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27 Jul 2009 13:51

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Tech, World: Windfarms are quickly becoming Kenya’s new energy BFF

By 2012, northern Kenya will be home to the biggest windfarm on the continent, leading the way for a new type of energy production south of the Sahara. source

27 Jul 2009 13:26

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Culture, Tech: The newest coolness barometer: a fake Twitter account

  • no socializing tonight. I’m trying to get inside my own head. I hate the new film. I need to work on something on my own. I’m not just meat.
  • The @FakeChrisBale Twitter account • Regarding the actor’s “thoughts.” Bale, along with a who’s who of celebrities and politicians, have fake accounts dedicated to them. We guess that’s the new sign that you’ve made it to the big times…even if it’s not *always* flattering. Prime example: @notbillclinton exclaiming “Happy Mother’s Day to all the MILF’s!” • source

27 Jul 2009 10:58

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Biz, Tech: Best Buy offers a huge discount on the Palm Pre by accident

  • $99 for the Pre, but they say it was an error. Dang it source

27 Jul 2009 09:36

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Tech: Apple and the major labels butt heads over album-art approaches

  • Apple’s approach Last night, word came out that Apple was working on a new digital album format that would include liner notes, visuals, interactive features and the whole kit and caboodle. It’s code-named “Cocktail,” and it’s an attempt to get you jerks to buy albums. source
  • Apple’s approach Last night, word came out that Apple was working on a new digital album format that would include liner notes, visuals, interactive features and the whole kit and caboodle. It’s code-named “Cocktail,” and it’s an attempt to get you jerks to buy albums.
  • The labels’ approach However, the major labels say that Apple chose to come up with something on their own that the labels suggested 18 months ago. Since when has Apple been known to do that? The labels are working on a similar type of feature for everyone else. source

26 Jul 2009 21:37

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Biz, Tech: AT&T plays with fire, messes with the infamous 4chan

  • Anonymous is not amused. If you don’t know what the image board 4chan is, just imagine a giant board of internet nerds who have fun being disruptive. (Like the internet should be, if you ask us.) If you don’t know what AT&T is, just imagine a giant telecommunications company who has fun making disruptions for iPhone customers. Reports came out today saying that AT&T blocked access to a number of boards on 4chan, which means that AT&T has just opened up a can of worms and might find themselves under nerd attack. Good job guys! Expect your front page to have a disturbing image on it within the next day. source

26 Jul 2009 11:58

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Politics, Tech: Regarding Facebook’s privacy standards: Give ’em a break, OK?

  • As underhanded as this may seem, this should be a lesson to actually read the terms of service, vague as they may be, before signing up for a social networking service that wants to use your pictures in ads.
  • An editorial in the Los Angeles Times • Discussing Facebook’s privacy policy regarding advertising, which has its users taking this particular drama and running with it. We’re of the opinion that Facebook tends to go a little far sometimes, but in this case, users may in fact be overreacting. OK, this ad shows that Facebook needs to be a bit more careful, but their privacy policy does easily allow this to be turned off – and on top of that, this information isn’t supposed to be cached, anyway. Ah Facebook, it doesn’t matter what you do: You just end up pissing off your users. • source

26 Jul 2009 10:58

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Tech: We’re living the plot of a movie where robots overtake humans

  • Something new has taken place in the past five to eight years. Technologists are replacing religion, and their ideas are resonating in some ways with the same idea of the Rapture.
  • Eric Horvitz • A Microsoft researcher who is also president of Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. Horvitz is talking like one of those crazy scientists who eventually gets killed by a robot in a bad science-fiction movie, which explains why he’s heading up a conference on whether humans should limit artificial intelligence for robots so that the robots don’t overtake their masters. Our friends at Inevitable Rise of the Machines have long been warning us of this fact. • source
 

25 Jul 2009 10:24

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Tech: Walt Mossberg sez upgrading to Windows 7 a pain in the butt

  • If you use XP, it forces you to do a clean install. Mossberg, who otherwise praised the new version of Windows, noted that the OS had a requirement unlike any of its previous versions: If you’re on XP, you need to do a clean install, which will force you to lose all your programs and possibly any personal data. In fact, MS recommends that you just bite the bullet and buy a new computer with Windows 7 installed. Oh, how convenient that they’d recommend that! source

24 Jul 2009 21:26

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Biz, Tech: Coke has a big Facebook brand, but it’s not as big as Starbucks

  • 3.5 million number of fans the soft-drink company has managed to curate on Facebook since Pages began; it was long the leading Facebook brand source

24 Jul 2009 21:15

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Tech: NASA kicked on the Hubble telescope, got a shot of Jupiter’s scar

See that big spot there? It’s the first post-repair shot Hubble has taken, and it’s the best shot we have of Jupiter’s new dimple. source