Claim: Chromebooks "Overtook" Apple in U.S. Classrooms Is False

When you talk about misleading headlines to grab readers’ attention, an article posted in the Financial Times last week should float right to the top of the list. Based solely on a single third quarter report from IDC, showing Chromebooks shipping a higher number of units, two reporters for the Financial Times managed to come up with this headline: Google Overtakes Apple in the US Classrooms. Sure Chromebooks is definitely making a dent in classroom sales, but it has a long way to go to overtake Apple’s dominance in school sales.

Based on IDC's reported numbers, Apple's U.S. education sales of Mac and iPads were not only larger than the corresponding, combined shipments of Android and Chrome OS products, but the "slight lead" Apple had over Google was a margin 172.6 percent greater than the unit differential that Garrahan and Bradshaw directed attention to in their article.

Amazon Now Serves Takeout -- and Diapers

Amazon Elements, a recent addition to Amazon Prime, is a service that will deliver to your door a line of premium everyday essentials. The second addition to the lineup is ordering from local restaurants, deliver it to your door and pay with your Amazon account. The pilot program is now ongoing in Seattle only.

Like GrubHub, Amazon's new service allows users to search for restaurants in their area and place orders for either takeout or delivery. According to Amazon, customers can pay with their Amazon accounts, and its current selection of restaurants includes everything from sushi bars to pizza shops.

2K Games Confirms BioShock Infinite on Linux

2K Games announced on Friday that Linux will be getting another major video game on its platform:BioShock Infinite is coming to Linux in early 2015. Look for more specific details to follow in January from 2K Games. Thanks to forum member railhaus for the heads up. 

Hundreds of killings by cops are not reported to FBI, study finds

Hundreds of police killings are not included in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s records on the matter, according to a new report.

This makes it nearly impossible to figure out how many people cops kill — justifiably or not — every year.More than 550 homicides by police officers between 2007 and 2012 were missing from the federal statistics or not attributed to the law enforcement agency involved, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The analysis comes at a time of heightened pressure for transparency from authorities, especially after the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in August.

Teen's 'Cute' Mug Shot Wins Her Legions of Internet Fans

Talk about mugging for the camera.

A North Carolina teen has had her mugshot go viral after she posted it on Twitter following her arrest on drug charges.

Alysa Suguro Bathrick, 18, was arrested on charges of possession with an intent to manufacture, sell or deliver Schedule IV controlled substances on November 19. She tweeted about her arrest - along with a picture of her mugshot - on December 1.

NASA: 'There's your new spacecraft, America!"

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA's new Orion spacecraft made a "bull's-eye" Pacific splashdown Friday following a dramatic journey 3,604 miles beyond Earth. The achievement opens a new era of human exploration aimed at putting people on Mars.

"There's your new spacecraft, America," Mission Control commentator Rob Navias said as the Orion capsule neared the water 270 miles off Mexico's Baja peninsula.The unmanned, 4½-hour test flight set at least one record: flying farther and faster than any capsule built for humans since the Apollo moon program.

NASA is counting on future Orions to carry astronauts beyond Earth's orbit in the decades ahead, to asteroids and ultimately the grand prize: Mars.

The lead flight director, Mike Sarafin, was emotional as he signed off from Houston.

Sixty classic cars unearthed after 50 years in massive barn find

From Corvettes to Aston Martins, the rising prices commanded by classic cars — especially unrestored, mostly original examples — has created a goldmine for those who hunt for old vehicles rotting away unattended in some barn. Today, a French auction house revealed a discovery it called the King Tut of barn finds; a treasure trove of 60 European cars, including a rare Ferrari missing for decades, that had been slowly decaying in western France.

Protests feature demands, die-ins and calls for justice

New York (CNN) -- Demonstrators took their shouts for an end to what they say is widespread and unchecked police brutality to an NBA arena in Washington, a famed department store in New York, a well-known Ivy League commercial spot and to roads where they often brought traffic and passersby to a stop.
Streets in major cities throughout the United States -- Boston, Chicago, Miami and New Orleans, among them -- filled again Friday night with protesters.
And while crowds appeared to be smaller than previous nights, marchers were just as passionate about their voices being heard.

US: Navy engineer tried to steal schematics

NORFOLK, Virginia (AP) — A Navy civilian engineer has been indicted on charges he tried to steal schematics of an aircraft carrier under construction and have them sent to Egypt.

Federal prosecutors said Mostafa Ahmed Awwad, 35, of Virginia was arrested Friday on two counts of attempted exportation of defense articles and technical data.

Prosecutors said Awwad tried to steal technical data in the designs of the USS Gerald R. Ford in late October. Awwad provided computer drawings downloaded from the Navy to an undercover FBI agent posing as an Egyptian intelligence officer.

The Ford is the lead ship in a new class of carriers. It is scheduled for delivery to the Navy in 2016.

