My Weekly API.Report represents the best of what I've read throughout the week, and is only what I personally felt should be showcased. Each news item comes with a link, and some thoughts I had after curating the piece of API related news. I'm trying to break down stories into as coherent buckets as I can, but it remains something that is ever changing for me, but ultimately I will settle on a clear definition for each of the research areas.
Accessibility is something I'm pushing more on:
- Facebook Scrambles to Meet Security and Accessibility Needs - We all need to be better paying attention to both security and accessibility in everything we do. I suffer from this, and working to improve myself.
A handful of interesting Acquisitions:
- Box acquires interactive 3D viewing startup Verold, will integrate tech into its enterprise platform - 3D viewing is something the enterprise wants in their documents? ok.
- Microsoft acquires mobile business intelligence startup Datazen, plans to integrate tech into Power BI - Lookout, if mobile is like cloud computing, Microsoft is going to keeping pouring in the investment.
- IBM acquires health tech startups Explorys and Phytel - Part of wider healthcare aspirations I'm seeing across IBM.
Not sure if it is API, but some scarey Agriculture data:
- The FDA Just Released Scary New Data on Antibiotics And Farms - We are so stupid. If you ever say to me that markets work everything out. You are an idiot. The shit we do in the name of business. Farming, even factory farms (which we need) should be done regionally, and less massive corporate involvement.
A few Analytics stories that caught my attention this week:
- General Availability of Azure Stream Analytics - Cause our analytics have to stream in this day and age. We need guarantees of the flow!
- API analytics: how is my API used? - One of the most important aspects of keying up your valuable resources.
- How The Guardian’s Ophan analytics engine helps editors make better decisions - A look at how analytics are used the Guardian. They are speaking at APIStrat in Berlin this week, and I'm curious to hear more stories about what is happening there.
Some interesting API Deployment lessons:
- Implementing REST services in AngularJS using Restangular - arian-celina.com - An interesting approach to deploying APIs, leading me to a new tool -- Restangular. Also crossover into SPA for me.
- Instantly Build REST APIs with Server Code - Not so sure about the title, but like to see Appery.io getting into the API deployment side of things.
- Are You Following These Best Practices for Microsoft Azure Deployment? - Some words of wisdom if you are deploying your APIs in an Azure environment.
- ProfitBricks Adds REST APIs to Cloud Service - I unsure exactly how to categorize new players in the API deployment and management game like ProfitBricks. Kind of PaaS getting into API service provider?
More API Deprecation out of Google and Blackberry:
- Older Versions Of Google's APIs To Go Up In Smoke On 4/20 - Nice title Janet. :-) Regardless , some insight on deprecation over at Google.
- BlackBerry to Disable Advertising APIs, Shutter Ad Business - I didn't know they had advertising APIs.
The required API Economy talk:
- Design to Disrupt: Businesses should join the API Economy - Do not like title...but something worth reading, regardless.
- Etsy is reportedly raising $267M in IPO at $16 per share - Another big API related IPO. Etsy has a significant API footprint.
- Twitter Vs. The API Economy - I like these thoughts. Similar to other caching, and virtualizations thoughts I've had in government. Not sure they entirely apply in twitter ecosystem, as you can get in a lot of deep doodoo for doing.
A healthy dose of API Evangelism:
- A Healthy API Strategy Does Not Involve Scheduling A Briefing To Discuss - Trying to help some folks better understand how to get their API heard.
- Preparing Postman Collections Ahead Of Time For Developers Like JustGiving Does · - I was stoked to see JustGiving doing this, proving it wasn't just some wild thing I thought of doing.
- A 3-step guide to getting started with Intuit Developer - A nice primer from intuit.
- Why the Small Business Market is the Next Big Thing for Developers - Intuit owning my API Evangelism category this week--selling it.
- Utility API or Ecosystem API? A guest post from Eventbrit - I thought this was an interesting analysis of the difference between some API driven platforms.
The API Event goings on:
- Real-Time APIs at API Strategies & Practices - My buddy Phil coming to @APIStrat next week.
- 5 Reasons Your Developers Should Come To Signal - Twilio pushing their event.
- 'For a Web of APIs' Berlin 2015 Event Announces Keynotes and SpeedHack Event | ProgrammableWeb - Coverage of the speedhacks we have going on at @APIStrat.
- University API & Domains (UAD) Workshop - Come here me talk at BYU in June.
