Influential Developer leaves GitHub because of Gender Harrasment

GitHub has become one of the leading tools for companies and open source projects to collaborate on code with others, and it's also been trying to promote the role of women in tech through a monthly talk series called Passion Projects. But now the talk series' creator, developer Julie Ann Horvath, says that she has left GitHub over issues of harassment, writing that the work she's done to make the company a better place for women has come undone. "I regret defending GitHub's culture to feminists for the last two years," Horvath writes on Twitter.

"I DEMAND TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT AND TALKED TO LIKE A HUMAN."

Horvath does not go into detail about what led to her quitting, but her tweets suggest that she feels that company leaders attacked her character and work. She says this has been ongoing for two years. "Don't stand for aggressive behavior that's disguised as 'professional feedback' and demand that harassment isn't tolerated," Horvath writes in one tweet. In another, Horvath says she was "accused of having an ego because I demand to be treated with respect and talked to like a human." Horvath plans to write more about her experiences at the company soon. GitHub did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

For now, the allegations speak poorly to one of the more increasingly important companies in tech. Horvath was among GitHub's first female developers, and she's written previously that women's roles in tech are improving, with GitHub making progress too. While GitHub has now gone on to hire more women, Horvath alleges that the company needs to start paying attention to how they're treated. "Tech companies need to think less about 'being on good behavior' publicly," she writes, "and more about providing healthy work environments for workers."

I'm not quitting tech. I'm not gonna hide. This is my community. These are my people.

— Julie Ann Horvath (@nrrrdcore) March 15, 2014

I'm only interested in telling my story so that others can learn from it. It seems like my comments here may have been enough.

— Julie Ann Horvath (@nrrrdcore) March 15, 2014

To women who may be considering their own situations, reach out and more importantly, hire an employment lawyer and seek council asap.

— Julie Ann Horvath (@nrrrdcore) March 15, 2014

• Via Recode
• Source Julie Ann Horvath (Twitter)

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Apple offering refurbished iPad Airs starting at $419

Folks looking for an iPad Air will be happy to hear that Apple is now offering refurbished versions of the late-model tablet on their web store. You can find them in the ‘Refurbished and Clearance’ section listed at the bottom of Apple’s online store landing page.

It looks like both 16GB and 32GB [Wi-Fi only] iPad Airs are available, in either Space Grey or White, with 3-5 day shipping estimates. And with the 16GB models starting at just $419—these are some of the lowest price we’ve seen on these tablets in recent months…

As noted by deal site 9to5Toys, Apple lists all storage models on its website, but selecting either the 64GB or 128GB Air returns the ‘Out of Stock’ message. So your only options right now, with supplies limited, are the 16GB for $419 or the 32GB model for $509.

Admittedly the term ‘refurbished’ is usually a red flag for consumers, but it’s worth noting that Apple’s program isn’s like what you see on eBay or at second-hand stores. Apple’s refurbished products come with a new back and battery and a full one year of AppleCare.

If you’d rather just buy your iPad new, it looks like Best Buy is still offering various Air models at a $50 discount.

Valve shows off updated Steam Controller Design

We knew Valve's Steam Controller would be getting some changes,and now the company is offering a more detailed look at its revised gamepad. The touchscreen seen on the first original model of the controller has indeed been scrapped entirely in favor of four separate directional buttons on the left side and four face buttons on the right. They're labeled X, Y, A, and B — just like Microsoft's Xbox controller — and Valve's buttons also share the same arrangement and color scheme. Similar to the Xbox One, Valve's latest iteration of the Steam Controller features a logo that glows white when powered on. That round button is centered between two smaller ones labeled with icons for stop and play.

"These analog buttons are offered in addition to the touch pads featured in the original prototypes," Valve said in a statement. The design of this latest version seems to have been finalized only recently; Valve says it's in the process of assembling demo units that it will bring to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco next week. "We're excited to get some feedback from our customers on these latest changes," the company said. That suggests that Valve may not be done tweaking the Steam Controller as it prepares for a huge push in the living room with SteamOS.

Here's why Amazon Prime can afford to increase prices

Yesterday morning Amazon emailed it customers to let them know that its Prime delivery service, after more than nine years, was getting its first price hike, from $79 a year to $99. In some ways it seemed like a risky move. After Amazon first hinted it might raise Prime prices, a study conducted by analysts at Piper Jaffray found that 66 percent of customers said they would rather cancel their subscription or let it lapse than pay a higher fee. But a closer look at the marketplace, and human psychology, shows why Amazon felt confident it could increase its rates without suffering serious fallout.