Hacker Threatening Sony Employees' Families

You know, it's one thing to threaten a company but its employees' families? That's just low. 

"Please sign your name to object the false of the company at the email address below if you don’t want to suffer damage. If you don’t, not only you but your family will be in danger." Employees were told to turn off their handheld devices after receiving the message, according to insiders at Sony.

Rolling Stone apologizes over account of UVA gang rape

(CNN) -- Rolling Stone magazine apologized Friday for discrepancies in an article about the alleged gang rape of a University of Virginia student, after friends of the victim expressed doubts about the woman's account and the accused fraternity chapter denied key details. Rolling Stone editors made the choice not to contact the man who allegedly "orchestrated the attack on "Jackie"(the woman who was the subject of the article) nor any of the men she claimed participated in the attack for fear of retaliation against her," a decision the magazine says it now regrets. "In the face of new information, there now appear to be discrepancies in Jackie's account, and we have come to the conclusion that our trust in her was misplaced," Rolling Stone said. Rolling Stone Managing Editor Will Dana later tweeted that "the truth would have been better served by getting the other side of the story." Rolling Stone: Our trust was misplaced Allegations of rape at UVA University of Virginia pledges zero-tolerance in rape cases The article chronicled the school's failure to respond to that alleged assault.

George W. Bush: Garner decision 'hard to understand'

Washington (CNN) -- Former President George W. Bush says a New York grand jury's decision not to indict the police officer who choked and killed Eric Garner was "hard to understand." In an interview with CNN's Candy Crowley, Bush said his reaction to watching video of the incident that led to Garner's death was "how sad." "You know, the verdict was hard to understand," he said. "But I hadn't seen all the details -- but it's sad that race continues to play such an emotional, divisive part of life."

 Bush said the United States has improved since the 1970s, when he was young, and said he remembers "race riots with cities being burned." Bush discussed the recent racial unrest that followed a Missouri grand jury's failure to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who is white, in the shooting death of Michael Brown, who was black, over dinner with his former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. "We talked about this subject, and yeah -- she just said, you gotta understand that there are a lot of black folks that are incredibly, more and more, distrusting of law enforcement," Bush said. "Which is a shame, because law enforcement's job is to protect everybody." VIDEO

Washington state woman wins $90 million Powerball jackpot on first try

SEATTLE (Reuters) - A Washington state woman on Thursday claimed a $90 million Powerball lottery jackpot after buying a ticket for the first time, and said she would quit her job at plane maker Boeing Co and buy a new Subaru.

Lisa Quam, who bought her ticket at a grocery story in Auburn, south of Seattle, had the six correct numbers in Saturday's multi-state drawing, the lottery said in a statement.

Is 8-Year-Old Kristina Pimenova the Most Beautiful Girl in the World?

Photo: kristinapimenova2005/Instagram

Underage girls working in the fashion industry isn’t new. But after years of consciously discouraging the sexualization of young girls and promoting fair treatment and healthy lifestyles for minors, it comes as a bit of a shock that Kristina Pimenova is being dubbed the “most beautiful girl in the world” at just eight years old.

Born in 2005 in Moscow, Russia, Pimenova started modeling at the age of three, scoring contracts with Armani, Benetton, Fendi, and Roberto Cavalli’s children’s lines. She landed the cover of Vogue Bambini, her Facebook fan page has more than 2 million likes, and her Instagram handle, which is managed by her mother, has 416,000 followers.

Honda expands US airbag recall to Six Million

Japanese automaker Honda said Friday it was extending its US recall nationwide on cars with potentially deadly airbags made by auto parts maker Takata, in a further blow to the embattled firm.

Honda said it is recalling a further 3.2 million vehicles across the US -- this is on top of the 2.8 million already recalled in selected states.Malfunctioning Takata airbags have been linked with five deaths, including a woman driving a 2003 Honda City in Malaysia, and hundreds of injuries.

"With the expansion of the programme, the figure will reach six million vehicles" being recalled in the US, the automaker's Tokyo-based spokesman told AFP.

Millions of vehicles produced by some of the world's biggest automakers, including Honda, Toyota and General Motors, have already been recalled due to the risk its airbags can deploy with excessive explosive power and send shrapnel hurtling inside the car.

Apple Asks For Dismissal Of iPod Class Action Suit

You know Apple pounced on this.

Apple filed for dismissal Friday of a long-standing antitrust case alleging it harmed digital music competitors and overcharged consumers for iPods. The reason? None of the plaintiffs in the case may have ever purchased any of those overpriced iPods.

Discovery's 'Eaten Alive': Secrets of the Snake-Proof Suit

If you're volunteering to be swallowed by a giant green anaconda… yeah, you're going to want to wear more than just a T-shirt.

