Samsung exec says former Android chief Andy Rubin was stubborn

LONDON (Reuters) - British online dating firm Cupid Plc said on Friday it had launched an investigation into a recent report about methods it allegedly used to get free customers to buy subscriptions. At 1647 GMT(1147 EST), shares in Cupid, which began falling in the morning before the company announced its investigation, were down 57 percent at 52 pence, valuing the company at 94.6 million pounds ($144 million). Ukraine newspaper Kyiv Post published an article on March 15 which said that Cupid had hired "motivation managers" to encourage men to buy full subscriptions. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/samsung-exec-says-former-android-chief-andy-rubin-211115526.html

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Albumatic Photo Sharing App Raises $4.5 Million, Says SEC Filing

Albumatic, the latest venture photo-sharing from Devon Gundry and Vine investor Adam Ludwin, is raising a $4.5 million round in funding, according to a recent SEC filing. Adam Ludwin, co-founder and principal at RRE Ventures, Devon Gundry, and RRE managing partner Stuart Ellman are all named in the filing.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/GTozpm3Vx7A/

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Steve Wozniak, Speaking To The Denver Apple Pi Club In 1984, On ...

?I pledge allegiance to the logo of corporate marketing in Cupertino. And to the computers for which it stands: One notion, under Jobs, indispensable, for hardware and software for all.? Steve Wozniak, to the Denver Apple Pi Computer Club in 1984.

And that video above is just a funny anecdotes. TUAW reader Vince Patton pointed the Apple fan site to 14 insightful videos he uploaded to YouTube of Steve Wozniak talking to the Denver Apple Pi Club in 1984. As TUAW notes, they?re a treasure trove of first hand accounts into the formation of Apple, the creation of the Apple I and II, and Woz?s college antics.

Apparently Patton recently discovered his father?s VHS taping of Woz?s talk to Denver Apple Pi computer club at the Colorado School of Mines on October 4, 1984. He cleaned up the recording and uploaded 14 clips to YouTube. Two of the best are embedded here but they?re all worth watching.

On the Apple II?s creation

?The computer [the Apple II] was not being design to be a product and it was not being design to be sold, nearly as much as it was being designed to impress and do some very unusual things that had not been seen before.? Steve Wozniak

Ironically, when speaking about the Apple II?s integrated hardware, Wozniak brings up a point that Apple still abides by today, ?Whenever you can recognized standards that will prevail, build them in.? By doing so in the Apple II, this allowed Apple to leave slots open for future hardware, or as Woz says, ?for expansion beyond what we can think of.?

Looking at Apple?s past hardware, this is a notion the company still believes in. From the early iMac?s use of USB over serial to the 10-year life of the Dock Connector, Apple cautiously approaches emerging standards, but tends to invest early and sticks with standards more than most other consumer electronic companies. Apparently it has been that way from the start.

Steve Jobs on the formation of Apple

?Yeah, we?d lose our money, but at least we would have a company.? said Steve Jobs according to Woz.

As Wozniak states, this was reason enough to sell bare PC boards and run the possibility of losing money ? just so they would be involved in a company. And so the two, along with Ron Wayne who designed the manual, began selling the Apple I personal computer kit in 1976.

Woz explains there was originally three employees with him and Jobs owning 45% of the company. The remaining 10% went to Ron Wayne, who designed the Apple I manuals. He got cold feet several weeks into the venture and sold his 10% stake in Apple for $800. He received an additional $1,500 later that year in exchange for forfeiting any claims against the company. Given Apple?s current value, Wayne?s 10 percent share would have been worth more than $43 billion today.

Brian Heater profiled Wayne for Engadget in 2011. It?s a fantastic read.

---

All 14 videos are on Vince Patton?s YouTube account.

