Apple reports on U.S. data demands, claims privacy is paramount

Apple on Tuesday provided a report on how much data on users governments have demanded from the company, and sought to set itself apart from Silicon Valley competitors whose businesses are built on amassing personal data. Apple fielded requests from U.S. law enforcement agencies for details on between 2,000 and 3,000 accounts in the first half of this year, the company said. The requests generally sought items such as personal information on customers, email, photographs stored in iCloud and other such data stored online, according to Apple. U.S. regulations prohibit Apple from disclosing information in increments finer than 1,000 and it isn't allowed to say what percentage of those requests it rejected or fulfilled. In making its disclosure, Apple noted that it doesn't have a lot to benefit from collecting and storing vast amounts of information on users. "Perhaps most important, our business does not depend on collecting personal data," the company said. "We have no interest in amassing personal information about our customers. We protect personal conversations by providing end-to-end encryption over iMessage and FaceTime. We do not store location data, Maps searches, or Siri requests in any identifiable form." The statement could be seen as something of a swipe at competitors like Google and Facebook, which are increasingly competing to make money from information their customers share via their services, from search requests to social media postings. In publishing the figures, Apple became the latest major U.S. technology company to provide a partial look at the previously dark world of law enforcement requests for user data. The issue has come to the forefront in recent months after documents leaked by former U.S. government contractor Edward Snowden apparently showed U.S. agencies enjoyed deep access into data collected by providers of Internet services. Apple sought to split the requests into those targeting accounts and those targeting devices like iPhones, iPads and MacBooks. It fielded 3,542 requests seeking information on 8,605 specific devices. Most of those requests were in relation to investigations on lost or stolen devices and didn't target user information. "We believe it is important to differentiate these categories and report them individually. Device requests and account requests involve very different types of data. Many of the device requests we receive are initiated by our own customers working together with law enforcement. Device requests never include national security-related requests." One of the most interesting revelations was contained in the final footnote to the document: "Apple has never received an order under Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act. We would expect to challenge such an order if served on us." download pdf converter software for download windows media player classic full version download space invaders for windows 7 download battlefield 2 1.4 patch download ways to speed up utorrent download asus ai recovery burner download adobe reader 9 kappa.ro download lock my pc 4.7 download uc browser for blackberry curve 9360

Siri chief now building connected device platform at Samsung

The engineer who oversaw development of Apple's Siri technology is now at Samsung building an online service for linking together the "Internet of things." Luc Julia, a vice president at Samsung's innovation lab in Menlo Park, Calif., demonstrated the project, called SAMI, or the Samsung Architecture for Multimodal Interactions, at a conference north of San Francisco on Friday. Still in its early stages, SAMI aims to be a platform that can collect data from any connected device, including wearable computers like the Fitbit, and make that data available for consumption by other devices. It's designed for use by companies that make wearable computers, home automation equipment and automobiles, as a common platform they can use to build additional services for their customers. To demonstrate the service, Julia showed how SAMI might be used to build a personal health service. He donned a Fitbit and a wearable heart monitor, weighed himself on an Internet-connected scale, then ran around the stage a few times by way of putting himself through an exercise routine. He showed how data from the devices, which is normally viewed in standalone apps, can be collected by SAMI, processed, and then presented to the user in the form of a single app. In Siri-like fashion, he also asked the service, "SAMI, how am I doing?" The app told him he had reached his exercise goal for the day. The idea is that it could do more sophisticated analysis, such as telling him when he needs to train harder or take a break. Julia showed the technology at the MEMS Executive Congress in Napa, California, an event for companies that make sensors for smartphones and other devices. A big benefit of SAMI, according to Julia, is that it will be able to collect and store data from any device in its original format. Samsung will "normalize" the data and make it available as a feed -- he called it a firehose, using the Twitter metaphor -- that can be consumed by other applications. "We're doing this normalization and delivering the data through an API [application programming interface], because people don't want to learn all the APIs for all the individual products," he said. Julia was director of Apple's Siri project for about 10 months until he left Apple last year. It's easy to see similarities between the projects: Both collect data from a variety of services and deliver them through a single app. But while Siri is specific to Apple, Samsung wants its platform to be used by many companies. Julia didn't give a lot of technical details but said Samsung wants it to be as "open" as possible, and it's not interested in defining standards. download acer aspire one windows xp version download messenger for mac 8.0 download mortgage calculator for website download chromium os install hard drive download soluto anti frustration software download oracle virtualbox guest additions iso download vacation rental property management software download the magical christmas cat download visual foxpro 9 service pack 1 download hdd low level format tool 4.25 serial key