In Discovery's Eaten Alive special (airing this Sunday), snake researcher and conservationist Paul Rosolie is the one volunteering, but he's not going in there alone. He'll be wearing a protective suit designed to keep him alive while the giant snake strikes, constricts, and ultimately ingests him.

So how do you design a suit that can allow a man to become a snake's dinner and still live to tell the tale? To find out, we asked Dr. Cynthia Bir, biomedical engineer and professor of research at USC. She's won a pair of Emmys for lending her scientific expertise to TV shows like Sports Science, and now she's part of the team constructing Paul's snake-proof suit for Eaten Alive.

Terminated Employee Sues Zillow For Alleged Ageism

Terminated for alleged ageism at age 41? 

In a lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California, Jennifer Young, "a forty-one year-old single mother of two" hired as a saleswoman earlier this year, claims that Zillow unlawfully terminated her because of her age and an injury sustained in a car accident this past summer.

Bungie Explains Destiny Changes

The Bungie Weekly Update explains what has been added (and taken away) to the game and the reasons behind those decisions. There is also word on fixes for the connection issues that have been persistent since launch.

During the most recent Destiny Update, players noticed an increase in WASP errors. Power-cycling your router and maintaining a secure, wired connection are the best remedies. We know that this won’t always resolve the issue, and our team is actively investigating a solution. We’ll keep players up to date on our WASP page.

Disney Research Creates Realistic CG Eyes

You have to admit, this is pretty damn impressive no matter how you look at it. Get it? No matter how you look at it? 

World’s Largest BitTorrent Tracker Goes Down

I wonder if this has something to do with the fact that Fredrik Neij was recently thrown in jail?

OpenBitTorrent, the largest BitTorrent tracker on the Internet, has been offline for more than a week. The tracker's domain name, which is registered to Pirate Bay's Fredrik Neij, has a missing DNS record which makes it impossible to reach.

AT&T Is Still Throttling Your Unlimited Data

Even after being sued by the FTC for throttling its unlimited customers, AT&T is still conducting business as usual. 

Here’s how it works: Customers who have 3G or non-LTE 4G phones and "legacy unlimited data plans" are throttled for the remainder of the billing period after they exceed 3GB of data in a month, but only "at times and in areas that are experiencing network congestion." 4G and LTE are practically synonymous these days, but AT&T also applies the 4G label to its HSPA+ network technology.

The Full-Body Exercise That Absolutely Everyone Should Be Doing

Work nearly every muscle in your body with a single exercise that includes a shoulder press, crunch, hip bridge, side plank and lunge. (Images courtesy of Neghar Fonooni)

Reader, meet the Turkish getup. 

It’s a little complicated, but then again, so are most great human accomplishments (space travel, heart surgery, crème brûlée…). The Turkish getup brings you from lying flat on the floor to standing up in one fluid motion — all while holding a weight overhead. It’s believed that the exercise was invented by ancient wrestlers in what is now modern-day Turkey to prepare them for their grueling competitions.

Master the movement, and the world is yours. 

Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ is most-watched video on YouTube

Kim Kardashian may have tried to break the Internet, but Korean pop star Psy has come the closest.

When YouTube was designed, it was never expected for a video to exceed 2,147,483,647 views because of how the counter software was originally coded. “It’s like a car odometer,” says YouTube spokesperson Matt McLernon. “Once it rolls over the last nine, it resets.” He said the company expected two billion would be enough. It wasn’t.Since his breakout hit “Gangnam Style” made its debut in July 2012, it has become the most watched video on YouTube to date, scoring more than 2.1 billion views. While this feat is staggering in itself, Google posted a nugget on its YouTube Google+ page Monday about this accomplishment, saying that the video had been viewed so many times Google needed to “upgrade” the video site’s back end.

Philippines braces for powerful, erratic typhoon Hagupit - Dec. 2014

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A wide swath of the Philippines, including the capital Manila, braced Friday for a dangerously erratic and powerful typhoon approaching from the Pacific, about a year after the country was lashed by Typhoon Haiyan that left more than 7,300 people dead.

But a forecast by the U.S. military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii said Hagupit (pronounced HA'-goo-pit) may veer northward after making landfall and possibly threaten Manila, which has population of more than 12 million people.Typhoon Hagupit — Filipino for "smash" — strengthened overnight with its sustained winds intensifying to 215 kilometers (134 miles) per hour and gusts of 250 kph (155 mph). The local weather agency PAGASA's forecasts show the typhoon may hit Eastern Samar province late Saturday or early Sunday.

Mark Wahlberg should Not be pardoned

In April 1988, Mark Wahlberg, 16, set upon a Vietnamese immigrant named Thanh Lam, and, with a wooden stick, beat him so severely that Lam fell to the ground, unconscious. Later that night, according to contemporaneous accounts, Wahlberg found another Asian man, Hoa Trinh, and, calling him a "gook" and "slant eye," smashed him in the face.

