Techmeme: How Magic Leap Is Secretly Creating a New Alternate Reality (Sean Hollister/Gizmodo)

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November 21, 2014, 10:20 AM

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Chet Kanojia / All Aereo:

Aereo files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, says “challenges have proven too difficult to overcome” — The Next Chapter — A little over three years ago, the team at Aereo set out to build a better television experience for the consumer. — We began this journey because we were frustrated …

More: TechCrunch, Re/code, PC World, Associated Press, Bloomberg, CNET, New York Times, VentureBeat, Engadget, Gizmodo, The Next Web, New York Magazine, DSLreports and The Verge

Tweets: @aereo, @curtwoodward, @danprimack, @pkafka and @danprimack

See also Mediagazer

Dennis Schaal / Skift:

Sources: Amazon to launch hotel booking service in January 2015 — Exclusive: Amazon to Get Into Hotel Booking With Launch of Travel Site — Amazon.com is poised to launch its own travel service, featuring booking at independent hotels and resorts near major cities, Skift has learned.

More: The Next Web, Street Fight, TechSpot, VentureBeat, Inc.com, VatorNews, Electronista, Gizmodo, Neowin, Engadget, WebProNews, GeekWire, Mashable and Seeking Alpha

Tweets: @vijayshekhar, @rolfewinkler and @monkbent

Sarah Buhr / TechCrunch:

PCH International In Talks To Buy Fab For $15 Million — Multiple sources have confirmed that Fab is in talks to sell to PCH International for $15 million in a half cash and half stock deal. — Contractual agreements are in the very early stages between the two companies (and these things could always fall apart).

More: Business Insider, Wall Street Journal and VentureBeat

Tweets: @tommaxwelll, @trengriffin, @evelynrusli, @om, @evelynrusli, @alex, @danprimack, @liamstack, @mattrosoff and @amir

Thanks:@sarahbuhr

Sean Hollister / Gizmodo:

How Magic Leap Is Secretly Creating a New Alternate Reality — Don't you hate it when someone claims to have a magical new technology, but won't tell you how it works? When I saw that a super stealthy startup called Magic Leap had raised $542 million to make animals appear out of thin air …

More: Turnstyle and PSFK. Tweets: @tamsword

Derek Thompson / The Atlantic Online:

Music agents rely on data to identify potential hits, entrenching repetitive, derivative songs — The Shazam Effect — Record companies are tracking download and search data to predict which new songs will be hits. This has been good for business—but is it bad for music?

More: New Yorker, Matt Mullenweg, Gizmodo and Re/code

Tweets: @ttunguz, @petersuderman and @thestalwart

Matthew Weaver / Guardian:

UK moves to shut down Russian hackers streaming live British webcam footage — UK to take action to close down Russian website streaming images from British webcams including baby monitors and those in gyms and bedrooms — The UK is to take international action to close down a Russian website …

More: Guardian, Computerworld, ICO Blog, consumer.ftc.gov, Tech Times, Tech Times, ITProPortal, PC Magazine and Agence France-Presse

Reuters:

Google, Rockstar agree to settle patent litigation: filing — (Reuters) - Google Inc has agreed to settle litigation with patent consortium Rockstar, though terms of the deal were not disclosed in a court filing made public this week. — Rockstar, which counts Apple Inc as an investor …

Reuters:

Obama's immigration plans will make it easier for advanced degree holders to work in the US, but won't reduce backlog of H-1B visa holders awaiting green cards — Obama's immigration tweaks leave Big Tech wanting more — (Reuters) - Silicon Valley expects President Barack Obama to make life …

More: New York Times, The Verge, Bloomberg, Vox, Associated Press, Reuters, Newsweek, Washington Post and Computerworld

Geoff White / Channel 4:

UK's Cable and Wireless, bought by Vodafone, helped GCHQ get internet data of millions of worldwide users from undersea cables — Spy cable revealed: how telecoms firm worked with GCHQ — One of the UK's largest communications firms had a leading role in creating the surveillance system exposed …

More: NevilleHobson.com, The Intercept and The Register

Tweets: @koenrh, @geoffwhite247, @geoffwhite247, @geoffwhite247 and @geoffwhite247

Re/code:

Re/code drops comments on its site, noting that most discussion takes place on social media — A Note to Re/code Readers — Like all websites, Re/code is in a constant process of iteration. So, starting today, you'll notice a few changes on our site, and we wanted to let you know about them.

More: Macworld and Poynter. Tweets: @mathewi, @antderosa, @c_davies, @thestalwart, @fmanjoo, @inafried, @inafried, @digiphile and @mikeisaac. See also Mediagazer

Tim Culpan / Bloomberg:

Foxconn will spend $2.6B to build dedicated Apple display plant in Taiwan — Foxconn to Build Dedicated Apple Display Plant in Taiwan — Foxconn Technology Group will spend NT$80 billion ($2.6 billion) over the next two years on a new factory in Taiwan to supply displays exclusively for a client.

Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat:

Google's Project Loon can now launch up to 20 balloons per day, and they fly 10 times longer than in 2013 — Google today shared an update from Project Loon, the company's initiative to bring high-speed Internet access to remote areas of the world via hot air balloons.

More: Project Loon, Washington Post, Network World, ITProPortal, SlashGear, Fast Company, Inc.com, 9to5Google and TechCrunch. Thanks:@harrisonweber

Greg Bensinger / Wall Street Journal:

Amazon leases 470,000 square-foot, 12-story space in midtown Manhattan for next 17 years — Amazon to Lease Entire Manhattan Building, Hinting at Retail Ambitions — Amazon.com agreed to lease 470,000 square feet of space in midtown Manhattan from Vornado Realty Trust …

More: GeekWire, WebProNews and The Digital Reader

Josh Kosman / New York Post:

GoDaddy seeks nearly $4.5B IPO valuation, talks diversifying — GoDaddy pitchwoman Danica Patrick. — GoDaddy.com is pushing ahead with an initial public offering early next year that would value the world's biggest domain registration service at roughly $4.5 billion, The Post has learned.

More: Fortune, Reuters and TheDomains.com

Jeff Barr / Amazon Web Services Blog:

Amazon's enterprise storage and sharing service Zocalo gets iOS, Android apps, 5TB file support — Amazon Zocalo Update - Mobile Apps + 5 TB Files — I have a couple of pieces of good news for current and potential users of Amazon Zocalo. Both items are available now and you can start using them today.

More: Inquirer, ZDNet, VentureBeat and InfoQ

Peter Kafka / Re/code:

Former Fake Steve Jobs and HubSpot content marketer Dan Lyons to head up Valleywag in January — Dan Lyons Used to be Fake Steve Jobs. Now He's the Chief Valleywag. — Valleywag's chief editor Nitasha Tiku just left for the Verge. Here's her replacement: Dan Lyons …

Tweets: @jyarow, @fromedome, @nichcarlson, @glennf, @jyarow and @a_greenberg. See also Mediagazer

Alyson Shontell / Business Insider:

Exodus of revived Valleywag's original team complete as Nitasha Tiku heads to The Verge to bolster Silicon Valley coverage

More: FishbowlNY and Poynter. Tweets: @nicknotned and @nitashatiku

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