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silicon valley users guide
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silicon valley users guide
software as a disservice
Microsoft's absurd software subscription
Bill Gates has long dreamed of getting his customers to pay by the month, not by the shrinkwrapped box, for his software. As the Microsoft founder gets ready to depart, his company is just barely realizing his vision. But this is Microsoft, so they're doing it in the most asinine manner imaginable. Mary Jo Foley reports that Microsoft is testing a package of software and services, codenamed "Albany," for which consumers will pay a monthly fee. Sounds promising, until you dig into what Microsoft is actually offering. More »
great moments in journalism
Salon shares secrets to get around Wall Street Journal's pay wall -- but not its own
In an article on Salon's Machinist blog today, Farhad Manjoo gives tips for getting around the Wall Street Journal's paid-subscription barrier. WSJ.com allows some featured articles to be read for free, but puts much of its content behind what's known in the business as a "pay wall." The dirty secret Manjoo exposes: Many of the "hidden" articles can be easily accessed with a little technical know-how. What he doesn't stop to ask: Why has new Journal owner Rupert Murdoch made it so easy? More »
call for help
Rush Limbaugh's Leopard bugs: Can you fix them?
Back to My Mac only works sometimes. Time Machine won't restore individual mail messages. Rush Limbaugh's no newb — he owns six Macs, and these are known problems. Have a look and see if you can fix the bugs that made him send out a personal plea to Steve Jobs. More »
facebook
How to quit Facebook without calling your lawyer
Mark Zuckerberg, Nipon Das wished he could quit you. After he left Facebook, Nipon Das wanted the social network to erase his personal information from its servers. Eventually that happened. But only after two months, a lengthy email exchange and — ultimately — threats from a lawyer. "It's like the Hotel California," Das told the New York Times. "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave." Facebook PR flack Amy Sezak claims the company is doing users a favor by making it easy to come back to the site after they quit. 6,000 members of the Facebook group "How to permanently delete your facebook account" don't seem grateful. Sometimes I quit means I quit. Here's a tricky way to do it without laboriously deleting all your wall posts and photos, according to WikiHow. More »
facebook
Facebook adds "clear all invitations" option
Facebook has made it easier on users who have lots of friends sending them zombie bites, quizzes and sheep. A notice appeared in my News Feed this evening telling me that Facebook has added a "clear all" option for those who have more than 25 requests pending. Noted Facebook-friend collectors Jason Calacanis and Robert Scoble must be dancing a happy dance at this development.
facebook
How to stop being Facebook friends with that guy who lost $7 billion
After Jerome Kerviel lost his employer, French investment bank Societe Generale, $7.2 billion, he also lost 7 of his 11 friends on Facebook. Smart move by those ex-friends. You never know who's looking at your profile. Of course, at some point, you might be in a similar situation. Because this kind of thing happens all the time. So here's how to defriend that guy who just went into hiding after losing $7.2 billion. You're welcome. More »
explainer
Tumblr differs from most blog software: It doesn't just let you post entries; it also provides an interface for reading the blogs of other Tumblr users. In that regard, it's duplicating a feature available on LiveJournal for a decade — and yet its users still manage to find it befuddling. "Right now I'm following 35 people," Connected Ventures cofounder Rickvy Van Veen writes on his personal blog.
