Apple v Samsung: Five experts, five questions | Macworld

Me: It seems obvious that the jury had already decidied who was at fault, and all that remained was figuring out damages. In my opinion Samsung has skated the closest to apple's patents. They never tried to deviate from the flat slab design. Motorola, HTC, and especially Google have made sure the physical body of their phones have certain curves, ramps, and thickness variations that made them unlike the totally symmetric iPhone. Also Samsung has hung on to the physical "Home" button that to this day no other Android phone has. On my Galaxy Note I actually find the physical button to be hugely annoying, every other interface gesture is touch, why do i have to press down on a button so often? Samsung was already a very compelling competitor to Apple without having to copy them so closely. I think this is a big wake up call to Asian companies who are a little more used to directly copying their competitors. And a big wake up call also to the US, who shouldn't get too complacent that the US somehow has a monopoly on innovation. Samsung has made big inroads in the US in TVs, phones, refrigerators (have you shopped for a fridge in the last few years? Samsung owns that market), washer/dryers...

http://www.macworld.com/article/1168253/apple_v_samsung_five_experts_five_questions.html#lsrc.mod_rel

"What has surprised you about the trial?

Roy Futterman: I am surprised that the attorneys and the judge have allowed the jury's job to be staggeringly complicated by providing them with an elaborate verdict form and remarkably long jury instructions. In our experience working on complex patent litigation, we always advise attorneys to do everything possible to clarify the complex legal and technological issues for the jurors as a means to a favorable verdict. A simpler case with a clear verdict form would be most favorable to Apple as the plaintiff charging infringement. A complicated verdict form may lead an overwhelmed jury to check a box that leads to an invalid patent."

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What the Apple-Samsung verdict means to you | Macworld

http://www.macworld.com/article/1168287/what_the_apple_samsung_verdict_means_to_you.html

"In one sense, the verdict against Samsung in its patent contest with Apple isn't that momentous. The damages—a bit north of $1 billion—are less than half of what Apple originally sought.

And that award isn't going to ruin Samsung: The Korean manufacturing giant made a profit of $4.5 billion in the most recent June quarter, 63 percent of which came from its mobile business. So the jury award amounts to about half of one quarter's mobile profit for the company. (Of course, the financial hit could wind up being bigger for Samsung: The judge has the option to triple the damages awarded to Apple.)

Furthermore, of the products that the jury found violated Apple's patents, only the Nexus S 4G and the T-Mobile Galaxy S II are still being sold. Other devices in Samsung's current product line should be safe, thanks to design shifts Samsung made following the Galaxy S II.

Those shifts were most likely defensive, made to protect Samsung against lawsuits like this one, which Apple filed in April 2011. Many of the infringements that the jury cited in Friday's verdict centered on elements of the TouchWiz user-interface that for the most part are no longer used."

LOL - The 35 Greatest Animal Photobombers Of All Time

http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/greatest-animal-photobombers-of-all-time?sub=1560317_287733

Register for CES 2013 before Aug 31 to avoid $100 fee. Do it now!!

http://registration3.experientevent.com/showCES131/Default.aspx?pcode=LC14

Nikon Coolpix S800c - pictures

Thanks imaging-resource.com for the photo. Looks nice in white!

Actually I don't think they need to add a phone to this (WWAN radio). Just add the ability to text, over Wifi. Done.

Nikon Coolpix S800c Camera - Hands-On Preview

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/nikon-s800c/nikon-s800cA.HTM

"The camera industry has long been trying to figure out how to compete with smartphones and tablets -- devices that take pictures, but don't take them nearly as well as most digital cameras. The Coolpix S800c is the first attempt to coexist with smartphones and tablets, and even bypass them completely, uploading photos directly to sharing and storage sites. Some manufacturers have approached the challenge by adding WiFi capabilities to their cameras, allowing photographers to transfer their higher-quality images to smart devices so they can be easily managed and shared via email, texts and social media. But with the Coolpix S800c, Nikon breaks new ground by bringing the smarts into the camera itself. Nikon says they worked closely with Google to optimize the integration between camera and Android system so that photo-minded consumers could get (at least some of) the best of both worlds in one device."

35 Greatest animal photobombers of all time

http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/greatest-animal-photobombers-of-all-time?s=mobile

Not Even the Olympics Can Make 3DTV Worth It

http://m.gizmodo.com/5931223/not-even-the-olympics-can-make-3dtv-worth-it

"HD was a quantum leap in part at least because you can reap its benefits with the naked eye. 3D glasses and the cost are turn have turned out to be a bigger barrier than anyone anticipated. People are cooling down to the gimmick.

Consider the movies as an example. Sure Avatar was an incredible 3D experience unlike anything anyone had seen before, but just a few years later Christopher Nolan refused to shoot The Dark Knight Rises in 3D. It just wasn't worth it to him because he didn't think audiences cared."
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Pinnacles National Monument could become 59th national park - latimes.com

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-pinnacles-national-monument-park-bill-20120731,0,5387194.story

Pinnacles is a great park. We hiked thru one of the caves a few years back. Some of the sections of the cave are in complete darkness! Bring your flashlight. Not a large park but a very enjoyable one.

Dont miss it if you're near the central California coast. Glad to see it will be protected.

I frickin' love Reddit

http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/xg7zj/someone_stole_my_credit_card_and_bought_and_ipad/.json?sort=confidence

Look about 60% of the way down for a watercolor illustration by Shitty_Watercolor. This guy is a phenom on Reddit, he occasionally creates watercolors for interesting threads. In this case its a depiction of Granbo (Grandpa) defeating an intruder with a rifle with a glass of scotch in his hand. I often see calls for Shitty_Watercolor's work on other Reddit threads.

As Boromir says, you cannot just spend 15 minutes on Reddit...

Women in Tech: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is. - TechCrunch

http://m.techcrunch.com/2012/07/18/women-in-tech-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/

"While making money investing in startups is not guaranteed, investing in startups is one of the best ways to learn about how the industry works. And whether or not you make money, I bet it can do as much for YOU as for your bank account or the founders you invest in. My own personal investing experiences have been some of the best ways for me to learn how founders and investors can grow and lead companies. And, in a few cases I made money too."
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Trefis.com has a unique visual summary view of a company's stock price

J.P. Morgan's hunt for Afghan gold - Fortune Management

http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/05/11/jp-morgan-hunt-afghan-gold/

"After the toppling of the Taliban by the U.S.-led coalition, the Afghan government, with financial assistance from the U.S. Agency for International Development, commissioned new, high-tech aerial surveys of Afghanistan. The results were stunning: The U.S. Geological Survey identified huge veins of copper, iron, lithium, gold, and silver. The Afghan government solicited bids for one of the biggest of the copper deposits, a site south of Kabul that had been identified by both Drummond and the Soviets. China, offering a rich price, won the bid in 2007, beating out four other mining companies. But the Chinese mining company has yet to extract any copper from the site because of delays clearing land mines from the area, and the discovery of archeological relics."

Cars Land is amazing

Disney has really created a sense of place in Cars Land. The proportions, the mood, the colors and finishes make it seem like its been there forever. It really does feel like you're in Radiator Springs. Bravo, I didnt think you had it in you anymore.

The 90's just called, they want their National Geographic DVDs

This made me sad in a few ways.

