News Byte

Code Genius Alan Turing Gets Royal Pardon — 60 Years Too Late

Alan Turing, one of computing’s most significant pioneers and a key codebreaker in World War II, was given a posthumous royal pardon in Britain for his 1952 conviction for homosexuality, after which he was punished via chemical castration. While it does not correct the past and the devastating impact of history’s discriminatory laws, this tragic injustice done to the tech luminary is now in the dustheap it always should have been in.

Kevin Spacey Goes All House-of-Cards on Hollywood (Video)

Thus spake Francis Underwood: “There are two kinds of pain. The sort of pain that makes you strong, or useless pain.”
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U.K. Committee Says Google Avoids Tax

Google Inc. has aggressively avoided paying corporation tax in Britain and its reputation won’t be restored until it begins to pay what is due, a U.K. parliamentary committee said Thursday, in the latest sign that governments around the world are stepping up scrutiny of the tax affairs of multinational firms.

Exclusive: Synacor to Offer TV Everywhere Authentication Via Social IDs

Debugging a “TV Everywhere” hassle.

Happy 100th Birthday, Alan Turing. Love, Silicon Valley.

Silicon Valley certainly owes a lot to the famed British codebreaker and math genius.

GigaOM Buys paidContent (Like Peter Kafka Said)

Guess what? Wait, we knew that.

Britain Adds More Spectrum to Deal With Olympics-Related Wireless Crunch

The British regulator responsible for managing wireless spectrum says it has a system in place to ensure that massive demand doesn’t overload the airwaves.

Will That Be Sir Jonathan, or Sir Jony?

Apple’s design guru Jonathan Ive is to be knighted by the Queen of England.

iPhone 4S Surges in Battle of Britain