How Google Hangouts Could Rule the World | Cult of Android
First two minutes of Veronica Mars available for all to watchI never watched Veronica Mars, but the movie and the popularity of the show has me intrigued. Can anyone share additional details on why or why not I should check it out (the show)?[click-to-read-mo.re/p/5QQZ](http://click-to-read-mo.re/p/5QQZ)
How Google Hangouts could rule the world.A dark cloud hangs over the future of mobile communication: the spectre of Facebook controlling it all.It’s not likely, actually. But Facebook’s intention to purchase WhatsApp for $16 billion or $19 billion dollars (depending on whether you factor in the stock-based bonuses for WhatsApp employees) involved some scary-big numbers.The biggest of these numbers happens when you add Facebook’s current user count plus WhatsApp’s projected user count (how many users Facebook believes the service will have if current growth rates continue). The number is: 2.3 billion users.Of course, the number is pure B.S.WhatsApp’s current growth probably won’t continue. Facebook’s current numbers are padded with duplicate users, fake users and non-active users. And there’s always going to be big overlap between WhatsApp and Facebook users — a dude who uses both is still just one dude.Still, when I ponder the number of people likely to be using Facebook-owned services (WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger) for messaging compared to those using Google-owned Hangouts, I find myself astonished and confused.How did this happen? And what can be done about it? [www.cultofandroid.com/53358/goo…](http://www.cultofandroid.com/53358/google-hangouts-rule-world) #Hangouts #WhatsApphttp://click-to-read-mo.re/p/5QQy
What are the odds that my flight is canceled on back to back business trips? Line just got crazy at San Jose airport. Serenity now
Great comments on why it’s important for kids to learn programming skills based on personal experience in businessCornerstones – Lubavitch Educational CenterDavid and Eda Schottenstein were the generous donors to the Computer Programming club using +Tynker at Lubavitch Educational Center in order to provide students with the fundamentals to pursue a future career in the tech sector.http://click-to-read-mo.re/p/5ClM
did any of your glass explorers know that you could write a
Facebook to buy WhatsApp for $16 Billion dollars! (-Dr.Evil voice)[click-to-read-mo.re/p/5AyB](http://click-to-read-mo.re/p/5AyB)
Apple may have tried to buy Tesla.Here’s a coincidence for you: Exactly one year to the day after I said that Apple should buy Tesla, the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Apple thought so, too. Allegedly. I wrote my column on February 16, 2013: [www.cultofmac.com/216287/wh…](http://www.cultofmac.com/216287/why-an-apple-icar-is-actually-a-great-idea/Then) on February 16, 2014, the Chronicle published this piece: [www.sfgate.com/news/arti…](http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Apple-exploring-cars-medical-devices-to-reignite-5239850.phpThe) piece basically says that Apple’s mergers and acquisitions chief Adrian Perica met with Tesla last Spring (Spring began about a month after my column).[click-to-read-mo.re/p/5zig](http://click-to-read-mo.re/p/5zig)
Really The New York Times? Sticking with that tired “ghost town” line? I looked up the author of the article Claire Cain Miller here on Google+, and she has zero public posts, and an empty profile page. I’ll say it again, but this time slowly and using words with two syllables or less so you’ll understand, YOU’RE … DOING … IT … WRONG! I tell all first time users, that if they try to use G+ exactly the same way as FB, they’re going to come away with a bad impression. With G+, you get out of it what you put in, and connections are more likely based on common interest than existing relationships. The bonus is that your home stream is filled with content that interests you, and fewer non-stop baby and wedding photos. But if you don’t post publicly our bother to interact with anyone, well then you probably shouldn’t be writing articles on the topic either. If you want to see an example of doing-it-right, go take a look at Mike Elgan. Somehow he managed to get >3M followers in a ghost town, but whatever. Heck, I’m closing in on 1k followers myself, and I’m as boring as they get. In summary, you’re an idiot.http://click-to-read-mo.re/p/5uDn
Forget variety. Spices are the spice of life!I’m so happy right now. An enormous and painstakingly selected cache of spices my wife bought in Marrakesh, which we thought had been lost, are in our possession after all. Here’s the story. About 10 months ago, my wife Amira Elgan and I were visiting Marrakesh, Morocco. Amira spent a huge amount of time and effort buying spices. Morocco is, and always has been, a major global center for the most incredible and high-quality spices imaginable. (The picture below is one she posted here on Google+ of her selection of spices in one store to be ground up into something called ras el hanout.)While in Marrakesh, she also bought a really great tagine, which is a Berber (North African) domed- or coned-topped clay pot for slow-cooking food on an open fire or in an oven. We thought we’d be nomads for many years, so Amira packed away the spices and tagine for some future kitchen we might have. As soon as we got back to the US, however, Amira realized that her spices were nowhere to be found. She was distraught, but assumed they must have been stolen in transit – the spices were worth a lot of money. So now, as you know, our nomadic lifestyle ended abruptly when Leo and Lisa hired me to work at TWiT. So now we have a house, and Amira is slowly unpacking all our stuff, which has been in storage for a long time. Today Amira unpacked the tagine, and when she opened it found all the spices inside. : ) [plus.google.com/+AmiraElg…](https://plus.google.com/+AmiraElgan/posts/4osmGUmcHFRhttps://plus.google.com/+AmiraElgan/posts/ZRZk7ijR4BU) #moroccohttp://click-to-read-mo.re/p/5tTA
My first drive with Automatic… Check out my results!Automatic is the easiest way to get meaningful feedback about driving habits. Plug in the device into you car diag port, then sync with app. The device beeps at you during harsh accelerations/braking and when you speed. My favorite part is the amount of money each drive costs plus my MPGs.Granted some cars have this, but most cars don’t give you a bicep workout to roll down the window like my car does. ;)[click-to-read-mo.re/p/5kLr](http://click-to-read-mo.re/p/5kLr)
Nadia shuttering at the fall of Jeremy Abbott during the men’s figure skating short programI love the Olympics and have Olympic fever