Let's put a brake on the real snoopers

Just how much control do individual Internet users have over the personal data collected by the big tech companies? The hand-wringing over government snooping has been warranted, but this is the question that should really concern us. You see, while most people object to mass surveillance by the National Security Agency in the U.S. and the Government Communications Headquarters in the U.K. as a step toward some dystopian police state, we do at least get to vote for the governments that control that state. Yet when it comes to the big tech companies, we have no control at all. Why do these huge unregulated corporations have access to so much information about us, and why do we have little or no oversight or control of the information they hold? Just look at Facebook's clumsy and incomprehensible privacy tools for a sense of just how little attention is given to providing individuals with such control. What is known? Think about the things you don't know about the data the corporations hold about you: * How much -- really -- of your personal data is held by big tech outfits such as Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Google? * What format is it collated in? *Just how much visibility into your personal life is contained within this data? * What kind of conclusions about you can be drawn from big data analytics based on that data? * How anonymous is "anonymized"? * Now that you have become the product, why are you unable to set your own price? You can assume that your age, height, sex and nationality are known. And it's likely that in some cases your place of birth, elements of your ancestry and even the name of your first pet are known. Introduce the data held by retailers (Amazon, WalMart, Tesco, et al.), and even your shopping habits are known. Mobile providers know where you've been lately and where you are right now and may even be able to see where you are going. So why can't users see this data? Why don't we have control? All this information exists. That's the root of the anger felt at the unwarranted and uncontrolled surveillance habits of the big nations. We feel a sense of being violated, because we were never given a choice. What makes it worse is that we have no idea just how much data the state holds, because we don't know how much information the big tech companies actually possess. We can't check it for accuracy; we can't edit it for privacy. We have lost control of our personal information, ceding it in exchange for convenience to corporations that have proved themselves unable to keep that data safe. It's time to take the power back. download plants vs zombies ios differences download easy cd creator 5 full version download bb multi unlocker key v15.0 download avira antivirus premium 2012 with key download the guardian season 2 download chrome os install from usb download photofunia for blackberry 9300 download winzip per windows vista download microsoft sql server 2008 command line utilities download java 2 software development kit mac

Why smartphone food photos look horrible

Martha Stewart wants to show you horrible pictures of nauseating-looking food for some reason. I find this personally vexing. Why? Because I've always held up the Martha Stewart "brand" as the gold standard in beautiful food photography. Stewart's books and website show fantastically lit and photographed food shots like these, and they've done so for years. My wife is a food writer and I'm her "staff photographer." I've always looked to Stewart for ideas in how to light and present my own food photography. So why is Martha Stewart taking and posting pictures like this and this on Twitter? Stewart's food photos on Twitter are so bad that one became an Internet meme recently. But I've discovered that she's not alone. Another food diva, Nigella Lawson, is having her own struggle on Twitter, with food pictures like these. I find it astonishing that two brilliant women whose reputations depend in large part on their images vis-a-vis food would post such horrible-looking pictures. These TV chefs aren't alone. In fact, it's astonishing how bad some online food photos are, given the incredible tools most smartphone users have at their disposal. The recent Thanksgiving holiday sent a torrent of unappealing pictures through the social networks. I see a lot of people complaining about food pictures, with some getting really upset about it. I wondered if opposition was to the concept of food photos -- too trivial to merit attention -- or about the quality of those pictures. So I took a (spectacularly unscientific) poll on my Google+ page. The results, which you can see here, show that most people either like food photos in general or (with the highest response) only like the good ones and don't like the bad ones. So let's share only good food photos. Because most people really do want to see them. Here are my tips for taking better food photos for sharing on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest and elsewhere. Let's start by addressing Martha Stewart's problem: She uses a flash in dark rooms. The key to great food photography with smartphones -- the key to all great photography -- is to remember that you can't take pictures of people and things. You can only take pictures of the light that reflects off of them. Amateur photographers tend to focus on what they see in their minds, rather than what they see in their eyes and through their cameras. When you're in a dimly lit restaurant, your amazing eyes and incredible brain can appreciate the beauty of well-presented food. However, your camera may be unable to convey to others what you think saw in person. If you don't use a flash, the pictures can have almost no color. Even if you enhance the brightness later, it probably won't look good. download uc browser for blackberry 9780 download speed dial extension google chrome download hex editor para android download dog whistle for phone download sleep timer for android download exuberant ctags for windows download advanced calculator for android download when love and hate collide mp3 download able repair manual for fork lifts download sony vaio media gallery

