How Obama’s Tech Team Helped Win the Election

The Obama campaign‘s technologists were tense and tired. It was game day and everything was going wrong.Josh Thayer, the lead engineer of Narwhal, had just been informed that they’d lost another one of the services powering their software. That was bad: Narwhal was the code name for the data platform that underpinned the campaign and let it track voters...

Read More..

Sarah Jessica Parker & Gerard Butler to Host Nobel Peace Prize Concert

Sarah Jessica Parker and Gerard Butler have been announced as hosts for this year's Nobel Peace Prize Concert, held December 11 in Oslo, Norway to honor the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the European Union.The EU was awarded the prize "for having over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe."VIDEO: On the Obama Campaign Trail...

Read More..

EU drug regulator OKs Novartis' meningitis B shot

LONDON (AP) — Europe's top drug regulator has recommended approval for the first vaccine against meningitis B, made by Novartis AG.There are five types of bacterial meningitis. While vaccines exist to protect against the other four, none has previously been licensed for type B meningitis. In Europe, type B is the most common, causing 3,000 to 5,000 cases every year.Meningitis mainly affects infants...

Read More..

Wall Street falls on Wal-Mart results, "fiscal cliff" fear

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell in choppy trading on Thursday, with the S&P 500 on track to fall for a third day, as Wal-Mart Stores Inc reported disappointing results and investors feared the "fiscal cliff" will harm the economy. Stocks have struggled recently to hold onto even slight gains, such as on Wednesday when they opened higher but ended down more than 1 percent. ...

Read More..

Rocket hits near Tel Aviv as Gaza death toll rises

GAZA (Reuters) - A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed close to Tel Aviv on Thursday, in the first attack on Israel's biggest city in 20 years, raising the stakes in a military showdown between Israel and the Palestinians that is moving toward all-out war. Earlier, a Hamas rocket killed three Israelis north of the Gaza Strip, drawing the first blood from Israel as the Palestinian...

Read More..

‘Angry Birds Star Wars’ Is More Addictive Fun Fans Want [REVIEW]

Last month, Rovio announced a major partnership with Lucasfilm to create Angry Birds Star Wars. The game, out this week, represents a hybrid of the two powerful brands, and provides enjoyable gameplay for fans of both franchises.[More from Mashable: Viral Video Recap: Memes of the Week] For those unsure about the union,...

Read More..

Justin Bieber & Channing Tatum Lead People's Choice Nominees

Nominations for the 2013 People's Choice Awards were announced on Thursday, with Justin Bieber, Adam Levine and Channing Tatum leading the pack with multiple nods.Maroon 5 frontman Levine received four music nominations -- for Favorite Band, Favorite Song, Favorite Album, Favorite Music Video -- as well as two in the TV category for his work on The Voice, Favorite Celebrity Judge and Favorite Competition...

Read More..

Booze calories nearly equal soda's for US adults

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans get too many calories from soda. But what about alcohol? It turns out adults get almost as many empty calories from booze as from soft drinks, a government study found.Soda and other sweetened drinks — the focus of obesity-fighting public health campaigns — are the source of about 6 percent of the calories adults consume, on average. Alcoholic beverages account for about...

Read More..

Wall Street briefly cuts losses on Obama briefing

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks briefly trimmed losses on Wednesday as President Barack Obama pushed for his proposal to have the wealthy pay more in taxes as a way to tame the federal deficit. Taking a hard line in his opening bid before he begins fiscal talks with U.S. lawmakers later in the week, the president also said he was encouraged that some Republicans have agreed to raising new...

Read More..

Israel launches Gaza offensive, kills Hamas commander

GAZA (Reuters) - Israel launched a major offensive against Palestinian militants in Gaza on Wednesday, killing the military commander of Hamas in an air strike and threatening an invasion of the enclave that the Islamist group vowed would "open the gates of hell". The onslaught shattered hopes that a truce mediated on Tuesday by Egypt could pull the two sides back from the brink of war...

Read More..