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Mark Zuckerberg: Of Rejection, And The $100 Billion Last Laugh

Liviu Oprescu — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:37:06 +0000

How Social Ineptitude And Rejection Brought Mark Zuckerberg To Where He Is Today "Mark, I’m not speaking in code," says an exasperated Erica (Rooney Mara) to a pre-Facebook Mark Zuckerberg, just prior to dumping him. It’s a priceless line from Mara’s million-dollar opening-scene performance in David Fincher’s Social Network. And that is precisely the problem. Fincher’s Zuckerberg played by Jesse Eisenberg, perhaps a bit exaggerated for box office panache, suffers from a machine-like affect, with traces of Asperger’s and a dysfunctional human interface. Had she been speaking in code, he might have better filtered and organized what she was trying to communicate, namely that the two of them don’t compute. As the scene ends we see a stone-faced emotionally ill-equipped Zuckerberg dynamically scaling up his mental server space to accommodate and process the endless variables and consequences of rejection. The central theme of Social Network is that Zuckerburg is driven by his social ineptitude, by a drive to crack the social code one bit at a time, and never again fall victim to rejection. As Facebook plans to announce its IPO and $100 billion valuation - instantly making it one of the biggest ever - it’s important to take a moment and look back at the most significant rejection of Zuckerberg’s life. Realizing that social networking might become the next big thing – possibly even the next AOL - News Corp. announced in July 2005 that it was buying MySpace for $580 million in cash. In October of that year, MySpace had 24.2 million unique users, was growing aggressively, and was the 4^th largest website after Yahoo, AOL/Time Warner, and MSN. Meanwhile, Facebook had a relatively paltry 5 million users and nowhere near the traffic. The following year, Yahoo tried to buy Facebook for $1 billion – a remarkable sum given that by now MySpace had 100 million users to Facebook’s 9 million. GigaOm’s Malik Om had criticized Facebook for passing on an earlier offer of $750 million, saying “it would become yet another social network, which would get spanked by MySpace.” But Zuckerberg saw something that others didn’t. Perhaps because he was newly endowed with the power to do so, perhaps because he wanted to know what it felt like to wield said power; this time it was he who did the rejecting. Facebook turned down Yahoo’s advance. Had Yahoo offered $1.1 billion - $100 million more - Facebook’s board planned on forcing Zuckerberg to accept. Yahoo didn’t offer. We all know how history turned out. MySpace eventually did become the next AOL, but for all the wrong reasons. It bled numbers like a lacerated Morpheus (some geek out there will get it). After years of losses News Corp. finally sold it off in June 2011 for just $35 million. By that point, it had not only ceded social networking, but it was actually using Facebook’s Connect features to move its content. Yahoo didn’t fare much better. After passing on an offer from Google to buy Page and Brin’s innovative search engine tech for only $1 million in 2000 (1/189,000 of it’s current value), and not picking up Facebook for just over a billion, Yahoo also spurned Microsoft’s 2008 buyout offer of $45 billion. As of today, Yahoo has a $19.3 billion cap, and no legs. Do you Yahoo? I certainly don’t. Analysts speculate that newly appointed CEO Scott Thomson is only there to facilitate a piece-by-piece sell-off of the company. And what of those who rejected Zuckerberg? The jocks, the Harvard Final Clubs, the cool kids, hot girls, and just about everybody else? In a poetic Count of Monte Cristo way, by some type of psychological/digital transference, these people now use Facebook to shape their social lives, to stew in feelings of inadequacy and rejection, to define themselves according to the book of Mark. Fincher’s depiction of Zuckerberg was unflattering at best. It was partly intended as karmic payback. Five-hundred million people had been exposed using this new medium. Zuckerberg would be exposed using an old one. Zuckerberg would learn first-hand the pains of no control over his life’s privacy settings. The whole world would see and understand Mark Zuckerberg through David Fincher’s narrative. The film comes full-circle in the final scene, reiterating the theme of rejection. As the camera is leaving Zuckerberg in an hollow board room, we see him open Erica’s Facebook page on his laptop, still bearing his burden despite major success. But less than a year-and-a-half after its release, the film is becoming less and less relevant, like an old episode of Behind The Music predating a comeback or drug relapse. Since Social Network came out, Zuckerberg has done everything (maybe not everything) right to retroactively make the film incomplete. He’s since made another 300 million friends, he’s become a revolutionary freedom fighter in the Arab world, and he’s just days away from running a $100 billion company, because according to Fincher, he learned first-hand the power of rejection. Even Steve Jobs praised Zuckerberg for his rejection of Yahoo, saying just prior to his death, “I admire him for not selling out, for wanting to make a company”. So the moral of the story is, it takes a social reject to form the way was shape our social lives, just as it takes a Zen Buddhist to hone our love for material possessions. I guess the secret to success is finding something you're terrible at and teaching the world about it. Funny how things work out. liviu@zeropaid.com | @LivOprescu