- APIDays Berlin and APIStrat Europe Announce Final Berlin 2015 Event Program, Keynotes and API Hackathon - Check out the schedule next week.
- I Love APIs APAC - I love APIs expansion.
- Hypermedia APIs From Sébastien Cevey of The Guardian at @APIDaysBerlin / @APIStrat Next Week · - Come hear whats going on at the Guardian next week.
The neverending API Lifecycle:
- API Lifecycle Operations Stage: Marketing Your API - The continued, great API lifecycle stories coming out of the Nordic APis.
Couple of API Management lessons I pulled out of this week:
- Autotask API Integration: Simplified through a RESTful API - Interesting story on migration from SOAP to REST.
- Varnish Software Launches API Management Platform - Another take on one of the new entrants to the API management space.
- Utility API or Ecosystem API? A guest post from Eventbrite - I thought this was an interesting analysis of the difference between some API driven platforms.
Some API Monitoring wisdom from the past week:
- Redesigning Server Monitoring: Configuring Alerts - A pretty interesting walk through the monitoring process.
- Why Up/Down Monitoring Isn’t Enough - More deep dive into the world of API monitoring, and the granular level of details you can achieve.
The growing area of API News:
- Civic Awesome: Open Data in the News for the Week of April 13, 2015 - More civic awesome!
- This week in API land, episode 5 - My weekly news from folks over at Restlet.
- Highlights from Transform, Socrata’s Weekly Newsletter - My weekly news from folks over at Socrata.
- Open Platform Q1 2015 Highlights - An interesting update from Edmunds that I'm tuned into.
- API News Rundown 4.14 - My weekly news from folks over at API Mettrics.
- Weekly API.Report For April 13th, 2015 · - Recycling my own.
- AWS Week in Review – April 6, 2015 - The summary from AWS. Which I cherry pick from.
Increasingly popular API Performance related stories:
- The Cloudcast #187 - API Performance Monitoring - A podcast that I tuned into regarding API performance.
- Dyn Launches Internet Alerts for Unprecedented Visibility Into Fundamental Internet Performance Issues - A layer of API performance I'm tuning into.
A free range API Reciprocity story:
- Get Notified When Someone Posts An Article From Your Domain on Hacker News Using Node.js, Firebase and Twilio - I like these types of useful recipes. They exist regularly on Zapier, but I like when they are defined on the open Internet too.
An intresting Application story from legal realm:
- NetDocuments Launches Apps Marketplace for Third-Party Integrations - Legal... - Activity from the world of law.
The Architecture big picture:
- Moore’s Law of Raspberry Pi Clusters - I am learning a lot about server management, but in the world of Raspberry Pi.
- HomeAnalysisCloud Computing How AWS is helping JustGiving meet massive spikes in demand and put social into donations - A look behind the operations at JustGiving, the donations API.
- Introducing T3: Enabling Large Scale JavaScript Applications - Interesting stories out of Box that I'm tracking on.
Cool Audio offering out of Pop Up Archive:
- Pop Up Archive tools for developers: The Audiosear.ch API - New API offerings from the Pop Up Archive team! They known their Audio APIs.
Authentication stories out of Azure and SalesForce:
- Authenticating Users Through OAuth2 in Azure - An ouAuth walkthrough for Azure.
- Integrating Multiple Orgs using the OAuth 2.0 SAML Bearer Assertion Flow - Some authentication wisdom out of SalesForce.
More the Banking industry:
- Uses of API in the banking sector - A neat take on APIs for banking.
- Recipco creates a true value exchange outside the existing bank system - Keeping track of anything interesting in banking.
More Blockchain education:
- Application developers making difficult choices among Blockchain platforms - Continuing my blockchain education...
An API Book to look out for:
- New Book on MEAP: Irresistible APIs - An upcoming book from my friend Keeeeerrrsten.
Valuable Business data resources:
- Introducing the FullContact Company API - An API I depend on, and look forward to taking advantage of new features.
All about the Business of APIs:
- Are You Using APIs to Gain Competitive Advantage? - HBR - This one really resonated with folks on the Twitters this week. Interesting to tune into the general stories that people like.
- Exploring The Ways Can We Put API Driven Tools Like Known To Work · - Known is an important API driven tool.
- Why opening up APIs is not just a developer priority, but a business one - Another interesting, general API pitch from this week.
