Category: News

In 2011, the Supreme Court smacked down a proposed California law that would have fined retailers that sold M-rated games to children. Before that ruling, other states had tried to pass similar laws. Even after the Supreme Court ruling, other states are still trying to pass video game-related legislation. A semi-annual study suggests such legislation isn’t needed.

Since 2000, the FTC has conducted an undercover shopper survey. The goal is to have kids try to buy mature entertainment (like R-rated films or M-rated games), and see how many are turned away. Early on, the video game industry had a bad track record as few stores enforced games ratings, but video game retailers started to comply after the Entertainment Software Ratings Board established the ESRB Retail Council in 2005.

These efforts have paid off as the video game industry has the highest level of compliance among all retailers with only 13 percent of underage teenagers being able to buy M-rated games from stores. Other industries, like music and movies, sell explicit content CDs and R-rated movie tickets to 47 and 24 percent of underage teenagers respectively.

Going by retailer, the study found that Walmart had the worst compliance with game ratings by selling M-rated games to 25 percent of underage teenagers. Target had the best compliance with zero percent of teenagers being able to purchase M-rated games at the retailer.

It would be easy to say the study proves something, but it really only suggests that game ratings are effective. At the very least, the game industry is more effective at self-policing than other industries, but that could be due to the fact that other industries are never put under the same amount of public scrutiny that the game industry is subjected to.

Regardless, the games industry is doing a good job of keeping mature games out of the hands of minors. Now if only parents could stop buying mature-rated titles for their children. It gets a little tiresome hearing parents say the industry is rotting their child’s morals when they were the ones who neglected to notice the M-rating and content descriptors on the back of the box.

[h/t: The Hill]

If we persist in thinking of the internet as an information superhighway, then we’ll continue to handle congestion by adding more lanes, via expensive upgrades in the core network, at the edge and at the last mile. The end result of our love affair with connectivity is a losing proposition for ISPs who are forced to upgrade their networks to meet the ongoing demand for broadband without taking enough of a share from the growing internet economy to meet their margins.

Or so writes Eric Klinker, in the Harvard Business Review blog, in a solid post about how we’re going to manage the growth of the internet. While Klinker sounds like many a telco-funded astroturfer in his worries about ISP profits, he’s actually the CEO of file sharing site, BitTorrent. And his arguments are worth listening to on both sides of the internet divide — the ISPs and the content companies looking to ride those pipes.

In the post, which is similar in spirit to one he wrote for GigaOM in 2011, he agues that the problem on the Internet is congestion, and that there are far more ways to address congestion than just adding more lanes. And of course as the CEO of BitTorrent, which has a proprietary file transfer system that is composed of masses of distributed computers, his main idea is distributed computing. From the article:

Distributed computing systems work with unprecedented efficiency. You don’t need to build server farms, or new networks, to bring an application to life. Each computer acts as its own server; leveraging existing network connections distributed across the entirety of the internet. BitTorrent is a primary example of distributed computing systems at work. Each month, via BitTorrent, millions of machines work together to deliver petabytes of data across the web, to millions of users, at zero cost. And BitTorrent isn’t the only example of distributed technology at work today. Skype uses distributed computing systems to deliver calls. Spotify uses distributed computing systems to deliver music.

The challenges associated with this are obvious. Customers have to download clients in order to use such networks, and they will still affect the end user’s connection at the last mile or in the airwaves and at cell sites on mobile networks. Thus, they can tax ISP networks (although they can be optimized). But with video a huge driver of congestion on the consumer side, it’s a solution that could work, since people will download software in order to watch TV. Even ISPs have tested distributed computing when they tried out the P4P network protocol way back in 2008.

Distributed computing would force many popular web services to reconsider how they build their applications and stream their files, which could have a large effect on big web sites such as Facebook or Google as well as content companies and content delivery networks. Another option, and one that we’re inching toward, is smart routers and prioritization schemes where the user can set their own network parameters to best use the bandwidth they have available. Software-defined networks will also make such prioritization easier and cheaper to manage inside the core telco network as well.