One, receiving all 8000 issues of National Geographic seems completely underpriced at $25. They should just charge a subscription for access. Maybe have tiers of access levels. How about a $5 one-day pass. And what about a summer reading program for kids, where they earn prizes for reading articles and passing a comprehension test? How many articles do they have on dinosaurs alone? How about a partnership with museums for special exhibits: nominal paid access to related NG content, maybe even with advertising. I think they could have monetized this better and not devalued their content in the process.

Secondly, its shipped on DVD. I suppose you have to cater to folks who dont have Internet access - that 40% of the US. But the last thing I want is a bunch of DVDs when all I want to do is read this on my tablet. Is this really the most cost effective way to distribute? Where is the National Geographic app for iPad?

At least you have to pay $10 for successive years. NG got one annuity in there.

The Consumerist » Judge Says Samsung Tablet Can’t Possibly Be An iPad Rip-Off Because It’s Not Cool Enough

http://consumerist.com/2012/07/judge-says-samsung-tablet-cant-possibly-be-an-ipad-rip-off-because-its-not-cool-enough.html

Alternate title:
"Yay... We're lame" says Samsung

' In the middle of Samsung and Apple's big fight in England, the judge said today in London court that consumers aren't likely to get the tablets mixed up, reports Bloomberg. That's because the Galaxy tablets "do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design... They are not as cool... " '

There's a problem with website analytics for blogs

http://support.google.com/analytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1008065

The problem with using Google Analytics for website analytics is that rss readers like Google Reader do not trigger the GA javascript that tracks visits. So if your blog is read primarily by rss readers, the GA stats are horribly under-reporting your readership. Yeah, thats the reason for my relatively small readership!

"In order for Google Analytics to track data, it is necessary that the Google Analytics tracking code gets executed. Since most RSS/atom readers cannot execute JavaScript, Analytics will not count pageviews that are loaded through an RSS reader. Analytics requires that the visitor execute a JavaScript file on Google's servers in order to track that Page View."

How fireworks are made

http://blog.makezine.com/2012/07/04/time-to-bone-up-on-the-chemistry-of-fireworks/

Some great videos on Make recently. Here's a good one showing how fireworks are made.

What is a Higgs Bosun particle?

http://blog.makezine.com/2012/07/04/happy-higgs-boson-day/

For a short and interesting video of what a Higgs Bosun particle is. It gives other particles mass, and must exist if a Higgs field exists.

How to clean out your Gmail inbox

Use FindBigMail.com to search your inbox and tag large emails.  I was up to 49% of my 10GB allocation, now I'm down to 25%. 

http://www.labnol.org/internet/locate-big-emails-in-gmail/17937/

NYTimes: Luring Online Shoppers Offline

http://nyti.ms/MK0hlO

"More than half of the sales from Walmart.com are now picked up at Walmart stores, Mr. Anderson said.

About 40 percent of the customers who paid with cash when ordering online ended up using noncash options, like a credit card or check, when they arrived at the store. They simply had not wanted to provide that financial information online. "There's still a large segment of people out there afraid of identity theft or just plain putting their credit card online," Mr. Anderson said. The service already accounts for 2 percent of Walmart.com's sales."
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A Climate Scientist Battles Time

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/science/earth/lonnie-thompson-climate-scientist-battles-time.html

"Dr. Thompson became one of the first scientists to witness and record a broad global melting of land ice. And his ice cores proved that this sudden, coordinated melting had no parallel, at least not in the last several thousand years.

In 1974, with $7,000 from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Mercer and Dr. Thompson led a scouting party to Quelccaya, on a volcanic plain 18,000 feet above sea level. They confirmed that annual layering caused partly by seasonal dust could be seen in the ice.

After a series of frustrated attempts to drill through the ice, including one involving a helicopter, Dr. Thompson resorted to mules, horses and donkeys to mount a 1983 expedition that drilled through 537 feet of ice with a solar-powered drill.

The results were startling. The ice record stretched back 1,500 years, and it recorded huge oscillations in the climate of the region — intense dry spells alternating with wet spells. Vast lakes had come and gone in the valleys, the dust from their dried-up beds leaving chemical imprints in the ice. The record also showed changes in water chemistry similar to those seen at the poles, leading Dr. Thompson to infer major temperature swings in the tropics.

... One of the greatest achievements of modern climate science was the recovery of ice cores in Antarctica that allowed a detailed reconstruction of the earth's climate for the past 800,000 years. Dr. Thompson suspects an even longer record could be recovered by drilling at the right spot in Tibet."

Dont forget to sign up for CES2013

http://www.cesweb.org/

Free registration thru August 31.
Last year I procrastinated and was forced to pay $100 to register. Not only that, I missed the cutoff by 15 minutes. Dont be stupid like me.
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LA Times - Toyota has new pedal-entrapment issue, this time in Lexus SUVs

http://mobile.latimes.com/p.p?m=b&a=rp&id=2347485&postId=2347485

This is why I got rid of my RX400 last year - worry that this issue extended to the RX line. I never saw any symptoms myself. That plus the battery going out of warranty at 70k miles sealed the deal.

" The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday that it has told Toyota, which owns the Lexus luxury brand, to recall model year 2010 Lexus RX 350 and RX 450 H vehicles "for a serious safety issue involving potential pedal entrapment by the floor mat."

If the mat traps the gas pedal, the vehicle could speed out of control.

The recall, which Toyota launched today, includes 154,000 vehicles."
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NYTimes: Google Tries Something Retro: Made in the U.S.A.

http://nyti.ms/MU7D4x

"It's a trickle, but some American companies are again making products in the United States. While many of those companies have been small, like ET Water Systems, there have also been some highly visible moves by America's largest consumer and industrial manufacturers. General Electric and Caterpillar, for example, have moved assembly operations back to the United States in the last year. (Airbus, a European company, is said to be near a deal to build jets in Alabama.)

There is no single reason for the change. Rising labor and energy costs have made manufacturing in China significantly more expensive; transportation costs have risen; companies have become increasingly aware of the risks of the theft of intellectual property when products are made in China; and in a business where time-to-market is a competitive advantage, it is easier for engineers to drive 10 minutes on the freeway to the factory than to fly for 16 hours."
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Fascinating look at Britain from the air, almost 100 years ago

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18542080

Britain-lovers will enjoy the video

I love the part about Larry Ellison's boat being too big to dock at most marinas.

http://mobile.latimes.com/p.p?m=b&a=rp&id=2310964&postId=2310964

"Larry Ellison, the founder of Oracle Corp., has agreed to buy 98% of the island of Lanai from David Murdock, a Los Angeles billionaire who controls Dole Food Co. and many other businesses under Castle & Cooke Inc.

Lanai, the sixth-largest Hawaiian island at 141 square miles, was once a pineapple plantation and is still sparsely inhabited. According to documents filed with Hawaii's Public Utilities Commission, the purchase will include two resort hotels and two golf courses with clubhouses.

The sale price has not been disclosed, but local observers value the deal at more than $500 million. That's a large real estate transaction by any standard, though not earth-shattering in the realm of trades among wealthy investors.

Ellison, the third-richest American with a net worth of $36 billion, according to Forbes, has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on trophy properties in Malibu, Lake Tahoe, Rancho Mirage and other locations where real estate prices are consistently high.

His former yacht "Rising Sun" reportedly cost more than $200 million to build and at a length of 254 feet is too big to dock at most of the world's marinas.

