New details of Apple's campus: Really 21st century?

When people tell you a structure is 21st century, and it really does look like something out of a science fiction movie, do you feel the slightest bit robbed?

If the future was so easily predicted by Stanley Kubrick or Steven Spielberg, isn't it something of a letdown to have to live in it?

I merely ask this Saturday morning question on staring, without even the first coffee, at pictures and new details of Apple's proposed Campus 2 in Cupertino, Calif.

I am grateful to Apple Insider for directing me to these, released by the City of Cupertino, for they give even greater breadth to the company's vision (I have embedded the full plans below).

For we are now in the phase in which Apple's plans are being reviewed. Why this might happen, I have no idea, as footage of Jobs' speech to the city council revealed that its members seem more enamored of him than most 12-year-olds are of Bieber.

There will, though, apparently be an analysis of the environmental impact of the building (there'll be most cash in the environment, surely). There will even be public hearings at which you, too, (if you live in Cupertino) can go along and declare your admiration for the building and all it represents.

Apple first revealed details of this vast circular compound on June 7. Steve Jobs himself, in that wonderfully relaxed and assumptive performance in front of the city council, described it as a "spaceship."

It's full of environmental glory, with office space for up to 13,000 people in 2.8 million square feet. It will have 300,000 square feet of research facilities (partially) underground, and an auditorium (totally) underground--might this have something to do with security? It is described by Apple as a "distinctive and inspiring 21st Century workplace."

But does it really have the glory of the Guggenheim in Bilbao? Does it make your breath take a detour in search of emergency oxygen sources? Or has the 21st century become a frightfully unimaginative place that we all feel we've seen somewhere before?

Source : cnet

New Facebook Feature Shows You Your Old Status Updates From 2010 & 2009

The world’s largest social network is getting nostalgic. Facebook has quietly rolled out a new feature that displays status updates you posted exactly one or two years ago.

The feature appears as a small box in the right-hand column above the advertising, either titled “On This Day in 2010″ or “On This Day in 2009.” We’ve typically found that the “On This Day” box appears while you’re browsing a photo album. This is how I found out, for example, that I had a terrible day on August 13, 2010.

You can also click the “Show More” button to see more status updates from exactly one or two years ago, if you posted multiple status updates on those days. The feature only seems to go back to 2009. That makes sense — Facebook just didn’t have a lot of users in 2008 or 2007.

Based on a search of public Facebook and Twitter status updates, we believe the feature began rolling out in a limited test on August 11. More and more users started noticing in the last twelve hours, though. This isn’t the first time Facebook has tried to help uses discover their past activity on Facebook. It also has a feature for surfacing photos from your past.

We’re not sure if Facebook thinks of these nostalgic features as just fun little additions to the product, or whether they serve a purpose. Perhaps Facebook wants to remind its users that they have invested years of their lives into their product, so perhaps they shouldn’t switch to something new. Or perhaps its just another one of Facebook’s many product engagement tools.

Source : mashable

Samsung's Popular Galaxy S II Due Out Before iPhone 5

Samsung is ready to bring its flagship Android-based Galaxy S II in the U.S. -- a popular offering for consumers -- and beat Apple to the launch of the iPhone 5.

The Galaxy S II is probably the strongest rival to the iPhone.

It runs on Android 2.3, has a 4.3-inch display, a dual core processor, 1GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel camera and a superthin design. Although it hasn’t been available in the U.S., the Galaxy S II sold a record 3 million units in just 55 days, which is in part due to Apple holding back the launch of its next-generation iPhone.

Samsung will hold a press event on Aug. 29, where it is expected to spill all the details about the U.S. arrival of its iPhone competitor.

In the U.S., Samsung is likely to continue its strategy to sell the same smartphone barebones slightly repackaged for each large wireless carrier.

The Galaxy S II is rumored to sport a sliding QWERTY keyboard when itarrives on AT&T as the Attain and on Sprint it’s expected to have 4G WiMAX connectivity under the Within name.

The Samsung Galaxy S II for Verizon, possibly dubbed Celox, is rumored to sport 4G LTE connectivity and up the ante on specs. This includes a larger (4.5-inch) display, a dual-core 1.5Ghz (up from 1.2), taking a toll on thinness and device weight. The Galaxy S II for Verizon could end up being a different phone from the Celox though, as it offers 800MHz LTE support, incompatible with the frequency used in the U.S., 700MHz LTE.

Meanwhile, Apple watchers are buzzing about whether the iPhone 5 will arrive in September or October. There are no details on the features of the upcoming iPhone, besides wide expectations it will run on dual-core A5 processors (as found on the iPad 2), and sport a better (possibly 8-megapixel) camera

Teen charged with BlackBerry Messenger incitement

18-year old accused of using IM service to encourage rioting

An 18-year-old woman has been charged by police, accused of using the BlackBerry Messenger service to encourage others to participate in riots.

The unnamed teenager, from Clacton in Essex, is alleged to have used the group messaging service to encourage her friends to go rioting in the town, as violence spread across the UK this week.

She has now been formally charged, under the Serious Crime Act, of intentionally encouraging or assisting in the commission of an offence, and will appear in court on September 1st.

The police action comes following widespread condemnation of how social media and BlackBerry Messenger in particular, was used in the shocking spread of rioting in London and other UK cities.

This is the first case in which police have specified the use of BBM.

Shut down

Earlier this week Prime Minister David Cameron hinted that those found to have used the service to escalate the troubles could be banned from using IM services and social networks.

"We are working with the police, the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality," he said.

Other MPs have suggested that the services be shut down during such disturbances, but we all know the chances of that happening are about as high as Nick Clegg winning the Man of the Year award.

RIM has promised to assist the police in tracking down those who used BlackBerry Messenger in order to co-ordinate the riots and bring more people to the party.

Ofcom reckons 37 per cent of the smartphone market in poor urban areas is accounted for by BlackBerrys.