How Minecraft Creator Persson Almost Took a Job at Valve - Eric Johnson - General - AllThingsD

How Minecraft Creator Persson Almost Took a Job at Valve - Eric Johnson - General - AllThingsD - This chapter from “Minecraft: The Unlikely Tale of Markus ‘Notch’ Persson and the Game that Changed Everything,” excerpted with permission of the authors, tells the tale.

I think it's pretty clear that none of the "innovative" companies like Apple, Microsoft or whatever would ever green light a project like Minecraft. I mean at Apple, for 20 years, if you were a 3rd party developer and didn't have an icon that looked like a piece of furniture from The Sims you were treated like a leper.

Sony Plans a 4K Fest for CES - Ina Fried - News - AllThingsD

Sony Plans a 4K Fest for CES - Ina Fried - News - AllThingsD - Sony may not use the term “4K” 4,000 times during its CES press conference and keynote. But it will surely come close. The electronics giant is betting heavily on the next big-screen technology to help reestablish Sony’s name as the kind of brand that consumers aspire to buy.

This is super cool. I saw a screening of Beowulf special effects in 4K. Amazing!

Here's a first look at the Tesla statue in Palo Alto | VentureBeat | Business | by J. O'Dell

Here's a first look at the Tesla statue in Palo Alto | VentureBeat | Business | by J. O'Dell - Tesla memorial statues also have been erected in Croatia, the inventor’s birthplace; Long Island, the site of his laboratory; and Niagara Falls. Here’s a slideshow of Tesla monuments around the world:

This is a statue of the historical Tesla, not the electric automobile.

Microsoft Takes Action Against Alleged Ad-Fraud 'Botnet' ZeroAccess - WSJ.com

Microsoft Takes Action Against Alleged Ad-Fraud 'Botnet' ZeroAccess - WSJ.com - Microsoft doesn't know precisely who is behind ZeroAccess, nicknamed after code in the malware, but suspects the operators are based in Eastern Europe.

Nice win for Redmond.

Calling Overseas on Wi-Fi - Walt Mossberg - Mossberg's Mailbox - AllThingsD

Calling Overseas on Wi-Fi - Walt Mossberg - Mossberg's Mailbox - AllThingsD - The Motorola Moto X sold by Republic is a modified version that defaults to making calls and sending texts via Wi-Fi and only relies on cellular networks in the U.S. when Wi-Fi is too weak or unavailable.

Cool phone. Shape of things to come, methinks.

Samsung's #Galaxy11 viral ad fumbles when Franz Beckenbauer tweets from iPhone

Samsung's #Galaxy11 viral ad fumbles when Franz Beckenbauer tweets from iPhone - A global ad campaign to promote Samsung devices, involving soccer stars and an alien invasion story, instead revealed that the fantasy campaign's star manager Franz Beckenbauer tweets from his iPhone, not a Galaxy device.

Lots of comedy in this article!

China sending its 'Jade Rabbit' rover to the moon this weekend | VentureBeat | Business | by Tom Cheredar

China sending its 'Jade Rabbit' rover to the moon this weekend | VentureBeat | Business | by Tom Cheredar - the first mission to the Moon’s surface since the Russians did it 37 years ago.

We are witnessing the dawn of the next superpower.

Apple widens lead over Android in worldwide ad impression share, now twice as large

Apple widens lead over Android in worldwide ad impression share, now twice as large - For the third quarter of 2013, worldwide ad impressions recorded from devices running Apple's iOS doubled those from rival Android.

In the early days of Mac, when people were "Thinking Different", the Apple platform was not considered best at blasting ads into consumers faces.

I think that was the job of big brother.

Silicon Valley Isn't a Meritocracy. And It's Dangerous to Hero-Worship Entrepreneurs | Wired Opinion | Wired.com

Silicon Valley Isn't a Meritocracy. And It's Dangerous to Hero-Worship Entrepreneurs | Wired Opinion | Wired.com - But if the tech scene is really a meritocracy, why are so many of its key players, from Mark Zuckerberg to Steve Jobs, white men? If entrepreneurs are born, not made, why are there so many programs attempting to create entrepreneurs? If tech is truly game-changing, why are old-fashioned capitalism and the commodification of personal information never truly questioned?

Sili is the new Hollywood.