About 100 Google U.S. employees concerned about cyber bullying inside the company have organized into a group proposing new policies for conduct at the unit of Alphabet Inc, five people involved in the effort said in recent interviews.
— Read on www.reuters.com/article/us-alphabet-google-diversity-exclusive/exclusive-google-employees-organize-to-fight-cyber-bullying-at-work-idUSKBN1H61QR

Last year, the telecoms industry scored a huge win by pushing net neutrality repeal through the Federal Communications Commission. The rule change means that internet service providers are no longer effectively regulated by the FCC, and the enforcement of net neutrality is left up to a toothless Fed…
— Read on bgr.com/2018/03/31/comcast-net-neutrality-fast-lanes/

Producer and documentarian Alex Gibney and whistleblower Dan David speak with MarketWatch about Chinese reverse mergers and short-selling.
— Read on www.marketwatch.com/story/finance-documentary-the-china-hustle-revisits-chinese-reverse-mergers-and-activist-short-sellers-2018-03-30

Joshua Rothman reports on virtual-embodiment technology, which is challenging our understanding of who and what we are.
— Read on www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/04/02/are-we-already-living-in-virtual-reality

Listen to Episode No. 202 of Slate Money Slate Plus members: Get your ad-free podcast feed. Felix Salmon, political risk consultant Anna Szymanski, and …
— Read on www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/slate_money/2018/03/the_economics_of_making_movies_on_slate_money.html

Many former Windows Phone users will tell you that the so-called “app gap” was responsible for the failure of the platform to be competitive with iOS and Android. Now, Brandon Watson is rejecting that argument through a series of tweets. And Mr. Watson should know since he was Senior Director for Windows Phone between March 2010 and February 2012, and was the person in charge of “developer platform product management…
— Read on www.phonearena.com/news/Former-Windows-Phone-exec-blames-manufacturers-for-failure_id103727

After a leaked 2016 memo from VP Andrew Bosworth suggested Facebook should prioritize growth over safety.
— Read on fortune.com/2018/03/31/facebook-employees-are-reportedly-deleting-controversial-internal-messages/

Since buying the South China Morning Post, the Chinese tech giant Alibaba has pumped in cash with a goal of using it to change how the West sees China.
— Read on www.nytimes.com/2018/03/31/world/asia/south-china-morning-post-hong-kong-alibaba.html

Amazon and Google have filed patent applications, many still under consideration, that outline how digital assistants can monitor more of what users say and do.
— Read on www.nytimes.com/2018/03/31/business/media/amazon-google-privacy-digital-assistants.html

Take a look at some rare photos of the actor’s personal life on his massive yacht, the Wild Goose.
— Read on www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/06/john-wayne-rare-photos

Netflix films should compete for Emmys, not Oscars, says Ready Player One director.
— Read on www.screendaily.com/news/steven-spielberg-tv-poses-clear-and-present-danger-to-filmgoers/5127777.article

Former Disney Channel child star and professional dancer, Alyson Stoner, has shared her experience of falling in love with a woman in an emotional essay for Teen Vogue.
— Read on www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/03/31/disney-star-alyson-stoner-opens-up-about-sexuality-fell-in-love-with-woman.html

Last year, Luc Besson released Valerian, a visually lush and imaginative scifi film via his film company, EuropaCorp. The movie, which was one of the most expensive independent films ever, did… okay. Not well enough to justify the incredible amount of money put into it, according to some sources, and ever since then EuropaCorp’s prospects have been rocky.
— Read on io9.gizmodo.com/report-netflix-is-considering-buying-luc-bessons-film-1824231804

The president has often conflated Bezos’ dual roles as Post owner and Amazon CEO. The two entities are separate.
— Read on www.politico.com/story/2018/03/31/trump-amazon-post-office-jeff-bezos-492853

Scrutiny comes down hard on the families of US politicians, and most of all on the presidency and its hopefuls. Twenty-five years ago, George H. W. Bush knew that lesson well. A 1988 letter (pdf) from Bush Sr. warns his son, who would later serve two terms himself, against the appearance of wielding family influence….
— Read on qz.com/869244/letter-from-george-h-w-bush-to-george-w-bush-a-1988-warning-about-family-and-corruption-in-the-white-house/

“Facebook’s content guidelines and corporate policies continue contradicting our values,” the chief creative officer wrote in a tweet.
— Read on www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/playboys-cooper-hefner-we-are-stepping-away-facebook-1097983

Years before Netflix or Hulu took off, AOL offered TV content over the web, including classic shows like “Welcome Back Kotter” on a forgotten streaming service
— Read on www.businessinsider.com/the-forgotten-story-of-aols-in2tv-which-helped-invent-binge-tv-way-before-netflix-2018-3

Tesla and SpaceX mastermind Elon Musk has offered to buy embattled social media platform Facebook and wipe it off the map.
— Read on alternative-science.com/technology/elon-musk-facebook

President Donald Trump renewed his attack on Amazon, saying it is perpetrating a “Post Office scam” abetted by the “Fake Washington Post.”
— Read on deadline.com/2018/03/trump-tweets-amazon-washington-post-jeff-bezos-1202356418/

Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One” will take in roughly $53 million in its opening weekend thanks to a Thursday release date.
— Read on variety.com/2018/film/box-office/ready-player-one-box-office-tyler-perrys-acrimony-1202740865/

North Dakota is building on its fiber-rich connectivity reputation by bringing gigabit capability to all of its schools, via the STAGEnet network. Dakota Carrier Network is upgrading a statewide network to 100G capability, allowing schools and other agencies to…
— Read on www.telecompetitor.com/gigabit-coming-every-school-north-dakota-thanks-new-100-gig-backbone-network/

The additional USF rural broadband funding includes $360 million for carriers that elected model-based support and $180 million for carriers that opted to stay on the existing program. The FCC also is seeking input on the ongoing USF budget.
— Read on www.telecompetitor.com/fcc-authorizes-an-additional-540-million-for-usf-rural-broadband-funding/

There is no way to build effectively for human beings without engaging in the study of human nature.
— Read on www.techinasia.com/talk/missing-silicon-valley-humanities

How a Location Scout Spends 3 Days Touring L.A. – Atlas Obscura
— Read on www.atlasobscura.com/articles/location-scout-los-angeles-itinerary

Isaiah Washington claims he was ousted from “Grey’s Anatomy” over false accusations, and Shonda Rhimes knows it, too.
— Read on www.tmz.com/2018/03/21/isaiah-washington-shonda-rhimes-greys-anatomy-abc-racist-howard-davine/