- API: Part of the Creative Palette - A nice walkthrough of the world of APis, making the business case, and helping make them seem more accessible, and should be a tool in everyones toolbox.
A lone computer aided design (CAD) story:
- Onshape Licences Graebert Technology - Part of the growing number of CAD related API stuff I'm seeing. Anything integration related I'm cataloguing.
A general Camera story:
- Garmin's new action cameras offer a rugged alternative to GoPro - No API, but will add to list to see where they stack up. Also starting to harass more companies for doing APIs.
The Career opportunities this week:
- Web API Developer - Web developers have to reinvent themselves as API developers.
- Senior iOS Developer at TomTom (Amsterdam, Nederland) - Cool job at TomTom.
- Services Software Engineer at Yammer (Microsoft) (London, UK) - Another with the Yammer team.
Cloud Computing stories from across the leaders:
- Amazon WorkSpaces API Offers Access to Cloud-Based Desktops - Will all of our desktops exist in the cloud soon? Or will the concept of workstation and desktop go away?
- Google Cloud Platform Announces Multiple Networking Updates - Google re-enforcing the top most layer of their cloud infrastructures offering.
- Supercharge your PHP productivity on Azure! - PHP love over at Microsoft, on Azure.
- Integrate your on-premises infrastructure with Azure - Definitely need the hybrid integration.
- MongoDB on the AWS Cloud – New Quick Start Reference Deployment - MongoDB love over at AWS.
- Now Available – Amazon WorkSpaces API & CLI | AWS Official Blog - Always like to have the official announcement as well...
A single Cloud Storage product:
- Spectra Logic Updating Blackpearl Deep Storage Gateway - Not entirely my realm. A little "deeper" than I normally go, but keeping in anyways.
AWS has a pretty big Command Line Interface stack:
- Now Available – Amazon WorkSpaces API & CLI | AWS Official Blog - Always like to have the official announcement as well...
Containers is mostly about money this week:
- Docker Client for Windows is Now Available - Docker love at Microsoft.
- Docker launches command line interface for Windows - Reciprocating the love at the CLI.
- Simplify Managing Docker with Puppet - Puppetmaster! Gotta orchestrate.
- Bits Blog: Docker Raises Another $95 Million in Funding - It is what you do, when you are red hot. Take peoples money. NY Times validation.
- Docker Announces $95m Series D Funding Round - Dockers take on their D round.
- Superhot startup Docker raises $95 million as it prepares to squeeze out the competition - Just for shits and giggles, a mainstream tech blog press view on the funding.
An education story, but pulling out and showcasing because it applies to larger Content conversation:
- Forgetting Our History: From the Reusability Paradox to the Remix Hypothesis - Some serious wisdom from the master of open content. He sees things at level you don't even understand, just listen.
China rock'n the Cybersecurity war front:
- The Great Cannon Is Chinas Powerful New Hacking Weapon - This new equipment out of China is fascinating.
- China Reportedly Has A New Internet Censorship Weapon Called The Great Cannon - Sounds like we are talking about new mechanized warfare circa 1900.
All about the Data:
- Big data is easier than ever with Google Cloud Dataflow - I have no idea what it does, but I'm sure I will soon.
- Civic Awesome: Open Data in the News for the Week of April 13, 2015 - More civic awesome!
- Weekly StandUp #9: What Happened at OpenCorporates - Ok, this should be under a Bot category or something. I want to build a corporate data scraping bot like they recommend. I totally dig the fact that they give such precise instructions on how you can help.
- Google launches Cloud Dataflow service in beta, adds row permissions in BigQuery - Venture beats take on what Google is offering, trying to hone my understanding.
- NASA APIs: Opening Data Assets - Yes. Love me some NASA open data.
- Announcing A New Architectural Roadmap for OpenSpending - Some interesting thoughts on managing data in the open spending space.
- Changes in our Global Places Data – Q1 2015 - Some of the changes over at Factual.
- New 2015 edition of World Development Indicators shows 25 years of progress, but much left to do - Some insight from the World Bank level..
- On Corrosive Disadvantage and the need for data - local, granular and human - A powerful take on data and people, and the importance of local in how government works.
- IBM cloud chief LeBlanc on OpenStack, analytics, PaaS, in-country data - Tracking on this because of the concept of in-country data. Fascinating.
And the Data Portability:
- Azure SQL Database: Built-in Backups vs Import/Export - I am working to keep an eye on data portability amongst all the cloud and on-premise mayhem.