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/23/steve-wozniak-speaking-to-the-denver-apple-pi-club-in-1984-on-college-pranks-apple-ii-features-and-the-apple-pledge-allegiance/

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Passing reference in 'Argo' rankles New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) ? Thirteen minutes into the Oscar-winning movie "Argo," CIA agent Tony Mendez asks supervisor Jack O'Donnell what happened to a group of Americans when the U.S. Embassy was stormed in Tehran.

"The six of them went out a back exit," O'Donnell tells Mendez, played by Ben Affleck. "Brits turned them away. Kiwis turned them away. Canadians took them in."

That's the only mention of New Zealand in "Argo," but it is rankling Kiwis five months after the movie was released in the South Pacific nation. Even Parliament has expressed its dismay, passing a motion stating that Affleck, who also directed the film, "saw fit to mislead the world about what actually happened."

New Zealand joins a list of other countries, including Iran and Canada, that have felt offended by the fictionalized account of how a group of Americans was furtively sheltered and secreted out of Iran during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The strong reaction in New Zealand indicates the country remains insecure about its own culture, said Steve Matthewman, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Auckland. People are prone to bouts of unwarranted outrage when somebody from abroad says something bad about the country, he said, and simpering enjoyment when they say something good.

"It's touched a really raw nerve," Matthewman said. "We do seem in New Zealand to be oversensitive to how the rest of the world perceives us."

The movie's New Zealand reference may not be totally fair but has an element of truth.

Some in New Zealand have taken those words ? "Kiwis turned them away" ? as implying the country did nothing to help. Published interviews indicate that diplomats from Britain and New Zealand did help by briefly sheltering the Americans, visiting them and bringing them food, even driving them to the airport when they left.

Yet those interviews also indicate that both countries considered it too risky to shelter the Americans for long. That left the Canadians shouldering the biggest risk by taking them in.

Lawmaker Winston Peters, who brought last week's uncontested motion before Parliament, said New Zealanders are unfairly portrayed as "a bunch of cowards," an impression that would be given to millions who watch the movie.

"It's a diabolical misrepresentation of the acts of courage and bravery, done at significant risk to themselves, by New Zealand diplomats," he said.

Affleck could not be reached for comment this week.

During Oscar media interviews last month, Affleck told reporters: "Let me just start by saying I love New Zealand, and I love New Zealanders." He added that "I think that it's tricky. You walk a fine line. You are doing a historical movie and naturally you have to make some creative choices about how you are going to condense this into a three-act structure."

But Affleck and his screenwriter, Chris Terrio, who won the adapted screenplay Oscar, did catch some flak from critics for taking major liberties, especially a heart-stopping ? but fictional ? airport finale that had gun-wielding Iranian Revolutionary Guards chasing the Swissair plane down the tarmac, with the plane lifting off just in the nick of time. (In reality, the airport exit went smoothly.)

And after the film was made, Affleck took the step of changing the film's postscript, the Toronto Star reported, to more generously credit Canada and its ambassador at the time, Ken Taylor, who protected the Americans at huge personal risk and was uncomfortable with some details in the film.

"Argo" was not the only Oscar-nominated film this year to be criticized for factual issues.

Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty" came under fire for its depictions of interrogations. A group of senators charged that the film misled viewers for suggesting that torture provided information that helped the CIA find Osama bin Laden.

Even Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," with its rich attention to historically accurate detail, was criticized for its inaccurate depiction of the Connecticut delegation's vote on the 13th amendment outlawing slavery. The film's Pulitzer-winning screenwriter, Tony Kushner, said he'd changed the details for dramatic effect.

Matthewman, the sociology professor, said the line in Argo may have provoked New Zealanders because the country prides itself on being generous and hospitable. People have a reputation for doing things like picking up hitchhikers and inviting them into their homes for a week, he said.

Small countries like New Zealand that are far from the world's centers of power are often shaped by bigger countries like the U.S. and often look to them for affirmation, Matthewman said. It's interesting to note the different reaction Affleck got in Britain, Matthewman said, which was arguably equally maligned in the movie.

