Show Notes: error.show/49

The post Not Dead Yet | User Error 49 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

Did Microsoft buying Mojang come around because Notch was burned out? Is the problem systemic to independent developers who just love to code?

Plus we respond to your strong feedback regarding privacy & much more!

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— Show Notes: —

Feedback / Follow Up:

• Mike is wrong about privacy

• Secrecy

• Dvorak challenge

• From Tech / Coder to Teacher / Tech / Coder

Dev Hoopla:

I’m leaving Mojang | notch.net

As soon as this deal is finalized, I will leave Mojang and go back to doing Ludum Dares and small web experiments. If I ever accidentally make something that seems to gain traction, I’ll probably abandon it immediately.

Unity Technologies weighs its options, including a possible sale of the company

Unity Technologies, the makers of prolific video-game-development engines and tools, is exploring options for its future. One of those options is the possible sale of the company. The asking price is apparently very high — we’ve heard over $1 billion to as high as $2 billion.

The post Notch Escapes | CR 119 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

Microsoft has bought Mojang, the creators of Minecraft. We discuss how this will impact the community, Linux users, independent developers & gamers.

Android One starts to ship, and the details are fascinating. Plus more details on a recent NSA leak & more!

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Microsoft buys Mojang, Minecraft: Five reasons it makes strategic sense | ZDNet

Microsoft on Monday confirmed the $2.5 billion acquisition. The company said that the company will be break even on earnings in fiscal 2015. Mojang will join Microsoft Studios.

Here’s why the deal, which will be panned by some, makes strategic sense.

1. Mojang gives Microsoft an asset and community that could cultivate a younger demographic. If you’ve ever seen an elementary school kid go into a Minecraft coma you know the power that Mojang has. To younger customers, Microsoft’s core brand is really Xbox. If Microsoft is going to have an installed base to up sell as these customers move to smartphones to tablets to PCs to enterprise applications and cloud Minecraft is a good place to start.

2. The future of Microsoft revolves around mobile and cross-platform applications. Office is about iOS and Android as much as it is Windows Phone and Windows. Microsoft’s enterprise applications may have some perks for Windows, but also need to play across all mobile platforms. Skype is cross platform too. Minecraft gives Microsoft a property that plays well on the desktop, iOS and Android. And since Minecraft will be owned by Microsoft at least there will be a Windows Phone version too.

3. Minecraft could be the next Lego-like franchise. It won’t be hard to find a group of people that’ll say that Minecraft has peaked and Microsoft is paying too much for a declining asset. However, Minecraft could be the digital equivalent of Legos, which spark the imagination and have become an introductory course to robotics and engineering.

4. Mojang would make an Xbox spin-off more feasible should Microsoft go that route. Yes, we know that Microsoft has noted that it is keeping Xbox, but Minecraft would give the gaming unit another key title to go along with games like Halo. The addition of Mojang makes Xbox stronger whether Microsoft decides to keep the unit or spin it off to focus on the enterprise and cloud.

5. Microsoft gets to use its overseas cash pile. Based on current tax laws, Microsoft’s overseas cash can’t be brought back into the U.S. without a hefty hit. As a result, U.S. companies are increasingly buying international assets. Microsoft’s purchase of Mojang is its fourth international company acquisition in 2014. Most of the acquisitions were of the plug-in variety to add features and or services to existing product lines.

• Report: Microsoft’s $2B deal to buy Minecraft studio was instigated by Notch | Polygon

According to the Bloomberg story, Xbox chief Phil Spencer has been wooing Persson in person, flying out to have dinners with the Mojang founder. According to one source, Microsoft thinks that it can expand Minecraft’s reach in both the game and licensed property. A Minecraft movie is currently in the works, and Mojang has already licensed books, toys and a plethora of other merchandise.

• Microsoft needs Minecraft to boost mobile ambitions | Reuters

The software company’s Windows Phone system has only 2.5 percent of the world’s smartphone market, and its Surface tablet barely more, according to tech research firm IDC. Growth is hampered because many app and game developers ignore it.

It seems like Microsoft is looking at Mojang and Minecraft as a way to tap into this enormous cultural phenomenon,” said Dave Bisceglia, Chief Executive of independent game studio Tap Lab. “If you look at iOS, Minecraft has been a top-grossing game for quite some time, if Microsoft could on Windows phones give players a unique and compelling experience that you can’t get on the other platforms, that could be a driver to sell devices to existing Minecraft fans.”

