Apple usually buys small, technical adept companies and rolls the new tech into a shiny product. The largest recent purchases have been less than $300 million (Quattro & P.A. Semi). Facebook is overvalued and would burn up more than half Apple's cash reserve. If Apple is "poised to make a major acquisition" as the article suggests, how about a company worth $1-2 billion? That would still be several times larger than any other purchase. This article is silly.

Sounds like the third position is a compromise after all:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/06/fcc-outlines-new-third-way-internet-regulatory-plan-will-spli/

No need to worry.

It's not just "a magnetic field" which was used in this study, it's TMS. TMS uses a strong magnetic field to induce an electrical current inside someone's head, similar to direct stimulation using electrodes but without all the surgery. There is a electromagnetic "paddle" held next to the skull in a specific orientation so that the electrical current will be in the intended spot in the brain.

Also, TMS has no special relationship with the brain area which affects moral judgement. TMS can be used to stimulate any area and often the effect is disrupting the function of that area. So with some good aiming you can inhibit speech, distort vision, etc.

The "magnets == amoral judgement" bit is just silly.

This concept was in Cory Doctorow's Someone Comes To Town, Someone Leaves Town. A mesh network was set up throughout the city. People were encouraged to use & extend it for free. Eventually the protagonist used it to monitor someone during a foot chase around the neighborhood. Good stuff.

FYI, Google Reader is a RSS reader, and has nothing to do with books.

Gel electrophoresis using drinking straws:
http://maradydd.livejournal.com/417631.html

DiYBio Club:
http://io9.com/5014059/a-homebrew-club-for-biogeeks

Home-brew science is becoming more possible.

Instant Runoff Voting is used in several places in the US:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRV_implementations_in_United_States