Cnn

Where are the acorns? — CNN reports: Scientists baffled by mysterious acorn shortage: Up and down the East Coast, residents and naturalists alike have been scratching their heads this autumn over a simple question: Where are all the acorns? Oak trees have shed their leaves, but the usual carpet of acorns is not crunching underfoot. In far-flung pockets of northern Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and other states, scientists have found no acorns whatsoever. But closer reading reveals that it is lay people and amateur naturalists who are baffled, while scientists are not. Scientists are well aware that the oaks produce corn in cycles -... [Tags: 13 years, acorns, amateur naturalists, chipmunks, cnn]

What's the Most You've Paid For an App? — It's true that I sometimes complain about how expensive some iPhone apps can be. Although paying $15 for a language learning app doesn't seem unreasonable, there are tons of other translation apps out there that are much more wallet-friendly that catch my eye. Recently, CNN wondered about the potential of the App Store to become the "Crap Store," with its high number of featured free and 99-cent apps (that may be lacking in quality), while more expensive and useful apps get less promotional love because of their price tag. I'm totally willing to pay a higher price for a good... [Tags: cnn, crap, free apps, iphone, iphone apps]

Machine creates water from thin air — LONDON, England (CNN) -- As Zimbabwe battles a cholera epidemic that has already killed hundreds, one company thinks it may have found a potential solution to the world water crisis...... [Tags: cholera epidemic, cnn, london england, potential solution, thin air]

This Week in Science — HuffPo reports that CNN's is cutting its science and technology unit and letting environmental reporter/anchor Miles O'Brien go. Then NBC, the new owner of the Weather Channel, announced this: Several on-camera meteorologists were laid off, including Weather Channel veterans Dave Schwartz and Cheryl Lemke. Also let go was the staff of "Forecast Earth," the channel's weekend environmental newsmagazine hosted by former CNN and MSNBC anchor Natalie Allen. The cuts also affected employees behind the scenes. Two enviro-climate newscasting teams getting dump in hard times, even right after a resounding progressive win, does not a foul pattern make. But if more... [Tags: cnn, daily kos, darwin awards, dave schwartz, enviro]

Guest Post- The Post-Geekdominant Twitterverse — by Dr. Mark Drapeau Shaquille O’Neal’s embrace of Twitter as a way to connect with his fans got me thinking – what would the Twitterverse be like if it were not dominated by geeks? People who aren’t geeks, geek wannabes, or geek fans more than likely haven’t heard of Twitter. But at some point that will change. The conversational technology and vision of Twitter has created a simple, logical, and useful way for people and their ideas to connect. Whether it is Twitter per se, or a competing or successor service, at some point the Twitterverse will be dominated... [Tags: average person, cnn, dr mark, drapeau, fred wilson]

Facebook Connect makes sense if you're ready for it — "Only connect!" From the announcements that came out today, it seems Facebook and Google are taking the famous advice of Margaret Schlegel, the main character of E.M. Forster's "Howard's End."  The phrase seems like an apt marketing maxim for the new superaccount features that big sites are hawking now.  Today Facebook formally launched its Facebook Connect feature, which lets the social networks' users log in to a limited but varied array of sites -- including Digg, CNN, CNET and HowCast -- with their Facebook credentials.  Once you've done so, a sort of channel is opened between your Facebook account and... [Tags: array, chinese restaurant, cnet, cnn, credentials]

Life-Saving Surgery Performed via Text Message Instructions [Sms Surgery] — Using text message instructions from a colleague, a British surgeon in the Congo successfully amputated the gangrenous collarbone and shoulder blade of an unfortunate teenager who had his arms torn off in an accident. The surgeon, David Nott, texted his colleague back in the UK as he was far more knowledgeable about the procedures required for such a delicate operation. The colleague, Meirion Thomas, responded with ten steps he needed to follow in order to carry out the procedure properly. Then signed off with a simple "Easy! Good luck!" Personally, I would have felt better having him on a regular... [Tags: british surgeon, cellphone, cnn, collarbone, colleague]

Facebook to Google: my Connect is bigger than yours — Facebook and Google have both opened services to the public today that intend to let you easily access any web site using versions of your pre-existing online identity. They both intend to help you find friends on other web sites to interact with, thereby making social interaction much simpler potentially anywhere on the web. Facebook’s service, Connect, is now available for any web developer to access and implement today . So is Google’s service, Friend Connect. Both sites have been perviously been giving access privately over the last weeks and months, after both companies — and a third rival, MySapce... [Tags: cbs, central hub, cnn, facebook, feedback loop]

