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7:50 PM ET, January 18, 2012

Techmeme

 Top Items: 
Mark Zuckerberg / Facebook:
The internet is the most powerful tool  —  we have for creating a more open and connected world.  We can't let poorly thought out laws get in the way of the internet's development.  Facebook opposes SOPA and PIPA, and we will continue to oppose any laws that will hurt the internet.
RELATED:
Jenna Wortham / New York Times:
A Political Coming of Age for the Tech Industry  —  With a Web-wide protest on Wednesday that includes a 24-hour shutdown of the English-language Wikipedia, the legislative battle over two Internet piracy bills has reached an extraordinary moment — a political coming of age for a relatively young …
Om Malik / GigaOM:
Come on Zuck, do you really mean it?  —  The Internet seems to have gone mad over comments by Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Facebook.  Zuckerberg on Wednesday came out against the proposed SOPA and PIPA legislation and in a Facebook status message wrote:
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
In Face Of Protests, Congressmen Begin To Abandon SOPA Ship  —  In case you haven't noticed, a lot of sites like Reddit and Wikipedia are blacked out today in protest.  Google blacked out its logo and is running a huge advertising campaign (including on TechCrunch) to get Internet users to sign petitions and oppose the bills.
Dan Seitz / UPROXX:
MPAA Hits New Low In Self Pity Over SOPA  —  As you know, Wikipedia, Reddit and a few other sites are completely blacked out today, and many other sites are protesting in other ways.  For example, if you head over to Google, you'll find the logo has a big black box over it.
Deborah Netburn / L.A. Times Tech Blog:
Google says 4.5 million people signed anti-SOPA petition today  —  When Google speaks, the world listens.  —  And today, when Google asked its users to sign a petition protesting two anti-piracy laws circulating in Congress, millions responded.  —  A spokeswoman for Google confirmed …
Jamie Lee Curtis Taete / VICE:
PIPA Supporters Violate Copyright Laws, Too
Discussion: The Register
T.C. Sottek / The Verge:
Money, power, and Congress: how lobbyists will determine the fate of SOPA
Discussion: PandoDaily and ReadWriteWeb
Geoffrey A. Fowler / Digits:
MC Hammer Hits Anti-SOPA Rally
Sen. Ron Wyden / The Huffington Post:   My Letter to the Internet … Congress , Internet , Pipa …
David Drummond / The Official Google Blog:
Don't censor the web  —  You might notice many of your favorite …
Nathan Ingraham / The Verge:
US Senate websites hit with technical difficulties following SOPA blackout
Discussion: Gizmodo and Technology Review
Earnesto / TorrentFreak:
The Pirate Bay Slams PIPA / SOPA in Public Statement
Discussion: @tpbdotorg
Nielsen Wire:
More US Consumers Choosing Smartphones as Apple Closes the Gap on Android  —  According to the latest research from Nielsen, the high-profile launch of Apple's iPhone 4S in the Fall had an enormous impact on the proportion of smartphone owners who chose an Apple iPhone.
Adam Lashinsky / Fortune:
The secrets Apple keeps  —  Undercover meetings!  Stealth product developments!  The world's most successful company is obsessed with privacy.  In his new book, Fortune senior editor-at-large Adam Lashinsky finds out what it's really like to work at Apple and how its secretive behavior pays off.
Jack Purcher / Patently Apple:
Steve Jobs Credited with an Apple TV Patent for Episodic TV  —  The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of twenty-two newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today.  This morning's second report is focused on a single Apple TV patent.  It's a patent regarding episodic TV …
Chris Ziegler / The Verge:
AT&T retools data plans: 300MB for $20, 3GB for $30, 5GB with tethering for $50  —  Following a recent rumor that we broke right here on The Verge, AT&T is nudging all three of its smartphone data plans starting this Sunday, January 22nd.  Currently you can get 200MB for $15, 2GB for $25 …
Mary Jo Foley / All about Microsoft Blog:
Microsoft confirms Dave Cutler, father of Windows NT, now working on Xbox  —  Summary: Dave Cutler, the father of Windows NT, is now working on helping Microsoft evolve Xbox beyond a game-centric console.  —  Four years ago, Microsoft assembled a team, many with killer Windows pedigrees …
Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents:
Oracle says each day's worth of Android activations generates $10 million in annual revenues for Google — and strengthens Google+  —  In the previous blog post, I have just reported on Oracle's bold move to propose to the court that it stay (or dismiss without prejudice) …
RELATED:
John Paczkowski / AllThingsD:
Oracle Figures 700,000 Android Activations a Day Are Worth $3.65 Billion a Year to Google
Discussion: FOSS Patents
Liana B. Baker / Reuters:
Zynga buys four mobile gaming companies  —  (Reuters) - Zynga Inc said it bought four small mobile game companies for an undisclosed sum as the top maker of Facebook games seeks to expand its lineup on smartphones and tablets.  —  The company's top mobile executive David Ko told Reuters …
John Gruber / Daring Fireball:
Regarding the Scope of Apple's Education Initiative  —  Philip Elmer-DeWitt, in a piece headlined “Apple's Education Event Is Getting Seriously Over-Hyped”: … I don't get the logic here.  What about Apple's success in the music industry does Apple regret?
Discussion: PandoDaily and MacStories
RELATED:
AppleInsider:
Apple's ‘Bliss’ e-textbook project inspired by Al Gore's ‘Our Choice’
Discussion: BGR and MacRumors
Frederic Lardinois / SiliconFilter:
Sex Sells: Color Hopes You'll Want to Broadcast Your Makeout Sessions and Illegal Pool Parties to Facebook  —  Color - just saying the name of it quickly became enough to get people to laugh about what was, without doubt, one of the most botched product launches in recent history …
Discussion: AdAge, Daring Fireball and Betabeat
Jon Mitchell / ReadWriteWeb:
Google+ Gets Video Status Updates  —  Google+ just got a feature that takes a bite out of YouTube.  Google+ users can now post video recordings as updates to their circles.  In the video sharing menu, there's now a ‘Record video’ option that turns on the webcam.
Barb Darrow / GigaOM:
Amazon launches home-grown NoSQL database  —  Amazon Web Services is adding a home-grown NoSQL database to its ever-expanding roster of cloud computing offerings.  DynamoDB is what Amazon CTO Werner Vogels called a “fully managed” NoSQL implementation that the company built and tested over the years.
Leena Rao / TechCrunch:
eBay Beats The Street; Q4 Revenue Up 35 Percent To $3.4B, Net Income Up 15 Percent To $789M  —  eBay just reported fourth quarter and fiscal year 2011 earnings today, which were above analysts expectations. eBay posted revenue of $3.4 billion, up 35 percent from the same quarter in 2010.
Matt Richtel / New York Times:
Teenagers Sharing Passwords as Show of Affection  —  Young couples have long signaled their devotion to each other by various means — the gift of a letterman jacket, or an exchange of class rings or ID bracelets.  Best friends share locker combinations.  —  The digital era has given rise to a more intimate custom.
Zachary Lutz / Engadget:
Alienware announces X51 small form factor gaming PC, starting at $699  —  Alienware may have just upgraded its Aurora gaming rig, but that's not to keep the company from giving more diminutive form factors some love.  Just this evening, the subsidiary of Dell announced the X51 …
 
