Apple may soon have a competitor in the tablet market with Microsoft announcing a new device, Surface. Facebook is also going to roll out a real time bidding platform for their ads which might be the first step towards a Web-wide ad network.

Microsoft Does DIY Hardware
Microsoft is about to enter hardware marketing with a brand new tablet. Called Surface, the same as their table-sized touch screen device from 2008, the tablet bears no resemblance to the older, larger product. At least until now, the tablet market has been dominated by the iPad, and it remains to be seen if Microsoft's offering will be enough to shake Apple's grip.

Real Time Auction for Facebook Ads
There are some changes coming to Facebook's advertising platform including real time bidding. Advertisers will be able to bid for impressions in real time across a network of websites. These changes will be a part of Facebook Exchange, an ad network that will target Facebook users with information such as their browsing history, but not Facebook Data such as likes.

The Price of Privacy?
If all your data was being used to adjust your insurance premiums, how would this change your behaviour? For one data mining executive it means buying unhealthy food with cash rather than credit. As companies become more capable of using the vast quanities of data already available, it will certainly affect how people behave.

Lawyer Versus a Comic and the Internet
Generally, starting a trivial lawsuit against someone with an audience, such as the Oatmeal, is a bad thing. Doing so because they mentioned you were reusing their comics without attribution makes it worse. However, for the lawyer involved in the original suit to then to go on to sue a pair of charities, one for wildlife and the other for cancer, and a fundraising website as well by himself, is counter-productive. The charities seem to have been targeted because the Oatmeal, rather than seeking to settle the original suit, stated that they would rather raise money for something worthwhile. Interestingly the original lawsuit from FunnyJunk seems to have not materialised past the original email demanding $20,000.