"IT WON'T PAIN AMAZON TO SEE THESE PEOPLE GO.""There may be some people who have Prime but don’t rely on it regularly that will cancel because of this," says Wedbush analyst Michael Patcher, who tracks Amazon. But many Prime members were likely a drag on Amazon's finances. Wedbush estimated that at $79 Amazon was barely breaking even, or even losing money, on shipping costs for customers who ordered 20 packages year. That's not counting the $40 per person he estimates it costs Amazon to license streaming media that Prime accounts get for free. "It won’t pain Amazon to see these people go."

Change in value of US dollar since launch of Amazon Prime in 2005. (Wolfram Alpha)

The flip side is customers who order only a few items each year or who order so much because of Prime that their additional spending far outweighs what Amazon loses on shipping and media. The company would hate to see them go, but the truth is that isn’t a big fear, because there is very little direct competition for what Prime offers.

It would be tough to raise prices on the Kindle, which competes directly with iPad and Nexus tablets, or on Amazon web services, which have to stay on par with Microsoft's and Rackspace's offerings. But there is no other service that offers Amazon’s wide range of products for fast delivery anywhere in the nation, and certainly none that throw in a top-tier streaming video library for free. Companies like Shoprunner can boast free two-day delivery, but they can't do same-day delivery or stream you every season of Dexter in HD.

"YOU CAN'T HAVE AMAZON'S LOW-TO-NO PROFITABILITY FOREVER."

There are also external factors, such as rising fuel costs and new taxes, that may have played a role in the Prime price hike. "I think the cost of the program to customers vs. the expense to Amazon were out of balance and this is an attempt to bring it more into balance," says Sucharita Mulpuru-Kodali, an e-commerce analyst with Forrester. "You can't have Amazon's low-to-no profitability forever. It's been more than 10 years now!"

The market will be watching closely to see if subscribers bail on Prime over these higher fees. But Amazon’s stock rose yesterday on the announcement, and most analysts feel that consumers' bark will be worse than their bite. "A lot of people say they would quit, but the truth is most people get used to the convenience," says Patcher. "It’s like higher fees on credit cards. People complain about them bitterly when they go up, but most never get around to actually changing their service."

Facebook updates its mobile and desktop Sites

If you are seeing that your Facebook Site looks creepy, no need to fear because Facebook has just released a UI refresh to its mobile and desktop users (not the Facebook Apps). 

This UI update was supposed to be released last year but instead was released this year. Facebook says that this update will focus more on the content rather than the other features.

As you open FaceBook.com, you see that your pictures look more bigger, the most recent and top stories menu has been moved and you will see a more plain and simple interface to play with.

Do you like the new UI refresh? Leave your thoughts below 

Google removed underlined links as it says goodbye to 1996

Google started life as a research project in 1996 to crawl the internet and create a search engine. 18 years later, Google is now removing the last of the design left over from that era. Starting today, the '90s-style underlined links are being removed from Google search results. It truly marks the end of an era of the web, with underlined links a familiar method used by web developers to highlight links on sites like Geocities, Altavista, and pets.com. It’s the biggest visual change today, but Google is also tweaking other parts of its desktop search results.

New vs. old Google.com

"We've increased the size of result titles, removed the underlines, and evened out all the line heights," says Google lead designer Jon Wiley. "This improves readability and creates an overall cleaner look." Google is also bringing over the new ad labels from its mobile site, and the whole search interface looks a little more consistent with its mobile and app variants. The changes might seem minor, but for Google it’s a significant change to a search engine that rarely changes its design. It also matches more modern touch-friendly sites that have opted for increased page elements as more consumers move towards tablets and smartphones. It’s not the drastic homepage redesign that Google trialed for less than a day back in 2010, but today signals the end of Google's 1990’s web erajust as the World Wide Web celebrates it's 25th anniversary.

iOS 8 Screenshots reveal HealthBook, TextEdit and Preview

A pair of screenshots reportedly sourced from Apple's unannounced iOS 8 were posted to a Weibo account today. One of the images reveals several new apps, including the already rumored  HealthBook and mobile versions of Preview and TextEdit — two apps that have been staples of OS X for years.

