Netizen

Image via CrunchBaseThe Next Web: Samsung: We can’t rely on Google, so we addressed Android IP issues on our own
The Economist: Asia’s new model company
The Economist: Samsung: The next big bet

This was not supposed to be. Now Samsung has also agreed to pay Microsoft extortion money. A PC equivalent of this bad behavior would be if Microsoft had managed to get money from Red Hat and other Linux companies. An Android equivalent would be if Microsoft had managed to get money from Baidu, a Chinese company that also has a mobile operating system out there. Baidu is not paying a dime.

Motorola Mobility is Google's shot at throwing Microsoft to the ground on this. If Motorola Mobility refuses to pay Microsoft money and wins, the other giants - HTC, Samsung - will also be able to follow suit. But Google is moving too slow with digesting Motorola Mobility. Software is Google's DNA. But the hardware part of the smartphone is important enough.

Done right this could be the Android dec…

Cover of Amitabh BachchanTechCrunch: Google And Samsung Announce October 11 Event: Nexus Prime Imminent
The Prime, which has been rumored for months but is still unconfirmed, is expected to be the first device running Ice Cream Sandwich — the next major Android update, which will unify for ‘mobile’ Gingerbread OS with ‘Tablet’ Honeycomb. .... It's also expected to be a beast specs-wise, with a dual-core processor, 4.5″ or 4.65″ screen, and 4G. Oh, and my favorite rumor: it’s supposed to be running on Verizon’s top-notch 4G network.... Google’s Nexus line of phones, which have included the Nexus One and Nexus S before now, are unique in that they come with ‘Vanilla’ Android, without any carrier or OEM modifications. They’re also typically the very first devices to get updates as they’re released by the Android team..... perhaps we’ll see a Nexus tablet as well. October 11 is not my real birthday, just making sure you know. Don't be sending birthday gifts. I have never celeb…

The Next Web: Amazon’s 7-inch Kindle Fire is $199.99
The Next Web: Amazon unveils super cheap $79 Kindle ebook reader
Reuters: Amazon's New Tablet, Live
Los Angeles Times: Amazon Kindle Fire tablet: $199, 7-inch screen, ships Nov. 15
The Next Web: Amazon announces Kindle touch for $99, Kindle touch 3G for $149, Nov 21st
Wired: Playing With Fire: Amazon Launches a $200 Tablet, Slashes Kindle Prices
New York Times: Live Blogging the Amazon Tablet Announcement

Image via CrunchBaseI have been to the Bay Area. I have been to northern California. And by that I don't mean the Bay Area. By northern California I mean parts of that state from where the Bay Area looks south. I have been to Los Angeles. I have been to San Diego. I have been to the valley. And by that I don't mean Silicon Valley. I mean California's vast farmlands. I have been.

I have seen the Oracle buildings. They look just like in the pictures. I have walked on the campus of Stanford University. It is just beautiful. It is an amazing, amazing place to be. I might be exhibiting some Global South bias in appreciating the architecture of the Stanford campus. What stood out for me were the Mexican style tiles. I have been.

And I have read up on it. Silicon Valley has got to be just the most fascinating place on earth. It is myth. It is legend. But the difference between Silicon Valley and New York City today is that Silicon Valley is like this giant, mature corporation, …

Image by Markusnl via FlickrUgh. I don't believe this. They have a court date for me. No, it is not in Chicago. No, it is not after a gap of two years from the last scheduled court date. Why, it is as early as in 2012!

Paul Graham, Brad Feld, Me, BBC
Reluctant Video Blogger
Ugh, Immigration (4)
Questions Prepared By My Lawyer For Immigration Court Date Tomorrow
Immigration Court Date: June 6, 2011: Prepared Statement
Immigration Limbo
Immigration Mess/Humiliation And Window Shopped Tech Entrepreneurship

Monday, September 26
7-11:30pm Monday Night Football party hosted by The Sporting News & Gary Vaynerchuk
Slate NY, 54 W 21st St
F to 23 St

Tuesday, September 27
7:00pm Demos and Drinks
Gallery Bar, 120 Orchard Street
F to Delancey

Wednesday, September 28
12:00-1:00 PM Tech transfer: Patents, start-ups, and technology licensing at Columbia
Columbia University, Medical Center Campus, Russ Berrie Conference Room 2
A to Washington Heights

12:00-1:30pm Jason Scott: The Rise of the Metadata Warrior
New York Public Library (NYPL Labs), 476 Fifth Avenue South Court Auditorium
F to 42 St

2:30pm-5:00pm+ E-Social Summit
Microsoft Technology Center: New York
1290 Avenue of the Americas, 5th Floor
F to 47-50 St

6:30 PM NY Alt Net Meetup: How Cheezburger.com Manages its Schema Migrations and Deployments
Microsoft Offices, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor

Thursday, September 29
6:30-9:30pm Digital DUMBO's Fashion Night Out: Official T-Shirt Release Party with Brooklyn In…

Image via WikipediaWater has overtaken Brazil as the top search term for this blog. And this blog post is now the top visited post at this blog: Why I Liked The Charity Water Party.

