- Apple’s quest to improve its malfunctioning mapping
service continues and the quest continues with an agreement to purchase Locationary. Toronto-based
Locationary comes with technology to improve search and navigation results for
mobile apps as well as increase advertising and commerce performance. It its
Apple’s latest salvo in its heated battle with Google and the house that Steve
Jobs built confirmed the acquisition Friday. "Apple buys smaller
technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our
purpose or plans," Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said. Financial terms
of the deal were not disclosed, but one could argue that no cost would be too
high if Apple were able to move past the spectacular flop that was its push
last year to overtake Google’s lead in smartphone navigation apps. Apple Maps
was a disaster in the sense that directions to locations were incomplete,
buildings and monuments were out of place and users were often sent to places
that were neither their intended destination nor anything remotely resembling
it. The endeavor went so badly that Apple CEO Tim Cook felt compared to issue a
rare public apology. The Locationary purchase is a direct and public
certification of Apple’s intentions to shore up its mapping efforts and avoid
being a digital punchline in the quest to get people whose noses are
permanently buried in their smartphones to their intended destination. It
follows Google’s acquisition last month of Waze, a crowd-sourced mapping
startup, in a transaction reported to be valued at $1 billion. Waze is unique
in that its 50 million users contribute real-time traffic data that helps
improve mapping around traffic. Locationary specializes om enhanced local
business data, which should help keep Apple Maps more up to date and hopefully
avoid sending people into the Pacific Ocean when they are planning a trip to
New York City……..
- Disney is really cashing in on its acquisition of the
“Star Wars” franchise. All manner of merchandising and promotional links are in
the works and there are efforts to bring the iconic outer space brand to the
company’s programming offerings as well. Disney Channel cartoon “Phineas
and Ferb” is getting in on the action as series creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff
"Swampy" Marsh have finally succeeded in their plan to get a “Star
Wars” crossover episode for their show. Povenmire and Marsh have expressed
their desire since Disney acquired Lucasfilm and the “Star Wars” franchise last
year and months of campaigning have paid off. One month before the “Phineas and
Ferb: Mission Marvel” crossover, Povenmire and Marsh announced Friday at
Comic-Con that a “Star Wars” collaboration is next. The episode will follow
Phineas and Ferb as they enjoy summer on Tatooine, living next door to
franchise hero Luke Skywalker. Their summer abroad in the galaxy will go
haywire when plans for blowing up the Death Star accidentally fall into their
hands and Phineas and Ferb are suddenly thrust into a global rebellion. They
must concoct a plan to stop the rebels and find a pilot to take them on their
mission with assistance from their sister Candace, who has a Stormtrooper-like
desire to bust those rebels. They will battle low-level henchman "Darth
Enshmirtz," who has created a "Sith-inator" that he hopes to use
against the Rebellion. Life will take a turn for the worst when Ferb is hit by
Darth Enshmirtz's creation, turning into an evil Sith. "May The 'Ferb' Be
With You and with all of us who for decades have dreamt of a chance to work
with the great characters and stories of Star Wars," Povenmire said. "When
I saw that news break, I drew a picture of Doofenshmirtz as Darth Vader and
texted it to the head of Disney TV animation and wrote, 'I smell
crossover!'" The episode will air some time next year…….
- Score one for surprise in Russia. The communist nation
stunned many, including its own citizens, on Friday when it unexpectedly
freed opposition leader Alexei Navalny after thousands of protestors rose up to
decry his five-year jail sentence as a crude attempt by President Vladimir
Putin to silence him. Crushing protests and voices of dissent has been the
standard M.O. at the Kremlin, but a judge threw a wrench in the plan when he approved
an unusual prosecution request to release Navalny while he awaits the outcome
of an appeal. Navalny’s freedom is limited; he can only travel within Moscow.
Still, he proclaimed the ruling, one day after he was convicted of theft, as a
victory for people power. "I am very grateful to all the people who
supported us, all the people who went to (protest in Moscow's) Manezh Square
and other squares," he said. "We understand perfectly well what has
happened now. It's an absolutely unique phenomenon in Russian justice.” The
hearing took place in Kirov, an industrial city 550 miles northeast of Moscow,
but supporters who poured onto the streets of big Russian cities to protest on
Thursday evening after Navalny was convicted of stealing at least $494,000 from
a timber firm when he was advising the Kirov regional governor in 2009 were
excited to see him freed. Navalny (rightly) claims the case is politically
motivated and intended to eliminate him as a political threat to Putin, even
though his support is limited outside the major cities. He did lead some solid anti-Putin
protests which attracted tens of thousands last year and there is a solid
chance his release is merely a political maneuver to head off social unrest.