Apple now using iBeacon to know where shoppers are in its stores

Apple is taking a closer look at shoppers in its retail stores, under a new program that will push product-related information to their mobile devices using its iBeacon trackers. All 254 of the company's U.S. stores now employ Apple's iBeacon location services technology, Apple confirmed Friday. The iBeacon software was included in Apple's recent iOS 7 update for mobile devices like the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Compatible iBeacon hardware has since been installed throughout Apple's stores, anywhere from the front entrance to a product table sporting the latest iPads, from which it communicates with the software. New iBeacon integration for the Apple Store app, as pictured on Dec. 6, 2013. The integration marks Apple's large-scale entrance into the hot, emerging known location- or place-based marketing field. Over the past year or so a range of smaller startups have sprung up offering services designed to gather more information about shoppers in stores to serve them hyper-targeted deals or other product information. The idea is to improve brick-and-mortar stores' ability to compete against e-commerce giants like Amazon, which already know plenty about their users' digital shopping habits. The Apple rollout affects everyone who has the Apple Store app installed on their iOS device. Bluetooth has to be enabled on the device, because that's the underlying technology powering iBeacon. Users also have to give the app permission for the iBeacon technology to work. Once they do, they could start receiving several different types of notifications as they walk through Apple's stores. Some of the technology's features are designed to give people additional information about certain products as they walk past them. So if shoppers are standing near the latest iPhones a notification might pop up on their phone to let them know they're eligible for an upgrade. At the accessories table, the iBeacon technology could also let people use their iOS devices to learn more about certain products. If the person was shopping online from home and chose to pick up the item in the store, the app could also tell them that the particular product is ready when they walk inside. More product discovery features are likely on the way. Although some people might have come to accept it online, others might find the thought of being tracked in physical stores a bit creepy. Earlier this year Nordstrom had to suspend a Wi-Fi-based tracking program after consumers learned what the store was up to. But Apple does not store any personal information through iBeacon, a spokesman said. The technology is designed to only work one way, from the hardware to the phone. The hardware component emits a signal and the phone recognizes it, but nothing is sent back to the hardware, the spokesman said. download home depot open hours download twitter gadget for windows 7 download picture man of steel download iphone 5 simulator for windows 7 download the newest version of msn messanger download algo mas la quinta estacion download any video converter 2012 free download 69 429 boss mustang download flash player for android 3 0 download starbucks 3 region blend