Specifically about the Database world:
- Another look at MySQL at Twitter and incubating Mysos - Looks behind the Twitter curtain are always gold.
- Feature 95: Updating data objects using API - I like direct database access via API.
- Easily Import Data to DocumentDB - Everybody likes to easily import things into databases. DUH.
- MongoDB on the AWS Cloud – New Quick Start Reference Deployment - MongoDB love over at AWS.
Not your usual Device company:
- Konekt: Helping developers build smart devices quickly using APIs - A pretty cool device focus. I think this is more IoT than most things I read about lately.
The Document space:
- Collaborator’s New API Feature - The context grabbed me, but I'm still not sure what the API is... ;-(
- Dropbox Unveils API Version 2 Preview - A look at the V2 offering from Dropbox.
Just a couple Drone highlights:
- Airware's custom drone operating system launches today - Drone specific operating system eh?
- Hot tip: Do not bring your drone to Cuba - Man, no fun.
- The 3D Robotics Solo may be the smartest drone ever - I am going to get me one. Notice how all of these drone stories this week are the Verge?
New APIs, and some Education stories:
- How Teachers Are Engaging Students With Data & Graphs - something for the classroom.
- EdX Course Structure - A look at what EdX is up to on the education front.
- EdX Data Analytics - A look at what EdX is up to on the education front.
- EdX Enrollment - A look at what EdX is up to on the education front.
- EdX Mobile - A look at what EdX is up to on the education front.
- EdX User - A look at what EdX is up to on the education front.
- Lego Mindstorms: A History of Educational Robots - Man the stuff Audrey is putting out these days. Top notch. I don't link to all her stories, because of relevance to APis, but damn. You should tune in.
- Open Education Rules, OK? - Another side of the open content conversation going on in education.
The Embeddable discussions:
- Heroku | Announcing Heroku Elements - I think heroku has their own take on embeddable, and orchestration, plugins, and extensibility than the rest of cloud space. Not sure it will all work, but they seem to nail it in some areas. So worth watching.
- Salesforce Opens Heroku Elements Marketplace - A marketplace to support this new world of elements.
- Twitter now lets developers embed full timelines, access tweets in app without user logins - Some changes in the Twitter embed world.
A single Entertainment focused API:
- Ninja Metrics Unveils Katana for Entertainment Platform and API - Hmm. interesting analytics layer for "entertainment".
Out of the Federal Government:
- How the Department of Labor gets API Documentation Right - I have to support any stories of healthy API efforts out of government.
- The API Briefing: How Essential Is Government Data to the American Economy? - Critical.
- What Labor Department Data Do You Want? - I want it all, by default. Shouldn't even be a question.
- Obama administration agrees with Sunlight: Agencies should disclose what data they keep private - This is essential to build a healthy view of what is government data assets, both public and private. Without it, everything internally is in the shadows.
- Open Data in the Capitol- aka the anti-PDF and show us your data day. - Love any stories taking down the PDF silo.
In the Fitness arena:
- Top 10 Fitness APIs: Apple Health, Fitbit and Nike - The ever popular API roundup. Still waiting for the APIs.json behind these collections PW. They'd be way more valuable.
- Google Fit Developer Challenge Winners Announced - YAY!!!
The Hackathons that made the cut:
- 'For a Web of APIs' Berlin 2015 Event Announces Keynotes and SpeedHack Event | ProgrammableWeb - Coverage of the speedhacks we have going on at @APIStrat.
- Behind the Wheel: Lessons Learned - Socrata is rocking these lessons from their hackathons. Something everyone planning an event should read.
- World of Watson Hackathon – Sign up Today - Watson hackathons should be fun.
- Hackaday part of TechCrunch NY Hackathon - ok
Always my favorite, the area I call Hacker Storytelling:
- Data Storytelling and Historical Knowledge - We need to be training up more data storytellers, and incite more hacker storytelling.
- Collaborator’s New API Feature - The context grabbed me, but I'm still not sure what the API is... ;-(
- How to lie with Wikipedia — The Message — Medium - I love this kind of shit.
The Healthcare sector:
- RxIMAGE API | Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications - An interesting healthcare API I stumbled across this week.
- EHR plug-and-play capabilities emerging from SMART on FHIR apps - I need to make a big push on profiling FHIR better, but just haven't had the time.