Brazil

What happened? My passion came through? I am so impressed with the Google search engine right now. Their algorithm seems to be able to sense the passion in your voice.

Source: Sean Parker

Image by bsimser via FlickrEarlier I listened to a few tunes that Facebook informed me my friends had listened to and it was a good experience. I greatly liked it. And I am also noticing that Facebook now does a much, much better job of letting visitors to my page see all my activities. You get a time stamp next to each action on my part. It is now so much easier for anyone to stay in touch with me.

The subscribe thing is the best thing Facebook ever did. I don't think you should be one person to your friends and another person to your fans. And we all deserve to have a few fans.

I have not fully experienced the full set of new features, but I am reporting here to say the new Facebook has had a good start with me. It has been so good I might even seek out and watch the Zuck keynote. I already watched the Zuck parody that preceded it. Mark Zuckerberg, funny guy.

The HTML5 Whimper At F8
Facebook New Look

San Gennaro Festival, Little Italy (1)
San Gennaro Festival, Little Italy (2)
San Gennaro Festival, Little Italy (3)
San Gennaro Festival, Little Italy (4)

Image via WikipediaYesterday I meant to watch it live, but was not able to, and so I thought I would watch Zuck's speech later, but now I think I am saying a pass. The big HTML5 push I was hoping for did not happen.

Facebook New Look
HTML5 And F8

So far I am neutral about the new look. I am positive about the fact that now you will be able to see most of your wall. But I guess the whole facelift has been one for the better.

It's not only for Facebook or any one company to do HTML5. It is an industry thing. The whole industry will embrace HTML5.

The Next Web: Facebook F8 – Here’s everything you need to know

Jackson Heights (8)
Jackson Heights (9)

Cover via AmazonI just found out that the local library is on Kindle.

The Next Web: Amazon launches Kindle book-lending service with 11,000 US libraries

Then I proceeded to download the free Kindle app for the PC. It looks swell on my computer.

Then I went to the New York Public Library website and found out Kindle is nowhere to be seen. I can't get the library books on to my Kindle, at least not yet. I went to the Queens Library website. And I found out the same thing.

I guess news travels faster than reality.

Once this comes to be it will be like Spotify for books. So we got books and music covered. Will someone please do the same for movies? Or I might as well go ahead and pay Netflix some money.

I grew up in Nepal. We are kind of underdeveloped.


Your Local Library On Kindle
Me: Author
My Dream: A Netflix For Books
A Netflix For Books Needed

Image via CrunchBaseDVDs are so yesterday. Streaming is the way to go. Streaming is Android, streaming is the iPhone. DVDs are RIM. DVDs will die faster than you realize. If Netflix had not completely distanced itself from the DVD that would have created room for another streaming only startup. Now Netflix will have better luck.

This breakup is a smart move on the part of Netflix.
Related articlesNetflix: 'Qwikster' Name First Used By Fan of Pot-Smoking Elmo (blogs.wsj.com)Netflix CEO Says 'I Messed Up,' Announces Qwikster (laist.com)Netflix Doesn?t Own the Qwikster Twitter Feed. This Foulmouthed Pothead Does. (wired.com)Netflix creates disk-only Qwikster thanks to streaming apps (intomobile.com)Netflix Splitting Into Two Companies, Netflix For Streaming, Qwikster For DVDs & Games (geekologie.com)Qwikster fiasco proves Netflix still doesn't know how to talk to customers (venturebeat.com)Netflix to shed DVD all together: Step 1 Raise price & Step 2 split th…

Image via CrunchBaseI hope HTML5 is the biggest thing coming out of the impending Facebook conference. Facebook Messages was not the Gmail killer it was touted to be. And maybe Facebook's HTML5 push might be yet another whimper, but I hope not.

HTML5 done right could turn Facebook into a platform, it could get an operating system like reach. It already has a huge audience.

But then it is not just Facebook, the entire industry is moving full speed towards HTML5, not just Facebook. Adobe too. And pretty much everyone else. Apple. Google.

