Today in Tech News Digest, Yahoo rejects third-party logins, Japan plans Bitcoin regulation, Project Spark comes to Xbox One, Twitter talks "impressions," Steve Ballmer talks retirement, Microsoft nags Windows XP diehards to move on, and Arduboy brings Tetris to the business card.

Yahoo Forcing User Logins

I was greatly confused when Yahoo started allowing G and FB logins. Unclear though, if they can sustain their own ID effort. People moved on

— Romit Mehta (@TheRomit) March 5, 2014

Those of you accessing Yahoo services will soon have to log in with a Yahoo username, as opposed to signing in with your Google or Facebook credentials. This is as a result of Yahoo reversing its stance on third-party logins, in place since 2010.

According to Reuters, Yahoo will gradually roll out the blocking of Google and Facebook logins across its services, starting with Yahoo Sports Tourney Pick'Em. All Yahoo properties will eventually be changed to only accept Yahoo logins.

The logic behind this move is obvious, as it brings lapsed users back to the loving embrace of Yahoo. Users can then personalize their experience and be tracked as a result. Why would Yahoo gift its user data to the likes of Google and Facebook?

Unfortunately for Yahoo, this move runs contrary to what is happening across the rest of the Web. Users are generally being given more choice in the service they use to log in to websites and services. So this seems like a huge step in the wrong direction.

Japan To Try Regulating Bitcoin

Warren Buffett on #Bitcoin: "It's not a currency... wouldn't be surprised if it's not around in 10 years."

— Dave Ramsey (@DaveRamsey) March 5, 2014

Japan looks set to try regulating Bitcoin transactions, acting after the recent fall of Tokyo-based MtGox. According to Nikkei, the Japanese government wants to define Bitcoin as a commodity rather than a currency, which suggests it's more akin to gold than it is to dollars.

This means Bitcoin will be subject to taxes, with transactions and trades all being liable for levies. Individuals and businesses would be asked to pay the 8 percent consumption tax on all purchases made using the primary cryptocurrency. Assuming, of course, that the authorities could track them down in the first place. Which is unlikely.

Project Spark Lands On Xbox One

http://youtu.be/ZGcAkK5h9fo

Project Spark, an ambitious open world game creation tool, has landed on Xbox One. Microsoft launched Project Spark on Windows 8.1 in December, and, even though it's still in beta, it has now been launched on Xbox One too.

Project Spark allows budding game developers to turn their ideas into reality, creating worlds, characters, and gameplay elements before sharing them with the community. Microsoft claims 250,000 people have already signed up for the beta, with more invited to do so via the Project Spark website.

Twitter Talks 'Impressions'

There were 3.3 billion impressions of #Oscars Tweets. Read more: https://t.co/AOKHr4IoGB

— Twitter (@twitter) March 5, 2014

Anyone reading Monday's Tech News Digest will already know how huge the Oscars were on Twitter, thanks mainly to the Ellen DeGeneres' selfie (as sponsored by Samsung). But Twitter is keen to show everybody just what an impact it had on spreading news of the 2014 Academy Awards.

An official blog post takes us through the numbers, with "impressions" being cited for the first time. These impressions are essentially what Twitter calls views, being representative of how many times tweets related to the Oscars were displayed to users across Twitter. Which will be of particular interest to advertisers, no doubt.

Steve Ballmer Talks Retirement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amc-rwsQXrA

Steve Ballmer may have ceded leadership of Microsoft to Satya Nadella, but he's still keen to share his views on the world with anyone who will listen. Ballmer recently spoke to a crowd gathered at Oxford University, answering questions put to him by students, professors, and journalists.

The whole session is embedded above, but those who cannot bear to listen to Ballmer speak for over an hour can glean the highlights from The New York Times. Ballmer hinted that he'd be following the example set by his predecessor Bill Gates, suggesting his retirement means, "I get the chance of trying to find out what may be fun to make a difference in the world.

Windows XP Users Nagged To Move On

Weeks before expiration date, Windows XP still has 29% OS market share. http://t.co/G1U82URpJ4

— Dave Winer ? (@davewiner) March 5, 2014

Support for Windows XP is going to end on April 8, 2014, whether the diehard fans like it or not. Keen to push the remaining XP users to upgrade to a new version of Windows, Microsoft has begun nagging fans of the outdated operating system with pop-up warnings. Because nagging is sometimes the only way to get through to stubborn people.

Arduboy Brings Tetris To The Business Card

http://youtu.be/pXhOMO6ZjRg

And finally, you could soon be handing out the best business card ever seen. It's called Arduboy, and it's a business card capable of playing Tetris and a lot more besides.

The Arduboy is the work of one Kevin Bates, who is hoping to bring the Arduino-powered business card to Kickstarter for $30 apiece. Want. Now.

Tech News Digest… Breaking News Into Bite-Sized Chunks.

Image Credit: JD Hancock via Flickr