reddit

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is holding an "ask me anything" session on Reddit at 10:45 a.m. today.

To get a few things out of the way, he's posted a YouTube animation that answers three popular Reddit questions: How much money do you have in your wallet? Can I have a million dollars? And -- now this is the important one -- would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses, or one horse-sized duck.

Gate's answers? $100; only if you are a starving farmer or a poor child living without medicine; and a horse-sized duck. Duh. … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- OK Cupid launches Crazy Blind Date.

- Delta's new iPad app shows off the world below your plane.

- MoviePass is the Netflix of movie theaters.

- Developer canned for outsourcing his job to China so he could surf Reddit.… Read more

With Reddit users flocking to the site more than ever, now seems like the perfect time for the company to go searching for investors. Which is exactly what it's doing, but it's not cash that Reddit is after.

According to AllThingsD, the company is seeking certain elite investors that could help with company input -- rather than just fork over a wad of dough. A recent article by TechCrunch noted that the company's valuation has jumped to $400 million, but, according to AllThingsD, Reddit is actually only after around $1 million.

When Reddit was spun out in 2011 … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- One way or another, Danny DeVito will join us on the CNET stage at CES 2013.

- Here's hoping this doesn't happen to us on tomorrow's CES flight.

- How blind people use Instagram.

- Lego is officially producing the "Back to the Future" DeLorean time machine.

- Streetlight Manifesto trombonist thwarts phone theft with OKCupid trolling.… Read more

A now-deleted Redditor posted a photo of a medical-alert bracelet that the anonymous contributor considered "sensible." Rather than listing allergies or medical conditions, it just conveys this crucial message should the wearer become incapacitated: "Delete my browser history."

The bracelet did manage to launch a Reddit discussion on whether EMTs would find it funny. The opinion was split, but a real paramedic came down on the side of definitely funny.… Read more

Whether readers want to learn the complexities of how the Mars Curiosity rover was able to enter the Red Planet's atmosphere or just see photos of cats being weird, they can go to Reddit. The social news site announced today its end-of-year stats and it appears that users are frequenting the site at an ever-increasing rate.

Reddit revealed that in 2012 it received 37 billion page views, 400 million unique visitors, and 30 million posts -- not bad for one of the most simple Web sites on the Internet.

The site's user population has skyrocketed since its inception. … Read more

The reports are rolling in on Reddit. Australia and New Zealand have successfully crossed over into December 21 without the world ending. This news should make NASA happy.

Redditor sasquatch92 posted an image of a clock hitting 12:00 while flames licked around the casing. This is especially strange since we all know that Sasquatches are afraid of fire. Still, it does offer some slight bit of photographic evidence that the world hasn't abruptly ended as so many Mayan calendar fans have predicted.… Read more

Typically when policy makers brainstorm ideas on new legislation, they'll talk to their colleagues or constituents. But California Rep. Zoe Lofgren is trying something different -- she's turning to Reddit.

Lofgren will be tuning into Reddit tomorrow to ask people for ideas on how to best protect Web sites accused of copyright infringement, according to political news site The Hill. The congresswoman is working on new legislation that would notify Web site owners blamed for copyright violations. The law would also halt the government from shutting down Web sites until the owners were able to defend themselves.

"… Read more

To GIF or not to GIF. That is the question for many Internet denizens these days, especially if they frequent Tumblr or Reddit. At the moment, it's the easiest way to share a quick animation, thanks in part to its compatibility with nearly every Internet browser ever made.

As the GIF (graphic interchange format) turns 25 this year, what better way to celebrate -- aside from GIFing it -- than Oxford American Dictionaries announcing that the acronym has been named 2012's "Word of the Year. … Read more