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26 Aug 2010 12:56

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Tech: Facebook thinks you shouldn’t use “-book” in your company’s name

  • We’ve been sitting here scratching our heads for the last couple of days. We’re trying to understand how Facebook, a multibillion-dollar company, feels this small enterprise in Chicago is any type of threat.
  • Teachbook managing director Greg Shrader • In disbelief that Facebook would bother to sue its company. Facebook, which is 84 percent owned by some guy who sells wood pellets, is suing the teaching management resource company because that’s what Facebook does. Any sympathy about the 84 percent lawsuit or the coke-stained movie just went out the window, kids. source

25 Aug 2010 22:14

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Politics: Could Lisa Murkowski make a third-party run in Alaska?

  • We are going to take a look at them and see whether the option is there or not, but it’s a decision she (Murkowski) has to make. There is an option I know of.
  • A staffer for Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski • On the possibility that Sarah Palin’s most hated enemy will take her campaign out of the Republican Party if she loses to Joe Miller. Murkowski was viciously attacked by Palin in the days prior to the election and still has a ton of money left in her coffers, so she can afford it. There’s a backstory to the Palin thing, too. Frank Murkowski, Lisa’s dad, snubbed Sarah when appointing Lisa to the seat. Later, Palin unseated the elder (and then-unpopular) Murkowski in the 2006 gubernatorial campaign. source

24 Aug 2010 20:29

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World: In Colombia, people make Facebook hit lists – and follow through

  • 69 Colombian teens randomly showed up on a Facebook hit list that told them to leave town or face execution
  • three have been killed since the list was first posted August 17; nobody knows why the list was posted
  • 31Colombian teens showed up on a second list on Friday; fear has taken over Puerto Asis source

21 Aug 2010 15:33

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Culture, U.S.: Fun fact about “The Social Network” compared to other biopics

  • Most movie studios, when making a biopic, try to lock down story rights from a main player in the movie. This is mainly so that they can more freely take artistic license with the plot. The Facebook-based movie, however, is based on the words of Eduardo Saverin, the jilted friend who was an early founder of the service. He gets sidelined during the movie, which instead focuses more on Mark Zuckerberg and Napster co-founder Sean Parker. They stiill took artistic license, though: There’s a mostly-made-up scene that involves dialogue by Parker (played by Justin Timberlake) in the midst of cocaine use off of naked breasts at a party. In other words, Aaron Sorkin still has it. source

20 Aug 2010 11:39

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Tech: Foursquare isn’t doing too bad considering, y’know, Facebook Places

  • cause Facebook launched its Foursquare-aping “Facebook Places” feature, leading many to claim that the service was going to die soon. Because that’s what Facebook does. They rip off other services.
  • effect Instead, Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley tweeted this: “Just heard from The @HarryH that today was @foursquare’s biggest day ever in terms of new user signups.” Hmm. Interesting. source

19 Aug 2010 09:29

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Tech: Facebook Places launch: The announcement was super-weird to us

Is it just us, or are Facebook product launches kind of like secret society rituals, what with the gongs and bizarre in-jokes and stuff? source

13 Aug 2010 11:17

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Tech: Google’s all on the defensive after that net neutrality thang

  • We’re not so presumptuous to think that any two businesses could – or should – decide the future of this issue. We’re simply trying to offer a proposal to help resolve a debate which has largely stagnated after five years.
  • A statement from Google • Regarding criticism it has faced since they decided to go down the net neutrality rabbit hole with Verizon. Their suggestion, which was to treat wireless internet networks differently from wired networks, has gone over like a lead balloon with net neutrality fans. Facebook has gotten in on the jabbing too, saying this in a statement the other day: “Preserving an open Internet that is accessible to innovators — regardless of their size or wealth — will promote a vibrant and competitive marketplace where consumers have ultimate control over the content and services delivered through their Internet connections.” Ouch. source
 

05 Aug 2010 00:12

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Tech: Facebook buyout: Friendster’s patents worth more than Friendster

  • $39.5 million the amount MOL Global paid for the also-ran, down on its luck social networking site, with a very depressing history, last year
  • $40 million the amount Facebook then paid MOL Global for Friendster’s broad patents on social networking (and a couple minor unrelated things) source

04 Aug 2010 10:39

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Politics: Slate breaks Sarah Palin’s Facbook Page comment deletion system

  • please dont let your daughter do a reality show : ( but i love your family and you ..hope thats just a rumor from the liberals.
  • A comment on Sarah Palin’s Facebook page • Which was subsequently deleted. Palin does this a lot – her Facebook page is immaculately vetted, something that seemed very likely to us when we noticed basically everyone on Palin’s Facebook page was pro-Sarah a couple of months ago. Palin’s staff deletes a lot of comments – good, bad, not really that bad at all – but fortunately for us, Slate devised a script that grabbed those comments so we could read them before they got deleted. Good show, guys. source

02 Aug 2010 09:22

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Tech: Dude behind Facebook lawsuit sounds like a piece of work

  • If at some point in the future I start running Facebook, I guess I’m going to have to hire him to keep running the company. I really don’t have much interest in it.
  • Paul “ripping off little old ladies for firewood” Ceglia • Explaining what he’d do if he gained ownership of Facebook in court. He claims that he would’ve never sued Facebook for ownership unless he had gotten into legal trouble over his wood-pellet business. The reason this smells: He apparently forgot that he once had a contract with Zuckerberg, which seems absurd considering that his company is so ubiquitous. Best part of this story: Someone ELSE claims that he owns a share of Facebook. “We’re going to lay claim that I own it,” said Andrew Logan, the owner of StreetDelivery. “[Ceglia] was under contract to me.” source