Techmeme
September 14, 2015, 9:05 AM

Top News

Wall Street Journal:
Google X hires Detroit veteran John Krafcik as “CEO” of its self-driving car project, suggests the division could become an independent company under Alphabet  —  Google Brings in Chief for Self-Driving Cars  —  Hiring of Detroit veteran John Krafcik indicates keenness to commercialize the technology
Clive Thompson / New York Times:
Inside Uber's talent raid on Carnegie Mellon's robotics center, and Silicon Valley's sudden interest in the field  —  Uber Would Like to Buy Your Robotics Department … In the center of the lab, CHIMP stretched out one huge arm, then gracefully unfurled its three metal fingers, as if about to beckon someone.
Annalee Newitz / Gizmodo:
How Ashley Madison Hid Its Fembot Con From Users and Investigators  —  The developers at Ashley Madison created their first artificial woman sometime in early 2002.  Her nickname was Sensuous Kitten, and she is listed as the tenth member of Ashley Madison in the company's leaked user database.
More: Fusion, BGR and Guardian.  Tweets: @kashhill
CNBC:
Apple says iPhone pre-orders are on pace to beat last year's 10M unit first-weekend record  —  Apple: We are on pace to beat last year's iPhone first-weekend record  —  Apple on Monday said it is on pace to beat last year's iPhone first-weekend record.  —  Apple shares rose in premarket trading following the announcement.
Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac:
Xcode confirms 2 GB RAM for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, 4 GB RAM for iPad Pro  —  Hamza Sood has cleverly used asset catalogs with the Xcode 7 GM to confirm the rumors around the iPhone 6s and iPad Pro RAM specifications.  It confirms that the iPhone 6s has 2 GB of RAM, up from 1 GB in the iPhone 6 …
Daniel Pasco / Medium:
Lack of WebKit webview support in Apple's tvOS poses problems for porting many apps that use webviews to display web widgets and pages  —  Apple TV—A World Without Webviews  —  The new Apple TV's operating system—tvOS—has some differences from iOS 9, but one of the most startling ones is the removal of support for webviews.
Nick Bilton / New York Times:
Profile of Facebook executive Matt Jacobson, employee No. 8, and the company's link to Hollywood  —  Matt Jacobson, Facebook's Gatekeeper for Hollywood  —  In 2005, Matt Jacobson was 44 and looking for a new job after leaving Quiksilver, the surf brand.  A friend suggested that he meet …
Rachel Metz / MIT Technology Review:
NASA to send another HoloLens to ISS on Dec. 3 after losing first one in June SpaceX explosion  —  Why NASA Wants Microsoft's HoloLens in Space  —  The rocket carrying two HoloLens headsets to the International Space Station blew up in June, and NASA is planning another launch.
The White House:
White House announces updated College Scorecard website with 18 years of data from 7K+ colleges, open APIs, new comparison tools, and more  —  Fact Sheet: Empowering Students to Choose the College that is Right for Them  —  Increasing the number of Americans with college degrees is a key part …

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Cloudflare:
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Zoho:
The 90-day recognition cliff: Why praise programs fade, and what keeps them alive  —  Recognition programs often start with enthusiasm.  Employees participate, managers share shoutouts, and teams have a new way to celebrate achievements.
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Featured Podcasts

Big Technology Podcast:
SAP CEO: AI Won't Kill Software, But It Will Change Your Job — With Christian Klein
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
David Ellison's Paramount-Warner Empire & The Fight That Comes Next
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
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Sources:
Factory CEO on why AGI is already here
Candid conversations with the leaders shaping what's next in AI and the broader tech industry. Hosted by Alex Heath, who has covered Silicon Valley for more than a decade.
Subscribe to Sources.
Invest Like the Best:
Noah Shinn - Building Instinct: The Personal Agent
The leading destination to learn about business and investing. We do this by showcasing exceptional talent and ideas.
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Lenny's Podcast:
The grief, loneliness, and burnout sweeping through the tech industry right now | Molly Graham
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
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Great Chat:
Doomers at Dreamforce
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
Subscribe to Great Chat.
 

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Earlier Picks

Gabe Rivera / LinkedIn Pulse: