Bandwidth-sharing app brings connectivity to all

MAXED out on your phone's data plan? Stuck in a dead zone? Your neighbour can help. A new app lets users share mobile internet connections with anyone around them, helping the data-starved avoid roaming charges and steep overage fees.

Called AirMobs, the app shares a phone's data plan with others through the phone's Wi-Fi signal. For every kilobyte shared, AirMobs awards a data credit that can be used later.

"The idea is to extend the principle of 'give and you shall receive' to create an incentive for people to share their data plan," says Eyal Toledano at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who developed the app.

AirMobs aims to help users avoid high charges by connecting to the internet via the phones around them. In places where perhaps only one carrier has coverage, it can provide connectivity for all.

"You can use your credit in an area where you don't have a connection," Toledano says. "Maybe the guy next to you has great coverage."

Users can choose how much of their data plan they share. AirMobs runs in the background, regularly checking the phone's battery life and the strength of the cellular connection. It also detects movement, as the signal is more stable when the phone is stationary. When conditions are right, the Wi-Fi transmitter switches on automatically, and others can then connect.

Toledano says he has successfully tested the system within MIT, but he is hesitant to release it to the Google Play Store for fear that cellular carriers will object.

Bill Menezes, an analyst at Gartner in Denver, Colorado, agrees that's a danger. "Verizon Wireless, for example, specifically prohibits resale of its services to a third party," he says. "The question is how they would enforce it against an app like this."

"If networks decided to collaborate and let all devices roam freely, AirMobs would be less needed," Toledano says. "But where operators aren't collaborating, user-to-user collaboration can fix the situation."

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

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French-led troops seize airport in Mali Islamist bastion

BAMAKO: French-led forces Saturday wrested control of the airport at the Islamist stronghold of Gao, 1,200 kilometres (750 miles) northeast of the Mali capital Bamako, a security source said.

"Malian and French security forces have secured the airport of Gao and the Wanbary bridge. The two strategic points are under their control," the Malian source said.

The airport is located about six kilometres east of Gao while the bridge lies on the southern entrance to the town, held by the Al Qaeda-linked Movement for Jihad and Oneness (MUJAO) since June.

The security source did not mention any fighting.

Other sources said the Islamists had left the town after the start of a French-led military offensive on January 11 to stop a triad of Al Qaeda-linked groups from pushing down from their northern bastions towards Bamako.

In April last year, Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal were seized by an alliance of Tuareg rebels -- who wanted to declare an independent homeland in the north -- and hardline Islamist groups.

The Islamist groups include MUJAO, Ansar Dine, a homegrown Islamist group, and Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb, of which MUJAO is an offshoot.

The Islamists quickly sidelined the Tuaregs to implement their own Islamic agenda. They imposed a harsh interpretation of sharia law, flogging, stoning and executing transgressors, forbidding music and television and forcing women to wear veils.

- AFP/ck

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Review: While "jOBS" fawns over subject, film falls flat

Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs in "jOBS."

(Credit:
Five Star Feature Films)

PARK CITY, UTAH--The eagerly awaited biopic "jOBS" opens in 2001, when Apple's iconic co-founder arrives at Town Hall on Apple's Cupertino campus with good news. A secret team, Steve Jobs tells his employees, has built a product that will revolutionize the way everyone listens to music. Before he can even show them the iPod, the employees have sprung to their feet, wild-eyed and ecstatic, and their thunderous applause is eventually drowned out only by strings swelling in the background. It's a scene that sets the tone for all that is to follow: for most of the film's two hours, "jOBS" rarely stops clapping for its subject.

The team behind "jOBS," which was directed by Joshua Michael Stern, began working on the project shortly before Jobs retired from Apple in 2011. The script by first-time screenwriter Matt Whiteley covers Jobs' life from 1974, when Jobs attended classes at Reed College in Oregon, to 2001, when he announced the
iPod to Apple employees. Along the way "jOBS" covers most of the major milestones of its subject's time at Apple: the Apple I, the Apple II, the Lisa, and the Macintosh all are shown in development, as Jobs (a hard-working Ashton Kutcher) works to bring his vision of personal computing to the masses. Jobs hand-picks John Sculley to become Apple's CEO, hoping his marketing expertise will help the company overtake IBM in the PC market. But Sculley disappoints Jobs, who alienates his allies on Apple's board of directors and is ousted from the company he started. Only Apple's near-death experience in 1997 is enough to bring him back to Apple -- first as an adviser, then as an "interim" CEO -- and with the success of the Bondi blue iMacs, Apple was ascendant once again.

It's a story that will be familiar to readers of Walter Isaacson's recent Jobs biography or any number of other histories of the company. The opportunity "jOBS" had was to render these legendary events of Silicon Valley's history on screen, and to dramatize the contradictions of a man who remained unknowable even to some of those closest to him.

The movie gives it a shot. Kutcher drew skepticism when he was announced as the film's lead, despite an uncanny resemblance to the man he would be playing. But he throws himself into the role, inhabiting Jobs in his mannerisms and gestures while doing a more than creditable impression of the man's voice. Kutcher also captures Jobs' deliberate, slightly hunched-over walk. At moments, as during an enjoyable sequence in which Jobs recruits members for the Macintosh team, Kutcher disappears into the role.

The filmmakers do show Jobs being a jerk: he sleeps around, he yells at people, he parks in handicapped spaces. He persuades Steve Wozniak (Josh Gad) to perform crucial work for him, but lies about how much he is being paid, so he can dramatically underpay his best friend. An hour into the movie, he fires someone during an argument over font availability on the Lisa.

Yet the filmmakers are more interested in showing Jobs going about the work of being a genius. Over and over again, minor characters explain to him why something can't be done; Kutcher-as-Jobs smiles enigmatically and waves away their concerns. (It is left to someone else, far off screen, to turn his visions into reality.) We watch Jobs out-negotiate a computer parts store owner, lecture the team making the Lisa, and ride to the rescue of the Macintosh. Each time, he speaks of how the technology Apple is building will improve the lives of average people. Co-workers argue with him, but they never get anywhere, because their parts are poorly written and the filmmakers have no interest in showing their subject being wrong about his work. The film mentions Lisa's failure but has no interest in what part Jobs played in that failure; all Apple failures in "jOBS" are portrayed as the result of conservative, backward-thinking executives beholden only to their shareholders. The result is that the viewer spends two hours watching cardboard cutouts lose arguments to Ashton Kutcher.

Kutcher speaks fully 40 percent of the lines in "jOBS." Unfortunately, he has almost no one to play off of. Dermot Mulroney, as early Apple investor Mike Markkula, shakes his head at Jobs' excesses without ever really challenging him. J.K. Simmons, as the Apple board chairman who oversees Jobs' ouster, is a cartoon villain. Women in the film barely exist; an actress playing Chris-Ann Brennan has a single under-written scene informing a young Jobs that she is carrying his baby; years later in the film, a small scene shows Jobs at home with his wife. Only Gad, as Wozniak, gets a scene standing up to the great man -- as Woz quits Apple, he criticizes Jobs for losing his humanity amid a single-minded pursuit of making great products. It's something even Jobs' staunchest admirers have to wrestle with, and the film could have used more of that.

Others will write of the things "jOBS" omits, gets wrong, or simply avoids. My primary disappointment was in how shallow the film felt, given the extensive historical record. In the early days Jobs' co-workers had to wrestle with a man who smelled bad, who cried often, who yelled constantly, who missed deadlines, who overspent his budget by millions. He did it in service of products we love and use daily, and yet his obsessions took a toll on those around him. It also inspired others to do the best work of their lives, pushing themselves further than they ever imagined they can go. There is great drama to be found in all that, but it is not to be found in the saccharine "jOBS."

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Pictures: The Story Behind Sun Dogs, Penitent Ice, and More

Photograph by Art Wolfe, Getty Images

If you want the beauty of winter without having to brave the bone-chilling temperatures blasting much of the United States this week, snuggle into a soft blanket, grab a warm beverage, and curl up with some of these natural frozen wonders.

Nieve penitente, or penitent snow, are collections of spires that resemble robed monks—or penitents. They are flattened columns of snow wider at the base than at the tip and can range in height from 3 to 20 feet (1 to 6 meters). The picture above shows the phenomenon in central Chile. (See pictures of the patterns in snow and ice.)

