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Summer is coming. The weather is finally starting to warm up after a long, cold, gray winter. As temperatures rise, kids and parents will begin to look for ways to stay cool, and one of the most favorite pastimes is taking a dip in the local public pool. There’s only…

Practically everything you have been told by the mainstream scientific community and the media about the alleged detriments of greenhouse gases, and particularly carbon dioxide, appears to be false, according to new data compiled by NASA’s Langley Research Center. As…

Call them mentally ill; call them creatively maladjusted or anything you want. There are some people who genuinely struggle and need help coping with issues in their psyche. We need a decent plan to help these people heal and to enable the ones who may never heal…

In an effort to deliver emergency organic food directly to the many victims of the super-tornado that recently struck Oklahoma City, the editor of Natural News is pledging $10,000 in food and cash donations to the victims of the Oklahoma City super tornado. This donation…

It’s almost here, folks. In less than a week – the wait is over. You’re almost there. Ready to marathon the new season of Arrested Development?

Netflix will unveil all 15 new episodes from season 4 on May 26th at 12:01 am PT. While you wait, enjoy this awesome supercut of 18 running gags from the first three seasons. “No touching,” questionable magic tricks, and “I’ve made a huge mistake,” – they’re all here.

And while you’re here, bask in the glory of the official season 4 trailer:

[via Slacktory]

NFL Team owners have voted to approve $200 million in NFL G-4 stadium financing that will help the Atlanta Falcons construct a brand new multi-purpose stadium.

Falcons Owner and Chairman Arthur Blank will put up most of the funding for the project, which could run upwards of $1 billion.

Blank hopes the Falcons will be in the new stadium by 2017.

Blank had this to say in a statement:

Today’s approval by the NFL team owners is an important milestone in moving the new stadium project forward. The consideration of G-4 financing for new stadiums requires thoughtful analysis on the part of the NFL Finance and Stadium Committees, including compliance requirements that protect the best interests of all owners and the league.

The NFL has supported new stadium construction through various means for decades. Our club owners understand that investments such as G-4 financing are important to the long-term strength of the league, and we thank them for their support.

We are pleased with the outcome of today’s vote, and we look forward to continued progress in designing and constructing the new multi-purpose stadium over the next four years. We, along with our City of Atlanta and State of Georgia partners, are excited to participate in a project that will benefit the city and state for many years to come.

Upon completion of the new stadium, the Georgia Dome will be torn down.

Whether in gambling or relationships, many people have the feeling that they just need to stick with their chosen course of action if they’ve already invested blood, sweat, and dollars in it. Would-be entrepreneurs are also taught to be persistent, a quality that is often highly praised by both fellows entrepreneurs and the press. Therefore it’s not surprising that entrepreneurs are subject to many of the same biases that cause people to persist with their investments, and don’t necessarily behave to always maximize outcomes when presented with lucrative new opportunities, a new study says.

The sunk cost fallacy is the nearly automatic psychology that causes you to stick with losing bets rather than jump ship. A strategy to combat this fallacy — mentally focusing on the potential gains of cutting and running rather than the losses — was outlined last week in The Atlantic. Persistence, an important quality in entrepreneurs, can also be amplified by self-justification or normative pressures to stick with in-progress endeavors, according to researchers at Oregon State and Utah State universities. They surveyed 135 (mostly male, middle-aged) high-tech entrepreneurs in the U.S. and found that the entrepreneurs don’t always pursue decisions that would maximize utility if it requires giving up a current business venture.

Like mere mortals, entrepreneurs are also motivated in their decision-making to maximize potential financial and non-financial benefits (value) given the likelihood of achieving those benefits (expectancy). Entrepreneurs also have a host of other factors to consider, like their past startup experience, the size of their current business, potential psychological, social, and financial switching costs, and whether starting a new business meshes with their personal principles of autonomy and risk-averseness, for example. When it comes to leaving their current business and starting a new one, however, it turns out that the way expectancy and value play into the decision isn’t straightforward.

Here’s how the survey worked, in the researchers’ own words:

“The participants were asked to rate the likelihood that they would pursue a series of hypothetical entrepreneurial opportunities. Each hypothetical opportunity was presented as a comparison with the participant’s current business across four criteria: value of financial returns, likelihood of finan­cial returns, value of non-financial benefits, and the likelihood of non-financial benefits”

To test the effects of expectancy and value on entrepreneurs’ persistence with their existing business, the researchers set different prior conditions: in some cases the entrepreneurs would have the resources to continue with their current business as well as start a new one, while in others they had to choose between staying with the old business or launching a new one. These two conditions resulted in unexpected behaviors.