- Apple releases its ResearchKit to use mobile devices to help medical researchers - Just collecting relevant links on researchkit for when the time is right.
- higi Launches API for Access to HIPAA-Compliant Health Outcomes and Activity Data - HIPAA compliant APIs will be required for healthcare. Get on board.
- Bits Blog: IBM Creates Watson Health to Analyze Medical Data - More push into healthcare by IBM, from the Watson team.
- Doctors Knowledge and Help is Now Just a Tap Away with New HealthTap App for Apple Watch - I have fallen and I can't get up!!!
- IBM acquires health tech startups Explorys and Phytel - Part of wider healthcare aspirations I'm seeing across IBM.
- PokitDok Introduces Health Credit Outcome Product to Improve Health Lending - A health credit outcome product. Ok.
History is important:
- Yesterday’s news: How newsreels told the story of the First World War - Storytelling from the past.
- A Bit of API History - One to add to my history stories. Goes much further back than I normally do.
On the connected Home front:
- Ask Hackaday: Is Amazon Echo the Future of Home Automation? - Guess a valid question, but maybe we should ask, does home automation have a future?
- Partners in power. - A look at the Nest parter ecosystem.
At the HTTP level:
- Google plans to propose its QUIC network protocol, which delivers HTTP over UDP, as an Internet standard - This reminds me of a talk I heard at API Days in Sydney.
Plotting the future of APIs at the IDE level:
- Limitless Customization with ‘Che’ - I am going to keep weaving Che into my API IDE integration vision.
Something you don't see much in my roundups, Infographics:
- Infogr.am Releases API, Exposing Infographics Creation Service - Unless the provide a by default data behind all infographics in JSON, I don't give a shit.
Trying to keep the Internet of Things compelling, but I only can use what I find:
- A Cloud Connected Bluetooth Low Eenergy Development Kit - I am interested in all types of IoT device connectivity.
- 3rd Platform Technologies and IoT Will Drive Citizen Engagement, According to New IDC MaturityScape - One take at what is going to happen.
- A top Internet of Things device will help reduce energy use on a large scale - Adding this to the bullshit promise bucket of IoT stories.
- Bluetooth Targets IoT With New SDK - Everyone is in on IoT, makes sense for Bluetooth to get into game.
- 7 API-in-a-Box Startups for Connecting to the Internet of Things - Just keeping track of interesting lists to add to my database.
- Embedded Device Tutorials: Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and more… - For my android research.
- Intel® IoT Developer Kit v1.0 is here - A look at the IoT stuff coming out of Intel (rated R)
- Smart IoT Stroller - I am going to make a fortune on these in SoCal!
Lot of Investment to go round:
- Slack confirms $160M funding round at $2.8B valuation - Go slack! I have to make time to play with API more. Just need more of a reason.
- “Uber for pot” app Eaze raises $10 million and a would-be Kalanick gets his wings - Of course. Weed delivery makes total sense.
- Bits Blog: Docker Raises Another $95 Million in Funding - It is what you do, when you are red hot. Take peoples money. NY Times validation.
- Docker Announces $95m Series D Funding Round - Dockers take on their D round.
- Network Security Start-Up Illumio Raises $100 Million - Secure those networks!!
- Superhot startup Docker raises $95 million as it prepares to squeeze out the competition - Just for shits and giggles, a mainstream tech blog press view on the funding.
I wish there was more Library news:
- The Digital Public Library of America Announces New Partnerships, Initiatives, and Milestones at DPLAfest 2015 - DPLA is so important.
- Open Data | Institute of Museum and Library Services - A new open data site I am checking out. Interesting push into this space from Socrata.
The Local discussion around data and APIs:
- Google’s Cities Initiative and the Ownership of Local Data - An interesting analysis of the local data space, something I think should be getting more open, but often is getting more closed.
- On Corrosive Disadvantage and the need for data - local, granular and human - A powerful take on data and people, and the importance of local in how government works.
Tracking on Location focused details:
- Changes in our Global Places Data – Q1 2015 - Some of the changes over at Factual.
- Foursquare unveils Pinpoint to show you ads based on where you’ve been - Hmmm. Ok. I'm not so big on Foursquare anymore, but still keeping an eye on.
- How to Use APIs to Build GIS, Mapping and Location Applications - A good overview for those getting started with mapping APIs.
The Mapping discussions that caught my attention:
- An OpenStreetMap for Government - I just can't imagine government using anything but open mapping tools.