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 More Items: 
Chad Catacchio / Tip Desk:
Twitter API will start showing actual number of retweets over 100 on January 31
Discussion: Twitter Developers
Nathan Ingraham / The Verge:
Amazon rolls out Kindle Fire software version 6.2.2, brings full-screen Silk browsing mode
Discussion: App Advice and 9to5Google
Mark Hosenball / Reuters:
Suspicion grows China was behind hack of U.S. commission
Brittany Darwell / Inside Facebook:
Facebook updates app install dialog for user clarity
Zach Walton / WebProNews:
BitTorrent Testing Peer-To-Peer Video Streaming
Discussion: BitTorrent Blog, Thanks:alliewag
Jeff Bercovici / Mixed Media:
Huffington Post Set to Launch Live Web TV ‘Network’
 Earlier Items: 
Basil Katz / Reuters:
7 charged in $62 million Dell insider-trading case
Liz Gannes / AllThingsD:
The New York Times Bits Blog Gets a Billboard
Discussion: PandoDaily
Todd Haselton / BGR:
LightSquared and former FCC chief engineer say GPS tests were rigged
Discussion: The Register, DSLreports and CNET
Scott Canon / Kansas City Star:
Google Fiber work in KCK is delayed by dispute over how its wires are hung
Discussion: Geek.com and bizjournals, Thanks:dannyaway
John Paczkowski / AllThingsD:
A “Conservative” Estimate: Apple Will Sell 48 Million iPads in Calendar 2012
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Analyzing Comcast's spinoff of cable networks, purposefully structured with low debt: the move might be a signal to the industry that it's time to consolidate

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
James Harding says the Tortoise-Observer deal could create a profitable media group and there isn't a guaranteed future for the Observer with the Guardian

Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Trump says Republicans must kill the PRESS Act, which would protect journalists' records and sources from the US government; the bill is stalled in the Senate

 
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