David Lidsky's Blog, page 4679

Microsoft Sues Salesforce.com, Alleging a Whopping Nine Patent Violations

CNET is reporting that Microsoft has filed a federal lawsuit against Salesforce.com, accusing the software provider of nine separate patent violations. According to SEC filings, this isn't a new development, but rather the apparent end of negotiations.

Back in January, Salesforce.com, which distributes several types of subscription business software, included in their SEC filing that they were "in discussions" with "a large technology company," evidently Microsoft.

 

"During fiscal 2009, we...

What's New in the Newest iPhone 4 Beta: Is That Tethering I See?

iPhone OS 4.0, which will ship with the next version of Apple's iPhone (and, later, the iPad), has been available to developers in beta form for awhile now, in three consecutive versions. The newest, iPhone 4.0 Beta 4, just came out today, and it's got some new features we haven't seen before, as discovered by Gizmodo.

First is aesthetic--utilities like the calculator and compass are by default grouped into a "Utilities" folder on the homescreen, and there are a bunch of new wallpapers. Those...

Facebook to Offer "Simplistic" Privacy Choices in Response to User Confusion

Though it wasn't from the mouth of the Zuck, Facebook's head of public policy, a man by the name of Tim Sparapani, revealed soon-to-be released plans for a simpler web of Facebook settings. 

As a primer, you can check out this insane infographic of Facebook's privacy settings, compiled by the New York Times--it's ridiculously overwhelming, and many users simply can't be bothered to learn all the ins and outs of such a complex system. But then, you can't just replace such a system with a few...

BP Releases Four Disturbing New Videos of Gulf Oil Leak

Remember that 30 second video we posted last week of the main oil leak at the Deepwater Horizon site? That was just a teaser compared to these four videos that BP released after a request from Senators Bill Nelson of Florida and Barbara Boxer of California. And they're just a harbinger of what's to come--BP agreed this week to release all video footage of the spill. The bad news: the spill looks really, really bad. The good news: scientists might be able to use the video to check whether...

Yahoo Buys Associated Content, Scores 380,000 Freelancers and Boatloads of Cheap Content

Yahoo announced today that they've agreed to acquire Associated Content for $100 million. Associated Content is an online publisher (and, up until now, distributor) of content from hundreds of thousands of freelancing contributors. They'll buy a writer's content and publish it through their own network, which is pretty successful--they've got about 16 million unique readers per month, which is a very respectable number.

Yahoo's currently competing with another bastion of Web 1.0 (also known...

ICFF 2010: Mio Designs Sustainable Rain Jackets From Tyvek, Pop-Up Bike Baskets, More

MIO unveils a line of simple, thoughtful products at ICFF 2010.

Super-expensive furniture usually dominates ICFF, but the cleverest stuff is often the most modest. MIO, a small company out of Philadelphia, focuses on sustainability, but their lighthearted designs don't shout about it. Founded by two brothers, Jaime and Isaac Salm, the company produces refreshingly inexpensive wares.

Maybe their best new product was the Pop Up series, which comes as both a trashbin and a bike basket. It comes...

Panasonic, Skype Want You to Talk to Your TV, for Google-Rivaling VoIP Plan

Well what'd you know? As soon as we get interested about Google's rumored TV tie-up with Sony and its potential plans for Skype rivalry, up pops Panasonic. It's just announced a deal with Skype to bring VoIP to your Panny TV.

The new system won't be available on any old Panasonic unit, however--it'll have to be a 2010 IPTV one enabled with the company's proprietary Viera Cast system. You'll also need Panasonic's "Skype-enabled communication camera," which comes with a pretty high recommended...

A Changed Generation: Scott Harrison | charity: water

Unfulfilled by a decadent career in the nightlife industry, Scott Harrison founded charity: water and now gives 100% of money raised to fresh water projects around the world and teaches sustainability to the communities in need.

Scott HarrisonFounder, CEO of charity: water

Fast Company: Where did you grow up?Scott Harrison: I was born in Philadelphia, PA and grew up in Hunterdon Country, NJ.

What occupation did your parents have?  My father was a businessman working as an executive for a small...

Got Something to Say? Make the Most Of Fast Company's Comments and Profiles

Have you noticed the new comments appearing on Fast Company postings this week? If not, shame on you! An entirely new system has successfully swung into action, so to help you work it out, along with our new user profiles, read this: 

The upgraded comments now support threading, and unlike our previous comments system it's moderated to keep the spammers and scammers at bay. That means you'll need to submit a comment and get approved by a moderator before joining in discussions and updating...

Burgerville Offers Personalized Calorie Counts on Receipts, You Want Thighs With That?

Think about what you hope for when you buy a meal from a local fast
food joint--speed, convenience, taste, and maybe even
sustainably-sourced ingredients if you're lucky. But a low-calorie
meal? Probably not that high on the list. Burgerville, a fast food
chain in the Pacific Northwest that highlights local, seasonal food, aims to change that by providing custom
nutritional information on receipts. The receipt system is being rolled
out to all 39 Burgerville locations this week. But does it...