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Only crazy people don't use Facebook?
Only crazy people don’t use Facebook?
Zoe Fox, writing at Mashable:
Employers may suspect that an applicant’s absence from the social network means the account is so full of offensive material that it had to be deleted.
But what if I deleted my Facebook account because my friends’ accounts were so full of offensive material? Regardless, I certainly don’t want to work for someone who makes psychological judgments about me 1) without a relevant degree or experience making such diagnoses and 2) without any significant interaction with me.
Today’s job market, unfortunately, may leave some people without a choice: create and maintain a net-positive Facebook account or risk being overlooked for an interview. Then again, one study does not scientific fact make. And there’s my generally positive Twitter presence, for what it’s worth.
Landing 2,000 Pounds of Patriotism on Mars
From the NASA press release:
The Seven Minutes of Terror has turned into the Seven Minutes of Triumph,” said NASA Associate Administrator for Science John Grunsfeld. “My immense joy in the success of this mission is matched only by overwhelming pride I feel for the women and men of the mission’s team.”
The feeling I had just reading about this at 1:30 a.m. is nothing compared to the joy of those working on this project. But it was definitely a strange but wonderful sense of personal triumph, like “I’m a human, and humans did this amazing thing, and that is awesome.”
I wish it didn’t look trite as I typed the words, but it’s true.
There was something stranger in that feeling, too, if no less wonderful: it was a sense of patriotism. I’m a patriotic person, despite harboring a certain cynicism about modern American politics. But my Curiosity Rover patriotism is a patriotism I rarely feel, and it’s what I always imagined people felt when we landed on the moon, and when they watched numerous other early launches by NASA.
Humanity will go farther, on Earth and in space, if well-meaning nations work together. But there is something so moving about watching a chronically underfunded national agency, whose importance to our past, present, and future is always underestimated, put almost two-thousand pounds of advanced technology on another planet.
And the best part? This is really just the beginning of the mission.
Apple's Secrets Revealed at Trial
Apple’s Secrets Revealed at Trial
Ian Sherr, writing for the Wall Street Journal:
In cross-examination, Mr. Forstall said Eddy Cue, now head of Apple’s Internet services efforts, had used a 7-inch Samsung tablet for a time, and sent an email to Chief Executive Tim Cook that he believed “there will be a 7-inch market and we should do one.”
While the rumor mill is still citing anonymous sources, this quote, for me, seals the deal. If Apple thinks there is a market (and at least one of its high-ranking executives does), and Apple thinks it can dominate that market (and they already dominate the ~10 inch tablet market), Apple will enter that market.
Does Cybercrime Really Cost $1 Trillion?
Does Cybercrime Really Cost $1 Trillion?
A spokeswoman for Senator Joe Lieberman, speaking to Peter Maass and Megha Rajagopalan of Mother Jones:
Senator Lieberman and his staff believe that McAfee, Symantec, and General Alexander are reputable sources of information about cybersecurity.
The evidence, in this case at least, would suggest otherwise, Mr. Senator.
Note: An earlier version of this post left out Megha Rajagopalan, a co-author of the cited ProPublica piece.
Don't believe the 'Apple invests in Twitter' hype
Don’t believe the ‘Apple invests in Twitter’ hype
In fact, an Apple investment in Twitter is painted as something Twitter can take or leave, but a partnership Apple desperately needs.
Tim Carmody makes a great point in this piece.
Geek preferences matter
We installed Firefox on every non-geek’s computer we could find. And while we were there, we set everyone’s search engine to Google instead of Yahoo or MSN, and we made fun of their AOL email addresses until they switched to Gmail. Our preferences matter.
I took this quote somewhat out of context and Marco Arment’s post about how Apple’s new OS X Mountain Lion handles third party app is worth reading.
I just particularly like the reminder that geeks, who sometimes feel marginalized, are often setting trends.
Apple TV: The Soon-To-Be #1 Gaming Console?
Apple TV: The Soon-To-Be #1 Gaming Console?
MG Siegler points out that, despite Apple CEO Tim Cook’s quiet mention of Apple TV, the little box Steve Jobs once called Apple’s hobby has sold more units than the best-selling Xbox 360 gaming console.
Not bad for a hobby.