Earlier today (before the leaked screenshots appeared), 9to5Mac claimed that these apps aren't full-blown mobile versions of their Mac counterparts; instead, they're intended to help users view Preview and TextEdit files stored in iCloud. The new apps are "being considered for release later in the year," according to the report. The icons appear far from finished, since they're literally the Mac icons for Preview and TextEdit thrown onto solid white and black backgrounds. As a result, they look wildly out of place next to other icons that adhere to Apple's iOS 7 design language. But if the screenshots are genuine, Apple likely won't be pleased. The company is still months away from unveiling iOS 8 in any official capacity and has rarely (if ever) faced leaks this early in the development cycle.

APPLE REPORTEDLY BRINGING PUBLIC TRANSIT DIRECTIONS TO MAPS IN IOS 8

Throughout the week, the typically well-sourced 9to5Mac has been revealing tidbits about Apple's forthcoming mobile operating system. The most interesting of those disclosures came on Tuesday, when the site reported that Apple will once again include public transit directions in Maps when iOS 8 launches later this year. The company has steadily improved the accuracy of its own Maps app ever since its notoriously rocky launch, but support for mass transit remains a glaring omission. Apple has acquired a number of companies that specialize in public transit over the last few years, and it appears users will finally see the payoff with iOS 8.

As for today's screenshots, 9to5Mac claims to have independently confirmed their legitimacy with its own sources. But we're not completely sold, since any registered iOS developer could theoretically whip something like this up without much effort. We're also still several months out from hearing anything official on iOS 8 — or the new iPhones that will showcase the OS — so plenty could change before then. Hopefully those Preview and TextEdit icons are on the list.

Widely Popular Game "Threes" is now on Android [Download Links]

iPhone and iPad owners' latest gaming addiction is now available on Android. Threes, which has been out for iOS since a month, is launching on Googles widely popular Android. Although you need to be on Android 4.0 or Higher. The deceptively simple puzzle game has players sliding together numbers to create larger ones until they fill up a grid, so players are only ever competing to beat their own (or maybe a leaderboard's) high score. The Android version, which was ported for developer Sirvo by Hidden Variable Studios, appears to be identical to its iPhone counterpart, with both featuring a playful and colorful style that makes the game a joy to play. If you buy it, just make sure that you have time for a few rounds — it can be hard to put down.

Here's the Download link for Threes which cost $1.99 on the Play Store Threes (Google Play)

How can we the Public Help find MH370

Around the world people are stunned after Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 bound for Beijing from Kuala Lumpur carrying 239 people vanished just 50 minutes into the flight over the Gulf of Thailand. Millions of people think of the crew and passengers in their prayers thinking that’s the only thing they can do; but wait, there’s something else that we can do. Thanks to the advancement of technology and the vast ever expanding reach of the internet Digital Globe Inc. on Monday announced a crowdsourcing platform that will allow anyone to help look for the missing Boeing 777 by combing through satellite images for clues of its whereabouts.

According to IBTimes “The Longmont, Colo., company said two of its commercial satellites have already collected images comprising roughly 1,988 square miles at the confluence of the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea, where the Beijing-bound aircraft mysteriously went missing on Saturday. The company is continuing to update the images to reflect new information about the search area provided by the Malaysian government.” 

Internet users can help in the search by visiting www.Tomnod.com, DigitalGlobe’s crowdsourcing arm, where volunteers can search through images and tag objects of interest. Users can tag objects using special icons that indicate possible rafts, oil slicks or pieces of airplane wreckage. The campaign has been deployed via DigitalGlobe’s emergency management service, FirstLook, and already has attracted a huge amount of interest. The service was down periodically on Tuesday as DigitalGlobe worked to handle what it called “an unprecedented level of Web traffic and interest in supporting the search.”

 The service is currently back up as people around the world contribute to the search of MH370. Stay tuned to www.itechnoblog.com for updates on the situation and don’t forget to post your comments and views below. This is Brandan Shamsher for iTechnoblog  hoping for the best.

Tesla sales will be BANNED in New Jersey from April 1st

Tesla was dealt a crushing blow in New Jersey today after the state's Motor Vehicle Commission passed a rule that will prevent the company from selling its electric cars directly to consumers starting in April. Unlike other automakers, Tesla sells its Model S through company-owned retail stores — a business model that cuts out the franchised auto dealerships that have ruled the market for decades. New Jersey is the third US state to ban car manufacturers from selling directly to customers, joining Texas and Arizona. But unlike those two states, New Jersey is home to a booming luxury vehicle market, making this a major loss for Tesla.

