Online game world Roblox draws about 50 million daily active users worldwide. Launched in 2006, the company lets users create their own games and play games created by others. As such, a generation has grown up using the Roblox Studio game engine, and now some of those Millennials are competing with professionally trained coders for jobs designing for the platform, which runs on the beginner programming language Lua. Designed for use in embedded applications, Lua is cross platform, and the Roblox API allows it to be played on anything from an Xbox to a PC, laptop or Android or iOS phone. Continue reading Roblox: User-Generated Content Competes with Pro Games

France’s Senate has approved taxing Amazon, Google and other large technology companies, despite the threat of a U.S. probe into discrimination. In fact, the vote came hours after U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer said he would investigate the French legislation based on the same law President Trump used in the trade clash with China. French finance minister Bruno Le Maire responded that, “France is a sovereign state. It makes sovereign decisions on tax matters and will continue to make sovereign decisions on tax matters.” Continue reading France Inks Law to Tax Tech Firms, U.S. Threatens Probe

Many entrepreneurs are attempting to recreate the shopping mall experience online in what is generally known as “social shopping.” Internet retailers such as Amazon, eBay, and Etsy have made shopping online easy for large and small sellers. However, retailers are looking to make their sites more social, and create new opportunities. Startups are receiving venture funding, and established companies are adopting their own social features. Continue reading Social Shopping Is the New Mall for Electronic Commerce

Square, the credit card reader and processor for mobile devices, recently introduced its own online marketplace, Square Market. This move is an expansion of its mobile payment services and a challenge to other online marketplaces, such as Etsy, Amazon and eBay. Square Market is the latest shopping system to support social selling. Its minimal approach allows social media platforms to become an online storefront for any business. Continue reading Square Market Can Now Make Every Business an Online Store

3D printing company Shapeways, that creates made-to-order products, has raised $30 million from Andreessen Horowitz, Union Square Ventures, Index Ventures and Lux Capital. With the new financial infusion, the company is planning to build factories and bring on new hires. The investment is also expected to enable more companies and individuals access to high-end 3D printers to create and sell their products. Continue reading Shapeways Ready to Become the Amazon of 3D Printing?

Amazon and Apple, today’s biggest forces in electronic goods, are separately pursuing a digital marketplace, where items such as e-books, music, movies and software can be bought, sold and exchanged. The Apple system would enable this to happen through file transfers. However, the system would limit the digital copy to one user at any given time. Will content producers eventually see their work devalued in such a marketplace? Continue reading Are We Closer to a Marketplace for Used Digital Content?