Apple seeks to bar key Samsung execs from licensing talks

Apple is seeking to bar Samsung Electronics executives with knowledge of leaked confidential information from negotiating any mobile device licenses for the South Korean company for the next two years. The iPhone maker is also asking the court to bar Samsung from seeking an injunction in another patent dispute between the two companies that is currently before the court in California, because of its "unclean hands." That case comes up for trial next year. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose division, is considering sanctions against Samsung and its lawyers because of concerns that the company's external counsel may have shared confidential information from Apple with Samsung, including information on Apple's patent licensing agreements with Nokia, Ericsson, Sharp and Philips, which were marked for viewing by the attorneys alone. The issue came up after testimony in June from Nokia's chief intellectual property officer, Paul Melin, that Samsung executive Seungho Ahn told him at a license negotiation meeting that he knew the terms of Nokia's licensing agreement with Apple, and went on to recite the terms of the license to prove his point. On further investigation, it was found that key terms of the four patent license agreements were contained in a draft expert report on damages that was forwarded to Samsung without redaction, according to court records. Apple had provided the information to Samsung's law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan during the discovery phase of the lawsuit, in which Apple was awarded damages of $1.05 billion against Samsung last year. The damages were whittled down to about $930 million in a retrial last month, after the judge asked a new jury to recalculate a part of the damages. Samsung's outside counsel posted the expert report on an FTP (file transfer protocol) site where it was accessible by some Samsung staff including licensing executives, according to court records. In a filing late Monday, Apple has asked the court to prohibit Ahn and other Samsung executives who improperly obtained the confidential business information; including those responsible for licensing or managing Samsung's litigation with Apple, from negotiating any mobile device licenses for Samsung for the next two years. Apple also wants the court to prohibit Quinn Emanuel from executing any new protective orders under which it would receive Apple confidential information for a period of two years. The company said it was not, however, seeking Quinn Emanuel's disqualification from the two lawsuits between Samsung and Apple in the California court, because they are at an advanced stage. Apple is also asking the court to reprimand both Samsung and Quinn Emanuel, and to order both to inform the parties in their ongoing court cases that have protective orders about the breaches. download mobile usb modem 1.0 treiber samsung s5230 download dell bios master password generator 595b download serial number usb disk security 5 3 0 20 download unable to itunes store on your computer download verizon lg vx 3300 ringer tones download microsoft net framework 3 64 bit download adobe flash player 10 fur linux download panda antivirus pro 2010 for windows 7 download .net framework 2.0 sp2 for xp download cheats in plants vs zombies in ipod

Balky browsers tick off tablet owners

Browser problems are the most common complaints of iPad Air and Fire HDX tablet owners, an online community of troubleshooters said Friday. San Mateo, Calif.-based Fixya mined 10,000 user-generated reports related to Apple's iPad Air and Retina-equipped iPad Mini, Amazon's Fire HDX and Microsoft's Surface 2, the second-generation tablet that replaced the poorly-received Surface RT of 2012, to come up with its conclusions. Browser gripes topped the charts of the iPad Air and the 8.9-in. Fire HDX, said Fixya, while the surfing app tied for second on the iPad Mini's top-five-beef list. Nearly a third -- 30% -- of the reported problems with the Air and 25% of those with the Fire stemmed from the tablets' bundled browsers, Safari and Silk, respectively. On the Retina iPad Mini, 20% of complaints targeted Safari, the same percentage as aimed ire at the paucity of storage space on the least expensive model. "A relatively common issue with mobile Apple devices, especially those using Safari -- the browser that comes pre-packaged with the device -- is a crashing browser," said Fixya. "Users report that opening certain Web pages (most likely those that use [Adobe's] Flash [Player]) and opening multiple tabs on the browser can cause the browser to crash and kicks users onto the home [screen]." Famously, Apple has never supported Flash Player on iOS, the mobile operating system that drives the iPad. Before his death, co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs was adamant about banning Flash, going as far as to publicly trash the media software in a 2010 diatribe. But Safari on iOS is not supposed to crash when it encounters a website that calls on the Adobe software. Fire HDX owners pummeled Silk with similar laments. "Silk ... has a variety of issues, most notably choppy performance and tendency to crash," Fixya noted. Only the Surface 2 escaped owners' disgust with their device's mobile browser. Microsoft's Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) is bundled with Windows RT 8.1, the OS that powers the tablet. Instead, Microsoft customers tapped a shortage of quality apps as their No. 1 complaint, with 25% of the reports focused on the issue. Users' gripes matched those of analysts who have cited the app issue as the platform's weakest link since long before Microsoft started selling Windows 8. Fixya recommended that iPad and Fire HDX owners regularly clear their browser's history and delete cookies to keep Safari or Silk as stable as possible. But it had no answer for the Surface 2's app problem. "App support is an issue with the device that ... users can't fix on their own," Fixya pointed out. Fixya's report is available from the firm's website. download pc monitor configuration manager download yahoo mail checker 1.6 download winrar password recovery 1 1 download cheats for plants vs zombies for the ipod download flash player on filehippo download free video converter software for mobile download software like spybot search and destroy download acer aspire one kav60 recovery disk download aoa audio extractor platinum crack download autodesk 3ds max 2009 software

Can Google+ dethrone Facebook?