When the internet became mainstream every company wanted a website. Today every tech company wants HTML5.

Image via WikipediaApple going after Samsung because, well, Samsung is also bringing smartphones and tablets into the market, is such hogwash. Henry Ford was not allowed to patent cars as a category. Steve Jobs himself was not allowed to patent the PC when it first came about.

The PC was/is a category. The smartphone is a category. The tablet is a category. Already Samsung smartphones are better than the Apple smartphone. If Samsung is merely copying why is it producing better devices?

There were digital music players before the iPod came along. But Steve Jobs might have laughed if he had been sued for bringing the iPod into the market.

Apple's envy is not the Samsung hardware. It is going after Android, the operating system, any which way it can.

Monday, September 19
07:00 PM - 09:00 PM Feedback Forum: Campbell McKellar & Anna Thomas of Loosecubes.com
New Work City, 412 Broadway , 2nd Floor

Tuesday, September 20
08:00 AM - 10:00 AM New York Telepresence Open House sponsored by AT&T and Cisco
AT&T, 630 Fifth Avenue (btw 50th & 51st St)

07:00 PM - 09:00 PM Skillshare Presents Creative Arts: a party, art show & lesson!
Gallery Bar, 120 Orchard St
F to Delancey

07:00 PM - 09:00 PM Post BUILD: Metro, Windows 8 and the future of .NET
Microsoft 1290 6th Avenue
B/D/F/M Rockefeller Center

Wednesday, September 21
5:30-7:30pm Technology You Can Touch
AOL Headquarters
770 Broadway

Thursday, September 22
06:00 PM - 08:00 PM Network and drink with Time, CNN and Turner executives
Time Life building, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, 8th floor
B/D/F/M Rockefeller Center

06:00 PM - 11:00 PM OBLITERATI sponsored by: Google Places
Sweet and Vicious
5 Spring St

07:00 PM - 09:00 PM Bain Capital Ventures Cocktail Hour
Gene…

Spotted in Jackson Heights

THE WOMBATS - TECHNO FAN - from The Found Collective on Vimeo.

Image via CrunchBaseI have never, never, never have had any kind of a privacy issue with Facebook, like never, never, never. I have photo albums that I have shared with only a few people. That's my idea of privacy. Other than that I have long wanted a way to share with anyone and everyone, anyone who might be interested. And now looks like I can. Finally.

It is opt in. That is important. It is not by default. Or that might freak people out. Most people might not even get the news on this. Many might simply pass. This is not for everyone. But it works for me.

Facebook has such a beautiful interface. Twitter does not have it. Google Plus does not have it. I have a thing for the Facebook design.

Facebook: Introducing the Subscribe Button
ReadWriteWeb: Does Facebook's Subscribe Button Betray What the Company Was Built On?
TechCrunch: Facebook Launches Twitter-Like ‘Subscriptions’, Lets You Share With Unlimited Users
Mashable: Facebook Launches Subscribe Button for Following Any…

Image via WikipediaFred Wilson: Turntable
The Color Social Graph Might Work Better For Books, Movies, Music

My current Facebook is my second Facebook account. They booted me out the first time because I was oh so busy saying hello to strangers.

I like Twitter a lot, because on Twitter everyone has a phone number. And if someone is not on Twitter, that person is not relevant, at least not relevant to the world of tech. And the transparency and the 140 character limit makes managing communication easy. It is scalable.

The first phase of web social has been about connecting with people you already know. The far phase has to be about strangers. Utter, complete strangers, people you have absolutely no hopes of meeting in person.

When your engineers are in India, and you are Indian, getting on Skype is Homecoming. My name gives it away to them. By now there is what I call a global class in every country. The team leader of the top team that is part of my tech consulting network is currently on vacation in Florida.

Image via WikipediaThe Next Web: Amazon reportedly in talks to launch a Netflix for books: charging a fixed monthly fee for access to a library of books. Amazon will reportedly offer book publishers a substantial fee for their involvement in the program. ..... With Amazon’s Kindle platform and intimate relationships with every premium publisher on the planet, this is a unique new space only the likes of Amazon and Apple are likely to be able to cater to. ..... my bet is on Amazon to dominate thanks to its first mover advantage and a name synonymous with books. Let’s face it, iBooks hasn’t had quite the impact we would have expected to see from a digital giant like Apple. I’d argue this is because of its lacking selection of books Your Local Library On Kindle
A Netflix For Books Needed (October 2009)

AllThingsD: Amazon in Talks to Launch Digital-Book Library: Several publishing executives said they aren’t enthusiastic about the idea because they believe it could lower the value …