Vanity Fair:

When Felix Baumgartner set out to make a living by stunt jumping—from cliffs, buildings, and bridges—the young Austrian had no idea where it would take him: to a pressurized capsule nearly 24 miles above New Mexico, last October 14, preparing to free-fall farther than any man in history, and at supersonic speed. Detailing Baumgartner’s quest, William Langewiesche explores what drove him to ever greater heights.

I’m still not as hugely impressed as some by Baumgartner’s stunt but the story has many interesting details regarding what it takes to put together this kind of event.

Apple Inc. and Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Motorola Mobility unit are more interested in using litigation as a business strategy than in resolving disputes over the use of patented technology, a federal judge in Florida said.

“The parties have no interest in efficiently and expeditiously resolving this dispute; they instead are using this and similar litigation worldwide as a business strategy that appears to have no end,” U.S. District Judge Robert Scola in Miami said in an order dated yesterday. “That is not a proper use of this court.”

The Mac Observer asked Mr. Welch what was going on and he said, “People were indeed laid off, however, the company is not folding.” He added that Ambrosia is still selling and supporting its products.

Glad to hear that Ambrosia is continuing, albeit at diminished capacity. I’ve enjoyed Ambrosia’s games and utilities since the very earliest days of Mac shareware, and their demise would truly be sad day in the annals of Mac history.

Game Informer has learned from sources close to the matter that Orth is no longer with Microsoft. A call to Microsoft’s main switchboard confirmed this fact. Our sources, who wish to remain anonymous, suggest that Orth resigned in the wake of last week’s events. We haven’t been able to confirm whether this was a voluntary or forced resignation.

Adam Orth created a buzz last week when he posted dismissive comments about gamers who complain about “always on” connections for games. Rumors suggest that Microsoft’s next Xbox console – expected to be revealed at an event next month – will do so.

Microsoft distanced itself from Orth’s comments but didn’t refute the rumors, and now it looks like Orth is out of a job.

The software giant is developing a new lineup of its Surface tablets, including a 7-inch version expected to go into mass production later this year, said people familiar with the company’s plans.

So the company can fail in two form factors. Awesome!

Video accounts for 50 percent of Verizon Wireless’ network traffic today and by 2017 the carrier estimates video will make up two-thirds of all traffic over the network.

Pretty remarkable that that many wireless users are watching video from their devices.

Flavorwire:

This month marks the 70th anniversary of one of our favorite children’s books of all time, the beautiful, contemplative novella The Little Prince. To celebrate the book’s legacy (and to encourage any parents currently dragging their feet to get it for their little ones), we’ve put together a list of 25 essential books that every kid should have on his or her bookshelf growing up.

Embarrassed to say I’ve only actually read two of these – “The Phantom Tollbooth” and “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” How many have you read?

Global PC shipments plunged 14 percent in the first three months of 2013, according to newly released figures from market research firm IDC.

It’s the steepest decline since 1994, when IDC began keeping records for the device.

Welcome to the Post-PC era.

And if you’re wondering, yes, even Apple saw PC shipment declines “as its own PCs also face competition from iPads.”

The Wirecutter:

It’s actually harder to pick a good, affordable camera than it is to pick an expensive, high-end one. But, with a bit of leg work, we’ve managed to plow through the fifteen or so vaguely respectable cameras that cost less than $150 and narrow it down to the Canon PowerShot 320 HS.

The comparatively low image noise, sharp photographs, and kinda-fast lens put it ahead of most of the competition at this price point. And while the touchscreen and Wi-Fi may not be perfect, they’re still good features to have on hand.

The Nook Press platform includes features such as a web-based content tools for authors to write, edit, format and publish their work and online forum for writers to share their work in a secure environment. Authors also have potential merchandising opportunities in the Nook Store and upcoming Nook Press Nook Channel on Nook HD and Nook HD+. Select content will be in social media campaigns, e-mails and newsletters directed to NOOK customers, Nook Media said.

Barnes & Noble launched a self-publishing platform two and a half years ago called PubIt. Nook Press replaces PubIt and expands it with web-based publishing tools.