Nieve penitente tend to form in shallow valleys where the snow is deep and the sun doesn't shine at too steep an angle, said Kenneth Libbrecht, a physicist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena who studies ice crystal formation.

As the snow melts, dirt gets mixed in with the runoff and collects in little pools here and there, he said. Since the dirt is darker in color than the surrounding snow, the dirty areas melt faster "and you end up digging these pits," explained Libbrecht.

"They tend to form at high altitude," he said. But other than that, no one really knows the exact conditions that are needed to form penitent snow.

"They're fairly strong," Libbrecht said. "People have found [the spires] difficult to hike through."

—Jane J. Lee

Published January 25, 2013

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Cops Using More Private Cameras to Nab Suspects

Philadelphia detectives were able to quickly make an arrest in the murder and burning of a female pediatrician by viewing surveillance video of nearby stores and a hospital that captured the suspect entering the doctor's home and later getting into his truck.

In the hours after Dr. Melissa Ketunuti's body was found strangled and burning in her basement, city's Homicide Task Force collected surveillance footage from a coffee shop, drug store and hospital overlooking Ketunuti's block. It was footage taken from Ori Feibush's coffee shop that allowed cops to identify Smith.

The suspect, an exterminator named Jason Smith, soon confessed to detectives, police said.

Lately a range of crimes have been solved by the seemingly ubiquitous security videos maintained by private companies or citizens, and investigators have been able to quickly apprehend suspects by obtaining the video, deftly turning private cameras into effective police resources.

Philadelphia Police Arrest Suspect in Doctor's Killing Watch Video

Pa. Doctor Killing: Person of Interest in Custody Watch Video

Private surveillance cameras have become so pervasive that the face of a suspect who allegedly shot a Bronx, N.Y., cab driver in a botched robbery on Jan. 14 was splashed throughout the media within days because the cabbie had rigged his vehicle with a camera.

The New York Police Department arrested Salvatore Perrone after he was caught on surveillance video recorded near two of three shopkeeper slayings in Brooklyn, N.Y., in November. He has since been charged with murder.

And in Mesa, Ariz., surveillance footage taken in November by resident Mitch Drum showed a man rolling on the ground trying to extinguish flames that had engulfed his shirt, which had caught fire while he was allegedly siphoning gas from a car by Drum's house. The man was arrested.

Though surveillance cameras have been a staple of security since a network of government operated cameras dubbed the "ring of steel" was introduced in London in the early 1990s, police have recently launched programs to partner with more businesses.

In Philadelphia, police have launched a program for businesses to register private cameras with the department. According to the SafeCam website, businesses will only be contacted when there is a criminal incident in the vicinity of the security camera. At that point, police will request a copy of the footage for their investigation.

"Businesses are saying, 'I have a camera at this location, and it may or may not be of use to you. It's a registration to say, 'feel free to call me,'" Sgt. Joseph Green told ABCNews.com

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Feedback: Tales of the stony turd industry

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Football: Balotelli going nowhere this month, says Mancini

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has once again rejected speculation linking Mario Balotelli with AC Milan and admits he is struggling to add to his squad ahead of next week's transfer deadline.

The Italy striker has made just seven Premier League starts this season after a string of controversial incidents.

Balotelli, 22, attempted to take the club to a Premier League tribunal in December after contesting fines for his poor disciplinary record.

Milan vice president Adriano Galliani has told City they need to lower their asking price for Balotelli, who has also been linked with a loan move to the San Siro.

But Mancini has dismissed the prospects of Milan signing Balotelli before the transfer window closes on Thursday.

He also added that it would be "difficult" for City to sign more players themselves and stated that it is not just Balotelli that he is looking to keep hold of.

Mancini said: "For two years it's always the question. It's not true. Mario's staying here. We haven't had any requests about Mario or any other player.

"Mario has another three years on his contract.

"We don't have enough players, we are 18 players now and we can't sell any players.

"Every day we talk about Mario. There is sometimes speculation about Mario."

Mancini has also played down reports that director of football Txiki Begiristain, who joined the club from Barcelona last year, has stipulated that City will play in a 4-3-3 system and all future signings will be purchased with that shape in mind.

The City manager insists it would be wrong to attempt to copy Barcelona's playing style.

He added: "I don't know but I speak with Txiki every day and he never told me this and we have the same thoughts about football and it's not more important to play 4-3-3, 4-4-2 or 4-5-1, it's important to have good players.

"Everyone wants to play like Barca but Barca is one, like Real Madrid or AC Milan, it's impossible to play like Barca but you can win if you play different styles.

"We are agreeing about everything because we think the same about football. We are the same. We don't have a different view."

French midfielder Samir Nasri is Mancini's only fresh injury concern ahead of their FA Cup fourth round trip to Stoke on Saturday.

The former Arsenal man has been struggling with illness and may miss the game at the Britannia Stadium.

City beat Stoke in the 2011 final to end a 35-year trophy drought in Mancini's first full season in charge.

The Italian then guided the club to the league title last season but has never contemplated what might have happened to him if City had not won the cup two years ago.

He said: "I don't think about this. We wanted to win that final, to start to win and it was an important moment for us. We want to try to do this every year if it's possible.

"We have the FA Cup and Premier League this year and we want to try to win. It's important for us to try to win every year.

"I have good memories. It was a fantastic moment to win a trophy after 35 years. It was important because we worked hard and it was good for the club and the supporters. A really good moment.

"I think that not only for us, every team that goes to the Britannia has a problem because Stoke are strong, physical and every team has a problem with this but in the last two years we've played well, had chances to win and been unlucky."

-AFP/ac

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Web founder: share information, improve the world

Tim Berners-Lee speaking at the 2013 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland

(Credit:
screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

He stopped well short of saying information wants to be free, but Tim Berners-Lee, the founder of the World Wide Web, said today the world would be better with some judicious liberation.

Speaking at the 2013 World Economic Forum today in Davos, Switzerland, Berners-Lee called on social-networking sites, academics, musicians, and governments to share more information online.

In earlier days of computing, people had full control over their own information because it was all stored on their own computer in front of them. Now, people store data with online services that deprive them of that control.

"They put their photographs into Flickr. The simplest thing in world, you'd think, would be to share these photos with Facebook friends and LindedIn colleagues. But you can't do that, because these social networks are a silo," Berners-Lee said. "There's a frustration that I've told it all my data, but I as a user don't have access to that."

Berners-Lee also called upon governments to release data -- not data about military sites or perhaps power infrastructure that could make a country vulnerable, but information like pothole locations and hospital health outcome statistics that can improve accountability, provide economic opportunities for companies, help the public, and enable organizations to learn what works or not.

"It's very difficult to measure. That's the difficulty. But you're making a common good that makes the world run more efficiently," he said. "It's a question of unlocking this potential we already have. It's a huge benefit for very little cost."

Berners-Lee also called for reforms that would let academic papers be copied freely and let music be distributed more easily with payments to musicians.

"There was a lot of push-back against the online world by the recording industry because it upset their way of selling these plastic things," he said, referring to compact discs. "We need to find a whole other new business model. We should develop a new payment protocol so when you're using things it becomes easy to pay."

Some of these ideas are recurring themes for Berners-Lee, who developed the first incarnation of the Web as a way for scientists to share information at CERN, the European nuclear physics lab and particle accelerator site on the border of Switzerland and France.

Berners-Lee has regularly voiced concerns about the future of the Web, notably government interference and walled gardens such as Facebook. He's staunchly opposed to "silos" where users no longer have control over their own information.

Remembering Aaron Swartz
And invoking the memory of Aaron Swartz, the programmer and activist who committed suicide earlier this month after facing felony charges for downloading numerous academic papers, Berners-Lee said legislators must realize that accessing that information isn't necessarily a crime.

"There seems to be a deep suspicion of anybody accessing a computer system," he said. There's a place for legislation to deal with the problems of cybersecurity, he said, but "what can happen is the legislation gets too strong." And that led to prosecutors' overreach, Berners-Lee said.

"Aaron was a hacker in the good sense. He used his programming to try to make a point," he said. "They ended up using the law [which states] if you break into a computer system anywhere then you are guilty of a felony. Never mind whether you were taking out too many library books or trying to destroy the infrastructure of a country."

