Is Twitter censoring itself already?

Twitter lovers: Cherish, these days, because soon they’ll be gone. Last night several Twitter users managed to get several lewd phrases into the trending topics leaderboard, but they were quickly removed. (Read/Write Web reporter Jolie O’Dell, who reported the story, couldn’t decide whether those phrases were totally inappropriate for the Internet, or whether you should check out her screengrabs of them. Pick one, Jolie, pick one.)

It seems inevitable that Twitter’s management will choose to … Continue Reading

Smaller crowd, less frustration at iPhone 3G S launch

Apple‘s launch for the new model of its iPhone, the 3G S, seems to have been less eventful than last year’s launch of the 3G, in both good and bad ways.

There were fewer people gathered outside the Apple Store in downtown San Francisco; where the line extended to mind-boggling lengths last year, it was barely longer than a block this morning. On the bright side, the launch also appeared free of last year’s screwups, … Continue Reading

Video: Live from the Apple Store at 7 am

The line for iPhone 3G S models this morning extended less than a block – -nothing like the snaking mob that wrapped around the corner for the 3G release last year. I shot a great interview with dedicated first-in-line guy Adam Jackson and then pressed the wrong button on my Flip. Lucky for me, KGO’s Jim McSweeney was there to recap the event. Also, Stitcher‘s marketing guy gives me a flyer. And there’s a dog.… Continue Reading

Video: Intel's bullshit filter exposes disputed information on the Internet

Intel’s researchers have figured out how to expose lies on the Internet. They’ve launched a tool dubbed Dispute Finder that lets you see highlighted text in a news story where the information is disputed. I call it a bullshit filter.

Working with researchers at the University of California at Berkeley, Intel Labs created an open source plug-in for the Firefox web browser that will automatically highlight text that other web users have reported as inaccurate … Continue Reading

Facebook launches Persian version

Facebook has rushed out a Persian UI in the wake of the Iranian election to give Iranians an interface in their native language. Anyone logging in to Facebook who has their browser set to Persian will now automatically see the Persian version of the site.

You can also change your Facebook language to Persian here.

Here’s what Facebook’s blog has to say about the new option:

Since the Iranian election last week, people around the … Continue Reading

No. 2 Electronic Arts exec John Pleasants on his defection to hot startup Playdom

A couple of weeks ago, Electronic Arts executive John Pleasants told me how excited he was to help that giant video game company adjust the age of the Internet.

Now he’s bolted from Electronic Arts and joined one of the hottest social gaming startups, Playdom.

That’s sort of like Joe Biden quitting his job as  Vice President of the United States to become the mayor of Las Vegas. EA has 9,000 employees, while Playdom has … Continue Reading

DNA-decoding startup 23andMe raises another $2.6M from Google

Google has invested another $2.6 million in 23andMe, the genetics startup co-founded by Anne Wojcicki (who’s married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin). The funding was revealed in a regulatory filing first spotted by Silicon Alley Insider.

Mountain View, Calif.-based 23andMe charges a $399 fee to provide customers with information about their genes, such as their predisposition to different diseases and their ancestry. Customers spit into a tube, send it to the company’s lab, then four … Continue Reading

Sony to launch web-connected movie trivia Blu-ray app in September

Sony announced today that it will launch MovieIQ, a service that delivers up movie trivia and information to Blu-ray movie watchers.

The new service will launch in September on Blu-ray devices that can hook up to the Internet to fetch data associated with the particular disc being played.

With MovieIQ, you can call up trivia related to the exact movie scene you’re watching by just pushing a button on your remote. You can, for instance, … Continue Reading

Iranian protesters using Israeli software

Fring co-founder and CEO Avi Shechter — you may remember him as CEO of the AIM-like ICQ — was interviewed by Sky News about the use of Fring by protesters/dissidents/activists/rock-throwing-brats in Tehran. Fring, an Israeli company, not only runs VoIP calls over a data connection, it allows protesters in Tehran to reach Facebook and Twitter, which the Iranian government has blocked in an attempt to cut off protesters from each other and the rest of … Continue Reading

Demand response co. EnerNOC takes on carbon

EnerNOC has gained momentum as a major player in demand response — the system that allows utilities to balance power between homes and businesses based on who needs it most — and has now turned its attention to carbon management with the acquisition of eQuilibrium Solutions.