If you want to understand the major challenges that BlackBerry faces in the American market, look no further than a new survey commissioned by MKM Partners showing that most Americans don’t even know that BlackBerry 10 has launched yet.

Even if more Americans knew, I doubt they’d care very much.

68 percent of those polled said they have absolutely no interest in buying a BlackBerry.

This launch is the very definition of a day late and a dollar short.

David Karp, Tumblr CEO:

What we’ve accomplished with Storyboard has run its course for now, and our editorial team will be closing up shop and moving on. I want to personally thank them for their great work. And please join us in wishing them well.

Storyboard was well-regarded. It’s a shame to see them put an end to it. And, you know, what the world needs right now is definitely more out of work editorial people.

Also, “we’re so happy with what they did that we shitcanned them all” seems like the sleaziest corporate doublespeak imaginable.

Om Malik takes a look at the HTC First, the debut phone to feature Facebook Home. Malik has been very critical of Facebook Home, so it’s interesting to read his thoughts on what it’s like to use the device.

The results of Piper Jaffray’s 25th bi-annual teen survey came in Tuesday afternoon. Once again, it showed Apple to be the most desired brand among American teenagers who care about things like smartphones and tablets, although Google’s Android did make some gains.

59 percent of teens said they want an iPhone, compared to 21 percent who want an Android phone. 48 percent of them already have an iPhone.

The company said on Wednesday that when it begins selling the iPhone 5 on Friday, it will offer a discount for people who trade in their older iPhones. Customers can trade in an iPhone 4S or iPhone 4, for example, for the iPhone 5 at no cost up front, along with a $120 credit toward the monthly device fee. The offer lasts through mid-June.

T-Mobile is doing its best to lure away customers from rival networks.

Even if our iOS apps are momentarily unavailable, your app recommendation service, AppGratis, is very much up and running. If you’re part of the 12 million lucky people to have downloaded our app before last Friday, know that it will keep updating everyday with new free apps and cool discounts. So will our website, and so will our daily newsletter.

Simon Dawlat, CEO of AppGratis, explains from his perspective what happened when Apple pulled their app from the App Store.

Let’s just point this out upfront: By most accounts, Johnson was trying to accomplish the seemingly impossible with a radical reinvention of the JC Penney brand. Many thought that if anyone could do it, it was Johnson, the retail superstar credited for making Target hip and turning the Apple Store into a monster success story. His plans were bold—too bold, virtually everyone now agrees. Correspondingly, he was removed as CEO not because he came up a little short of the goals set for the company. He was ousted because he failed in spectacular fashion.

Good analysis.

I missed this feature from Florence Ion when it ran earlier this month. If you did too, check it out. Some interesting tidbits.

Very cool.

Today, we’re pleased to announce with Mayor Lee Leffingwell that Austin, Texas is becoming a Google Fiber city.

Exciting news for Austin residents looking for gigabit access. Should be coming to Austin homes in 2014.

Microsoft Corp.’s after-sales service of its Surface tablet has attracted criticism from China’s state-owned radio, following similar reports in the past month targeting Apple Inc.

Microsoft’s turn to be the state-run media’s whipping boy.

BuzzFeed:

In Canada, this transcendent dish is served at every possible opportunity — restaurants, bars, truck stops, diners, doesn’t matter. In America it’s still treated like a culinary novelty. The few stateside restaurants that have attempted to make poutine can’t seem to get it right.

This is downright tragic.

I’ve had poutine four times here in the US. Every time, it was utterly inedible. C’mon America!

A year and a half into his dismal attempt to turn around J.C. Penney, Ron Johnson was ousted as chief executive on Monday and replaced with his predecessor, Myron E. Ullman III, as the board searched for a new direction for the struggling retailer.

Ouch.

Hey, I hear Apple is looking for someone to run their retail business…

Here at NAB, Intel just introduced the next generation of its Thunderbolt interface, which promises a data rate of 20 Gbps in both directions (on each of the two channels) as opposed to 10 Gbps for the previous version.

It’s capable of moving 4K video, which will make Thunderbolt even better suited to high-end video production. Intel expects the new hardware to come into public use next year.