Chrome gets Faster; Windows 8 a Big #FAIL compared to Windows 7

Google still ascendant, Microsoft fading --

Google: Under-the-hood change helps Web apps on Chrome | Internet & Media - CNET News: "...The newest Chrome beta version, 33, includes a feature called concurrent compilation that means the browser takes a smoother, faster trip to an optimized version of the Web page code it's running. "Concurrent code compilation is another step towards reducing latency in Chrome," said Chrome programmer Yang Guo in a blog post Thursday...." more info: http://blog.chromium.org/2014/02/compiling-in-background-for-smoother.html

After 15 months, Windows 8 has sold 100 million fewer copies than Windows 7 did - The Next Web: "Windows 8 launched on October 26, 2012. In February 2014, Microsoft revealed that it had sold over 200 million Windows 8 licenses in the operating system’s 15 months. No matter how you slice it, that’s not good news for the company."

Not even Steve Jobs could sell live tiles on iOS 8 | ZDNet: "... an [idiot] analyst with JP Morgan believes that Apple needs to radically change iOS, presumably starting with iOS 8, to be more like Windows 8. The new iOS would blend OS X and iOS into a single operating system, much along the lines of Windows 8. The thought of an Apple mobile OS with live tiles shows it is not likely something the folks in Cupertino would do...."

Slow cable Internet service providers lobby to kill local broadband | BGR: " . . . Ars Technica’s Jon Brodkin writes that that ISPs have successfully lobbied legislatures in 20 different states to pass laws that make it more difficult or even impossible for individual municipalities to build their own broadband networks. What’s more, ISPs apparently aren’t satisfied with their current winnings and are pushing for fresh restrictions in two of the three states where Google has just happened to launch its Google Fiber services. . . ."

Flappy Bird game pulled from online stores by creator
BBC News
After more than 50 million downloads mobile phone game Flappy Bird has been removed from online stores by its creator, Dong Nguyen. He said its fame "ruins my simple life". Online security company Cloudflare has warned of "the start of ugly things to ...

Mystery of 'jelly doughnut' Martian rock solved
Houston Chronicle
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Scientists have solved the mystery of the "jelly doughnut" rock on Mars that appeared to come out of nowhere. NASA said Friday that a wheel of the rover Opportunity broke it off a larger rock and then kicked it into the field of view.

Android Contract Raises Questions
EE Times
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Is Google playing fair in its Android agreements? That's what I'd like to hear from the community of smartphone and tablet makers. A leaked copy of a 2011 Android agreement between Google and HTC raises questions about the amount ...

Robots Inspired by Termites Build Complicated Structures
Guardian Liberty Voice
Harvard University engineers have used termites as inspiration for a new breed of robot. These small robots are able to build complicated structures without a centralized plan by following simple rules of organization. Using a process called stigmergy, which ...

Ants With Formic Acid Are Invading North America! (Video)
Guardian Liberty Voice
For a long time, red fire ants have been the raining kings of the ant world because of their large stingers that secrete a deadly dose of venom to their competition. Different types of ants compete and attack each other over resources and nest space. However ...

Rakuten acquires Viber web phone/messaging service for $900 million
The Japan Times
Rakuten Inc., the Japanese online retailer controlled by billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani, is buying the Viber Internet messaging and calling service for $900 million as it moves into social networking. Viber will provide a distribution channel for Rakuten's digital ...

How to Survive the Next Wave of Technology Extinction - NYTimes ...
Technologies have always gone belly up, but tech extinctions may become even more common over the next few years. We're living through an exhilarating and ...

www.nytimes.com/.../how-to-survive-the-next-wave-of-techno...

Lithium Technologies to buy Klout - CNN Money
Customer engagement service Lithium Technologies has agreed to buy Klout, a service that measures users' online influence.
money.cnn.com/2014/02/11/.../lithium-technolgies-klout/

Snowden used simple technology to mine NSA computer networks ...
Snowden was a technology contractor working at an agency outpost in Hawaii that had yet to be equipped with modern monitors which might have sounded the ...
www.theguardian.com/.../edward-snowden-used-simple-techn...

Emerging Nations Embrace Internet, Mobile Technology | Pew ...
In a remarkably short period of time, internet and mobile technology have become a part of everyday life for some in the emerging and developing world.
www.pewglobal.org/.../emerging-nations-embrace-internet-mo...

Bitcoin Trading Technology In Question As Currency Dives After ...
A software glitch, enabling Bitcoin traders to effectively defraud exchanges, has prompted a severe war of words – between the currency organisation and a ...
www.forbes.com/.../bitcoin-trading-technology-in-question-as...

