Amazon considering online live TV service, has approached at least three media conglomerates seeking rights to distribute their channels  —  Amazon Considering Online Pay-TV Service  —  Live TV Channels Would Compete With Cable, Satellite  —  Amazon.com Inc. has approached big entertainment companies …

Today my startup failed  —  No soft landing, no happy ending—we simply failed.  —  It's been a long four year journey, full of highs and lows.  I am simultaneously incredibly proud, and incredibly disappointed.  —  I'm incredibly proud of an amazing team and all that they have accomplished.

CONFIRMED: Man Interrogated By FBI For Wearing Prescription Google Glass At The Movies  —  A man who went to the movies with his wife in Columbus, Ohio, was subjected to a terrifying hour-long interrogation by the FBI because employees at the AMC theater saw him wearing Google Glass.

Google and Apple shuttles will pay to use San Francisco's public bus stops  —  The shuttle buses that transport workers for huge tech firms like Google, Facebook, and Apple between San Francisco and Silicon Valley every day have come under heavy fire lately, but today a vote was passed unanimously …

Developer activates Apple's upcoming iOS in the Car system, shows different interface  —  Ahead of Apple's launch of iOS in the Car later this year, developer Steven Troughton-Smith has seemingly activated the feature inside what we presume is the iOS Simulator. iOS in the Car allows an iOS 7 user …

Why Bitcoin Matters  —  Editor's note: Marc Andreessen's venture capital firm, Andreessen Horowitz, has invested just under $50 million in Bitcoin-related start-ups.  The firm is actively searching for more Bitcoin-based investment opportunities.  He does not personally own more than a de minimis amount of Bitcoin.

Snail mail scanning service Outbox is shutting down after less than a year  —  Outbox is Shutting Down—A Note of Gratitude  —  Dear loyal customers and Outbox supporters:  —  We announce today that we are ending the mail service, shutting down the Outbox brand, and focusing our team and resources on a totally new product.

Yahoo's Next Problem: Tumblr's Traffic Isn't Growing  —  The past year has been an up-and-down affair for Yahoo , with the company and its CEO, Marissa Mayer, scoring numerous PR coups while failing to make headway in its core business of selling digital advertising.

Yahoo Acquires Mobile Marketing Startup Sparq  —  Mobile marketing company Sparq announced on its site today that it has been acquired by Yahoo.  The company did not disclose the purchase price.  —  Yahoo declined to illustrate the deal's financial details.  Sparq's team will be joining Yahoo's Sunnyvale campus.

IBM's Q4 mixed, hardware unit tanks  —  Summary: IBM's challenge: Its new businesses aren't growing fast enough to offset struggling units such as the hardware division.  —  IBM's fourth quarter results were a mixed bag as the company's earnings were better than expected, but revenue missed estimates as hardware sales tanked.

Bitcoin payments now accepted at two Las Vegas casinos but for hotel check-in only  —  Downtown Las Vegas just stepped into the 21st century, thanks to two casino hotels, which are now accepting Bitcoin in exchange for accommodation.  The Golden Gate and The D will now accept the virtual currency, though only at their front desks.

Announcing the Female Founders Conference  —  I'm delighted to announce that Kat Manalac, Kirsty Nathoo, Carolynn Levy and I are hosting Y Combinator's first Female Founders Conference on Saturday, March 1.  We're going to gather together female founders at all stages to share stories, give advice, and make connections.

Another freebie bites the dust: LogMeIn pulls free remote access  —  It may not be a flood, but it's definitely a trickle.  More software vendors are paring back “free” or freemium offerings.  This week it's LogMeIn curtailing the free version of LogMeIn remote access.

BlackBerry Soars 10% On Pentagon Order, Shares Now Up 34% In 2014  —  BlackBerry has an almost uncanny ability to not die when it's been written off again and again.  Today, the Pentagon has announced that it will install 80,000 BlackBerry handsets on its network by the end of January.

Mobile gaming company Kabam doubles 2013 revenue to $360M, is “seriously considering” IPO  —  Social Game Maker Kabam Continues Growth  —  Mobile videogame maker Kabam said it tallied more than $360 million in gross revenue in 2013, doubling results from the prior year …

Pinterest Is Experimenting With GIFs  —  You may soon be pinning GIFs alongside your favorite meals and workout photos  —  A new Pinterest feature available to select pinners allows them to play GIFs within the platform, a feature that was previously unavailable  —  See also: 15 Stylish Ladies to Follow on Pinterest

FCC to Hold Major Auction of Wireless Airwaves  —  The Federal Communications Commission will hold its first major auction of wireless airwaves in six years on Wednesday, kicking off tens of billions of dollars of spending by big U.S. carriers.  —  The four national wireless carriers …

China orders real name register for online video uploads  —  (Reuters) - Chinese Internet users are now required to register their real names to upload videos to Chinese online video sites, an official body said, as the Communist Party tightens its control of the Internet and media to suppress anti-government sentiment.

Coursera Flirts With Diplomas: Online ‘Specialization’ Is $250  —  Complete your studies at a traditional university, and you earn a cap-and-gown ceremony with a smiling dean handing you a diploma.  Wrap up online instrucxtion, and nothing so thrilling awaits.  But Coursera is about to narrow the gap.

Courtesy Of Punchfork Acquisition, Pinterest Launches A Recipe Search Engine  —  Pinterest today is announcing a new feature designed to make it easier for those who use the site to discover, save and share recipes with each other: recipe search.  Effectively turning Pinterest …

Yale's crackdown on student Web site creates another headache for administration  —  “I hope I don't get kicked out of Yale for this,” wrote Yale student Sean Haufler in a blog post explaining why he had created the Chrome extension Banned Bluebook.  —  Haufler made the extension in response …

16M Online Accounts Compromised, German Authorities Warn  —  Another day, another massive data breach.  —  Germany's Federal Office for Information Security, or BSI, said Tuesday that the online accounts of some 16 million Internet users have been compromised by hackers.