Berners-Lee called Swartz "an incredibly ethical person who thought a huge amount about what was right and how the world should be." One action that brought unwelcome attention from the FBI was downloading public-domain court records from the governmental systems that charge for the service, then republishing those documents for free. The reason he did so: "To point out that the government ought to be doing that."

Swartz was exemplary because he could use his programming skills to change the world. Most computer users merely know how to use a word processor at best, but Berners-Lee called for more and better computer education.

"I'm not talking about a course to tell them what buttons to press. When you're told how to program a computer, you're taking a leap into an area, joining a group of people who do incredible things."

And looking at the very big picture, Berners-Lee said there's plenty more work to be done getting the Internet to change the world.

"World peace has not miraculously occurred. People still mainly talk to the people who have the same religion and same culture," he said. "It hasn't really broken down cultural barriers. Wan we develop systems that will cause that kind of change?"

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Deformed Dolphin Accepted Into New Family

In 2011, behavioral ecologists Alexander Wilson and Jens Krause of the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Germany were surprised to discover that a group of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus)—animals not usually known for forging bonds with other species—had taken in an adult bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).

The researchers observed the group in the ocean surrounding the Azores (map)—about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) off the coast of Lisbon, Portugal—for eight days as the dolphin traveled, foraged, and played with both the adult whales and their calves. When the dolphin rubbed its body against the whales, they would sometimes return the gesture.

Among terrestrial animals, cross-species interactions are not uncommon. These mostly temporary alliances are forged for foraging benefits and protection against predators, said Wilson.

They could also be satisfying a desire for the company of other animals, added marine biologist John Francis, vice president for research, conservation, and exploration at the National Geographic Society (the Society owns National Geographic News).

Photographs of dogs nursing tiger cubs, stories of a signing gorilla adopting a pet cat, and videos of a leopard caring for a baby baboon have long circulated the Web and caught national attention.

A Rare Alliance

And although dolphins are known for being sociable animals, Wilson called the alliance between sperm whale and bottlenose dolphin rare, as it has never, to his knowledge, been witnessed before.

This association may have started with something called bow riding, a common behavior among dolphins during which they ride the pressure waves generated by the bow of a ship or, in this case, whales, suggested Francis.

"Hanging around slower creatures to catch a ride might have been the first advantage [of such behavior]," he said, adding that this may have also started out as simply a playful encounter.

Wilson suggested that the dolphin's peculiar spinal shape made it more likely to initiate an interaction with the large and slow-moving whales. "Perhaps it could not keep up with or was picked on by other members of its dolphin group," he said in an email.

Default

But the "million-dollar question," as Wilson puts it, is why the whales accepted the lone dolphin. Among several theories presented in an upcoming paper in Aquatic Mammals describing the scientists' observations, they propose that the dolphin may have been regarded as nonthreatening and that it was accepted by default because of the way adult sperm whales "babysit" their calves.

Sperm whales alternate their dives between group members, always leaving one adult near the surface to watch the juveniles. "What is likely is that the presence of the calves—which cannot dive very deep or for very long—allowed the dolphin to maintain contact with the group," Wilson said.

Wilson doesn't believe the dolphin approached the sperm whales for help in protecting itself from predators, since there aren't many dolphin predators in the waters surrounding the Azores.

But Francis was not so quick to discount the idea. "I don't buy that there is no predator in the lifelong experience of the whales and dolphins frequenting the Azores," he said.

He suggested that it could be just as possible that the sperm whales accepted the dolphin for added protection against their own predators, like the killer whale (Orcinus orca), while traveling. "They see killer whales off the Azores, and while they may not be around regularly, it does not take a lot of encounters to make [other] whales defensive," he said.

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New Orleans Ready for 1st Super Bowl Since Katrina

The people of New Orleans have hosted nine Super Bowls since 1970, but Super Bowl 2013 may be one of the most meaningful yet.

That, of course, is because it's the first Super Bowl in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina devastated the region in 2005.

When the San Francisco 49ers compete against the Baltimore Ravens on Feb. 3, it may rank with the 2002 game, when New Orleans hosted Super Bowl XXXVI after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

FULL COVERAGE: Super Bowl 2013

"Our home was destroyed by water," said Doug Thornton, 54, senior vice president of SMG, the management company of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. "Like many in New Orleans, we struggled at times, but have been an active part of the city. For many of us who have gone through this, there is a tremendous sense of pride to showcase our city [for those who] who may have not been here since Katrina."

The Superdome's manager since 1997, Thornton was in the Superdome for five days when Hurricane Katrina made landfall. Back then, it was called the Louisiana Superdome. It later became a shelter for thousands of displaced residents who had lost their homes.

"It's a fixture in the city," Thornton said. "You can't drive anywhere without seeing it. You can't think about going to an event unless you're coming here."

Thornton said the connection between the 37-year-old building and the local residents is even stronger since Katrina.

"We commonly refer to it as the living room of New Orleans," Thornton said.

Super Bowl 2013: Young 49ers Fan's Rap Video Watch Video

German-based car company Mercedes-Benz purchased the naming rights to the stadium in 2011, and Thornton said people embraced the new name immediately, "because we kept the word Superdome in the title."

On game day, Thornton said, he won't be able to enjoy the game. He'll show up to the Superdome around 7:30 a.m., make his rounds around the Superdome, and his day will end well after midnight.

"I've come to learn after doing these events for many years [that] there's no enjoyment," Thornton said. "You learn quickly in this business you can no longer be a fan. We're workers. This is a lifestyle, not a job. You're committed to it. It's 24-7."

The same can be said for the 5,000-or-so workers who will be in the Superdome on game day.

"It's no different than a football player getting ready for the game. You have to be ready mentally and physically," he said.

Read More: Volkswagen Uses Viral YouTube Stars in Super Bowl 2013 Pre-Game Teaser

The city has been preparing for this moment since May 2009, when New Orleans was named host of Super Bowl 47.

Jay Cicero, 50, executive director of the Super Bowl host committee and president and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, said more than $1 billion in recent infrastructure improvements were not done just for the Super Bowl, but the completion dates were moved up "dramatically" because of the big game.

The city also recently completed a $350 million renovation to the Louis Armstrong International Airport.

On Monday, the city will host a ceremony for the expansion of the historic street car line to one block away from the Superdome.

Cicero said about 100,000 people are expected to travel to New Orleans from out of town for events related to the Super Bowl, which are listed on NewOrleansSuperBowl.com.

The city is also hosting other events that sandwich the Super Bowl because of Mardis Gras 2013.

An early estimate from the University of New Orleans predicted the Super Bowl's economic impact to the region would be valued around $434 million.

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Environmental crises may threaten pensions

SAVE the planet, save your pension. A new report claims that environmental problems could bust pension funds by 2050.

Aled Jones of Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, UK, and his colleagues drew together evidence about a wide range of environmental problems, from water shortages to atmospheric pollution to climate change. They plugged these into models used to predict the values of pension funds.

Jones ran several scenarios, varying how quickly governments and industry responded to environmental problems. The results are published by the UK's Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFA). In almost all cases the value of funds began to fall before 2100. In the worst-case scenario, where governments and markets did nothing, values dropped steeply from around 2020 and fell to zero by 2050.

"Despite strong evidence that there is a risk that resource constraints could have significant economic impacts, these risks are not being factored in by many actors in the global economy," says Peter Tompkins of the IFA.

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

All comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the "Report" link in that comment to report it to us.

If you are having a technical problem posting a comment, please contact technical support.

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13 bids for Yishun mixed commercial & residential site tender

SINGAPORE: The tender for a mixed commercial and residential site at Yishun Ring Road/Yishun Avenue 9 has attracted 13 bids.

According to the Housing and Development Board (HDB), the highest bid of S$212.1 million was submitted by CEL Property - subsidiary of Singapore-listed Chip Eng Seng Corporation.

This translates into about S$8,551 per square metre of gross floor area.

The second highest bid was jointly placed by Boo Han Holdings and Far East Orchard at S$193.7 million.

URA said the other bids for the 99-year leasehold site ranged between S$55.5 million to S$182.6 million.

CBRE Research said the level of interest was "within expectations".

It believed that the residential project above the retail space should generate a fair amount of interest, going by the success of other mixed-use sites like The Hillier and Bedok Residences.

