LISBON–For the second year in a row, Web Summit has me far from home in early November. But unlike last year, I’m moderating four panels instead of watching everybody else’s, this conference’s move to Portugal deprives me of a reunion with my Irish relatives, and more is at stake in the election I’m missing than in any other I’ve seen.

That’s why I voted absentee Sept. 23, the first day possible in Arlington. Given the past presidential choices listed on my disclosures page and my general wish to live in the reality-based community, I trust you will not be surprised that I voted for Hillary Clinton.

11/3/2016: Roku’s new pause button turns your TV into a poor man’s DVR, Yahoo Finance

I’ve been wondering for years when the flattening price of flash memory would let even basic TVs ship with enough storage to pause a live broadcast–and now Roku is doing just that with an update to the software for Roku TVs.

11/5/2016: Twitter keeps innovating but isn’t fixing these core problems, Yahoo Finance

This was originally going to be a rant about Twitter’s unexplained decision to opt some users, myself included, into an experiment in which its iOS apps open links in Safari’s Reader Mode. My editors suggested I take a broader look at where Twitter seems to be devoting its attention.

11/6/2016: Facebook’s real-name policy draws line at titles, USA Today

It’s the rare column that lets me reference both Usenet and Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy books. Pop quiz: How many of you can still name any of your regular newsgroups?