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Long weekend -- 2 mls. ahead

Don’t the weeks ahead of a long weekend seems excruciatingly long? For all of you who haven’t cut out early to enjoy the beautiful weather, here is a recap of this week’s big news in science, technology and pop-culture!

-Big news this week is Microsoft has officially been overtaken by Apple as the most profitable technology company. I can’t help but feel like this isn’t a big surprise. How many of those iPods (and iPhones and iPads and ugly-as-s%&# iLaptops) could Apple actually sell at a 300% profit before they eeked past Redmond?

-This totally offends me. On a few different levels.

-Environmentalism and technology overlap in this story about Microsoft’s new Hohm program that measures the energy efficiency of your home vs. others in your neighborhood. Plus, there are recommendations should your home not rank well.

-News on Natal: It might not be called Natal anymore when it launches this fall. Reports pitching a possible name change also have a pricetag: around $150. I’m SO on it.

-OK, this is just weird. Matrix meets Grey’s Anatomy.

-Thank goodness – Amazon.com’s CEO Jeff Bezos is finally settling the record straight on a color Kindle. How many times do I have to explain this: Color drains battery life way too fast, and the LCD screen strains the eyes more than the Kindle’s eInk display ever will. I know, I bought my mom a Nook over a Kindle for her birthday/Mother’s Day gift, but that’s only because of Barnes and Noble’s brand recognition and their in-store support programs. Anyway, thank you, Bezos. I believe you.

-This new video game is making big waves in the community. I hear it’s fabulous – and I mean that in the most manly way a girl possibly can.

-We all know I dislike USAToday columnist Kim Komando with the fire of a thousand suns. (Sorry, Gannett – I still love you!) Why? For recommending people use those *ridiculous* screen saver programs willy-nilly without concern for internet security – that’s why! Trust me – don’t do it!

Anyway, now she’s suggesting you can bypass purchasing those hot beach reads we all need when baking in the sun for free e-books. Once again, Kim’s missing the mark. Beach reads are not classics, nor are the intended to be – they are entertaining books meant to make the hours of lounging for the perfect tan enjoyable!

Next week, Captivate.com will feature a list of our own suggestions for Beach Reads, and I promise you they’ll be some actually worthwile choices on there, rather than reading ‘Pride and Prejudice’ again or suffering through other way-past-its-prime lit that made your college English classes oh so fun. Just because an ebook is free doesn’t mean it’s worth reading! Come on now, people!

**Side note: USAToday, I’d be *fabulous* at writing the CyberSpeak column. Call me. Seriously. **

Anyway, rant over this round. We’ll be taking Monday off to celebrate Memorial Day with a beer in one hand and a cheeseburger in the other. See you back here Wednesday for a short week filled with news and tech bytes.

“Long weekend -- 2 mls. ahead”