Katie Couric joins Yahoo

Anchorwoman Katie Couric, who has hosted high-profile programs on all three major U.S. television networks, will head a team of global correspondents and help shape news coverage at Yahoo Inc., the Internet company announced on Monday.

Marissa Mayer is making some bold moves. I like it.

Interview questions and exercises about CSS

If you’re going to interview someone for a design job that involves CSS, you should take a look at this. As much as I love what designers do with CSS, I’d fail this quickly.

Fairchild Tube Limiter tips

Universal Audio posted some tips on using the Fairchild Tube Limiter plug-in on a number of instruments.

Photo Stream and your photos in iCloud

I’ve seen some confusion over iCloud’s Photo Stream feature and whether it allows your photos to perpetually remain in the cloud. Apple could do a little more to help clear this up, but until then: Photo Stream and Shared Photo Streams are two related features that have different rules, and yes, there is a simple, official way to permanently store and share your photos with iCloud.

Nice article from David Chartier.

Randy Rhoads

This is a long article, but it’s worth reading. Randy was one of the greatest guitarists ever.

Eric Schmidt or Bozo the Clown

He goes on to describe Android’s interface as being “more intuitive” than Apple’s and suggests gifting iPhone users with devices running an entirely different operating system for the holidays in the hopes that they will go along with your not-so-subtle hint and switch their entire mobile ecosystem to Google’s.

This man is out of control. For the record, Bozo has more credibility.

Velocity speed reading app [Sponsor]

Velocity is the only speed reading app designed and developed exclusively for iOS 7. Using a well-researched speed reading technique, you can breeze through your Instapaper or Pocket queue at superhuman speeds of up to 1,000 words per minute. Speed read websites, documents, or just about any text in one of Velocity’s 3 gorgeous themes and save more time than you know what to do with. See Velocity in action.

Samsung vs. Google

Tim Bajarin:

I think Samsung is working toward ditching Android completely sometime over the next three to five years to take complete control over its future. And this is where the backing of Tizen becomes interesting and important. Although Tizen has not attracted a lot of app support to date, if Samsung gets behind it and is able to prove to the market it will continue innovate around the platform, delivering hundreds of millions of smartphones and tablets annually under its brand, software developers would be crazy not to develop for it.

I’ve said it before—I think this is exactly what is going to happen. Without Samsung, Google’s importance in the mobile industry will be nowhere near what it is today.

The Mobile Writer

Get real writing done with iPads, iPhones, Android devices, Chromebooks, and other mobile hardware (including Microsoft Surface). Learn how top journalists, authors and public-relations professionals write using an array of mobile gadgets. Get recommendations on the best mobile hardware, software (apps!), and accessories.

All from one of the top technology journalists working today, Julio Ojeda-Zapata from Twincities.com and the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Writing on mobile devices is something we’re all doing more of these days.

Grateful

It’s a simple question that we often forget to ask ourselves. We’ve found that when we do, it helps us feel positive and remember the things that matter most. We built Grateful in the hopes that it helps you remember too.

The concept is simple: every day enter what you are grateful for. Over time you will have a delightful collection of memories and reminders that we all have something to be grateful for.

Great timing for releasing this app.

Messaging is next for Instagram

Om Malik:

Well-placed sources tell us that the company is gearing up to launch new private messaging features inside its still red-hot photo and video sharing service. It is also experimenting with the idea of group messaging, our source tells us. The new features are likely to find home in the next version of Instagram, which is expected before end of the year. An Instagram spokesperson (not surprisingly) declined to comment.

Om knows his stuff.

MightyDeals: MotoPress WordPress editor

Many thanks to MightyDeals for sponsoring The Loop’s RSS feed this week. This week MightyDeals is offering a great deal on MotoPress. It’s a WordPress plugin that replaces the default WP editor and makes content editing a snap. It uses a super easy drag-and-drop method, that works on all devices thanks to its responsive design. If you use WordPress, you’ll love this. See how it works.

Metallica “Through the Never” coming on DVD

If you didn’t get a chance to get to the theater to see Through the Never or want to re-live it a few more times, soon you will be able to watch it in the comfort of your own home. We’re super excited to hit you with the home version details as the film will be released on DVD, Blu-Ray, 3D Blu-Ray, digitally and V.O.D. (Video On Demand) on January 28, 2014 through our very own label, Blackened Recordings.

Life on iPad

Apple’s new iPad page. Definitely worth a look to see all of the different ways people are using iPads.

John Carmack leaves id Software

Carmack co-founded id Software in the early 90s. His work at the studio led to the creation of the Doom and Quake franchises, which helped shape the industry as we know it today.

So much respect for John and what he’s accomplished.

Responsive typography

When it comes to responsive type on the web, there’s more to do than just resizing the text’s container and having the text reflow inside of it.

Readable font please.

Changes to TextExpander touch SDK required

Yesterday, after a period of engagement with the App Review Team from Apple, they informed us that TextExpander’s use of Reminders for shared snippet data storage is not an intended use of Reminders and will no longer be accepted. TextExpander touch will not clear review until this is resolved. Apps which implement the current TextExpander touch SDK may not clear review until their TextExpander touch SDK is updated.

I love the people at Smile Software and hate to this kind of stuff happen to them. They care about their products and customers.

Letters Live

LETTERS LIVE is a new series of public events organised by Canongate which will bring to life some of the most important, inspiring and entertaining letters ever written.

I would love to go to this event in London.

Switch to HP tablets an “unmitigated disaster” for school

“The HP Elite Pad has proved to be an unmitigated disaster. We have met with HP representatives on a number of occasions to address the issues.

The story says the switch to e-books was a disaster, but the disaster was HP.

Principal Gleeson said it was “an informed decision” to choose the HP Elite tablet.

“A year and a half’s worth of research was put into choosing the right device for us.

Bullshit. Anyone that did research wouldn’t have the chosen an HP tablet—they would have gone with an iPad that is working in classrooms around the world. If I was a parent in this school district, I’d be out for the principals head.

Byword

Byword is one of my favorite Mac apps—I use it everyday. It was just updated with a number of improvements.

Bob Woodward wishes Snowden had come to him

In an interview with Larry King scheduled to run Thursday night, Bob Woodward talked about NSA leaker Edward Snowden. “I wish he’d come to me instead of others, particularly The Guardian, and I would have said to him ‘let’s not reveal who you are. Let’s make you a protected source and give me time with this data and let’s sort it out and present it in a coherent way,’ ” Woodward tells King.