The iPhone forced Google to start over … or not, depending who you believe
"A pithy quote from a Google engineer working on Android on the day the iPhone was launched has been doing the rounds today. As a consumer I was blown away. I wanted one immediately. But as a Google engineer, I thought ‘We’re going to have to start over. The quote, attributed to Google engineer Chris […]"
“Apple’s new Mac Pro is a stunningly fresh take on the desktop computer. But it’s probably not for you,” Dan Ackerman reports for CNET. “It breaks the decades-long tradition of putting desktop computer components in a rectangular box, whether a massive full tower of the kind that dominated offices and dens for many years, or a small cube such as Apple’s own Mac Mini.”
Halley's Comet May Be Linked to Famine 1,500 Years Ago | Space.com
"A piece of the famous Halley's comet likely slammed into Earth in A.D. 536, blasting so much dust into the atmosphere that the planet cooled considerably, a new study suggests. This dramatic climate shift is linked to drought and famine around the world, which may have made humanity more susceptible to "Justinian's plague" in A.D. 541-542 — the first recorded emergence of the Black Death in Europe."
Netflix Is the Breakthrough Brand of 2013
Two years ago, Netflix was all but written off for dead.
Netflix decided to split its DVD rentals and online streaming offerings in July 2011, effectively hiking the price by 60% for those accustomed to getting both. Two months later, Netflix doubled down on unpopular moves by announcing plans to split its DVD-by-mail service into a separate business that would be called Qwikster.
Customers took to social media to protest. The stock lost two-thirds of its value in a three-month period. Reed Hastings, the company's CEO, was declared the worst chief executive of the year by the New York Times and TheStreet.
See also: Netflix Knows You Better Than You Know Yourself
It was an abrupt and shocking turnaround for a company that had long been viewed as one of the savviest in the tech industry, and doubts about the company lingered long after it killed off Qwikster, apologized and started to grow its subscriber base again.
The Birth of the iPhone — Book Excerpts — Medium
Excerpt from “Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products”
lkahneylkahney in Book Excerpts
Despite the tight pricing, the Acer C720 Chromebook has demonstrated that it's best effort to date in this space. Although we still wish there was some way to have a better screen and touchpad, Acer has packed a great deal of performance and battery life into a solid 11-inch form factor that costs the exact same as the underpowered competition. Toss in the fact that you can pick up a C720 with 2GB of RAM for $199 if you're price-sensitive, or bump up to $299 if you want a touchscreen experience, and we definitely have a winner here.
If you've been looking into getting a Chromebook, whether as a primary or secondary machine, the Acer C720 needs to be at the top of your list. The experience on offer here is exactly what using a Chromebook should be like — solid, portable, fast and inexpensive.
Review: Acer and Haswell give Chrome OS the battery life it deserves | Ars Technica
I personally own and like this eleven inch Chromebook. It works well and is a significant improvement over last year's Acer and Samsung models.
Racism linked to infant mortality, learning disabilities » State & National News » The Stanly News and Press (Albemarle, NC)
"A pair of Emory University studies released this year have connected the large share of African-American children born before term with the biologically detectable effects of stress created in women's bodies after decades of dealing with American racism. The studies' findings don't end there.
Racism, and its ability to increase the odds that a pregnant mother will deliver her child early, can kill. There is also evidence that racism can alter the capacity for a child to learn and distorts lives in ways that can reproduce inequality, poverty and long-term disadvantage, the studies found.
"Racism is an incredibly powerful force," said Elizabeth Corwin, dean of research at Emory University's Woodruff School of Nursing,"
- See more at: http://www.thesnaponline.com/statenews/x1956132289/Racism-linked-to-infant-mortality-learning-disabilities#sthash.SwegJKvR.dpuf
President Obama Meeting With Tim Cook And Other Leaders Tomorrow To Talk Tech | Cult of Mac
"President Obama Meeting With Tim Cook And Other Leaders Tomorrow To Talk Tech.
The White House has announced that President Obama is scheduled to meet with a number of top-level tech executives in the industry tomorrow, including Apple’s Tim Cook. Topics of discussion will be the recent controversy surrounding the NSA’s phone surveillance, HealthCare.Gov, and ways the government can work with tech companies to grow the economy.
Read more at http://www.cultofmac.com/258432/president-obama-meeting-tim-cook-tech-leaders-tomorrow/#DgcJkgTF9oOA16ws.99
NSA divided over possible amnesty deal for Snowden | Politics and Law - CNET News
"Whether return of that cache is worth a deal with Snowden is a contentious subject within the NSA. Rick Ledgett, who runs the NSA task force assessing the damage on the Snowden leaks, told CBS' news program "60 Minutes" during a segment aired Sunday (see below) that an amnesty deal is "worth having a conversation about. I would need assurances that the remainder of the data could be secured, and my bar for those assurances would be very high. It would be more than just an assertion on his part." (Disclosure: CBS is the parent company of CNET.)"
New York City Launches Nation's Largest Free Public Wi-Fi Network
"In a new step to improve the city's Internet access, especially in lower income areas, New York City has announced the launch of what will be the nation's biggest Wi-Fi network, which will blanket 95 blocks of Harlem."
