Howard Stern Live-Tweets Commentary of Private Parts

On Saturday, the Twitterverse received a grossly detailed behind-the-scenes look at Howard Stern's 1997 movie Private Parts. For nearly an hour and a half while his frighteningly accurate biography aired live on HBO, Stern gave first-hand commentary via 140-character messages, providing amusing nuggets of information such as "tranny in the middle is a friend of mine named Dana. She came on the show looking for money for new breasts" to thousands of followers. Twitter is the perfect medium for actors and producers to provide hilariously insightful anecdotes about their movies and TV shows to fans, and the success of Stern's commentary may woo other media personalities into doing the same. As mentioned by All Things D, the commentary could give viewers a reason to watch programs live, which could ultimately benefit the television networks while entertaining loyal viewers. (via All Things Digital)

Apple Working on Cheap “iPhone Nano”?

Bloomberg reports that Apple is currently prototyping a miniaturized iPhone that would be roughly two-thirds the size of current models. The alleged device, which is rumored to cost $200 off contract (for comparison, the iPhone 4 is $599 unsubsidized), is targeted at potential Android customers who want a smartphone, but not the prohibitive price-tag that is usually attached. As noted by Bloomberg, Android has a 32.9 percent global smartphone market share -- and that number is growing, fast. Apple does not currently have a low-cost alternative, and if they would like to hold their ground, they will need to enter Android's unopposed territory. In order to cut costs, Apple would also have to cut corners. The lovely Retina display would likely be left out -- though on a smaller screen, it may not be necessary, and "last-gen" guts would surely be squashed inside. Though, screen resolution and processing power would have to be identical to some form of existing hardware to avoid fragmentation issues within the App Store-ecosystem. Apple is also said to be working on a dual-mode iPhone, which could work on both GSM and CDMA carriers without the need for a new SIM. Coupled with a built-in app and contract-free device, users could easily change networks without having to swap hardware or wait in line. (via Bloomberg)

Nokia and Microsoft Shack Up

Nokia announced last night that it would be partnering with Microsoft to produce Windows Phone devices. As keen techies may have noticed over the past few years, Nokia hasn't been doing too hot in the wake of iOS and Android. Symbian, Nokia's previous operating system of choice, has become obsolete, and their planned replacement, MeeGo, now seems to be taking a back burner to Windows Phone (the former head of MeeGo, Alberto Torres, just quit). The duo will bring the usual Microsoft services such as Xbox Live, Office, and something called "Bing" to Nokia devices, along with the much-needed Windows Marketplace ecosystem.

Today, the battle is moving from one of mobile devices to one of mobile ecosystems, and our strengths here are complementary. Ecosystems thrive when they reach scale, when they are fueled by energy and innovation and when they provide benefits and value to each person or company who participates. This is what we are creating; this is our vision; this is the work we are driving from this day forward. There are other mobile ecosystems. We will disrupt them. There will be challenges. We will overcome them. Success requires speed. We will be swift. Together, we see the opportunity, and we have the will, the resources and the drive to succeed.

Whether this partnership will be able to save the Finnish manufacturer from the brink remains to be seen. The early indications show that Windows Phone isn't exactly a hot commodity, but the platform is still young. Props to Nokia for making the plunge, it takes kivekset of steel to turn a company around like this. (via Nokia)

Silicon Valley Fight Club

If Tyler Durden was a software engineer instead of a projectionist (or, if Michael Bolton directed his rage towards humans, and not copiers) the Fight Club that we love to pretend to emulate would probably resemble this. According to the Gentlemen's Fighters, there are, surprisingly, no rules. Just two guidelines: "One, do not grapple your friend. And two, do not bring him to tears." Naturally, the geeks spend a fair bit of time whacking at each other with keyboards and dustbusters, and the mele-noobs wear sparing gear.

“In Silicon Valley we have the highest concentration of aggressive people in the United States. And it's a place where all life has been reduced to working in a cubicle and then after work going out to have a Merlot at the Fromage bar. I'm kind of looking for something a little more primitive, a little more basic, something that appeals to the essential nature of a man."

