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I really don’t understand what CNN and other mainstream media are doing these days, but their articles make very little sense. Here’s a good takedown of CNN’s latest.

I get how it works. I just don’t care. I’m not interested in squeezing something so tight that I get every last drop. I don’t want, need, or care about every last drop. Those last drops usually don’t taste as good anyway. My thirst is usually well quenched far before that final drop.

Interesting thoughts from Jason Fried.

Seth Weintraub:

An extremely reliable source has confirmed to us that Google is in the process of building stand-alone retail stores in the U.S. and hopes to have the first flagship Google Stores open for the holidays in major metropolitan areas.

Here’s what I don’t understand — Google hates talking to its customers, so what are they going to do in a retail store? Obviously, they will have workers in those locations, but having retail stores means having an infrastructure of people. Sometimes people that have to talk to customers.

The slowdown was unsurprising for a network with roughly 30,000 users. So, in order to keep revenue coming, Mr Haddad made Netbot free. But rather than sell his users out for a pittance to online ad men, he took advantage of App.net’s incentive programme. Each month the social network currently divvies up $20,000 in cash among its most active developers, based on usage patterns and a monthly survey of users’ opinion.

Very smart.

BBEdit 10.5 from Bare Bones Software — The leading professional HTML and text editor for the Mac just keeps getting better. Now with Retina support and many other improvements — download the demo and see for yourself!

I’ve been using the app since 1994.

The Lumio Illuminated Book:

The name Lumio is inspired by the idea of an illuminated book. The light turns on when you open the cover and turns off when it’s closed. Lumio illuminates when you need light and stows away compactly when unused, ideal for modern living.

I’m not a fan of Kickstarter projects but this is one I’d support if I had the money!

Seth Godin:

Some organizations demand total fealty, and often that means never questioning those in authority.

Those organizations are ultimately doomed.

Totally agree.

WiseGEEK:

Some foods have significantly more calories than others but what does the difference actually look like? When you consider that an entire plate of broccoli contains the same number of calories as a small spoonful of peanut butter, you might think twice the next time you decide what to eat.

As a guy on a diet, this is an interesting series of photographs.

Some amazing shots.

[Via Jim Coudal]

Fortune has gathered the estimates of Apple analysts to figure out who’s on the mark and who’s completely in the woods.

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The New York Times columnist at the center of a controversy over his review of Tesla’s Model S sedan responded following the Tesla CEO’s sharp-tongued blog post accusing him of malfeasance.

“Jane, you ignorant slut.”

Scroll to the bottom for Phae’s response. You could probably substitute your carrier for Rogers and write the same thing.

Researchers claim to have the beasts DNA.

Hard-hitting parliamentary coverage from Canada about concerns over a zombie invasion from America.

Let me make this crystal clear, every App purchase you make on Google Play gives the developer your name, suburb and email address with no indication that this information is actually being transferred.

Tesla Motors’ CEO has gone on the offensive following a damning review of its new Model S sedan in the New York Times, and says the reviewer is lying.

Jim and Dan discuss recent Apple news.

Sponsored by Hover (use code DANSENTME for 10% off), Notabli, and Squarespace (use code DANSENTME2 for 10% off).

Dave Caolo:

Imagine that Apple isn’t specifically designing a watch, but the next step in its portable devices. Something that does much of what iOS devices do today, only in a novel way, and is smaller than current devices.

Some great thoughts.

CNET:

The magic of physics can turn the mundane into something marvelous. Mark French, a mechanical engineering professor at Purdue University, designed a supersonic air-powered ping-pong ball cannon.

A ping-pong ball reportedly blasts out of the special cannon at speeds equivalent to Mach 1.23 — nearly as fast as an F-16 fighter jet. As evidenced in the video below, the high-speed ball can put a clean hole through a plywood paddle, a VHS tape, and other objects.

How to make science cool – destroy stuff!

Cult of Mac put together some of Jefferies analyst Peter Misek’s predictions over the past couple of years. How does this man still have a job?

TreeHugger:

The recent death of John E Karlin of Bell Labs, the father of the push-button phone and other innovations, has sparked a lot of reminiscing about land line phones. According to the New York Times, Karlin was also “the most hated man in America” for killing the named exchanges (like Butterfield 8). However the story of how our phone numbers got to be the way they are is a much longer and more interesting one.

Fascinating story of the history of phone numbers.

Ten tips from Techhive on how to get the best battery life out of your mobile devices.

Co.Exist:

San Francisco’s Bay Bridge is the dollar store version of the famed Golden Gate Bridge. Before the Bay Bridge closes down this summer for final touches on the new, safer eastern span, the bridge is getting gussied up by artist Leo Villareal, who is individually programming 25,000 white LED lights to generate an endless series of sparkling patterns across the structure.

“Bay Lights”…will be the world’s largest light sculpture upon its completion in March.

The utilitarian Bay Bridge is the ugly stepchild of San Francisco bridges, always coming up short in comparison to the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge. Hopefully this project isn’t just putting lipstick on a pig.

First Alicia Keys is named creative director of BlackBerry, now Justin Timberlake is the creative director for Bud Lite Platinum.

I’d be pissed if I was a real creative director.

Eric Slivka posted the transcript on MacRumors. Definitely worth reading.

While not a main talking point of the interview, [Samsung Executive Vice President David] Eun told All Things D’s Kara Swisher that he saw the seemingly endless legal struggle as “a loss” for innovation in the fast-moving tech industry.

Translation:

We are very upset that Apple is focused on the lawsuits and not releasing more amazing products that we can blatantly steal.

USAToday:

PepsiCo on Monday announced it is rolling out “a new way to do mornings” with Kickstart, a fruit-flavored Mountain Dew beverage.

“Our consumers told us they are looking for an alternative to traditional morning beverages – one that tastes great, includes real fruit juice and has just the right amount of kick to help them start their days,” said Greg Lyons, Mountain Dew’s vice president of marketing.

Kickstart has far less caffeine than energy drinks — 92 milligrams for a 16-ounce can. By comparison, a 16-ounce cup of Starbucks coffee has 330 milligrams of caffeine.

Does anyone really want a “morning beverage” that tastes like “Mountain Dew and fruit juice” that has even less caffeine than their coffee?