Sometimes, international corporate mergers are just like high school prom soap operas. Stick with me here.

Imagine that you're back in high school, and its prom season. You finally work up the nerve to ask that special girl to the prom, but sadly, she turns you down. 

Shortly after, you are shocked to discover that your crush will be attending the prom with one of your "friends". To make matters worse, you have a sneaking suspicion that your friend doesn't even like her that much. In fact, your friend is going to take this girl to the prom, purely to spite you.      

What type of selfish, egomaniacal person would do this? Google, apparently.

With all the drama of a failed high school love story, Google has acquired Waze, a popular mobile satellite navigation app, just weeks after Facebook failed to woo the Israeli startup firm with its own billion dollar deal.    

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There is a new app that warns you if you are about to walk into something while looking at your cell phone. We thought this was so sad, we just had to poke fun at it.
   
Imagine you're watching a late night infomercial.
 
The black and white opening scene begins with a close up on a typical teenage girl. Let's call her Sally. As the camera pans out we watch as our star walks down the sidewalk, gleefully texting on her smart phone.  Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Sally’s head collides with a mailbox, a significant public safety hazard. Her cell phone screen cracks as it hits the ground, and Sally lies on the sidewalk clutching her knee and grimacing in agony.
 
The booming narration begins: "HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU? WE ALL LOVE USING OUR SMART PHONES EVERY WAKING HOUR OF THE DAY, BUT THERE ARE SO MANY DANGEROUS OBSTACLES THAT CAN GET IN THE WAY."
 
Sally: "Gee, I wish I could safely text my friends all the time. I guess I'll just have to keep my head up while walking. Hashtag old-school.”
 
Narrator: DON'T BE RIDICULOUS! WITH CRASH ALERT, YOU'LL NEVER HAVE TO PRY YOUR EYES AWAY FROM YOUR SMART PHONE EVER AGAIN! 
 
Sally is suddenly illuminated in full color, texting and smiling next to the mailbox.
       

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As of 6/12/2013 at 9:00 A.M., 1 euro is equivalent to 1.33 U.S. dollars. Similarly, a British pound sterling is worth $1.57. One bitcoin is worth $110.01.

 

One of these things is not like the other.

 

Unlike the euro, the pound, and the dollar, Bitcoin is a digital currency that functions independently from any government. The first of its kind, Bitcoin is a trailblazer that has been turning a lot of heads in recent months.

 

A year ago, each bitcoin was worth about $5, but in April 2013, Bitcoin's worth rose to an unprecedented $266 per coin. Over the weekend of May 17th - 19th, roughly 1,100 people attended Bitcoin 2013, a Silicon Valley based conference dedicated to the "crypto-currency". 

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The New York Times reports that Apple is trying to close deals with major music companies so it can announce its new music streaming service at the fast-approaching Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 10th.

"iRadio"

Apple's streaming service (nicknamed iRadio by journalists) is rumored to be free, ad-supported, internet radio in the vein of Pandora, rather than a subscription based service like Spotify or Google Play Music All Access.   

Users will not be able to search for and play specific songs, but they will have access to various music stations tailored to their tastes. 

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Claris is proud to announce that it has purchased MindLinx Technology Solutions, a business IT solutions provider in Nashville. As anyone who follows Claris Networks knows, the past several years have been a season of significant growth for this company. The acquisition will enable Claris Networks to extend its services to companies throughout the state more efficiently, specifically in the Middle Tennessee area. More importantly, adding MindLinx to the Claris community will help us better serve our customers across the state and the region, including our other two offices in Chattanooga and Knoxville.

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