Science & Technology
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
10 Things That Cost Less Than Facebook's $5 Billion IPO
Science & Technology Ellen Cushing — Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 3:28 PM
As you've probably heard, Facebook filed a $5 billion IPO today — which makes it the biggest public offering in history, and which analysts say will push the company's total value to over $100 billion. Presented without commentary, here's a list of things that cost less than $5 billion:
-119,047,610 Big Macs
-2,666,666.67 of these (extremely ugly*) diamond Tiffany necklaces
Monday, January 30, 2012
Lawrence Livermore National Labratory's Wrongful-Termination Lawsuit Moves Closer to Court
People / Science & Technology / Law Enforcement & Crime John Geluardi — Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 12:42 PM
Five former employees who are suing Lawrence Livermore Laboratory for wrongful termination held a press conference on Thursday to tell their personal stories as their case moves closer to trial set for late next month.
The five former employees talked about the humiliation, shame, and frustration they experienced when they were part of a massive layoff of 440 lab employees, most of whom were over the age of forty, in 2008, shortly after Congress turned over management of the lab to a partnership led by San Francisco-based Bechtel Corp.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Rest in Peace, Steve Jobs
Science & Technology Rachel Swan — Wed, Oct 5, 2011 at 4:43 PM
Multiple news outlets reported that the former Apple CEO passed away today. He's credited not only with co-founding Apple, Inc. but with entirely reshaping the Silicon Valley — and, by extension, the world. Jobs stayed with the company up through August, even though he was battling pancreatic cancer. His successor, Tim Cook, took the executive chair on August 24. Jobs created a phenomenal legacy. May he rest in peace.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Shrooms Make You a Good Person ... Up to a Year Later
Science & Technology Rachel Swan — Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 5:07 PM
So declared researchers at John Hopkins University, who administered "magic" psilocybin mushrooms to subjects in a clinical setting, and found that those who took the drugs became more "creative, empathic, and curious, up to a year later," ABC 7 reports. Now, progressive scientists are suggesting new uses for the drug, as a therapy for cancer patients and even cigarette smokers. Sounds magical.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Thursday Must Read: Amazon Strikes Deal with Legislature; FBI Raids Solyndra
Politics / Business / Science & Technology Robert Gammon — Thu, Sep 8, 2011 at 10:21 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Amazon.com reached a tentative deal with Democratic and Republican leaders of the state legislature, agreeing to scuttle its attempt to overturn the state’s new online sales tax law in exchange for not charging its customers sales tax until September 2012, the LA Times reports. The deal also gives Amazon time to convince the US Congress to establish a national standard for online sales taxes. But if Congress fails to do so by next September, then the online giant will start charging sales tax to its California customers. It’s unclear, however, whether Governor Jerry Brown will endorse the deal. Last week, Brown threw cold water on a proposal by Amazon to put off sales tax collection until 2014.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Steve Jobs Resigns as Apple's CEO
Science & Technology Rachel Swan — Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 5:21 PM
And, in a letter to staff at the company he helped create in 1976, he recommended chief operating officer Tim Cook to be his successor. Cook was actually on the short list since Jobs took medical leave in January. He's been running day-to-day operations at Apple for 13 years. It looks like the company heeded Jobs' advice, since it announced in a press release issued today that Cook will be taking Jobs' place in the executive office. Jobs, meanwhile, will serve as chairman of the board while he battles cancer and other undisclosed ailments. This afternoon tech analysts were all a-Twitter, opining about Jobs' resignation and legacy. Merc columnist Chris O'Brien contends that the Apple titan "reshaped Silicon Valley in his own image." Many call it a tectonic shift, but also admit they knew this day was coming.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Let’s Get Ready to Rumble (For the Lawrence Berkeley Lab)
Science & Technology Nate Seltenrich — Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 8:00 AM
This year, one item on every East Bay city’s wish list is the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s proposed second campus. Ah, the romance! Beyond improving the Port of Oakland and keeping the A’s stadium, Mayor Jean Quan hopes a new lab at the Brooklyn Basin along East Oakland’s waterfront could be the big-ticket item to win Oakland’s future.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
You Write Too Long: This Week's Feature, Bite-Sized*
Science & Technology Ellen Cushing — Wed, Jul 6, 2011 at 4:07 PM
Okay, so it's not exactly light reading, but this week's cover story, by Rachel Gross, is a fascinating look at the intersection between the brain and behavior; at the ways in which seemingly unrelated self-destructive habits can compound each other; and at evidence that sheds new light on the science behind impulse control. Meet Jacky, a Cal student whose twin struggles — first, with bulimia, and later, with shoplifting — illustrate recent findings about how, as young women with bulimia age, destructive impulses within the brain grow stronger to the point where they may become insurmountable. Her story is, yes, intense, but it'll also make you rethink your beliefs about eating disorders, brain chemistry, and the extent to which we're controlled by biology. Read it all here.
*apologies for the vaguely awkward choice of words?!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Foxconn Still Leaving Blood on Your iPad
Science & Technology Rachel Swan — Tue, May 10, 2011 at 11:22 AM
So says playwright Mike Daisey, who excoriated Apple for its abhorrent labor practices in his theatrical monologue, The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs. And he's right, according to a new report from the Hong Kong-based advocacy group Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour (SACOM). Despite promises to reform, Foxconn appears to be dragging its heels. As of March and April, many of the factories in southern China were still forcing workers to sign "no-suicide" pacts, stand for 14 hours a day, and commit to 80-100 hours of overtime per month. Read the entire study here.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Finalists Announced for Lawrence Berkeley's Second Site
Breaking News / Science & Technology John C. Osborn — Mon, May 9, 2011 at 1:41 PM
After careful consideration, officials at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab have whittled the list of locations for its coveted second campus down from 21 potential sites to six finalists. And they are:
