Kanye West Fails to Freak Out When French Woman Doesn't Know Who He Is

It seems Paris agrees with Kanye West.

Before leaving for Fashion Week in the City of Light with Kim Kardashian, the Yeezus rapper went ballistic on paps staked out in his driveway, calling them "bloodsucking mosquitoes!"

But when photogs caught him with him in Paris, he actually praised them!

"I like how you guys got total respect for yourselves and respect for the people that you photograph and you also take time off," Kanye said. "At 8 o'clock, you're not around people's houses, so I just really appreciate that and respect that. I understand that you have to make a living."

And when a curious pedestrian walked by and asked the photogs who Kanye was, he even politely shook her hand and introduced himself, instead of yelling at her or being rude (though the surprised look on his face for a split second is priceless).

We like this new, softer side of Kanye! Maybe he'll bring his good attitude back to the States with him.

Smartwatches Will Be Huge By 2017: Report

Prepare for a world of cyborgs.
Wearable technology, which includes camera-equipped smartwatches like the Galaxy Gear and Internet-connected eyewear like Google Glass, is set to explode over the next few years, according to a report released Friday.
The report, from Swedish telecom market researcher Berg Insight, says that by the end of 2017, companies will ship more than 64 million wearable technology devices. That includes smartwatches like the Samsung Galaxy Gear, smart glasses like Google Glass, and fitness and activity trackers like the FitBit, Jawbone UP and the Nike+ Fuelband.
While 64 million is no doubt a big number, it's not huge when it comes to consumer electronics. To put it in perspective: This year, 1 billion smartphones will be sold worldwide, according to Gartner, the technology market research firm.
But at the same time, there were only 16 million e-readers like Kindles and Nooks shipped in 2012, and about 28 million personal navigation devices, according to Berg Insight. So when compared to those figures, 64 million is pretty significant.
Buying a wearable device "will be as common as it is to buy a standalone camera," Johan Svanberg, a senior analyst at Berg Insight and the author of the report, said in an interview with The Huffington Post. "Most of us have or know someone who has a standalone digital camera."
So while they won't be as ubiquitous as smartphones, there's a good chance that either you or someone you know will have a wearable device in the coming years, Svanberg said.

Although Google Glass has received a lot of attention over the last year, the biggest wearable category in the next few years will be the smartwatch, said Svanberg, writing in the report that "[t]he market for smart watches is on the verge to take off."
This isn't too surprising, as research has shown that people are much more willing to put wearable tech on their wrist as opposed to their face.
In its report, Berg Insight predicted that 400,000 smartwatches will be sold this year, up from 250,000 last year. But by the end of 2017, Berg Insight predicted that 35 million smartwatches will ship.
There are a number of smartwatches currently on the market, from huge technology players like Sony and Samsung to startups like Pebble. Samsung announced the Galaxy Gear last month, but the watch has received poor reviews. Apple and Google have for months been rumored to be developing a device that will be worn on the wrist. Just last week, 9to5Mac reported that Apple had poached a Nike designer who had worked on the Fuel Band, and recent rumors suggest a watch from Google could be released as early as this month.
"Everything in Google's smart glasses -- which are already available -- is very easily transferrable to a good smartwatch," said Svanberg. "So I think that the next step for smartwatches is actually Google Glass on your wrist."

Evan Williams Is The Biggest Winner Of The Twitter IPO. He Doesn't Even Work There

Twitter co-founder Evan Williams might become a billionaire after all.
On Thursday, Twitter unveiled its plans to go public, giving us a peak at its finances in a document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
One of the most-anticipated details within that document: Who holds the most Twitter stock? Or, simply put: Who's about to make the most money off of the company's public offering.
The clear winner is Evan Williams, a 41-year-old serial tech-guru/entrepreneur, who co-founded Twitter, ran it for a while and left in 2011. Williams has a 12 percent stake in the company, which could translate into more than $1 billion if the company lives up to its $10+ billion private valuation estimates.
The next highest stake holder is venture capital firm Benchmark Capital with 6.7 percent. Fellow co-founder and chairman Jack Dorsey owns 4.9 percent and current CEO Dick Costolo holds a paltry (by comparison) 1.6 percent.
One name conspicuously absent: Biz Stone, another co-founder, who may have sold his stake prior to the IPO.
Speculation about Williams' stake grew in the weeks leading up to Twitter's filing. Earlier on Thursday Reuters reported that Williams sold a 10 percent stake in the company in 2010. In late September, Bloomberg reported that Williams stake was 15 percent.
Williams, who helped found blogging platform Medium after leaving Twitter, helmed the company from 2008 to 2010. Earlier in the 2000s, he co-founded Blogger and sold it to Google.
Earlier this week Wired ran a short profile of Williams titled "Twitter Founder Reveals Secret Formula for Getting Rich Online."
The profile made no mention of the Twitter IPO, but Williams did offer this advice:

“Here’s the formula if you want to build a billion-dollar internet company...Take a human desire, preferably one that has been around for a really long time…Identify that desire and use modern technology to take out steps.”

Have we humans always desired to express our every thought, complaint and sassy comment in a public space in 140 characters or less? Only time and the value of Williams' giant stake will tell.