In what seemed like an unrelated move, in September, Facebook announced a brand new type of profile called Timeline, where your whole personal history is laid out by month-by-month, all the way back to your birth. At the time, Facebook described it to consumers as a chance to: “Share and highlight your most memorable posts, photos and life events on your timeline. This is where you can tell your story from beginning, to middle, to now.” By the end of this year all 800 million plus Facebook profiles will have been converted to this new interface.

What most users don’t know is that the new features being introduced are all centered around increasing the value of Facebook to advertisers, to the point where Facebook representatives have been selling the idea that Timeline is actually about re-conceptualizing users around their consumer preferences, or as they put it, “brands are now an essential part of people’s identities.”

The name itself is cleverly designed to conceal the fact that your profile no longer arranges information chronologically. Yes, things are laid out by year and by month. But, when it comes to what’s displayed to your social circle at any given time, other metrics, including direct payments to Facebook itself, will now influence the ranking and placement of stories. This payola will be a crucial part of the graph rank, the new metric for placement that the social network uses to determine what appears on your profile.

Steve’s extraordinary vision and leadership saved Apple and guided it to its position as the world’s most innovative and valuable technology company,” said Art Levinson, Chairman of Genentech, on behalf of Apple’s Board. “Steve has made countless contributions to Apple’s success, and he has attracted and inspired Apple’s immensely creative employees and world class executive team. In his new role as Chairman of the Board, Steve will continue to serve Apple with his unique insights, creativity and inspiration.

I remember the dark days of trying hard not to become just another Apple "fan boy." That all changed after I got my first Mac, and needless to say, I never went back.

I'm glad Steve set the bar so high for other companies to try and duplicate. Because of Steve's vision, Apple has become synonymous with top-quality products, great customer service, and unmatched marketing.

Fecal and skin-borne bacteria resistant to antibiotics were found in a seat on a train headed from Daly City to Dublin/Pleasanton. Further testing on the skin-borne 

bacteria showed characteristics of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, the drug-resistant bacterium that causes potentially lethal infections, although Ms. Franklin cautioned that the MRSA findings were preliminary.

High concentrations of at least nine bacteria strains and several types of mold were found on the seat. Even after Ms. Franklin cleaned the cushion with an alcohol wipe, potentially harmful bacteria were found growing in the fabric.

Today I experienced one of the reasons why the seats on BART are so dirty - if you've ever seen the movie Mulholland Dr. and remember the homeless person that pops up from behind the restaurant dumpster, his female counterpart was on my train today.

I have nothing against the homeless in SF, but something needs to be done about them riding public transit when their personal hygiene puts others in danger. The lady on my train today was covered in fecal matter, soil, vomit, and what looked like coffee (don't ask me how, but she ended up standing inches away from me and yes, it was the worst smell I've experienced in my life).

Not only did she make the crowded train uncomfortable, she was clearly tweaking on drugs by constantly smashing on the train's window, terrifying several children around her. I'm not sure what the best way to address this issue would be, but the article sheds some light on how the fabric-heavy seating may be holding on to harmful bacterias for all of BART's riders to come into contact with.

This may be an extreme case, but with hundreds of thousands of people using BART every day, I may just opt to stand up during my rides.