What does it take to fell an online giant? That has to be what Google has been asking itself about social networking rival Facebook. On Tuesday, months of speculation about whether Google has been working on its own social network were put to rest when the company revealed the Google+ project. The new service, which mirrors Facebook to a good extent, enables users to post status updates, upload pictures and share links -- just like people do on Facebook. It could also appeal to enterprise users. The big question is whether Google can sing a sweet enough siren's song to lure users, who tend to be creatures of habit, away from the world's largest social network. "There's no doubt this is going to be an uphill climb for Google," said Brad Shimmin, an analyst with CurrentAnalysis. "Google has been very good at responding to what consumers want in the market place. But Google does have a ways to go." Actually, since Google is starting from square one, it has a really long way to go. Last summer, Facebook announced that the social network had half a billion users worldwide, making it easily the largest social network in the world. The company hasn't released a more recent update, but various sources say the number of Facebook users is now close to 750 million users. And now the company, which has six people on Forbes' billionaires list, is used by the FBI in the hunt for fugitives and serves as a lifeline for people struggling through a tsunami, tornadoes and other disasters. That's not to mention the hundreds of millions of people who take to Facebook simply to tell friends and family about their latest trip to the beach, upload videos of their sleeping cats or pictures of their kids in Halloween costumes. Because Facebook has become the go-to social networking site, it may be difficult for Google to convince people to add yet another social network to their list of sites to check every day -- or toss Facebook aside entirely for Google+. One hurdle: Who will go with Google+ when not many people are using it yet? Social networks aren't much fun when you're nearly alone. "I think it's a long shot," said Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research. "It's not so much that people's time is totally occupied by Facebook. There's always some attrition. It's just that getting the organic growth that any new social network requires is going to be very difficult.... How do you gather a critical mass without being the first one there all by yourself?" The good news for Google is that Myspace was once top dog in what was then the brand-new social networking sphere. Then Facebook came along and toppled it, leaving behind an online has-been. "Google has a shot, but only because they're Google and have a lot of market power," said Dan Olds, an analyst with The Gabriel Consulting Group. "They can't be counted out. But it's going to be very difficult and they're going to need some luck. Facebook is massive and very well established and Google hasn't had to fight from behind for a long time. Can they still do it?" Olds also suspects Facebook won't make it easy for users to move seamlessly between the two social networks. That won't help Google's cause, but will shore up some users for Facebook. "Do people have enough time for another social network?" asked Olds. "We'll see, I guess. But it seems if anyone could take on Facebook, it would be Google." download ez dj plus software download kodak easyshare software kostenlos download forever 21 zebra dress download k lite mega codec pack rar download plants vs zombies completo y gratis jugar download autodesk 3ds max 2011 download java runtime environment 64 bit download office depot kindle paperwhite download vlc media player win7 download youtube er hindi video songs

Privacy experts praise Google+ rollout so far

After major privacy failures in its Buzz and Street View services, Google has hit the right notes with its deliberate, measured roll out of its new Google+ social networking site, according to privacy experts. By making Google+ available to a very limited set of initial testers, Google is showing that it learned its lesson from the privacy fiasco that followed the sudden, widespread launch of its Twitter-like Buzz service, which earned the company boos and lawsuits from end users, and investigations and fines from government agencies for unilaterally and publicly disclosing previously hidden Gmail connections. The conservative approach to Google+'s availability is allowing Google to gather valuable feedback and patch bugs, including privacy holes, before making the site available to a mass audience, when glitches would have exponential consequences, experts said in e-mail interviews. It is a welcome sign from a company that has also caught heat from privacy advocates and government watchdogs due to its now ended but years-long, unintended capture of e-mails, passwords and Web traffic from unprotected WiFi networks by the cars that take its Street View maps photos. "I think it is very smart of Google to restrict Plus to a 'limited field trial' -- they aren't even calling it a beta. Google made a misstep with the roll out of Buzz. They've already avoided that mistake with Plus with this limited release. And because it's so exclusive, tech savvy individuals are fighting to get in -- just the type of folks that you want as beta testers," said Sean Sullivan, an F-Secure security adviser. "Clearly there are some bugs to be fixed. I think Google will do so quickly," he added. John Simpson, a consumer advocate at Consumer Watchdog, echoed the opinion. "It's difficult to analyze Google+'s features because I do not have access to the project [but] if they are sincerely attempting to solve issues before opening it up to the general public, that's a good thing. Perhaps Google executives have learned something from their past blunders," he said. Peter Eckersley, a senior staff technologist for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. said Google has shown that it understands the value of being "loud and clear" about stamping out privacy bugs in its user interfaces with a limited launch period. "We'll have to see what Plus looks like in a few months time in order to give it a fully critical privacy review," Eckersley said. In the meantime, it's important for people to understand that, even if Google+ delivers on all of its privacy-protection features, there are areas that aren't covered by it or by any other social networking service, he said. download acer aspire one bios corrupt download aqui estoy calibre 50 mp3 download temple run for blackberry tablet download from my computer to a device download google calendar sync 0.9.4.1 download original oregon trail for mac download locksmith the green box download cool effects for photoscape download adobe flex builder 3 trial download usb disk security 6 1 0 432 key gen