Trinh lost sight in his right eye.

Wahlberg was arrested, convicted, and spent 45 days in jail, an experience that hardened him for the rest of his younger days and provided him creative fodder for many of his later projects. He has insisted that, despite his liberal use of racial slurs, race did not motivate his attack. His intoxication, apparently, did.

Twenty-six years later, Wahlberg wants a formal pardon from the commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Watch a 22-Year-Old Mark Ruffalo Double Zap His Zits in a Clearasil Commercial

When considering the filmography of Mark Ruffalo, one thinks of his wonderfully naturalistic performances in projects as varied as You Can Count on Me, The Avengers, and The Kids Are All Right. You can add to that his early-career work in a skin-care TV commercial.

In a recent video conversation with Interstellar star Jessica Chastain — part of Variety's just-lauched "Actors on Actors" series  — the 47-year-old actor reveals that his first paying acting gig was on a Clearasil commercial — which you can watch above.

In this 1989 spot, a young Ruffalo, wearing a luxuriously thick head of curly hair, is seen trying to hide his facial acne. But after he applies Clearasil DoubleClear pads he walks confidently — and with a pretty girl on his arm.

6 Things Working Women Need to Know About Pregnancy Discrimination: Decoding Young v UPS

The upcoming Supreme Court decision will affect working women across the country — for better or worse. (Getty Images)

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court began to hear arguments in the case of Young v. the United Parcel Service: A woman named Peggy Young is suing UPS for violation of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, saying she temporarily lost her job as a UPS driver once the company found out she was pregnant.

What’s the Case About? 

Young had been with UPS for four years and worked an early morning shift delivering envelopes and small parcels at the airport. When she became pregnant, her doctor told her to make sure not to lift packages over 20 lbs, a task that Young rarely did and which her colleagues offered to help with should the situation arise.

Pentagon to review Raytheon GPS ground system after cost spike

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Thursday said it had ordered a review of Raytheon Co's work on a new ground control system for Global Positioning System satellites after an Air Force-ordered restructuring drove the program's cost significantly higher.

The current contract value is $1.6 billion, according to Air Force officials, which marks an increase of over 80 percent from the initial contract value of $886 million.

Frank Kendall, the Pentagon's chief arms buyer, on Tuesday ordered a "deep dive" review, starting in January, of the next-generation GPS Operational Control System (OCX) that Raytheon is developing, according to his spokeswoman, Maureen Schumann.

Eric Garner's children speak to Katie Couric in exclusive interview

In an exclusive interview with Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric, two of Eric Garner’s children spoke out about the controversial decision by a grand jury in Staten Island, N.Y., not to indict a white police officer in their father’s death.

“I was disappointed,” Erica Garner said of the decision. “You’ve seen him die on national TV just like everybody else.  Why?”

Videotape captured Garner’s death as he was wrestled to the ground in an apparent chokehold this summer.
Couric was also joined by a panel that included former New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and black political comedian W. Kamau Bell.

U.S. Intelligence Agency Aims to Develop Superconducting Computer

The U.S. Intelligence Agency is developing a superconducting computer? I think we all know how that is going to end.

The U.S. intelligence community has launched a multi-year research project to develop a superconducting computer, awarding its first contracts to three major technology companies. International Business Machines Corp, Raytheon BBN Technologies and Northrop Grumman Corp won the contracts, the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity said Wednesday, without disclosing financial details.

Eidos Unveils The Dawn Engine

Eidos Montreal showed off a single screenshot from its Dawn Engine today. The company also says it is hiring so, if you have the skills, hit the link and get your resume in.

Deus Ex Universe is the name we are giving to the fictional world and the rich lore we are creating for it, which will of course include core games, as well as any other projects that will help bring the world of Deus Ex to life. We won’t go into too much detail for now, but what we envision is for our projects to have meaningful ties to one another, in order for them to strengthen and deepen your experience within this Universe.

Strange Spiral Galaxy Stumps Astronomers

Spiral galaxies like our Milky Way (a barred spiral galaxy) are nothing special--in fact, they're the most common type of galaxy. But astronomers are buzzing about the recent discovery of a very unusual spiral galaxy that sports big jets of subatomic particles that stream outward at nearly the speed of light.

Known formally as J1649+2635, the galaxy is located about 800 million light-years from Earth and is only the fourth spiral galaxy with jets (or lobes) ever observed, according to a written statement issued by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO).

China's Xi urges faster development of new weapons systems

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged faster development of advanced new military equipment to help build a strong army, state media reported, as the country steps up an ambitious modernization plan that has rattled nerves across the region.

Speaking at a two-day conference of the People's Liberation Army, Xi said that military reforms should be "guided by the objective of building a strong army", the official Xinhua news agency said late on Thursday.

