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Comment Re:Only app store apps can use iCloud? (Score 1) 376

iCloud's introduction date is irrelevant. Apple has a revenue stream coming from members of the developer program, and paying members are the only ones who can take advantage of Apple's online services. For instance, they're also the only ones who can use push notifications. Put two and two together.

The statement about storage allotment doesn't make sense, because if a developer doesn't use iCloud in their app because they didn't pay for the developer program, then obviously the storage will instead be used by some other app that did pay.

Chrome

Submission + - Chrome Browser Usage Artificially Boosted (windowsteamblog.com)

bonch writes: Chrome was recently called the world's no.1 browser, but Microsoft is accusing the source, StatCounter, of using flawed methodology. When a user enters a search in Chrome, the browser preloads an invisible tab not shown to the user, and these were being counted by StatCounter. Net Applications, another usage tracking group, ignores these invisible tabs and reports IE at 54%, Firefox at 20.20%, and Chrome at 18.85%.
Piracy

Submission + - MPAA Agent Poses As Homebuyer To Catch Pirates (torrentfreak.com)

bonch writes: The MPAA used an undercover agent posing as a potential homebuyer to gain access to the home of a British couple charged with running a streaming links site. UK authorities decided not to pursue the case, but the MPAA continued, focusing on a Boston programmer who worked on the site, leading to an unprecedented legal maneuver whereby U.S. charges were dropped in exchange for testimony in a UK fraud case.
Google

Submission + - EU Warns Google To Change Or Face Fines (reuters.com)

bonch writes: Europe's top antitrust regulator has issued an ultimatum, giving Google weeks to propose changes or face formal charges of antitrust abuse. Google is under investigation for allegedly promoting its services over competitors in search results. Google issued a statement disagreeing with the EU commission's conclusions, stating that 'innovation online has never been greater.'

Comment Re:Scanning versus storage (Score 1, Interesting) 295

I don't know...I don't think freedom of travel and freedom from unreasonable search is being violated, as you're not being barred from travelling and you're not being searched. And I don't necessarily believe the legality of something changes simply because technology can do what humans can't. That argument of scale is the same argument the RIAA makes to differentiate P2P technology and 80s tape-trading.

I mean, I'd prefer not to be scanned, but I just don't feel like my rights are being violated if it's known that I'm driving down the freeway, after having driven through who knows how many security cameras at intersections and shown my photo ID who knows how many times just to buy beer and M-rated videogames. I'm usually an anti-government surveillance guy, but I don't feel as if I'm giving up more information than I usually do.

Not saying you're wrong or trying to argue with you. I agree with you that the storage is the real issue here, and I think two years is too long. The scanning itself just doesn't bother me for some reason. But it's possible other posters will make convincing arguments that could change my mind.

Comment Scanning versus storage (Score 1, Insightful) 295

The two-year storage is really the only part that bothers me. But the actual scanning doesn't, for some reason. I guess because people see my license plate every day anyway. It's a pretty public thing already, and it's government-issued so the only data being collected that they don't already have is my location, but again, any driver on the freeway can already see me. I don't know; usually I'm against most kinds of data harvesting, but for some reason this doesn't bug me as much. I guess because driving in your vehicle is such a publicly identifiable thing anyway, and it is on government property.

Google

Submission + - Google Search Adds Knowledge Graph (informationweek.com)

bonch writes: Google has augmented its search engine with Knowledge Graph, which presents a set of facts related to a search query. For instance, searching for a historical figure would display biographical information from Wikipedia in a sidebar, or searching for a location could display maps and population data. Though it could mean less traffic for third-party sites, the feature is intended to turn Google's search engine into an answer engine.

Comment Re:It's not a "right" (Score 5, Insightful) 105

Management doesn't know shit. Taking short breaks isn't slacking off, and studies have shown that such breaks improve worker productivity.

Management's problem is that it sees everything through a veil of pie charts and graphs, and if someone spends five minutes looking at pictures of their kids on Facebook, it must mean 0.2058% less revenue. Gotta fret over those graphs and spreadsheets.

Also, yeeeaah, can you come in on Sunday, too? We lost some people and need to catch up. Thaaaanks.

Comment Work 'em 'til their dead (Score 4, Informative) 105

Yes, heaven forbid your employees take 10 minutes off from their monotonous cubicle hellholes to communicate a little with friends and family. It's not like studies have shown that more worker breaks increase productivity or anything. Henry Ford actually told his workers to work less because they got more done.

Technology

Submission + - Diesel-Like Engine Could Boost Fuel Economy By Half (technologyreview.com) 1

bonch writes: Autoparts manufacturer Delphi has developed a diesel-like ignition engine running on gasoline, providing a potential 50 percent efficiency improvement over existing gas-powered engines. Engineers have long sought to run diesel-like engines on gasoline for its higher efficiency and low emissions. Delphi's engine, using a technique called gasoline-direct-injection compression ignition, could rival the performance of hybrid automobiles at a cheaper cost.
Google

Submission + - YouTube Phases Out The +1 Button (thenextweb.com)

bonch writes: In an attempt to bring more content to the struggling social network, Google has announced it will be phasing out the +1 button on YouTube in favor of a Google+ Share link. Previously, the +1 button behaved similarly to Facebook's "Like" as a lightweight method of marking content you found interesting without embedding it directly in your stream. The new Google+ Share button will instead embed the content in your stream for followers to view and comment on.
Firefox

Submission + - Firefox Gets A Reset Button (cnet.com)

bonch writes: Firefox 13 beta has added a "Reset Firefox" button that migrates bookmarks, cookies, and other data to a new profile while deleting the old one. Add-ons and tabs do not survive the transition, though they may be supported in a future update. The feature is intended to avoid complicated troubleshooting steps and allow users to start over with a fresh installation of Firefox simply by visiting the Help menu.

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