and Anonymous spokesperson  —  Reports are emerging that Topiary, a key member and spokesman of LulzSec, has been arrested.  —  Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service's Police Central arrested a 19-year-old man in an intelligence-led operation today.
Nick Bilton / Bits:
Anonymous Promotes Legal Boycott of PayPal
Discussion: BBC and WL Central
Colleen Taylor / GigaOM:
Nice timing: Facebook debuts “Facebook for Business”  —  On Tuesday Facebook debuted a step-by-step online guide aimed at helping small businesses use the social networking site.  The company is billing the new web page, found at Facebook.com/business, as an “online education center” …
Amit / Digital Inspiration Technology Blog:
A Cleaner Layout for Google Search  —  Google is testing a fresh and cleaner layout for web search and other search properties.  —  The new Google design uses a single column layout while the old sidebar options appear between the search box and the search results.
John Markoff / New York Times:
Colleges Join Plan for Faster Computer Networks  —  A coalition of 28 American universities is throwing its weight behind a plan to build ultra-high-speed computer networks — with Internet service several hundred times faster than what is now commercially available — in the communities surrounding the participating colleges.
Discussion: CircleID, Electronista and Pulse2
Zach Epstein / BGR:
T-Mobile responds to Sen. Al Franken's recommendation against AT&T merger  —  Minnesota Senator Al Franken sent a letter to the heads of the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice earlier this week, stating that AT&T's proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA …
Kevin C. Tofel / GigaOM:
Before iPhone war, Samsung sells 5m GS2′s in 85 days  —  Samsung has sold 5 million Galaxy S II (GS2) smartphones in 85 days, making it the fastest selling handset in the company's history.  According to Samsung's figures, the device sales are actually accelerating as the phone debuts on more carriers around the world.
Alex Williams / SiliconANGLE:
The Telling Story of a Once Faithful Google Apostle Saved by Vic Gundotra after Automated System Falsely Flags Account for Possessing Child Pornography  —  A man who once called himself a Google apostle has had his account restored after Senior Vice President Vic Gundotra personally looked …
Discussion: TwitLonger, @mattcutts and Matt Cutts
Ina Fried / AllThingsD:
Samsung Is Only Tablet Maker Giving iPad 2′s Display a Run for Its Money  —  Although the first wave of Android tablets couldn't hold a candle to Apple's iPad 2 when it came to screen quality, analysis firm DisplayMate says the latest Galaxy Tab model offers a significantly better display …
Arnold Kim / MacRumors:
Apple Finishing Up Work on an Ultra-Thin 15" Mac Notebook [Updated]  —  Apple is working on a 15" ultra-thin Mac notebook, MacRumors has learned.  We aren't certain if it will be called a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, but we do know that it is already in late testing stages at Apple.
msnbc.com:
Groupon IPO may be delayed by SEC scrutiny  —  Groupon's hotly anticipated initial public offering of stock could be delayed until mid- to late-September as federal regulators have raised questions about the company's self-selected financial metrics, CNBC reported Wednesday.
Dan Frommer / SplatF:
Here's how Apple is forcing a worse user experience on its customers  —  Amazon just updated its Kindle app for the iPhone and iPad to remove an important function: The link to its Kindle store where you can go to buy new e-books.  Now, Apple device owners will have to figure out on their own …
Discussion: Fortune
RELATED:
Bobbie Johnson / GigaOM:
Why European VCs are lean, mean and more extreme  —  You've probably all heard the cliches about European startups and investors: venture money in Europe is more conservative, entrepreneurs are afraid of risk, the businesses are less ambitious and there are fewer blockbuster successes.
Richard Hung / Google Mobile Blog:
Find nearby deals with Google Shopper 1.5 for iPhone  —  (Cross-posted on the Google Commerce Blog)  —  We've recently made a few new changes to Google Shopper for iPhone that makes it easy to find nearby deals when you're on-the-go.  —  In the latest version of Google Shopper …
Zach Epstein / BGR:
IMS: Annual smartphone sales to reach 1 billion units by 2016; Apple, Samsung winners so far  —  More than 420 million smartphones will be sold around the world in 2011, accounting for 28% of total cell phone sales according to market research firm IMS Research.
Todd Bishop / GeekWire:
Bitcoin befuddles U.S. customs agents, thwarting Seattle visit by digital currency guru  —  A developer who specializes in the Bitcoin digital currency says he was sent back to China last week after he arrived at Sea-Tac Airport with only $600 in cash and wasn't able to convince U.S. Customs …
Discussion: The Next Web
Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents:
S3 Graphics deal appears increasingly unlikely to help HTC against Apple  —  In my previous posts on the dispute between Apple and HTC, most recently this one (in which I explained why Apple won't just settle for money like most other patent holders do), I consistently pointed out that HTC's best chance …
Jennifer Valentino-DeVries / Digits:
NSA Lawyer Questioned Over Cellphone Location Tracking of Americans  —  Is the government using cellular data to track Americans as they move around the U.S.?  —  According to the general counsel of the National Security Agency, it may have that authority.
Staci D. Kramer / paidContent:
Netflix Adds CBS, Showtime, CW Mix For Canada, Latin America  —  CBS (NYSE: CBS) and Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) are expanding their relationship with a new deal that goes both north and south of the U.S. border—and illustrates how idiosyncratic some of these licensing moves can be thanks to existing deals, rights limitations and strategy.
Chris Dentel / Facebook Developers:
Making it easier to create and manage Test Users  —  As part of Operation Developer Love, we are continuing to improve documentation, fix bugs, and build features that make it easier for you to create and manage apps on Facebook Platform.  Over the last few weeks, we released the new Developer App …
Discussion: WebProNews
Courtney Boyd Myers / The Next Web:
Ars Technica's OS X Lion review made $15,000+ in 24 hours on the Kindle  —  Will people pay for quality digital content?  It's an argument that has been on the table for quite some time, with naysayers pointing towards downloads of discographies instead of paying attention to concrete purchasing decisions.
Mary Jo Foley / Redmond:
Why Microsoft Won't Dump Bing  —  Many Microsoft shareholders, employees, partners and customers would like Steve Ballmer to resign (or be ousted) as CEO.  Almost as many are agitating for Microsoft to push Bing out of the Redmond nest.  —  To all of those folks, I've got bad news …
Kevin C. Tofel / GigaOM:
White spaces standards are here.  Next up: devices!  —  Another hurdle was removed today for “Wi-Fi on steroids,” as the IEEE published a wireless standard that could bring high-speed broadband to rural areas.  The 802.22TM-2011 standard will be used on frequencies that were used …
Greg Kumparak / TechCrunch:
Official: Japan To Get The World's First Windows Phone 7 Mango Handset In September  —  As the sun just starts to set here on the West Coast, we've got a bit of news straight from the other side of the globe: Fujitsu and KDDI (Japan's second largest wireless operator) have just confirmed …
Eric Smalley / Webware.com:
Cornell software fingers fake online reviews  —  See the bottom of this post for the answer.  —  (Credit: Myle Ott, Cornell University)  —  If you're like most people, you give yourself high ratings when it comes to figuring out when someone's trying to con you.
Discussion: PC World
 