As you might guess, Tesla is outraged by the decision. In a blog post, the company blasted Governor Chris Christie's administration for deceitful tactics. Tesla claims that Christie previously agreed to delay the proposed amendment, which would have allowed "a fair process" in the state legislature. But yesterday — just 24 hours before the amendment was hurriedly passed — Tesla says it abruptly received word that Christie's administration "had gone back on its word." Tesla says the amendment "is an affront to the very concept of a free market." And the company insists this isn't just about cutting out the middleman; Tesla says full control over the buying experience is necessary to properly educate car buyers about the benefits that come with going electric.

We strongly believe it is vital to introduce our own vehicles to the market because electric cars are still a relatively new technology. This model is not just a matter of selling more cars and providing optimum consumer choice for Americans, but it is also about educating consumers about the benefits of going electric, which is central to our mission to accelerate the shift to sustainable transportation, a new paradigm in automotive technology.

CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter with harsh words for the auto dealers that have lobbied against Tesla's strategy.

Criticism of New Jersey's decision is coming from all corners. Paul Graham, the influential Silicon Valley startup investor, also voiced frustration with what he perceives to be an attack on innovation. "Banning Tesla is an index of the corruptness of state governments as banning Uber is of city governments," he tweeted.

Twitter is DOWN

This is odd, the widely famous and popular messaging and tweeting app ~ Twitter is down. While this hasn't occurred in a long time, this time, Twitter says that it will take 4 hours to bring the site back up. Here's the full tweet:

@twitter: Taking twitter down for a little nap - the site and message delivery will be back within 4 hours

Is your twitter down? Let us know in the comments below

Flappy Bird is coming BACK to App Stores

It's been just over a month since the creator of  Flappy Bird pulled his awesomeness from the App Store and Google Play. He's kept a fairly low profile since, but Dong Nguyen broke his silence in a big way in a just-published feature interview with Rolling Stone. In the profile, Nguyen reveals that he's "considering" bringing Flappy Bird back, despite the overwhelming crush of attention, criticism, and even threats that the game originally brought him. However, if he does bring the game back, Nguyen says it'll come with a warning imploring players to take a break; last month, the developer said that the games addiction was a big part of why he took the game down.

Beyond the tease of a Flappy Bird return, Nguyen also talked extensively about the inspiration for his game and how the culture of his home city of Hanoi influenced the game's simple mechanics. Citizens rush through the city, eyes trained on their phones — and thus the simple "tap" control made a lot of sense to Nguyen. And as for the low scores that plague most players, Nguyen apparently was influenced by "one of the most masocore analog creations ever: paddleball." For the whole story on Nguyen and 2014's surprise breakout hit, read on at Rolling Stone.

Although Nguyen will bring Flappy Bird Back, there is a slight chance that the players won't be that excited and download it as they were before. 

Will you be downloading Flappy Bird when it comes out?

Stay tuned to iTB for the latest updates on Flappy Bird.

Yahoo updates it's Search App for iOS 7

As the iOS 7.1 Update has been released, we have seen a lot of updates being pushed out. I personally saw 43 New Updates. Although most apps were minor, one app that caught my eye was Yahoo's Search App. It has been redesigned to take advantage of the iOS 7.1 beauty.

Here's the list From the App Store description:

Easily find the information you need when you’re on the go. The new minimalist design puts the focus on your results so you can get the information you need in a snap.
Favorite features
- Get instant suggestions as you type with Search Assist.
- Go hands-free with Voice search.
- Find local results faster with combined map and list view (US only).
Helpful tips
- Swipe right to toggle between web, image, and video results.
- Clear your search history and set Safe Search preferences in Settings.
- Refine your query by tapping the arrows next to keyword suggestions. 

Will you be updating? Let us know below in the comments.

Rovio Teases another New Angry Bird Game

Supprisingly enough, after the Angry Bird Maker "Rovio" announced its new game "Angry Birds Stella", it today teases another new game to add to its Collection. A 30-second clip showing a bird wearing a suit of armor popped up on Rovio’s YouTube channel over the weekend.

The trailer instructs users to prepare for the most ‘epic soft launch ever,’ suggesting that the new game will be launching in the near future. It also tells us that the game will be arriving in Australia and Canada first, with other countries to follow shortly after. View the clip below…

Other than the mention of the soft launch, there’s not much to go on in the video. It’s very light on clues as to what the game could be about—even for Rovio. I’m holding out hope, though, that this is a different kind of title, and not just another re-themed version of the bird-flinger.

Angry Birds Stella isn’t expected to land until this fall, but it looks like we could see this game land within the next couple of weeks. Obviously we’ll keep you updated, but if you want to you can also follow the official Angry Birds Twitter account and Facebook page for more details.