TECH
According to insiders at Business Insider (naturally), Facebook made the decision within 24 hours to buy Instagram for $1 billion. After word got out that the wildly popular 2-year-old photo-sharing/media company had just received $50 million in funding from investors at a $500 million valuation, Facebook went into "flip out" mode.
CEO of Instagram, Kevin Systrom, reportedly did not want to sell the company and had full intent to grow his business with the $50 million investment. The funding, which came from Thrive Capital, Sequoia Capital, and Greylock Capital, proved to be too much heat in the kitchen for Facebook, who has been reportedly threatened by Instagram for some time. In a move that took even the most tech-savvy individuals by surprise, Facebook solidified the $1 billion deal within 24 hours -- literally doubling Instagram's value over night, while subsequently taking out one of their biggest rivals. In case y'all didn't get the memo, Zuckerberg does not appreciate competition and will do what is necessary to maintain his reign. Even if that means buying and creating other multi-millionaires! (You hear that Pinterest, Twitter?) If divided evenly (they aren't, unfortunately), Instagram's mere 13 employees would be worth $76.9 million each.
In case you're not grasping the magnitude of this acquisition, take a look at this nifty chart of past high-dollar buy-outs:
Google Shopper: This app finds products at the lowest prices in your area. You also get access to special offers from "deal sites" like Groupon and Living Social.
Gas Buddy: If you're one of the lucky travelers who can drive to your destination this holiday season, you'll definitely want to download Gas Buddy. This app locates nearby stations and gives you gas prices so you can find the best deal.
The Firebird X, said to be Gibson’s stake in revolutionizing the guitar industry and changing the future of instruments, is part guitar and part machine. A homage to the original Firebird, the X has new features such as automatic robotic tuning head, inner modulation, echo, reverb, compression, EQ, and distortion. The guitar even boasts Bluetooth capability.
While guitar aficionados may find the features completely unnecessary and the price tag of $5,500 a bit bloated, some interesting news trickled down the tubes today that may save grace for Gibson. They’ve recently announced the Pure-Analog Engine, an electronic system within the guitar that is user replaceable and can be upgraded according to the wants and desires of the player. The best part of this change is that Gibson has opened up creation of the devices to third party developers, a move which will rapidly lower the price tag for these items over the course of time. Pure-Analog will get its own app. store as well.
In an age where our phones are smarter than most Americans and our TVs cost more than three Caribbean cruises, people are always on the lookout for that next new bit of technology that is going to make their lives easier and more cutting edge. The last three years have been monumental for technological ingenuity as new phones, videogames and computers were unleashed upon the world. Decades ago a computer could barely fit inside of a warehouse and needed to be cooled off by industrial air conditioners. Now computers are the size of a person's palm and can connect you with someone three continents away in the blink of an eye.
Today I got some steady rocking grooves for ya’ll. Some hard hitting Tech-Funk beats to a soulful Indie rock ballad. You guys are going to love this one, This being my first post I thought I would treat you to my life story in the form of other peoples music.
First off… PLEASUREKRAFT!
It’s been 10 years since Green Velvet released the original La La Land. The track is now considered to be a classic in the club scene and with Pleasurekraft’s “Sideshow” Remix it has made a hell of a comeback.
A sideshow it is, This track will get you jumping up in your seat asking for more while making you ask yourself if you are on an intense acid trip. Don’t worry, you are completely sane! You are just experiencing the intense vocoded funk that is Kalle Ronngardh & Kaveh Soroush AKA Pleasurekraft.
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