AT&T chief regrets unlimited data, iMessage for iPhone

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New York Times:

Randall Stephenson, AT&T’s chief executive said that he wished the company had never offered an unlimited data plan for the device and that he loses sleep over free texting services like Apple’s iMessage.“If you’re using iMessage, you’re not using one of our messaging services, right? That’s disruptive to our messaging revenue stream.”

Perhaps if Mr Stephenson’s company hadn’t consistently boned their customers with ridiculous charges, he wouldn’t find so many of us happy to use iMessage or Skype or any number of other services to get around the usurious costs we are forced to pay by AT&T.

Earblowing Space Shuttle launch

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Gizmodo:

If you never attended a shuttle launch, you must watch this perfect video. Watch it with good and big headphones. Or better yet, with an amazing sound system. In fact, this is the perfect video to test your audio setup with gigantic subwoofer.

But beware. It’s loud. Deliciously loud and crispy.

Smithsonian to showcase Steve Jobs’ patents, trademarks

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Washington Post:

The Smithsonian Institution is preparing an exhibit featuring Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’ technology patents on the National Mall in conjunction with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.The exhibit opening May 11, entitled “The Patents and Trademarks of Steve Jobs: Art and Technology that Changed the World” will be on view through July 13 at the Ripley Center near the Smithsonian Castle.

Pocket artillery mini cannon

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Cool Material:

The Pocket Artillery Mini Cannon looks like a harmless desktop accessory, it’s nicely polished, available in some eye-catching colors and it seems like an ideal way to show off your eye for design and love of little trinkets. Then you light the fuse. All of a sudden that fun office party turns into a hospital run cause Dottie took a BB in the hand.

Don’t lie – you know you want one.

Which music subscription service should you use?

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TechHive:

You’re well aware that you can purchase music directly over the Internet—from Apple’s iTunes Store, Amazon MP3, Google Music, and a host of other sites. And these are perfectly fine options if you want to own your music. But, for those who like to listen to—but not necessary collect—a vast library of music there’s an alternative: Music subscription services.Cough up $5 or $10 a month and you can listen to any of millions of tracks in a wide variety of genres, whenever and (within reason) wherever you want. I took a look at the major subscription services—Mog, Rdio, Rhapsody, Slacker, and Spotify—to see how they shake out and which might be the best fit for you.

15 Spectacular European Libraries

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Mental Floss:

Here are fifteen of the most beautiful libraries throughout Europe.

I’ve posted in the past about beautiful libraries in personal homes. These are ones the public has access to.

Apple and Taxes: What the New York Times missed

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AllThingsD:

As the person who six years ago this month revealed in BusinessWeek that Apple had incorporated in Nevada where the corporate tax rate is zero, I found the account by Charles Duhigg and David Kocieniewski of the many financial tricks that Apple employs to minimize its tax exposure fascinating. Who couldn’t love phrases like “Double Irish with a Dutch Sandwich” to describe arcane accounting and legal tricks?But the implication the story leaves you with that Apple is somehow doing society a disservice by not paying its fair share of corporate taxes is simply wrong on many levels.

Perfect example of the “read all you can” theory. The New York Times account is getting a lot of notice but Arik Hesseldahl adds some more details the Times missed or didn’t include.

Apple’s tax strategy aims at low tax states and nations

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New York Times:

Apple’s headquarters are in Cupertino, Calif. By putting an office in Reno, just 200 miles away, to collect and invest the company’s profits, Apple sidesteps state income taxes on some of those gains.California’s corporate tax rate is 8.84 percent. Nevada’s? Zero.Setting up an office in Reno is just one of many legal methods Apple uses to reduce its worldwide tax bill by billions of dollars each year.

Uncage the Soul’s “Finding Portland”

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[caption id="attachment_23296" align="alignnone" width="470" caption=""Finding Portland" video"][/caption] Uncage the Soul:

“Finding Portland” was produced, shot, and edited in 51 days during March and April.Comprised of 308,829 photographs taken from over 50 unique locations, “Finding Portland” tells the story of the city and its many faces.It took an average of 3.8 hours to make each second of this film.

I think this shooting technique can make even the ugliest city look magical.

At 92, movie bootlegger is soldiers’ hero

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New York Times:

Hyman Strachman, a 92-year-old, 5-foot-5 World War II veteran trying to stay busy after the death of his wife. And he has sent every one of his copied DVDs, almost 4,000 boxes of them to date, free to American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.“It’s not the right thing to do, but I did it,” Mr. Strachman said, acknowledging that his actions violated copyright law.

Go ahead, Hollywood. Just try to sue this guy.

The Space Shuttle Enterprise over New York City

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BuzzFeed:

The Space shuttle Enterprise, mounted atop a 747, flew over NYC today. The shuttle will eventually be put on permanent display at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. Unsurprisingly, a space shuttle on top of an airplane is a really cool thing to see.