Forget It, Jake. It’s Pottersville.

Download bots were the “well-known secret” of the app ecosystem

Many of the biggest developers and marketing companies had been well-aware of the issue for months — if not years. I hadn’t had the time to go through and compile my notes until now, but here are some choice excerpts about the bots issue from last week.

It’s absurd to think about how long Apple must have known about and tolerated this practice.

Just when I think there’s one bit of the tech world that’s not just as filthy as the rest of the world, I’m slapped wide awake by something new.

Now I have to wonder about rankings for books at the Kindle Store.

Are bots to account for some — or all — of the meteoric rises we’ve seen bragged about?

And what will happen when ads in are those books and the amount of money a writer earns depends on the number of downloads?

We are fast approaching a world in which only the sociopathic will survive.

Steve Jobs: You’re All Bozos

Apple, Suppliers Test Tablet With Smaller Screen

Apple Working with Suppliers on 8-Inch iPad

Human beings who invest their deficient self-esteem in another person will go to great lengths to support, defend, and most importantly, believe that person.

Such was the case with Steve Jobs.

Sellouts, Shills, Con Men, And Egress Pushers

Hit men, click whores, and paid apologists: Welcome to the Silicon Cesspool

Separately another VC recently told me his firm recently had passed on opportunities to invest in some new tech blogs that were proposing a business model he described as “hush money.” Potential investors were being offered “most favored nation” status for themselves and their portfolio companies if they put money into the site.

Lyons does a great job tearing into the King of Dicks, Arrington, and his Queen, Siegler, among others.

This is my periodic reminder to all of you to read my FTC Disclosure.