Free Music Streaming from Spotify and Rdio is Now Unlimited

Spotify has removed streaming time limits for all users. The company announced last week that it would offer unlimited free music streaming via the platform’s desktop app and on the Web. The move follow’s last month’s announcement that Spotify would offer free shuffled music streaming to its phone and tablet apps. Less than 24 hours after Spotify announced lifting its time restriction, competitor Rdio revealed that it would do the same in the United States. Continue reading Free Music Streaming from Spotify and Rdio is Now Unlimited

NSA and GCHQ Monitor Gaming Activity, Search for Terrorists

The National Security Agency and its UK sister agency GCHQ have been deploying real-life agents into fictional worlds like “World of Warcraft” and “Second Life,” collecting gamers’ chats and even attempting to recruit potential informants, according to documents leaked by Edward Snowden. The agencies claimed that real-life terrorists might be playing and plotting within these games, suggesting that the gamer communities may provide intelligence on terrorist activity. Continue reading NSA and GCHQ Monitor Gaming Activity, Search for Terrorists

Spacey Recommends TV Industry Give Viewers More Control

Actor Kevin Spacey’s recent MacTaggart lecture at the Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival is generating a great deal of media buzz while it is busy making the rounds in the tech and TV industries. During his speech, the Academy Award winner discusses how Netflix and other companies are disrupting the traditional network and cable TV models. Spacey suggests that viewers want more control and that adopting a new distribution model could actually help curb piracy. Continue reading Spacey Recommends TV Industry Give Viewers More Control

Google is Testing Personalized Local News for Google Now

Google is testing a local news service as a feature or content “card” in Google Now, its intelligent personal assistant that is currently available in newer Android versions, and in the newest Google Search app for iOS. Local news is a logical addition to Google Now since the personal search assistant’s main purpose is to provide information that is “contextually relevant” to the user, based on interests, time of day, and location. Continue reading Google is Testing Personalized Local News for Google Now