Ellison plans to pay cash for the island. "

Samsung Series 7 Slate PC review - Engadget

http://m.engadget.com/2011/12/16/samsung-series-7-slate-pc-review/

Hmm, weighs 2 lb, 3.3hr battery life, uSD slot only, no pen garage, and you have to tote around keyboard, mouse, charger, dock. Few stylus-compatible apps. For $1100? Why not get a cheap laptop?

Wait for Win8 on arm if you really want windoze. But it won't support inductive stylus, only capacitive, which can't do palm rejection.

No dock is an island: Tons of sealife crosses ocean on tsunami-damaged dock

http://m.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jun/07/tons-sealife-crosses-ocean-tsunami-damaged-dock/

" Researchers at Oregon State University said Thursday that the dock is covered in about 13 pounds of organisms per square foot, or a total of about 100 tons total. They have identified barnacles, starfish, urchins, anemones, amphipods, worms, mussels, limpets, snails, solitary tunicates and algae – dozens of species in all.

"This float is an island unlike any transoceanic debris we have ever seen," John Chapman, an invasive species specialist for the university, said in a press release."

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Four reasons why its 'game over' for foreign chip firms in China

http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4374709/Four-reasons-why-the-CE-chip-game-is-?pageNumber=1

An especially pithy comment on this article by "SR":

" Tai is right on the money and Junko is right. I've worked during the past 5 odd years in China, competing with the likes of RDA and I can tell you first hand I couldn't have picked more major reasons as Vincent articulated here. Let me share a few personal perspectives. Whenever I returned from my long stay in China to my bay area office it was like a day and night and I was entering into a strangely out-of-touch world here in bay area. Not generalizing, but I've seen this attitude of "China phone quality is bad, they can't sustain," from so many people in semi companies here in the bay area, that I confess feeling if I am siding with the losing team. Look, it's a hard lesson to hear when you are out here in the valley but hear me on this. We crow about the cheap quality of Chinese-made phones, but how many of us really think that it is really bad? How many actually used them? Have you used them in China Mobile network? The U.S. mobile service companies and phone companies have trained all of us into paying them exorbitant amounts of money for products and services and for that what do we get? Crappy service with dropped calls, and try switching phones from one network to another. In China, it is very common for the consumer to switch phones as often as they wish and China Mobile service is the best cell service ever I've experienced in all the world. How about that for better consumer experience? I guarantee you, you take one of these high quality iPhone/Android phones with a reasonable, 300Yuan phone from China and compare the consumer experience in AT&T network, you would be hard pressed to find many differences. Bells and whistles yes but basic functionality? No difference. So when we talk about China phone quality, we need to take into account the entire consumer experience and then evaluate. As a logical consequence, when we talk about China competitiveness, we need to look at how they service the markets and why they win."
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Chinese String Beans

This was pretty easy to make. I wasn't sure string beans would get tender just by dry frying in a little oil, but they did. And the sauce is authentic tasting and NOT bland. Costco has a nice 2 lb bag of trimmed green beans right now. Half the bag fit nicely in my frying pan.

Ingredients • 1 lb green beans, haricots verts or Chinese longbeans • 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped • 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped • 2 scallions (spring onions, green onions), white parts only, finely chopped • 1/2 teaspoon chili paste • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce • 1/2 teaspoon sugar • 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste • Pepper to taste, optional • 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil for stir-frying, or as needed

Dry fry green beans in oil til puckered (6-7 minutes). Saute garlic, ginger, scallions, chili paste. Add beans and rest of ingredients.

Massive capex spend from Intel, Samsung, TSMC will skew industry dynamics

http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/23/01/2012/52785/massive-capex-spend-from-intel-samsung-tsmc-will-skew-industry-dynamics.htm

 

Huge 2012 capex budgets at Intel, Samsung and TMC will skew the industry dynamics to make it extremely challenging (impossible, in many cases) for smaller companies to remain competitive, says IC Insights.

 

Intel has announced a capex budget of $12.5bn, Samsung a budget of $12bn and TSMC a budget of $6bn. The three companies should account for a third of the industry’s total capex in 2012.

 

Samsung, Intel and TSMC have been leading the capex table for some years. “Since 2009, these three companies have boosted capital spending by astounding percentages,” says IC Insights, “in 2010, TSMC doubled its capital spending compared to 2009.  In the same year, Samsung tripled its spending!  In 2011, Intel doubled its capex compared to 2010.”

Samsung is significantly boosting spending for logic.  Approximately $6.5bn of Samsung’s 2012 capex budget is dedicated to logic ICs.  Samsung currently has a lucrative business serving as Apple’s foundry partner for the A4 and A5 application processors used in iPad tablet computers, iPhones, and iPod touch devices.  It does not want to lose this business. Samsung is demonstrating that it has the means to provide all the process and manufacturing muscle needed when Apple considers a foundry partner to build its next-generation processors.  Besides serving as a foundry partner for Apple, Samsung is aggressively ramping its in-house application processor business as demand increases for its smartphones, tablet PCs, and other mobile/media related devices.

 

Demand soaring for hot dogs, exotic sausages (The Orange County Register)

http://m.ocregister.com/articles/sausages-355940-masterlink-hot.html

"After the taste test, [Murcia] canceled plans to use the legendary Vienna Beef as his hot dog supplier. His menu of gourmet sausages and stadium-style hot dogs includes four Masterlink products: the all-beef frankfurter with casing and the Portuguese Hawaiian, Andouille and Hot Polish sausages.

Murcia said he also sampled many sausages before launching his Brats Berlin food truck last summer in Orange County. Murcia, who also operates the Crepes Bonaparte food truck, said he went with Masterlink because it offered the best tasting sausages. Masterlink also worked with Murcia to create a line of exotic sausages -- kangaroo, wild boar and alligator.

"The (sausages) really wow our customers," Murcia said. "It's definitely paid off going with them. Customers can definitely tell the difference."

See picture: "Game Day in Orange serves Masterlink's Portuguese Hawaiian sausage topped with egg, grilled veggies and a Chipotle dressing. Game Day uses the same bun supplier as In-N-Out Burger. " (NANCY LUNA)

Location: Masterlink's factory is hidden behind Big's Grill in Fullerton on State College Boulevard. Big's menu includes Masterlink's sausages. Masterlink will sell directly to the public if you stop by the plant. They recommend you call first to see what products they have available. Phone: 714-870-6040. Hours: 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Address: 327 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton. (NANCY LUNA)

Microsoft: Win8 Simplifies, Improves Parental Monitoring of Kids Computer Activities | PCWorld

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/255582/microsoft_win8_simplifies_improves_parental_monitoring_of_kids_computer_activities.html

"With Windows Live ID-based accounts, parents can also apply usage control settings for their children accounts across multiple PCs. Settings established by parents are stored in Microsoft's cloud-based Family Safety service.

For example, parents can restrict the websites children visit and games they play, establish time limits for using PCs and specific applications, and prevent children from seeing certain Windows Store applications based on their age rating."

NYTimes: Public Pensions Faulted for Bets on Rosy Returns

From The New York Times:

Public Pensions Faulted for Bets on Rosy Returns

Public pension funds in the United States are struggling to lower their assumed rates of return, which are criticized as too lofty in the current market environment.

http://nyti.ms/Ltua82

" "The actuary is supposedly going to lower the assumed reinvestment rate from an absolutely hysterical, laughable 8 percent to a totally indefensible 7 or 7.5 percent," Mr. Bloomberg said during a trip to Albany in late February. "If I can give you one piece of financial advice: If somebody offers you a guaranteed 7 percent on your money for the rest of your life, you take it and just make sure the guy's name is not Madoff."