1 in 4 Americans Don't Know Earth Orbits the Sun. Yes, Really. : Discovery News: "the National Science Foundation (NSF) delivered news of a pretty shocking poll result: around one in four Americans (yes, that's 25 percent) are unaware that the Earth orbits the sun. Let’s repeat that: One in four Americans — that represents one quarter of the population — when asked probably the most basic question in science (except, perhaps, “Is the Earth flat?” Hint: No.), got the answer incorrect."
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Chromebooks, Benefit of Simplicity vs Cost of Complexity, Windows 8 #FAIL

Now that Microsoft has ruined the desktop and notebook PC business with Windows 8, what do you buy? For most, that means either an Apple MacBook or a Chromebook. Right now, the Pixel is the serious Chromebook for active users who use their computer for work (see article below).  But with HP and Dell starting to make and sell Chromebooks, it won't be long before we have a Chromebook with 4GB RAM and a decent CPU for about $500-600 or less--

Chromebooks and the Cost of Complexity | stratēchery by Ben Thompson: " . . . the new entrant may not have all of the required performance – like my Chromebook – but along with that missing performance comes additional simplicity. Paradoxically, the fact the new entrant has less-than-desired performance makes it even better from a user experience standpoint. And, when the performance gets close enough, that user experience advantage makes it an obvious choice over a higher end product that does more, in every sense of the word. And so, that’s why I have a Pixel. Over the next few weeks after I wrote that review, I found myself continually picking up that little Samsung instead of a laptop. I realized I quite preferred the simplicity and clarity of Chrome OS, and given that, and given the important role that computers play in my life, why wouldn’t I buy the best hardware to run said OS? My old laptop suffices for the few moments I even bother to pull out my SLR. . . ."

Microsoft offers new workaround for SkyDrive problems in Windows 8.1 | PCWorld: "Microsoft has backtracked on a suggested fix it offered repeatedly on its support forum for over two months for users having problems with SkyDrive on Windows 8.1. In a permanent message on the SkyDrive section of its support site, Microsoft now offers detailed troubleshooting steps for affected users.At the end of the post, it also disavows a workaround its officials had been dispensing that involved backing up SkyDrive, deleting its root folder and files and restarting the application. “If you’ve previously seen the instructions below on other posts, please DO NOT use them as they are no longer valid for SkyDrive on Windows 8.1,” the post reads..."

Mulally out, Elop now frontrunner to replace Ballmer: "..."Ultimately we believe Mr. Elop is positioned as the close second pick to Mr. Mulally given his previous Microsoft experience and demonstrable expertise in the mobile space, and as he has shown a willingness to make hard decisions," Ives says in a report. Elop executed layoffs, organizational changes and new partnerships at Nokia. And, of course, he steered the European phone giant into a merger with the U.S. tech giant from whence he came...."

Apple App Store Annual Sales Exceed $10 Billion

InformationWeek
Apple customers spent over $10 billion in the company's App Store in 2013, demonstrating the continued appeal of native mobile apps and the ...

The Guardian

Amazon And Hulu Could Slow Netflix Growth In 2014, Morgan ...

Forbes
Amazon Prime Instant Video is a smaller competitor, with just a 2% share of streamed TV programming. However, Devitt believes the service offers the ...

ValueWalk

Google Doodle Honors Zora Neale Hurston, Black Cultural Giant

TIME
Today's Google Doodle honors the American novelist, activist and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston, who was born on Jan. 7, 1891. Born in Alabama ...

New York Daily News

Microsoft close to naming CEO, Ford's Mulally stays put

Chicago Tribune
(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp is closer to naming a new chief executive, according to a source familiar with the board's thinking, but it lost a front-runner ...

San Francisco Chronicle

Google Sued Over 'Sexy Executives' Website

ABC News
The common traits of corporate executive headshots may be easy to poke fun at: a goofy smile, business suit, monotone backdrop and chest-to-head ...

ABC News

Apple requests removal of antitrust compliance monitor

CNET
Bromwich was appointed in October to keep tabs on Apple following a ruling that the company had conspired with other publishers to set e-book ...

Apple Insider

Amazon's Current Employees Raise the Bar for New Hires

Wall Street Journal
Amazon believes the program, created in the company's infancy and honed by.... Google contracted to 46,421 employees as of the end of September 2013, from ... 01/07/14 Apple Wants E-Book Monitor Rem. ... 28, and MicrosoftCorp. increased its staff by 5% to 99,000 in the year ended June 30.

Wall Street Journal

Amazon teams with Samsung, studios on ultra high-definition TV

CBS News
Amazon.com Inc is teaming up with Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and major media corporations including Warner Bros and Lionsgate to popularize ...

Washington Post

Apple's 3D recording concept could allow user-generated 'street ...

Apple Insider
Apple's own mapping data does not have a direct competitor to Google'sStreet View. Instead, Apple offers what it calls Flyover, a 3D, interactive aerial ...

Apple Insider

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