Social networking

PORTOLA VALLEY, Calif.--Everyone wants to know what groups of people--large and small--are thinking in real time. But there has never really been a good way to figure it out.

That's the proposition behind the new startup from former Sun CEO Scott McNealy, called Wayin, which thinks it has the answer.

Wayin, which launched last night, is a system that aims to give people a way to share their thoughts about things--be it a question related to a live baseball game, a political debate, or the passing of a tech titan--in real time. Essentially, said McNealy at a … Read more

When I first heard that Apple had delivered a new, intelligent, and very personal assistant to everyone who buys an iPhone 4S, one question gripped me: Why had the company named her after Tom Cruise's daughter? Was this a neat Hollywood homage?

Then I paid attention a little more and realized she was not called Suri, but Siri.

I am told, though, that most of Japan also paid attention and realized she was not called Suri, but Buttocks.

So many people have sent me the cheeky information that when you say "Siri" in Japanese it means "… Read more

Facebook is expanding its vocabulary.

Recently at f8, Facebook's developer conference, the company introduced a series of action verbs into its social platform. "Read," "Watch," and "Listen," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained, were added to help build a "language for how people connect."

The one missing word, of course, was "Buy." That's really why Facebook and its army of content partners from news, publishing, music, and film and TV are rushing to set up shop on the famous platform with 750 million users. The overriding idea is that … Read more

Strong management support would seem to be key for a new product's success. After all, if the company behind it doesn't demonstrate an interest or confidence in the product, why should anyone else?

Which would make one wonder: if Google executives can't be bothered to use their own social network, what makes them think the rest of us will? That's the question that immediately leaps to mind when one considers the findings of Michael DeGusta, who recently counted how many times Google's senior leadership has posted to Google+ since its launch three months ago.

What … Read more

In a message it posted today, Wikipedia said it has hidden the Italian-language portion of the site due to a new law proposed by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's administration. According to the message, the site section will remain hidden while the law is being debated in Italian parliament and could face permanent deletion, if the law is passed. The Italian front page of the open encyclopedia is currently being redirected to the same message in Italian.

The law, called "DDL intercettazioni" (Wiretapping Act), provides "a requirement to all Web sites to publish, within 48 hours of … Read more

If 11-year-olds can easily sign up to Facebook, surely they are smart enough to do all sorts of other naughty things--like downloading pirated TV shows and, well, other types of film that 11-year-olds should most definitely not watch.

It seems, though, that Microsoft, perhaps channeling the security philosophy of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, is intending to do something about the rampant deterioration of our society's moral core and pip.

For Geekwire reports that the company has applied for a patent on technology that would allow it to guess the age of anyone using an Xbox 360 peripheral.… Read more

After five months at sea, British adventurer and environmental advocate Roz Savage made landfall this morning in Mauritius, completing her solo row across the Indian Ocean and becoming the first woman to row solo across the "big three": the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian.

Savage, 43, set off from Australia five months ago in her 23-foot rowboat. After rowing more than 4,000 miles, she arrived in Grand Baie, Mauritius, today.

In total, she has rowed about 15,000 miles and spent more than 500 days at sea. She completed the Atlantic row in 2005, and then went on … Read more

Perhaps, like me, you tend to think of these people as characters in a movie.

So please allow me to reveal that Justin Timberlake is now on Twitter and his first 140 (or less)-character utterance has been to seek forgiveness from Jesse Eisenberg.

Yes, Sean Parker, he who seems to have played significant roles in Napster and Facebook, to say nothing of the Timberlake-Eisenberg vehicle "The Social Network," has decided to forsake his past and tweet.

His first short, deep thought reads like this: "Sorry Zuck, I had to do it eventually. (Actually @scooterbraun made me … Read more

A U.S. District Court judge has ruled that Facebook's new Timeline feature should not be subject to a temporary restraining order after claims were brought against it last week by Chicago-based Timelines.com.

The ruling, which came down on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, also included a request that both sides argue their cases in court tomorrow. In addition, according to PaidContent, which obtained a copy of the ruling, Facebook has agreed to not launch the Timeline feature publicly for now and will provide a daily update on how many … Read more