Weekly Links #11

Here is a weekly selection of important information bits, thoughtful opinion pieces and interesting analyses from the digital and technology world. Published every Thursday.

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• Latest Net Neutrality proposal in the EU: a wolf in sheep’s clothing?
  
  While the U.S. heads towards strong net neutrality, the European Union looks to be giving in to the telecom lobbyists and their loyal Politician “friends”. Very disappointing. The old continent is increasingly acting old.
• Let roaming fees hang around for a while longer, EU countries say
  
  This is not much better. Related: yesterday’s post “One year without roaming hassle: This is what real freedom feels like“.
• Futures of text
  
  There are many signs that communication via text commands will become one of the most important interaction methods between humans and machines. Excellent analysis.
• Accelerators claim they are in it for the long haul — I call bullshit
  
  This is a candid and very opinionated take on the ongoing startup accelerator trend. There for sure are several perspectives on this topic, but I definitely did not get bored reading this.
• Why Wall Street is way off on its Tinder and Instagram valuations
  
  Reeflections on the finance industry’s struggle to value successful Internet services that are part of a larger company.
• 3 reasons why Bitcoin won’t be the new Internet
  
  Nobody knows who is right when it comes to predictions about Bitcoin, but these are some seemingly valid points of criticism.
• Why This Tech Bubble is Worse Than the Tech Bubble of 2000
  
  Also, nobody knows who is right when it comes to predictions about whether there is a dangerous bubble in tech that will hurt when it pops. The U.S. billionaire and businessman Marc Cuban thinks this bubble exists, and according to him it is even worse than the last one.
• The Death of the Login
  
  Practical suggestions on how to personalize apps without requiring users to login it.
• Vince Vaughn and Co-stars Pose for Idiotic Stock Photos You Can Have for Free
  
  Just hilarious.
• Pebble Time is now the most successful Kickstarter product ever
  
  While it is not surprising to see crowdfunding records being broken on a regular basis, the fact that a smartwatch scores that much money one month before the launch of the Apple Watch is quite astonishing to me.
• You Can Now Embed Twitter Video On Your Website
  
  In the mid term this could have quite some impact on the embedded video landscape. It is likely that Twitter will try to get users to move from YouTube to Twitter as host for their video uploads. But of course, for now Twitter videos are limited to a maximum of 30 seconds.
• Google Just Made It Loads Cheaper (And Easier) To Go On Holiday
  
  With Google Flights the existing flight search engines have certainly gotten a very serious competitor. I find myself using the Google tool increasingly often. It is pretty good.
• When Drones Aren’t Enough, Amazon Envisions Trucks with 3D Printers
  
  Printing products during the delivery process… Maybe that is actually more feasible than having a 3D printer and the necessary materials in every household. Who knows.
• Facebook AI Director Yann LeCun on His Quest to Unleash Deep Learning and Make Machines Smarter
  
  Many answers to common and less common questions about artificial intelligence.
• Marissa Mayer Has Completed Step One
  
  Lengthy text about Marissa Mayer’s apparently quite successful attempts to turn Yahoo back into an innovative company.