There’s also a more controversial idea of ISPs charging more for broadband during peaks times, as opposed to current data caps that limit people no matter if they download information at 2AM or during prime time. True congestion pricing would also force users to bear to cost of overburdening the ISP network, although ISPs would then have to be open about how often their networks are congested and would risk consumers losing their appetite for broadband. My hunch is that neither the ISPs or the content companies want that to happen, although it’s still far from clear that upgrades are the death knell for the cable and telco companies, as opposed to a painful shift in their margin profiles.

Regardless, we’re only asking for more broadband and more internet services, so Klinker’s article is a welcome reminder that none of that will come for free.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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Ever since the White House changed the rules on their We The People petition site, forcing petitions to reach the 100,000-signature threshold before warranting an official response, “successful” petitions have been a lot more scarce. Only a handful of petitions have crossed the barrier, the most recent being two important tech petitions – this one asking the White House to legalize cellphone unlocking and this one attacking CISPA.

Today another one nears that 100,000-signature mark, and it’s a little bit funnier than the aforementioned petitions – but no less important, really.

With nearly 80,000 signatures and over three weeks to grab the remaining 20,000, it looks like the petition titled “Require Congressmen & Senators to wear logos of their financial backers on their clothing, much like NASCAR drivers do” will receive an official response from the Obama administration.

Here’s what the petition’s creator, J.S. of St. Louis, Missouri, has to say:

Since most politicians’ campaigns are largely funded by wealthy companies and individuals, it would give voters a better sense of who the candidate they are voting for is actually representing if the company’s logo, or individual’s name, was prominently displayed upon the candidate’s clothing at all public appearances and campaign events. Once elected, the candidate would be required to continue to wear those “sponsor’s” names during all official duties and visits to constituents. The size of a logo or name would vary with the size of a donation. For example, a $1 million dollar contribution would warrant a patch of about 4″ by 8″ on the chest, while a free meal from a lobbyist would be represented by a quarter-sized button. Individual donations under $1000 are exempt.

Sure, we’ve been hearing this joke for years – the ol’ sponsorship suit for Senators. But who out there (other than the Congresspeople and their contributors) would say that this isn’t a great idea.

Completely unrealistic or not, I hope the petition succeeds just so I can see an official response.

[BoingBoing, photo via mtsofan, Flickr]

Shire is to buy privately owned U.S. biotech firm SARcode Bioscience, paying $160 million upfront to win rights to a new drug in late-stage development for dry eye diseases.

The move is Shire’s second acquisition this month of a small company in the ophthalmology space – a hot area for pharmaceutical research – following the purchase of Sweden’s Premacure two weeks ago.

Britain’s third biggest drugmaker has a long history of snapping up smaller biotech companies to build its specialty drugs business and its new CEO said the latest deals showed that the strategy was set to continue. Flemming Ornskov will take over from Angus Russell as chief executive on April 30.

Ornskov said ophthalmology was an area he knew well from his previous roles at Bausch and Lomb, Novartis, where he licensed eye drug Lucentis, and Bayer, where the ophthalmic unit reported to him. He said Shire could do further deals in ophthalmology, both in back-of-the-eye and front-of-the-eye diseases.

“With us having now made two acquisitions, I think we are sending a strong signal both to the external world and to the internal world that we certainly will be looking at further opportunities in ophthalmology, if it is in areas of ophthalmology that we perceive to have high growth opportunities, significant unmet need and where innovation is the key driver for differentiation,” he said.

Shire said on Monday it aimed to launch SARcode’s new eye drug Lifitegrast in the United States as early as 2016, if Phase III clinical studies pan out as hoped. It is also evaluating regulatory filing strategies in other markets.

In addition to the upfront payment of $160 million, shareholders in California-based SARcode will be eligible for additional undisclosed payments upon achievement of certain drug development and commercial milestones.

With the global ophthalmic pharmaceutical market valued at approximately $13 billion in 2012 and growing by 4.5 percent a year, Shire said the therapeutic area was a good fit within its portfolio of specialty medicines.

Because buying SARcode will add a new Phase III program, the drugmaker said it was conducting a prioritization review of its portfolio to accommodate this new expenditure in 2013.

“I don’t anticipate that this will increase our overall R&D expenditure this year, but I think we will have to make some re-prioritizations,” Ornskov said.

He said the two deals in ophthalmology demonstrated that he would not change Shire’s acquisition strategy.

