Comcastigated

Comcastigated
Number	2170
Broadcast Date	February 13, 2014
Episode Length	30:16
Hosts	Tom Merritt
Guests	Don Reisinger

Don Reisinger joins us to talk about the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger and the new Xbox One remote. Guess which one he likes? That may be a trick question.

Guest

• Don Reisinger, @donreisinger

Headlines

• Comcast, Time Warner Cable agree to merge, deal must receive regulatory approval from FCC & DOJ

Bloomberg reports Comcast has agreed to acquire Time Warner Cable for $45.2 billion in stock, combining the two largest cable television and Internet companies in the US. TWC stock holders will receive 2.875 shares of Comcast for each TWC share they hold, valuing TWC shares at $158.82. Charter Communications had been attempting to acquire Time Warner Cable, with Comcast’s help but talks broke down. The acquisition would give Comcast 30 million total customers, just under 30% of the US market and operations in New York City and Los Angeles. The merger must receive regulatory approval from the FCC and US Department of Justice, neither a foregone conclusion. There is no breakup penalty if the deal does not go through.

• Facebook to allow users to choose genders other than male and female

Reuters reports Facebook is letting users choose genders other than male and female when they create or edit their profiles. Members in the US can choose male, female or the new ‘custom’ option. The custom option allows the user to select from 10 different gender identifications, including transgender, intersex, and fluid. Users can also restrict who can see their gender selection and choose to be referred to by the pronoun their instead of his or her.

• Hyperlinks allowed. Whew

PC World reports the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled Thursday that a website does not require authorization to link to a freely accessible copyright work, even if they Frame it so it looks like its on their site not the works. The CJEU provided the advice to the Court of Appeal in Svea, Sweden, regarding a case where journalists complained their articles were linked to from Retriever Sverige in a way that made them look like they were on Retriever’s site.

News From You

• Mason Wild who used the Johnson County library’s 3-D printer to make a hand for nine-year-old family friend

Such a hand would normally cost around $18,000. Instead, Wild used a freely available design from Ivan Owen and South African woodworker Richard Van As, 8 hours of time on the library’s printer and $60 worth of materials. Boom. Hand.

Submitted by: Maurice

• Google And VMware Make Accessing Windows Apps, Desktops From ChromeOS Easier

While this kind of access to virtual machines already exists for ChromeOS, the partnership will provide a secure enterprise-ready way to do it.

Submitted by: cosmicvibes

• Physicists find theory on graphene wrong and its conductivity is 10x greater than thought

Physicists have produced nanoribbons of graphene — single-atom-thick carbon — that conduct electrons without resistance at room temperature. The international researchers measured ballistic transport that exceeded theoretical limits by a factor of ten. Good know for potential graphene-based electronics that could greatly outperform silicon-based devices.

Submitted by: AllanAV

• IT'S ALIVE! China's Jade Rabbit rover RETURNS from the DEAD

Chinese Jade Rabbit lunar explorer, thought to be dead after an emergency shutdown has started to receive signals normally again. However it’s still troubled by a mechanical control abnormality that led to the shutdown in the first place.

Submitted by: habichuelacondulce

Discussion

• Verizon confirms ‘More Everything’
• LG unveils G Pro 2
• BlackBerry updates BlackBerry Messenger App for iOS and Android
• Square announces Square Cash, a new pay by email system

Links

• This episode on dailytechnewsshow.com
• Support DTNS on Patreon
• DTNS subreddit

Preceded by: "Give the Fish the Keys"

Comcastigated

Followed by: "Funk Da Crunk in the Elephant’s Trunk"