December 12, 2013 06:00 PST | 09:00 EST | 14:00 UTC
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>> REDMOND CONCLAVE: With Microsoft CEO race in home stretch and Mulally fading, here's my dark-horse pick: VMware's Gelsinger, by Kara Swisher: "Over the last week, Mulally's star has fallen quickly, which sources said is due to some shift in opinion among Microsoft's directors that perhaps a more tech-experienced exec is needed, with major chops in either the enterprise or consumer arenas. Not helping Mulally was what appeared to be an off-the-cuff statement by Ford Chairman Edsel Ford II, who told Bloomberg News that Mulally 'has told us that his plan is to stay with Ford through the end of 2014.' Although Mulally still gave a non-denial denial of his interest, Ford's remarks sent Microsoft stock tumbling. This perceived jockeying was not well received by many inside Microsoft, and some felt it was Mulally trying to hedge the situation on both sides a little too much... the idea of an exec with deep experience in the enterprise and cloud is still, I think, the most compelling solution for Microsoft, which is why I zeroed in on another VMware exec: CEO Patrick Gelsinger." AllThingsD
>>>> Bill Gates will resign as MSFT chairman within a year Hal's (Im)Perfect Vision
>>>> Juniper EVP Bob Muglia abruptly quits Network World
>>>> Microsoft launches network of Azure providers InfoWorld
>>>> How free Windows Phone/RT software could pay off big for Microsoft InfoWorld
>> BIG PICTURE: SAP courts developers with new license, tools, by Chris Kanaracus: "SAP has made a series of announcements aimed at bringing more software developers into its fold, making their jobs easier and bolstering the reach of its HANA in-memory computing platform. The most significant changes include a new, unified developer license that covers a wide range of SAP technologies, and the long-awaited launch of the cloud-based River application development toolset for SAP's HANA in-memory computing platform." InfoWorld
>> CLOUD COLLAPSE: Trouble at Yahoo: Partial webmail outage continues, while surprise Small Business Website shutdowns anger customers, by Sarah Perezt: "Normally a report of a web services outage goes like this: web service goes down, reporter writes post, hits publish, web service comes right back up. But that doesn't appear to be the case for Yahoo Mail, which has been down for some users for well over 24 hours, and in some cases nearly two days." TechCrunch
>>>> Kick the can -- Yahoo Mail is a consumer disaster, but company's response is even worse AllThingsD
>>>> For online businesses, how much downtime is acceptable? Fortune/CNN Money
>> EASY DRIVE: Apple invents in-vehicle holistic ID for 'iOS in the Car': "On December 12, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals a new aspect to their forthcoming "iOS in the Car" product that will be supported by more than 18 car companies by the end of 2014. The invention generally relates to providing an in-vehicle infotainment system with a logical holistic ID methodology for coordinating multiple services with multiple devices automatically and seamlessly throughout the vehicle." Patently Apple
>> GEEK CHALLENGE: Show us a better way than collecting metadata, NSA director says to critics, by Grant Gross: "The NSA's bulk collection of U.S. telephone records is the 'least intrusive' way to track suspected terrorists' communications with people in the U.S., General Keith Alexander said, defending the NSA's mass data collection and surveillance programs to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. 'If we can come up with a better way, we ought to put it on the table and argue our way through it,' Alexander said. 'There is no other way that we know of to connect the dots.'" PCWorld
>> MONEY SHOT: Snapchat raises $50M in series C from Coatue Management, by Jordan Crook: "Amid rumors of a $3 billion acquisition offer from Facebook and a potential $200 million funding round, turns out that ephemeral messaging sensation Snapchat has actually raised $50 million in Series C funding." TechCrunch
>> ALL YOUR BASE: Microsoft introduces online tool for Gmail switchers, by Ed Bott: "A year after its rebranding of Hotmail as Outlook.com, Microsoft is taking aim at Gmail users with a new online service that simplifies the process of switching." ZDNet
>> EMPIRE STRIKES BACK: JPMorgan files patent for 'bitcoin killer' currency, by Matthew Sparks: "The largest bank in the US, JPMorgan, has filed a patent for an electronic currency with many similarities to bitcoin.... At no point in the lengthy patent application is there any reference to bitcoin or any other existing crypto-currency, but there is a claim that the work would represent a 'new paradigm for effectuating electronic payments'.... As with bitcoin, the application suggests that users could make payments to online merchants with the new currency and also transfer money with other users." The Telegraph
