David Friedman says, “Big data is one of the greatest economic opportunities of our time. It’s also incredibly vague. You’ve probably been in conversations where the different participants were using “big data” to refer to (a) large amounts of data; (b) data sets that exceed the capabilities of traditional databases; or (c) the software tools employed to analyze the data sets in the first two definitions. One of the most significant benefits of the Internet of Things is the fact that it will vastly expand our ability to monitor and measure things taking place the real world. A shop-floor... [...]

Adriana Lee says, “Google surprised everyone Monday with fundamental changes to its organizational DNA, putting a new holding company, Alphabet, above a newly fashioned Google Inc. and other subsidiaries for its Google X “moonshots” lab and ventures arm. Days later, the world is still trying to make sense of it. As similarly dubbed businesses the world over consult their attorneys, or tighten their grips on company Website addresses, Silicon Valley got busy swinging the spotlight onto Sundar Pichai, the Google product chief turned Google Inc. CEO. The thoughtful, even demure executive... [...]

Matt Asay says, “It’s possible that you have never written a bad line of code. Possible, but unlikely in the extreme. The reality is that you, like every other developer on this planet, creates security flaws, misaligns UI elements, and more. It’s not that you’re a bad developer. You just happen to be human. It’s this “all too human” weakness that each developer has that drives the best developers to assume the worst in their code and underlying infrastructure, and plan for it. Here’s what they do. Assume Chaos A few years back, Netflix open sourced Chaos... [...]

Adriana Lee says, “Microsoft needs developers to build apps for its platform, and its play to get them—by helping coders port iOS and Android apps to Windows—just took a big step forward: On Thursday, the Redmond, Washington–based tech company released its iPhone app porting tool, Windows Bridge for iOS, as an open-source public preview. The company knows that attracting mobile app makers can be an uphill climb. With the new tool, Microsoft hopes to encourage more support by offering a simple way to make Windows apps out of existing apps. Android developers also get Windows Bridge for Android,... [...]

David Nield says, “Google knows a friction-free app testing and submission process can help developers keep decent apps flowing, so it just rolled out a series of improvements to the beta testing process for Google Play apps. Overall, the changes are designed to help developers manage pre-release beta tests easily, so they can “iterate faster” to develop or improve features. Consider it part of Google’s recent developer outreach, which also gives app makers more finetuned ways to promote their apps once the testing is over“. Google Makes Beta Testing Android Apps Easier... [...]

David Nield says, “Amazon has opened up a new streamlined sales channel for startups called LaunchPad. If you’ve got something to sell—a recently Kickstarted invention, say—then LaunchPad lets you put it in front of millions of Amazon customers and distribute it through the e-commerce giant’s massive pipeline. Your new product can even get Amazon Prime eligibility too. Sounds like a win-win situation. Amazon gets intriguing new products to sell that aren’t widely available elsewhere, while inventors and startups benefit from retail expertise and access to infrastructure... [...]

Yoav Vilner says, “Startups in today’s increasingly saturated market just can’t overestimate the importance of business growth. Technology is a frenzied sector, and founders who want to make an impact often need to prove that their businesses aren’t merely growing or thriving, but accelerating in hyperdrive. Rapid growth is not easy to achieve, and these days, it usually demands unconventional, creative approaches. Dropbox veteran Sean Ellis called it “growth hacking.” He coined the term in 2010, referring to bootstrapping startups that tried all sorts of things... [...]

Adriana Lee says, “For all their rhetoric and idealism about changing the world, consumer-facing technologies have largely failed at least one major set of users: people with disabilities, a segment that represents roughly 1 in 5 people in the U.S. As the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) approaches, a new group has formed to champion the cause of development for accessibility. Several educators and tech companies have joined forces in an effort dubbed Teaching Accessibility. According to its website, the group aims to address the “lack of awareness and understanding... [...]

Gregory Ferentein says, “I didn’t expect to spend 5 minutes watching a commercial for an e-commerce startup, let alone enjoy it enough to share it with friends. But Jet.com, a hot new competitor to Amazon, produced a delightfully entertaining commercial that proves the financial underpinning of ad-based businesses don’t have to be annoying. The company hired HBO “Silicon Valley” comedian Kumail Nanjiani to perform a 5 minute semi-interactive standup routine explaining the e-commerce service’s best features“. What Startups Can Learn From Jet.com’s Awesome... [...]

Adriana Lee says, “This week, IT security software firm Rook Security released a free tool that can sniff out malware leaked from Milan’s Hacking Team, a clandestine group that sells surveillance and malignant software to governments, law enforcement and other private clients worldwide. Ironically, the Italian firm that helps governments spy on citizens itself fell victim to a cyberattack earlier this month that spilled 400GB’s worth of data into the wild“. This Free Tool Can Tell If Hacking Team’s Exploits Crawled Into Your System ReadWrite  [...]