Today’s Links: July 10, 2012

OPINION

DAN LYONS: “Apple’s Move to Spite Google and Use Its Own Map Software Hurts Customers”
“Apple’s late CEO Steve Jobsonce vowed he would wage “thermonuclear war” against Google, which he claimed had ripped off Apple’s iPhone software to make its Android mobile operating system. Toward that end, Apple has launched loads of lawsuits against phone-makers that use Android. But now Apple’s own customers are getting caught in the crossfire. That’s because Apple, in its zeal to hurt Google, last week announced it will no longer use Google’s map software on its iPhone and iPad devices. Instead, in future products, Apple will provide its own map software. Just one problem. According to developers who are using an early version of the software, Apple’s solution isn’t as good as what Google provides.”

DAVID WEIGEL: “The Most Orwellian Voter ID Ad You’ve Ever Seen”
“On Sunday, Daniel Denvir broke the news that a Mitt Romney bundler, Chris Bravacos, had secured a contract to promote Pennsylvania’s new Voter ID law. On Monday, the bundler’s company, the Bravo Group, pulled it demo ads off of Vimeo. You should go and read the rest of Denvir’s story for the details, and to understand the crooked veins of connections between donors and third-party groups and legislators”.

JONAH GOLDBERG: “Blame Barclay’s, Not Capitalism”
“Why aren’t more people furious about the LIBOR scandal? That’s a question mostly being asked on the political left these days, and they’re right to ask it. Here are the basics: Barclays is the second-largest bank in Britain and one of the largest in the world. It has admitted to U.S. and British regulators that it manipulated the London interbank offered rate, or LIBOR, which basically measures how much it costs banks to borrow money from one another for various periods of time. If you ever read the fine print on a home mortgage, credit card agreement or car loan, you’ve seen reference to LIBOR.”

NEWS

TECH – Google Fined $22.5 Million for Ignoring Customers’ Privacy Settings – the Largest Penalty Ever Imposed by FTC
“Google Inc is reportedly close to paying $22.5 million to settle charges that it bypassed the privacy settings of customers using Apple’s Safari browser. The staggering sum would be the largest penalty ever levied on a single company by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.”

SPACE – Fellow Scientists Rip NASA Report on Arsenic-Friendly Bacteria
“Two scientific papers, published in the journal Science, refuted the 2010 NASA finding that bacterium called GFAJ-1 not only tolerates arsenic, but actually incorporates the poison into its DNA, swapping out phosphorus. The finding, at the time, was hailed as a significant new discovery, which could increase the likelihood of discovering exotic life on other planets.”

MANUFACTURING – NAM Says EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Regulations Will Hurt Jobs
“NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons released statement on behalf of the industry coalition on the ruling by U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. Circuit on EPA’s decision to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources through Clean Air Act. According to Timmons, ruling is a setback for businesses facing damaging regulations from the EPA. Regulations are costly, complex, and burdensome and will harm manufacturers’ ability to hire, invest, and grow.”