“I want to continue to send the signal to any company, particularly smaller companies, that if you are in specialty medicine, if you have a lot of innovation and if you are in an area of interest to Shire, you should look at Shire as a potential future partner,” he said.

Barclays acted as financial advisor to Shire, while J.P. Morgan advised SARcode.

The post Reuters – Shire To Buy SARcode Bioscience For $160M Plus Milestone Payouts appeared first on peHUB.

Argon Medical Devices, which is backed by RoundTable Healthcare Partners, has agreed to buy the Interventional Products Business of Angiotech Pharmaceuticals. Financial terms weren’t announced. The deal is expected to close by April 2013. Interventional Products Business makes and markets disposable and re-usable biopsy products for the diagnosis of cancer, drainage catheter products, and vascular interventional products. Roundtable sold the Interventional Products Business to Angiotech in 2006.

PRESS RELEASE

RoundTable Healthcare Partners (“RoundTable”), an operating-oriented private equity firm focused exclusively on the healthcare industry, announced today that its portfolio company, Argon Medical Devices, Inc. (“Argon” or the “Company”), entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Interventional Products Business of Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Angiotech”). The Interventional Products Business manufactures and markets disposable and re-usable biopsy products for the diagnosis of cancer, drainage catheter products, and vascular interventional products. The transaction is expected to be completed prior to the end of April 2013 subject to customary closing conditions.
The acquisition of the Interventional Products Business bolsters Argon’s existing portfolio of interventional vascular products, adds additional biopsy product lines, and further leverages the Company’s sales force within core call points. As part of the transaction, Argon will also acquire three dedicated manufacturing facilities in Wheeling, IL; Gainesville, FL; and Rochester, NY. Argon currently manufactures its products in facilities in Athens, TX and Singapore.
“The Interventional product franchise is well recognized by hospitals and physicians worldwide,” said Michael J. Hudson , CEO of Argon. “The acquisition of these products strengthens the Argon portfolio and cements our Company’s position as a key player in the Interventional Radiology, Cardiac Catheterization and Vascular Surgery markets.”
The Interventional Products Business was created by RoundTable in 2003 as part of its American Medical Instruments Holdings, Inc. (“AMIH”) investment. The AMIH business was run by Argon’s current management team including: Michael Hudson , Argon’s CEO; Richard Adloff , Argon’s CFO; and George Leondis , Argon’s President. AMIH combined the formerly independent Manan Medical, MD Tech, PBN Medical, and American Medical Instruments into a consolidated operating unit. Angiotech acquired the Interventional Products Business from RoundTable in 2006 as a part of its purchase of AMIH.
“We are extremely excited to own the business again,” added Joseph F. Damico , Founding Partner and Co-Chairman of RoundTable. “Our significant history with this excellent management team in the interventional segment, along with our in-house resources in sales and manufacturing will assist the Argon team in effectively integrating these two businesses to position the combined company for significant growth.”
About RoundTable Healthcare Partners
RoundTable Healthcare Partners, based in Lake Forest, IL, is an operating-oriented private equity firm focused exclusively on the healthcare industry. RoundTable partners with companies that can benefit from its extensive industry relationships and proven operating and transaction expertise. RoundTable has established a successful track record of working with owner/founders, family companies, management teams, entrepreneurs and corporate partners who share a vision and believe in the value creation potential of its partnership model. RoundTable currently manages $1.9 billion in capital, including three equity funds totaling $1.5 billion and two subordinated debt funds totaling $400 million. More information about RoundTable Healthcare Partners can be found at www.roundtablehp.com.
About Argon Medical Devices
Founded in 1972, Argon is a global manufacturer of specialty medical products headquartered in Plano, Texas. Argon offers a broad line of medical devices for Interventional Radiology, Vascular Surgery, Interventional Cardiology, and Critical Care procedures. Current products include the Option™ Retrievable Inferior Vena Cava Filter, Cleaner Rotational Thrombectomy System, and UltraStream™ Chronic Dialysis Catheter. Argon also offers a complete line of PICC and midline catheters, endomyocardial biopsy forceps, introducer sheaths, pressure transducers, and other vascular products. The Company’s products are sold globally through a combination of direct sales representatives and premier specialty distributors. For more information on Argon, please visit www.argonmedical.com.