• Yes, we’re being bought by Microsoft

• Minecraft to Join Microsoft

• I’m leaving Mojang | notch.net

Snowden Documents Indicate NSA Has Breached Deutsche Telekom – SPIEGEL ONLINE

A program called Treasure Map even has its own logo, a skull superimposed onto a compass, the eye holes glowing in demonic red, reminiscent of a movie poster for the popular “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, starring Johnny Depp.

Treasure Map is anything but harmless entertainment. Rather, it is the mandate for a massive raid on the digital world. It aims to map the Internet, and not just the large traffic channels, such as telecommunications cables. It also seeks to identify the devices across which our data flows, so-called routers.

Furthermore, every single end device that is connected to the Internet somewhere in the world — every smartphone, tablet and computer — is to be made visible. Such a map doesn’t just reveal one treasure. There are millions of them.

The breathtaking mission is described in a Treasure Map presentation from the documents of the former intelligence service employee Edward Snowden which SPIEGEL has seen. It instructs analysts to “map the entire Internet — Any device, anywhere, all the time.”

Android One smartphones released in India by three companies

The handsets provide a minimum set of features determined by Google, which has sourced several of the components to help cut manufacturing costs.

The company has also teamed up with a local network to make it cheaper to download Android updates and new apps.

The first Android One devices are made by Micromax – already India’s bestselling mobile-phone maker – Karbonn and Spice.

To meet Google’s minimum standards they all have:

• a 4.5in (11.4cm) display
• 1GB of RAM (random-access memory)
• a 5MP rear camera and a 2MP front one
• a quadcore processor sourced from Taiwanese company Mediatek
• the ability to run the next version of Android, due for release soon

In addition, they have been tailored to suit the local market by including a micro-SD (Secure Digital) slot, a replaceable battery, a built-in FM radio and the ability to support two Sim cards simultaneously.

The first batch of phones could be offered for as low as 6,399 rupees ($105; £65) if bought contract-free.

About 400 million smartphones will be sold in India over the next five years, according to a forecast by PricewaterhouseCoopers, with the majority bought at Android One’s price point.

The post Microsoft Creeps on Minecraft | Tech Talk Today 58 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

Many online today are protesting the FCC’s proposed Internet Fast lanes but has the movement been co-opted by the telco industry? Plus strong rumors suggest Microsoft is in talks to buy Minecraft maker Mojang & much more!

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Internet Slowdown Day warns what may be to come – CNN.com

Etsy, Foursquare, Kickstarter, Reddit and others will alter their websitest, and will be displaying a constant “loading” symbol — the so-called “loading pinwheel” or, alternately, theSpinning Wheel of Death.

It’s part of a protest called “Internet Slowdown Day,” a push against the U.S. government’s support for so-called Internet fast lanes.

As part of the Internet Slowdown Day protest, the websites will also include a prompt to contact your lawmakers about the FCC proposal.

Large US tech firms plan ‘go slow’ day in protest over net neutrality rules | Technology | theguardian.com

“Net neutrality is tough to explain to people, so we wanted to organize an action that actually shows the world what’s at stake. I think the three most hated words on the internet right now are ‘Please wait, loading … ‘ Unless internet users unite in defense of net neutrality, we could be seeing those dreaded ‘loading’ wheels a lot more often on some of our favorite websites, while monopolistic companies get to decide which content gets seen by the most people.”

Several other large internet companies are expected to back the day of action, which is being coordinated by Silicon Valley lobby group Engine. Engine will direct people to call or email policymakers with their concerns.

• Join the Battle for Net Neutrality

Cable companies want to slow down (and break!) your favorite sites, for profit. To fight back, let’s cover the web with symbolic “loading” icons, to remind everyone what an Internet without net neutrality would look like, and drive record numbers of emails and calls to lawmakers.

Microsoft Said Near $2 Billion Deal for Minecraft Maker

Microsoft, the world’s largest software maker, is in serious talks with 4-year-old Mojang, said the people, who asked not to be named because the negotiations aren’t public. The deal may be concluded as soon as this week, though next week is more likely, said two people.

Bloomberg reports that the deal is more likely to be wrapped up next week. According to Bloomberg, talks between the companies began when Persson reached out to Microsoft a few months ago to explore the possibility of a sale. Microsoft believes it can make Minecraft more profitable by increasing its user base and doing more licensing agreements for toys and movies, the report said. Perhaps of greatest interest to Minecraft fans is that Persson will stay with Mojang through its transition to Microsoft but plans to leave beyond that, according to Bloomberg.

