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"Walmart began recruiting top Silicon Valley talent and acquiring start-ups last year. For instance, Walmart acquired Kosmix, a company that specializes in making web design more seamless, for $300 million. That team has been working for over a year to fix Walmart's systems and improve its website.  Walmart is investing in the "social gifting" market. A year ago, Walmart launched "Shopycat," which makes gift recommendations based on friends' Facebook profiles. The site is now called "Walmart Gifts" and allows customers to log in and get personalized recommendations based on Facebook and Twitter profiles.  The retailer got a better search engine. A dozen top engineers took 10 months to build it, and while the company won't discuss sales figures, they said the new system is more user-friendly. "If you search for cotton socks now, you'll actually find them," Manjoo writes.  Walmart is trying to lead the charge in same-day shipping. Its at an advantage considering that 96 percent of Americans live within 20 miles of a Walmart.  Walmart is investing like crazy in its mobile app. "Walmart imagines that as you go through an average day, you'll remember things you need--milk, bread, a new tennis racquet, a toy truck for your nephew's birthday--and tell the voice-enabled Walmart app. The app will list each item's location inside your local Walmart and include product info; eventually, it will also learn your preferences and offer recommendations. And once you're actually in the store, you'll be able to summon an associate to help you," Manjoo says. "

Trading in Justin Bieber and Ozzy Osbourne for tech stars Kevin Systrom who co-founded Instagram and Philippe Kahn who created one of the first camera phones, Best Buy is eschewing celebrity for Silicon Valley.

Damn, "graphene can take one photon and make multiple electrons" when compared to silicon

daily 10.4

I THINK THERE IS A BIGGER IDEA HERE - So Greg has pointed out the ridiculously influence of comedians in today's media environment, now it's turning to tech CEOs. Question 1) Do these dudes resonate? 2) What does this say about who we idolize in today's society? 3) How can we tap into #2's answer in new campaigns?

Skanz, a tech startup that links personalized scannable bar codes to a user's social-network contact info and then prints them on such stunning fashion essentials as these silicone bracelets, claims to have created the world's largest QR code-80 gallons of paint covering 10,000 square feet.

"CEO, Kevin Plank, has said he will not cede technology to Silicon Valley, just because we're an apparel company."