Also: Carl Icahn nabs a 10% stake in Netflix; Path comes to the iPad.
How hurricane Sandy slapped the sarcasm out of Twitter [THE NEW YORK TIMES]
At my home in suburban New Jersey, a 30-foot limb dropped down at 4 p.m., so the illusion that this was an event happening to someone else quickly dissipated. And at 8 p.m., just when we hunkered down in front of the big screen, the house went dark. This very large event would not be televised. We built a fire and sat around a hand-cranked radio, but I was diverted over and over by the little campfire of Twitter posts on my smartphone.
It was hard to resist. Twitter not only keeps you in the data stream, but because you can contribute and re-tweet, you feel as if you are adding something even though Mother Nature clearly has the upper hand. The activity of it, the sharing aspect, the feeling that everyone is in the boat and rowing, is far different from consuming mass media.
Right on Cue: Can iTunes chief fix Apple’s maps and Siri [CNET]
Cue listened quietly while the Warner executives informed him that all songs were not created equal and prices should reflect that. They pressed him, saying they couldn’t accept Apple’s terms and time was short because their contract was due to expire soon. But as soon as the Warner execs finished, Cue said calmly and without hesitation that Apple wasn’t going to give in to their demands. If the contract expired without a new deal in place then Apple would simply pull their songs from iTunes. He got up and made his speech.
Warner renewed its iTunes deal and song prices remained unchanged at Apple’s music store for another three years.
Private social network Path is coming to the iPad.
Path goes the iPad route [PATH]
“Life in Landscape
See the day on one screen and swipe to see previous days. See the check-ins and arrival moments of each day on a single map. Path in landscape-view is the best way to catch up with your family and friends, revisit days and the moments that made them special.Living Large
iPad allows for larger moments that show more. For example, view a friend’s book moment in full-screen and see the cover enlarged, your friends’ comments, and the faces of every person who’s seen it. You’ll also read a description of the story and see a list of friends who have read it too.”
Move aside Netflix naysayers — Carl Icahn grabs 10% stake in Netflix [VENTUREBEAT]
The SEC filing shows that Icahn owns about 5.4 million shares of Netflix at a cost of $168.9 million. News of Icahn’s stake gave Netflix stock a boost, with the current price up 14 percent at the time this article was published.
“Netflix may hold significant strategic value for a variety of significantly larger companies that are engaging in more direct competition with one another due to the evolution of the Internet, mobile, and traditional industry,” Icahn states in the filing regarding his reason for purchasing a stake. He doesn’t provide any insight for how Netflix might become more valuable for shareholders but did indicate that it’s been discussed.
The man who made Star Wars [THE ATLANTIC]
His interest in film came accidentally. He helped build a racing car for Haskell Wexler, the cinematographer; and he narrowly escaped death in a car crash. The meeting and the accident convinced him that he should use his visual talents rather than his mechanical ones. Painting was a gamble, and photography was problematic. The simplest and easiest solution seemed to be film school. Wexler helped Lucas to get into the University of Southern California. “I got there on a fluke,” Lucas says, “and coming from a small town with one little theater, I didn’t really have that much background. Producer and director were for me the same general category-the person who made the movies.”
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