Facebook barges into Google turf with Home

From left, HTC CEO Peter Chou, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph De La Vega embrace as they show joint products at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

From left, HTC CEO Peter Chou, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph De La Vega embrace as they show joint products at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Cell phones with the a new Facebook interface are displayed at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Michael Goodwin, Senior Partner for HTC, displays an HTC First cell phone wit the new Facebook interface at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2013. The company says it is not building a phone or an operating system. Rather, Facebook is introducing a new experience for Android phones. The idea behind the new Home service is to bring content right to you, rather than require people to check apps on the device. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Facebook Home, the new software that takes over the front screen of a smartphone, is a bit of a corporate home invasion. Facebook is essentially moving into Google's turf, taking advantage of software the search giant and competitor created.

Home will operate on phones running Google Inc.'s Android software and present Facebook status updates, messages and other content on the home screen, rather than making the user fire up Facebook's app. The software will be available for users to download on April 12 and will come preloaded on a new phone from HTC Corp., sold by AT&T Inc. in the U.S.

Google gives away Android, the most popular smartphone software in the world, in the hope that it will steer phone users toward Google services, such as Maps and Gmail, and the ads it sells. Compared with ads targeting PC surfers, mobile ads are a small market, but it's growing quickly. Research firm eMarketer expects U.S. mobile ad spending to grow 77 percent this year to $7.29 billion.

With Home, Facebook Inc. is inserting itself between users and Google, diverting them to the social network's own ads and services. It's taking advantage of the fact that Google places few restrictions on how phone manufacturers and software developers modify Android. By contrast, Home would not work on the iPhone without approval from Apple Inc., and close collaboration with the company.

"Facebook Home can only reside on Android because only Google was daft enough to allow it," independent phone analyst Horace Dediu said via Twitter.

At the launch event Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Google was aware of the project, but Facebook didn't work with the company to create Home. Asked if he believed Google could change tactics and restrict apps such as Home, he said it was theoretically possible, but highly unlikely for Google to do a "180-degree change" in its stance on Android's openness.

It's not the first time a big Internet company has co-opted Android: Amazon.com Inc. has gone much further with its Kindle Fire tablets. They run a version of Android that strips out all Google services, replacing them with Amazon's equivalents. Barnes & Noble Inc. does the same thing with its Nook tablets. These devices lie outside the Google system, whereas phones running Facebook Home still come with Google apps such as Maps and the Play Store for music, movies and applications.

The Play Store has many examples of downloadable applications that modify the Android home screen ? so-called "launchers." Home, however, represents the first time a major Internet company and Google competitor has created a downloadable launcher.

J.P. Morgan analyst Doug Anmuth said Home may increase the pressure on Google to find ways to get people to spend more time on its Plus social network, which so far hasn't been as magnetic as Facebook's hangout. Anmuth also believes the communication tools built into Home could decrease usage of Google's Gmail and Gchat services.

But Zuckerberg said the app will help Google.

"I think this is really good for Android," Zuckerberg told the audience at the launch event in Menlo Park, Calif. Developers do their best work on the iPhone first, but with Home, Facebook is putting Android first. If consumers want the Facebook Home experience, they'll have to get an Android phone.

In a statement, Google seemed to agree. "This latest device demonstrates the openness and flexibility that has made Android so popular," it said.

___

AP Technology Writers Barbara Ortutay in New York and Michael Liedtke in Menlo Park, Calif., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-04-05-Facebook%20Home-Google/id-7716aa480be0450c84551d9970544edd

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Tips for Staying Healthy on Vacation! | Love.Fit.Live.

Hi Friends,

Hope your week is going well! I?m pleased to introduce a special guest to my blog today?Cole Millen! Cole is an avid traveler and he?s here to share some tips for staying healthy while on vacation, which I think is something we can all relate to. Sometimes it?s easy to overindulge in the bevy of sweets and treats at our fingertips while traveling (especially at airports!). And, while I?m all for sampling authentic local cuisine when I reach my destination, I think it?s important to remember there are ways you can enjoy eating AND stay healthy on vacation! So, without further ado, here are Cole?s tips?

