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• Apple patent filing describes phone concept with wrap-around AMOLED display
  An Apple patent application popped up at the USPTO Thursday, which describes a "consumer electronic product" that's nothing but screen. The patent involves building a device from an open-ended transparent body (of glass, for example) that becomes a full wrap-around display when a flexible AMOLED screen is unfurled within it.
• Founder Mike Lazaridis to leave Blackberry May 1st as vice-chairman and director
  On the heels of yesterday's earnings release, Blackberry vice chairman Mike Lazaridis announced that he'll leave the company on May 1st. The exec founded the company formerly known as Research in Motion almost 30 years ago, with Jim Balsillie as its early CEO -- who resigned this time last year himself and recently sold off his remaining shares. Lazaridis said that he'll focus instead on his new Quantum Valley Investments venture, which recently backed a research center in his home town of Waterloo, Ontario.
• BlackBerry makes $94 million on revenue of $2.7 billion, ships 1 million BB10 devices in 2013 Q4
  Blackberry published its results from the end of the fiscal year to March 2nd, which shows that the smartphone maker made $94 million in GAAP income on revenues of $2.7 billion -- in contrast with the $125 million net loss it made in the same quarter last year. More importantly, however, it shipped out almost one million BlackBerry 10 devices during the three weeks of the quarter that they were available. In addition, it managed to push five million of its older smartphones and 370,000 PlayBook tablets out of the door, but saw user numbers fall from 79 million last quarter to 76 million now.
• EE switches on 4G in 13 more areas, claims half of the UK population now covered
  After spending a week relaxing in the Cumbrian countryside, EE's back on the road, bringing its 4G LTE network to some relatively more populated areas. The company has announced 13 additional locations it's coating with high-speed coverage today. This brings the total number of regions under the 4G umbrella to 50, which EE claims, coincidentally, now covers 50 percent of UK residents.
• In-App Purchase Revenue Hits Record High: Accounts For 76% Of U.S. iPhone App Revenue, 90% In Asian Markets | TechCrunch
  Though it’s well-known that many of today’s mobile applications generate revenue through in-app purchases, a new report released yesterday shows how powerful this money-making mechanism has become. In January 2012, just over half (53 percent) of iPhone App Store revenue in the U.S. was attributed to in-app purchases, but as of last month, that number has climbed to a record 76 percent.
• Google donates patents to protect cloud software from lawsuits — Tech News and Analysis
  Google unveiled a “patent pledge” that it hopes will shield cloud software and big data developers from the type of litigation that has engulfed the mobile phone industry. The pledge, which is like a non-aggression pact, covers ten patents related to Google’s MapReduce technology.The pledge, which Google announced on Thursday, says that developers are free to use or sell the technology described in the patents without fear of future lawsuits. The shield applies, however, only to projects based on open source software that is available to all.
• Andrew Weissmann: FBI wants real-time Gmail, Dropbox spying power.
  Last week, during a talk for the American Bar Association in Washington, D.C., FBI general counsel Andrew Weissmann discussed some of the pressing surveillance and national security issues facing the bureau. Despite the pervasiveness of law enforcement surveillance of digital communication, the FBI still has a difficult time monitoring Gmail, Google Voice, and Dropbox in real time. But that may change soon, because the bureau says it has made gaining more powers to wiretap all forms of Internet conversation and cloud storage a “top priority” this year.
• Scientists develop biological transistor that can command living cells | The Verge
  Fully biological computers are getting closer to reality. Scientists at Stanford University on Thursday announced they have created a new type of transistor, the most basic part of a computer (and almost all other modern electronics), that is made entirely using genetic material, and works inside of living bacteria. The new biological transistor is actually better than its inorganic counterpart in some ways, according to the researchers, who say their device will be able to help build fully functioning computers within the cells of living organisms — plants and animals alike — in the future. Their full findings appeared Thursday in the journal Science.
• Amazon to acquire Goodreads, a social network for book recommendations | The Verge