- The Realtime API: In memory mode, debug tools, and more - Interesting real-time layer tools from Google Drive.
- Tracking Metadata in Real-time - An interesting case study, and use of ElasticSearch too.
- How to Use APIs to Build GIS, Mapping and Location Applications - A good overview for those getting started with mapping APIs.
Microsoft is all about the Media in the cloud:
- Announcing Azure Media Player - A client for all their media efforts.
- Azure Media Services – Certified for CDSA - Certified media services.
- An introduction to Live Encoding with Azure Media Services - Intro media resources.
- Microsoft announces Azure Media Services live encoding in private preview - An outside view on all the media work going on at Microsoft.
- Microsoft Azure Media Services expands End-to-End cloud video platform with Live Encoding, Azure Media Player and new partnerships - End-to-End. Its all there.
- Smooth Streaming Client Porting Kit - Ok, everything media this week was all Microsoft. Did you hear that AWS? They are coming for your media lunch. Chomp Chomp Chomp!!!
A single Microservice story:
- Creating Microservices in Laravel (repost) - A nice tutorial out of Iron.io (well repost)
The Mobile items from the week:
- Announcing the release of Universal Windows Apps SDK for Azure Mobile Engagement - Not sure what this means. But ok.
- Twitter’s Fabric now lets developers add tweet timelines to their Android and iOS apps - Special mobile love from Twitter.
- Wattpad Introduces Redesigned iOS App - A look at the new mobile out of Wattpad.
- Google Mobile Ads Unity Plugin v2.2.1 - Unity? Ok. Just tracking on to better understand the unique needs of mobile.
- Apple Seeds First iOS 8.4 Beta to Developers With New Music App - Not sure why I added this.
- Swift Framework for iOS and OS X - Tracking on Obj-c vs Swift from platforms.
Separating out the Museum element here:
- Open Data | Institute of Museum and Library Services - A new open data site I am checking out. Interesting push into this space from Socrata.
Not API news, but News, news:
- AP ENPS Open API Extends News Content Beyond Newsroom - I am going to try and get access to play with more. I'm sure it is a service I can't afford, but who knows!!
Beyond just data with Open Data:
- Open Data in the Capitol- aka the anti-PDF and show us your data day. - Love any stories taking down the PDF silo.
- Conference on Open Data against Corruption in Oxford - Stoked to have OpenCorporates at APIStrat in Berlin this week.
- Opening up Indiana’s hard to reach legislative data - Stories out of the 3rd world. Oh wait. Its Indiana.
- The FDA Just Released Scary New Data on Antibiotics And Farms - We are so stupid. If you ever say to me that markets work everything out. You are an idiot. The shit we do in the name of business. Farming, even factory farms (which we need) should be done regionally, and less massive corporate involvement.
- Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council at OpenGov Hack Night - I like the idea of hackathons happening around policing and open data around the country.
The Open Source talk out of Box:
- Box open sources JavaScript tool for enterprise applications - I am taking a closer look at what it is and does.
- Open Source in the Enterprise - Their added thoughts on the role of open source.
Highlighting the importance of Partners:
- Pingup API Enables CityGrid Media’s Real-Time Booking Capability - Hmm. Ok. Not a big believer in CityGrid APIs.
- API Provider Pingup Announces Partnership with CityGrid Media - Another angle on it.
- Meet On SoundCloud Premier Partner Jonathan Fatigate from Stand Up NY Labs - Showcase them partners.
- IBM Partners With TI on Secure APIs for IoT - They won't be able to do it on their own.
- Meet On SoundCloud Premier Partner Hefna Gwap - Another Soundcloud partner. They are good at showcasing them.
- Wattpad Partners with SoundCloud to Add Audio to Stories - And an interesting crossover partneship.
- Partners in power. - A look at the Nest parter ecosystem.
A few Patent blips this week:
- Twitter patents hint at new security API, SDK for apps - SlashGear - More for the patent API bin. Everyone is patenting. The real story will be when they use them.
- Tech Wants To Connect & Business Wants To Protect >> Open API Specs vs Patent / Intellectual Property schizophrenia - An interesting reference to my patent research from this week.
- EFF Busts Podcasting Patent, Invalidating Key Claims at Patent Office - Thanks EFF!!!
Had to highlight this Policing data story by itself, hopefully we'll see many more:
- Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council at OpenGov Hack Night - I like the idea of hackathons happening around policing and open data around the country.