The firm pointed out that Northpoint is the only shopping mall in the area at present. Hence, the retail space that is developed in the site should be well-received by residents, office workers and students in the vicinity.

Desmond Sim, Associate Director, CBRE Research said: "This site will be the first private residential project in the proximity of Yishun MRT station and will be a pre-cursor to the next mixed use site at the current Yishun Bus Interchange, that will be put up for sale in June 2013."

CBRE Research estimates that the developer could sell the retail portion on a strata-titled basis at around S$3,000 psf to S$4,000 psf and the residential units at around S$900 psf."

The land parcel spans 8,858.3 square metres, and has a maximum permissible gross floor area of 24,803 square metres.

HDB said a decision on the award of the tender would be made after the bids have been evaluated.

- CNA/xq

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Nokia boosts hope in future as losses turn to profit

Nokia has finally turned a profit.

(Credit:
Nokia)

Nokia might be down, but it's certainly not out.

The company today reported its fourth-quarter earnings, and offered up performance that might make its doomsayers think twice. During the fourth quarter, Nokia was able to generate a profit of 202 million euros ($269 million), a massive gain over the 1 billion euros the company lost during the same period in 2011. Nokia's profit was generated amid slumping revenue that fell from 10 billion euros in the fourth quarter of 2011 to 8 billion last quarter.

On a full-year basis, Nokia could only muster 30.2 billion euros in sales, down 22 percent compared to the 38.7 billion euros it generated in 2011. Its 2012 operating profit was down to a 2.3 billion euro loss, compared to a 1.1 billion euro loss in all of 2011.

Nokia's Devices & Services operation also took some hits, with fourth-quarter revenue dropping from 6 billion in 2011 to 3.9 billion last quarter. That division's sales on an annual basis were down 34 percent.

Nokia's Devices division was boosted by a strong showing for Lumia sales in the fourth quarter, which hit 4.4 million units worldwide. However, the company's Smart Devices division could only muster 6.6 million unit sales, helping the company realize a 66 percent year-over-year decline.

More to come...

Read More..

Deformed Dolphin Accepted Into New Family

In 2011, behavioral ecologists Alexander Wilson and Jens Krause of the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Germany were surprised to discover that a group of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus)—animals not usually known for forging bonds with other species—had taken in an adult bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).

The researchers observed the group in the ocean surrounding the Azores (map)—about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) off the coast of Lisbon, Portugal—for eight days as the dolphin traveled, foraged, and played with both the adult whales and their calves. When the dolphin rubbed its body against the whales, they would sometimes return the gesture.

Among terrestrial animals, cross-species interactions are not uncommon. These mostly temporary alliances are forged for foraging benefits and protection against predators, said Wilson.

They could also be satisfying a desire for the company of other animals, added marine biologist John Francis, vice president for research, conservation, and exploration at the National Geographic Society (the Society owns National Geographic news).

Photographs of dogs nursing tiger cubs, stories of a signing gorilla adopting a pet cat, and videos of a leopard caring for a baby baboon have long circulated the web and caught national attention.

A Rare Alliance

And although dolphins are known for being sociable animals, Wilson called the alliance between sperm whale and bottlenose dolphin rare, as it has never, to his knowledge, been witnessed before.

This association may have started with something called bow riding, a common behavior among dolphins during which they ride the pressure waves generated by the bow of a ship or, in this case, whales, suggested Francis.

"Hanging around slower creatures to catch a ride might have been the first advantage [of such behavior]," he said, adding that this may have also started out as simply a playful encounter.

Wilson suggested that the dolphin's peculiar spinal shape made it more likely to initiate an interaction with the large and slow-moving whales. "Perhaps it could not keep up with or was picked on by other members of its dolphin group," he said in an email.

Default

But the "million-dollar question," as Wilson puts it, is why the whales accepted the lone dolphin. Among several theories presented in an upcoming paper in Aquatic Mammals describing the scientists' observations, they propose that the dolphin may have been regarded as nonthreatening and that it was accepted by default because of the way adult sperm whales "babysit" their calves.

Sperm whales alternate their dives between group members, always leaving one adult near the surface to watch the juveniles. "What is likely is that the presence of the calves—which cannot dive very deep or for very long—allowed the dolphin to maintain contact with the group," Wilson said.

Wilson doesn't believe the dolphin approached the sperm whales for help in protecting itself from predators, since there aren't many dolphin predators in the waters surrounding the Azores.

But Francis was not so quick to discount the idea. "I don't buy that there is no predator in the lifelong experience of the whales and dolphins frequenting the Azores," he said.

He suggested that it could be just as possible that the sperm whales accepted the dolphin for added protection against their own predators, like the killer whale (Orcinus orca), while traveling. "They see killer whales off the Azores, and while they may not be around regularly, it does not take a lot of encounters to make [other] whales defensive," he said.

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Majority Favors Obama's Gun Control Plan

Jan 24, 2013 7:00am

Charles Dharapak/AP Photo

Most Americans respond positively to the stricter gun control measures Barack Obama proposed last week in the wake of the tragic shootings in Newtown, Conn. – but by less of a margin than such measures receive outside the context of partisan politics.

Fifty-three percent in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll view Obama’s gun control plan favorably, 41 percent unfavorably. Strong proponents outnumber strong opponents by 38 vs. 31 percent in this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates.

See PDF with full results here.

Obama urged measures including background checks on all guns sales, reinstating the assault weapons ban, banning high-capacity ammunition magazines and armor-piercing bullets, new gun trafficking laws and increased access to mental health treatment.

Support for the package is lower than it was for some of the same steps tested individually in an ABC/Post poll earlier this month. Majorities from 88 to 65 percent favored background checks at gun shows and on ammunition purchases, creating a federal database to track gun sales and banning high-capacity magazines. That included, in each case, majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents alike.

In this poll, asking about “Barack Obama’s proposals for stricter gun control,” partisan allegiances kick in. The president’s proposals are seen favorably by 76 percent of Democrats but unfavorably by 72 percent of Republicans; most on each side feel strongly about their respective positions. Independents split 51-44 percent, favorable-unfavorable.

What remains to be seen is whether the president can overcome those partisan predispositions in his efforts to encourage Congress to pass the legislation he seeks.

Among other groups, Obama’s proposals are viewed positively by 56 percent of women vs. 49 percent of men; 58 percent of seniors vs. 47 percent of young adults; 66 percent in the Northeast vs. 50 percent in the rest of the country; 72 percent of nonwhites vs. 43 percent of whites; and 73 percent of liberals vs. 36 percent of conservatives.

The survey was done by landline and cellular telephone Jan. 16-20 among a random national sample of 1,033 adults, and the results have a 3.5 point-error margin.

SHOWS: This Week

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Accidental physics: Why mass has a split personality

MacGregor Campbell, contributor

We interact with the concept of mass every day. Without it, gravity wouldn't keep us firmly planted on Earth. But mass is also a component of inertia, making it hard, for example, to push a stalled car.

On the surface, inertia and gravity don't seem to have much in common. But in experiments, these two versions of mass always give the same results. Although we've been aware of the coincidence since Galileo's day, the only explanation, proposed by Einstein, has been much disputed.

In this video, we delve into the split personality of mass, exposing the conundrum that lies at the core of one of the most basic concepts in physics. For more on the topic, read our full-length feature article, "Sacrificing Einstein: Relativity's keystone has to go".

For more mind-bending animations, check out our previous explainers to find out, for example, how to change the past, or if space is really infinite.

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Smaller terror groups drive threat in Indonesia

JAKARTA: With all the major suspects involved in the 2002 Bali bombings killed or imprisoned, smaller groups with more local aims are driving the terrorist threat in Indonesia.

Experts highlighted this, as part of discussions into the changing pattern of terrorism, at a forum in Jakarta.

Indonesian security forces have so far arrested almost 800 people on suspicion of militancy and sentenced nearly 700 of them.

But while the security forces' efforts and internal rifts have left Indonesia's most feared terror group Jemaah Islamiyah weakened, some members have now moved to form new cells and seek new recruits.

These new cells are now targeting the police, rather than orchestrating large scale bombings against Westerners.

"Like it or not, the excessive use of violence by authorities has spurred the possibility of the emergence of small cells, therefore we witness, if we look at the incidents, more attacks are towards the police," said Noor Huda Ismail, director executive at Institute for International Peace Building.

