DISQUS

I'd be just as happy as anyone to see Sotomayor -not- get appointed, but to be fair, while she absolutely made the wrong call about this case, that alone is hardly precedent for declaring her unqualified. As MSNBC's Hardball pointed out, "Justice Alito wrote two decisions that came before the supreme court... both of those were reversed..." (as quoted at newsy.com) Now, whether or not you thought Justice Alito was qualified is something else, but the point is he was appointed. And I think the issue is the same here. We'll always question the thinking of those who don't think like we do, but that seems beside the point if we know they're in fact going to be appointed.

Not to mention they just got told to back off by Facebook, according to http://www.newsy.com/videos/public_privacy

Only three lines? I don't know anyone that could fit all their login info onto 3 lines. Some have pages of login info. Just more evidence that whoever made this hiring policy had no idea what they were doing.

In an ironic twist, according to newsy.com, Facebook reported last week that they would be in touch with the city about the violation of their Terms of Service. Wonder how much weight that carried when the policy was overturned?

Oh, I see what you're getting at. Then yes, I definitely agree with your conclusion. There are benefits to having a charismatic leader, but if I had to pick someone to run a company, I'd always go with the more reliable over the more charismatic individual. I used to work promoting a local musician and although he was very charismatic and fun to watch on stage, he was generally unreliable (show up late, waffle on decisions, etc). Everyone I know who worked with him got out when they got the chance. I also worked for an engineer who was about as reliable as they come (he was the owner of his own small engineering firm, coincidentally). He's still doing well. So I think there is living proof on both sides.

Though I agree with the observation that reliability is key to a good leader, in my experience it also helps to be flexible, which usually requires even more than reliability. One of the flaws of huge corporations is, even with the greatest of leadership, they can't turn on a dime to respond to sudden market changes like the recent drop in consumer shopping. This, I believe, is where the small entrepreneur shines. As further support for my argument, allow me to refer you to newsy.com's recent video on entrepreneurship. Some of their findings coincide with yours. For instance, most entrepreneurs do work many more hours than corporate employees. Personally, I find this kind of stuff very interesting anyway, so I'd be glad to discuss it.

Several countries that could potentially pose a threat to Iran already have nuclear missile technology, so I'm not sure why there's the concern about them obtaining the same technology. Obviously that will make them more dangerous, but if we've been prudent, we already have precautions in place (like anti-missile defenses).

Though the products of this news could be more dangerous. As Haaretz says, “An Israeli official said on Tuesday that Israel will be forced to take on Iran's contentious nuclear program alone once U.S. President Barack Obama's overture for dialogue with Tehran fails.” (as quoted on Newsy.com)

So the US stands to be caught in the middle as they try to pacify Iran while staying true to Israel.

The current problem with it is that its main database is from Mathematica, which obviously is very specialized. However, Mr. Wolfram has said that his team will be working hard to provide answers where they currently have nothing.

The "computational knowledge engine" thing means that it's basically a calculator with a database (information already in its memory). The limitation of that is that it can only tell you stuff about whatever's already in its database rather than about all the information on the web.

Again, from our friend Mr. Wolfram, "I am not keen on the hype," he said. "[Although] I think Wolfram Alpha has the potential to be quite important." (as quoted on Newsy.com, attributed to The Telegraph)

I agree with Simoncast. Though originally Google was brilliant, they continue building more on their original foundation rather than improving the foundation noticeably or as drastically as Yahoo is. I expect this will be their downfall when they fall (though for now I still am very much a Google fan).

I'd just like to chime in about Wolfram, though, since there's so much hype around it and much of it is untrue. The biggest mistake is people calling it a search engine. It does not search the web for its data.

Says CNN, “Well first of all its not a search engine, it’s a computational knowledge engine. Roughly translated, that means that this site, Wolfram Alpha figures out results for you based on its own databases, not by scanning the web. In some cases the data’s pretty extensive. Mathematical information, there’s physics searches you can do, historical data.” (as quoted at newsy.com)

But I think your fundamental argument, that web search may be completely changing and possibly fragmenting, is insightful.

I wasn't personally affected simply because I wasn't using Google at the time. But I'm as surprised as anyone. But I shouldn't be, really. As the San Francisco Chronicle put it, “Because of the nature of technology, whether it’s Google's or someone else’s …You’re going to get bitten by the beast.” (as quoted at newsy.com)

Despite being a googler myself, I didn't even notice the downtime. But this is a reminder, as Newsy suggests, that even the giants aren't invincible. It gets people considering alternatives, and that's dangerous for someone with a market share like Google.

I first heard about this on Newsy, but since then I've been doing a lot of digging (being vaguely geeky, computery myself) and turns out they evidently plan to feature paid subscriptions that will allow you to do more with the data and possibly compute your own data through their supercomputer. Provided it can get enough publicity, I'd say that would be an intriguing option.

Howie, the program has access to a number of databases (though I don't know which ones specifically) that it works through and compiles its information from. I agree it is starting to border on AI, but of course there's still a long way to go before we get to that point. Still, a step in the right direction (assuming you think AI is the right direction)...

I saw a video on Newsy over the weekend that suggested Google Squared (though not the original search engine) may be competition for Wolfram|Alpha. I still don't think so, considering Wolfram|Alpha has much more professional maintenance than Google does (in terms of making connections in the data), but I haven't looked much at Squared yet, so I guess we'll see.

this link has video footage from a helicopter that manages to convey the size of this fire. Its unreal. http://www.newsy.com/videos/california_s_burnin...

