Media

eBay bidding soars for NY morgue fridge

It may never have crossed your mind what happens to morgue fridges when they're past their sell-by date.

It had never crossed mine either, until I came across a frisson of news from the New York Post.

For here was the announcement that New York state's Office of Mental Health had chosen eBay to sell an old morgue fridge. A Norlake Scientific 4 Drawer Morgue Refrigerator, to be precise.

Perhaps eBay bid the lowest to stage this macabre auction.

The listing has uplift at its core.

It doesn't try to lean on celebrity. There is no mention … Read more

Man jumps on tracks to get cell phone, killed by train

It's never worth it.

And yet this isn't the first time someone jumped down onto rail tracks in order to retrieve a cell phone.

As New York's 1010 Wins reports, a 22-year-old man is said to have dropped his cell phone on the tracks at White Plains Road and East 241st Street, in the Wakefield section of the Bronx.

Eyewitnesses said that it seemed like a crazy thing to do. One even speculated whether he was trying to commit suicide.

What is clear is that he was struck by the No. 2 train and killed. His identity … Read more

Twitter platform director Ryan Sarver departing

After four incredible, indelible years at Twitter the time has come for me to fly the coop. My last day will be June 28. No plans but rest.

— Ryan Sarver (@rsarver) May 31, 2013

Twitter platform director Ryan Sarver said today that he is leaving the company. Twitter is already looking to fill his position.

In a tweet sent today, Sarver announced his departure, saying that after four years at the social-networking giant, he is leaving on June 28. He has "no plans but rest."

Sarver's soon-to-be-vacant position is a big one. In the job listing Twitter … Read more

Twitter said to be prepping ad re-targeting exchange

Twitter is said to be readying an ad exchange that would let marketers target ads directly at users who have visited their Web sites.

According to AdAge, Twitter is hoping to challenge Facebook's own so-called re-targeting exchange, otherwise known as FBX. AdAge cited sources familiar with the project.

Since at least late last year, the company has met with several FBX partners who are well-versed in locating on Facebook people who had previously visited a brand's site and retargeting them with non-standard display ads on the social network, in hopes of luring them back to the brand site. … Read more

Instagram's Systrom: We're 'not a photography company'

SAN FRANCISCO -- Instagram is not a photography company.

That message, which might shock some of the 100 million-plus people who have uploaded more than 5 billion photos to Instagram, is what co-founder Kevin Systrom made clear during a discussion tonight among him and co-founder Mike Krieger and Digg founder and Google Ventures partner Kevin Rose.

The discussion, part of the Commonwealth Club's Inforum series, was an opportunity for hundreds of Instagram fans to hear first-hand a bit of the history -- and perhaps some of the future -- of the popular photo-sharing app. Even if that's not … Read more

Why the Grumpy Cat movie is a bad idea

I don't mean to sound all grumpy, but now that the news of Grumpy Cat getting a movie deal has sunk in, I'm feeling pretty frowny about the Internet-famous cat's future in Hollywood.

Don't get me wrong. I have serious love for Grumpy Cat. The three-Grumpy-Cat-moon image is the background on my iPad. I very nearly bought that hideous Grumpy Cat belt at Hot Topic. I might still buy it.

Let's just say the announcement of producer Todd Garner and his company aiming for a "Garfield"-style feature film about the feline doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in me. After all, he was the man behind Adam Sandler's 2011 flop "Jack and Jill." What, was Martin Scorsese not available, or just not interested?… Read more

Woz: Apple's tax practices are stinky

Steve Wozniak thinks like Mitt Romney.

Well, a little. It's not that he quite believes corporations are people too. It's more that he thinks corporations should be taxed like people too.

Corporations like Apple, for example.

At a conference in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Woz told Sky News on Thursday: "Criticism of Apple's tax policies is extremely warranted, in my mind, but my explanation is rather long and difficult."

It's a pity he wasn't asked to testify before the Senate last week. Its members seemed to have all day to listen to Tim Cook. … Read more

'Arrested Development' a bust? Netflix laughs off the critics

When Netflix's "Arrested Development" landed this week, it was with more of a thud than, say, whatever sound would be produced by the catlike agility of a Tobias Funke.

"Arrested Development" succeeded in generating tremendous hype for Netflix, but the initial lukewarm reception suggests the show kicked the can down the road, rather than rocketing the company forward, in regard to its ambitions to become a high-profile source of original programming.

Original shows and films are en vogue now, with the likes of Hulu and Amazon investing in exclusive programs. The hope is that the … Read more

Physicists rejoice! Will Smith is one of you

Physicists can sometimes feel neglected.

Not always the party types, their lack of screen presence makes them seem weird, peculiar, and other-worldly.

Famous actor and renowned non-Scientologist Will Smith intends to narrow that gap. He knows that physics is the core of human life.

How can I make such a provocative statement?

Well, because I just read an interview he and his son Jaden gave to New York magazine, one intended, I think, to promote their new movie "After Earth."

In it, Smith boldly goes where few actors have gone before in declaring: "At heart, I am … Read more

Justin Timberlake tops billing of iTunes Festival this year

Apple will be beaming Justin Timberlake to your iPhone this fall, when he headlines more than 60 acts at this year's iTunes Festival in London. But you'll need to vie in local media competitions if you want a chance to see him bring "sexy back" in person for free.

Other top performers include Thirty Seconds to Mars, Jack Johnson, and Jessie J.

Every night in September, performances can be watched live or on-demand by iOS users around the world on the iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, as well as on iTunes on computers or Apple TV. … Read more