Topic: Palo Alto

Facebook buys social media aggregator FriendFeed

FriendFeed co-founder Bret Taylor says the two services will eventually merge, though FriendFeed will operate separately for now.

Heroin's comeback: busts at levels not seen since the '70s.

Mexican dealers are flooding the market with a cheap form of heroin that is more potent than its predecessors, snaring younger users.

Behind Google's move, a growing rivalry with Apple

Google CEO Eric Schmidt resigned from Apple's board Monday, reflecting increased competition between the two companies as Google expands beyond search.

The Accidental Billionaires

How an asocial loner created the Internet’s greatest social network.

When 'B' means better

'B Corporation' status reveals commitment to benefiting others.

Want to create an app? There's a class for that.

Clock's ticking for California budget talks

As a deal stalled over school funding cuts, warnings sounded about rising state debt and falling bond ratings.

What will spur California to solve its budget crisis?

Major banks say they won't honor IOUs that the state has issued. That could increase pressure on lawmakers – but it might not be the decisive factor.

In cash-strapped California, plans for a high-speed rail line are rebuked

'MySpace Mom' acquitted in cyberbullying case

The ruling reveals the limits of the law in cracking down on the growing problem of bullying online.

Schwarzenegger's push for digital textbooks

The California governor wants to save money by dumping printed schoolbooks for online, open-source texts. But is it feasible?

Why green-power premiums may fade

Pricier options may become obsolete if government requires utilities to bring more renewables on line.

In replacing Souter, how far left will Obama go?

He'll face pressure from his liberal base in his pick for the Supreme Court.

Ocean power surges forward

Wave power and tidal power are still experimental, but may be little more than five years away from commercial development.

Adult children back in the nest

The economic downturn is one reason families are combining households.

Record labels eye mobile music games

As CD sales falls, bands find new market among gamers.

The ‘micro’ enterprise that is chip repair

Rodrigo Alvarez can’t afford to replace the defective microprocessors on which his PhD depends, and so he’s learning to fix them himself.

Job skill for the times: coping with a layoff

Keys for pink-slip recipients include directness, dignity, and forward motion.

US economy's gloom expected to begin lifting by late '09

Until then, employment, output, and housing prices will keep falling.

Will Obama and Clinton work as a team?

They’ve had differences, but Obama is expected to name her as secretary of State.

Bay Area seeks to become electric-car capital

The mayors of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose announced an ambitious public-private partnership last week to develop a $1 billion network of charging outlets for electric cars.

Today’s unsettling comparison to ‘the great dying’

250 million years ago, rising greenhouse-gas levels set off catastrophic changes.

How to spur action on climate change

Behaviorists weigh in on how to motivate change. A green-themed soap opera, perhaps?

Textbooks built to fit student budgets

Textbooks built to fit student budgets

Schools, nonprofits, and publishers go digital in an effort to create less-expensive textbooks.