6. Interesting Reads
“Microsoft is bidding farewell to Windows Vista, more than 10 years after it first debuted. Support for Windows Vista ends today, meaning users will have to move to a more recent version of Windows to remain secure. It’s the end of an era for an operating system that arrived late to the market with widespread criticisms. Codenamed Longhorn, Windows Vista was originally supposed to revolutionize Windows with a new file system and user interface. Microsoft’s development of Longhorn spiraled out of control, and the company was forced to reset its plans and focus on shipping a stable version of Windows in the middle of its development phase.”
“The luxury electric-car company Tesla has yet to turn a profit, losing hundreds of millions of dollars last year alone. But on Monday, the darling of Silicon Valley became the most valuable American car company, surpassing General Motors, the Detroit granddaddy with $10 billion in sales on nearly 10 million vehicles. Shares of Tesla, run by high-profile chief executive Elon Musk, put the company’s value at $51.5 billion, above GM’s $50.2 billion. Tesla blew by Ford ($44.6 billion) last week. Musk’s company produced just 84,000 cars last year, with starting prices of $68,000.”
“10 best products or services to sell during a recession will help you know what profitable businesses to start, and also may help you realize what products and services you consider necessary. We compiled many articles about recession proof products and services (from US News, An Acclaimed Affiliate, Profitable Venture, and Investopedia) and used Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to rank their lists. If you only faintly remember something about the Hierarchy of Needs from Psychology class, we’ll happily refresh your memory. The Hierarchy of Needs is a pyramid (much like the food pyramid).”
“Google Maps is perfect for getting directions from point A to point B, or for finding a nearby restaurant, but it also has a bunch of interesting hidden features of which most people are unaware. I use Google Maps every day and I didn’t even know about some of these until Google pointed them out. I guess that’s the very definition of hiding in plain view, right? Anyway, here are some Google Maps secrets that might help you get more out of the app, and you might not have known they were even there.”
(CNBC)
“NASA will hold a press conference on Thursday, starting at 2 PM ET, at which it will discuss new discoveries related to ocean worlds found within our solar system. The fresh findings come from the Cassini spacecraft, which was launched in 1997 and arrived at its destination orbiting Saturn in 2004, and the Hubble Space Telescope. The briefing includes “new discoveries” that “will help inform future ocean world exploration,” according to NASA’s press release. The results of the findings will help with future efforts to locate life outside of Earth – but we should stress here that there’s essentially zero chance this announcement will be at all about the discovery of alien life, as a way of heading off the recurrent frenzy of hype before it happens.”
