Re/wind: Sony's Epically Awful Week, the Re/code Holiday Gift Guide and More

Hi!

The Re/code team hope you had a happy and a restful Thanksgiving. Here are some of the headlines you might’ve missed from last week:

1. Sony had a bad week. On Friday, sources told Re/code that Sony Pictures Entertainment was looking into the possibility that the North Korean government, unhappy with the portrayal of its leader Kim Jong-Un in the new Sony movie “The Interview,” was behind a hack that effectively shut down the studio’s network. Additionally, Sony settled with the FTC over charges that the company misled consumers with ads for the PlayStation Vita. Oh, and on the biggest retail week of the year, Sony announced it would be trimming its TV and smartphone offerings in order to cut costs.
2. If you’re looking for an easy way to figure out what to buy friends, loved ones and people you feel sorry for this holiday season, have no fear, for the Re/code 2014 Holiday Gift Guide is here! It provides tips on what to get for fitness freaks, teens, dads and everyone in between.
3. The first teaser trailer for the new J.J. Abrams-directed “Star Wars” movie, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” dropped on Friday. If you haven’t watched it yet, here’s your chance to make up for lost time.
4. Twice in one week, Twitter CFO Anthony Noto accidentally sent out tweets that appeared to have been intended as Direct Messages. One was about a potential acquisition target, while the other was a bit more cryptic. In other Twitter news, the company disclosed that it would start keeping tabs on what apps its users download, announced a new brick-and-mortar discount service and Re/code’s Kurt Wagner said the company should tweak its 140-character limit this holiday season.
5. Music streaming is big. How big? Well, Spotify released its 2013 numbers and boy are they gargantuan: $1 billion in 2013 revenue, with over 12 million subscribers. The downside? Slipping ad revenue numbers could screw over artists in the long run.
6. The Pew Research Center published a report this week confirming what many of us already thought: Americans are on the Internet all the time, but don’t really know a lot about it.
7. Re/code co-executive editor Kara Swisher got the iPhone 6 Plus. Martha Stewart and Barry Diller both threw shade at her hefty new friend, and everywhere she goes it seems people have nothing but snide comments to offer. How’s Kara taking it? She’s doing just fine.
8. One entrepreneur accidentally nuked the inboxes of a lot of tech reporters, making this your periodic reminder to always double check that you’re using the BCC function when emailing lots of people.
9. This holiday season, e-commerce companies and retailers will have their hands full making sure that everyone gets what they need when they need it. Here are seven trends and potential problems to look out for.
10. Dan Porter, the guy who made the hit smartphone game Draw Something, thinks he has another hit app on his hands, but this time it has more to do with Hollywood and less to do with Pictionary. Check out our interview with him.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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