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If you’re a fan of AMC’s hit television series Mad Men (or Jon Hamm’s penis), you will be happy to know that season 5 is now streaming on Netflix.

Here’s Netflix’s description of the season:

Brilliant, hard-drinking advertising exec Don Draper is back for more drama in this critically acclaimed show’s long-awaited fifth season, which charts the volatile ups and downs Draper and his colleagues endure at their Manhattan-based ad agency.

Yeah, not really that descriptive. Just watch it.

Fans are gearing up for the start of season 6, which premieres April 7 on AMC. Now, Netflix subscribers have a couple weeks to get caught up or revisit the last season to refresh their memories on what happened. Here’s a new trailer for season 6:

Now watch the cast of Mad Men make their March Madness predictions.

Theraclone Sciences said Monday it closed $14 million in additional financing. Existing investors — ARCH Venture Partners, Canaan Partners, MPM Capital, Healthcare Ventures, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Amgen Ventures, Versant Ventures and Zenyaku Kogyo — committed $8 million equity. Another $6 million in venture debt was secured through a credit facility with MidCap Financial and Silicon Valley Bank. Seattle-based Theraclone develops novel therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of infectious disease and cancer.

PRESS RELEASE
Theraclone Sciences, Inc., a therapeutic antibody discovery and development company, today announced a $14 million financing. $8 million in equity is committed from existing investors ARCH Venture Partners, Canaan Partners, MPM Capital, Healthcare Ventures, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Amgen Ventures, Versant Ventures and Zenyaku Kogyo in a Series B Extension, bringing the total round to $50 million. An additional $6 million in venture debt has been secured through a credit facility with MidCap Financial and Silicon Valley Bank. Proceeds will help advance Theraclone’s clinical programs and support ongoing discovery projects using Theraclone’s I-STAR™ technology platform, which is designed for the rapid screening and identification of rare, potent and therapeutically-relevant human antibodies.

“Theraclone has made significant progress with our lead development programs in flu and CMV as well as the discovery collaboration with Pfizer, demonstrating the strength of our R&D pipeline and technology platform,” said Clifford J. Stocks, CEO of Theraclone. “The continued support from our investors represents a vote of confidence and reinforces Theraclone’s ability to sustain our rapid pace of activity and development.”

About Theraclone Sciences

Theraclone Sciences is a Seattle-based biotech focused on the development of novel therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of infectious disease and cancer. The Company’s I-STAR™ technology harnesses the power of the human immune system to identify rare, naturally evolved monoclonal antibodies from the blood cells of immunologically relevant human subjects. Theraclone has established discovery partnerships with Pfizer, Zenyaku Kogyo and the International AIDS Vaccine Research Initiative. In addition, the Company has two proprietary antibody programs in clinical development for pandemic and seasonal influenza and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). www.theraclone-sciences.com.

The post Theraclone Sciences Closes Another $14 Mln in Financing appeared first on peHUB.

The latest Google Webmaster Help video deals with getting your site’s rankings back after experiencing some downtime.

Google’s Matt Cutts will often provides answers to his own questions in these videos. This time the question comes from Googler Pierre Far, a Webmaster Trends analyst at Google UK. The question is:

My website was down for a couple of days and now has lost all of its Google rankings. What can I do to get them back?

Basically, Cutts’ answer is just to put the site back up, make sure it’s reliable, and make sure the pages that were there before are still there.

“There’s a tension at Google where if a page goes away (maybe there’s a 404), we don’t know if it’s really gone away or whether that page will be back,” he says. “Sometimes there’s a server time out, you know, the server is kind of slow. And so, on one hand, you don’t want to keep showing a page that would be a bad user experience, like it’s really gone away. On the other hand, it’s very common for websites to go down for an hour, two hours, a day, two days…and so you also want to give the benefit of the doubt, so you can revisit those pages and see whether they’ve gone up.”

“So we do have different varying time periods where we basically allow, if a domain looks like it’s gone away, but it comes back – you know, it’s back online, then we just sort of say, ‘Okay, it was a transient error,’ so the short and simple advice is just make sure you put the website back up the way it was, and hopefully things should recover relatively quickly,” says Cutts.

