As AllThingsD Draws to a Close, Here Are Some Staff Highlights — Part One: Kafka, Hesseldahl, Gannes

How can you miss us if we won’t go away?

Voices

Surge This: Ideas and Economics on Uber

“Hey, I ride you on sunny days and rainy days. And I’ll pay more in the rain. But don’t gouge me in a storm.”

Simulmedia’s Investors Bet $25 Million More on Smart TV Ads (Video)

Web video ads are interesting, but TV ads are huge. Guess which market Dave Morgan is interested in?

Uber Confirms Revenue Estimates, but Bristles Over Source of Valleywag Report

The ride-hailing app Uber currently has gross revenue of more than $20 million per week.

Uber Will Deliver Christmas Trees to Your Door for $135

Ho ho ho, said the Uber driver.

News Byte

Uber Will Vouch for Its Drivers to Help Them Finance GM and Toyota Cars

In an effort to boost the supply of cars in its system, Uber will help potential and current drivers finance cars from General Motors and Toyota in six of its 60 cities worldwide. The company says it has secured lower financing rates than the market standard, due to the near-guarantee of revenue generated via its ride-hailing service. It’s not exactly the same thing, but Airbnb also said recently that it plans to help its hosts buy smartphones so they can better manage their listings.

Viral Video: Introducing Ruumber, Uber for the Couch Potato

If Uber is valued at a badillion dollars, this is priceless.

News Byte

Uber Starts Accepting PayPal

PayPal said today that customers of Uber, the car service startup, can now pay their fares using PayPal. Uber also happens to be one of the highest profile customers of Braintree, the payment gateway company that PayPal parent eBay agreed to acquire for $800 million less than two months ago.

Competition Brings Lyft, Sidecar and Uber Closer to Cloning Each Other

Lyft launches surge pricing, Sidecar says it will stop calling payments “donations.”

Why Is Uber Fighting a Regulatory Battle That It Already Won?

Uber being Uber, it doesn’t want the CPUC to get the idea that it can tell Uber what to do.