Public retirement systems from Alaska to Maine are running into the same dilemma as they struggle to lower their assumed rates of return in light of very low interest rates and unpredictable stock prices."
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NYTimes: Clash of the Theme Parks

From The New York Times: Clash of the Theme Parks, http://nyti.ms/Jwq5Rs

" For reasons that economists can't quite pin down, Americans have not cut back on expensive theme park vacations the same way they have pared retail spending and other discretionary purchases."

I know the answer to this one. Guilt and stress. Guilt about not spending more time with your elementary school aged kids, and needing a break yourself from the daily grind. This has been motivation behind more than one of our holiday vacations...

Qualcomm's push into the connected home

http://m.utsandiego.com/news/2012/may/17/killer-deal/

" Qualcomm often cites the connected home as a key rationale for buying San Jose-based Atheros, which was the largest acquisition the San Diego wireless chip giant has completed to date.

"The smartphone market and tablet market are strong, which is good for Qualcomm," said Craig Barratt, president of Qualcomm Atheros. "But the strategy around buying Atheros was not just to have (connectivity) technology integrated into the phone. Qualcomm has already made a lot of progress there. It was more about entrance into these new markets."
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LA Times - Facebook shareholders are wedded to the whims of Mark Zuckerberg

http://mobile.latimes.com/p.p?m=b&a=rp&id=2144687&postId=2144687&postUserId=7&sessionToken=&catId=6220&curAbsIndex=1&resultsUrl=DID%3D6%26DFCL%3D1000%26DSB%3Drank%2523desc%26DBFQ%3DuserId%253A7%26DL.w%3D%26DL.d%3D10%26DQ%3DsectionId%253A6220%26DPS%3D0%26DPL%3D3

" The 28-year-old company founder is today one of the most deeply-entrenched chief executives in American business. Thanks to a two-class stock structure, Zuckerberg will own about 28% of Facebook but control 57% of all shareholder votes. To put it simply, he can do whatever he wants with Facebook, and you, the shareholder, don't have a say — not even if you team up with every other outside shareholder in the company. You can't veto a decision or vote down his choice of board members.

At heart, these arrangements are expressions of contempt for the very principle of taking a company public. Facebook didn't have to go public to raise money, of which it had plenty in the bank. It was pushed into doing so by federal law, which mandates public financial disclosures once shares in a company become distributed to a large enough insider group. Zuckerberg was indisputable king of Facebook the private company; so why should anything change for Facebook the public corporation?"
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Electric Giraffe at Maker Faire

This is a giant walking giraffe, similar to the tiny yellow walking giraffe displayed on the table in the foreground. You gotta love it, because it's ears are two lava lamps. It would be awesome if someone created this huge giraffe just based on the fact that lava lamps look like the stubby antlers of a giant electrified giraffe. But in actuality the creator claims that this began as an art car project for Burning Man that somewhere along the way took a different turn.

Maker Faire really is a cross between the Renaissance Faire (but here it's Steampunk dressup) , the Consumer Electronics Show, and Burning Man (lots of things on fire, but no naked girls). And, it has really good food, because the Bay Area doesn't tolerate cr*p food. That Paella place had 6 (six) 6-foot pans cooking paella. One entire pan was devoted to holding something like 200 peeled cloves of garlic.

The big theme this year was 3d printing. Combined with open source OS and single board computers (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Beagle), now anyone with an idea can create and sell something that previously required huge sums of capital to get access to: tooled plastics/metals, motherboards, etc. The industrial age assumed big corporations would efficiently and cheaply provide solutions to people. But this traded off nimbleness for efficiency. Into the breach steps these new rapid manufacturing tools.

Understanding J.P. Morgan’s Loss, And Why More Might Be Coming | The Big Picture

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/05/understanding-j-p-morgans-loss-and-why-more-might-be-coming/

"In the days and weeks ahead, the Federal Reserve will no doubt support legislation to stop this scenario from ever happening again. It will not work. The real fix is the same one that has been around for a 1,000 years. It is called capitalism. Let these institutions fail. Tell their creditors they are on their own and push for transparency so everyone can see what banks like J.P. Morgan do. Finally, get out to the way and let the markets fix this problem. This would undoubtedly wreak havoc in the short term, but it will serve as a lesson to everyone in the future that taking such large risks has consequences.

Instead Bernanke will give assurances, hint at more money printing and encourage J.P. Morgan to bury these positions in the hold-to-maturity account where they do not have to be marked to market and we can all pretend they do not exist."
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Samsung Galaxy Note rooted, pictures can now be taken without embarassment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehXcnqntsro

I bought an international version of the Samsung Galaxy Note which allowed me to buy one before the US versions came out - but the big downside was that the Hong Kong ROM in mine would not allow the shutter sound to be turned OFF. Yes, there was no app or system setting that allowed turning the shutter off, and even setting media volume=0, or system sound = mute didnt do it.  Undoubtedly a privacy thing in Hong Kong. So I was forced to do what I swore I would never do - root my phone.  In this case I had no warranty to worry about since I bought the phone from a private seller. So what did i have to lose? And the shutter sound was driving me effing bananas.  It played at maximum volume even with system volume off or muted.  Making me look like an idiot user who doesnt know how to turn the shutter sound off!!

The link above is to a tutorial to reflash a Galaxy Note that has a newer ROM (I had LA2).  The new ROM is already ROOTed.  I suppose I could also have reflashed to a ROM that allowed the shutter sound to be turned off.  But I might as well have root.

And best of all it did not wipe the phone!  I still have all my apps and settings!!  All of you Android users know how long it takes to restore your phone to it's perfect customized configuration...

Planning & Executing the Mission to Get Bin Laden : The New Yorker

http://m.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/08/08/110808fa_fact_schmidle

" During the next four minutes, the interior of the Black Hawks rustled alive with the metallic cough of rounds being chambered. Mark, a master chief petty officer and the ranking noncommissioned officer on the operation, crouched on one knee beside the open door of the lead helicopter. He and the eleven other SEALs on "helo one," who were wearing gloves and had on night-vision goggles, were preparing to fast-rope into bin Laden's yard. They waited for the crew chief to give the signal to throw the rope. But, as the pilot passed over the compound, pulled into a high hover, and began lowering the aircraft, he felt the Black Hawk getting away from him. He sensed that they were going to crash."
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NYTimes: A Car Chase, Secret Talks and Second Thoughts

http://nyti.ms/JE8Rjc

" A rendezvous point was agreed upon in an area some miles west of the embassy where an official car would meet the vehicle carrying Mr. Chen. The plan was for the lawyer to be helped into the embassy car.

But as the two vehicles were about to converge, the Americans noticed Chinese security cars tailing them, one behind the embassy car, the other behind the car with Mr. Chen and his friend, an American official who was briefed on the events said.

It was clear the handoff would have to happen in a rush. As Mr. Chen's car moved into an alley, the embassy vehicle drew alongside, and the lawyer was pulled into the American vehicle. The Americans evaded the two Chinese cars and headed for the embassy, the official said."
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Construction of Shanghai Disney Resort speeding ahead - People's Daily Online

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90882/7801366.html

" Intended to open at the end of 2015, the resort will initially be comprised of Shanghai Disneyland, a Magic-Kingdom-style park as well as two themed hotels, a large retail, dining and entertainment venue, recreational facilities, a lake and parking and transportation hubs.

