19-year-old entrepreneur Eric Simons spent two months secretly living at AOL's Palo Alto, Calif. campus, sleeping each night on a couch like this one. (Credit: Eric Simons) It was 6 a.m. when Eric Simons was jolted awake by the yelling. After working until 4 a.m, the 19-year-old entrepreneur had finally passed out. A few hours of sleep would help with the day ahead. But unlike most people working at AOL's Palo Alto, Calif., campus who were surely still hours from showing up at the sprawling complex, Simons was already there. He'd been living there for two months, hiding out at night on couches, eating the company's food, and exercising and showering in its gym. And now, with an angry security guard bellowing at him, it ... Continue reading →
Turns out, Mark Zuckerberg -- like all the insiders who sold shares into the IPO -- got a good deal. Facebook's CEO has completed a transaction of the 30.2 million shares that he was slotted to sell, according a document filed with the SEC. He sold the shares at $37.58 a share, netting him more than $1.2 billion. His price was just below the offering price of $38 because the underwriters take a cut. Zuckerberg had planned to sell the stock mainly as a way to pay taxes, according to the company's S-1 IPO filing. Even so, his quick profit was far better than many other's betting on his company's IPO have done. While stock is up slightly so far today -- just below $32 ... Continue reading →
The full display of Ladyada's Workshop, a proposed Lego set intended to show that girls can be hackers and makers, and not just stick to stereotyped gender roles. (Credit: Adafruit Industries/Bruce Lowell) For Limor Fried, a hardware hacker and leader in the booming maker and do-it-yourself movements, there was never a question of waiting for someone else to jump in and do a better job of inspiring girls than Lego has done with its widely-panned Lego Friends set. The product was featured on the cover of Bloomberg Business Week last year and drew worldwide attention as the global toy company's first major attempt at showcasing girls in a new set. Still, many Lego fans were upset that the company had focused on well-worn stereotypes and ... Continue reading →
History in the making, May 18, 2012 (Credit: CNET) Facebook's uber-rich insiders aren't likely to win much sympathy. But the company's thud of an IPO is likely to shave hundreds of millions in profits for a select bunch who just a few days ago counted on a magnificent payday on a sure bet. As a result of the swoon in Facebook's stock, early investor Sean Parker is likely to lose out on $380 million that he had expected; Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskowitz: $285 million. Let's hope they haven't spent it already. Sean Parker might end up holding those 10 million Facebook shares a big longer. (Credit: Techonomy) At issue is what's called the "over allotment" of shares -- known in Wall Street lingo as the ... Continue reading →
The BrainGate2 Neural Interface System detects brain signals that can be translated by a computer into machine instructions, enabling thought control of robotic devices. (Credit: BrainGate Collaboration) By implanting a 96-electrode sensor the size of a baby aspirin onto the surface of their brains, researchers have enabled two quadriplegic participants to use their thoughts alone to perform tasks with two types of robotic arms. The BrainGate implant -- and the resulting Jedi mind tricks -- may be sort of anxiety-producing to some. But the smile on the face of the woman who hadn't been able to serve herself coffee in 15 years put a fine point on the progress the technology is affording. "One of our participants was able to do something that, when all ... Continue reading →
