How BuzzFeed Is Betting on Hollywood, Long-Form Writing to Grow

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Last January, BuzzFeed, then an aggregator of memes and cat videos, secured a $15.5 million round of venture capital to beef up a craft that most traditional media was downsizing: journalism.It hired dozens of reporters and editors, opened bureaus in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles and became a must-read for political junkies during the 2012 presidential election.On...

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Cricket-Herath alive and bowling despite death rumours

SYDNEY, Jan 5 (Reuters) - As Mark Twain might have said, rumours of the death of Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath which spread like wildfire across social media late on Friday proved to be greatly exaggerated.Far from lying in a Sydney morgue alongside former test bowler Chaminda Vaas after perishing in a car crash as the reports had suggested, Herath was very much alive when he pitched up for work...

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Cricketer Herath alive and bowling despite death rumors

SYDNEY (Reuters) - As Mark Twain might have said, rumors of the death of Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath which spread like wildfire across social media late on Friday proved to be greatly exaggerated.Far from lying in a Sydney morgue alongside former test bowler Chaminda Vaas after perishing in a car crash as the reports had suggested, Herath was very much alive when he pitched up for work at the...

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How Not 'Awesome' Was Lisa Jackson at the EPA?

After almost four years of guiding controversial decisions on fracking, the Keystone XL pipeline, and coal, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson is stepping down. Now, the hunt is on for a new director who won't be able to please anyone.RELATED: EPA Passes New Fracking RulesJackson—the EPA's first African American chief and a chemical engineer by training—wrote in a statement, "I will leave the EPA confident...

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Website helps Dutch Catholics "de-baptize" over gay marriage

 Thousands of Dutch Catholics are researching how they can leave the church in protest at its opposition to gay marriage, according to the creator of a website aimed at helping them find the information.Tom Roes, whose website allows people to download the documents needed to leave the church, said traffic on ontdopen.nl - "de-baptise.nl" - had soared from about 10 visits a day to more than 10,000...

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Apple still said to account for 87% of North American tablet traffic as Kindle Fire, Nexus 7 gain

Apple’s (AAPL) share of the global tablet market is in decline now that low-cost Android slates are proliferating, but the iPad still appears to be the most used tablet by a huge margin. Ad firm Chitika regularly monitors tablet traffic in the United States and Canada and in its latest report, Apple’s iPad was responsible for almost 90% of all tablet traffic across the company’s massive network.[More...

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Apple CEO gets modest 2012 pay after big 2011

 Apple CEO Tim Cook got $4.2 million in pay for the latest fiscal year, a modest sum compared with last year, when the company's board set him up with stock now worth $510 million for taking the reins in 2011.Cook's pay for fiscal 2012, which ended in September, consisted of $1.4 million in salary, a bonus of $2.8 million, and $17,000 in company contributions to his 401(k) account and life insurance...

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Toshiba’s new Lytro-like mobile image sensor could revolutionize smartphone photography

Cramming more megapixels into a smartphone with the thickness of a pencil is not the future of mobile picture-taking. Smartphones have hit a threshold where 8-megapixels is more than enough for taking crisp still shots and 1080p HD video. Many smartphones even perform decent under low-light conditions. But according to the Asahi Shimbun, Toshiba (TOSBF) has a new camera module that could change the...

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Analysis: Apple's swoon exposes risk lurking in mutual funds

The nearly 28 percent decline in shares of Apple Inc since mid-September isn't just painful to individual shareholders. It's also being felt by investors who chased hot mutual funds that loaded up on Apple as the stock raced to a record $705 per share. Apple makes up 10 percent or more of assets in 117 out of the 1,119 funds that own its shares, according to data from Lipper, a Thomson Reuters company....

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Foreign hackers targeted former military chief Mullen: report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Foreign hackers targeted the computers of Mike Mullen, ex-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, calling it the latest in a pattern of attacks on computers of former high-ranking U.S. officials. The FBI is pursuing the hackers, the Journal reported. The agency was not immediately available for comment. Mullen's office confirmed...

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Cyber criminals could increasingly look to attack, hijack smartphones in 2013

TORONTO - Some cyber criminals who disseminate viruses and malware in attempts to hijack computers are beginning to shift their focus. Your smartphone may be their next target. PC users have learned to be constantly vigilant to the threat of viruses, which attack relentlessly, slow down computers and potentially put valuable personal information at risk. Windows computers will continue to be targeted...

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Organizers of a U.N. conference on global telecommunications say hackers apparently blocked one of its main websites and caused disruptions in the talks that some critics fear could lead to greater controls over the Internet. The U.N.'s International Telecommunications Union says the website was hit late Wednesday, blocking access to its main page and interfering with a closed-door working group. It says it's still investigating but initial signs point to hackers. Thursday's statement says Internet traffic was diverted to a backup website for two hours before normal operations resumed. The 11-day gathering in Dubai is being closely watched for possible new international pacts on Internet commerce and security. The U.S. is leading efforts to block new Internet regulations, fearing they could open the door to greater monitoring and restrictions.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Apple Inc's rank in China's smartphone market, which is set to become the world's largest this year, fell to No.6 in the third quarter as it faced tough competition from Chinese brands, research firm IDC said on Thursday. IDC's announcement comes a day after Apple's shares fell more than 6 percent on the Nasdaq, logging its biggest single-day loss in four years and losing $35...

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UN telecoms talks in Dubai hit by apparent hackers

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Organizers of a U.N. conference on global telecommunications say hackers apparently blocked one of its main websites and caused disruptions in the talks that some critics fear could lead to greater controls over the Internet. The U.N.'s International Telecommunications Union says the website was hit late Wednesday, blocking access to its main page and interfering...

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UK student convicted of denial of service attack

LONDON (AP) -- A London jury convicted a 22-year-old student and member of the hacking group Anonymous on Thursday of taking part in cyberattacks on several major companies' computer systems. Self-described "hacktivist" Christopher Weatherhead showed no emotion after being convicted of conspiracy to impair the operation of computers. The attacks hit the sites of MasterCard, Visa, PayPal and several...

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UK jury convicts member of activist group Anonymous in computer denial-of-service attack

LONDON - A London jury convicted a 22-year-old student and member of the hacking group Anonymous on Thursday of taking part in cyberattacks on several major companies' computer systems. Self-described "hacktivist" Christopher Weatherhead showed no emotion after being convicted of conspiracy to impair the operation of computers. The attacks hit the sites of MasterCard, Visa, PayPal and several others....

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