At first birthday, has Google+ found its niche?

Google launched its own social network a year ago Thursday. While it's a distant competitor to the world's top social network, Facebook, Google+ is finding its own niche by becoming the hub for all things Google. "Google+ is at the heart of our efforts to create a simpler, more intuitive experience for all Google users," said Vic Gundotra, Google's senior vice president of engineering, during the morning keynote at the Google I/O developer conference Wednesday. "We want to present you with one seamless experience and not a bunch of disconnected products." While Google+ reached its birthday on Thursday, there was very little mention of the social network and not one single mention of its milestone during the morning keynote at Google I/O that day. However, on Wednesday, the first day of Google I/O, the company's developer conference, Google announced a Google+ version for Android tablets and one coming for the Apple iPad, as well. Google+ also got an Events feature, which is tied into Google calendar. Gundotra told the Google I/O conference audience that the social network now has 150 million active monthly users and about 75 million daily users. Those numbers still leave Google+ well behind its main rival, Facebook, which has approximately 800 million users worldwide. But that's not the whole story for Google+, according to Patrick Moorhead, an analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy. "As a standalone social network, Google+ isn't close to comparing to Facebook or Twitter, but that's not necessarily the point of it," said Moorhead. "Google+ is the home base for all things that connect Google. It's the glue that holds it together. But for numbers, it is more like RC Cola, not Pepsi, as it relates to competing with Coke." And that fits in with what Larry Page, Google co-founder and CEO, said last October. Page, speaking during the company's third-quarter earnings call, said he plans to use Google+ to change the experience users have while using Google. Google announces social sharing done right Has Google done enough to keep Android phones up-to-date? Google sharpening Analytics' tracking of mobile applications Chrome for iOS snatches top spot on App Store At first birthday, has Google+ found its niche? Google gives Google Docs offline capabilities Google touts Chrome browser in demo of Cirque virtual 3D Web site Lack of features could hamper Nexus 7's market entry, say analysts, users Google launches Chromebook retail push via Best Buy Google touts release of 'Safari-ized' Chrome for iPhone, iPad download lego digital designer 4.2 download breakthrough strategies for predicting any market download plants vs zombies crack chomikuj download mp3 to ringtone gold with key download plants vs zombies for pc crack download magic dvd ripper 5.4 full download gimp 2 8 pl download of plant vs zombies 2 full version download trace mobile number location download flash player 9 on mac

