This week, Steve Ballmer says goodbye, and investors want Bill Gates out next, Valve makes a new gamepad, Apple‘s the number one brand worldwide, the NSA follows you on Facebook (whether you want it to or not), the internet’s black market is raided, and four rules to make Star Wars great again.

Podcast

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What We’re Playing With

Andy: The IT Crowd: “The Internet is Coming”, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., GTA Online
Tosin: Haworth Zody Task chair, Vengeance K70 Gaming Keyboard
Chris: IFTTT Mobile, The Chair

Headlines

• N.S.A. Gathers Data on Social Connections of U.S. Citizens
  • NSA stores metadata of millions of web users for up to a year, secret files show
• John McAfee reveals details on gadget to thwart NSA
• Ballmer bids tearful farewell to Microsoft, promises it will ‘deliver the next big thing’

• Exclusive: Time for Gates to go, some top Microsoft investors tell board

Audible Book of the Week

• David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell
• Sign up atAudibleTrial.com/TheDrillDown

Music Break: The Time (Dirty Bit) by Black Eyed Peas

Hot Topic

• Valve unveils the Steam Controller
• All public Facebook posts ever made are now searchable
• FBI seizes underground drug market Silk Road, owner indicted in New York
  • Bitcoin Falls 15% Following FBI’s Silk Road Seizure

Music Break: End Theme from “The Empire Strikes Back” by John Williams

Final Word

• Apple Passes Coca-Cola as Most Valuable Brand

The Drill Down Video of the Week

4 Rules to Make Star Wars Great Again

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Geeks Of Doom’s The Drill Down is a roundtable-style audio podcast where we discuss the most important issues of the week, in tech and on the web and how they affect us all.

Hosts are Geeks of Doom contributor Andrew Sorcini (Mr. BabyMan), marketing research analyst Dwayne De Freitas, and Startup Digest CTO Christopher Burnor. Occasionally joining them is Box tech consultant Tosin Onafowokan.