Facebook has added a new feature that will make it easier for people to check that friends are safe when caught up in natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis. Safety Check will work on the social network’s mobile and desktop versions, including its Android and iOS apps.
Your Twitter timeline is about to get more musical, after the social network launched a new Twitter Audio Card feature that is already being used by SoundCloud and Apple’s iTunes. David Guetta, Deadmau5, Alt-J and Coldplay are among the musicians already taking advantage, although the new card can be used by non-musicians too: the White House, NASA, Washington Post and BBC World Service are also on board for the new feature’s launch.
Facebook on Tuesday further opened its Audience Network to third-party developers and publishers. It debuted the platform in April, positioning it as a mobile monetization tool that would leverage Facebook's 1.5 million advertisers and the millions of users who sign into apps using their Facebook credentials. The platform is now available to developers and publishers around the world.
"The open source community is full of [assh*les], and I probably more than most others am one of their most favorite targets," Poettering added. "I get hate mail for hacking on open source. People have started multiple 'petitions' .... asking me to stop working. Recently, people started collecting Bitcoins to hire a hitman for me (this really happened!)." Linux creator Linus Torvalds himself gets a significant share of Poettering's blame, but in general, "the Linux community is dominated by western, white, straight, males in their 30s and 40s these days," he wrote. "I perfectly fit in that pattern, and the rubbish they pour over me is awful. I can only imagine that it is much worse for members of minorities, or people from different cultural backgrounds."
Priced at US$249.99, the smart device uses Bluetooth and a mobile app to create a virtual key. It has been shipping since late August in limited quantities to those who ordered it online, but it currently is backordered, with delivery expected in 90 days. International distribution is planned for the near future.