The Daily Nerd (March 4th, 2014)

The Daily Nerd (March 4th, 2014) #

Meet the seven people who hold the keys to worldwide internet security

It sounds like the stuff of science fiction: seven keys, held by individuals from all over the world, that together control security at the core of the web. The reality is rather closer to The Office than The Matrix In a nondescript industrial estate in El Segundo, a boxy suburb in south-west Los Angeles just a mile or two from LAX international airport, 20 people wait in a windowless canteen for a ceremony to begin. Outside, the sun is shining on an unseasonably warm February day; inside, the only light comes from the glare of halogen bulbs.

Starting to Demo the Wolfram Language

The Wolfram Language is a highly developed knowledge-based language that unifies a broad range of programming paradigms and uses its unique concept of symbolic programming to add a new level of flexibility to the very concept of programming.

Chevron Gives Residents Near Fracking Explosion Free Pizza

After a Chevron hydraulic fracturing well exploded in rural Dunkard Township, Pennsylvania, last Tuesday, and burned for four days straight, the energy company knew just the way to soothe nearby residents: free pizza. The flames that billowed out of the Marcellus Shale natural gas well were so hot they caused a nearby propane truck to explode, and first responders were forced to retreat to avoid injury. The fire burned for four days, and Chevron currently has tanks of water standing by in case it reignites. Of the twenty contractors on the well site, one is still missing, and is presumed dead.

With ‘virgin’ developers, Microsoft could fork Android

Windows Phone is not an option for Microsoft’s mobile renaissance. It’s just too little and too late. To catch up, Microsoft could invest in an Android fork that would impress consumers with responsive on-device performance, integration with Microsoft’s mobile ecosystem, and compatibility with the more than 1 million apps available through the Google Play and other app stores.