Thursday, 4 February 2016

Mark Zuckerberg wants Facebook to have 5 billion users by 2030



During an event on Monday celebrating Facebook's 12th anniversary, CEO Mark Zuckerberg made it clear he wants 5 billion people using the social network by 2030, according to USA Today. That would mean nearly 60 percent of the human race would be using Facebook in 2030, when the world's population is expected to reach 8.5 billion, according to the UN.

Continue reading…

President Obama wants to fund trains and self-driving cars with a new oil tax



President Barack Obama has refreshingly made the future of transportation a hallmark of his final year in office. Today, he announced his plan to take those efforts a step further by including $300 billion worth of investments in mass transit, autonomous vehicles, clean energy, and high-speed rail in his soon-to-be-released budget. And to pay for it, he is calling for a $10-per-barrel tax on oil, a proposal that has effectively zero chance of passing the Republican-controlled Congress.
It's a bummer that the president's plan is dead on arrival, because taxing oil at $10-a-barrel would help make up for the fact that neither Congress nor Obama insisted on paying for the recently passed five-year, $305 billion infrastructure spending bill...
Continue reading…

Apple TV's universal search now works with Fox, FX, and National Geographic



Universal search, one of the most talked-about upgrades in the latest Apple TV, is getting a little better, as Apple expands the lineup for apps it can search through. It's good news for X-Files or nature documentary watchers: Mac Rumors reports that users can now use search and Siri commands to scan for content across Fox Now, FXNow, and NatGeo TV.
When the fourth-generation Apple TV launched, it included universal search compatibility for iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and Showtime. In January, that list was expanded to include PBS and PBS Kids, Mac Rumors reports. Apple has promised to bring more services to the feature over time.
Continue reading…

Apple, Google, and Amazon reportedly want to stream NFL games



The NFL wants to sell streaming rights for Thursday Night Football, and Apple, Google, and Amazon are apparently among the expected bidders. Variety reports that the NFL believes all three of those tech giants will soon try to acquire Thursday Night Football's streaming rights, though it sounds like none have done so just yet. Still, it follows that Apple and Google would be interested — Reuters previously reported that both were in discussions for the three NFL games being played in London next season, so it makes sense that they'd want what is by far a more attractive package of games. Amazon's name is newly in the mix, likely as it looks for new perks to add to Prime.
Thursday Night Football games will be broadcast by NBC and CBS for...
Continue reading…

Tim Cook hints more Apple apps could come to Android



Apple stepped into the Android waters late last year with the launch of Apple Music on Google's competing mobile OS. But if comments made by Tim Cook at recent "Town Hall" event for Apple employees are to be believed, it might not be the last. Accord... read more

What Siri Can Learn from Your Brain About Tuning Out Noise in a Crowded Room



Walk into a roomful of people, and your first impression is just noise. Within seconds, you start to pick out words, phrases, and fragments of conversations. Soon you’ll be merrily chatting with friends, oblivious to the din around you. But most of us never stop to think about exactly how our brain manages to pick out one conversational thread amid the noisy background in a crowded room.

Read more...