Guillaume Belfiore

∞ Google : Social Media enhances Privacy

Stay sit because, as incredible as it may sound, in a study Google researcher says :

In this position paper, we argue that social media provides valuable support for the perception of one’s self and others, and in doing so, supports privacy. In addition we suggest that engagement, which reflects a certain degree of trust, can be facilitated by social information. We support our arguments with results from a recent privacy survey and a study of social annotations in search

∞ Scientists create first free-standing 3-D cloak

Maybe we’ll get to try this out someday before we die. Would be fun

From Eurekalert.org

Researchers in the US have, for the first time, cloaked a three-dimensional object standing in free space, bringing the much-talked-about invisibility cloak one step closer to reality.

Whilst previous studies have either been theoretical in nature or limited to the cloaking of two-dimensional objects, this study shows how ordinary objects can be cloaked in their natural environment in all directions and from all of an observer’s positions.

∞ jQuery Clean and Simple Tooltips

At least you now know where to find those!

From EGrappler:

There are a number of very simple techniques that you can incorporate in your design to make your products easy. For instance, you can use tool tips to instruct your users without deviating them away from the application. Today’s freebie is a simple jQuery plugin for tooltips that can be embedded in any web design. We call it Gips.

∞ iOS chief Scott Forstall called Apple's 'CEO-in-waiting'

But I clearly would not like to work for this company! Forstall only gives boring presentations and merely invite people doing stupid game demos… talk about a CEO…rather a PR…

Though Apple just went through a major regime change in 2011, a new book declares that the company’s senior vice president of iOS Software, Scott Forstall, is its “CEO-in-waiting.” That title was bestowed on Forstall by author Adam Lashinsky of Fortune, whose new book, “Inside Apple,” goes on sale Jan. 25. The book says Forstall is “the total package” and is most likely to lead Apple once its current CEO, Tim Cook, moves on, according to Apple 2.0.

∞ NSA releases security-enhanced Android

From H-Online : 

The National Security Agency’s SELinux Project has announced the first release of SE Android, a security enhanced version of Google’s Android operating system. SEAndroid is the name of both a project to identify, and find solutions for, critical gaps in Android security and of a reference implementation of a security enhanced Android. The project is currently focusing its efforts on enabling SELinux functionality in the hope that it can limit the damage done by malicious apps, but hopes to widen its scope in the future.

∞ Google IP Vandalizing OpenStreetMap

A pretty bad week for Google…

Preliminary results show users from Google IP address ranges in India deleting, moving and abusing OSM data including subtle edits like reversing one-way streets.

(…)

In fact over the last year we have had over 102 thousand hits on OSM using at least 17 accounts from this Google IP.

∞ The Top 25 WordPress Themes Of 2011

Nice selection, but then again, isn’t Wordpress itself a bit outdated as a blogging platform ?

From Noupe : 

Today we would like to share with you 25 more of our favourite WordPress themes from the last 12 months. Included in the list are themes for personal blogs, photography websites, businesses and communities. There have been so many great designs released this year that this list could have extended to over 200, so please don’t be offended if your favourite design didn’t make the final 25 :)