"They give the guy a BAFTA in Britain and bash him in New Zealand," he said, referring to the best director prize Affleck won at the British Academy Film Awards.

Some in Britain, however, have criticized "Argo's" reference to that country, and some in Canada are upset the CIA gets credit at the expense of the Canadians, a claim backed by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. And Iran is planning to sue Hollywood for the movie's alleged "unrealistic portrayal" of that country, according to Iranian media reports.

Yet while Iran and Canada are central parts of the movie, the New Zealand reference could easily be missed ? at least by outsiders.

Patrick Gower, the political editor for TV3, one of two main television news stations in New Zealand, wrote in a blog that Affleck should apologize after he "deliberately slammed" the country.

"Some people will say I'm being oversensitive here," he wrote. "But in my opinion, what Affleck has done just isn't right."

The controversy was not reflected in box-office receipts. "Argo" has done well in New Zealand, earning just over $1 million. As of this week, the film has earned $92.3 million internationally and $135 million in North America.

National carrier Air New Zealand has even extended an olive branch to Affleck by offering to fly him to the country as its guest. Airline spokeswoman Marie Hosking said this week it has yet to hear back from him.

Prime Minister John Key, meanwhile, has tried to sound a note of reason.

"New Zealand, I think, sees itself as a country that always wants to lend a hand to help people," he told reporters recently. "But in the end, this is Hollywood, and they do make movies. And a bit like when they transfer a book to a movie, often it's a little bit different. So, look, I think we've made our point and we should probably move on."

But the country doesn't seem ready to move on quite yet.

___

AP reporters Jocelyn Noveck and Randy Herschaft in New York contributed.

___

Follow Nick Perry on Twitter at twitter.com/nickgbperry

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/passing-reference-argo-rankles-zealand-063946444.html

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Logitech rebrands gaming line with same name, announces bounty of peripherals

Logitech's G-prefixed gaming peripherals have been around for awhile, but they were never part of an official gaming line. That changes today, with the introduction of Logitech G, the company's official brand for PC gaming peripherals. "The overriding principal of G is that science wins," Logitech told us. "Just as gamers are compelled to beat levels, our engineers are compelled to test scientific theories." A fancy way to say that Logitech's gaming hardware is built using the latest technology.

The company points to its new line of peripherals as an example: eight products featuring hydrophobic coatings, Logitech's exclusive Delta Zero sensor technology and buttons capable of surviving over 20 million toggles. Headlining the new series are the G700s rechargeable gaming mouse and G19s keyboard, which promise anti-stick surfaces, more than a dozen programmable buttons apiece and $100 and $200 price tags, respectively. The company's rounding out its line up with a pair of audio devices, too -- the G430 and G230 surround and stereo gaming headsets. That's just the tip of the iceberg of course -- head past the break for Logitech's full roster of G series peripherals.

Gallery: Logitech G Series

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/20/logitech-rebrands-gaming-line/

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Oil near $92 as Cyprus rejects bailout measure

NEW YORK (AP) ? The price of oil fell Tuesday as Cyprus lawmakers rejected a measure to tax bank accounts as part of a bailout plan for its shriveled economy and worries persisted about Europe's debt problems.

Benchmark oil for April delivery fell $1.58 to finish at $92.16 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, used to price many kinds of oil imported by U.S. refineries, dropped $2.06 to end at $107.45 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

Energy market investors were left hanging about developments in Cyprus, where lawmakers rejected a plan to tax bank accounts to stabilize the country's financial sector and clear the way for a massive international bailout. That has prompted fears of a run on banks across Europe, with accountholders questioning guarantees on their savings.

Analysts at Frankfurt's Commerzbank, while noting that "the upside potential is likely to remain limited" until the uncertainty over Cyprus subsides, also pointed out that the lack of alternative investment opportunities could support crude prices.