How to stop reading Tumblr blogs
Tumblr differs from most blog software: It doesn't just let you post entries; it also provides an interface for reading the blogs of other Tumblr users. In that regard, it's duplicating a feature available on LiveJournal for a decade — and yet its users still manage to find it befuddling. "Right now I'm following 35 people," Connected Ventures cofounder Rickvy Van Veen writes on his personal blog. Most of those people know how to use Tumblr responsibly and only post when they have something worthwhile to say. Others don't. First execution: Julia Allison. 40 posts a day? Are you f—-ing kidding?Executing friends is a great idea, Ricky! But what if you're like the New York Observer's Doree Shafrir — yes, the writer who recently profiled Tumblr CEO David Karp — and you don't know how to stop following someone on the site? Never fear, Valleywag's here to help you knock off your most annoying friends. More »
road warrior
Southwest bringing Wi-Fi to the low-cost skies
Southwest Airlines is putting Wi-Fi on four planes starting this summer. Unlike JetBlue's crappy, restricted service, this will be the "full" Internet (save for VOIP, I'd bet) with "the highest bandwidth available to commercial airlines in the United States," according to Southwest. Southwest is partnering with Row 44, an inflight broadband provider. I fly Southwest a lot, so this is great news for me. I won't hold my breath for laptop power ports at my seat though. That would add way too much weight for the Greyhound of the sky. Catch the full press release after the jump. (Photo by AP/David Zalubowski) More »
your privacy is an illusion
Wear tinfoil hats when using Adobe products
You're not the only one watching what you do in Adobe Creative Suite 3, the company's ubiquitous photo-and-design software package. Adobe is watching you, too. According to this screenshot from Uneasysilence, launching Adobe CS3 triggers communication between your computer and behavioral analytics firm Omniture. (For starters, Adobe could have chosen a partner with a less ominously Foucauldian name.) More »
hackers
Getting your Gmail hacked can ruin your day
Logo designer David Airey took a monthlong trip to India starting in late November. About three weeks in, hackers took over his Web domain, davidairey.com. How'd it happen? Airey blames a Gmail security flaw he read about. Something to do with going to a malicious website that inserts forwarding filters into a user's Gmail settings. Totally messed up his life, he says, not to mention his rank in Google search results. Google says it's fixed this particular flaw, but here's how to make sure you haven't been affected. More »
mac os x
New iCal exposes complexity of space-time continuum
So, I updated my Macs to the new Leopard operating system, then synced my calendars with Apple's .Mac online service. You can see the results. Fake Steve Jobs has actually acknowledged there are bugs, which makes me wonder if Leopard hasn't Time Machined me into some alternate universe. iCal is cool — my stupid Vista PC can only find one of my brother's birthdays next week. Piece of junk. My new calendar makes total sense to anyone with a basic grasp of string theory.
your privacy is an illusion
How to block Facebook ads
Facebook's new ads come in two forms. Social Ads are based on your profile. Beacon ads come from other sites when your friends do something there. Enterprising JavaScript nerds have already reverse-engineered a way to keep them out of your face. More »
silicon valley users guide
8 steps to getting fans on Facebook
Are you a fan of Valleywag? I am. (Do sign up. It feels a bit lonely by myself.) After Facebook launched its new ad offerings, I had three thoughts:(1) Well, this means more spam!
(2) Scoble's going to be all over this.
(3) How do I get in on the action?
Facebook doesn't provide a do-it-yourself guide to the new offering, but it turns out anyone can sign up, easily. Valleywag now has a page on Facebook. After the jump, step-by-step instructions on how to get your own. More »
exclusive
Screenshots of first Googlephone app
Remember WhatsOpen.com, the stealth search startup that piqued Google cofounder Sergey Brin's interest last month? Brin was so intrigued he told the founders to keep the company hush-hush. Now, however, a source has leaked screenshots of WhatsOpen's secret project. The company has a Web application which shows users nearby stores and their operating hours — "what's open." But I'm told by a source that WhatsOpen has also written the first wireless app for Google's new Android operating system. (You may know Android better as the software behind the still-mythical Googlephone.) Demo screenshots after the jump. More »
apple
OS X Leopard reviews -- the 100-word versions
Got 30 seconds? Read my summaries of the early reviews of Apple's new operating system in Thursday's papers. Wall Street Journal columnist Walt Mossberg, New York Times reviewer David Pogue, and USA Today's Ed Baig agree: Time Machine backups, yay. See-through menus, boo. More »
web apps
What to use instead of Evite (and five other popular but terrible websites)
Oh god, Evite. It starts with an email about a party with no information about that party, and then it gets worse. But in many cases there's no reason you have to use the most popular site. Here's what to use instead of Evite, YouTube, Blogger, Twitter, Digg, and MapQuest. More »
12:01 AM on Thu Oct 18 2007
By Nick Douglas
13,183 views,
10 comments
blogging for dollars