Last.fm Free Music Player: Chrome Extension for Playing Music On-Demand

Jared Moya — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:15:18 +0000

Last.fm Free Music Player lets you stream songs by your favorite artists on-demand right from within your Chrome browser.

Want an easy way to play music by your favorite artist on-demand without having to listen to poor quality YouTube videos? Then the Last.fm Free Music Player Chrome extension might just be what you need. Browse your favorite artists or the current list of chart toppers for music to listen, press play, and let Last.fm Free Music Player do the rest. The extension will load the songs in the playlist and allow you to control them from within its browser icon. Pause, play, and skip from song to song or shuffle, stop, and loop the playlist. With the Last.fm Free Music Player you can stream an artist and then perform other tasks, all the while able to pause and skip around from song to song as you see fit. It's not required, but you can also login with your Last.fm account to scrobble what you've listened to. Stay tuned. jared@zeropaid.com | @jaredmoya

Download Last.fm Free Music Player (Chrome Web Store)

Boomerang for Gmail: Chrome Extension for Sending, Tracking Future Emails

Jared Moya — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:19:00 +0000

Chrome extension allows you to schedule emails to be sent at a later date or on a recurring basis, and will remind you if you don't get a reply from the recipient.

Everybody loves a Chrome extension that simplifies and improves the productivity of their Gmail experience, and Boomerang for Gmail is the latest and greatest to deliver on that promise. Boomerang for Gmail allows you to schedule emails to be sent at a later date and time. Send an email up to a month in advance at a specific or random time of day. For those that have to contact people on a regular basis with a common theme, you can schedule recurring emails. Want to track an email? You can "Boomerang" the message and be notified if you don't receive a reply from the recipient by a specific day and time (up to a month). Use it for:

Scheduling birthday emails
Project management
Remembering to pay bills
Making sure you follow up with a sales lead, and that they replied to you
Communicating with people in different time zones
Managing travel confirmation emails, returning them on the day of your trip

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Once you've installed the extension and given the developer permission to access your email account, Boomerang for Gmail also then becomes available on your mobile device at m.boomeranggmail.com (demo video). So now while you're on the go you can make sure people receive your email at a time you deem more appropriate, like perhaps during the day and not 4 in the morning? Stay tuned. jared@zeropaid.com | @jaredmoya

Download Boomerang for Gmail (Chrome Web Store)

How To: Find Out if Your Gmail Account Has Been Hacked

Jared Moya — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:48:03 +0000

Several handy tips for discovering if your Gmail account has been compromised by hackers.

Hackers are always trying to gain access to the email accounts of unsuspecting users, and unless you're vigilant it can have disastrous consequences if they're successful. Email providers like Google, for example, provide ever expanding storage space in which tons of emails containing sensitive personal information can be stored. A hacked email account can also be used to reset passwords for third-party sites like Amazon.com, eBay, or your financial institution, leading to the leak of sensitive banking information, credit card numbers, purchasing history, and more. Hackers can use Gmail's contacts list to wage phishing attacks on friends and family members in your name. For many the breach can go unnoticed for some time as we take it for granted that our email account is safe and secure. "It could never happen to me" seems to be a common refrain, but we forget that many times we're logging into our Gmail accounts from unsecure locations like coffee shops and libraries where hackers can easily sniff Wi-Fi traffic and pick up user names and passwords. If you suspect your Gmail account has been hacked or just want to make sure it hasn't I'll run through the steps necessary to find out for sure. I'll also go over how to make your Gmail account even more secure to prevent future hacks.

Go to "Last Account Activity"

Beneath the right-hand part of your Gmail inbox you'll see the words "Last account activity" and a link for "Details." Select "Details."

Check Your Recent Login Activity

In the screen that appears you'll see a list for all the "Activity on this account." It'll list your login sessions by "Activity Type" (browser, mobile, POP3, etc.), IP address, and the date and time your account was accessed.