"The continuing high liquidity among investors, coupled with their willingness to take risks, is likely to lend support also to the commodities markets in the coming months," Commerzbank said.

Meanwhile, the economic news in the U.S. was brighter. The Commerce Department said builders broke ground on homes last month at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 917,000, up from 910,000 in January and the second-fastest pace in 4 ? years. Building permits also increased in February, rising by 4.6 percent to 946,000, the most since June 2008.

A stronger economy is likely to increase demand for oil gas, but the nation's supplies remain ample. On Wednesday the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration is expected to report an increase of 2 million barrels in crude oil supplies and a drop of 2.5 million barrels in gasoline stocks, according to a survey of analysts by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos.

U.S. oil production, at more than 7 million barrels a day, is at the highest level in 20 years.

Natural gas rose again Tuesday, boosted by forecasts for cold weather through the end of March. "Gas prices which have rallied 84 cents or nearly 27 percent in a little more than a month as strong end-of-season weather factors and dwindling inventories have boosted the market to levels not seen since the end of October, 2011," independent energy analyst Addison Armstrong noted.

Natural gas futures rose 9 cents to finish at $3.97 per 1,000 cubic feet.

At the gas pump the national average for a gallon of regular stayed around $3.69. That's down a penny from a week ago and 15 cents lower than a year ago. Drivers in the Northeast, Midwest and on the West Coast are paying the most. Gas is cheapest in the South.

In other energy futures trading on the Nymex:

? Wholesale gasoline lost 8 cents to end at $3.05 a gallon.

? Heating oil fell 6 cents to finish at $2.86 a gallon.

___

Pamela Sampson in Bangkok, Pablo Gorondi in Budapest and Christopher S. Rugaber in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oil-near-92-cyprus-rejects-bailout-measure-192203538--finance.html

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Obama skeptical of Assad claim on chemical weapons

JERUSALEM (AP) ? President Barack Obama said Wednesday that the United States is investigating whether chemical weapons have been deployed in Syria, but he's "deeply skeptical" of claims by Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime that rebel forces were behind such an attack.

Both the Assad regime and Syrian rebels have accused each other of using chemical weapons in an attack on Tuesday that the government says killed 31 and wounded more than 100. But Obama suggested it's more likely that if the weapons were used, the Syrian government was behind the attack.

"We know the Syrian government has the capacity to carry out chemical weapon attacks," Obama said. "We know that there are those are in the Syrian government who have expressed a willingness to use chemical weapons if necessary to protect themselves. I am deeply skeptical of any claim that in fact it was the opposition that used chemical weapons. Everybody who knows the facts of the chemical weapons stockpiles inside of Syria as well as the Syrian government capabilities, I think, would question those claims."

"Once we establish the facts, I have made clear that the use of chemical weapons is a game changer," Obama said in a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Obama said he wouldn't announce what the next steps would be while the investigation is unfolding. But he echoed up his statement over the summer that the use of chemical weapons in Syria would be a "red line" for the United States.

"When you start seeing weapons that can cause potential devastation and mass casualties and you let that genie out of the bottle, then you are looking potentially at even more horrific scenes than we've already seen in Syria. And the international community has to act on that additional information," Obama said.

"We have been clear that the use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people would be a serious and tragic mistake," Obama said.

Obama said the U.S. policy not to intervene militarily thus far is based on his desire to solve the problem as a global community. "It's a world problem ... when tens of thousands of people are being slaughtered, including innocent women and children," Obama said.

Netanyahu said the two leaders discussed Syria during their private meeting earlier. He said the two countries share a goal of preventing Syria's weapons arsenal from falling into the hands of terrorists.

Obama said the United States shares the concern that the weapons could be transferred to a group like Hezbollah and used against Israel. "The Assad regime must understand that they will be held accountable for the use of chemical weapons or their transfer to terrorists," Obama said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-20-US-Syria-Obama/id-63f6a9b56644426b91f247dbb44ac00e

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