Comment Re:democracy in action (Score 1) 297
And the Swiss also refused joining the EU...
Submission + - Google gets approval to buy Motorola (examiner.com)
An anonymous reader writes: From the Article:
"
Today, the European Commission approved the acquisition of Motorola by Google. Joaquín Almunia, Commission Vice President in charge of competition polices stated that they will be continuing to watch Google as the acquisition goes through. It was a unanimous decision by the Commission as well. The European Commission and the United States Justice Department often coordinate over big deals like this, so it is very likely the deal will get approval by the US within a few weeks.
"
"
Today, the European Commission approved the acquisition of Motorola by Google. Joaquín Almunia, Commission Vice President in charge of competition polices stated that they will be continuing to watch Google as the acquisition goes through. It was a unanimous decision by the Commission as well. The European Commission and the United States Justice Department often coordinate over big deals like this, so it is very likely the deal will get approval by the US within a few weeks.
"
Submission + - BitTorrent piracy has no impact on U.S. box office sales (bgr.com) 4
zacharye writes: Though box office revenues declined for the second consecutive year in 2011, a new study suggests that there is little if any correlation between United States box office revenues and illegal file-sharing facilitated by BitTorrent.
Submission + - The Alternate Reality Facebook That Almost Happened (vice.com)
pigrabbitbear writes: "What if da Vinci had built that flying machine he was always rambling on about? What if Tesla got the upper hand over Edison and gave us all free energy? What if Harry Lewis had invented Facebook in 1997?
Up until a couple days ago, that last one wasn’t a question alternate-historians had spent much time with. But thanks to revelations in an obscure blog post, it might be time to start pondering a massively different course social media came close to taking.
Lewis — a venerated 64-year-old Harvard computer science professor and former dean of Harvard College — has long been known as part of Facebook’s pre-history: Mark Zuckerberg took a class of his and created a proto-Facebook one-off site in January 2004 called “Six Degrees to Harry Lewis.” But years before that, Lewis came close to inadvertently snuffing Facebook before it could even become a glint in Zuck’s Exeter-trained eye"
Up until a couple days ago, that last one wasn’t a question alternate-historians had spent much time with. But thanks to revelations in an obscure blog post, it might be time to start pondering a massively different course social media came close to taking.
Lewis — a venerated 64-year-old Harvard computer science professor and former dean of Harvard College — has long been known as part of Facebook’s pre-history: Mark Zuckerberg took a class of his and created a proto-Facebook one-off site in January 2004 called “Six Degrees to Harry Lewis.” But years before that, Lewis came close to inadvertently snuffing Facebook before it could even become a glint in Zuck’s Exeter-trained eye"
Comment Google, Amazon, Apple, Adobe sigh of relief ? (Score 1) 151
Maybe not - all these companies are using the commercial weapon of frivolous overbroad patents. They should be worried that a court has finally had the guts to start drawing the line as to which kind of patents are acceptable or not.
Submission + - The Tardis and the Doctor break up (doctor-who-spin-off.com)
An anonymous reader writes: In this previously unheard outtake from a Doctor Who audio drama, the actors Stephen Fry and Sylvester McCoy play out a skit in which the TARDIS (Fry) has a nasty domestic incident with the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy), leading to a sad split after centuries of travelling the universe together...
Comment MasterCard is in the SOPA supporter list... (Score 2) 330
... time to switch to
Comment Re:iPhone vs Android (Score 1) 178
Remembering a few years ago, in the PC vs Mac debate, that PC fans argued that their platform was superior because there was much more software available. To what Mac fans replied that it was quality, not quantity that mattered, and that it was better, for a given application type, to have one good program rather than ten mediocre ones. Funny how the same arguments are reused when the tables have turned.
Comment The man of Bronze... (Score 1) 316
Doc Savage, who else ?
Comment Just for the records (Score 1) 541
1980 : The forests are dying, acid rains : our countries are becoming deserts - we're all going to die
1990 : The ozone layer depletion : dangerous radiations will hit us . we're all going to die
2000 : Global warming : Poles will melt, huricanes will hit us - we're all going to die
2010 : ????
Goldman Sachs Says No Facebook Shares For US Investors 529
theodp writes "In 2009, Robert Cringely speculated that the day might be coming when Goldman Sachs decides the United States isn't worth dealing with anymore. Crazy, eh? Maybe not. Blaming 'intense media attention,' Goldman Sachs has decided to exclude US investors from a $1.5 billion Facebook offering. In a nicely-timed all-investors-are-not-created-equal MLK Day statement, the US taxpayer bailout beneficiary said, 'Goldman Sachs decided to proceed only with the offer to investors outside the US....We regret the consequences of this decision, but Goldman Sachs believes this is the most prudent path to take.'"
Comment Not the first stupid law... (Score 1) 294
In Switzerland we have recently passed a law to protect animal rights. Theoretically, it is illegal now to buy a single aquarium fish, because it would be alone and depressed. Such animals have to be bought in couples.
The fact is, that the swiss parliament prefers passing law on non important matters, like animal rights or video games, that might receive a general agreement from the uninformed public, rather that being unpopular buy passing laws on more important but controvertial topics, like immigration, unemployment or social insurances.
Comment It just needs one thing (Score 1) 347
the formidable marketing machine that apple uses to promote its products to the unwashed masses. Without this, Android will remain a geek's toy.
Comment My page is still up.. (Score 1) 396
http://www.geocities.com/aberguerand/frmain.htm
Let's see how long it will last.
Comment Re:Not "French" (Score 5, Funny) 272
When (if) the experiment is a success, it will become a "US led experiment".