If a deal is reached, Microsoft plans to pay for an acquisition with cash held overseas, one person familiar with the company said. That would have favorable tax consequences for the software maker, whose vast majority of cash and short-term investments are kept outside the U.S.

EBay Announces First Foray Into Bitcoin With Braintree Unit

On Monday, eBay announced that Braintree, the company’s payment processor subsidiary, would begin accepting the virtual currency in the “coming months.” According to Braintree CEO Bill Ready, who was speaking at San Francisco’s TechCrunch Disrupt conference, the company has partnered with Bitcoin exchange Coinbase in a move to “embrace” the relatively new form of payment.

While users will not yet see Bitcoin integrations in eBay’s marketplace or on PayPal, Braintree’s customers, which include Airbnb and Uber, will eventually be able to start accepting Bitcoin if they desire. Braintree provides payment processing software for companies and was acquired by eBay last year for about $800 million. The Wall Street Journal first reported that Braintree was exploring Bitcoin integrations last month.

• Paypal Jumps Into Bitcoin With Both Feet – Slashdot

The BBC, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Forbes and several other business sites are buzzing with Paypal’s incorporation of Bitcoin transactions. According to Wired, Paypal will be “the best thing ever to happen to Bitcoin.” Paypal-owned Braintree not only brings 150 million active users in close contact with Bitcoin, it signals “mainstreaming” similar to cell phone app banking, perceived as experimental just a few years ago.

U2, Apple and the Deal Behind Getting ‘Songs of Innocence’ Free of Charge

Along with Apple’s announcement of its latest-model iPhones and its new smartwatch, the company also revealed that it is giving away as many as 500 million copies of the veteran
rock band’s 13th album, “Songs of Innocence,” via the iTunes Store.

“Songs of Innocence” appears automatically on a user’s “purchased” page in the iTunes store, requiring customers to simply click on it to download. As part of its deal with Apple, the band will also benefit from the kind of massive promotional blitz.

Apple didn’t pay a traditional wholesale price for each of the 500 million albums. Instead the company paid Universal and U2 an undisclosed lump sum for the exclusive window to distribute the album. Universal plans to piggyback on the big push for “Songs of Innocence” to promote the band’s 12 older albums, a critical factor for a veteran rock band. The band’s recent albums have shown a steady decline in sales even steeper than the overall industry trend. “No Line on the Horizon,” from 2009, has sold 1.1 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. That’s down from 3.3 million copies for “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,” and 4.4 million copies for “All That You Can’t Leave Behind,” released in 2000.

As part of the deal forged by the band, manager Guy Oseary (hired by U2 last year to replace longtime manager Paul McGuinness) and Universal, Apple also made plans to use the first single from the album, “The Miracle (of Joey Ramone),” as a central element of a global, 30-day television advertising campaign for its new iPhones and Apple Watch. The campaign is believed to be worth around $100 million, according to a person familiar with the talks.

On Oct. 14, the 11-song “Songs of Innocence” will be released (including a deluxe version with four additional tracks) through other physical and online retailers.

The post Slow Down Mojang! | Tech Talk Today 56 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

The guys wrap up their trip to PAX PRIME 2011, and share their biggest surprises from PAX and their biggest disappointments. Plus why the platformer is stronger than ever!

OUR DRINK:

Honest Tea Certified Organic

TV:

• David Foster Readying To Pitch New STAR TREK T.V. Series To CBS
• io9 has put together a nice concise list of upcoming new fantasy/sci-fi shows, with videos!
• Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome Webseries

MOVIES:

• Star Wars Blu-Ray gets another round of rage-inducing alterations
• Superman’s costume is stupid looking

COMICS:

The Flagship of DC’s relaunch – “Justice League” – hit stores yesterday. Anyone read it?

• Avengers 1959 – A retro romp during Marvel’s Cold War

GAMES:

PAX! Let’s talk indie and retro gaming…

HAPPY FUN MUTUAL MOVING PICTURE TIME THING:

Hackers!

NEXT WEEK

• The Final Countdown
• Amazon.com: The Final Countdown (Widescreen Edition)
• Amazon.com: The Final Countdown [Blu-ray]
• The Final Countdown (1980) – IMDb

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The post OMG Announcement! | J@N | 5.24.11 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.