EnerNOC has long been interested in expanding its portfolio of energy control services, and eQuilibirum seems like a logical fit. The Boston-based startup will bring a software platform that … Continue Reading

Executive revolving door spins fast as EA rehires Microsoft game exec

Electronic Arts and Microsoft are trading executives the way sports teams trade star players.

The revolving door between the two companies spun again as EA rehired John Schappert as its chief operating officer. Schappert was head of Microsoft’s game services such as Xbox Live. He will be returning to a job he vacated in 2007 to join Microsoft.

Schappert replaces John Pleasants, who is leaving EA to become chief executive of social gaming startup Playdom. … Continue Reading

Google Book Search making books more web-friendly

Google Book Search announced some new features today, making it easier to find and share the content you’re looking for in the search giant’s archive of scanned books and magazines. It’s clear that Book Search is moving away from being just a landing site for reading to become more of a tool that brings the content in books to the rest of the web.

The problem with Book Search for me is that I haven’t … Continue Reading

Playdom nabs EA executive, social gaming growing up fast

Playdom is one of the larger game developers on social networks, and it’s making lots of money from virtual goods. Unlike older, more established gaming companies like EA, its business outlook is looking good. This explains how the company has pulled off a coup and hired EA chief operating officer John Pleasants as its new chief executive.

Pleasants has been busy trying to build out EA’s online business, and the hire makes one wonder how … Continue Reading

Offerpal adds analytics service to help game developers make money

Offerpal, a company best known for providing advertising offers within social games, is making its service a little bit more comprehensive today. It’s introducing an analytics tool that lets game developers track a variety of information about users themselves, and what they do inside of a game.

This could potentially make developers more money. The tool can track demographic information, offer clicks and completions, click-through rates and a variety of other revenue data. Offerpal’s interest … Continue Reading

Water rises at European cleantech events, VCs take note

European venture capital investments into clean technology companies are small potatoes compared the U.S., but they’re picking up.

More than 20 new funds invest in the European cleantech sector every month, according to a new study from VB Research. And this week, not one but two, well-attended events showcased startups in the space looking for capital.

Here at Barcelona’s HiT World Innovation Summit, water has been the recurring theme (and not just due to the … Continue Reading

Mystery car could sweep the efficient-vehicle market

If you haven’t heard of the V-Vehicle Co. before, you’re in good company. The stealthy new car maker just unveiled plans to produce a fuel-efficient vehicle that could change the game for greener cars — before most of them even hit the market. The company already has a factory in the works in Louisiana, thanks to John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (a firm known for partner Al Gore and its green leanings) … Continue Reading

Intel Labs prototypes virtual world for scientists

Intel is showing off a number of cool research projects today at its research day event in Santa Clara, Calif. But the coolest of all is a project called ScienceSim, which is an effort to create interconnected 3-D virtual worlds that scientists can use for experiments.

The worlds will be able to connect to each other as needed, says Intel chief technology officer Justin Rattner.

The company will debut the effort, in concert with university … Continue Reading

Coda Automotive looks for funds to beat Tesla's Model S to market

Coda Automotive, the small electric vehicle developer that just might beat Tesla Motors to an affordable sedan, is looking for a third round of funding to get its car in showrooms by next fall. With its fingers in several pies, the company is also hoping for a $38 million slice of the stimulus funds earmarked for advanced battery makers.

Tesla, which is already delivering its luxury roadster to customers, says its family-friendly sedan, the Model … Continue Reading