Silicon Valley

If two lost unreleased iPhones -- and the resulting lawsuits, police investigations, and other recriminations weren't proof enough, a new story of a lost LG Nexus 4 prototype should convince those in possession of stealth devices that they should stay away from their local taverns.

In a post on Wired today, we learn the tale of a Nexus 4 -- the very phone that Google is expected to formally unveil next week -- that appears to have been accidentally left behind in a San Francisco bar. [Note: Google has canceled Monday's Android event because of Hurricane Sandy. We'… Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--Building 3D models should be something everyone can do. That's the pitch from ZeroUI, a Silicon Valley startup that has created a technology platform designed to let anyone create their own digital models, whether a robot, drum, table, or anything else.

The Cupertino, Calif., company is relying on gestural input technologies such as Microsoft's Kinect, and soon, Leap Motion's Leap controller, as well as systems built into some computers, to allow users to create their models with nothing but their hands.

The company's name comes from the fact that its system has an extremely minimal user interface. Rather than requiring users to understand the mathematics and physics of a model they might want to build, the ZeroUI system simply allows them to stand in front of the input camera and use intuitive hand gestures to craft their 3D model (see the video below). … Read more

LinkedIn is so 2011.

In the red-hot market for skilled software engineers, companies looking to make great hires are discovering that relying on traditional services that showcase candidates' work histories -- but not their actual work -- is a great way to miss out on the best available talent.

These days, there's a new game in town -- GitHub, a place where hiring managers and recruiters alike are increasingly turning to find not just the potential employees who look best on paper, but the ones that actively (and publicly) demonstrate their capabilities.

Last month, Andreessen Horowitz, one of the … Read more

Are you a tech startup desperate to hire the best talent around and looking for a central repository of skilled engineers? Or a kick-butt coder trying to get in on the ground floor of a hot new venture? AngelList may have just the place to go.

This evening, AngelList, a service whose alumni companies have raised more than $1.1 billion in funding, launched a new talent portal, a one-stop shop where startups can search for qualified tech talent, and where skilled engineers and others can seek out the best new companies.

"We noticed that people were using AngelList … Read more

Sometimes, things just blow up.

It happens to iPhones, so why shouldn't it happen to lovely, shiny hybrid cars?

I am grateful to Jalopnik, which discovered that a lovely Fisker Karma is slightly less lovely today, after it appears to have set itself alight.

I don't think it was a protest against continued ignorance of global warming, though local fire crew in Woodside, Calif., are currently mystified as to why the Fisker lost its karma and simply flambeed.

No one appears to have been hurt in this incident, which occurred when the owner went into a local grocery … Read more

If there's one thing Vladimir Putin has shown the world, it's that a topless photo can add truth to power.

It can make a man seem more of a man, more 5'4" than 5'3".

Perhaps Mark Zuckerberg also feels the need to appear a little taller, stronger, and manlier.

For a photograph has emerged of Facebook's CEO topless.

My deeply religious reading of TMZ suddenly revealed yesterday the sight of Zuckerberg with his right hand on his bare chest, as if to say: "Sexy? Moi?"

It is impossible to know why … Read more

commentary I am going to make you uncomfortable. I'm going to make myself uncomfortable. I'm going to talk about the intersection of leadership, gender, motherhood, and personality. More specifically, I'd like to talk about Marissa Mayer, who is a new breed of woman in technology and business and -- as a pregnant CEO -- a role model of the highest order.

I've been lucky enough to meet Mayer, the newly appointed Yahoo CEO and hopeful savior, twice. The first time made a lasting impression. I had just been promoted to editor-in-chief of CNET Reviews, and I … Read more

Larry Ellison has closed a deal to buy most of the Hawaiian island of Lanai for an undisclosed sum.

The Oracle chief executive has agreed to purchase 98 percent of the 141-square-mile island, Hawaii's sixth-largest by acreage, according to a statement issued today by the Hawaii governor's office. Current landowner Castle & Cooke filed a transfer application with the Public Utilities Commission.

Billionaire David Murdock, who has owned 98 percent of the island since 1985, is selling the land after reportedly losing between $18 million and $25 million each year on the island. The state of Hawaii owns … Read more

What do you do when you've got $500 million to spare? Get an island.

Bill Gates and Larry Ellison are interested in buying the same one, according to rumors floating around Hawaii.

Billionaire David Murdock wants to sell the island of Lanai, Hawaii's sixth-largest by acreage, and potential buyers could include the Microsoft founder and the Oracle CEO, Pacific Business News reported. The island, which may be worth more than $500 million, is expected to be sold soon.

Gates and his wife, Melinda, rented the island (the whole island, mind you) for their marriage in 1994, and Ellison … Read more