Daily Crunch: Zen
2012-02-04 04:00:46
Here are some recent stories on TechCrunch Gadgets: The Zen Table Practices Mindfulness So You Don’t Have To The Wheel: What Is The Foxconn Debate Really About? iModela Adds CNC Milling To Your Home 3D Printing Arsenal

Micron Technology CEO Steve Appleton Dies in Airplane Crash
2012-02-04 00:23:03
Steve Appleton, who took charge of Micron Technology Inc. at 34 and went on to become the memory- chip industry’s longest-serving chief executive officer, died after crashing an experimental plane in Boise, Idaho. He was 51.

AutoTrader.com Said to Be in Talks for Initial Public Offering
2012-02-04 00:23:02
AutoTrader.com Inc., which runs a website linking buyers and sellers of new and used cars, is talking to banks about a potential initial public offering, a person with knowledge of the discussions said.

Facebook Javascript API Goes Down, Taking Down Likes, Comments And Apps With It
2012-02-03 23:22:57
I dare you to Facebook Like or even comment on this post. You can't, because the Facebook Javascript API, the backend system which allows developer applications and Facebook's own apps like Likes and Comments to communicate with the data available on the social network, is down, and has been down for at least an hour as far as I can tell, begging the question, 'If article falls on a blog and no one Likes it, does it make a sound?'

Investors Drive $ZNGA Up 26% In Two Days Following Facebook IPO Filing
2012-02-03 22:54:13
Those of us who have been following the social gaming industry already know that Zynga has made up a big portion of Facebook's revenues. But lots of public investors only seem to have gotten the memo on Wednesday evening, when Facebook's S-1 filing revealed that the developer made up 12% of its total revenues, or 5 million. In the two days since, Zynga's stock has gone up more than 26%, to close at .39 this evening.

I Use Wikipedia More Than Makeup
2012-02-03 22:27:07
I just donated to Wikipedia, because I promised myself I would every time I poked fun at its Holiday donation drive and then just never got around to it. Did you know that you could actually donate during the off-season (Via the covert 'Donate to Wikipedia' link at the far left of each individual entry page)? I didn't, before I asked Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales whether it was possible to donate in the off-season. Spoiler alert, it is. My 40 bucks got me, in addition to the very sweet 'Thank You' letter below, the satisfaction of paying duly for something I use all the time.

Panasonic Forecasts Record Billion Loss on Floods, Charges
2012-02-03 21:37:22
Panasonic Corp. almost doubled its annual loss forecast to a record 780 billion yen ( billion), the latest Japanese electronics company to predict weaker earnings because of Thailand floods and slowing demand for TVs.

Google Adjusts Political Posture With Sponsorship Of Conservative Conference
2012-02-03 21:09:02
In interesting but ultimately not very shocking news, Google has signed on as a major sponsor of the Conservative Political Action Conference, which is more or less what it sounds like. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just a little odd seeing Google, which is becoming increasingly political, listed next to such organizations as the Koch Institute, the Heritage Foundation, and the NRA. But this isn't the moment Google comes out as a closet Republican. It's actually quite in keeping with Google's position of aggressive neutrality.

Micron CEO Steve Appleton Dies in Airplane Crash
2012-02-03 19:10:33
A discussion with former Micron Technology board member Gordon Smith on the death of CEO Steve Appleton

Watch 2012 Super Bowl Commercials Now With Facebook + USA Today’s Ad Meter
2012-02-03 18:48:56
Want to watch the big budget Super Bowl commercials, but can't wait till Sunday or don't care about football? Facebook and USA Today have just launched Ad Meter, a Facebook app where you can watch many of the TV spots right now. Then from kickoff until Tuesday night you can vote for your favorites. Traditionally an offline poll done live with handheld meters, USA Today has finally brought Ad Meter online so you can judge ads both in real-time and post-game.

Pokki Gives Quick Access To Madden NFL Superstars, Just In Time For The Big Game
2012-02-03 18:00:32
It's the Super Bowl season, when a host of services and apps debut just in time for the biggest television event of the year. And, if you're a fan of Madden's NFL Superstars (a web app that's available through Facebook), then you'll like this launch: the game is now available as a Pokki right here. Pokki, for those that haven't used it, is a platform that lets you install lightweight apps that live in your Windows Taskbar (a Mac version is on the way). Each app gets its own icon — click on it, and the app will pop open immediately, click away and it'll hide itself, and when you click it again, it'll pick up right where you left off.

Arianna Wants To Put A Nap Room In TechCrunch HQ. LOL.
2012-02-03 17:48:36
Silicon Valley absolutely, positively doesn't need a nap room because in theory we don't sleep, let alone nap (and if we do need to nap -- like in an emergency -- we take that shiz home, far far away from hungry competitors!). Please Aol Mr. Sr. Facilities Manager, take that money and buy us a bunch of Diet Coke to drink late at night or that great beef jerky we used to have or a copyediting slave intern or passes to Burning Man or anything but a room specifically designed for being less productive.

Fear Not: Google Will Still Support The Verizon Galaxy Nexus
2012-02-03 17:29:23
Earlier this afternoon Droid-Life noticed something strange: the Android developer devices page had been modified to remove the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, leading the site to question whether Google may have removed support for the device because of its spat with Verizon over Google Wallet.  Which would stand to infuriate a lot of new Galaxy Nexus users (including myself), who are looking forward to receiving device updates directly from Google and not having to wait for Verizon to get around to pushing their own releases. Thankfully, we've confirmed this isn't the case: Google says it will indeed be updating the Verizon Galaxy Nexus in the future.

U.S. Government & Military To Get Secret-Worthy Android Phones
2012-02-03 16:50:16
The amount of stuff we trust to fly in and out of our smartphones is astounding. Just look at what happened when a couple of reporters got access to an unwitting (and rather unlucky) Apple employee's iMessages alone — within days, they learned more about him than most people know about their closest friends. Now, imagine all the stuff that could fly in and out of a government official's phone, or that of a highly-ranked member of the military. Forget saucy texts and booty pictures — we're talking about state secrets, here. Looking to keep their secrets underwraps while on the go, the U.S government is working on a build of Android custom-tailored to meet their security requirements.

Google Sponsors Conservative Conference
2012-02-03 16:46:10
Google Inc., whose chairman has served as an adviser to President Barack Obama, is one of the sponsors of this month’s Conservative Political Action Conference, co-hosted by the Tea Party.