  Amazon will acquire book recommendation site and readers' social network Goodreads, according to an Amazon press release issued Thursday. Amazon already owns Shelfari, a social and information network described as a "community-powered encyclopedia for book lovers." Together with Goodreads (as well as its own lightweight / somewhat anemic kindle.amazon.com social notes network) Amazon will soon own the major online recommendation and commentary engines for new and old books.
• Ouya will be available in retail stores and online on June 4th for $99.99 | The Verge
  According to a listing at Amazon, Ouya will be available on June 4th for $99.99. Ouya will also be available at Best Buy, Game, GameStop, Target, and on the Ouya website. The Android-powered console will be available initially in the US, Canada, and the UK. Those who backed the project on Kickstarter should get their consoles much sooner, however — Ouya tweeted today that emails for shipment details were being sent out today and that more shipments would roll out over the next few weeks.
• D-Link ships its AC1200 802.11ac WiFi router / thermos doppelganger
  D-Link's AC1200 may better resemble the container keeping your coffee hot at work than a traditional WiFi router, but it remains a rare take on networking design that's frankly appreciated. The device is the more affordable of D-Link's two 2013-era 802.11ac routers at its $130 street price, keeping costs in check by peaking at at more modest 867Mbps speed with the new standard and 300Mbps on old-fashioned 802.11n. It still dishes out wireless on either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz bands, offers wired connections to four gigabit Ethernet devices and shares content from drives attached to its lone USB 3.0 port.
• Tweetdeck update for Mac and Windows adds filters for columns and search
  Tweetdeck, the Twitter client that's more popular (and useful) than the company's own native desktop app, is getting a version bump that has everything to do with filters. Available for Windows and Mac users now, the update lets social tweakers get granular as they sort through columns and search with new content and user filters.
• Announcing TechCrunch’s 2013 Meetups + Pitch-Off: Austin, Seattle, San Diego, And Boston | TechCrunch
  TechCrunch is bringing the energy and excitement of a mini-Disrupt to more cities across the country. The site is pleased to announced the 2013 Meetups. Pitch-Offs will begin in Austin on May 30 at Stage On Sixth in downtown Austin. Then, throughout the year, Tech Crunch will be holding meetups with pitch-offs in Seattle, San Diego, and Boston.
• A scientific guide to saying "no": How to avoid temptation and distraction - The Buffer Blog
  Saying no to unnecessary commitments can give you the time you need to recover and rejuvenate. Saying no to daily distractions can give you the space you need to focus on what is important to you. And saying no to temptation can help you stay on track and achieve your health goals.
• Illinois Man Charged In 21-Ton Cheese Heist - ABC News
  Veniamin Balika, 34, of Plainfield, Ill., was accused of stealing 42,000 pounds of Muenster cheese from a Wisconsin cheese company. He was arrested at a Bergen County rest area on the New Jersey Turnpike on Monday, the result of a joint investigation with the Saddle Brook New Jersey Police Department and the New Jersey State Police. "He was charged with receiving stolen property and fencing," New Jersey State Police Sergeant Adam Grossman told ABCNews.com. Balika allegedly attempted to sell the load of 1,135 cases of cheese at the rest area.
• Guanarito virus goes missing at UMBC, highlighting U.S. lab security problems.
  Let’s start with the good news: The vial of Guanarito, a rare disease found only in Venezuelan rodents, that was reported missing from a Texas lab on Wednesday is probably nothing to worry about. First of all, there’s no evidence that Guanarito can be transmitted from person to person—only from rodent to person (though when that happens, primarily to “male agricultural workers,” it isn’t pleasant). Nor does it appear that the vial was spirited away by an evildoer—more likely, it was destroyed after accidentally falling to the floor, Galveston National Laboratory scientific director Scott Weaver tells the Houston Chronicle. Galveston National Laboratory is housed at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Reports the Chronicle:“We don't think anything that happened this past week endangers the community," Weaver said. "We think this is an error that any one facility is inevitable and we are going to improve to prevent this in the future."
• Everything You Need To Know About The Invisible Bike Helmet | Elite Daily
  Eight years ago, two Swedish women, Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin, set out to solve some problems with traditional bike helmets. As they saw it, the problems were that many cyclists refused to wear bike helmets because they are unattractive and wreak havoc on styled hair.
