Gates Lets Mosquitoes Fly at Audience

Experts offer healthy dose of skepticism

(NEWSER) - After Facebook's IPO filing on Wednesday, analysts are abuzz over a suggested $75 billion to $100 billion valuation. If the social network is to live up to the hype, it'll have to be "the next Google—or better," experts tell MSNBC . Opinions from around the web:

• Sure, 845 million active monthly users and $3 billion in yearly revenue is nothing to sniff at. But a $75 billion valuation would make Facebook worth 40% of Google, whose profits are 11 times the social network's—whose growth may already be slowing, MSNBC notes.

Facebook engineers come up with way to revert to old Google searches

(NEWSER) - A few Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace engineers critical of Google's new search protocol spent the weekend cooking up a way to modify searches so they revert to the way they used to be. A new "Don't Be Evil" bookmarklet—ripping off Google's own mantra—was created by Facebook software engineers and its product director, reports the Los Angeles Times . The bookmarklet, available on the new website Focus on the User , returns searches to the old days before Google launched Search Plus Your World , which capitalizes on Google+ . The changes infuriated Facebook and Twitter managers and others because users were more likely to be directed to Google+ profiles. "When Google's engineers are allowed to focus purely on relevancy, they get it right," says a comment on Focus on the User. So "try a more relevant Google," urges the site. Google officials were unavailable for comment. More»

Bill Gates offered to pay for Arfa Karim's medical care

(NEWSER) - A computer prodigy known as "Pakistan's girl wonder" has died at the age of 16 from complications caused by an epileptic stroke. Arfa Karim was just nine years old when she became the youngest person ever awarded the "Microsoft Certified Professional" title for mastering the company's programs, the Daily Mail reports. She was invited to visit Microsoft's US headquarters, and met execs including Bill Gates. More»

Lamar Smith seems unfazed by powerful opponents to piracy bill

(NEWSER) - Rep. Lamar Smith, author of the fiercely controversial Stop Online Piracy Act, doesn't sound like he's bothered much by the heated opposition from e-powerhouses such as Facebook, Google, Reddit, and Twitter. "It is amazing to me that the opponents apparently don't want to protect American consumers and businesses," the Texas Republican tells Reuters . The SOPA bill, which would authorize the government to seek federal injunctions against foreign-based websites suspected of piracy, is still in committee hearings and could reach the House floor in a few weeks. More»

They aim to gather 'open source' intelligence

(NEWSER) - Somewhere in Virginia, hundreds of CIA analysts are hunched over computers right now, reading Twitter and Facebook posts. This team—affectionately dubbed the “vengeful librarians”—monitors some 5 million social media posts a day, looking for signs of unrest and a general read on the zeitgeist overseas, the AP reports. They predicted the Egyptian revolution, let Barack Obama know how his policies are perceived abroad, and can provide the US with reports during traditional media blackouts, such as during last spring's riots in Bangkok . More»