Earlier this month Andreessen Horowitz hired the secessionist, Balaji Srinivasan. The academic and entrepreneur infamous for suggesting that techies build their own society "outside the U.S." scratches off the secessionist label with one hand, even as he writes dreamy odes to "a cloud country of our own" for Wired. Now, Srinivasan is aiming his science fictional phasers at death.

If you live in the space-silent cultural vacuum of Silicon Valley, you might be surprised by these truths: black people enjoy apps, spend money, and are grossly underrepresented as both creators and consumers of tech. The New Yorker talked to star VC Ben Horowitz, and his eyes are opened.

The Bitcoin Forum got a vicarious thrill over the weekend when crypto kiddies found out that Nasir Jones is now a Bitcoin investor. The news came courtesy of a PandoDaily article that admired the rapper's deal flow.

This week, the National Music Publishers Association sent a take-down notice to 50 sites, including Rap Genius, that "engage in blatant illegal behavior" by publishing song lyrics without a license. The NMPA is only targeting commercial sites that make money off those unlicensed lyrics and not personal blogs or fan sites.

Kno, the Color of online learning startups, which raised $73.4 million from Andreessen Horowitz, SV Angel, GSV Capital, and more, was sold for "literally pennies on a dollar," to Intel, reports Om Malik. "The venture investors lost pretty much their shirts on this deal."

First they came for the perks. Quirky, the product development startup that raised $68 million last September, just sent out a memo delaying the week off it promised employees in October until Thanksgiving. Between that and laying off its chief revenue officer, we're sure the "damn good party (and talent show!)" consolation prize will be a boozy affair.

The Yale-educated dude trio that runs Rap Genius, a website dedicated to deciphering hip-hop for white people, gets a lot of mileage out of not being taken seriously. Their group goofiness is brilliant, letting them dodge any and all criticism in a self-serious field. Until Rap Genius threatens mouth rape on Twitter.

Another Wired editor has been lured over to industry he once covered. Senior editor Michael Copeland will be heading up "content strategy" for Andreessen Horowitz, the VC firm he wrote about just two months ago for Wired. Heckuva cover letter, Copeland. Welcome to the Startup Bros Club.

It's possible that in the near future, we'll print out new organs, phones, and hot dogs, with 3D printers in our own homes. But for now, the super-trendy cottage industry is confined to silly bric-à-brac: plastic cufflinks, toy cars, and whatever this thing is. Shapeways, startup purveyor of these wares, just netted a big bundle of cash.