Verify Correct IP Address Access

Does anything look suspicious? Did you access your Gmail account with a mobile device at 4 o'clock in the morning, for example? How about the IP addresses? If you see more than one you'll want to make sure their from the places you've accessed your account, or at the very least from the right city and country. Not sure what the IP address is for your location? It's listed at the bottom, "The computer is using IP address 'xxxxx' (Country (State/Province))." Does it match with what's listed above it? Google offers a free IP address lookup option; simply type "what is my IP address" in the browser. Check to make sure the numbers match up (keep in mind proxies, VPNs, etc. will distort the results).

Check for Concurrent Activity

The activity information screen will also tell you if your account is open in an another location. If it is select "Sign out all other sessions" and change your password immediately just in case.

Change Your Password

The days of using basic words or phrases are over. Gmail crackers using simple Dictionary attacks have made it easier than ever before to hack your account. A quick tip for creating secure and memorable passwords is to combine two or more words.

cat + dog = cdaotg.

Sprinkle some numbers and capital letters in there to be even safer.

CAT + dog + 491 = Cd4Ao9Tg1

Good luck trying to hack a password that's "Cd4Ao9Tg1."

Check Authorized Sites, Apps, and Services

I know of friends that have had their Gmail accounts compromised repeatedly, and all have failed to check what sites, apps, and services have been granted access to their accounts. Go HERE and check to see what is listed. Select "Revoke Access" for anything you've never heard of, or simply no longer want to allow access your to your Gmail account. The few the better is my motto. Stay tuned. jared@zeropaid.com | @jaredmoya

Ghost Incognito: Chrome Extension Maximizes Web Browsing Privacy

Jared Moya — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:21:02 +0000

Extension for Google's Chrome browser offers one-tap web browsing in incognito mode, and is set to default for all pornographic .xxx domains.

Web browsing privacy is very important these days as the number of sites we visit on a daily basis rises, and those sites keep track of your usage for marketing and research purposes. Companies use cookies for online tracking so that they can provide users with targeted advertising, and unless your vigilant marketers can harvest your personal information and retain it for an indefinite period of time. Where you go, what you look at, search, buy or browse, can all be collected and used to better target you for advertising, and for many this is a scary proposition. Luckily Google's Chrome browser has an extension called "Ghost incognito" that makes sure selected domains always open in incognito mode, especially the new pornographic .xxx domains which are all added by default. Incognito mode helps protect your privacy by deleting all new cookies after you close all incognito windows that you've opened. It also doesn't record any files you've downloaded or sites that you've visited in your download and browsing histories. The way it works is that you simply tap the Ghost incognito button in the upper right-hand part of the browser toolbar whenever you want to keep your browsing private. The site will open in incognito mode in a new window, and it'll be added to your list of sites so that it will always open in incognito mode in the future. To remove a site from the list, allow the Ghost incognito extension to run in incognito mode (Tools > Extensions > Check "Allow in Incognito"), then click the Ghost incognito icon when visiting that page. With the Ghost incognito extension you can finally take back your privacy (or at least surf .xxx domains in peace), and it's just another reason why you ought to consider switching to Chrome if you haven't already. FYI - Our friends over at FoxyBay.com have a free Chrome eBay Extension that makes searching eBay fast & easy. Stay tuned. jared@zeropaid.com | @jaredmoya

Chromium Lime: Chromium OS Build Supports More Laptops

Jared Moya — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:38:14 +0000

New version of Google's lightweight, lightning-fast operating system features improved hardware support for additional Wi-Fi and graphic cards.

Software developer Hexxeh has been working tirelessly for some time now to consistently keep releasing new and improved versions of Google's Chromium OS for use by the public at large. Up until now they had been largely categorized as Vanilla builds that only supported certain devices and hardware, and users were out of luck if they did not. That's all changed now that Hexxeh has released a new Lime build of Chromium OS that provides users with vastly improved hardware support that includes a number of additional Wi-Fi and graphic cards. New hardware support includes:

Broadcom WiFi – BCM43XX
Ralink WiFi – RT24XX, RT28XX, RT30XX
Realtek WiFi – R8187SE, R8712U, RTL73, RTL8180, RTL8187, RTL8192XX
nVidia GPUs – 6 series and newer