Facebook Connect is Here; It’s Like OpenID for Dummies — Facebook Connect is now open for business, allowing any developer to let users login to their websites using their Facebook credentials. Additionally, other key Facebook features, like your friends list, can now be integrated into third-party applications, which can in turn send data back into Facebook and the News Feed. If there were an OpenID for Dummies book, its publisher would be Facebook Connect, because for all intents and purposes, it’s the same thing, at least to 99.9% of end users who experience it. For an example of how it works, the new Citysearch beta, which launched a couple weeks... [Tags: big win, citysearch, cnet, cnn, couple weeks]

Livestation coming to the iPhone — I’m a big fan of P2P live television service Livestation, and unlike many other sites we’ve covered them heavily. The service offers live television from a range of major providers, including BBC, Al Jazerra, France 24 and others. More recently, they added support for internet streams as a well, so it now offers CNN and others all from the same handy interface. I watched all the US Presidential debates from Livestation, and its my first port of call for anything I need live TV news coverage on. We also have a nice Livestation story: Livestation picked up streaming of... [Tags: 5pm, 9am, al jazeera, al jazerra, cnn]

CNN catches the stupid — For some reason beyond my ken, CNN is shutting down its science/space/tech ...... [Tags: cnn, science space]

The Role Of Live Blogging And The Mumbai Attacks — I remember on the day before Thanksgiving, I was in my office working on a few blog posts when I looked at my notebook and noticed the large number of tweets that were appearing discussing the attacks that were taking place in Mumbai. A couple of people sent links out on Twitter of various live video streams covering the event, including one source which was streaming live from an local India news station. Later, I watched some mainstream news coverage through the likes of CNN. NDTV has a great story which details the use of Twitter and live blogging during... [Tags: bloggers, blogging, cnn, doubts, full swing]

Bill Gates pushes for stimulus — Microsoft founder Bill Gates told CNN on Wednesday that he hopes President-elect Barack Obama and Congress immediately craft a wide-ranging stimulus package, to help jump-start the nation's sputtering economy, and double the United States' commitment to foreign aid...... [Tags: barack obama, bill gates, cnn, congress, economy]

Is 'worm' clue to Mars life CNN In Search of Aliens — Scientists wonder whether a spiral shape in a Mars photo could be a fossil. Did worms live there? Miles O'Brien reports:... [Tags: aliens, clue, cnn, fossil, mars life]

CNN Guts Its Science Coverage — CNN is shuttering its Miles O'Brien-led science unit in what may be a sign of things to come for science news desks across the country. Though the cut comes amidst thousands of layoffs across the reporting landscape, CNN maintains that the move is strategic in nature, and not related to the current economic climate. "We want to integrate environmental, science and technology reporting into the general editorial structure rather than have a stand alone unit," CNN said in a statement sent to Wired.com. "Now that the bulk of our environmental coverage is being offered through the Planet in Peril... [Tags: anderson cooper, anderson cooper 360, cable news networks, cnn, economic climate]

No More Space Porn on CNN [Science] — CNN just laid off its entire Space/Tech/Environment reporting unit. That means that one of the United States' biggest TV news sources thinks that space and the environment just aren't worth reporting on in any depth or with any consistency. Yes, we are officially grumpy about this. [via BoingBoing]... [Tags: boingboing, cnn, cnn science, consistency, news sources]

CNN shuts Tech news division as O’Brien leaves network — Miles O’Brien might have been irriating some times to watch as he reported on things like NASA, technology and science but I always like watching his reports. It was nice to be able to get some tech news; or at least tech angles, mixed in with the rest of the disaster news that CNN loves to pump out. Unfortunately though the head honcho’s at CNN have decided that technology related stuff is news worthy enough to merit its own news division. As MediaBistro is reporting Miles O’Brien is leaving CNN and they are shutting down its science, environment, space... [Tags: bloodbath, chicken little, citizen journalism, cnn, computer scientists]

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CNN Closes Space/Tech Reporting Unit, Miles O'Brien Departs — Oh, man, this is sad and unexpected news: 16-year veteran CNN reporter and presenter Miles O'Brien will be departing CNN, as the network closes its sci/space/tech news division. Snip from mediabistro: O'Brien's departure comes as the network dismantles its science, space, environment and technology unit in Atlanta. That includes O'Brien as well as six producers. O'Brien has been CNN's chief technology and environment correspondent since being replaced as anchor of American Morning in April 2007. The LA Times has an item, also. I won't go through a laundry list of the departing names here, but I've had the pleasure of... [Tags: anchor, chief technology, cnn, cnn reporter, environment correspondent]