Covering an area of 1.16 square km, the theme park inside the 3.9-sq-km Shanghai Disney Resort will be the world's sixth Disney amusement park and the first on the Chinese mainland. It will also be the third of its kind in Asia, after the company's theme parks in Tokyo and Hong Kong.

During preparation work over the past year, the Shendi Group adopted cutting-edge vacuum preloading technology to level and consolidate the ground formation to prevent from it subsiding in the coastal site.

Howard Brown, senior vice president overseeing development of the Shanghai Disney Resort, said the soil formation project is the largest ever undertaken anywhere."
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Samsung estimates record quarterly profit of $5.15B with strong Galaxy Note sales | 9to5Google | Beyond Good and Evil

http://9to5google.com/2012/04/06/samsung-estimates-record-quarterly-profit-of-5-15b-with-strong-galaxy-note-sales/

Correction: 44m shipped was not Samsung's estimate.

" Reuters' survey of analysts predicted Samsung shipped approximately 44 million smartphones during Q1, accounting for an increase of 25 percent when compared to stats from the quarter before. "

Apple Profit Rises on Higher iPhone and iPad Sales (NYT) ; The Two-Horse Smartphone Race: Apple vs. Samsung (WSJ.com)

Apple's Q1 results are in and quarterly profit has DOUBLED to $11.6B, and they've passed Samsung as the #1 smartphone seller. But, if Samsung has sold 44M smartphones in Q1 as they have started to let leak, Apple will only wear the crown for a few days until Samsung's Q1 announcement. And try this on for size: in 2011, Samsung shipped 300 million handsets. (not smartphones) Mind boggling!!

"But Apple's single-product strategy is likely to be tested as smartphones become common, particularly in less affluent markets like India and China.

"Apple is reaching a fork in the road where it needs to decide whether it remains a high-priced player or enters the midrange mass market," said Mr. Mawston. "

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/25/technology/apple-profits-up-as-iphone-sales-grow-88.html

"Apple said it sold 35.1 million iPhones in the quarter, an 88 percent increase from the period a year ago. It sold 11.8 million iPads, more than double the number it sold in the same quarter last year.

"It was an incredible quarter in China," Timothy D. Cook, Apple's chief executive, said in a conference call with Wall Street analysts. "It is mind-boggling that we could do this well."

For the quarter that ended March 31, the company reported net income of $11.62 billion, or $12.30 a share, compared with $5.99 billion, or $6.40 a share, in the period a year earlier.

Apple's revenue was $39.19 billion, up from $24.67 billion a year ago.

Mr. Cook said that Apple's quarterly revenue from China was $7.9 billion, about 20 percent of total company revenue. Furthermore, that was triple Apple's China sales in the same period a year ago. In contrast, Apple's China sales during its last fiscal year were about 12 percent of total revenue. Two years ago, Apple sales in China were 2 percent.

"China has grown from a rounding error to a massive new market," said Robert Cihra, an analyst at Evercore Partners. "Their premium price point clearly has not been any hurdle to them growing there."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303978104577362140799316460.html

" Samsung's momentum is particularly striking. Analysts expect the company, relying heavily on phones run by Google Inc.'s Android software, to double the size of its smartphone shipments this year. Last year, Samsung shipped 94 million units, according to IDC, compared with Apple's 93.2 million.

Samsung, which reports earnings on Friday, is expected to show an 80% jump in net profit to around $4.4 billion, driven largely by cellphones but also boosted by strength in chips and a rebound in its TV business, the world's largest."

Singapore, Gulf, Europe

Had to break the posts into 2 parts due to blogger limits.

Fascinating port activity (via MarineTraffic)

Here's the port activity near Hong Kong, Beijing/Shanghai, Singapore, the Gulf, and Long Beach. What's amazing is that these were captured mid afternoon Pacific time on a Sunday. The Asia activity would have been around 5 in the morning, on Monday, or earlier, for them. Europe, maybe around 10 Sunday night I believe. I'm surprised that, of all of these, the activity in Long Beach in the middle of the day was so low. While the rest of the world apparently never sleeps.
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The "Wall of Meat" at Vallarta supermarket in Escondido

This Mexican mega-grocery store is amazing. Inside is a tortilla factory, and a taco shop, and a bakery, and a fresh cheese shop, and a jeweler! The place goes on and on. The meat section has all the Mexican cuts of meat. Their carne asada tastes exactly like it does at a taco shop. We tried the Salsa Roja, it's good and very hot. I can also vouch for their flan. :) We will be back.

Thanks to the Paynes for turning us on to this place! There seem to be a few in LA also.

FlightAware Screenshot

After a brief search, this free flight tracker app seemed like a good one. It has an "around me" feature that lets you browse what's overhead. It also shows you the flight plan and the actual route flown. But map redraw seems hosed sometimes - only showing plane silhouettes, no geographic map - so I will keep searching.

Screenshot from MarineTraffic: Dark Blue boats are the pleasure boats

I spotted the Crystal Serenity and Carnival Inspiration.

And Check out the Android App "MarineTraffic.com"

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.marinetraffic

Marine Traffic: Live Ships Map - AIS - Vessel Traffic and Positions

http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/

Analogous to flight tracker websites. Click on ships names for detailed ship information.

Vua Kho Bo Inc., Southern California dried fruit purveyor

http://vuakhobo.us/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=guava&x=27&y=14

Oh Dried Guava, how I love thee: let me count the ways.

The Twitter IPA: What Does “Defensive” Really Mean? | TechCrunch

http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/17/twitter-ipa-analysis/

Short but well-written article about Twitters new Innovators Patent Agreement.

" The final element of the definition is incredibly broad and allows for Twitter to interpret almost anything as a defensive use. For example, could Facebook have sued Yahoo for patent infringement before being sued itself and call it a defensive use? If so, I am not sure what would not be a defensive use, short of a pure non-practicing entity asserting a patent or a litigation against a company that has no patents of its own. With such a broad catch-all clause, Twitter may be put into an uncomfortable position with current or former employees when deciding to assert its IP assets."
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From HP to Amazon, the Tablet Dilemma: Go Big or Go Home | Epicenter | Wired.com

http://m.wired.com/epicenter/2011/08/tablet-dilemma/

"The real foundation, though, is both companies' success in selling digital media and media digitally: music, movies and apps for Apple, books and magazines (and in an earlier time, CDs and DVDs) for Barnes & Noble. Apple and Barnes & Noble were both able to create devices that were first and foremost stores that you carry around with you.

The store ensures that the customer continues to engage and invest in the device after its sale, and that the engagement and investment continue to profit the company who made the device and administer the store. Size and price are fundamentally secondary to the device's continued retail potential.