"Advanced weaponry is the embodiment of a modern army and a crucial support for national security and rejuvenation," it cited Xi as saying.

"Equipment systems are now in a period of strategic opportunities and at a key point for rapid development."

US: Cleveland police poorly trained, reckless

CLEVELAND (AP) — A U.S. Justice Department report released Thursday spared no one in the Cleveland police chain of command amid findings of excessive use of force and civil rights violations.

It was the second time in recent years the Justice Department has taken the Cleveland police to task over the use of force. But unlike in 2004, when the agency left it up to local police to clean up their act, federal authorities will intervene this time by way of a consent decree.

"These are problems long in the making," said U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder during a news conference Thursday in Cleveland.

Holder said the DOJ's 18-month investigation was prompted by more than the November 2012 event in which 13 police officers fired 137 shots into a car after a high-speed chase, killing two unarmed suspects. Ohio Attorney General Mike Dewine has called the killings of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams a "systemic failure" on the part of the police.

Kalashnikovs get new look to boost sales as Russian sanctions bite

Here's another ripple effect of Western sanctions on Russia and the country's troubled economy: Gun maker Kalashnikov is giving its famed weapons and brand a makeover.

Its sales suffering, Kalashnikov on Tuesday unveiled new-look combat weapons. It also said it will introduce clothing and accessory lines.

The launch, which came complete with girls in tight fitting dresses brandishing machine guns, was designed to whet the world's appetite for assault rifles.

The AK-47 maker was among the first Russian companies to be slapped with trade restrictions over the country's incursion into the Ukraine.

Millions at Risk From Typhoon Hagupit in the Philippines

MANILA—Many residents fled from a clutch of islands in the central Philippines on Thursday as schools and other buildings were turned into evacuation centers in preparation for a powerful typhoon expected to make landfall Saturday.

Some 4.5 million people will be within a 40-mile radius of damaging winds if Hagupit—which the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center has classified as a supertyphoon—stays on its projected course, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. (Read the latest on Typhoon Hagupit as it approaches the coast of the Philippines.)

Glock vs. Smith & Wesson: A Shootout for the Pentagon's New Pistol Contract

For gun manufacturers, no customer rivals the Pentagon for prestige and revenue potential. That’s why, after years of anticipation, firearm makers are mobilizing for the U.S. Army’s imminent competition to replace the Beretta M9 pistol, the American soldier’s standard sidearm since 1985.

The procurement process for several hundred thousand new pistols formally begins in January and is expected to last about two years. Based on more than 15 years of reporting on the gun business, I’d identify the early favorites as a much-improvedSmith & Wesson (SWHC), which enjoys a made-in-the-USA marketing edge, and the formidable Glock of Austria.

The most and least reliable small SUVs - 2014

We here at Consumer Reports take reliability very seriously. Each year, we collect data on over one million cars, tracking details of how each car has held up and, if something went wrong, what was it. It is so important to us that if we find out a car is not reliable; even if we loved it in our initial tests, we won’t recommend an unreliable model.

Small SUVs make up is the fastest growing segment among new cars. That means there are all kinds of new players. So which ones are the best? Which ones should you avoid? We can help make sense of it all by showing you the most and least reliable small SUVs from our 2014 survey.

Least reliable:

Ford Escape

Base MSRP range: $23,100 - $31,260

This involves models with the non-turbo four-cylinder and the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engines. The latter did not provide the same kind of fuel economy as some competitors. Our road tests found the controls on the Escape were complicated and confusing to use, even if you did not select the uprated MyFordTouch. That was echoed in the reliability survey, where the Escape’s infotainment scored poorly.

AK-47 maker Kalashnikov gives rifles makeover

The weapons manufacturer hopes its re-branded guns will attract foreign buyers

The Russian manufacturer of the AK-47 assault rifle has unveiled a new look for its guns, as well as a new logo, at a glitzy event in Moscow.

The company is also branching out into fashion, launching a line of branded survival gear.

The firm, which relies heavily on the export market, is among the targets of Western sanctions imposed over Russia's role in the Ukraine conflict.

The Kalashnikov, or AK-47, is one of the world's most recognisable weapons.

Submarine investigation under way after female officers filmed

Washington (CNN) -- Navy criminal investigators are looking into who secretly filmed female officers of a submarine crew while they were showering and changing clothes aboard the boat's unisex bathrooms, a U.S. Navy official confirms to CNN. An incident report filed with the Navy last month alleges at least three female officers were videotaped at various times over a year long period. The recordings might then have been distributed to some members of the crew. The incidents took place on board the USS Wyoming, which is currently on deployment, The Navy does not discuss the exact locations of its submarines when they are at sea.

'Sony-pocalypse': Why the Sony hack is one of the worst hacks ever

Sony hack could lead to censorship

In a single week, hackers have brought a major Hollywood studio to its knees.

