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Amazon petitions the FAA to approve drone delivery tests

Jul11
by on July 11, 2014 at 12:57 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

Amazon’s efforts to build a drone delivery service, Amazon Prime Air, have thus far been restricted by its inability to run test flights in the US. However, CNET reports that the company has filed a petition with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct outdoor flights from its R&D lab in Seattle. Currently, hobbyists and drone manufacturers are allowed to fly drones in the US, but commercial businesses are restricted from doing so. Amazon’s filing is requesting an exemption on the grounds that it’s in the “public interest” because Prime Air fits the FAA’s own goal to get commercial drones…

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LinkedIn behind the scenes: How open source software can transform a company – and the world

Jul11
by on July 11, 2014 at 12:20 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Design & Dev

LinkedIn
On a recent visit to LinkedIn’s Mountain View headquarters, I sat down with three of the company’s engineers to talk through different aspects of its business. For the first article in this behind the scenes series, we’ll hear from VP of Engineering Alex Vauthey, who heads up monetization engineering and data infrastructure at LinkedIn, about the company’s efforts to contribute to the open source community. This transcript has been edited for clarity and length. TNW: What is LinkedIn’s approach to open source software? Vauthey: LinkedIn really embraces open-sourcing. I can think of three main reasons for that: first one is it’s very much in…

This story continues at The Next Web

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a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

LinkedIn behind the scenes: How open source software can transform a company – and the world

Jul11
by on July 11, 2014 at 12:20 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Design & Dev

LinkedIn
On a recent visit to LinkedIn’s Mountain View headquarters, I sat down with three of the company’s engineers to talk through different aspects of its business. For the first article in this behind the scenes series, we’ll hear from VP of Engineering Alex Vauthey, who heads up monetization engineering and data infrastructure at LinkedIn, about the company’s efforts to contribute to the open source community. This transcript has been edited for clarity and length. TNW: What is LinkedIn’s approach to open source software? Vauthey: LinkedIn really embraces open-sourcing. I can think of three main reasons for that: first one is it’s very much in…

This story continues at The Next Web

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10 time-saving social media tools (so you can actually enjoy your vacation)

Jul10
by on July 10, 2014 at 8:30 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Lists, Roundups, Social Media

readeratsunset
This post originally appeared on the Buffer blog. Imagine you’ve got a week’s vacation planned this summer (lucky you!), and you’d love nothing more than for your social media efforts to keep humming right along while you’re gone. No problem. There are a handful of social media tools that can assist with your out-of-office marketing. Automation techniques can help fill your queue, and the 10 tools below can help you keep tabs on your profiles, engage with your audience, and communicate with your team. Here are 10 time-saving social media tools (actually, more like 28–each featured tool has a few similar alternatives I’ve listed) to keep in mind whether you’re on the…

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FTC files lawsuit against Amazon claiming it billed parents millions in unauthorized in-app purchases

Jul10
by on July 10, 2014 at 7:42 pm
Posted In: amazon, Around the Web, ftc, Insider

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit against online retailer Amazon claiming the company charged parents millions of dollars in unauthorized in-app purchases. The FTC is seeking court ordered refunds from Amazon for unauthorized charges made by children using devices like the Amazon Kindle Fire. According to the suit (available in PDF format), children could easily purchase items up to $99.99 from within apps. The commission acknowledges that since the launch of in-app purchases on Amazon devices in 2011, Amazon has taken steps to reduce the risk of children spending hundreds of dollars on in-game features and virtual money (including limiting purchases to…

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