HP could not play this game, at any price or in any form factor. But if not HP, who? "
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Review: Aakash tablet disappoints-Tech News - IBNLive Mobile

http://m.ibnlive.com/news/review-worlds-cheapest-tablet-akash/192812-11.html

The $35, yes,$35, 7" tablet from India: "Also, despite its Android operating system, the tablet won't install anything from the Android App Market. That puts thousands of applications out of a student's reach. Plus,the battery hardly lasts three hours " not enough for an average day in college. Unless you bunk most of your classes. "

Yosemite HD on Vimeo

http://vimeo.com/35396305

The above is a collage of timelapse photography taken in various places in Yosemite. I especially like the nighttime sequences with the Milky Way turning overhead and meteors flying by. Amazing! Watch it on the biggest screen you've got.
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Studies fault Bayer in bee die-off - CSMonitor.com

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/0406/Studies-fault-Bayer-in-bee-die-off/

"The pesticides most widely used now are among a class of nicotine-based chemicals called neonicotinoids that are designed to become an intrinsic part of the plant. They were developed in large part because they are much less toxic to humans and other mammals than previous pesticides. But in high doses, they are a neurotoxin to insects.

Since their introduction in the 1990s, they have exploded in popularity among farmers and in products for home gardeners. Today, 90 percent of seed corn is coated with the pesticides before planting, and the chemicals are the active ingredient in hundreds of backyard products.

The pesticide is sprayed on plants and, when used as a seed coating, it grows into all parts of the plant, including the pollen and the nectar that bees eat.

When used properly, say both Bayer and the EPA, the toxin levels are not high enough to hurt bees. But many scientists and beekeepers say that, as in all pesticide regulation, the field research is questionable because it's done by the manufacturer. "
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The Chinese Try to Harness the Nevada Sun - Businessweek

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-04-05/the-chinese-try-to-harness-the-nevada-sun

"ENN, based in the northern city of Langfang, is buying 14 square miles of land from Clark County for $4.5 million, less than one-eighth of the $38.6 million assessors told the county the property was worth last year. The company plans to manufacture solar panels on the site and then operate a solar farm generating 700 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 175,000 homes. It says the construction of the complex would put 2,505 people to work. County officials say a statute allows governments to sell property for development at a below-market rate if the project creates jobs."
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Solar-power plants booming in Gila Bend

Just drove by Solana power plant (350 megawatts) as we exited the Gila Bend area. 1400 acres of solar arrays are indeed impressive.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/2011/08/28/20110828gila-bend-solar-power-plants.html

"The three projects under way near Gila Bend now reveal the variety of solar-power technologies being commercialized in large power plants, and also the harsh working environment for those building them.

West of town, 3 square miles of land are being cleared for Solana. Abengoa Solar of Spain is using a variety of contractors, including Kitchell Corp., Sundt Construction and R.E. Monks Construction Co.

Soon, large, curved mirrors resembling oversize livestock water troughs will begin arriving on the site from a factory in Surprise, with other equipment coming from New Mexico.

So far, only the hardware that will hold the mirrors has been placed in the ground.

That hardware gets so hot in the sun that workers use lights and conduct much of the labor after dark.

Solana's mirrors will concentrate sunlight on tubes filled with oil, and the hot oil will be used to make steam, spinning a turbine and generating electricity much like natural-gas or coal-fired power plants.

Large tanks of salt will store heat after dark, letting the plant generate electricity in the early evening, when it is in highest demand in the Phoenix area. That gives the plant a significant advantage over traditional solar panels that don't make electricity without direct sunlight.

The same intense sunlight that makes Gila Bend ideal for solar-power plants also makes the work building them intense. On a recent day when temperatures approached 110 degrees outside, workers gathered under a shade for a quick break at the Cotton Center Solar Plant on the eastern side of town... "

Google Readying 7-Inch Tablet for Late Summer Release - Mobile and Wireless - News & Reviews - eWeek.com - eWeek Mobile

http://mobile.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Google-Readying-7inch-Tablet-for-Late-Summer-Release-773313/

"Google CEO Eric Schmidt let it slip to an Italian newspaper last December that the company would have a tablet "in six months." Well, the project is pretty much on schedule after all. Device Website The Verge reported April 6 that Google originally planned to launch the tablet next month but decided to push it back because the device was becoming too expensive.

In order for any device to compete with the iPad and Amazon's Kindle Fire, a lower price is going to have to be the main attraction, and Google knows it. Google opted to spend a few more months modifying the tablet to bring the price down, the site reported.

The company's product team is making these design changes now with the goal to drop the price at least $50 below the original retail tag of $249, so it can compete directly with the Kindle Fire (same 7-inch size, $199)."

San Diego Home Prices Down in January

http://m.voiceofsandiego.org/mobile/toscano/article_32eaa9f2-7872-11e1-a832-001871e3ce6c.html

Prices are starting to fall below the 2009 trough and are clearly still headed down.

125 million year old TRex precursor had feathers

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=934816&f=20

" Fossils discovered in northeastern China of a giant, previously unrecognized dinosaur show that it is the largest known feathered animal, living or extinct, scientists report.

Although several species of dinosaurs with feathers have already been uncovered in the rich fossil beds of Liaoning Province, the three largely complete 125-million-year-old specimens are by far the largest. The adult was at least 30 feet long and weighed a ton and a half, about 40 times the heft of Beipiaosaurus, the largest previously known feathered dinosaur. The two juveniles were a mere half ton each.

The new species was a distant relative of Tyrannosaurus rex, the mighty predator that lived 60 million years later, at the end of the dinosaur era."
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First O.C. Umami Burger opens Saturday | Fast Food Maven

http://fastfood.ocregister.com/2012/03/30/first-o-c-umami-burger-opens/152394/

Click thru for pictures

" Finally, the news burger fanatics have been waiting for: Umami Burger will open its first Orange County location on Saturday.

The gourmet burger sensation is taking over the old Valhalla Table space at The Camp in Costa Mesa. It opens at noon Saturday, a Los Angeles rep told me today via email.

The critically acclaimed burger eatery is also planning to open restaurants in Anaheim and Laguna Beach."
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Is the US the New Middle East? | The Big Picture

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/04/new-middle-east/

Tried to find the whole Bloomberg article but couldn't. I point you to the eye-catching graph at The Big Picture.

" "Shipments of gasoline, diesel fuel and other products surpassed imports by an average of 439,000 barrels a day in 2011, according to the department. Last year was the first time since 1949 that the U.S. was a net exporter. Crude-oil output exceeded 2 billion barrels for the first time since 2003.

"The U.S. has become the fastest-growing oil and natural-gas producing area of the world," Edward L. Morse, Citigroup's New York-based head of global commodities research, and half a dozen colleagues wrote in the report. Greater output from Canada and a rebound in Mexico point to bigger increases in North American production "than all of OPEC can sustain." "
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NYTimes: Two Sides to Labor in China

From The New York Times:

NEWS ANALYSIS: Two Sides to Labor in China

A shortage of workers is a big factor in the long shifts and workweeks that manufacturers have used to meet production quotas, all while forcing higher wages.

http://nyti.ms/GYL7TY

"But many workers also want long hours. The Fair Labor Association's survey of Foxconn workers found that 48 percent said their hours were reasonable and another 34 percent said they actually wanted even more hours. Only 18 percent said their hours were too long.

In interviews with The New York Times over the last several years, workers at other factories in southeastern China have frequently said that they wanted long hours because they were young, had little to do during free time in their factory dormitories and were eager to make as much money as quickly as possible so as to return to their home villages.

When China imposed its current laws limiting overtime four years ago, the regulations set off considerable complaints from workers and companies alike. There is a limit of three hours a day of overtime and six days of work a week. 

The minimum wage in Shenzhen, where Foxconn has the bulk of its 1.2 million employees, has gone from 635 renminbi a month in 2005 to 1,500 renminbi now.

