Freakonomics: Supporters of stronger intellectual property enforcement argue online piracy is a huge problem, one which costs the U.S. economy between $200 and $250 billion per year, and is responsible for the loss of 750,000 American jobs. These numbers seem … Continued
Opinion
Truly unprecedented in iBooks 2
David Smith: All Apple is doing with this restriction is saying that if you directly profit from this free tool and platform that we have created, then we deserve our cut. Which seems entirely fair to me. The range of … Continued
Too many gadget choices: product lines simplify as fatigue sets in
Joshua Topolsky at The Verge: I pressed the companies on whether or not technology manufacturers were simply producing too many gadgets, outpacing real consumer demand with iterative, insubstantial changes. “Are we creating demand where there isn’t any?” I asked. He … Continued
∞ The Business Insider traffic grab
A thoughtful piece from Reuters Ryan McCarthy on the practice of re-publishing entire portions of articles for the sole purpose of keeping pageviews. So why does Business Insider risk undermining all that highly original, distinctive content for what appear to … Continued
∞ TiVo and Media Center on the decline
ZDNet: TiVo defined the DVR category around the turn of the century, and today the product name has been turned into a verb. If you’re going to record a TV program on your cable company’s DVR, you probably just say … Continued
∞ 'Business as usual in Silicon Valley'
AllThingsD: In fact, the creation of a $20 million investment kitty that Arrington has dubbed CrunchFund is simply the formalization of a long-standing arrangement that has already been going on since he founded his popular tech blog. That is to … Continued
∞ Anonymous, LulzSec, respond to FBI
“These governments and corporations are our enemy. And we will continue to fight them, with all methods we have at our disposal, and that certainly includes breaking into their websites and exposing their lies. “We are not scared any more. … Continued
∞ Common sense advice for people who have online communities
“So, I beseech you: Fix your communities. Stop allowing and excusing destructive and pointless conversations to be the fuel for your business. Advertisers, hold sites accountable if your advertising appears next to this hateful stuff. Take accountability for this medium … Continued
∞ Enough with the *gates already
Big or little, significant or silly, real or faux – doesn’t matter. It gets gated. This has been an annoying practice for years. It’s knee-jerk. It’s easy. It’s boring. Worst of all, it suggests a false equivalency. Watergate was serious … Continued
∞ Latest Loop podcast appearances: Tech News Today, YML and more
If you keep track of The Loop’s editors’ appearances on podcasts, here’s where you can find our latest appearances:
∞ Hindsight shows Apple's wisdom to make a GSM iPhone first
Verizon’s relationship with Apple was the subject of an interview with Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg on Businessweek.com. Seidenberg’s comments give pause to the claims that Verizon spurned Apple, but in retrospect, it’s really not that important.
∞ Opinion: If you want to meet at Macworld Expo, get a booth
Macworld Expo happens at the end of the month, and I’m being asked every day by PR people to meet with companies at the show. This year, with very few exceptions, I’m restricting my meetings to exhibitors only. I thought … Continued
∞ The Apple Kinect, or how a bad headline ruins a good story
Those of you who listen to my Angry Mac Bastards podcast will not be surprised to read that I have little tolerance for sloppy reporting. So it’s perhaps no surprise that I’m getting increasingly irritated by a meme floating around … Continued
∞ Loop podcast roundup – hear our editors speak
The Loop’s founder and executive editor, Jim Dalrymple and Peter Cohen respectively, are both incessant blabbermouths who use whatever opportunity they can to share their opinions on areas of interest. If you’re interested in hearing our jibber-jabber, you’re more than … Continued
∞ A new sign of the times: "No computer" policies in cafes
Consumers now expect complementary Wi-Fi access as part of the basic experience at cafes and restaurants around the country. But as evidenced in a recent editorial in The New York Times, some shop owners are beginning to push back, establishing … Continued
∞ Bodega offers eight Mac apps at a 50% discount
Freshcode on Thursday announced a new promotion called “Experience Bodega” that will give users the opportunity to get a deal on Mac software.
∞ Managing iPhone 4 expectations: Did Apple do enough?
In response to complaints from users over the antenna issues with the iPhone 4, Apple offered all of its users a free case. But that’s not all, they also demonstrated that the iPhone 4 isn’t the only device that exhibits … Continued