So if your one of the unlucky few that had a laptop, netbook, or even desktop PC that was unable to run ChromiumOS Vanilla now you have the Lime version available to try instead. So what is the Chromium OS and why should you use it? Earlier this year I described in detail what it is and why you should consider the switch, especially on an old laptop. Google's Chromium OS is a lightweight, lightning-fast operating system that is safe, secure, and easy to use. It uses apps instead of programs, keeping each in a "security sandbox" to provide additional safety, stores all your data in the cloud for convenience and easy access, and is stripped of every “unnecessary process" possible. How do you run it? I created a quick guide that will walk you through the few easy-to-follow steps necessary to run the Chromium OS from a USB drive. All you'll need is a 4GB USB stick, a laptop, netbook, or even desktop PC, and about 10 minutes of your time. For you Mac fanboys out there you can also run the Chromium OS on Macs. And if you just want to cut to the chase and buy a laptop with it pre-installed, you can purchase what are called "Chromebooks." They start out at about $299. Stay tuned. jared@zeropaid.com | @jaredmoya ___ Chromium OS Lime Build

Google+ Launches Pages Feature Of Its Own

Jared Moya — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:09:25 +0000

Move makes social networking site more competitive with Facebook's longstanding Pages feature, though difference is that the pages you create will only be accessible by your the "circles" you select.

Google+ is certainly giving Facebook a run for its money. From games to enhanced privacy features it's been pulling out all the stops to become the number one social networking destination. One thing that it has lacked is Pages, the Facebook feature that allows users to connect with another to promote a brand, idea, or person, place, or thing. It's something that has been lacking on Google+ until now. Today Google+ announced the launch of a Pages feature of its own that it calls a "new way for you to build relationships with the things you love." Similar to Facebook the pages can be created according to several categories: Local business or place; product or brand; company institution or organization; arts, entertainment or sports; and other. But, the similarities end there. Unlike Facebook you can create a page with privacy restrictions limited according to a desired "circle" of sharing. In this way you can create a page for your favorite local football team that perhaps only you and your extended circles can see and discuss. If that weren't interesting enough you can also take advantage of Google+'s "hangout" feature" so you can start face-to-face conversations regarding the page. To use the local football team example once again, what could be more cool then having a place to dissect a recent game? You could use the page to have face-to-face talks about the game with contacts anywhere in the world! Now unfortunately the "Create a page" feature isn't yet available to everyone, but you can take a sneak peek at what Google's done with the Gmail page it created. "When you add the Gmail page to your Google+ Circles, you'll see updates from our team, including launches, tips and tricks, and more," writes the Google team in a blog post. "You'll be able to discuss those updates with other Gmail users in the comments on the posts. Mention +Gmail when you share your own tips -- if we see a really stellar tip, we might reshare it. We’re also planning to hold regular Hangouts, so you can shoot the breeze with Google community managers, engineers, product managers and designers." Think of the possibilities! Stay tuned. jared@zeropaid.com

Publish Sync: Simultaneous Posting on Facebook, Twitter, Google + and More

Jared Moya — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:00:58 +0000

Browser extension allows you to conveniently post text, video, links, etc. on the three popular social networking sites from a single destination, saving you the time and hassle from having to visit them all.

As social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ seem to consume an ever increasing amount of our day, developers have been helping out by creating new browser extensions to save users time by allowing them to perform a variety of functions from a single destination. Extensions like G+ Twitter, Gooce+, and Start Google Plus (my personal favorite) have all made life easier by making it possible to create posts on one site that are then simultaneously broadcast to others of your choosing, or in the case of Start Google Plus, also combining all your newsfeeds into one. Publish Sync is another extension that will publish sync text, video, links, and so on among Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Plurk, t.Sina, t.QQ, and iMorse. When posting to Facebook, for example, you can choose which of your Google+ circles to share with as well as with Twitter. The same goes for Google+ and Twitter: Post content on one site and publish it on the rest. Publish Sync is compatible with all the major browsers: Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Chrome. So if you're looking to shave a bit of time from the amount spent on social networking each day Publish Sync might just be the right browser extension for you. Stay tuned. jared@zeropaid.com Publish Sync (developer website)

Top 10 Free Apps for the New iPhone 4S

Jared Moya — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:07:35 +0000

A collection of ten of the better free apps around for new iPhone 4S owners looking to get the most from their new Apple device.