The minimum wage in 2005 was worth about $80 a month at the exchange rate then. Today's minimum wage is worth about $240 a month."

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The most interesting guy on the Internet

Neil Degrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and Director of the Hayden Planetarium, does THREE IAMA's on Reddit: he is my hero. Read and be amazed.

Http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/mateq/i_am_neil_degrasse_tyson_ask_me_anything/

Http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/ngd5e/i_am_neil_degrasse_tyson_ask_me_anything/

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/qccer/i_am_neil_degrasse_tyson_ask_me_anything/

Be a survivor

The Kobayashi Maru scenario: "there is no correct resolution, it is a test of character."

For some reason this seems to be very applicable to my life right now.

Right up there with AFGO: Another frickin growth opportunity.

Reddit, if countries were people who would be dating? : AskReddit (warning: attachments contain profanity)

http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/qt9bl/reddit_if_countries_were_people_who_would_be/

Reddit has some of the most interesting content on the Internet. People post pictures, jokes, questions, and stories. What happens next in the comments is a smorgasbord of puns, memes, trolls, obscenities, more obscenities, links to pictures/videos of God knows what (I warned you not to click), and also some of the funniest, most genuine and intelligent discussions I've ever read.

Top Posts gets thousands of comments. Commenters skew male and teenaged so there are many sex, penis, and masturbation jokes. But as with anything on the Internet, you've got to sift a lot of chaff to find the grain.

I love the IAMA's (I Am A police officer, ask me anything. I am a self made millionaire, ask me anything. I had a near death experience, ask me anything. I am Zach Braff (from Scrubs), ask me anything).

Reddit/earthporn has the most amazing pictures of places around the planet.

Reddit/askreddit once had a guy, newly divorced with a 4 year old daughter, ask how to style kids hair. It got 100's of responses. Easy styles for school days, how often to wash hair, what kind of brush to use, what kind of hairbands to use, good kids shampoo,...

Reddit/firstworldproblems: "red lights don't last long enough to send a txt message" "I have 5000 songs on my ipod but I'm bored with all of them"

Reddit/todayilearned : "today I learned Andrew Zimmern of Food Channel's Bizarre Foods was homeless at one time and battled drug addiction" He went on to do an AMA (Ask Me Anything) about it

One post asked "have you ever had an experience that you could not explain." if only half of those replies were true, it would make anyone a believer in paranormal experiences.

I could go on but instead I'll just say that my favorite Reddit app for Android is Reddit News Free. For WebOS, RedIt.

Enjoy your new addiction...

Who is the Route 29 Batman? This guy. - Rosenwald, Md. - The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/rosenwald-md/post/who-is-the-route-29-batman-this-guy/2012/03/28/gIQA8nPjgS_blog.html

"Batman began visiting Baltimore area hospitals in 2001, sometimes with his now teenage son Brandon playing Robin. Once other hospitals and charities heard about his car and his cape, Batman was put on superhero speed dial for children's causes around the region. He visits sick kids at least couple times a month, sometimes more often. He visits schools, too, to talk about bullying. He does not do birthday parties.

His superhero work is limited to doing good deeds, part of a maturation process in his own life. In his earlier years, he acknowledges that he sometimes displayed an unsuperhero-like temper and got into occasional trouble with the law for fights and other confrontations. Putting on the Batman uniform changes and steadies him.

"Eventually, it sinks in and you become him," Batman told me. "It feels like I have a responsibility that's beyond a normal person. And that responsibility is to be there for the kids, to be strong for them, and to make them smile as much as I can." He understands that might sound corny, but he doesn't care."

Is it legal to pin and repin other's images on Pinterest? Answer appears to be No

http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-02-28/tech/31106641_1_repinning-copyright-entire-image

"She browsed Pinterest's Terms of Use section. In it she found Pinterest's members are solely responsible for what they pin and repin. They must have explicit permission from the owner to post everything.

Says Pinterest 's Terms of Use:

"YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE ENTIRE RISK ARISING OUT OF YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SITE, APPLICATION, SERVICES AND SITE CONTENT REMAINS WITH YOU." "

Shutter sound hell

I seem to have one of those phones where the shutter sound cannot be turned off without rooting. (Samsung Galaxy Note)

I turned off all the sound settings. I even tried SystemMute, and that does not silence the camera.

The "silentcam" apps suck (have low ratings).

None of the highly ranked camera apps can override this (Camera360, Camera Zoom FX, etc).

No, I'm not a rooter.

Sigh.

New camera app?

In the search for a camera app that I can turn the shutter sound off in, and that is quick and has a nice UI, I ran across Camera360 Ultimate. You do have to explicitly save the photo after you take it. The photo effects are fun and are easy to choose from the row at the bottom. Also, check out the "scenes", the ones with the hand holding up a B&W sketch overlay are pretty cool.

But... I still can't turn the shutter sound off. The only way to do it is turn off ALL the system sounds. Which is lame.

http://www.androidauthority.com/top-5-best-android-camera-apps-for-snapping-photos-15979/

The Secret Life of Bees | Science & Nature | Smithsonian Magazine

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/The-Secret-Life-of-Bees.html

" Our brains need a way to avoid stalemates. Like the decaying dances of honeybees, a coalition starts to get weaker if it doesn't get a continual supply of signals from the eyes. As a result, it doesn't get locked early into the wrong choice. Just as honeybees use a quorum, our brain waits until one coalition hits a threshold and then makes a decision."
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The Oldest Ice Age Cave - MissouriLife.com

http://www.missourilife.com/articles/the-oldest-ice-age-cave

"The 2,000-foot-long Riverbluff Cave has been sealed for at least 55,000 years, giving researchers an opportunity to study this prehistoric cave. Some of the discoveries include:

turtle shells of extinct species
a 660,000-year-old wooly or meridian or new species of mammoth
a juvenile mammoth
a giant 3-foot-long armadillo
a 350-pound ice-age pig
a 700-pound American lion
2-foot-long claw marks from a short-faced bear (the largest bear that ever lived, standing six feet tall on all fours, and stretching 10 feet in length)
25 beds where the bears hibernated

No human habitation of the cave has been found. The cave was sealed at least 55,000 years ago, maybe longer, and there is no evidence of humans in the area until 15,000 years ago."
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Indiana tornado 2012: Angel Babcock, 2, found ALIVE 10 miles from home in Salem | Mail Online

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109540/Indiana-tornado-2012-Angel-Babcock-2-ALIVE-10-miles-home-Salem.html

Dozens of Amazing pictures of the destruction.

Bank Of America Didn't Learn Its Lesson, Might Be Instituting Checking Fee - The Consumerist

http://consumerist.com/2012/03/bank-of-america-didnt-learn-its-lesson-might-be-instituting-checking-fee.html

' Bank of America dropped a $5 monthly fee for debit card use not too long ago after its customers rallied together to protest the plan, which subsequently was dropped.

The checking account fee plan is reportedly being tested in a few states now, under the name "Essentials" account. It charges customers $6 to $9 a month. Other options could charge $12, $15 and even $25, unless customers maintain minimum balances, use a credit card or take a mortgage out with BofA.

"It looks like Bank of America is up to its old tricks," said Norma Garcia, manager of Consumers Union's financial services team.'