"Because they have enough oxygen to continue to breathe, enough ammunition to continue the recruitment because of the excessive of powers and this problem will linger until the next years."

Terrorists are increasingly using the Internet to tap into this perception of over-reach by authorities, using it to spread their message, and also raise funds.

They are even looking into hacking as part of fund raising efforts, in addition to donations, bank robberies, and legitimate front businesses.

But their network on the ground remains strong.

Experts say a major challenge for authorities is to track "dot connectors" -- ordinary people with radical thoughts who volunteer to connect the different terror cells spread out across the country.

"We tend to focus on big names like Santoso (a wanted terror suspect), who has become a celebrity in the media, but we forget these small actors who actually connect the dots," said Ms Noor Huda.

Ms Noor Huda also said post conflict areas such as Poso and Ambon will remain vulnerable conflict areas as they are conducive places for further terrorist recruitment.

Women who in the past served as moral support are now taking an active role in the terror cells by running shelters for terrorists on the run.

Terror expert Professor Greg Barton, meanwhile, put the focus on at-risk groups vulnerable to being recruited, saying the government needs to pay more attention to them.

He also felt civil society needs to be empowered to help prevent terror convicts from becoming repeat offenders.

Prof Barton said: "At best, many people who could be helped to permanently walk away from terrorism fall back into the old communities, the old networks because they are not helped to provide an alternative. Practical things like plugging them into new employment opportunities, new social networks are really key."

Professor Barton hopes Indonesia's two largest Muslim organisations, Nahdatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, play a larger role in creating post-prison rehabilitation programmes to help former convicts embrace a new way of life.

- CNA/xq

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Google's Native Client reaches ARM-based Chromebooks

Google has finished a version of its Native Client programming technology that extends beyond mainstream x86 PC processors into the world of ARM chips.

Native Client, or NaCl for short, is designed to let programmers easily adapt the C or C++ software they've written for native software so that it can run as a part of Web apps, too. It's designed for high performance, but it's also got security mechanisms built in to counter the risks of running malicious code directly on the processor. The first version of NaCl, though, only worked on personal computers using Intel or AMD's x86 chips.

Google's David Sehr announced NaCl for ARM today with version 25 of its NaCl software developer kit, which programmers use to build NaCl programs.

The technology is designed so that programmers can bring their existing code to the Web -- for example, game designers who have written a physics engine in C++. But NaCl has been at odds with the Web philosophy in one important way, namely, that NaCl software doesn't simply run on any device with a browser.

Extending to ARM is thus an important step for NaCl, because ARM chips power almost every smartphone out there. But this version of NaCl doesn't do that -- it only works on the new ARM-based Samsung Chromebooks.

To reach mobile phones, Google is banking on a revamp called Portable Native Client, or PNaCl. It adopts a low-level translation technology called LLVM that adapts native code to a variety of processors.

"With Portable Native Client, we'll be able to support not just today's architectures, but also those of tomorrow - and developers won't have to recompile their app," Sehr said in the blog post.

With PNaCl, programmers will be able to produce a single package (with the .pexe extension rather than NaCl's .nexe extension) that will run on all supported devices. With today's approach, programmers must produce separate .nexe files for ARM and for x86.

Another major challenge for Native Client is attracting support. It's built into Chrome, but no other major browser maker supports it, and Mozilla is downright frosty about NaCl.

So far you can only get NaCl software through Google's Chrome Web Store. That's also a big departure from the ordinary Web, where you simply point a browser at a Web page to fetch the necessary HTML, CSS, and JavaScript software.

That'll change with PNaCl, too, Google said. The Chrome Web Store is required today to ensure software is compatible with different chip architectures, Google said in a statement. PNaCl sheds this chip-architecture constraint.

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The Promise and Perils of Mining Asteroids

Encouraged by new space technologies, a growing fleet of commercial rockets and the vast potential to generate riches, a group of entrepreneurs announced Tuesday that they planned to mine the thousands of near-Earth asteroids in the coming decades.

The new company, Deep Space Industries (DSI), is not the first in the field, nor is it the most well-financed. But with their ambition to become the first asteroid prospectors, and ultimately miners and manufacturers, they are aggressively going after what Mark Sonter, a member of DSI's board of directors, called "the main resource opportunity of the 21st century." (Related: "Asteroid Hunter to Be First Private Deep-Space Mission?")

Prospecting using miniaturized "cubesat" probes the size of a laptop will begin by 2015, company executives announced. They plan to return collections of asteroid samples to Earth not long after.

"Using low cost technologies, and combining the legacy of [the United States'] space program with the innovation of today's young high tech geniuses, we will do things that would have been impossible just a few years ago," said Rick Tumlinson, company chairman and a longtime visionary and organizer in the world of commercial space [not sure what commercial space means].

"We sit in a sea of resources so infinite they're impossible to describe," Tumlinson said.

Added Value

There are some 9,000 asteroids described as "near-Earth," and they contain several classes of resources that entrepreneurs are now eyeing as economically valuable.

Elements such as gold and platinum can be found on some asteroids. But water, silicon, nickel, and iron are the elements expected to become central to a space "economy" should it ever develop.

Water can be "mined" for its hydrogen (a fuel) and oxygen (needed for humans in space), while silicon can be used for solar power systems, and the ubiquitous nickel and iron for potential space manufacturing. (See an interactive on asteroid mining.)

Sonter, an Australian mining consultant and asteroid specialist, said that 700 to 800 near-Earth asteroids are easier to reach and land on than the moon.

DSI's prospecting spacecraft will be called "FireFlies," a reference to the popular science fiction television series of the same name. The FireFlies will hitchhike on rockets carrying up communication satellites or scientific instruments, but they will be designed so that they also have their own propulsion systems. The larger mining spacecraft to follow have been named "DragonFlies."

Efficiencies

It all sounds like science fiction, but CEO David Gump said that the technology is evolving so quickly that a space economy can soon become a reality. Providing resources from beyond Earth to power spacecraft and keep space travelers alive is the logical way to go.

That's because the most expensive and resource-intensive aspect of space travel is pushing through the Earth's atmosphere. Some 90 percent of the weight lifted by a rocket sending a capsule to Mars is fuel. Speaking during a press conference at the Santa Monica Museum of Flying in California, Gump said that Mars exploration would be much cheaper, and more efficient, if some of the fuel could be picked up en route. (Related: "7 Ways You Could Blast Off by 2023.")

Although there is little competition in the asteroid mining field so far, DSI has some large hurdles ahead of it. The first company to announce plans for asteroid mining was Planetary Resources, Inc. in spring 2012—the group is backed by big-name investors such as Google's Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, filmmaker James Cameron, and early Google investor Ram Shriram. DSI is still looking for funding.

Owning Asteroids

While these potential space entrepreneurs are confident they can physically lay claim to resources beyond Earth, there remain untested legal issues.

The United Nations Space Treaty of 1967 expressly forbids ownership of other celestial bodies by governments on Earth. But American administrations have long argued that the same is not true of private companies and potential mining rights.

While an American court has ruled that an individual cannot own an asteroid—as in the case of Gregory Nemitz, who laid claim to 433 Eros as a NASA spacecraft was approaching it in 2001—the question of extraction rights has not been tested.

Moon rocks brought back to Earth during the Apollo program are considered to belong to the United States, and the Russian space agency has sold some moon samples it has returned to Earth-sales seen by some as setting a precedent.

Despite the potential for future legal issues, DSI's Gump said his group recently met with top NASA officials to discuss issues regarding technology and capital, and came away optimistic. "There's a great hunger for the idea of getting space missions done with smaller, cheaper 'cubesat' technology and for increased private sector involvement."

Everyone involved acknowledged the vast challenges and risks ahead, but they see an equally vast potential—both financial and societal.

"Over the decades, we believe these efforts will help expand the civilization of Earth into the cosmos, and change what it means to be a citizen of this planet," Tumlinson said.

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Te'o Tells Couric He Briefly Lied About Girlfriend

Manti Te'o briefly lied to the media and the public after discovering his online girlfriend did not exist and was a part of an elaborate hoax, he admitted in an exclusive interview with ABC News' Katie Couric.

