The Insider News

Wired.com[^]:

The next game console from Nintendo is a strange beast indeed. The controller, called GamePad, has a built-in touch screen. And the system can wirelessly stream its visuals to both the GamePad and the television at the same time. So you can play games in which the player has to alternate between the two screens. Or multiplayer games in which some players look at the TV while others look at the controller. Or you can just play games on the controller and forget about the TV entirely — which we were surprised to find might be the most compelling way to play on Wii U.

Orion Magazine[^]:

Why and how did humankind become “unusually successful”? And what, to an evolutionary biologist, does “success” mean, if self-destruction is part of the definition? Does that self-destruction include the rest of the biosphere? What are human beings in the grand scheme of things anyway, and where are we headed? What is human nature, if there is such a thing, and how did we acquire it? What does that nature portend for our interactions with the environment? With 7 billion of us crowding the planet, it’s hard to imagine more vital questions.

DailyTech[^]:

While Sinofsky was seen as a brilliant figure at Microsoft, his downfall was that he didn't get along with others within the company. He was notorious for picking fights with other executives, including current CEO Steve Ballmer, and even pushed former executives like chief software architect Ray Ozzie to quit.

AllThingsD[^]:

For the first time in its 30-plus year history, the person leading Microsoft’s Windows unit won’t be a man. With the departure of Steven Sinofsky on Monday, Microsoft is handing over leadership of its flagship operating system to Julie Larson-Green and Tami Reller, both of whom served as top deputies to Sinofsky.... They will have their hands full.