| Today's Top 3 Stories |
| #1 | Out In The Open: Netflix Unleashes The Monkey That Keeps Its Systems Secure
| | | Netflix has open sourced another member of its "Simian Army," the monkey-monikered tools its engineers use to manage the enormous number of machines that drive its popular video streaming service. The latest is called Security Monkey, and it's a tool for monitoring and analyzing the security of its systems. (Wired)
Why This Is Important: Netflix reveals another member of its "Simian Army," called Security Monkey. The tool works with its user as it monitors configuration changes and, as such, could potentially help other companies face vulnerabilities and operate atop Amazon and other Cloud services.
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| | #2 | FTC: T-Mobile Knowingly Added Bogus Charges To Bills
| | | The Federal Trade Commission accused wireless carrier T-Mobile of adding bogus charges totaling "hundreds of millions of dollars" on customers' accounts without their consent. (USA Today)
Why This Is Important: According to the FTC, T-Mobile tacked fees onto cellphone bills through a practice called "cramming": labeling the charges as a result of third-party texting services. This case will most likely be the largest "cramming" case brought by federal authorities and the first brought against a phone provider.
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| | #3 | Google Buys Songza As Streaming Arms Race Heats Up
Songza showed just how easy it was to break into the streaming music market when it debuted its popular concierge feature in March 2012. Just six months later, the Queens-based startup–founded by FORBES 30 Under 30 Members Elias Roman, Peter Asbill, Elliot Breece and Eric Davich–had reached 2 million users and $1.5 million in funding. Today, Songza is the latest example of the escalation of the race among the world's largest tech companies to dominate the streaming space: Google purchased the company for an undisclosed sum. The total is said to be significantly more than the $15 million number reported last month before the deal was finalized. (Forbes)
Why This Is Important: Google raises the bar in the music-streaming space by buying Songza. As the two forces join together, they promise to not make immediate changes to the service but rather continue hand in hand to provide "the perfect soundtrack."
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"I was thrilled to see Google's acquisition of Songza today. Songza's innovative platform will be hugely complemented by Google's inside tech resources. I'm excited to see their app grow and continue to develop. As for Google, I see it as a smart recognition of a brand that understands the clean and user friendly experience that Google values. A fantastic partnership all around." -- Jordan Passman, founder ScoreAScore.
| | | Blog Post of The Day | The Secret Of Google X
By Robert X. Cringely
"All politics is local," said House Speaker Tipp O'Neill, meaning that every politician has to consider the effect that his or her positions will have on voters. What makes perfect sense on a national stage might be a disaster back in the district, where the actual voters live. And so it is, too, with big companies, where local impact is sometimes more important than national or international. Sometimes, in fact, companies can be completely re-routed solely to please or affect a single executive. I believe we are seeing precisely that right now at Google concerning Google X. More » |
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