Author: JD Rucker

In December, the Fed will begin monitoring Facebook, Twitter, and much of the rest of the internet in an effort to gauge sentiment of the financial world and particularly their own perception. #OccupyWallStreet isn’t the only one hitting the web. A request for proposal surfaced on Scribd in September: Federal Reserve Bank of New York (“FRBNY”) is extending to suppliers an invitation to participate in anSentiment Analysis And Social Media Monitoring Solution RFP bid process. The intent is to establish a fair andequitable partnership with a market leader who will who gather data from various…

Here’s a quote from the head of the Windows Phone unit at Microsoft: “So, I think that what our strategy is is to put things in place that allow us to leapfrog, and I think that’s how we’ve gone from worse browser to the best browser, and I think the same is true with hardware.” It’s not a statement that will fill investors or potential Windows Phone buyers with a ton of confidence. I think. There is a personality and a swagger that is attached to mobile phones. It happens on the user end and is often a result of the confidence exuded from the top. When Steve Jobs launched the first iPhone, there was…

Most people have grown accustomed to ignoring banner ads. There are browser plugins that block them and filters that hide them. Even when they’re visible, many people simply pretend like they aren’t there. The problem isn’t with the people. They problem is with the ads themselves. In many cases, they simply all look the same. Sale this. Special that. Stock photo, some text, and a button to click to get more information. They’re old. According to research by BuySellAds, there are ways to make banner ads more appealing. As an increasing number of people spend a growing amount of time online, websites…

There is little doubt that when Sprint begins servicing iPhones, current Sprint customers will switch to it. The real question that must be answered to determine Sprint’s long-term future is whether or not they’ll get conquest sales from Verizon and AT&T. Rumors have been circulating about unlimited data plans since it was first discovered that Sprint would be getting the iPhone. Many believe it’s the only way they can turn this into a successful move; investors are already worried. They need a big win or the gamble they’ve made by betting so much on a successful iPhone could crush the company….

Phishers and hackers have found that social media is a great place to plant links to malicious websites as unsuspecting people click through and get infected or give their information. Now, Facebook is changing that by checking every outbound link through a system designed by security firm Websense. “Facebook is a big target for criminals online,” said Spencer Parker of Websense. Sites like Google have taken reports and filtered links for a while, but Facebook is taking it a step further by sending a test “visitor” to every link posted to look for Trojans, phishing activity, botnets and viruses….

Amazon is getting a lot of attention based upon the Amazon Fire tablet, but now that buzz around the initial launch announcement has subsided a bit, it’s time to take a look at real differentiator: Silk. When Amazon first introduced Silk, they didn’t wait beyond the 2nd sentence of the post before asking the question that they knew would be asked by dozens of tech bloggers: “A browser?  Do we really need another one?” Their response to those and other questions is in this video: What they didn’t address was the inherent problem with their browser: privacy. To solve the concern that tablet hardware…

With over 12 million monthly visitors, word must get out to keep people from going to MySQL(dot)com until they get things sorted out. This isn’t a minor annoyance. The exploits inserted by the hackers are extremely malicious and work in the background. There is no need to click on or accept anything. Simply visiting the site can cause major permanent damage to your hard drive and currently only 6 out of the 43 major malware protection services are even able to detect it. The administrative access to perform the hack and inject the exploits, known as the BlackHole Exploit Pack, was sold through a hacker…

HBO is out and Netflix is in. With a bid of approximately $30 million per movie, Netflix put together the deal with DreamWorks Animation to send its movies and television specials through the streaming-video company. There was no mention of Qwikster, the company that Netflix is splitting off to handle its DVD-by-mail business, but speculation is that the new company will indeed be included in the DreamWorks content package. The timing couldn’t be better for Netflix as they continue to struggle with several public relations snafus. “This is one of the few family entertainment brands that…

The TED2011 Conference unveiled new technologies, encouraged imagination, and highlighted innovation as some of the most brilliant minds in the world converged to discuss everything from the seemingly mundane to the biggest problems plaguing the globe today. On the last day, emotions were touched by film critic Roger Ebert as he, his wife, his friends, and his Macbook moved the audience in ways they did not expect. For months I’ve been combing through various TED Talks from this year’s conference. The best was the very last one. “These are my words but this is not my voice,” the computer voice…

It’s like clockwork. When anyone gets a payday, there are those who will express dissatisfaction with one thing or another that they’re doing to cheat the system, hurt the little guy, or kill innocent animals. Clockwork. Disclosure: I am an unpaid and (very) occasional contributor for Business Insider. Even if I were not, I would still defend them against the horde. First and foremost, everyone is right. Business Insider has made a killing by taking advantage of a system that is designed to reward content aggregation more than hard-hitting journalism. In the world of journalism, it’s an unfair…