Horizon highlights – FAQ edition
Our regular roundup of sci-tech stories from across the Web includes: Five burning questions. Let’s kick it off:
Dear leader: Is Google's CEO Eric Schmidt: Good or just lucky?
"With Google's growth finally starting to slow, however – to the point that it's actually starting to lay off workers – it's time to ask: What has [Google CEO Eric Schmidt] really done for Google that wouldn't have happened with any modestly competent executive at the helm? Or, put another way, is Eric really that good ... or was he mostly in the right place at the right time?" [via Silicon Alley Insider]
Dense logic: What would it look like to fall into a black hole?
"Falling into a black hole might not be good for your health, but at least the view would be fine. A new simulation shows what you might see on your way toward the black hole's crushing central singularity. The research could help physicists understand the apparently paradoxical fate of matter and energy in a black hole." [via New Scientist]
No accounting for taste: Does YouTube actually make any money?
"While the video sharing website is so phenomenally popular that it has become the second biggest search engine in the world – there's still precious little information on whether the money is rolling in." [via the Guardian]
File sharing: Mixed answers to 'Is it OK for a library to lend a Kindle?'
"As a few more libraries begin lending the Kindle, the ebook reading device from Amazon, the company continues to offer ambiguous messages regarding its policies. Asked by the Howe Library, Hanover, NH, if it was OK to lend a Kindle, an Amazon support staffer said yes – and the library has proceeded to do so, with much positive response." [via Library Journal]
Grow up: Why is GMail still in Beta?
"Gmail turned five on Wednesday, April 1. Launched in 2004 as an invitation-only e-mail service, the Google product now has more than 100 million users. Yet it's still in "beta" – a term of art traditionally reserved for prototype software that's ready for testing. What gives?" [via Slate]
