January 2014

Xenopath by Eric Brown

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The novel “Xenopath” by Eric Brown was published for the first time in 2010. It’s the second book in the Bengal Station trilogy and is the sequel to “Necropath”.

Jeff Vaughan and Sukara got married and are expecting their first child. Their life isn’t easy because Jeff’s salary isn’t exactly rich but together they’re happy. Jeff’s days as a telepath now seem part of the past when he’s contacted by his former colleague Lin Kapinski, who opened a detective agency and offers him a job. The salary is very high but he needs to get a new neural implant to regain his old telepathic skills.

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The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) didn’t have the authority to prohibit Internet service providers to block or even slow down web traffic and applications in a selective manner. This represents a rejection of Net Neutrality, which required in particular to broadband connections operators not to discriminate Internet traffic.

The Nest Labs founders Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers (Image courtesy Nest Labs. All rights reserved)

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Google has announced that it has acquired Nest Labs, a company that operates in the field of home automation, offering products such as thermostats and smoke detectors controllable via the Internet, for $3.2 billion in cash. According to the press release, the company will continue to operate under the direction of its co-founder Tony Fadell, who a few years ago was one of the creators of the iPod when he worked for Apple.

The Well of the Worlds by Henry Kuttner (Italian edition)

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The novel “The Well of the Worlds” by Henry Kuttner was published for the first time in 1952 in the magazine “Startling Stories” and in 1953 as a book.

Clifford Sawyer is investigating a uranium mine where he has to deal with its owners: Klai Ford, a strange girl who long ago had been found in the same mine with no memory, and William Alper, a power-hungry man. Strange ghost stories are told about the mine but Sawyer doesn’t believe them, at least not until weird things start happening.