This may not be quite the answer you were looking for, but that’s the one Google is giving. It would certainly be interesting to know more about these “varying periods of time”.

College basketball coach Tubby Smith coached the 11-seeded University of Minnesota men’s basketball team past six-seeded UCLA in the second round of the men’s NCAA basketball tournament, but the team lost to third-seed Florida in the next round. Evidently, a tournament showing and a winning record are not enough to guarantee a coaching position in the NCAA these days.

The University of Minnesota today announced that Smith has been ousted from his coaching job just one day after the loss to Florida.

“Tubby has had a long and distinguished career and we feel it’s time for a fresh set of eyes for our student-athletes and our program in general,” said Norwood Teague, University of Minnesota athletics director.

Smith has been the coach of Minnesota’s basketball team since 2007. In his time with the program, Smith coached the team to a 124-81 record and three NCAA tournament appearances. This week’s third-round loss was the team’s best NCAA tournament showing under Smith’s coaching.

Before taking the coaching position at Minnesota, Smith coached the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team. He had been an assistant coach for the team under coach Rick Pitino, who is currently coaching the number-one seeded University of Louisville men’s basketball team into the Sweet Sixteen

“I want to thank the University of Minnesota and the people of Minnesota for giving me the opportunity to lead the Golden Gopher basketball program for six years,” said Smith. “Our staff did things the right way and will leave knowing that the program is in far better shape than when we arrived. The people of the State of Minnesota embraced Donna and me from the beginning and we will always be grateful.”

Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based Onex Credit Partners LLC (OCP), the credit investing arm of Canadian buyout firm Onex Corp., has completed its third collateralized loan obligation (CLO) offering in a private placement transaction that raised US$512 million, including US$24 million from Onex. OCP, which has done three CLO offerings since early 2012, now manages US$2.8 billion, including US$2.3 billion of third-party capital.

PRESS RELEASE

Onex Credit Partners Completes Third CLO Offering

Toronto, March 25, 2013 – Onex Corporation (“Onex”) (TSX: OCX) today announced that Onex Credit Partners, LLC completed its third collateralized loan obligation (“CLO”) offering in a private placement transaction that raised $512 million, including $24 million from Onex. A CLO is a leveraged structured vehicle that holds a widely diversified collateral asset portfolio that is funded through the issuance of long-term debt in a series of rated tranches of secured notes and equity.

Including three CLO offerings completed since March 2012, Onex Credit Partners now manages $2.8 billion, including $2.3 billion of third-party capital.

“We’re encouraged by the market’s receptivity to Onex Credit Partners as a CLO manager,” said Michael Gelblat, Chief Executive Officer of Onex Credit Partners. “We continue to see opportunities for further CLO issuance, and our current team and infrastructure have the capability to place a number of offerings each year should market conditions remain attractive.”

About Onex
With offices in Toronto, New York and London, Onex is one of the oldest and most successful private equity firms. Onex acquires and builds high-quality businesses in partnership with talented management teams. The Company has approximately $15 billion of assets under management, including $5 billion of proprietary capital, in private equity, credit securities and real estate. Onex invests its proprietary capital directly and as a substantial limited partner in its Funds.

Onex’ businesses have assets of $43 billion, generate annual revenues of $37 billion and employ approximately 250,000 people worldwide. Onex shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbol OCX. For more information on Onex, visit its website at www.onex.com. The Company’s security filings can also be accessed at www.sedar.com.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on management’s current expectations and are subject to known and unknown uncertainties and risks, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by such forward-looking statements. Onex is under no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein should material facts change due to new information, future events or otherwise.

The securities sold in the third CLO offering have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under that Act. Any future CLO offerings will be made in similar private placement transactions subject to the same restrictions.

For further information:
Emma Thompson
Vice President, Investor Relations
Tel: 416.362.7711

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

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The Samsung Galaxy Note III will be out later this year and may feature an unbreakable display. According to South Korean news site Asiae, the display will be unbreakable thanks to flexible AMOLED technology, measuring in at 5.9-inches and in full 1080p HD. As far as specs are concerned, we’re still hearing a Exynos 5 Octa processor, 2GB RAM, 8 megapixel camera, bigger battery, and Android 4.2.2 onboard. However, with Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie being announced at Google I/O, the Galaxy Note III could ship with that. Either way, even if the Note III doesn’t feature an unbreakable display, we’ll be sure to see a better HD display, performance, and many new features that debuted in the Galaxy S 4.