The star Notre Dame linebacker, who has been hounded by the reporters since the story broke Jan. 16, told Couric in a taped interview Tuesday that he was not lying up until December. Te'o said he was duped into believing his online girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, died of cancer.

"You stuck to the script. And you knew that something was amiss, Manti," Couric said.

"Katie, put yourself in my situation. I, my whole world told me that she died on Sept. 12. Everybody knew that. This girl, who I committed myself to, died on Sept. 12," Te'o said.

Te'o said he received a phone call Dec. 6 from a woman claiming she was Kekua, even though Kekua had allegedly passed away three months earlier.

"Now I get a phone call on Dec. 6, saying that she's alive and then I'm going be put on national TV two days later. And to ask me about the same question. You know, what would you do?" Te'o said.

See more exclusive previews tonight on "World News With Diane Sawyer" and "Nightline." Watch Katie Couric's interview with Manti Te'o and his parents Thursday. Check your local listings or click here for online station finder.

Te'o, 21, was joined by his parents, Brian and Ottilia, in the interview.

"Now many people writing about this are calling your son a liar. They are saying he manipulated the truth, really for personal gain," Couric said to Te'o's father.

Man Allegedly Behind the Manti Te?o Dead Girlfriend Hoax Watch Video

Manti Te'o Girlfriend Hoax: The Man Accused of Elaborate Prank Watch Video

'Catfish' Documentary Creator on Manti Te'o Hoax Watch Video

"People can speculate about what they think he is. I've known him 21 years of his life. And he's not a liar. He's a kid," Brian Te'o said with tears in his eyes.

Click here for a who's who in the Manti Te'o case.

Diane O'Meara told NBC's "Today" show Tuesday that she was used as the "face" of the Twitter account of Manti Te'o's online girlfriend without her knowledge or consent.

O'Meara said that Ronaiah Tuiasosopo used pictures of her without her knowledge in creating Kekua.

"I've never met Manti Te'o in my entire life. I've never spoke with him. I've never exchanged words with him," O'Meara said Tuesday.

The 23-year-old marketing executive went to high school in California with Tuiasosopo, but she says they're not close. Tuiasosopo called to apologize the day Deadspin.com broke the hoax story, she said.

Timeline of Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax story

In an interview with ESPN last week, Te'o said he had received a Twitter message from Tuiasosopo apologizing for the hoax.

The Hawaiian also spoke to Tuiasosopo on the phone the day the Deadspin report came out, according to ESPN.com. He found out that "two guys and a girl are responsible for the whole thing," he said.

But he did not know the identities of the other individuals involved, other than the man he says was Tuiasosopo.

Tuiasosopo, a 22-year-old resident of California, has not admitted involvement publicly. Tuiasosopo graduated from Paraclete High School in Lancaster, Calif., in 2007 and has posted dozens of videos online signing Christian songs.

Those who knew him say he was a devout Christian and a good athlete. His former football coach Jon Flemming described him as gregarious, and from a "good loving family." Flemming said Tuiasosopo is the kind of guy who gives you a hug when he sees people he knows.

"He's doing good. Wishing everyone would go away," Flemming told ABC News Wednesday after a recent correspondence with Tuiasosopo.

Flemming said Tuiasosopo is "somebody I'd want my kid to grow up like. He's responsible, respectful, disciplined, dedicated."

Tessi Toluta'u, a Polynesian beauty queen, told ABC News this weekend that "Lennay Kekua" reached out to her in 2008 about entering pageants.

When visiting Los Angeles in 2009, Toluta'u was supposed to meet Kekua, but she failed to appear. Tuiasosopo met Toluta'u instead.

"[It's a] sick joke that went way too far," Toluta'u said.

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Sacrificing Einstein: Relativity's keystone has to go

COINCIDENCE is not generally something scientists have much truck with. If two things are genuinely unrelated, there is little further of interest to be said. If the coincidence keeps turning up, however, there must be some deeper underlying link. Then it is the job of science to tease out what it is and so explain why there was no coincidence in the first place.

That makes it rather odd that a large chunk of modern physics is precariously balanced on a whopping coincidence.

This coincidence is essential to the way we view and define mass. It is so fundamental to the world's workings that most of us encounter its consequences every day without giving them another thought. Yet it has vexed some of the best minds in physics for centuries. Galileo and Newton grappled with it, and ended up just accepting it, rather than understanding it. Einstein went one better: ...

To continue reading this article, subscribe to receive access to all of newscientist.com, including 20 years of archive content.

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Taxi drivers in S. Korea threaten to go on strike

SEOUL : Taxi drivers in South Korea are threatening to go on a partial strike from January 30.

It is in protest against a government decision to block legislation that would give them subsidies for public transport.

The so-called "Taxi Bill" was passed in Parliament earlier this month, but was vetoed by President Lee Myung-bak and will go back to Parliament for another vote.

If Parliament fails to pass the bill, all taxis across the country will go on strike from February 20.

The question being asked in South Korea is whether taxis should be considered public transportation, the same way that buses, subways and trains are.

Most lawmakers in Parliament have said "yes", but President Lee's government disagrees.

Yim Jong Yong, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, said: "Public transportation refers to mass transportation, operating along specific routes and fixed timetables, so taxis cannot be included in this category."

The taxi bill was passed in Parliament earlier this month, with overwhelming support from both the ruling and opposition parties.

Classifying taxis as part of the country's mass transportation system means they can get state subsidies on fuel, tax and other benefits, just like bus and subway operators do.

Reports say central and local governments spend about 1.2 trillion won - or about US$1.1 billion - subsidising the bus industry every year.

If taxis are included, critics say the government would have to more than double its spending on subsidies, costing it an additional 1.9 trillion won a year.

They point out that taxis account for only about 9 per cent of transportation, whereas buses make up over 30 per cent.

Subways and trains account for more than 20 per cent.

But taxi drivers argue that they should be considered part of the public transport system.

Koo Soo Young, head of the Taxi Drivers Union, said: "There is a reason why taxis should be classified as public transport. Buses carry about 13 million passengers in one day, while taxis carry about 11 million passengers. Also the number of trains and subways is only about half the number of taxis. This shows that a large number of people use taxis because the fares are so cheap."

Although the government has rejected the bill, it said it is willing to help the taxi industry.

It is planning to come up with a plan that would give some subsidies to taxi drivers and at the same time appease bus drivers, who worry they will have to share government subsidies with taxis.

Taxi drivers are threatening to go on strike over this bill. But experts have pointed out that subsidies in the Taxi Bill will likely only benefit taxi companies, and not the drivers themselves. So drivers will really need to think this through and see what the government has to offer first.

- CNA/ms

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GeeksPhone announces Firefox OS phones for developers

GeeksPhone's lower-end Keon, left, and higher-end Peak are designed for programmers wishing to improve Firefox OS, Mozilla's browser-based operating system.

(Credit:
GeeksPhone)

A small Spanish start-up called GeeksPhone has started selling phones that let developers get a taste of Mozilla's new Firefox OS.

GeeksPhone announced two 3G phones for the browser-based operating system, the lower-end Keon and higher-end Peak. The phones, while geared for programmers rather than mainstream customers, make Mozilla's open-source mobile OS a lot more real, since programmers will be able to develop apps as well as to debug and advance the underlying operating system.

Firefox OS is Mozilla's ambitious attempt to build an operating system that brings more openness to the walled gardens of Apple's iOS and Google's
Android. Although the latter is an open-source project, it's run in secrecy by Google and its corporate allies and is closely linked to Google's ecosystem of app distribution and online services. Apple's iOS is even more closely locked down, with proprietary source code and only Apple-approved apps on the app store.

Walled gardens or not, iOS and Android have been very popular for phones and
tablets, and it's not clear whether the mass market truly wants an alternative even if it shuns lock-in. And even if some customers do value the openness, it won't be easy for Firefox OS to gain a competitive foothold.

But the GeeksPhone models at least make it possible for Mozilla and its allies -- Telefonica and Qualcomm, among others -- to try.

However, it's not yet clear how much the phones will cost or when they'll ship. CNET has contacted GeeksPhone and will update this post if they reply.

"This week we are announcing our new Firefox OS developer preview phones because we believe that developers will help bring the power of the Web to mobile," wrote Stormy Peters, director of Web sites and developer engagement at Mozilla, in a blog post today.

