cooking

Jon Stewart accuses the Senate of all being Apple fanboys

In our philosophy class today, we will be discussing this existential question: What is the opposite of a Genius Bar?

In Jon Stewart's view, it's a group of senators attempting to fawn all over Apple CEO Tim Cook, instead of heating him up next to their goat steak and their veal sausages.

It was inevitable, perhaps, that Stewart might have an observation or two about Cook's odd appearance in front of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. (I say "odd appearance" because he was wearing a tie.)… Read more

Most tasteless question Apple's CEO was asked in Washington

It's not easy being the boss at 1 Infinite Loophole.

Instead of traveling around the world to expand your business and inspire your troops, you go to Washington in order to expand narrow minds and perspire at the absurdity.

You even have to find a polite way to answer Sen. John McCain when he demands to know why he's always having to update his iPhone apps. … Read more

Lawmakers lambaste Apple's tax strategy as 'an absurdity'

Apple came in for a bipartisan beating on Tuesday as senators portrayed the company as a global tax avoider which exploited loopholes in the system to escape paying its fair share.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is scheduled to appear this morning before the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. But before then, he had to listen in silence as the leading Democrat and Republican lambasted Apple for working the system in a way they said was unfair, if not unpatriotic.

Michigan Democrat Carl Levin, who is chairman of the subcommittee, said that Apple had … Read more

Apple dodged paying billions in taxes, subcommittee says

On the eve of Apple CEO Tim Cook's hearing in front of the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, the subcommittee released a report Monday detailing how it believes the tech giant has avoided paying its fair share of U.S. taxes.

"Apple is an American success story," the report reads. "Today, Apple Inc. maintains more than $102 billion in offshore cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities (cash). Apple executives told the Subcommittee that the company has no intention of returning those funds to the United States unless and until there is a more favorable environment, … Read more

BBQ Dragon can light a grill fire in 10 minutes or less

Sadly, I find it easier to build a computer than a kick off a successful grill fire. The up-and-coming BBQ Dragon could be the breath of fresh air -- literally -- to change my poor fire-starting fortune.

Essentially working the same way as a fan, the cordless BBQ Dragon shoots a large amount of cool air into a fire and accelerates the burning process. The stainless steel device, which has a variable air speed controller and flexible arm, easily clips onto the side of a grill or smoker. The designers say the Dragon works great with bonfires, the Big Green Egg, wood stoves, and more. … Read more

Tim Cook to propose tax overhaul before Congress

In yet another recent example of Apple's increasing role in Washington politics, CEO Tim Cook reportedly plans to propose a "dramatic simplification" of corporate tax laws before Congress next week -- and is taking to the D.C. press to argue his case.

At a hearing on May 21 before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation, which CNET learned about last night, Cook says he will present proposals aimed at "encouraging companies to bring back foreign earnings to the United States and invest that money into creating jobs, as well as research and development," according … Read more

Larry Page's reality distortion field

Larry Page is turned off by treating his life's work as a kind of sporting competition. In his way of thinking, battles over Android vs. iOS or Google+ vs. Facebook are a petty distractions, glorified in the press. They generate negative energy, which leads to a diminished capacity to innovate and focus on moonshots, such as self-driving cars, that have the potential to change the world.

"Every story I read about Google is us versus some other company or some stupid thing," the Google co-founder and CEO told 6,000 developers at Google I/O in his … Read more

Coffee with Apple CEO auction closes at $610K

After 86 bids, the coffee meeting with Apple's CEO has sold for $610,000.

The winning bidder is anonymous, and goes only by "a********s."

The "power meeting" was part of a campaign by auction site CharityBuzz to raise money for the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. It promises little beyond some coffee and facetime with Cook at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.

The auction is now officially tied for the highest-grossing CharityBuzz has ever had. It's matched up with last month's auction for a Lamborghini Aventador, which … Read more

The 404 1269: Where rad goes viral (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Follow Spotify's Shanon Cook!

- More on the Deadpool videogame.

- The story goes deeper on The Bureau: XCOM Declassified.

- Nvidia's Project Shield comes closer to reality.

This week's Viral Top 10 list from Spotify:

1. "Royals" by Lorde 2. "#Beautiful" by Mariah Carey 3. "Alone" by Falling In Reverse 4. "The One" by Tamar Braxton 5. "Rattle (Sexy Lady)" by Bingo Players 6. "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke 7. "Young And Beautiful" by Lana Del Rey 8. "Spring Break Anthem" by The Lonely Island 9. "Get Lucky - Radio Edit" by Daft Punk 10. "Dear Mama" by 2Pac… Read more

Coffee with Tim Cook auction holds at $605K with a day left

There's less than a day left in the auction that will net one individual a brief, and very expensive, sit-down meeting with Apple's top executive.

CharityBuzz's buzzy auction for a coffee meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook ends just after 1 p.m. PT on Tuesday, bringing to a close what is currently the group's second-highest auction ever at $605,000.

"We're truly amazed by the support for the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights through our coffee with Tim Cook online auction," Coppy Holzman, Charitybuzz CEO and founder said in a … Read more