Could have been worse -- could have been a distribution list Could have been even worse -- could have been a distribution list with even a single BT email address on it. Keep 'em coming. (What are the chances he's a contractor working on BT's email system)?

Why does this mean ISIS isn't using such an app? Perhaps other screenshots were inserted because they hadn't actually seen or been able to take screenshots of the app? That happens all the time in reports of actual apps, why not for an app that's probably very hard to locate. Note, too, with Enterprise developer licenses the app could be privately distributed; isn't that how it'd be done?

I only had time to skim, but the need to be hear the top is overpowering because of the obvious relevance. What's the scale in these pictures? I know microbes make macro-sized imprints, but certainly the parallels being proposed require some sort of scale? E.g. if the martian structures are hundreds of miles across they are not the same scale, and so are less likely to be from the same cause. Not that I disbelieve, but skepticism in science leads to truer truths.

I think you're almost to the actual point -- they never finish what they start. You can be ahead of the curve, it just means your at the slow part of the ramp, but that doesn't mean you stop. It's a bit different, but if you think they're ahead of the curve (and I'm not sure I agree they are), they kill products because they haven't received a lot of market penetration. If with things like a lot of the software platorms they actual did more than (what I call) middle-third engineering, and did the last-third, perhaps it'd catch on more. Google Glass' issue wasn't it was so far ahead, it's just never been "correctly adjusted" to catch on yet. Despite the cool-factor there's no killer app for it. Apple does this, too, a bit far out, but they get buy in through partners and one or more killer apps for it, *including* third parties. The last bit is key, and they learned the hard way, but it's there now, even with unbelievably difficult industries like Apple Pay (which IM[Never]HO is much easier than the Record Labels must have been; bring on the Apple Pay lawsuits, too -- but as more evidence there wont be, at least not all that substantial).

What's do you think is going on since the transition to Ballmer that's making it seemingly (much) harder for Microsoft to regain, never mind keep it's momentum? (Note: momentum is more than innovation, it's generically "industry torque").

In short, Apple doesn't need Nokia. Nokia has reinvented itself many times since it made shoes and tires, and it's WELL OVERDUE to do that again. The problem is cell phones are effectively all it does, and it's tragically lacking innovation there (FWIW, I worked for Nokia, and made detailed suggestions over ten years ago about more storage, touch screens, and more battery life, and there was repeated immediate dismissal over how impossible it would be). The sad part is Nokia went to Microsoft rather than it's dedicated developers to find that innovation. Microsoft will even help kill Nokia partly because Nokia doesn't seem to know what to do, and mostly because they forgot Balmer doesn't care about Nokia any more than it can work as a stepping stone for Microsoft to "get back on top." Yes, buying Nokia would give Microsoft one less out for Windows, but sadly for Nokia (and to be fair, IMNSHO) Microsoft's overwhelming priority is to do its own work for Windows 8 after getting Nokia to abandoning [small] teams of [highly] devoted Symbian developers as part of the fallout in committing to The Balmer; proof.

I hope we develop some predators for these guys, or once one gets out they'll take over the world...