It's been a little over 3 days now since Apple launched the new iPhone 4S, and according to the company it's already sold more than 4 million units. “iPhone 4S is off to a great start with more than four million sold in its first weekend—the most ever for a phone and more than double the iPhone 4 launch during its first three days,” said a company spokesperson in a press release. “iPhone 4S is a hit with customers around the world, and together with iOS 5 and iCloud, is the best iPhone ever.” With so many iPhone 4S units sold, many are ostensibly first-time Apple iPhone buyers, and it's worth taking the time to make a list of some of the more useful apps available. For those whom the iPhone 4S is just an upgrade the list is still a useful reminder of what's out there.

1. Facebook

Inclusion of the Facebook app goes without saying right? With more than 800 million active users on the social networking platform worldwide it's safe to say you're among them.

2. Turntable.fm

This free app that I've discussed before allows users to take advantage of Turntable.fm: The social music-streaming site that lets people play and listen to songs with friends and others. If you haven’t checked it out yet, Turntable.fm gives music fans an opportunity to become a DJ for a day or to simply sit back and listen to others play.

3. Twitter

Twitter may already be built into iOS5, but the formal Twitter app is also something you want to have installed. It offers additional features like the ability to monitor your Twitter stream in real-time, and to enable notifications to see your most recent "@ mentions."

4. Pulse News

If you read the news at all you'll love Pulse News. Pulse takes your favorite websites and transforms them into a colorful and interactive mosaic. Tap on an article to see a clean and elegant view of the news story. Save stories for reading later across all platforms or sync them with Instapaper, Read it Later and Evernote. You can also share articles via Facebook, Twitter, and even eMail with the a few taps.

5. Spotify

The Spotify music streaming service launched back in July, and has slowly risen in the ranks of popularity thanks to the fact that it allows users to stream music for free on-demand. The free version is ad-supported, but can be upgraded for as little as $4.99 a month to remove them.

6. Instagram

Instagrams is the Cadillac of camera apps for the iPhone. It turns even mediocre pictures into dazzling masterpieces. With it you can transform everyday moments into works of art you'll want to share with friends and family, and you can with the click of a button in the app.

7. Google+

Google+ is, of course, the latest addition to the social networking world, and has been working overtime to eventually replace Facebook. One of its more attractive features is that it "makes sharing the right things with the right people a lot simpler." Unlike the Facebook mobile app, the Google+ mobile app allows you to choose with whom you wish to share a status update, post, or pic.

8. Dropbox

Dropbox is a essential free app for your iPhone 4S because it allows you to save and sync documents and files to all of your devices - computer, iPad, and iPhone. You can also use the the service (free for up to 2GB) to share files with family and friends.

9. Kindle

Why to buy books, newspaper, or magazines to read from Amazon's Kindle Store to read without having to fork over $79 bucks to buy a Kindle reader? Then the free Kindle app is for you. The Kindle app gives you access to over 1,000,000 books in the Kindle Store plus over 100 newspapers and magazines. You can customize your reading experience by choosing the background color, font size, and either portrait or landscape format. Amazon Whispersync also remembers your last page read so you can pick up your book where you last left off.

10.Netflix

Alright, so the app may be free, but the Netflix service behind it is not. Still, what makes it so cool and worthy of mention here is the fact taht you can stream TV shows and movies directly from Netflix to your new Apple iPhone 4S! The Netflix iPhone app lets you stream content to your iPhone over Wi-Fi or 3G, meaning that no matter where you are, you'll be entertained. . What are some of your favorite apps for the new iPhone 4S? Stay tuned. jared@zeropaid.com

Google Translate for Android Adds Conversation Mode

Jared Moya — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:42:44 +0000

Google Translate for Android app now allows you to translate speech back and forth between 14 different languages.

Google is always looking for ways to improve user experience with all of its apps, and Google Translate is no exception. Google has added a new Conversation Mode feature that is almost like having a real-life translator in your pocket. Google Translate's Conversation Mode uses speech recognition technology to analyze what you say and translate it into one of 14 different languages. Google Translate without Conversation Mode translates text between over 50 languages. The way it works is that after choosing the two languages involved you say what you want translated into the app. Google Translate then translates it and plays it for the other person to hear. The person you're talking to gives a reply in their language by speaking into the app, and tapping a button when they're done. Google Translate's Conversation Mode then translates it back into your language. The process can can be repeated ad infinitum. Google Translate is already one of what I'd call the top 5 Android apps for trips and travel, but this new Conversation Mode makes it even more essential. Stay tuned. jared@zeropaid.com