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∞ EU okays Microsoft Skype buyout

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Reuters: Microsoft secured EU approval on Friday to purchase internet voice and video service Skype for $8.5 billion, its biggest ever acquisition. The commission noted that Microsoft and Skype overlap, but doesn’t think there are concerns about monopoly since other … Continued

∞ Microsoft considering Yahoo bid

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Reuters: Microsoft Corp is considering a bid for Yahoo Inc, resurfacing as a potential buyer after a bitter and unsuccessful fight to take over the Internet company in 2008, sources close to the situation said on Wednesday. Microsoft is the … Continued

∞ Macminicolo [Sponsor]

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The Mac mini is too small. The Mac mini is going to be killed by Apple. The Mac mini isn’t meant to be a server. Seven years and thousands of Mac minis later, Macminicolo remains the original and largest Mac … Continued

∞ App Cubby

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I’d like to thank App Cubby for sponsoring this week’s RSS feed on The Loop. Keep an eye on App Cubby, the best is yet to come.

∞ The Monty Hall problem

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Chris Martucci: I came across the Monty Hall Problem while reading last night, and initially, I thought the author must have been mistaken. Of course, he made no mistake. He did, however, succeed in proving the common failures of human … Continued

∞ Michael Arrington: Uncrunched

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Michael Arrington: One thing I knew for sure was that I’d never trick readers, or lie to them, or otherwise be shady. It’s not me. And even if it was me, it’s too easy to get caught. The easy path … Continued

∞ Having a voice

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I don’t usually link to articles written about me, but this one is different. Chris Martucci emailed me a few questions on how I choose what to post on The Loop. I looked at his site and like it, so … Continued

∞ The Bro Show: A pea fell out of the beard

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I did an interview for The Bro Show this afternoon with Myke Hurley and Terry Lucy from the UK. We talked about all kinds of things, including RIM, Final Cut Pro, The Loop 2.0, and more.

∞ Study shows $500 billion lost to patent trolls since 1990

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Ars Technica: …Three Boston University researchers have produced a rigorous empirical estimate of the cost of patent trolling. And the number is breath-taking: patent trolls (“non-practicing entity” is the clinical term) have cost publicly traded defendants $500 billion since 1990. … Continued

∞ Obama signs patent overhaul bill into law

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PC World: U.S. President Barack Obama has signed the America Invents Act, the first major overhaul of the U.S. patent system in about 50 years. The America Invents Act, passed 89-9 by the U.S. Senate last week, would allow new challenges to … Continued

∞ Arrington 'decided' to leave TechCrunch

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AllThingsD: He was replaced by longtime TechCrunch editor Erick Schonfeld. The company’s statement said that the high-profile blogger had “decided” to move on, which was adecided understatement, given the negotiations between the pair sometimes approximated a cage match. “You can’t fire … Continued

∞ Dropping 'the' when describing products

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Geoffrey A. Fowler And Yukari Iwatani Kane for WSJ: Nintendo Co.’s website shows gamers “what Wii is all about.” As far back as 1984, Apple Inc. said in a commercial that it would “introduce Macintosh.” Today, an Apple video enthuses: … Continued

∞ Atari founder wants one-year high school

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IndustryGamers: Atari founder and gaming guru Nolan Bushnell believes that educational video games area potential form of synergy that could revolutionize the educational system in the United States.  Bushnell remains confident enough to proclaim that if implemented correctly, the average high … Continued

∞ Bartz: Yahoo 'f***ed me over'

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Fortune: On Tuesday, Bartz was in New York, to speak at Citigroup’s (C) technology conference the next day, when she was supposed to call Bostock at 6 p.m. “I called him at 6:06,” she recalls. When he got on the … Continued

∞ Sometimes it's better to just say no

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Air Users Blog: A week after starting I had to tell her that I was unable to complete the project. I had more chance of growing tits than giving her an album worth pressing. Mixing an album takes a lot … Continued

∞ Android started at Apple

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Florian Mueller: I just provided a detailed update on the current state of affairs in the ITC investigation of Apple’s first complaint against HTC, and I saved a true gem for this separate blog post. It’s a story that’s remarkable … Continued

∞ Welcome to The Loop 2.0

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The Loop turned two years old in June and this is by far the biggest change the site has seen since its launch. I wanted to take a couple of minutes to explain the changes and why they were made. … Continued

∞ Walmart's VUDU iPad service sidesteps App Store

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Walmart announced Wednesday support for the iPad with its VUDU streaming movie service. What’s intriguing is that it’s doing this through a Web app rather than a native app that runs on iOS.

∞ Internet Explorer IQ study was a hoax

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BBC: A story which suggested that users of Internet Explorer have a lower IQ than people who chose other browsers appears to have been an elaborate hoax. A number of media organisations, including the BBC, reported on the research, put … Continued