- Some publishers are starting to feel the pinch of Facebook's December algorithm changes. Here are some charts of traffic from viral sites Upworthy, Elite Daily and Distractify that show serious dips.
- The life and sudden death of Flappy Bird: How a guy making $50,000 per day grew to "hate" his own game.
- "Flappy Bird was designed to play in a few minutes when you are relaxed," the game's creator Dong Nguyen tells Forbes. "But it happened to become an addictive product. I think it has become a problem. To solve that problem, it's best to take down Flappy Bird. It's gone forever."
- Y Combinator partner Sam Altman explains why he deleted buzzy anonymous app Secret. "I can't figure out a way to stop an anonymous network from decaying into a Mean Girls-style burn book," he writes.
- Bill Gates did a Reddit Ask Me Anything. He answered questions such as, "Would you pick a $100 bill up off the ground?" and about his goals for this year.
- The New Yorker has a long story on Jeff Bezos that details his early business plan at Amazon and his current views on publishing.
- Microsoft shuttles are getting blocked by activists in Seattle. They were protesting gentrification.
- Facebook may be able to predict when you should get married based on the marriage timeline of your friends. Time put together an app that connects to Facebook and tells you the average age your married friends were when they tied the knot.
- Apple's iTunes generates an estimated $7 billion per quarter.
- In unrelated news, Shirley Temple Black has died at age 85. The world's most famous child star was found in her Woodside, California home and died a natural death.