Weekly Links #32

Here is a weekly selection of thoughtful opinion pieces, interesting analyses and significant yet under-reported information bits from the digital and technology world. Published every Thursday, just in time so you have something good to read during the weekend.

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• Hacked! How I met my identity thief
  
  Fascinating read.
• Empire of the geeks
  
  Sometimes when I read tweets or comments by certain US tech pundits who shape large parts of “our” digital world and create services used by billions, I cannot help but think that they have little idea how real life outside of their mansions or lofts, stylish big-room offices, Uber cars and private jets actually looks like. Not that I am the right person to ask about real street life, but at least I take public transport. Anyway, I think this article emphasizes an important point.
• Don’t order the fish
  
  Marco Arment calls iTunes as toxic hellstew and I can only nod in agreement.
• The scariest thing about the Chrysler hack is how hard it was to patch
  
  When it became known that Chrysler cars can be hacked remotely, the company offered a software patch to 1.4 million cars. But it was not able to provide it “over the air”. Other car companies such as Tesla or BMW deliver software updates over-the-air. It is obviously the future for connected cars.
• Uber can’t be stopped. So what happens next?
  
  It is indeed both impressive and a bit scary how nothing seems to be able to stop Uber. Although I do not think that the thought that the company relys on an unsustainable business model that only works as long as insane amounts of venture capital are being pumped into it is totally off the table yet.
• Uber’s Phantom Cabs
  
  Speaking about Uber: Those cars that are shown on the nearby map do not necessarily exist in reality at that specific location.
• Behavioral Profiling: The password you can’t change
  
  Were you aware of that your identity could be revealed only by the way you type on your keyboard? Now you are. And there is a Chrome extension to mask typing on websites.
• The Life and Times of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  
  I have to admit, I was quite uneducated about the background of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. This article from last year helped me to understand.
• If you think women in tech is just a pipeline problem, you haven’t been paying attention
  
  There are many reasons for the lack of women in tech. That few females decide to follow a career in technology is just one of them. Things are also rather though once women actually have started working in tech.
• The Case for Jack Dorsey, Twitter CEO
  
  Ben Thompson offers some convincing arguments for why Jack Dorsey, one of the co-founders of Twitter and currently interim CEO at the company, should lead the company permanently.
• The inside story of how—and why—Goldman Sachs became a tech-investing powerhouse
  
  The Silicon Valley is the new Wall Street, they say. Goldman Sachs seems to agree.
• TripAdvisor Transformed: The Booking Site Is Now in Full Swing
  
  TripAdvisor, a real juggernaut in the hotel recommendation space, has started to let people book directly from its own site. Considering its size and reach, this is a big deal.
• Programmers are distraction for your startup
  
  This is the kind of blog post that could change your life, if you let it.
• Europe has a chicken-and-egg startup problem
  
  Nails it. Success comes from success, which startup Europe lacks (in comparison to the U.S. or China).
• Starbucks Hits a Mobile Milestone: One in Five Payments Are Mobile
  
  This statistic is for the U.S. market. And it is quite a sign of success for Starbuck’s mobile strategy
• Facebook: Now More Mobile Than Ever
  
  “Mobile ad revenue now accounts for 76 percent of all Facebook’s ad revenue”. To me, this is astonishing. A couple of years ago it looked like Facebook had missed the mobile evolution. Maybe they did back then, but afterwards the company did everything necessary to make up for it.
• As Tech Booms, Workers Turn to Coding for Career Change
  
  For people who want to change their career, who are tech savvy and willing to learn a new skill, these times are great.
• China Pushes to Rewrite Rules of Global Internet
  
  The fight for the Internet is in full force, and China is playing a significant role as it becomes some kind of role model for other countries who do not fancy a free Internet.
• Killer robots: Tech experts warn against AI arms race
  
  If 1,000 tech experts, scientists and researchers sign an open letter warning against the creation of killer robots, I guess listening to them makes a bit of sense. In this specific regard, the best rule most likely is “better safe than sorry”.
• Scientific studies show why everyone should play video games
  
  In case you ever need to convince someone of the educational value of video games, then this comprehensive piece should come handy.
• The Problem With Relying on a Machine to Eat All Your Garbage
  
  I’m closing this week’s link list with a post that is fun to read.