Sony Pictures is dealing with more than downed computers and frozen email. Movies have been leaked, and internal documents have exposed private company memos, along with employees' salaries, Social Security numbers and health information.

One security researcher, Adrian Sanabria, calls it "Sony-pocalypse."

It's so devastating that the FBI is now warning other companies about the malicious software that infected Sony's computers.

This hack could prove extremely costly to Sony.

Former Google+ employee: We f***ed up

(CNN) -- A former Google+ employee who spent three years helping create Google+ has written a brutal blog post declaring the tech giant's social network a failure. In a lengthy, at times profane breakdown on blogging platform Medium, Chris Messina, the man credited as inventor of the hashtag, writes that Google missed a chance to make the service a one-stop home for its users' online identities and, instead, created a less-popular Facebook copycat. "Lately, I just feel like Google+ is confused and adrift at sea," Messina wrote. "It's so far behind, how can it possibly catch up?" The November 28 post was a follow-up to a tweet in which he had mistakenly called out a bug on Google+ that was actually caused by an external app. Even as he corrected himself, he called out Google for the network's missed opportunity.

Sit-ins, die-ins, blockades in American cities not just about Eric Garner

(CNN) -- If the color were removed from the boundless images of protests on America's streets over the last two days, they might be mistaken for black-and-white photos of the struggle for civil rights in the 1960s. Marchers with signs in Dallas, Boston, Chicago and Manhattan, screamed for justice. And not only for one African-American man, Eric Garner, who died after a white police officer wrestled him to the ground with a chokehold. The grand jury decision to not prosecute Officer Daniel Pantaleo may have unleashed the dam burst of protests, but the anger of a multitude marching deep into the night has encompassed more than Garner's death in Staten Island, New York. The demand for change in how law enforcement deals with minorities has been broad. "It's happening in every city, every town. It's happening here in Pittsburgh," Julia Johnson told CNN affiliate WPXI. "The whole damn system is guilty as hell," some signs glowing under street lights read. It treats some Americans less equally than others base on their race, protesters alleged. "I'm out here because the system has failed us too many times," Courtney Wicker, a New York protester, told CNN affiliate NY1. "It makes me feel like there's no justice."

'Black lives matter'

"Racism kills," read a sign held over the heads of a crowd. It summed up the sentiment in a filled New York City square framed by office high-rises speckled with lighted windows late Thursday.

SPECTRE Explained: All You Need to Know About James Bond's Big Bad - Dec., 2014

Sean Connery, as James Bond, demonstrates his disarming charms to Charles Gray’s SPECTRE chief Blofeld in 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever

You know, for a supposedly clandestine criminal organization, SPECTRE isn’t exactly hiding in the shadows anymore. On Wednesday,it was revealed that SPECTRE will be front and center for James Bond’s 24th adventure, with its name serving as the movie’s title and new version of its famous octopus symbol adorning the teaser poster. And even though new cast member Christoph Waltz wasn’t introduced as SPECTRE’s cat-stroking, chrome-domed leader, Ernst Blofeld, speculation is high that his character, Oberhauser, will turn out to be Bond’s No. 1 nemesis before the credits roll. 

The NSA Snooped On Wireless Carriers For Years

This week's edition of "the NSA spied on..." is brought to you by AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and hundreds of other companies you've never even heard of.

That's the thrust of a lengthy new report from The Intercept: The NSA is capable of snooping in on a vast majority of the world's cell phone service providers thanks to an initiative called AURORAGOLD, as revealed in key documents from Edward Snowden's archives.

Woz: Apple Wasn't Started In A Garage

I wonder why this is the first time we are hearing this.

The garage is a bit of a myth. It's overblown. The garage represents us better than anything else, but we did no designs there. We would drive the finished products to the garage, make them work and then we'd drive them down to the store that paid us cash.

Wolfenstein HD Remake of the Day

Looking for something to do today? Grab Super Wolfenstein HD and give it a go. The "realistic" physics are pretty comical.

Google Introduces "No CAPTCHA reCAPTCHA"

What do you guys think of this?

L.A. School District Halts iPad Contract As FBI Seizes Documents

Corrupt deal or not, this $500 million iPad contract was insanely stupid from the beginning.

The L.A. School District's plan to equip all students with $500 million worth of iPads and software has officially ended in a cloud of suspicion, according to the LA Times. Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines said it would terminate the original contract following a raid on district offices by the FBI, which seized 20 boxes of documents related to the matter. The project -- which originally used Apple's tablets and Pearson educational software exclusively -- quickly unraveled after ties between then-superintendent John Deasy, Pearson and Apple executives were revealed.

