6:29 PM
Study found that a major earthquake (8.0 or above) will hit Oregon within the next 50 years: The Cascadia fault causes a massive earthquake every 300 years or so and it hasn't hit Oregon for 313 years:
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20130408-oregon-citizens-preparing-for-the-big-one
Senator reveals that NASA is planning to get a robotic spaceship to capture a small asteroid and position it near the moon for astronauts to explore. This would enable astronauts to land on an asteroid 4 years earlier than currently planned. It would be cheaper, faster, and safer to move an asteroid near the Earth than it would be to send astronauts far away to catch up to a quickly moving asteroid:
http://news.yahoo.com/senator-nasa-lasso-asteroid-bring-closer-201523624.html
Impressive video released by the Navy about a laser cannon shooting down UAVs and fast boats. Lasers have a HUGE cost advantage--it costs $5,000 per shot for the Navy's cheapest guns, but it costs less than a dollar per laser shot:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/04/laser-warfare-system/
Researchers created a program that creates Facebook profiles and friends regular users, then gathers data on their Facebook friends and influences their decisions with programmed points of view. A bot is able to add Facebook friends with up to an 80% success rate, so its network can grow quickly. Bots even get friend requests from people--"female" bots get 300 friend requests while "male" bots got 10 to 15. Considering how a programmer could make thousands of bots at once and how much information Facebook shares between friends...this is an easy way for information gathering and advertising campaigns:
http://www.infoworld.com/d/security/your-facebook-friends-may-be-evil-bots-215016
Gartner report shows that Microsoft could be obsolete and irrelevant by 2017. In 2017 there will be 2.7 bil tablets, smartphones, and ultramobile devices, 10x the number of desktop and laptop PCs...so unless Microsoft can get big in the smartphone or tablet market, they will be left with just a monopoly on a market that will have shrunk to irrelevance:
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/microsoft-could-obsolete-2017-gartner-report-154459119.html
The plot in this article clearly shows that all of Microsoft's efforts with Windows Phone hasn't helped catch up in the marketplace at all:
http://www.splatf.com/2013/04/microsoft-comeback/
HTC had a record low profit of *2.8 mil*, compared to $148.1 mil in the year-ago quarter:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/htc-sinks-record-low-profit-q1-amid-one-launch-delay/2013-04-08
Google is reportedly negotiating to buy WhatsApp for around $1 bil:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/google-acquiring-whatsapp/
Survey found that software engineers spent 19.1 hours per week on design and coding, and 22.4 hours per week on non-design and non-coding tasks such as email and meetings:
http://www.infoworld.com/d/application-development/software-engineers-spend-lots-of-time-not-building-software-215948
Marvel is offering 700 free first issues by tomorrow night:
http://www.androidcentral.com/marvel-comics-app-offering-700-free-first-issues-sequel
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20130408-oregon-citizens-preparing-for-the-big-one
Senator reveals that NASA is planning to get a robotic spaceship to capture a small asteroid and position it near the moon for astronauts to explore. This would enable astronauts to land on an asteroid 4 years earlier than currently planned. It would be cheaper, faster, and safer to move an asteroid near the Earth than it would be to send astronauts far away to catch up to a quickly moving asteroid:
http://news.yahoo.com/senator-nasa-lasso-asteroid-bring-closer-201523624.html
Impressive video released by the Navy about a laser cannon shooting down UAVs and fast boats. Lasers have a HUGE cost advantage--it costs $5,000 per shot for the Navy's cheapest guns, but it costs less than a dollar per laser shot:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/04/laser-warfare-system/
Researchers created a program that creates Facebook profiles and friends regular users, then gathers data on their Facebook friends and influences their decisions with programmed points of view. A bot is able to add Facebook friends with up to an 80% success rate, so its network can grow quickly. Bots even get friend requests from people--"female" bots get 300 friend requests while "male" bots got 10 to 15. Considering how a programmer could make thousands of bots at once and how much information Facebook shares between friends...this is an easy way for information gathering and advertising campaigns:
http://www.infoworld.com/d/security/your-facebook-friends-may-be-evil-bots-215016
Gartner report shows that Microsoft could be obsolete and irrelevant by 2017. In 2017 there will be 2.7 bil tablets, smartphones, and ultramobile devices, 10x the number of desktop and laptop PCs...so unless Microsoft can get big in the smartphone or tablet market, they will be left with just a monopoly on a market that will have shrunk to irrelevance:
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/microsoft-could-obsolete-2017-gartner-report-154459119.html
The plot in this article clearly shows that all of Microsoft's efforts with Windows Phone hasn't helped catch up in the marketplace at all:
http://www.splatf.com/2013/04/microsoft-comeback/
HTC had a record low profit of *2.8 mil*, compared to $148.1 mil in the year-ago quarter:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/htc-sinks-record-low-profit-q1-amid-one-launch-delay/2013-04-08
Google is reportedly negotiating to buy WhatsApp for around $1 bil:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/google-acquiring-whatsapp/
Survey found that software engineers spent 19.1 hours per week on design and coding, and 22.4 hours per week on non-design and non-coding tasks such as email and meetings:
http://www.infoworld.com/d/application-development/software-engineers-spend-lots-of-time-not-building-software-215948
Marvel is offering 700 free first issues by tomorrow night:
http://www.androidcentral.com/marvel-comics-app-offering-700-free-first-issues-sequel