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 More Items: 
MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
It's Dangerous To Go Alone: SimpleGeo And Urban Airship Partner Up For Location Notifications
Discussion: ReadWriteMobile and Urban Airship
Antony Bruno / Billboard.Biz:
Universal Music Group Launching Spotify Playlist Service for U.S. Fans
Discussion: The Business Insider
Arik Hesseldahl / AllThingsD:
Smartling, a Language Translation Engine for the Web, Raises $10 Million
Discussion: GigaOM
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
AdSense For Images Pixazza Rebrands As Luminate, Launches Platform For In-Image Apps
Rip Empson / TechCrunch:
LucidChart Nabs $1 Million From 500 Startups, 2M Companies, And K9 Ventures
Discussion: BetaNews
 Earlier Items: 
Lauren Indvik / Mashable!:
Tablet Publishing: Why Sports Illustrated Is Looking Beyond the iPad
Darren Quick / Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine:
Microsoft Research paper proposes using ‘Data Furnaces’ to heat the home
LAUNCH:
The GOOGLE+ Punch List (21 Items Google Must Add to Plus)
Discussion: Google Watch, Thanks:dinaj
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch:
Read It Later Raises $2.5 Million, Wants To Become The Dropbox Of Content
Discussion: TUAW and GigaOM, more at Mediagazer »
Kellex / Droid Life:
Confirmed: XOOM 4G LTE Upgrade Available In September, Emails To Customers Rolling Out Today …
Staci D. Kramer / paidContent:
Fox Switches To Authentication For New Shows Online; Dish, Hulu Plus Get First Crack
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Lachlan Cartwright / The Ankler:
Sources: MSNBC renewed Rachel Maddow's contract early this fall, but with a pay cut; MSNBC bosses' plan to shake up daytime and weekend programming

Caitlin Huston / The Hollywood Reporter:
Internal memo: Hearst Magazines president announces layoffs as part of a decision to “reallocate resources” to “continue our focus on digital innovation”

Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced she will leave the agency on January 20; she was the first woman to be confirmed to lead the agency

 
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