DJI Inspire 1 with Remote

$2,899 Amazon
List Price: $7,899.99 Price: $2,899.00 & FREE Shipping You Save: $5,000.99 (63%)

There are lots of drones out there for hobbyists and professionals, but few for the prosumer market that eclipses both. What if you want a quadcopter that can shoot professional-grade video at a comparatively affordable price? You might want to take a look at the DJI Inspire 1 -- it's a $2,899 drone with a stabilized 4K camera, retractable landing gear and a badass new design.

TRITON - Human Gills

Diving free of cumbersome tanks and lines, and with an unlimited underwater air supply? That's like...like...making love out of nothing at all. Unfathomable! And although human gills are indeed a ways away from sporting goods store shelves, with his TRITON oxygen respirator concept, Samsung Art & Design Institute student Jeabyun Yeon may ultimately prove himself to be the game-changing Australian soft rock duo of the industrial design world.

Net Neutrality: Five Myths, And The Real Facts

This net neutrality article is great for sharing with your not so tech-savvy friends.

The Internet was a simpler place a decade ago, however. Now, in an age when consumers surf the web, Skype and watch Netflix simultaneously, ISPs face a demand for more bandwidth—and naturally, they want to be paid for providing it. Net neutrality proponents say a pay-to-play fast lane won't be neutral, and may be considered less open, because it will hamper companies that can't afford faster service.

Inside The Secret Chinese Supercar Subculture Of Southern California

 

The Chinese government does not like its country's ultra-rich to show off their wealth. But their reach doesn't seem to cover Southern California, where the children of China's elite get to show off. How? With Lamborghinis and Maseratis, of course.

Chinese elite send their children to study in the United States. When they do, their parents give them enough money to buy as nice a car as they want.

Since flaunting your wealth is still frowned upon, these young, rich students organize private meets to see each other's rides.

Can You Really Drive a Nissan GT-R Every Day?

That’s the million— err, $100,000 question isn’t it? Can you really drive a Nissan GT-R every day? You know, to the grocery store, to pick up the kids from school, to grab a burrito? I wanted to find out, so Nissan gave me a brand-new, 2015 GT-R to drive around every day for a week.

With any GT-R, the initial impression is pretty clear — it’s big, it’s comfortable, and it will give you neck problems if you push on the gas hard enough. The thing is blisteringly fast from a standstill. Even at higher speeds, the 3.8-liter V6 pushes it more than I was even willing to.

Intel Announces Multiyear Collaboration For Wearable Tech

Intel Corporation and Luxottica Group today unveiled a multiyear R&D collaboration to fuse premium, luxury and sports eyewear with smart technology. This strategic alliance will push the boundaries of research and development to anticipate what smart technology for eyewear will look like in the future. The ultimate goal is to help pioneer that change and deliver smart, fashion-forward products that are meaningful and desirable to consumers. The first product from Intel and Luxottica is expected to launch in 2015.

Rendering Volumetric Haptic Shapes Using Ultrasound

This is pretty bad ass.

Part-time jobs put millions in poverty or close to it

Seven million Americans are stuck in part-time jobs.

They are unable to get full-time work and the benefits and stability that come with it. It's a constant struggle for these families and a worrying sign for America's recovery.
Overall U.S. unemployment has fallen steeply in the past year (from 7.2% in October 2013 to 5.8% in October 2014), but too many people can only find part-time positions.
The number of people working part-time involuntarily is more than 50% higher than when the recession began.

Mitsubishi ASX gives a wider view with its new GSR variant

 
 Soon to hit the market is the latest update of Mitsubishi’s compact SUV, the ASX. As Japanese crossovers like the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V moved up the size with a higher price, the ASX was one of the first entries to repopulate the smaller end of the market. This updated version sees two models available, the base GLS and the more upscale GSR. Design: The ASX was expressly designed to recapture some of the easy maneuverability and nimbleness of the compact crossover—to be fun, in other words.

Man Took the Exact Same Picture Every Day for a Year to Highlight Beijing’s Air Pollution

Beijing’s air quality is infamous, but while statistics and technical facts can be shocking, one Beijing resident wanted to use the power of a photograph to drive home how bad it really is — well, actually, he used a few hundred photographs.

Jay Leno hopes Tesla's critics are wrong

While the data is a bit fuzzy, it seems Tesla sold somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 cars in the first three quarters of 2014. That's a far cry from the goal of 500,000 annually Elon Musk and company have set for 2020. Whether he's successful or not will depend largely on the much-hyped gigafactory -- a massive lithium ion battery factory under construction in the Nevada desert.

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The number of actual and potential Tesla Model S variants exploded with the launch of D dual-motor all-wheel drive …

But whether Musk reaches that goal or not is, in some ways, irrelevant. Future success, or lack thereof, won't change the fact that Tesla has changed the face of the automotive industry. He's made a fully electric car that is practical and quite a bit sexy at the same time.