The Web indeed brings a taste of cross-platform programming nirvana to developers sick of recrafting their apps for different operating systems. But though any new smartphone or computer these days has a browser, there are still differences among them. And performance issues remain a bugaboo -- after early enthusiasm, Facebook dissed Web apps and went native for its mobile apps on Android and iOS.

According to its LinkedIn profile, GeeksPhone is based in Madrid, Spain, and has 10 or fewer employees. It got its start in 2009 when it launched an Android phone.

The Keon has a 1GHz Qualcom Snapdragon S1 processor, 3.5-inch screen, 1,580mAh battery, and 3MP camera; the higher-end Peak has a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 4.3-inch screen, 1,800mAh battery, and 8MP camera.

Both phones also have 4GB of ROM, 512MB of RAM, a MicroSD slot, 802.11n wireless networking, light and proximity sensors, GPS, an accelerometer, and a camera flash.

Firefox OS is a browser-based operating system still under development, with the first final version not yet available. Although it draws on Android and Linux for foundational software, it runs Web apps written with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. That makes it a mobile analog to Google's Chrome OS.

To run those Web apps, Firefox OS naturally uses the Gecko browser engine that's also the foundation of Firefox. Mozilla is adapting the engine with new interfaces to let Web apps take advantage of all the hardware features. Firefox OS got its start with the project name Boot to Gecko, or B2G.

Using this browser-based approach poses some technical challenges, but it also means that a huge amount of services already work on the phone, at least in principle, simply by pointing the phone at a Web page.

Mozilla and its allies are aiming the phone initially at developing markets where customers are upgrading to smartphones from lower-end feature phones. Telefonica believes the Firefox OS phones will be much less expensive than iPhones.

Peters exhorted programmers to see the openness light and create apps for Firefox OS. Her reasons:

• Keep the Web open. Support the open Web and help make sure the power of the Web is available to everyone - even on mobile devices.

• Simplicity. Develop on a single technology stack (HTML5/CSS/JavaScript/new WebAPIs) and deliver across the web and devices.

• Freedom. You're not locked in to a vendor-controlled ecosystem. You can distribute your app through the Firefox Marketplace, your own Web site, or any other store based on Mozilla's open app store technology.

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Attack at Algeria Gas Plant Heralds New Risks for Energy Development

The siege by Islamic militants at a remote Sahara desert natural gas plant in Algeria this week signaled heightened dangers in the region for international oil companies, at a time when they have been expanding operations in Africa as one of the world's last energy frontiers. (See related story: "Pictures: Four New Offshore Drilling Frontiers.")

As BP, Norway's Statoil, Italy's Eni, and other companies evacuated personnel from Algeria, it was not immediately clear how widely the peril would spread in the wake of the hostage-taking at the sprawling In Amenas gas complex near the Libyan border.

Map by National Geographic

Algeria, the fourth-largest crude oil producer on the continent and a major exporter of natural gas and refined fuels, may not have been viewed as the most hospitable climate for foreign energy companies, but that was due to unfavorable financial terms, bureaucracy, and corruption. The energy facilities themselves appeared to be safe, with multiple layers of security provided both by the companies and by government forces, several experts said. (See related photos: "Oil States: Are They Stable? Why It Matters.")

"It is particularly striking not only because it hasn't happened before, but because it happened in Algeria, one of the stronger states in the region," says Hanan Amin-Salem, a senior manager at the industry consulting firm PFC Energy, who specializes in country risk. She noted that in the long civil war that gripped the country throughout the 1990s, there had never been an attack on Algeria's energy complex. But now, hazard has spread from weak surrounding states, as the assault on In Amenas was carried out in an apparent retaliation for a move by French forces against the Islamists who had taken over Timbuktu and other towns in neighboring Mali. (See related story: "Timbuktu Falls.")

"What you're really seeing is an intensification of the fundamental problem of weak states, and empowerment of heavily armed groups that are really well motivated and want to pursue a set of aims," said Amin-Salem. In PFC Energy's view, she says, risk has increased in Mauritania, Chad, and Niger—indeed, throughout Sahel, the belt that bisects North Africa, separating the Sahara in the north from the tropical forests further south.

On Thursday, the London-based corporate consulting firm Exclusive Analysis, which was recently acquired by the global consultancy IHS, sent an alert to clients warning that oil and gas facilities near the Libyan and Mauritanian borders and in Mauritania's Hodh Ech Chargui province were at "high risk" of attack by jihadis.

"A Hot Place to Drill"

The attack at In Amenas comes at a time of unprecedented growth for the oil industry in Africa. (See related gallery: "Pictures: The Year's Most Overlooked Energy Stories.") Forecasters expect that oil output throughout Africa will double by 2025, says Amy Myers Jaffe, executive director of the energy and sustainability program at the University of California, Davis, who has counted 20 rounds of bidding for new exploration at sites in Africa's six largest oil-producing states.

Oil and natural gas are a large part of the Algerian economy, accounting for 60 percent of government budget revenues, more than a third of GDP and more than 97 percent of its export earnings. But the nation's resources are seen as largely undeveloped, and Algeria has tried to attract new investment. Over the past year, the government has sought to reform the law to boost foreign companies' interests in their investments, although those efforts have foundered.

Technology has been one of the factors driving the opening up of Africa to deeper energy exploration. Offshore and deepwater drilling success in the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil led to prospecting now under way offshore in Ghana, Mozambique, and elsewhere. (See related story: "New Oil—And a Huge Challenge—for Ghana.") Jaffe says the Houston-based company Anadarko Petroleum has sought to transfer its success in "subsalt seismic" exploration technology, surveying reserves hidden beneath the hard salt layer at the bottom of the sea, to the equally challenging seismic exploration beneath the sands of the Sahara in Algeria, where it now has three oil and gas operations.

Africa also is seen as one of the few remaining oil-rich regions of the world where foreign oil companies can obtain production-sharing agreements with governments, contracts that allow them a share of the revenue from the barrels they produce, instead of more limited service contracts for work performed.

"You now have the technology to tap the resources more effectively, and the fiscal terms are going to be more attractive than elsewhere—you put these things together and it's been a hot place to drill," says Jaffe, who doesn't see the energy industry's interest in Africa waning, despite the increased terrorism risk. "What I think will happen in some of these countries is that the companies are going to reveal new securities systems and procedures they have to keep workers safe," she says. "I don't think they will abandon these countries."

This story is part of a special series that explores energy issues. For more, visit The Great Energy Challenge.

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Inauguration: 7.5 Things You Should Have Seen

A presidential inauguration is a big, long event that lasts all day and into the night–and who has time to really watch it? People have jobs, ones that don’t let you off for a federal holiday.

Everyone (or, at least, some) will be talking about it, which means potential embarrassment for anyone who doesn’t know what happened. Thankfully, ABC employs  news professionals stationed in Washington, D.C., to pay attention to these kinds of things and boil off some of the less noteworthy or interesting stuff, presenting you with short videos of everything that really mattered. Or at least the things a lot of people were talking about.

A full day of paying attention to President Obama’s second Inauguration leads one of those professionals to offer these 7 1/2 things:

1. Beyonce Sang the National Anthem

Boy, howdy! Did she ever? Beyonce has essentially become the Obama’s go-to female performer: She recorded a music video for Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative in 2011, and she performed at the president’s last inauguration in 2009. Her velvety, soulful “Star Spangled Banner” is getting good reviews.

2. Kelly Clarkson Also Sang

Kelly Clarkson is not as “in” with the First Couple as Beyonce seems to be, but they let her sing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” and she did a pretty good job with it. This was kind of weird, though, because at one point she said she loved Ron Paul, although she later said she would vote for Obama.

3.  Obama Talked About Gay Rights

This may not seem shocking since more than half the country, including President Obama, supports gay marriage. But the president made a point of mentioning gay rights during his speech, equating the struggles of the LGBT community with those of  past civil rights movements, and in doing so made history.

He name-checked Stonewall, the New York City bar that was raided by police in 1969 sparking riots to protest the anti-gay crackdown. And he actually used the word “gay”: “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well,” Obama said in his address.