They'll be in for quite the fisticuffs once Star Wars Kid gets wind of this. (via The Next Web)

Obama Calls for $53 Billion High-Speed Rail System

Chugging along in a claustrophobic passenger train for hours on end can be a nauseating affair, so President Obama is calling for a six-year plan to create 250 mph trains across the US -- making those weekend trips to see the in-laws mercifully zippier. Obama aims to provide 80 percent of Americans with access to high-speed rail within 25 years, and create tens of thousands of jobs in the process. The plan still needs to make its way past the stuffy geezers in Congress, and considering the project will cost $53 billion to implement, it may be up for a decent fight. Obama's State of the Union speech had an emphasis on technological innovation (as well as a dash of "keeping up with the Joneses"), so snapping together pieces of high-speed track would make an excellent side project to help fulfill his dream. [Huffington Post]

The Extent of Human Radio Broadcasts in the Milky Way

It's unlikely that aliens are sitting around fiddling with rabbit ears in attempt to listen to our nonsense, but nevertheless, humans have been sending messages into space for decades. The first AM broadcast was on Christmas Eve, 1906, and Hitler's broadcasting of the 1936 Olympics is regarded as the first signal powerful enough to be carried into space. When compared to the vast size of the Milky Way, our presence here on Earth seems insignificant. Even our space-bound messages -- which are traveling at the speed of light -- are dwarfed by the galaxy's immensity. The image on the left illustrates our "bubble" of existence, which spans 200 light years in all directions -- but is just a small blip on the cosmic radar.

Scientists Grow Human Blood Vessels

Scientists have developed a technique to grow human veins in a laboratory, for use in dialysis or coronary bypass patients. The vessels are created with muscle cells from a human cadaver, which are grafted onto tubes made of polyglycolic acid (the same polymer that degradable stitches are made from). The original human cells are "washed" from the vessels, which decreases the chances of rejection once transplanted. 8 to 10 weeks after being plopped into the patent, the polyglycolic tubes dissolve, leaving the graft to preform its vascular duty. The vessels can remain ripe for up to a year when kept in a saline solution, so it will eventually be possible to stockpile the vessels at a hospital to use on an as-needed basis. Current bypass surgery procedures use artificial veins, but these can clog easily and cause infection. The home-grown method has been successfully tested on animals, but further research will need to be done before the vessels are available at a hospital near you. (AAAS via The Telegraph)

NASA’s Kepler Discovers Six-Planet Solar System

NASA's Kepler spacecraft has uncovered the largest known collection of Earth-like planets orbiting a star similar to the Sun outside of our own solar system. The star, named in true astronomer fashion as Kepler-11, is located a brisk 2,000 light years away and contains six tightly-packed planets, five of which are located in the "habitable zone" -- a region where liquid water (and undoubtedly Aliens) could exist. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden:

"In one generation we have gone from extraterrestrial planets being a mainstay of science fiction, to the present, where Kepler has helped turn science fiction into today's reality. These discoveries underscore the importance of NASA's science missions, which consistently increase understanding of our place in the cosmos."

Kepler is able to determine the mass and distance of a planet by observing minute changes in brightness as it passes across a star. To verify that a planet candidate is up to the task of being a bona fide planet, Kepler must observe three full transits. If a planet is similar to Earth, it will therefore take three years to confirm its status. The planets hovering around Kepler-11 have a much quicker orbital period, ranging from 10 to 47 days, (except for the asocial Kepler-11g, which takes a leisurely 118 days to orbit) so their elite status has been confirmed. NASA's Deep Field image uncovered roughly one gazillion new galaxies by focusing on a seemingly insignificant point in space. Similarly, Kepler's field of view only covers one four-hundredths of the sky -- and its discoveries only accounts for objects that reside inside the Milky Way. Over 1,200 planet candidates have been found to date by Kepler, including a total of 59 candidates located in a habitable zone (up from a paltry zero just two years ago). NASA plans to validate the existence of additional exoplanets using ground-based observatories down here on Terra, and will continue to use Kepler for future planet scouting missions. (via NASA)

Canadian Government Threatens to Kill Usage-Based Billing Plan

Looks like the Canucks have actually done it, eh? Just a few short days after the Canadian Radio-Telecommunications Commission sanctioned "Usage-Based Billing" (also called metered Internet) for Bell, the Industry Minister Tony Clement has announced via Twitter that the Harper government will repeal the CRTC's decision if the commission does not rescind it itself.