7:24 PM
Oklahoma's 5.7-magnitude earthquake is the strongest earthquake measured so far caused by fracking. That was the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Oklahoma and was felt as far away as Milwaukee:
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20130328-oklahoma-s-5-7-tremor-is-biggest-frackinginduced-earthquake-yet
Congress allowed the EPA to approve pesticides for use *before* all the toxicity tests are completed, with more than 10,000 pesticides approved this way. Once the EPA gives this tentative approval, they cannot even check to see if the required toxicity data is submitted later and if the tests show that the pesticide is too dangerous for use...I guess the "cross your fingers" and "trust the pesticide manufacturers" policy has replaced actual testing of products:
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20130328-more-than-10-000-pesticides-approved-by-epa-without-rigorous-review
Google launched their Google Shopping Express which gives *same-day* delivery in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Major stores such as Target, Walgreens, Staples, and local stores are included in the offer:
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/03/28/google-launches-google-shopping-express-in-san-francisco-local-same-day-deliver-service-for-online-orders/
Surveys found that adult commuters text while driving more than teenagers! 97% of teenagers said that they knew texting while driving was dangerous, 89% said that their parents were bad role models for not texting while driving, and 77% said that their parents text "all the time" in the car. Overall, 43% of teens have texted while driving while 49% of commuters have texted while driving:
http://www.androidcentral.com/commuters-text-while-driving-more-teens-att-sponsored-survey-finds
Range Networks became famous by supplying wireless services to the Burning Man Festival, but they just got VC funding to get their technology used for cellular networks in rural areas and in underdeveloped markets around the world. A big expense for cellular network operators is annual software license fees, but Range Networks uses open source software that eliminates that big expense. Their cellular networks cost about 1/3 what current systems cost, making it affordable to provide service in rural areas and other areas without cellular coverage now. All of their equipment is made in the US, a huge advantage in the US when they are competing against Chinese vendors:
http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/range-networks-burning-mans-open-source-cellular-network-touted-commercial/2013-03-28
An example of how the US government is discouraging wireless networks from buying equipment from Chinese vendors is how the US government appears to be holding up Softbank's $20.1 bil purchase of Sprint until they agree not to buy equipment from Chinese vendors (Softbank buys equipment from Huawei for their network in Japan):
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/report-worries-about-chinese-vendors-weigh-sprintsoftbank-deal/2013-03-28
Best Buy employees will soon clear out *2 aisles* near the mobile section of the store to make a Samsung-only station. Samsung will use this prime location to show off the Galaxy S4 and basically make a Samsung store inside of Best Buys. Samsung won't need to open their own stores like Apple, they will get a lot of locations with minimal money and time buy taking over a prime spot in Best Buy:
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/03/28/best-buy-and-samsung-team-up-to-bring-specialized-section-to-retail-stores/
Windows Phone is outshipping the iPhone in Argentina, India, Poland, Russia, South Africa and Ukraine:
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/where-in-the-world-are-windows-phones-outselling-iphones/
BlackBerry sold 1 million of their flagship Z10 smartphones in their last quarter, but they lost 3 million customers over the quarter. On a positive note, they went from a $125 mil loss in the year-ago quarter to a profit of $98 mil:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/blackberry-sells-1m-z10s-loses-3m-subscribers/2013-03-28
WiMAX isn't dead yet, and in fact is being actively deployed in Nepal, Malawi and Russia:
http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/nepal-malawi-and-russia-keep-pushing-wimax/2013-03-27
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20130328-oklahoma-s-5-7-tremor-is-biggest-frackinginduced-earthquake-yet
Congress allowed the EPA to approve pesticides for use *before* all the toxicity tests are completed, with more than 10,000 pesticides approved this way. Once the EPA gives this tentative approval, they cannot even check to see if the required toxicity data is submitted later and if the tests show that the pesticide is too dangerous for use...I guess the "cross your fingers" and "trust the pesticide manufacturers" policy has replaced actual testing of products:
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20130328-more-than-10-000-pesticides-approved-by-epa-without-rigorous-review
Google launched their Google Shopping Express which gives *same-day* delivery in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Major stores such as Target, Walgreens, Staples, and local stores are included in the offer:
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/03/28/google-launches-google-shopping-express-in-san-francisco-local-same-day-deliver-service-for-online-orders/
Surveys found that adult commuters text while driving more than teenagers! 97% of teenagers said that they knew texting while driving was dangerous, 89% said that their parents were bad role models for not texting while driving, and 77% said that their parents text "all the time" in the car. Overall, 43% of teens have texted while driving while 49% of commuters have texted while driving:
http://www.androidcentral.com/commuters-text-while-driving-more-teens-att-sponsored-survey-finds
Range Networks became famous by supplying wireless services to the Burning Man Festival, but they just got VC funding to get their technology used for cellular networks in rural areas and in underdeveloped markets around the world. A big expense for cellular network operators is annual software license fees, but Range Networks uses open source software that eliminates that big expense. Their cellular networks cost about 1/3 what current systems cost, making it affordable to provide service in rural areas and other areas without cellular coverage now. All of their equipment is made in the US, a huge advantage in the US when they are competing against Chinese vendors:
http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/range-networks-burning-mans-open-source-cellular-network-touted-commercial/2013-03-28
An example of how the US government is discouraging wireless networks from buying equipment from Chinese vendors is how the US government appears to be holding up Softbank's $20.1 bil purchase of Sprint until they agree not to buy equipment from Chinese vendors (Softbank buys equipment from Huawei for their network in Japan):
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/report-worries-about-chinese-vendors-weigh-sprintsoftbank-deal/2013-03-28
Best Buy employees will soon clear out *2 aisles* near the mobile section of the store to make a Samsung-only station. Samsung will use this prime location to show off the Galaxy S4 and basically make a Samsung store inside of Best Buys. Samsung won't need to open their own stores like Apple, they will get a lot of locations with minimal money and time buy taking over a prime spot in Best Buy:
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/03/28/best-buy-and-samsung-team-up-to-bring-specialized-section-to-retail-stores/
Windows Phone is outshipping the iPhone in Argentina, India, Poland, Russia, South Africa and Ukraine:
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/where-in-the-world-are-windows-phones-outselling-iphones/
BlackBerry sold 1 million of their flagship Z10 smartphones in their last quarter, but they lost 3 million customers over the quarter. On a positive note, they went from a $125 mil loss in the year-ago quarter to a profit of $98 mil:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/blackberry-sells-1m-z10s-loses-3m-subscribers/2013-03-28
WiMAX isn't dead yet, and in fact is being actively deployed in Nepal, Malawi and Russia:
http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/nepal-malawi-and-russia-keep-pushing-wimax/2013-03-27