Beek week for the Politics of APIs, being led by Twitter:
- On Twitter, Gnip, DataSift, And Making The Hard Platform Decision · - My thoughts on the later Twitter ecosystem kerfuffle.
- What the end of the Twitter-DataSift partnership means for customers - A really interesting take from Susan.
- Twitter Vs. The API Economy - I like these thoughts. Similar to other caching, and virtualizations thoughts I've had in government. Not sure they entirely apply in twitter ecosystem, as you can get in a lot of deep doodoo for doing.
- Can You Build Your Business on Somebody Else’s Platform? - That is the hardest part of Twitter ecosystem flareups for me, is the wider questioning of APIs being viable way to build your business.
- How To Be A Platform: Making Tough Partnership Choices - Tylers interesting take from his vantage point.
- The Twitter/Gnip Gap: Data Licensing vs Data Processing - The view from DataSift.
- Twitter Ending Firehose Access for DataSift, Other Data Resellers - PW take.
The important Privacy stories I read:
- Twitter updates privacy policy for non-US accounts, moving jurisdiction to Ireland - Not sure I fully understand this move, but will work to.
- Yelp Prevails in Fight to Protect Consumer Privacy but Virginia Still Has Work to Do - Glad yelp pushes back.
- Permissions API for the Web - One of those browser / HTML areas I'm trying to understand how it impacts API land.
- Two Thoughtful Essays on the Future of Privacy - Always read what Bruce asks me to.
- Why some Americans have not changed their privacy and security behaviors - Cause we don't seem to care.
- Improve Your Internet Privacy In 15 Minutes - Gonna track on the quick tip, education stories, to keep recycling as the shit hits the fan.
Just keeping an eye on Push Notifications:
- Chrome Pushes: The New Force Awakens - Keeping an eye on the Chrome browser level.
Always keeping it Real-Time:
- Get Notified When Someone Posts An Article From Your Domain on Hacker News Using Node.js, Firebase and Twilio - I like these types of useful recipes. They exist regularly on Zapier, but I like when they are defined on the open Internet too.
- The Realtime API: In memory mode, debug tools, and more - Interesting real-time layer tools from Google Drive.
- Tracking Metadata in Real-time - An interesting case study, and use of ElasticSearch too.
Resources are so important to API operations:
- A Wrap-up of New Force.com Articles, Blogs and Video Tutorials - A look at the resource landscape in the SalesForce ecosystem.
I love Robots:
- Lego Mindstorms: A History of Educational Robots - Man the stuff Audrey is putting out these days. Top notch. I don't link to all her stories, because of relevance to APis, but damn. You should tune in.
Two Scraping things to share:
- Are you getting the whole story? Investigating biases in mainstream news - I like the analysis scraping out of Kimono affords us.
- Scraping Web Pages With R - Some lessons from the world of R, when it comes to scraping.
Some interesting SDK moves:
- Building Cloud Infrastructure Using the Python SDK - I thought it was an interesting, Python specific SDK discussion.
- DevOps Central Community, Cloud APIs, Cloud Libraries and SDKs - All the good buzzwords + SDK.
- Intel® IoT Developer Kit v1.0 is here - A look at the IoT stuff coming out of Intel (rated R)
Let's talk Security:
- Hacked Sony emails get a wider release with Wikileaks database - Oh gawd. I can't imagine this happening to your company.
- Kaspersky and Dutch Police Unveil a CoinVault Ransomware Removal Tool - I knew this was coming.
- Akamai Introduces Two New Managed Security Service Offerings to Kona Family of Cloud Security Solutions - Security offerings out of Akamai I am watching.
- Dropbox teams up with HackerOne for bug bounty program - Interesting approach for larger platforms. Will consider evaluating HackerOne more and recommend for other platforms.
- Transport Layer Security - Many layers of security to consider, tracking on as a reminder.
- Akamai Cloud Security Intelligence Provides Foundation for New Advanced, Data-driven Cloud Security Services - There are a lot of security intelligence, data, coalition style API and platform efforts lately.
- How to add SSL to your Heroku custom domain with SSLMate - Moncef Belyamani - Zooming down a little bit, and look at how to secure your Heroku domain.
- China's Great Cannon shoots down websites it doesnt like - Fascinating.
- Chinas Great Cannon can intercept and redirect web traffic - Even more fascinating.