Via: Unwired View
Source: Asiae

Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy Note III Rumored To Have Unbreakable Display

This week, President Obama completed his historic trip to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. During the trip he reiterated the unbreakable bonds between the United States and Israel and America’s unwavering commitment to Israel’s security as well as the importance of security, peace and prosperity for all in the region.

President Obama also touched upon the upcoming Passover holiday, the powerful symbols that it represents, and the inspiration it provides to him and to all people seeking a more just and peaceful future.

See a statement from President Obama on Passover.

Zachary Kelly is Special Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff and works with the Office of Public Engagement on Jewish outreach.

Saying that many readers have asked for it, Andrew Sullivan once again modified the paywall for his popular site The Dish on Monday, adding a monthly payment option. Previously, readers were asked to pay $19.99 (or more) per year); now, they will also have the option of paying $1.99 (or more) per month.

“The point of course is to make this available to as many people at as many price points as you want and need, above a minimum baseline,” Sullivan wrote in a blog post. (He’ll be speaking more about The Dish’s payment model on April 17 at paidContent Live in New York.)

Last week, The Dish made its paywall stricter, lowering it to five free “read-on” stories every 60 days.

Sullivan also wrote that The Dish has now raised $653,000 of the $900,000 it needs for its first year, up from $644,000 last week.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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“So?” You say. Yesterday, when writing about the Windows Blue leak, I emphasized the importance of Microsoft picking up the pace, by releasing new features faster. Brandon LeBlanc says the updates will come today, but I surely don’t see them yet — so can’t authoritatively write about refinements.

Get used to it, these three updates tip changes ahead, like others, such as SkyDrive and Skype. It’s a new Microsoft, and the push to the cloud and subscription computing are major reasons, along with competitive need and BYOD. The company’s longstanding priority providing backward-compatibility drags development. Some innovations are held back, while enterprise customers using the same software for years keeps new features out of market even if Microsoft releases them. Microsoft lumbers along, in part because core customers do. No longer.

As Microsoft pushes out more cloud and subscription products, the company seizes control of when customers get new features rather than IT organizations acting as bottlenecks or fussy workers whining about change. There is more flow of ideas to innovation to implementation.Think about it. Why invest millions of dollars developing something customers won’t use? Cloud and subscriptions bring forward new features, giving Microsoft developers incentive to do more sooner.

Then there is the whole bring-your-own-device to work thing, which is nowhere as new as many analysts (who want to sell services and reports) or bloggers (many of whom are too young to remember) would have you believe. I was BYOD back in the Windows 3.1 era. The first cell phones, Palm Pilots and BlackBerries all came to the enterprise by the back door. B. Y. O. D. What’s different now is volume and the economy.

According to “Good Technology’s 2nd Annual State of BYOD Report”, 76 percent of enterprises with more than 2,000 employees have programs in place, and the total is expected to reach 88 percent this year. However, there is a startling shift in costs — to employee up rather than organization down. Good finds that in half the companies with BYOD programs, employees pay for devices and supporting services, such as cellular data for cell phones, tablets and some laptops. Corporate IT is more willing to let employees use their own stuff, as long as they pay. Consumers, unlike enterprises, accept — even demand change.

Shake it all up and suddenly some of the logjam shakes free and creates opportunity for Microsoft to speed up development and crank out new features as they are ready rather than save them up for big, cumulative releases. Hence, enhancements to, say, Mail, Calendar and People apps ahead of any major changes to Windows. Actually, we haven’t seen pace like this since the U.S. antitrust case squashed Microsoft innovation, easily ending any speedy updates to so-called middleware promised for Windows XP.

That’s what these three updates mean and sudden pace developing Windows Blue.

So it’s no surprise then that LeBlanc promises: “These updates are part of our ongoing focus and commitment to continually improving your Windows experience. This means that the experience on Windows PCs and tablets will keep getting richer”.

With Google cranking out updates fast and furiously, the approach is good business and is great for users. There’s nothing like competition to make products better.

