Linked List: January 15, 2014

Wednesday, 15 January 2014

Apple Agrees to FTC Consent Decree Over In-App Purchases ★

Tim Cook, in a company-wide email obtained by Recode:

Apple is a company full of disruptive ideas and innovative people, who are also committed to upholding the highest moral, legal and ethical standards in everything we do. As I’ve said before, we believe technology can serve humankind’s deepest values and highest aspirations. As Apple continues to grow, there will inevitably be scrutiny and criticism along our journey. We don’t shy away from these kinds of questions, because we are confident in the integrity of our company and our coworkers.

This paragraph strikes me as the central thesis of the entire memo. In a nut, it’s a sincere version of “Don’t be evil.”

Our Cable Bill Payments, Hard at Work: Comcast to Build Second Philly Skyscraper ★

New tallest building in the city, and the eighth tallest in the country. 59 floors, with the top 13 serving as the new Four Seasons hotel. Can’t say I’m a fan of how it looks externally, but the inside is designed to be filled with sunlight, which I dig. Should be great for the city — the corner where it’s going has been a parking lot for as long as I can remember.