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grants

Wikimedia receives $500,000 from Hewlett Foundation

The nonprofit organization that operates Wikipedia has received a $500,000 grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to expand its effort to make educational information freely accessible.

"The enormous popularity of Wikipedia and its collaborative premise make the Wikimedia Foundation an ideal vehicle for spreading the open educational resources movement," Barbara Chow, director of the education program at Hewlett, said in a statement.

A Wikimedia representative said the grant is coming at a "critical time" for the foundation that operates the online encyclopedia.

"We've just begun the planning that will help us … Read more

Wikipedia gets $890,000 for the Luddites

Anyone who's ever edited or created a Wikipedia entry can attest to the fact that it's not that self-explanatory. They're in luck--the nonprofit anyone-can-edit encyclopedia has received $890,000 from the Stanton Foundation in order to make it easier to use.

More specifically, the grant was given to the Wikimedia Foundation, the organization that encompasses Wikipedia. It'll fund the hire of three new software developers in the foundation's San Francisco office. Then, per a press release, the team will "commission research to identify the most common barriers to entry for first-time writers, and then … Read more

Get precisely measured salad dressing every time

I like salads. I can't think of any meal that is more customizable. Basically, you cut a bunch of stuff up and throw it in a bowl. Which as a definition for salad suits me just fine. Whether I decide chunks of meat constitute a salad or opt for a vegetable-based ensemble, as long as it's in a bowl, I call it a salad. (As long as it's not soup, that is). More often than not, as a final touch, I reach for oil and vinegar.

Oil and vinegar are a classic combination and offer even more … Read more

Facebook: 600 developers applied for funding

Facebook is moving to the next step of its $10 million FBFund developer grant program, the company announced Friday in a blog post by employee Catherine Lee. The first round, announced early in August, is now closed, and 25 winning proposals will be announced on September 22; 5 final winners will be chosen out of all first-round winners who apply for the second round, and winners will wind up with grant money between $25,000 and $250,000.

"Our team has been busy reviewing each submission and we're amazed and excited by what we've seen," Lee … Read more

Facebook kicks off developer funding competition

Developers, start your engines: submissions are now open for the developer application contest that Facebook created for its FBFund grant program. Winning developers, who submit business plans for their prototypical Facebook Platform applications, will receive between $25,000 and $250,000 in grant money. The company plans to give away $10 million total.

The contest was originally detailed at this year's F8 conference, in which the 10 original FBFund selectees were also unveiled.

Monday saw the kickoff of the competition's Round 1, in which 25 winning proposals announced on September 22 will each be awarded $25,000. The … Read more

Facebook is the weapon when friends fall out

What do you do when you fall out with a schoolfriend?

Do you call them the next day and make nice?

Do you call all your mutual friends and tell them the schoolfriend is muck on legs?

Or do you ignore them for the rest of your life, deciding that removing them from your orbit removes the bad karma they brought with them?

According to a case that is currently lowering the mood in the UK's High Court, another option is to create a false Facebook profile of your ex-friend, accusing him of being corrupt in business and making … Read more

Critics play chicken with 'GTA IV'

There can be little doubt that the midnight Tuesday release of Grand Theft Auto IV will be one of the biggest events of the year in video games, both from a business and entertainment standpoint--and from the perspective of politicians, organizations, and individuals seeking to derail the game due to what they expect to be an overabundance of violence and sex.

But after sifting through all these press releases, e-mails, statements, and demands that the world's retailers and parents run screaming from GTA IV, it's striking that none of the people behind these missives have seen the game, … Read more

Where cheaters never prosper

EPISODE 54

The men of the 404 are here with Chris Grant from Joystiq.com, who talks with us about Governor Spitzer's resignation, more importantly BioShock's highly anticipated sequel, Xbox 360's price drop overseas, and a Web site for storing files an easier way.

Listen now: Download today's podcast