Some recent saved favorites from Pocket:
Bitcoin Mining Chips, a High-Tech Arms Race: The easiest way to get a Bitcoin is to buy one. You can join drug dealers, speculators, and the curious by hopping onto an online exchange and purchasing one unit of the digital currency for, as of Nov. 11, about $340. – by Ashlee Vance – Tags: – http://mobile.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-14/2014-outlook-bitcoin-mining-chips-a-high-tech-arms-race
Why Google Play Music All Access beats Spotify hands down: Ever since Spotify was launched I’ve been a subscriber and huge fan of the service. I’ve sworn by it for years and have built extremely large playlists on the service and synchronized them with all of my devices. – by Owen Williams – http://thenextweb.com/google/2013/11/16/google-play-music-going-kill-spotify/
Offices For All! Why Open-Office Layouts Are Bad For Employees, Bosses, And Productivity: In part one of our two-part series, Fast Company senior editor Jason Feifer makes a case for giving all workers a little alone time–behind an office door. I had an office. Now I don’t. – http://www.fastcompany.com/3019758/dialed/offices-for-all-why-open-office-layouts-are-bad-for-employees-bosses-and-productivity
Rap Genius and Sony/ATV Reveal Licensing Deal (Exclusive): Rap Genius, the online lyric site with financial backing from Silicon Valley heavyweights, has signed its first licensing deal. Billboard has learned the Brooklyn-based startup has a licensing agreement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. A Rap Genius statement says the deal was finalized “earlier this year.” – by Glenn Peoples – http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/digital-and-mobile/5793024/rap-genius-and-sonyatv-reveal-licensing-deal-exclusive
How Amazon is building substations, laying fiber and generally doing everything to keep cloud costs down — Tech News and Analysis: If there’s anyone still left wondering how it is that large cloud providers can keep on rolling out new features and lowering their prices even when no one is complaining about them, Amazon Web Services Vice President and Distinguished Engineer James Hamilton spelled out the answer in one word d – by Derrick Harris – Tags: AWS: Reinvent,Cloud Computing,Data Centers,energy efficiency,iaas,Web Infrastructure – http://gigaom.com/2013/11/15/how-amazon-is-building-substations-laying-fiber-and-generally-doing-everything-to-keep-cloud-costs-down/
Facebook, Still Dominant, Strives to Keep Cachet: When Evan Spiegel peered into a crystal ball to divine a future for his company, Snapchat, he did not see Facebook. He saw something else, something much bigger — a social network that could exist on its own, outside Facebook. – by JENNA WORTHAM, NICOLE PERLROTH, VINDU GOEL – http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/18/technology/facebook-strives-to-keep-its-cachet.html
Snap Out of It: Kids Aren’t Reliable Tech Predictors: I believe the children aren’t our future. Teach them well, but when it comes to determining the next big thing in tech, let’s not fall victim to the ridiculous idea that they lead the way. Yes, I’m talking about Snapchat. – by Farhad Manjoo – http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303559504579202623459037550
Xbox One Vs. PS4: The Console Wars Are Just Getting Started: It’s quite possible that all that momentum Sony’s Sony’s had leading up to the launch of the PS4 will dry up now that the machine is in the wild. System issues, faulty HDMI ports, and a real lack of compelling first-party games all work against the next-gen console. – by Erik Kain – http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2013/11/16/xbox-one-vs-ps4-the-console-wars-are-just-getting-started/
The Giphoscope turns your favorite GIF into a hand-cranked work of art: If you were to accuse us of being fans of GIFs we wouldn’t disagree, but what happens when you want to share that perfect, singular moment away from the confines of a computer screens? One particularly beautiful solution is called The Giphoscope. – by Bryan Bishop – http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/17/5112314/the-giphoscope-turns-your-favorite-gif-into-a-hand-cranked-work-of-art