Plenty of inaugural addresses have been chock full of rhetoric about freedom and equality, but in the last four years, the political culture surrounding gay rights has changed significantly, as more states legalized same-sex marriage and as broad swaths of the country got more comfortable with homosexuality in general. Obama’s “evolution” on gay marriage, and now his inaugural address, have helped signify that change.

4. Joe Biden Made Jokes and Shook Hands With People

Could we expect anything less?

Here’s how the Vice President toasting Sen. Chuck Schumer instead of President Obama at the big luncheon:  ”I raise my glass to a man who never, never, never operates out of fear, only operates out of confidence, and a guy–I’m toasting you, Chuck.” Watch it:

And here he is, scurrying around and jovially shaking hands with people along the parade route:

5. Richard Blanco Read a Poem That Was Sort of Whitman-esque, But Not Entirely

Cuban-born Richard Blanco became America’s first openly gay, Latino Inauguration poet. He read a nine-stanza poem entitled “One Today,” which set a kind of unifying American tableau scene.

6. Obama and Michelle Walked Around Outside The Limo

President Obama walked part of the parade route, from the Capitol to the White House, with Michelle. They waved to people. It is not entirely abnormal for a president to do this at an inaugural parade. But they walked quite a ways.

7. John Boehner: ‘Godspeed’

The speaker of the House presented American flags to Obama and Biden, telling them: “To you gentlemen, I say congratulations and Godspeed.”

7 1/2. Sasha and Malia Were There. 

Obama’s daughters, Sasha and Malia, were there. They didn’t really do much, but they did wear coats of different shades of purple that got a lot of  attention on Twitter.

Reports of the daughters looking at smartphones and applying lip gloss highlighted their day. As did this .gif of Sasha yawning.

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Supernova-powered bow shock creates cosmic spectacle

Victoria Jaggard, space and physical sciences news editor

(Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

NOW that's one groovy star. Seen speeding like a bullet through a cloud of dust and gas, the massive star Zeta Ophiuchi is creating a colourful wave known as a bow shock. This happens because the star's motion is compressing dust grains like water at the bow of a ship.

To the naked eye Zeta Ophiuchi is a placid dot parked in the constellation Ophiuchus. But the infrared vision of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows how the shooting star is electrifying its surroundings. It creates a scene akin to a UV-triggered fluorescent blacklight poster, says Spitzer image specialist Robert Hurt of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

In this picture infrared wavelengths have been translated into visible ones, with shorter waves in blue, middle waves in green and longer ones in red. That's why the bright stars glitter like sapphires, while small dust grains fluoresce in a faint teal as they absorb Zeta Ophiuchi's light. Red in the bow shock comes from the larger, hotter dust grains that can survive the star's fierce radiation.

Given its speed and direction, astronomers think the star once orbited an even heftier companion. But the biggest stars live fast and die young, and its partner exploded in a violent supernova blast that sent Zeta Ophiuchi careening away at a whopping 87,000 kilometres per hour.

This isn't the first or even the fastest runaway but it is perhaps one of the most detailed. "Here you have a star hurtling through space and having a huge impact on its environment," says Hurt. "It really gives you a general sense of how everything is interconnected."

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Parents-to-be welcome new pro-family incentives

SINGAPORE: From 1 May 2013, working fathers will be legally entitled to one week of paid paternity leave.

Parents welcome the move, but some pro-family organisations are calling for bolder measures.

Eileen Chan and Alvin Tan tied the knot two years ago. They are expecting their firstborn in April, and with that, the bumped-up Baby Bonus.

"I think the extra S$2,000 will come in handy, especially when it comes to immunisation for the kid," said Ms Chan. "In the first year, kids tend to fall sick more often."

For the Tans, the most welcome new measure is paternity leave. Mr Tan plans to take the week off right after his wife delivers.

He said: "Especially when the baby is new-born, as a father I'd like to spend more time at home with the kid, with my wife to help settle the kid in."

Alvin is optimistic his employer will grant his paternity leave, even though his child will be born just before the measure officially kicks in on 1 May 2013.

Employers are encouraged to offer paternity leave to all eligible employees with children born on or after 1 Jan 2013, and this will be reimbursable by the government.

Ms Chan can also share one week of her maternity leave with her husband.

It's a move the National Family Council welcomes, but its chairman Mr Lim Soon Hock is calling for a whole month of maternity leave to be made gender-neutral.

Mr Lim said: "If we were to have longer paternity leave, essentially what we are creating is an opportunity for our women to go back to work earlier. But fundamental to this thinking must be that we have to move away from the notion that men are more valuable in the workplace than women."

The slew of bonuses is good news, but it is not the reason why the Tans want to have two children.

Mr Tan said: "The baby itself is the bonus, so all these incentives, we're just happy to receive them!"

The new Marriage and Parenthood Package also makes adoption leave a legal entitlement.

Working, married women who adopt children under a year old will be entitled to four weeks of government-paid leave.

Previously, this was offered by employers on a voluntary basis.

- CNA/xq

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Apple's first 2013 earnings to be closely watched

Apple reports its first-quarter earnings this week, and the results could not be more closely watched for signs of the company's health and future.

The story is well-known by now. Shares of Apple's stock have been on the decline, going from $702 in late September to a close at an even $500 last week. That's a 28.4 percent drop in just over four months. Positive results -- and a look ahead when Apple puts out its numbers Wednesday -- could turn that trend.

Apple forecast $52 billion in revenue and earnings of $11.75 per share when it reported its previous quarterly results in October. Wall Street's expecting the company to top that at $54.69 billion and earnings per share of $13.41 based on a poll of 47 analysts done by Thomson First Call.

Those estimates are pared down from the $13.87 per share analysts were expecting ahead of last quarter's forecast, a shortcoming that caused concerns that Apple's growth had stalled. During a conference call with analysts, Apple chalked it up to tighter margins in the creation of its newest products including the
iPad Mini, which starts at $329 and is estimated to cost the company around $198 in parts and labor, according to IHS iSuppli.

Making things a bit more complex is that Apple ended its calendar year with a bang, refreshing nearly its entire line of computers and putting out new versions of the iPhone,
iPod, and iPad. That's expected to make this quarter -- which has historically been strong due to holiday sales -- a whopper. But it's also raised concerns about the company's performance during the rest of the year, given a long history of product launches that are staggered.

By the numbers
Product-wise, Apple's story remains focused on the iPhone, the company's mega profit driver. Analysts have long been concerned that the average sale price of the device, which has been one of the highest in the business, is set to fall dramatically as the smartphone market continues to mature. That issue has been compounded with the makeup of iPhones people are buying, with many customers choosing to buy last year's model or the one from the year before, which Apple sells at a lower price and profit margin.

Wall Street expects Apple to announce iPhone sales somewhere between 43 million and 53 million. That's up from the 37.04 million iPhones it sold the same quarter the year before, and 26.9 million the previous quarter. In fact, it would be the most iPhones sold during any quarter since the product's release.

This is the first quarter to include iPad Mini sales.

(Credit:
Apple)

For Apple's iPad, which the company refreshed in late October, Wall Street's expecting between 23 million and 25 million units. That, too, is up from 14 million in the previous quarter and 15.43 million in the same quarter last year. It would also top Apple's previous sales record of 17 million iPads from its June quarter last year.

One area to watch on Wednesday is Macs. Why's that? Some analysts are anticipating a possible year-over-year decline in sales, despite product refreshes last year that would point to stronger numbers. That's not necessarily the case, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said in a note to investors last week.

"The December quarter of 2012 faces a difficult comparison from 2011 as the 2011 quarter had an additional week," Munster wrote. "As a result, we remain comfortable with our down 7 percent year over year estimate, which implies 4.8 million Macs."

Some other estimates expect Apple to beat last year's 5.2 million, including Gabelli & Co., which believes Apple sold 5.3 million computers, which would be an all-time sales record.

That kind of performance would be especially impressive given two things: One is that Apple's iMacs did not start shipping until the very tail end of November and late December for the larger model. The other is possible cannibalization by Apple's growing
tablet lineup, which doubled down with the iPad Mini during the quarter.

"We have learned over the years not to worry about cannibalization of our own product," Apple CEO Tim Cook said about just such a phenomenon during last quarter's earnings call with analysts. "It's much better for us to do that than for somebody else to do it."

Apple will report just after the market closes on Wednesday, followed by a conference call with executives at 2 p.m. PT.

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