In Google+ hangout, astronauts talk tech, Isaac Newton and Twitter

Astronauts onboard the International Space Station didn't panic when their communication link to the ground was cut off this week. That's the word from members of the space station crew who took questions Friday during a Google+ hangout . They also talked about why they use Twitter, what scientist they'd like to bring into space and what inspires them. NASA astronauts on board the International Space Station took questions today during a Google+ hangout. It was the first Google+ hangout with astronauts living on the space station. "I don't think anybody tries to use technology to push back the edge of human experience more than we do," said Chris Hadfield, a Canadian astronaut working as an engineer on the space station. "We try to improve our understanding as a species. We're leaving Earth. It's too good an experience not to share. With the technology we have, we can real-time communicate with just about anybody on Earth who has a computer or an iPhone." Hadfield said he uses Twitter to share his everyday experiences in space. "It's a great way to communicate the thoughts and emotions we're having," Hadfield said during the hangout. "As far as being a media star, this is a really rare human experience and we know how lucky we are to be here." The Google+ hangout function supports face-to-face online chats for as many as 10 people, though thousands can watch the chats live on Google+ or YouTube. People participating in the space station hangout asked the astronauts questions, and others submitted video questions via YouTube, using the hashtag #askAstro. This is Google's second high-profile hangout in just a week. Late last week, President Obama hosted a hangout, taking questions about gun violence, math and science, and making computer programming a required high school course. During Friday's hangout, Hadfield was asked a question about this week's communications failure and how it affected the people onboard the space station. On Wednesday, NASA engineers were upgrading the space station's command and control software when communications collapsed as they made the transition from the main computer to a backup system. When the orbiter flew over Russian ground stations, NASA was able to use the stations' antennas to connect with the crew and tell them to connect another computer to restore communications. NASA lost contact with the space station for nearly three hours. Hadfield, said the astronauts -- orbiting 250 miles above the Earth - didn't panic. "We trained for many, many years and we've been together as a crew for a while," he noted." We're ready for many things. We worked together as a crew following the procedures as to what to do. The people on the ground were scrambling and working hard.... It wasn't panic. We were working together as a team. It's just things that happen in space." Kevin Ford, a NASA astronaut and space station commander, fielded a question about what students should study if they want to become astronauts or work in the aeronautics field. "It's almost overwhelming all the choices that are offered to you," he said. "I love math, and I love physics. And I had very enthusiastic teachers.... We have a life support system onboard that is very chemistry-intensive. We talk chemistry every day. We use math every day. It's a lot of complicated science to make this all work." Ford added that students should take all the classes they can. "You might need them all if you end up in the space business," he said. Ford also noted that the first thing that inspired him to become an astronaut was reading the book Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys, written by Michael Collins, who was on the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. "I really just fell in love with that profession because of that book," he said. "What he did, the trip he took to the moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, that really started it all off for me." So which scientist would the astronauts like to take into space with them? For flight engineer Tom Marshburn, the answer was simple: physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton. "We see what he could only imagine," said Marshburn said. "It's really hard to believe that he could imagine these things, and it would be great if he could see it." download flash player para internet explorer download unreal tournament 2004 full game mac download vlc media player for nokia c5 download new version of msn messenger 7.0 download nasa image of the day download internet flash player for internet explorer 8 download content from usenet news servers download mp3 go go govinda song download crack for any video converter ultimate download trend micro worry business security advanced

Apple iPad gets dedicated Google+ app with Hangouts

Google this week pushed out a dedicated Google+ app for the Apple iPad. With the free app, which was designed specifically for the popular tablet computer, users can access and make changes to their Google+ update streams, profiles, friends Circles and account settings. It also lets people make comments, expand and reshare posts, and upload photos and videos directly from their iPads. Before the new app was available, iPad users had to use the Google+ iPhone app on their tablets. It worked, but it didn't take advantage of the expanded tablet features. They also could use a mobile version of Google+ in Apple's Safari browser, but that wasn't ideal either. One feature of the app that's getting a lot of attention is the ability to join a Google+ Hangout with a few friends or a group of users. Google also added the Hangout feature to its Google+ app for the iPhone. "There's nothing like catching up with friends face to face," wrote Bradley Horowitz, a Google vice president, in a blog post. "Now you can start a video chat with up to nine friends anywhere, anytime with Hangouts on iPhone and iPad." He added that to get started with a Hangout on an iPad or iPhone, users simply tap Hangout on the main menu, add friends and then tap Start. "We'll ring their phones (if you want), and if someone misses the hangout, they can ring you back with a single tap," wrote Horowitz. Also included in the Google+ app for the iPhone is a new feature called Events on Google+. The feature, which was announced late last month at the Google I/O developers conference in San Francisco, is designed to help users set up parties, reunions and other social functions. It includes tools for sending invitations and posting photos during and after the event. "Post a comment, upload a photo or check out who's going," wrote Horowitz. "Your past event invitations are saved with all the photos and posts shared by your friends, so you can relive the party anytime you want." Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for download pocket casts 4.1.8 apk download earlier version of gimp download cricket coach 2010 demo download msn messenger for iphone 4g download convert vista mail to mac mail download acer aspire one zg5 ssd upgrade download acer aspire one d270 mini laptop download usb disk security 6 0 0 126 setup download focus t25 nutrition guide download vaagai sooda vaa songs