The Kremlin has remained silent about his release…….
- Because it’s almost over and no one had any idea it was
going on, it might be time to check in on the forgotten sporting event that is
the Tour de France. No one cares about cycling these days, at least no one
outside France and Britain, which is about to record its second consecutive Tour de France champion.
Even in Britain, the ongoing British Open is the top story and Chris Froome
retaining his large lead and all but ensuring that he will succeed countryman Bradley
Wiggins as the winner of the world’s biggest cycling event is second-place
news. Wiggins leads the field by more than five minutes and barring an accident
or other freak mishap on Sunday's largely ceremonial final ride to Paris, he
will win the 100th Tour after finishing third in a dramatic Stage 20 to the ski
station of Annecy-Semnoz in the Alps. He is well ahead of Nairo Quintana of
Colombia and Joaquim Rodriguez of Spain, neither of whom could make up much
ground during the 78-mile penultimate stage of the race. The ride to the finish
on the Champs-Elysees in Paris is always relaxed and barely competitive and
Froome will make it wearing the yellow jersey symbolizing the race’s leader.
Riding through cheese-making country on Saturday, through the mountains of
Savoie between the lakes of Annecy and Bourget, beneath blue skies provided a
perfect setting for Froome to clinch his first Tour title. He is unlikely to be
at the forefront of Sunday’s sprint to the finish down the cobbled streets of
Paris and doesn’t need to. Others will vie for the stage win and Froome will be
able to enjoy the final miles of the race as fans line the sidewalks of the
City of Light’s most-famous street and cheer him on. Of course, his victory
won't exactly reverberate around the sporting world……..
- Life as a doctor in the greater San Diego area can be
excruciatingly difficult. Dr. Alexander Ataii lives this harsh and unforgiving reality every
day and his life has become even more unbearable now that he is (allegedly) a
prisoner in his own home, attacked repeatedly by hawks. Ataii recently moved to
his dream home in Rancho Santa Fe, complete with a remote-controlled waterfall.
Unfortunately, that waterfall has been commandeered by a winged masochist
hell-bent on inflicting pain on the good doctor. A hawk has taken up residence
atop the waterfall and wasted little time making its presence felt. “You never
think about being attacked by a hawk,” Ataii said. “I was minding my own
business, cutting some shrub on my day off. It felt like being hit by a
boulder, something hit me behind my head. As I turned around to see what it was,
I saw a giant bird with a wingspan of at least four feet, turning around and
coming back towards my face.” His face survived the attack just fine, but Ataii
said the hawk’s talons ripped through his scalp, leaving a five-inch-long
bloody gash. Two other attacks have followed, leaving Ataii fearful for the
health and well-being of his 2-year-old son. “I would do anything for my boy,
he’s the love of my life,” Ataii added. Like any law-abiding citizen, Ataii
asked local wildlife authorities to remove the hawk from his property and like
any law-abiding citizen dumb enough to make that request and expect action, he
has been told there are restrictions in place that limit what the powers that
be can do to deal with the bird. That has left Ataii with a choice: do nothing
and be menaced by something he could shoot and kill with a simple hunting rifle
or take action. He’s elected for the latter. “They said they couldn’t do
anything about it. I’ve never owned or shot a gun before, but I did have
thoughts when this happened. Owning a gun in this scenario wouldn’t be a bad
idea,” he said. His only problem with shooting the hawk is that the bird is protected
by the Migratory Bird Treaty act and anyone caught trying to move a nest, trap
a bird, or kill one is liable for a felony, a fine of up to $100,000 and jail
time. Thus, Ataii’s real mistake was contacting anyone about the problem and
not simply buying a gun with a silencer (technically illegal) and going sniper
on the bird under the cover of darkness. Given their nesting and living habits,
hawks tend to return to the same location year after year, meaning Ataii’s
current options are taking a chance on breaking the law and getting caught,
ripping out his waterfall or moving…….
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