Photo Credit: Lighthunter/Shutterstock

Facebook is currently testing a new look to chat on desktop – one that looks nearly identical to the way chat appears on the Facebook Messenger app.

The new design has blue and white chat bubbles, instead of the simple text that users currently see. According to AllFacebook, Facebook looks to be testing the new desktop chat for a small set of international users.

Here’s what it looks like:

Compare that to the current format:

Which format do you prefer?

Anthony Lewis, the author and influential columnist for The New York Times, has died. He was 85 years old.

The New York Times is reporting that Lewis died at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Monday, March 25. His wife, former chief justice of the Massachussets Supreme Judicial Court Margaret Marshall, told the newspaper that Lewis died from complications of renal and heart failure. Lewis had suffered from Parkinson’s disease. In addition to his wife, he is survived by three children and seven grandchildren.

Lewis grew up in New York City and later attended Harvard University, where he was the editor of the Harvard Crimson. He won two Pulitzer Prizes during his career, one for exposing the U.S. government’s McCarthy-era loyalty program and one for his coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Lewis taught at the Columbia University graduate school of journalism and lectured at Harvard during the 70s and 80s. He authored or co-authored multiple books including Gideon’s Trumpet and Freedom for the Thought That We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment. Lewis’ New York Times op-ed columns often focused on legal issues surrounding topics such as free speech and justice.

Christian Parkes has joined Myspace as a VP of Global Marketing, while Joseph Patel was named Vice President of Content + Creative. Most recently, Parkes was Levi’s global senior director of marketing. Patel, meanwhile, spent four years as a Senior Producer for Vice Media.

PRESS RELEASE

March 25, 2013 – Myspace (new.myspace.com), a place where creative people come to connect, discover and share, has named key executives from the creative community to oversee global marketing operations and editorial content.

Christian Parkes, Vice President of Global Marketing

A brand marketer by trade and a passionately curious observer by nature, Christian Parkes has spent the past 16 years on a journey of keen learning from consumers all over an ever-shrinking planet. The award-winning marketer was most recently celebrated by Fast Company as one of the Top 100 Most Creative People in Business.

An avid wearer of blue jeans and black t-shirts, Parkes is based in Los Angeles where he leads the team at Myspace, creating change and applying non-traditional thinking to a constantly evolving business.

Prior to joining Myspace, Parkes helped shape and lead the resurgence of the globally revered Levi’s brand.  As Global Senior Director of Marketing, his accomplishments included the award-winning ‘We Are All Workers’ Go Forth campaign, supporting the rebuilding of Braddock, Penn., birthing Water

Pre Levi’s, Parkes was instrumental in creating, launching and building Nike Sportswear, the sport behemoth’s $6BN lifestyle category. This work saw Parkes blur the lines between sport and culture, leading to creative programs featuring Lance Armstrong, Kaws, Kobe Bryant, Mister Cartoon, HBO’s Entourage, LaDainian Tomlinson and Shepard Fairey.

Joseph Patel, Vice President, Content + Creative

As Vice President of Content + Creative, Joseph Patel is driving the production, editorial, and development of original content for the new Myspace. Prior to joining the Myspace team, Patel spent four years as a Senior Producer for Vice Media, creating short- and long-form documentaries, overseeing branded content and facilitating strategic partnerships for clients including Heineken, Nike, Red Bull and Intel. Patel also served as Supervising Producer on Vice television franchises for MTV and HBO. During this period, Patel was detained by Yemen’s National Security Office and had to sneak his crew out of the country.

Patel began his career as a pop culture journalist writing for various publications, and spent six years as Senior Producer with MTV News & Documentaries. In this position, Patel led production for the channel’s acclaimed Choose or Lose presidential election program in 2008.

About Myspace:
Myspace  is a place where people come to connect, discover, and share. Showcasing artists and their work, the site gives people access to 53 million tracks and videos—the world’s largest digital music library. With roots in music and social, the platform is built to empower all artists—from musicians and designers to writers and photographers—helping them connect with audiences, collaborators, and partners to achieve their goals. Through an open design, compelling editorial features, and analytics-based recommendations, Myspace creates a creative community of people who connect around mutual affinity and inspiration for the purpose of shaping, sharing, and discovering what’s next.

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