The hot new car color is ... Brown

When it comes to car colors, neutral colors like white, black, gray and silver are traditionally the most popular choices throughout the globe.

While this continues to be true, some interesting trends are developing in the paint department.
For instance, once unloved brown is on the rise, according to car coatings manufacturer PPG.
The reasons behind this have more to do with the sorts of cars drivers are buying and less to do with their favorite colors or overall mood, said Jane Harrington, PPG's manager of automotive color and styling.

It's hard to believe the Philippines are an under-appreciated tropical travel destination, especially with their extraordinary hiking, diving, beaches and of course -- islands that are THIS beautiful.
And while we'd like to visit every single island in the Philippines, there's one island in particular we're zeroing in on -- Palawan, a hidden piece of paradise that was recently named "The Top Island in the World" by Conde Nast Traveler's Reader Choice Awards.

Photographers Upset That Flickr Is Selling Their Photos

Honestly, you would think that Yahoo would steer clear of selling photos that were intended to be free. Then again, being hard up for cash makes you do strange things.

The crux of their complaints has to do with Yahoo's use of photos contributed to Creative Commons -- a collection of photos and writing that creators have deemed free to use, with various restrictions. For Creative Commons photos, Yahoo will keep all of the profits of the sales of those canvas prints. But for prints of photos not on Creative Commons, photographers will get a 51 percent cut.

Buick Grand National and GNX on the way?

Is Buick close to revealing some details about upcoming successors to the Grand National and GNX? One dealer in North Carolina thinks so, and has started a wait list for customers who want to get in line for a long-anticipated revival of the high-performance nameplates.

GM Authority has been keeping a close eye on General Motors' patent filings for a while. In 2012, GM filed applications for the Grand National and GNX nameplates, and has since requested an extension on those filings three times to allow the automaker time to substantiate their claims. The recent move by Liberty Buick of South Charlotte, NC may be an even more noteworthy indicator that Buick's performance V6 models are due for reintroduction.

Alpha Omega GT-R Runs the Quarter Mile in 7.7 Seconds

It looks like the folks over at AMS Performance have scratched another entry into the history books with the Alpha Omega GT-R, this time via a 7.70-second blast down the 1320 at 186 mph. Throw in the fact that this car sports a full interior and stock body, and that accomplishment becomes even more impressive.
The team battled uncooperative weather and malfunctioning timing equipment at Royal Purple Raceway in Bayside, Texas, but managed to lay down the record-setting run once the clocks were fixed, the rain clouds had dispersed, and the track had dried.
Watching the video, it appears as though the laws of physics are broken when this highly-tuned Godzilla rips out of the hole in an all-wheel-drive wheelie, followed by a mad scramble for traction as the monstrous power coming from the tweaked-out turbo V-6 makes it to the ground via large drag radials. As the clouds creep in and the lightening flashes off in the distance, you can feel the gravity of the moment.

Two-phone standoff after cop stops man for 'walking with hands in pockets'

In Michigan, a police officer stops a man who apparently was doing nothing wrong. They both pull out their mobile phones and film each other.



We once thought that, in the future, we'd all be filming each other.
That future is now. And sometimes we're doing it to prove that what happened to us really happened.
In the latest cell phone footage of an encounter between a police officer and a citizen, both parties decide to pull out their phones and record for posterity. What will the future make of it?
The footage shows a police officer in Pontiac, Mich., stopping a man for apparently suspicious behavior. What was the man doing? Walking with his hands in his pockets.

Drone footage shows derelict remains of Chernobyl and city of Pripyat

Time has effectively stood still in the Ukrainian city of Pripyat, which was evacuated in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear explosion.

At the time of the disaster during the Soviet era, about 49,000 people lived in Pripyat, located less than two miles from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. They left behind schools, homes, factories, parks and gyms that have remained largely undisturbed for the past 30 years.

Armed with a camera and a dosimeter Geiger counter, cinematographer Danny Cooke explored the remains of Pripyat and Chernobyl. He pieced the footage together in a three-minute video that boasts drone footage of sweeping shots of abandoned buildings and parks. He also photographed building interiors on foot, capturing haunting scenes of empty schools and homes.

The Killing of a "almost perfect daughter"

The voice on the phone speaks in a soft, polite tone tinged with a few cracks from worry. Reta Abbott tells the 911 dispatcher that her daughter is posting suicidal thoughts on Facebook.
“I mean, she needs to be in a hospital,” the mother says.
Abbott called the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office in Litchfield Beach, South Carolina, at 4:57 p.m. on July 12. At times, the mother seems almost apologetic for seeking law enforcement’s help. The 911 operator responds with compassion: “All right, we’ll have someone go over there and do a welfare check for her, OK?”
Mom: “I’m telling you, she may seem normal, but she is not. So please, get – you know, she needs to be in a hospital – not in a jail cell, but in a hospital. Thank you. OK?”