Looks like the pre-release excitement is in full swing. Newsy just did a video about some of the reviews we're hearing (as well as a humorous aside from The Daily Onion). You can catch it here: http://www.newsy.com/videos/beam_me_up_box_office/

I agree that this basically equates to walking down a street. Except it's even less invasive than that since you can't see anybody's faces, can't read license plates, and any controversial pictures are removed. So what is the mob complaining about again?

As the Canadian Press put it, “Obviously you need to protect privacy, and you need to work with governments and local authorities to make sure that any concerns they may have, you have to answer to them. And that’s exactly what we’re doing.” (As quotes at http://www.newsy.com/videos/privacy_in_the_age_...)

I would argue that there doesn't seem to be any real argument against this move. I've heard some say it's a breach of privacy, but it's not- the family of the deceased has to approve the press to cover the fallen. And most importantly, America is guaranteed freedom of the press. So I'd argue this ban was unconstitutional to begin with.

Nevertheless, there still seems to be some debate on the topic. Just earlier today, I saw a video (at http://www.newsy.com/videos/covering_fallen_u_s...) making the cases both for and against lifting the ban.

According to Newsy.com, “…because it does not promise big profits. It would sell for pennies because its five constituent medicines are cheap, have been around for decades and their patents have expired.” (The Belfast Telegraph as quoted at http://www.newsy.com/videos/super_heart_pill/)

I've read elsewhere that it will probably only cost about a dollar a month. I haven't heard any mention of the size, but I have heard the doses of each drug will be lower, which leads me to believe the pill will be ordinarily sized and the space simply divided among the different drugs.

However, it's been said before that the pill isn't for everyone. As you point out, "3 anti-hypertensives might be too much for those who need only one anti-hypertensize agent to control their rising blood pressures." In some cases, the doctor will need to more carefully monitor the levels of the drugs the patient is taking than this pill can allow.

And of course diet and exercise is the answer, but I think this pill is mainly intended as a supplement to that (even though from what I've heard they started trials with at-risk patients). Though you'd be right to expect people to see this pill as a replacement for a healthy lifestyle, unfortunately.

Although I find the new features mildly exciting, I am disappointed that it seems to be sparked not by the Apple innovation I've come to love, but by simply keeping up with Palm's Pre. Seems odd that a giant like Apple would have to provide an answer to someone like Palm.

http://www.newsy.com/videos/smarter_phone_wars/

I think this is the next step in the evolution of Google's advertising. I expect once people get over the scare, they will be grateful for more relevant ads. And if they don't want it, it's not being forced on them (via the opt-out option).

And... "It’s important to remember that when you see interest-based ads by Google, they’re not based on any information stored in your Google account, such as you email or any visits to sensitive sites, such as medical information." (http://www.newsy.com/videos/google_ad_change_ra...)

I don't really think there's any way the prosecutor is coming out of this trial with dignity. The folks at TPB have been running circles around their attackers for years.

And at any rate, as reported on Wired's blog and quoted at newsy.com, “During Prohibition, you could bust people for running a still, but you were not going to take the alcohol away from the people. … If Pirate Bay goes down, it will be replaced in popularity tomorrow by somebody else.”

Suicides are still on the rise, but I hope the chaplains can do something about that. They don't have the conflict of interest that psychologists do, to misdiagnose soldiers to save the government benefit money. Rather, the chaplains strictly have the soldiers' best interest at heart. God speed to them.

I first heard about the suicides at newsy.com. But through Salon.com, MSNBC, and a number of blogs, I see this is a widespread problem that doesn't seem to be getting the media attention it needs to generate the appropriate public response.

Well, what would we have done? Would we have prevented Iran from rightfully developing their own technology? I think concern on this issue is inappropriate. The West can take what steps it deems necessary to defend itself, but Iran has just as much right to be launching things into space as we do.

Though I'll admit the nationalist pride this has generated -does- have me slightly worried. Especially in light of newsy.com's piece quoting various Iranian publications celebrating the launch...

This may eventually become a good move for Google, but it will take time to bear fruit. As Hulu demonstrated, the online video world has a lot to do with content. American Gladiator and some movie clips are hardly the things to draw the largest crowds.

However, if they can work American Idol well (taking advantage of the comment feature to facilitate voting, for instance), that could be the real launch of YouTube's commercial success.

It'll be interesting to watch the news and see if YouTube can catch up with the profitability potential of Hulu, Veoh, Newsy, and other sites that are already attracting advertising revenue.

I love this international perspective. It's what makes me appreciate sites like this or like Newsy.com. It really does help to get a view outside a narrow American mindset.

I agree, and I'm a fan of streamlining operations, bouncy economy or not. The goal's the thing, and only you can define your own goal.

I'm a huge believer in goal-setting, and I think infrastructure generally makes operations clear (the janitor cleans things, the secretary takes calls, etc.), therefore I'm for keeping infrastructure, even if it might need a drastic makeover.

Also, details. I think details are generally (though not always) important to an operation, never moreso than in the planning stage (so you can get a razor-sharp vision to go after).

But I practically cheered when I read, "It’s about knowing which parts are vital to moving through the waters, versus the pieces we keep around because that’s what we always did."

Great, fun post.