“Do Not Track” tool promises faster page loads

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PC World:

A free new tool released on Thursday was built specifically to address many of the concerns raised in that study and to go well beyond what standard private browsing modes can do. It’s called Do Not Track Plus, and it works seamlessly with Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari; not only that, but it can increase page load speeds by up to four times, its maker says.Users can decide at the individual website level whether they want to block or allow tracking. When they do want their activities to remain private, DNT+ blocks a growing list of 580 different tracking technologies and more than 200 tracking companies.

I’ve been using it for a while and it’s a bit scary to see how often and in how many different ways we are being tracked.

Is it worth seeing Star Wars in 3D?

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[caption id="attachment_20059" align="alignnone" width="470" caption="Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace"][/caption] CNET UK:

Lucasfilm has done a smashing job on Star Wars — it’s easily one of the best post-3D conversions I’ve seen. The key to this is that most of the 3D effects are relatively subtle. In other 3D post-conversions, the makers are so keen to make it clear it’s in 3D they make the effect too stark.So is it worth paying to see?

At this point, is there any point in even discussing it? If you’re a fan, you will, if you’re not, you won’t. What’s interesting is kids today won’t get to see the series the way we did (out of order) so it will be an entirely different experience and story for them.

Valentine’s Day dinner for two

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[caption id="attachment_20053" align="alignnone" width="470" caption="Creamy Pasta With Shrimp And Vegetables"]Creamy Pasta With Shrimp And Vegetables[/caption] Huffington Post:

There’s nothing more romantic than a private dinner for two when you want to spend some time with your significant other this coming Valentine’s Day. And you don’t need to make reservations weeks in advance or pay a pretty sum for dinner out.The following slideshow features quick, simple and easy recipes that are designed to serve just two people. Look for the classic filet mignon with compound butter, roasted mustard salmon, roast duck breasts with pomegranate, and more. Any of these recipes will impress your loved one and show them how much you care. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Some of these recipes look so easy to make, even someone who burns water could create a lovely meal.

Microsoft stores open next door to Apple stores

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New York Times: Analysts said the strategy of going head to head with arguably the most successful retail chain of the 21st century could be a smart move, although it is unlikely that Microsoft Stores will be money engines in … Continued

43% say random choices better than current Congress

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Rasmussen Reports:

With positive ratings for Congress at an all-time low, it may come as no surprise that a plurality of voters nationwide believes a group of people randomly selected from a telephone book would do a better job than the current legislators.The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters shows that 43% believe a group of people randomly selected from the phone book would do a better job than the current Congress. Thirty-eight percent (38%) disagree with that assessment, while another 19% are not sure.

Tassimo coffee makers recalled

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Tassimo is recalling its one-cup coffee makers after 140 reports of problems involving people getting doused with the contents of the “T-discs.”

iPad is a nuisance for many Chinese parents

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TUAW:

A report from the Beijing Evening News suggests Chinese parents are scuffling with their kids over iPads. It seems the iPad was the gift of choice for many children this past Chinese New Year, and now those youngsters are having a hard time putting their tablets aside.Exasperated parents don’t know what to do when their tots refuse to hand over the iPad, and they’re afraid iPad use may impede their children’s education.

Interesting problem. They could use the solution my mom used in these situations. She said, “No.”

iWitness

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Jerry Manock Seven Days:

In 1977, when Jerry Manock was 33 and Apple had just five employees, Steve Jobs hired him as a consultant to design the Apple II, one of the first personal computers in history to be successfully mass produced and marketed. Manock gets credit for almost everything but the circuit board and the logic Board: the machine’s “thermal management, the structure, the outside aesthetics, the color — beige, Pantone 453, the color of the deep-space universe,” Manock says, rattling off his contributions to the once-cutting-edge Apple II, which now looks like a yellowing typewriter on a shelf in his office.Beside it sits the smaller, self-contained, revolutionary Macintosh. Manock was part of the original team of a half-dozen workers who designed the Mac.

An interesting interview with one of the original Apple II and Macintosh designers.

Super bowl commercials are even lamer in Canada

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Slate:

Canadians might love the Super Bowl, but we hate the commercials.Not the commercials you get to watch. I’m talking about the ones we get stuck with in Canada.What does that mean? When America got an overproduced Bud Light Platinum ad, British Columbia got a lightly droll spot for a domestic IPA, Alexander Keith’s. Around the time America was watching John Stamos peddle Greek yogurt, British Columbia was learning about job creation and infrastructure. Shortly after America watched a joyful promo for NBC shows such as Community, British Columbia watched a local advertisement for — I kid you not — an actual community college.

Americans have no idea how annoying this is. Canadians see and hear all the hype about the Super Bowl commercials and, come game time, we get ads for Speedy Muffler King.

Greed and Entitlements

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Federico Viticci, MacStories:

Today’s Tweetbot releases are just another example of a subset of users that think developers should keep on updating their apps, even adding completely new iPad versions, for free, forever. This kind of controversy seems to take place every time a major iPhone app is released as standalone on the iPad, or vice versa. So I’d like to formulate a quick thought on the subject.

As I said on Twitter when the tempest in a teapot over the $3 cost of TweetBot for the iPad started – it’s three dollars…you have an iPad. See the disconnect?