- Facebook Scrambles to Meet Security and Accessibility Needs - We all need to be better paying attention to both security and accessibility in everything we do. I suffer from this, and working to improve myself.
- Red Canary Python API Simplifies Carbon Black Data Access - Another security offering to evaluate.
- WordPress Releases Security Update for WP REST API Plugin - The never-ending flow of security out of WordPress--this one is API specific.
A single lonley Sensor:
- Building an Android Beacon (Android iBeacon Tutorial Overview) [1/3] - I put beacons in the sensor category, but just learning the landscape.
Always Showcase your important integrations:
- One Hour Translation Reduced Its File Upload Support Calls To Zero Thanks To Filepicker - A great scenario to showcase.
- Jobber: How we created a brand new app with QuickBooks - Nice showcase of how to build something.
- The TSheets Story - Another good one out of Intuit.
- OpenWater Uses Filepicker To Upload Hundreds Of Thousands Of Videos - And another out of Filepicker too! Way to showcase people.
- Welcome the Newest AWS Community Heroes - Of course AWS knows how to do it!
Single Page Applications (SPA):
- Creating Lightning Components: Single Page Applications - The continued SPA attention out of SalesForce.
I spend a lot of time in Space:
- NASA APIs: Opening Data Assets - Yes. Love me some NASA open data.
- NASA’s New Data Portal - I'd like to do a review of their effort.
- NASA to Release New API Catalog - And the view from PW.
Good to see this State Government story:
- Opening up Indiana’s hard to reach legislative data - Stories out of the 3rd world. Oh wait. Its Indiana.
From the land of Telecommunications:
- Bring Your Own Numbers with Twilio SIP Interfaces - Deeper integration with Twilio.
Something Trademark related I felt should be liberated by APis:
- TMDB - Trademark-Database - PRODUCTION tandcp - This should be an API. Not for enforcement, but identification
Keeping the Transparency conversation moving forward:
- Sunlight and allies continue to push for transparent political advertising - Keep up good fight.
- Weekly StandUp #9: What Happened at OpenCorporates - Ok, this should be under a Bot category or something. I want to build a corporate data scraping bot like they recommend. I totally dig the fact that they give such precise instructions on how you can help.
- Wyden Introduces Package to Boost Transparency, Oversight, Enforcement and Oregon Values in Trade Agreements | Press Releases | U.S. Senator Ron Wyden - Because I am from Oregon, and I love Wyden.
- Automating Transparency - Ok. I guess I can get behind.
- Total Transparency: How Groove's Tell-All Blog Brings in Paying Customers - More like hearing the story behind with this one.
Move forward Versions:
- Dropbox Unveils API Version 2 Preview - A look at the V2 offering from Dropbox.
An API pioneer makes some Video moves:
- vzaar Player API: A Myriad Of Nifty Tricks - Some tricks that caught my attention, and considering along with my reworking of video content.
- Announcing Video - Twilio gets into video!!
- Twilio Launches WebRTC Video SDK in Private Beta - And PW take.
SalesForce talking Visualizations:
- Are you using the new hot tool, data visualization? - A single visualization story out of SalesForce.
Watching the world of Watches, for anything interesting:
- Doctors Knowledge and Help is Now Just a Tap Away with New HealthTap App for Apple Watch - I have fallen and I can't get up!!!
- Yahoo to Share Apple Watch API Insights with Developers - Interesting. Watch focused meetups and outreach from Yahoo. Testing the market?
- IFTTT set to launch a pair of new Apple Watch apps - I usually don't cover IFTTT because they use APis but don't support API community by reciprocating. This was worth noting.
We need more Water APIs:
- NASA tech inspires open data infrastructure for water monitoring - I want to look into the potential for APIs in this space. Water API work is something I am a big advocate for.
Another player in the Wearables space:
- MediaTek launches platform for wearables, IoT devices - A new entry into wearable space to note.
That concludes my report on what I read last week across the API space. I'm still working on pulling together a summary e-newsletter version, allowing people to get an executive summary of what I thought was important from the week--I am hoping it will be available next week. I'm also going to auto-generate some visualizations, and summary counts for each week. I'd like to see a tag cloud, and overall counts to help me understand the scope of news I cover each week.
If you know of something I missed, feel free to email or tweet at me, and make sure I know about your company, and have a link to your blog RSS. If you don't tell the story and share, the world will never know it happened.
It is a good time to be tracking on the API space--lots going on!