If the potential value of the current business was higher than that of the alternative, or if probability of success was higher for the current than the alternative, entrepreneurs tended to discount potential highly successful or financially rewarding outcomes associated with the hypothetical new business venture. That is, expectancy and value weren’t simply additive factors that predicted whether entrepreneurs would spring for a new business opportunity.

There are a number of factors that could be at play here beyond just money. The researchers also looked at the size of the company (entrepreneurs were more likely to leave bigger firms) and past startup experience, which could help entrepreneurs better evaluate the market (over 80 percent of those surveyed had previous startups under their belt). Uncertainty (as opposed to risk) may also play a role, with entrepreneurs opting to stick with their existing venture where some amount of uncertainty may already have been eliminated.

Of course, an online survey is no match for the real world, where entrepreneurs would have much more information and time to guide their business decisions. But if entrepreneurs can self-diagnose and recognize tendencies for overconfidence, counterfactual thinking, and a drive to avoid uncertainty, they can potentially maximize their returns and generate some kickass businesses in the process.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• Flash analysis: the tech startup investment environment, Q3 2011
• GigaOM Research highs and lows from CES 2013
• How HR can make the case for workforce analytics

Today, the nation watched as the aftermath of the Moore, Oklahoma F5 tornado poured in. Stories continued as the day went on, and while prayers were said, and people worried for the victims, stories of inspiration presented themselves as well. Whether it was a victim being reunited with her dog, Kevin Durant donating $1 million to Red Cross, or first responders doing everything they could for the victims.

For 24 people at the Tinker Federal Credit Union in Moore, OK, they were able to find safety in a bank vault, as the building and everything around it was devastated. As you can see by the image below, the vault was able to stay grounded as 200+ MPH winds demolished the aluminum, wood, and everything else in the building around them.

Matt Stratton, vice president of marketing for TFCU, said this of reconstruction efforts for the credit union, “I feel certain we will build a new branch there. It’s been a very successful location for us, a very popular branch amongst our members.”

According to Stratton, employees of the credit union had homes destroyed in the tornado, and he said they’d work with them any way they could. The credit union manager was dedicated to his job as well, staying at the vault until it could be locked and secured.

[H/T Story & Image: Cutimes.com]

Is Jurassic Park 4 going to be a reboot of the classic 1994 film? Sam Neil, who played Dr. Alan Grant in the first and third installments, seems to think so.

“I’m told it’s a big reboot, a total re-jig,” he said in a lengthy interview with The Dominion Post.

Jurassic Park 4 has been in various stages of production for awhile. Back in 2011, we heard rumors that Steven Spielberg himself was holding meetings with possible screenwriters, last summer we heard that Rise of the Planet of the Apes writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver would helm the script. Then, in an interview with Collider, producer Frank Marshall hinted at a 2014 release date for the much-anticipated film.

“I would say that it will be on the screen within two years,” he said.

He also suggested that the film would be a true sequel, not a reboot.

“That’s what’s gonna be great about it, technology’s taken a leap now that we can really do some great things,” he said.

Then, earlier this month, we heard from Universal that the film would be delayed.

“In coordination with filmmakers, Universal has decided to release Jurassic Park 4 at a later date giving the studio and filmmakers adequate time to bring audiences the best possible version of the fourth installment in Universal’s beloved franchise,” said the studio.

We’ve also heard rumors that the film would take place at the location of the original blockbuster, Isla Nubar. Sounds about right for a reboot.

Reboot…sequel…reimagining…whatever the case, we’ll probably not see Jurassic Park 4 until 2015, at the earliest. While you wait, please enjoy some Goldblum.

We all know that the PC industry is in dire straits at the moment, which has naturally led to speculation that Microsoft could also soon find itself in big trouble. But while Microsoft’s struggles to establish itself in the mobile consumer device market are well-documented, the company still has an ace up its sleeve in the form of enterprise cloud services. Barron’s points us to a new note from UBS analyst Brent Thill, who makes the case that Microsoft cloud offerings such as Office 365 and SkyDrive have the potential to give the company a more predictable revenue stream and make the company more like IBM, which for years has raked in high earnings despite being out of the consumer electronics spotlight.

Continue reading…

A metaphysical mystery, small town, a dynamic group of interesting characters; it certainly sounds like a Stephen King novel. Like all of the great Stephen King books, the story will be adapted to a different media. With ‘Under the Dome’, it will be receiving the television treatment, coming to CBS in June. The series will be produced by Brian K. Vaughan, known for his work in comics with Y: The Last Man.