Reminder: Turn Off Your Google Web History Today - The Consumerist

http://consumerist.com/2012/03/reminder-turn-off-your-google-web-history-today.html

" Starting today, Google's new unified privacy policy kicks in, meaning that your web browsing history can be tracked and shared been other Google products like Google+ and YouTube. So if that strikes you as a bit invasive, there's an easy way to turn it off.

Just make sure you're logged into Google and go to https://www.google.com/history. Select "Remove All Web History." This will stop the site from tracking your web history until, and only if, you opt back in.

You should also go to YouTube, which appears to have TWO separate History settings. First, go to http://www.youtube.com/my_history and both clear your history and pause it. Then click on the "Search History" tab from the left column and repeat."

With A New President and CEO, and a New Ethos, Sony Looks to the Future | Epicenter | Wired.com

http://m.wired.com/epicenter/2012/02/with-a-new-president-and-ceo-and-a-new-ethos-sony-looks-to-the-future/

"But fact is, this is Sony's fourth straight year of significant losses.

So... Sony is switching its persona from successful manufacturing company to one that sells user-experience. Where have we heard that one before?"

Facebook: The Last Great Company of the Desktop Age, Playing Catch-Up in a Mobile World | Epicenter | Wired.com

http://m.wired.com/epicenter/2012/02/facebook-mobile/

"Although the substantial majority of our mobile users also access and engage with Facebook on personal computers where we display advertising, our users could decide to increasingly access our products primarily through mobile devices. We do not currently directly generate any meaningful revenue from the use of Facebook mobile products, and our ability to do so successfully is unproven. Accordingly, if users continue to increasingly access Facebook mobile products as a substitute for access through personal computers, and if we are unable to successfully implement monetization strategies for our mobile users, our revenue and financial results may be negatively affected. — "Risks Related to Our Business and Industry," Facebook, Inc.'s S-1 Registration Statement"

Credits

Thanks to Andy Kass and his blog at http://great-hikes.com/blog for the fantastic reading about Kauai including the Degrees Convergence Project.
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Degree Convergence Point DCP near Kauai: 22 degrees north, 159 degrees west

http://www.confluence.org/confluence.php?id=16984

"Even without the Aerial Disqualification clause (FAQ #1.7), this trip counts only as an attempted visit. At 19 nmi from Lîhu`e airport, the positioning error of the VOR/DME navigation system is potentially 2500 m. This does not meet the Project's positioning error requirement of 100 m (FAQ #3.2). The scene to be photographed was mostly of white clouds and light blue ocean (Kaua`i was not visible during our attempt due to the weather). To maintain contrast on our instrument panel, the outside scene was washed out. In addition, the resolution of the panel from our disposable film camera was not sufficient for reading the indications of the instruments. The various indications shown at the bottom of the"Confluence Navigation" picture were documented at the time the pictures were taken and are artificial illustrations of the actual displays shown in the four instrument panel images. Since the pictures from the confluence do not show the island of Kaua`i, comparing them with future visits will only provide information about the changes in weather near the confluence. A clear day with visibility greater than 25 miles is needed if future visits are to photograph the island. Another interesting fact is that the ocean depth at the confluence is approximately 1600 fathoms (9600 ft)."
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The Degree Confluence Project

http://www.confluence.org/index.php

"The goal of the project is to visit each of the latitude and longitude integer degree intersections in the world, and to take pictures at each location. The pictures, and stories about the visits, will then be posted here.

The project is an organized sampling of the world. There is a confluence within 49 miles (79 km) of you if you're on the surface of Earth. We've discounted confluences in the oceans and some near the poles, but there are still 10,223 to be found.

You're invited to help by photographing any one of these places."

Here are some pictures of the confluence near Niihau and Lehua islands (near Kauai). We could see both of these islands on Tuesday from the Waimea Canyon overlooks. The shot at the summit of Lehua is really intriguing.

http://www.confluence.org/photo.php?visitid=11367&pic=ALL

Here is the confluence closest to where we live. (Appears all the California ones are already charted.) Check the notes for the disgruntled homeowner nearby who tries to dissuade the endless stream of geocachers by telling them the confluence "doesn't exist anymore."

http://www.confluence.org/confluence.php?id=108

Chanel Nail Color "Steel"

I love Chanel Nail Color. It's super glossy and wears forever. And they have the hottest shades. In this case, I wanted a color to match my car.

My million dollar business idea is to partner with car companies to bring out nail polish colors to exactly match car colors. I can't think of a car color that isn't acceptable as a nail polish shade today. But you wouldn't want to use car touchup paint - those chemicals are not designed to be near your skin.

Study: Abstaining from alcohol significantly shortens life | MNN - Mother Nature Network

http://m.mnn.com/food/beverages/stories/study-abstaining-from-alcohol-significantly-shortens-life

"...mortality rates were highest for those who had never had a sip, lower for heavy drinkers, and lowest for moderate drinkers who enjoyed one to three drinks per day.

Despite the increased risks for cirrhosis and several types of cancer, not to mention dependency, accidents and poor judgment associated with heavy drinking, those who imbibe are less likely to die than people who stay dry."

Peanut Gallery

" If Lake Vostok had been composed of vodka the Russian scientists would have drilled through that two miles of solid ice like a hot knife through butter.
Frankie Wheels, Las Vegas Feb 09, 2012 1:30 AM"

" Two miles under the Antarctic Ice, a mysteriouslake has been sealed off for over 10 million years. Until now. Nowa teamof scientists has unlocked an amazing discovery. And an ancient evil.

20th Century Fox presents: FROZEN BLOOD

Dave, NY Feb 08, 2012 6:34 PM"

NYT: Ice-Fishing in the Deepest Depths

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/02/11/opinion/ice-fishing-in-the-deepest-depths.xml

"The Russian mission in Antarctica has had for years an astonishing goal: to explore the remotest ecosystem on earth, lying directly beneath the most extreme climate on earth. The ecosystem is Lake Vostok, an enormous freshwater lake more than two miles beneath the ice-covered surface of the Antarctica landmass. The water remains liquid because it is trapped between the enormous, insulating pressure of the ice sheet above it and the geothermal energy below it.

After years of drilling, Russian scientists reached the lake surface last Sunday, just in time to close up shop and fly home before the weather worsens as the Antarctic winter approaches. This is, by any measure, an extraordinary engineering feat and a major scientific accomplishment. When drilling season comes again, scientists will be probing subglacial lakes all across Antarctica. The Russian team will begin sampling water from Lake Vostok, and American and British teams will begin their own drilling work elsewhere.

What makes Vostok the prize is that it is both the largest of Antarctica's lakes and astonishingly ancient. It has been sealed off from the outer world for some 15 million to 34 million years. Scientists hope that it will contain undiscovered life-forms that tell us more about our planet's past - and give a hint of what life might exist in lakes beneath the icy surface of other planets. When the Antarctic summer comes again, we will see what the scientists, like patient ice fishermen, manage to catch."

The 101 Signs You've Been in Japan Too Long

By the way, I love the app Stumbleupon. You sign up, indicate what topics interest you (japan? Beauty? Quilting?), and then you click thru the most amazing series of websites that you did not even know existed.

http://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/the-101-signs-you-have-been-in-Japan-too-long

"Most of your vacation plans revolve around taking hot baths.

55. You don't mind when every channel on television is talking about food.

56. You get the urge to yell sumimasen at restaurants in your home country.

57. You started to think that noodles are an ok filling for a sandwich.

59. You bought a little plastic chair for your shower. "