Keep Your Weight Down While on Vacation

When you are on vacation, it can be tough to avoid temptation. Plenty of us come back from our trips with a few extra pounds. This time, when you take off for new and exotic places, why not just come with your souvenirs instead of the weight? Consider how you can stay healthy when you are on the road.

Snack as You Go

When you are seeing everything there is to see on your travels, you may find that you are sitting down to a few big meals all at once. The issue with this is that it helps the weight stay on, and it also leaves you feeling tired and logy. Instead, pay attention to your body and grab a quick and healthy snack when you feel like you are getting hungry. Bringing along dried fruit or vegetables can keep you up and active when you are on the go.

http://www.lovefitlive.com/tips-for-staying-healthy-on-vacation/

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Google Will Refresh Nexus 7 Tablet This Summer, May Drop Price To $149, Says Reuters

Google will refresh its Nexus 7 tablet this summer, launching a new version powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor around July, according to Reuters -- which is about a year after it launched the original Nexus 7. The news agency said two unnamed sources also told it Google is aiming to ship between six and eight million of the tablets in the second half of the year.

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

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NASA sends unmanned aircraft to study volcanic plume

Apr. 2, 2013 ? Studying volcanos can be hazardous work, both for researchers and aircraft. To penetrate such dangerous airspace, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), especially those with electric engines that ingest little contaminated air, are an emerging and effective way to gather crucial data about volcanic ash and gases.

Last month, a team of NASA researchers deployed three repurposed military UAVs with special instruments into and above the noxious sulfur dioxide plume of Costa Rica's active Turrialba volcano, near San Jose. The project was designed to improve the remote-sensing capability of satellites, including satellite data research products such as maps of the concentration and distribution of volcanic gases. It was also designed to improve computer models of how and where volcanic plumes will travel.

Led by principal investigator David Pieri of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., the team launched 10 flights of the remote controlled UAVs into the volcanic plume and above the rim of Turrialba's 10,500-foot (3,200-meter) summit crater between March 11 and 14.

The small, twin electric engine Dragon Eye UAVs were acquired by researchers at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., from the United States Marine Corps. Weighing less than six pounds (2.2 kilograms) each and with a wingspan of 3.75 feet (1.1 meters), they have visible and infrared video cameras and can carry a one-pound instrument payload for up to an hour within a volcanic plume. The researchers equipped them with sulfur dioxide and particle sensors and automatic atmospheric sampling bottles keyed to measure sulfur dioxide concentration.

During the flights, the team coordinated its data gathering with NASA's Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft, allowing scientists to compare sulfur dioxide concentration measurements from the satellite with measurements taken from within the plume.

Scientists believe computer models derived from this study will contribute to safeguarding the National and International Airspace System, and will also improve global climate predictions and mitigate environmental hazards (e.g., sulfur dioxide volcanic smog, or "vog") for people who live near volcanoes.

A key constituent of such models is the intensity and character of the volcanic activity located near the eruption vent. For instance, knowing the height of ash and gas concentrations, and temperatures over the vent during an eruption are important initial factors for any model that predicts the direction of the volcanic plume.

"It is very difficult to gather data from within volcanic eruption columns and plumes because updraft wind speeds are very high and high ash concentrations can quickly destroy aircraft engines," said Pieri. "Such flight environments can be very dangerous to manned aircraft. Volcanic eruption plumes may stretch for miles from a summit vent, and detached ash clouds can drift hundreds to thousands of miles from an eruption site."

The project supports NASA's ASTER mission as well as JPL's planned Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HyspIRI) satellite mission by improving satellite data-based retrievals of gases and solid aerosols associated with volcanic activity, as well as volcanic emission transport models. HyspIRI will study the world's ecosystems and provide critical information on natural disasters such as volcanoes, assessing their pre-eruptive behavior and the likelihood of future eruptions.

For more information, read the full Ames feature at: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/earthmonth/volcanic-plume-uavs.html . For more on NASA's Airborne Science Program, visit: http://airbornescience.nasa.gov/ . For more on HyspIRI, visit: http://hyspiri.jpl.nasa.gov/ . For more on ASTER, visit: http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ .

JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/AXqWwuaY3w4/130402101417.htm

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New Law Spurs Controversy, Debate Over Genetically Modified Crops (ABC News)

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Both sides plan rallies during same-sex marriage hearings

(Getty Images)

Thousands of activists on both sides of the gay marriage question are poised to rally in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. starting Tuesday?while the justices hear oral arguments for two cases concerning same-sex marriage.

On Tuesday and Wednesday the Court will hear arguments concerning the constitutionality of Prop 8, a 2008 voter-approved law in California that banned gay marriage. On Wednesday the court will consider the Defense of Marriage Act, a law passed by Congress in 1996 that restricts the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages.

Supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage are planning major rallies near the building to voice their views.

As earlier as Thursday--five days before oral arguments begin--people began lining up near the Court steps to secure seats inside, sitting through freezing temperatures, rain and snow over the weekend.

On Tuesday they will be joined by thousands more, some who are flying in from around the country for the hearings.

The National Organization for Marriage, which opposes extending marriage rights to same-sex couples, will hold a rally on the national Mall, a few blocks from the Supreme Court. The organization has a permit for 5,000 attendees to rally before marching together toward the Court building. NOM has organized with church congregations from 15 states that have confirmed their planned attendance.

Supporters of same-sex marriage will also be on hand in front of the Court. The Human Rights Campaign, a leading gay advocacy group, is planning a diverse line-up of speakers throughout the morning, including a few Republicans who have crossed party lines to support extending marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples.

District of Columbia Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton will address the pro-gay marriage rally, as will David Frum, a conservative journalist and former speechwriter for Republican President George W. Bush.

Yahoo News will be on hand both inside the Court for hearing coverage and outside for the rallies. Follow live updates throughout the day on Flickr and join a live-chat about the cases Tuesday at 12:30 PM ET.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/rallies-planned-outside-supreme-court-during-gay-marriage-215244762--politics.html

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NASA: Flash in East Coast sky likely a meteor

NEW YORK (AP) ? East Coast residents were buzzing on social media sites and elsewhere Friday night after a brief but bright flash of light streaked across the early-evening sky ?in what experts say was almost certainly a meteor coming down.

Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environmental Office said the flash appears to be "a single meteor event." He said it "looks to be a fireball that moved roughly toward the southeast, going on visual reports."

"Judging from the brightness, we're dealing with something as bright as the full moon," Cooke said. "The thing is probably a yard across. We basically have (had) a boulder enter the atmosphere over the northeast."

He noted that the meteor was widely seen, with more than 350 reports on the website of the American Meteor Society alone.

"If you have something this bright carry over that heavily populated area, a lot of people are going to see it," he said. "It occurred around 8 tonight, there were a lot of people out, and you've got all those big cities out there."

Matt Moore, a news editor with The Associated Press, said he was standing in line for a concert in downtown Philadelphia around dusk when he saw "a brilliant flash moving across the sky at a very brisk pace... and utterly silent."

"It was clearly high up in the atmosphere," he said. "But from the way it appeared, it looked like a plane preparing to land at the airport."

Moore said the flash was visible to him for about two to three seconds ? and then it was gone. He described it as having a "spherical shape and yellowish and you could tell it was burning, with the trail that it left behind."

"Set as it was against a cloudless sky over Philadelphia, it was amazing," he said.

Derrick Pitts, chief astronomer at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute, agreed that the sightings had all the hallmarks of a "fireball." These include lasting 7-10 seconds, being bright and colorful, and seeming to cross much of the sky with a long stream behind it.

He said what people likely saw was one meteor ? or "space rock" ? that may have been the size of a softball or volleyball and that fell fairly far down into the Earth's atmosphere.

He likened it to a stone skipping across the water ? getting "a nice long burn out of it."

Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society told USA Today "it basically looked like a super bright shooting star."

The newspaper reports that the sky flash was spotted as far south as Florida and as far north as New England.

Pitts said meteors of varying sizes fall from the sky all the time, but that this one caught more eyes because it happened on a Friday evening ? and because Twitter has provided a way for people to share information on sightings.

He said experts "can't be 100 percent certain of what it was, unless it actually fell to the ground and we could actually track the trajectory." But he said the descriptions by so many people are "absolutely consistent" with those of a meteor.

___

Associated Press writer Norman Gomlak in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-flash-east-coast-sky-likely-meteor-041939030.html

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