IGN released a new trailer, providing some more details of the feel of the show along with some of the characters that will be appearing.

If the premise seems familiar, it’s because the use of a dome over a small town was used in The Simpson’s Movie, as seen below.

Before you accuse Stephen King or the show for ripping off The Simpsons, you should know that the novel has been in the works well before The Simpsons movie. According to Stephen King in the interview below, he’s been stewing on the idea since the mid-70′s.

McDonald’s is guilty of a lot of things – maybe under-salting their fries every now and then, exposing children to clowns at an early age, and maybe ruining my diet. But are they guilty of causing a woman to lose her beautiful singing voice?

That’s just what 52-year-old Brooklyn resident Jacqueline Simpson alleges. She has filed a lawsuit claiming that her voice was ruined after she bit into a penny-sized shard of glass while eating a chicken sandwich. She says that the incident occurred in 2010 in a McDonald’s near the World Trade Center.

“Now when I sing, I have a hoarse, rattly voice,” Simpson told the NY Post. “I still sing alto, but I can’t sing soprano like I used to.”

Her case is currently with the Brooklyn Supreme Court.

“I have to make a lot of calls for work, and I have to tell people that I’m not a man. Before, that never happened.”

According to the FindLaw blog, food-related injuries are usually treated as a product liability claim. More specifically – strict liability.

Under the strict liability theory, this is because Mickey D’s a business that sells chicken sandwiches regularly; they should be held responsible if any product (or sandwich) leaving their facilities is defective. A piece of glass — the size of a penny, according to Simpson’s claim — would certainly be construed as defective

But there are a lot of questions about this lawsuit. Did Simpson swallow the glass? Is that how she claims it affected her singing voice? And the incident reportedly happened nearly three years ago – why wait so long? Is there physical (or medical) evidence?

McDonald’s and liability lawsuits – they seem to go together like, well, hash browns and a McMuffin.

Ingress, a sci-fi augmented reality game that incorporates some of the real world into its gameplay, received an update today from developer NianticLabs@Google. The update includes a couple features that users will probably find especially useful. The first of these improvements is a change to the Inventory carousel to display information like portal health and faction control. The second usability improvement is the addition of notifications for “Portal under attack,” “Portal neutralized,” and “@<codename>” messages.

Other changes in the latest update include support for Jarvis Virus and ADA Refactor objects and Recharge visual animation to go along with several bug fixes. If you are interested in trying out Ingress, you can grab the app using one of the download links below. Then you will need to receive an invite as the app is still in a closed beta stage.

Google Play Download Link

Come comment on this article: Ingress game gets update with new features

A three-judge panel has denied requests to release the photos and videos taken on the night Osama Bin Laden was killed. The District of Columbia Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals sided with the Obama Administration against a conservative watchdog group, Judicial Watch, that had been attempting to get the photos released.

The administration argued – and the court agreed – that the photos and video footage from that night should remain classified in the interests of the safety of Americans abroad. The administration expressed concern that if the photos became public, it would spark riots and other anti-American violence in certain parts of the world. The ruling, which was unanimous, held that the government’s reasons for classifying the photos Top Secret – and thus exempt from the Freedom of Information Act – were justified.

The raid that killed Bin Laden, for whom U.S. authorities had been searching for over ten years, was conducted by U.S. Navy SEALs in May 2011 in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The SEALs took several photos and video of the raid and its aftermath, including photos of Bin Laden’s body, partly so that the CIA could use facial recognition technology to confirm Bin Laden’s death.

 

It has been a few days since we had any new rumors about the Motorola X Phone, but the latest bit of news comes to us from the FCC. A filing for a Motorola XT1056 has been approved by the FCC with the capability of running on LTE Band 25. This appears to support a device headed to the Sprint network. The device will also support HSPA+ on 2100, 1900 and 850 MHz bands. The other information is similar to the XT1058 that surfaced recently with support for AT&T’s network, including NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 LE+EDR, and 802.11ac WiFi capabilities.

source: FCC
via: Engadget

Come comment on this article: FCC certification for Motorola XT1056 surfaces, appears headed to Sprint

With hectic schedules, it can be hard to keep track of everything in your news feed. That’s why we created the TalkAndroid Daily Dose. This is where we recap the day’s hottest stories so you can get yourself up to speed in quick fashion. Happy reading!!