>> FIX THE PICTURE: Kleiner Perkins names Bing Gordon as chief product officer; debuts founder education program ProductWorks, by Leena Rao: "… a program that provides entrepreneurs the intensive mentoring, recruiting and technical assistance needed to create consumer, enterprise and digital health products and services. At a discussion with reporters today, Gordon told us he will continue to make investments and take board seats on behalf of Kleiner Perkins, but since the much of his time will be spent with ProductWorks, he will be scaling back his board involvement compared to traditional VCs." TechCrunch
>>>> John Doerr's last stand: Can a dramatic shakeup save Kleiner Perkins? Pando
>> I SCREEN, YOU SCREEN: Apple adds ABC, Bloomberg, Crackle, and KORTV channels to Apple TV, by Eric Slivka: "Apple today added yet another set of channels to its Apple TV set-top box, including a 'Watch ABC' channel to allow subscribers to certain cable services to watch content from their local ABC affiliate through Apple TV." MacRumors
>>>> Behind-the-scenes look at Apple TV app development with the new Bloomberg Channel 9to5Mac
>> HAPPENING TODAY: AmazonFresh starts same-day grocery delivery in S.F., by Andrew S. Ross: "Beginning in 12 San Francisco ZIP codes, residents will henceforth be able to 'combine grocery and other shopping into one seamless experience that easily fits into their routines and improves their busy lives.' And for a 30-day trial period, it's free, after which Amazon would like to transition you into its $299 a year 'Prime Fresh' program, keeping the delivery charge at zero... Minimum requirements: More than $35 worth of groceries. Order by 10 a.m. to get it by 6 p.m., or by 10 p.m. to get it eight hours later." SFGate
>> SHOW OF FORCE: YouTube unleashes strange storm of copyright claims on video game content producers, by Paul Tassi: "YouTube, game publishers, and video creators have always had something of an uneasy relationship. Video content creators, those who make gameplay videos or review games on YouTube, have gone through approved services like Machinima to make games content for years now. They can often make lots of money doing so, and have been usually protected under fair use, or the idea that their work helps sell the product they're talking about. The problem is that yes, technically they are using copyright footage and/or music in their videos, content owned by those [who] make the games. Usually, publishers have been content to let this idea slide, knowing how important essentially free press can be when it comes to selling their games, and how influential some of these content producers are. That's all changed this week, however, as something has finally snapped. YouTube has sent out thousands upon thousands of copyright notices on gameplay videos to content creators both famous and amateur." Forbes
>>>> YouTube defends copyright crackdown Polygon
>> COPYWRONG: Caltech announces open access policy: "All faculty members will automatically grant nonexclusive rights to the Institute to disseminate their scholarly papers, making wider distribution of their work possible and eliminating confusion about copyright." Caltech new t/h HackerNews
>> On road to IPO, Shopify raises $100M to 'bridge clicks and bricks' Wall Street Journal
>> Internet-video startup Ooyala reels in $43M from Australia's Telstra Variety
>> Bitcoin's biggest bet: Andreessen Horowitz leads $25M investment in Coinbase AllThingsD
>> YouTube ad revenues tipped to jump 51% to $5.6B in 2013 [The shift away from TV, toward mobile screens.] The Guardian
>> Looking for mobile apps with traction? 20 to try out this week Mattermark
>> Box adds security, automation to IT admin console PCWorld
>> The real reason Obama can't swap his BlackBerry for an iPhone InfoWorld
>> Infamous brogrammer Pax Dickinson changes his tune, apologizes, agrees to work for 'Ladyboss' Venture Beat
>> Japan tops world in mobile apps revenue Wall Street Journal
>> Microsoft sells more than 2 million Xbox Ones in 2.5 weeks VentureBeat
>> Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.0 issued in beta form PCWorld
>> AT&T, T-Mobile shift tactics as smartphones saturate markets Macworld
>> Help bring privacy laws into 21st century Krebs on Security
>> Metaprogramming Python for big data ['A billion rows per second'] Ville Tuulos (t/h Reddit)
>> Valve: First version of SteamOS to be released to the masses on Friday Ars Technica
>> AT&T's gigabit service in Austin is $70 if you let it spy on your searches GigaOM
>> Big data demands nonstop experimentation InfoWorld
>> Bitcoin this hour: $897 Mt.Gox
>> TWEET O' THE DAY: "'The best analogy I have (for Bitcoin) is it's e-mail for money,' -- David Johnston, Engine" @novaspivack
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