The Anonymous Internet Returns and Other Fascinating News on the Web

Says Who?

After years of babbling into an age of oversharing and personal branding, are we finally ready to hit the brakes and return to one of the Internet’s oldest ideas? Buzzfeed’s John Herrman looks at the return of the anonymous Internet. This is a major digital behavior trend that is worth watching (but you didn’t hear that from me).

+ The startup world is a place where one’s self-worth is often measured in Likes and Retweets. But even among early adopters and Internet insiders, there seems to be a need to vent anonymously.

Reality TV

You may soon find yourself as an unwitting participant in the world’s biggest reality show. So far, there hasn’t been that much uproar about surveillance cameras being used in cities and at large public gatherings. So we’re about to see the roll-out of the next generation systems “that can track every vehicle and person across an area the size of a small city, for several hours at a time.”

+ The NYPD is beta-testing Google Glass. Maybe they can wear them while riding on Segways.

+ On one of San Francisco’s most crime-ridden blocks, police have seen a dramatic drop in incidents. What happened? They banned parking.

Ruffled Feathers

“Up until last year, our growth was viral and organic. Growth was something that happened to us.” While they got a lot better at making money, Twitter’s organic growth has slowed and that challenge has investors worried.

+ Quartz: Twitter’s first earning report in charts: More money, less engaged users. (I’d like to buy stock in charts…)

But the Law Won…

“This is an important moment in history; we know that prohibition does not work. We know that the people who devise drug laws are out of touch and have no idea how to reach a solution. Do they even have the inclination? The fact is their methods are so gallingly ineffective that it is difficult not to deduce that they are deliberately creating the worst imaginable circumstances to maximixe the harm caused by substance misuse.” From Russell Brand: Philip Seymour Hoffman is another victim of extremely stupid drug laws

Five Ring Circus

“Much of Sochi is a work in progress, and parts of it look at least a dozen all-nighters away from completion. There are unfinished hotels, half-finished stores and a mall where the only shop that is open and thriving is a Cinnabon.” From the NYT: First Event of Sochi Olympics: The Hotel Construction Sprint.

+ If that’s the first event, then the second one is the race to save the dogs of Sochi.

+ From Grantland: Just How Bad Is the Scene in Sochi?

+ Here’s Russia’s deputy prime minister responsible for the Olympic preparations trying to ease concerns about preparedness: “We have surveillance video from the hotels that shows people turn on the shower, direct the nozzle at the wall and then leave the room for the whole day.” The PR debacle in Sochi has gotten so bad, I wouldn’t be surprised if Putin brings in Rob Ford to handle damage control.

+ InFocus has a great selection photos (albeit, with no shower shots). Sochi 2014: Seven Years of Preparation.

+ Buzzfeed: The 33 best Instagram accounts to follow during the Olympics.

I Don’t Recall

“I don’t remember any of what I’m about to tell you. Sure, I know the story, but it is just a story related to me by others, in bits and pieces, over many years.” From Salon: The accident that killed me.

You Like the Juice?

“Most commercial orange juice is so heavily processed that it would be undrinkable if not for the addition of something called flavor packs.” From The Atlantic: The rise and fall of orange juice as a health drink.

+ Coca Cola is buying a ten percent stake in Green Mountain Coffee. Get ready for the  Keurig Cold single-cup beverage brewer that will let you pump out Coke products at home.

Going Pro

We’re seeing a growing trend of companies creating branded content. And we’re seeing a trend of people trying to make their own compelling content. At the intersection of those two trends, there’s GoPro, and they might have the best branded content around.. (Although Red Bull getting a guy to jump from space wasn’t bad.)

+ Amazon is ready to produce a couple more original series. As soon as you tell them which pilots you like. (Hold out for some points on the back-end.)

Hearing Things

Mamoru Samuragochi is famous in Japan for being an incredibly gifted composer who also happens to be deaf. Now it turns out that someone else wrote his music. And he can probably hear. Other than that, he’s legit.

The Bottom of the News

“To me, America used to be a place that made steel and cars and had giant department stores. Now basically we produce amateur talent and people that judge amateur talent.” Jerry Seinfeld gets coffee with Howard Stern.

+ Please, as a service to those who call themselves your friends, stop sharing your Facebook Look Back video. And share Rob Ford’s instead.

+ James Carville has joined Fox News.

+ Why is it so hard to kill the business card?