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Google Launches Music Subscription Service

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Google play Music

Google has recently launched a music subscription service, “Google Play Music, All Access“. The launch followed it’s initial announcement at Google’s I/O conference in San Francisco. The service currently comes in two flavors, Standard and All Access. The Standard edition let’s you store up to  20,000 of your songs, have sync-free access to your music from anywhere, and of course you can always buy music from the Google Play library. The All Access option has all of the aforementioned features but also includes an unlimited online radio mode which you can customize to your liking.

The standard option is free. The All Access option will cost $9.99/ month unless you sign up before 6/30, then you can get in for $7.99 / month.

So, Google has a music subscription service now, what’s the big deal? We have seen this before, it’s nothing ground breaking right? Well, the short answer is no but it’s not really about pushing limits, it’s about getting into the game and Google has a big advantage by being deeply integrated to the Android market. That’s a lot of exposure and a lot of potential subscribers. Not to mention that Google will undoubtedly find a way to make things more appealing over time.

 

iPad Could Cause Serious Problems with Defibrillators

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Apparently the magnets in the iPad 2, which are used for the Smart Cover, can completely shut down implanted defibrillators if left on the chest while sleeping. This is clearly a big deal if you rely on an internal defibrillator to keep you up and running.

pacemaker heart medicine
Implanted Defibrillator

Fourteen-year-old Gianna Chien discovered this problem during a science fair project and soon she will be sharing her discovery with the Heart Rhythm Society.

Many defibrillators shut off in the presence of a magnet due to a magnetic switch which is used as a safety feature. Some devices turn on after the magnet is moved away but some require you to have them turned on manually.

This is clearly a major problem as millions of people own the iPad 2 and the situation in which the issue occurs is very common. Fortunately, this young girl’s discovery can bring awareness to this issue and possibly save lives.

 

Saturn’s Great Hurricane

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nasaSaturnRose
“The Rose” in False-Color Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI

We haven’t really had the opportunity to see Saturn’s north pole, at least with any great clarity, since the last time we got close which was in 1981 when Voyager 2 was making it’s way past our solar system’s second largest planet. Thankfully, Cassini on Nov. 27, 2012 has offered up an updated and much more detailed view of the northern pole of Saturn and what they found was spectacular.

A massive vortex was discovered that spans 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers) across with clouds whizzing around at 330 miles per hour. It’s like a massive hurricane, one that’s many times as large and powerful as any hurricane on Earth. What’s also interesting about “the Rose” is that we are not sure how long it has actually existed. We will have to keep an eye on this storm and see how things progress throughout the year.

For more details about Cassini and associated projects along with more amazing photos, you can head the NASA’s Cassini page.

Coffee With Tim Cook? You Will Need A least Half a Million

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Apple CEO Tim Cook
Apple CEO Tim Cook (Source:Apple)

You can have coffee with Tim Cook at Apple headquarters but it will cost you at least $600,000 according to the latest bid on Charitybuzz. All of the money goes to charity, in particular the RFK Center For Justice and Human Rights. This number is pretty incredible considering the original value of the meeting was thought to be worth $50,000. Apparently that number was just a bit off.

What makes all of this even more interesting are some of the other auctions that are up on the site for this particular cause, including getting to act in a scene with Chris Hemsworth in a Michael Mann Film. The current bid for that is just over $3,500. Another auction has you visiting Jay Leno’s car collection and meeting him backstage, that one is just under $8,000

 

First Round of BlizzCon Tickets to Go on Sale at 7PM

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BlizzConLogo

The first round of BlizzCon tickets will be going on sale a 7pm and they sell out quickly. Tickets are $175 and ticket holders get one BlizzCon badge that grants access to the convention and a BlizzCon goody bag, which it’s contents have yet to be revealed.

You pick purchase tickets from the official BlizzCon Ticket Sales page. For complete details on the event head to Blizzard’s official BlizzCon page.