With Leaning Tower of Pisa straighter, others contends for the title

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[caption id="attachment_19986" align="alignnone" width="470" caption="The Leaning Tower of Switzerland?"][/caption]New York Times:

Engineers performed extensive renovations on the legendary Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, sharply reducing its tilt. The repairs ended its status as leaning-est tower, moving it to somewhere in the middle of the pack and touching off a competition, which still simmers, for the crown.The matter seemed to have been settled a few years ago, when Guinness World Records in London awarded the title of “Farthest Leaning Tower” to one that accompanies a solid red brick church in the village of Suurhusen, in northern Germany. It leans at an angle of 5.19 degrees, compared with the Pisa tower’s 3.9 degrees.

Who knew there was so much competition for the tile of “building most likely to fall over soon”.

Mass Effect Infiltrator headed to iOS

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ShackNews: EA has just announced Mass Effect Infiltrator for iOS, a companion app that will help boost your “Galactic Readiness” in Mass Effect 3. Increased readiness will help enable players get the best ending possible in the trilogy’s finale. It’s … Continued

Kodak’s no longer in the (consumer) camera business

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Eastman Kodak Co., struggling to reinvent itself in the wake of bankruptcy, announced Thursday plans to “phase out dedicated capture devices” as part of a refocus of its consumer business.  That means that Kodak will no longer sell its own … Continued

Super Bowl sniper nest

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[caption id="attachment_19954" align="alignnone" width="470" caption="Sniper nest"][/caption] Business Insider:

While the Lucas Oil Stadium was crammed with fans watching the biggest sporting event of the year on Sunday, there was also at least one well-equipped sniper in attendance.These pictures started circulating Tuesday night, and though speculation about their authenticity lingers, the original source has confirmed with me they are genuine.

Halliburton latest to switch to iPhone

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The Globe and Mail:

In another blow to troubled Canadian smartphone maker Research in Motion, energy drilling giant Halliburton Co. says it will replace its company-issued BlackBerrys with competitor Apple’s iPhone.A spokeswoman for the Houston, Texas-based firm says the plan will roll out over the next two years as it phases out 4,500 BlackBerrys from its operations.

Yesterday we told you that the Gannet newspaper company is handing out iPhones. We’ll hear more of these stories as time goes on.

How Pinterest is quietly generating revenue

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Josh Davis:

If you post a pin to Pinterest, and it links to an ecommerce site that happens to have an affiliate program, Pinterest modifies the link to add their own affiliate tracking code. If someone clicks through the picture from Pinterest and makes a purchase, Pinterest gets paid. They don’t have any disclosure of this link modification on their site, and so far, while it has been written about, no major news outlet has picked up on the practice or its implications.

I use Pinterest and this is troubling. Yes, they need to make money but doing it behind the users back is a bit off putting.

If men wrote Valentine’s cards

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Cool Material:

No guy looks forward to Valentine’s Day. Here’s what it would look like if guys wrote Valentine’s Day cards.
[caption id="attachment_19929" align="alignnone" width="470" caption=""][/caption]

Paul McCartney’s free concert stream

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[caption id="attachment_19918" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Paul McCartney on iTunes"][/caption] Apple has announced via iTunes that a stream of McCartney’s exclusive performance at Capitol Studios will take place at 7pm PT, 10pm ET on February 9 on iTunes as well as on your Apple TV. It’s the first time a live stream has been attempted through the Apple TV. Is this a test for the future? Or just shilling for the release of McCartney’s recent album, “Kisses on the Bottom”?

Startling makeovers of classic nudes in art

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Flavorwire:

In her Venus project, Italian artist Anna Utopia Giordano remixes some of the most celebrated nudes of art history, giving them an extreme Photoshop makeover. The results are stark and varied.

[caption id="attachment_19905" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Botticelli's Venus"][/caption] I’ve seen several of these paintings in real life and it’s surprising that you don’t really think of them as being “nudes”. You definitely look at them as “great art”.

Gannett FAQ for journalists receiving iPhones

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Jim Romenesko:

This FAQ for Gannett journalists receiving iPhones was distributed today at the chain’s papers.Q: I like my non- iPhone device. Can I just stay with that?A: If the company owns the device, the answer is no. iPhone is the only device that can do all the things we want you to be able to do. Also, iPhone is the only device for which we have training, support and unlimited data lined up.

Corel completes Roxio acquisition

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Corel Corp. announced Tuesday that it has completed the acquisition of Roxio from Rovi. The two companies initially announced the transition in January. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Roxio is a maker of media conversion software for Mac … Continued

Judge refuses to shut down market for used MP3s

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Wired Threat Level:

A one-of-a-kind website enabling the online sale of pre-owned digital-music files got a legal boost late Monday when a federal judge refused to shutter it at the request of Capitol Records.The brief ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan of New York did not clearly outline the reason for the decision. But in a transcript of a court proceeding Monday, he said that Capitol is likely to prevail at trial.

“Used MP3s”? Sounds shaky at best…

In lockup, man couldn’t remember phone numbers

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LA Weekly: Like many people, Petrick had come to rely on his cellphone. He wasn’t as good as he used to be about memorizing phone numbers. Excitedly, he recalled one person’s cell number and dialed it. His elation, however, quickly … Continued