• Nintendo Controller Coffee Table Maple / Walnut – Functional | The Bohemian Workbench
  A pretty awesome Nintendo controller coffee table made of maple wood.
• Japanese Schoolgirls Stage Fake ‘Dragon Ball’ Attacks in Photos
  In a series of photos posted on Twitter, schoolgirls in Japan have been staging fake energy sphere attacks (known as the “Kamehameha“) made popular in the manga and anime series, Dragon Ball.
• Twitter / OffbeatChina: Is Kim Jong Un using an iMac? ...
  Is Kim Jong Un using an iMac?
• Autonomous, human-sized robot jellyfish could patrol US waters | The Verge
  Researchers are building an eerie, human-sized robot jellyfish with a lifelike silicone mantle to patrol the oceans. Virginia Tech mechanical engineering professor Shashank Priya is leading the team, which hopes its invention can be used for jobs ranging from military surveillance to cleaning up oil spills and mapping ocean floors, reports Phys.org. The project is part of a $5 million multi-university program funded by the US Naval Undersea Warfare Center and the Office of Naval Research.
• Violin Made of Lasers Actually Sounds Lovely
  Technology lecturer Dylan Menzies doesn’t play the violin in the traditional sense. Instead he uses software and lasers to translate the positioning, speed and motion of a traditional wooden bow into music.His optical sensor-driven O-Bow is encased in copper with a groove for the bow. Wired reports on his solution for replicating the sound of a violin but making something easier to play:A system that uses synthesis software to translate data sent from an optical flow sensor, which tracks the speed, motion and angle of a wooden rod in high resolution as it is moved across it. The data is used to modify music created from a hooked-up keyboard (which creates the notes and pitch), meaning a player can replicate the subtle tones of a bow gliding across strings, not just the staccato notes produced by typical orchestral keyboard effects.
• Seaboard GRAND is a new piano-like electronic instrument with a tactile keyboard
  Seaboard GRAND is a new piano-like electronic instrument with a tactile keyboard that creates a more expressive and varied sound than a traditional piano. The soft black keyboard uses an interface called Sensory, Elastic and Adaptive (SEA), enabling the player to adjust pitch, volume, and timbre as they press the keys. You can see and hear the instrument in action in these solo and duet teaser performances. Seaboard GRAND is being developed for production by British tech company ROLI. A introductory run of 88 instruments is in the works—prices and technical details will be released in April.
• Pianist Plays Killer 'Walking Dead' Theme Song — Zombies Included
  Pianist Sonya Belosouva channels her inner Rick Grimes, the lead character from AMC's The Walking Dead, as she bravely plays a rendition of the television drama's theme song while surrounded by zombies in this slickly produced video. (We added this just because it's kinda awesome.)
• Silk-Dyed Eggs {aka TIE-Dyed!} | Our Best Bites
  Dying eggs with pieces of silk ties.
• Digital Easter eggs: A developer's secret message to you | Marketplace.org
  Warren Robinett, a video game designer, is credited with creating one of the first digital Easter eggs. In the digital world, an Easter egg is a hidden message snuck into a computer program, video game, or website where it shouldn’t be. In 1979, Robinett secretly put his name in a room of the video game Adventure, which he developed for Atari. So by any logic, Warren Robinett is the real Easter Bunny.
• Amazon.com: OUYA Console: Video Games
  
• Amazon.com: OUYA Wireless Controller: Video Games
  
• Nintendo Controller Coffee Table Maple / by BohemianWorkbench
  Nintendo NES controller coffee table. Made from maple, mahogany and walnut with dovetail joinery and mid century modern legs.
• Amazon.com: Rise of the Guardians: Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Isla Fisher: Amazon Instant Video
  
• Amazon.com: Rise of the Guardians (Two-Disc Combo: Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy +UltraViolet): Rise of the Guardians: Movies & TV
  
• Amazon.com: Rise of the Guardians (Three-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy + UltraViolet): Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Isla Fisher, Hugh Jackman, Peter Ramsey, David Lindsay-Abaire, William Joyce: Movies & TV
  
• iTunes - Movies - Rise of the Guardians
  
• Harry's - Great Shave. Fair Price. Simple.
  
• Amazon.com: Braun Series 7- 790cc Pulsonic Shaver System, Silver: Health & Personal Care
  
• Shave and a Haircut - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  In music, the call "Shave and a Haircut" and the associated response "two bits" is a simple, 7-note musical couplet or riff popularly used at the end of a musical performance, usually for comic effect. It is used both melodically and rhythmically, for example as a door knock.