Reviews

Bowling Paradise [Sports]

Apps

Flickr launches new Android app and hands out 1-terabyte of free storage

Webkit-powered Opera browser now available in the Play Store

Carriers

Three tri-band LTE devices announced by Sprint for this summer

Verizon and Samsung hosting Galaxy S 4 promotional event Thursday in New York City

Google

Student catches Google’s eye with 30-second cellphone charger

Hardware

Sandisk begins customer sampling of flash memory products based on 1Ynm process technology

NVIDIA shows off world’s most efficient CAT 4 LTE modem

Phones

Caterpillar launches incredibly durable Cat B15 Android phone in North America

Pictures of LG Optimus F3 released, expected to launch on Sprint in coming weeks

LG Optimus Pro G confirmed for May 30th ImaGination event in Macau

Verizon’s Samsung Galaxy S 4 bootloader hacked, boots custom recovery

Samsung Galaxy S 4 with stock Android to launch only in US

Samsung Galaxy S 4 Active outed yet again… this time shows its stuff on video

Samsung Galaxy Mega to drop in the UK sometime in July

Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile to offer Samsung Galaxy S 3 beginning in June

AnTuTu Benchmark score for Samsung Galaxy Note III surfaces

Tablets

Did the new and improved Nexus 7 make an appearance at Google I/O?

 

 

 

Come comment on this article: TalkAndroid Daily Dose for May 21, 2013

While a perfect game in the majors is pretty much always newsworthy, it’s rare that a non-professional player gets much attention for it. Sometimes, though, a pitcher manages to accomplish this rare feat in a way that makes the larger sports world sit up and take notice.

That’s just what happened when Michael Strem, senior at St. Francis School in Mountain View, California, threw the first perfect game in his school’s history. Throwing a perfect game – especially the first in your team’s history – is impressive enough. What’s really remarkable is that Strem did it with a mere 66 pitches. In seven innings of baseball, Strem faced 21 batters, which means that each batter saw, on average, just slightly more than three pitches. That makes it one of the most efficient perfect games you could ever hope to see.

Even more impressive, 48 of Strem’s 66 pitches were thrown for strikes, and only 18 were balls. He also recorded 8 strikeouts.

Strem’s gem turned out to be a major boon to his team, whose offense was a little slow. The game was tied 0-0 until the 6th inning, when St. Francis scored two runs on an infield single by Mark Cardinalli.

Thanks to Strem’s amazing pitching (and Cardinalli’s two-run single) St. Francis improved their record to 26-4 and advanced to the semifinal round of the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs.

Microsoft may not have focused on first-party exclusives or developers (or games, for that matter) the way Sony did in its PlayStation 4 announcement, but the company did trot what has become the biggest name in console gaming.. The first full-length trailer for Call of Duty: Ghosts was presented as the big finale for the announcement of the Xbox One.

Judging from the trailer, Call of Duty: Ghosts will be packed with all of the action Call of Duty fans are used to. Though no multiplayer gameplay was shown at the event, it’s a given that Infinity Ward has tweaked the combat in ways that will both delight and infuriate Call of Duty veterans.

Aside from the trailer itself, one of the big reveals of the Xbox One conference was that Call of Duty Ghosts will feature dog soldiers. Other new features include the ability to lean around corners and slide.

Anybody would be thankful to survive the massive tornado that recently wrecked areas of Oklahoma. The person, or deity, being thanked might be different though. CNN reporter Wolf Blitzer found that out the hard way as he was talking to survivors.

While on the scene of the destruction today, Wolf Blitzer began talking to a young woman about her experience. At one point he said, “I guess, you gotta thank the Lord, right?” The woman, no doubt finding herself in an awkward situation, responded that she was in fact an atheist. Even so, she says that she doesn’t “blame anybody for thanking the Lord.” In the end, they all had a good laugh about it.

After what she and thousands of others went through over the last few days, I don’t blame them either.

[h/t: Raw Story]

Japanese carrier SoftBank has granted Sprint a waiver allowing it to consider Dish’s $25.5 billion bid for the company. The waiver gives Sprint permission to disclose non-public information and engage in negotiations with Dish regarding its buyout proposal. The Sprint Board of Directors has the right to terminate the existing merger agreement with SoftBank to accept a superior offer, however it has not yet changed its recommendation. SoftBank offered to pay $20.1 billion for a 70% stake in the wireless provider last October. Sprint will conduct due diligence with Dish and make a final decision in early June when shareholders vote to approve or reject SoftBank’s offer. Sprint’s press release follows below.

Continue reading…