Xiaomi Highlights China's Problem And Reputation As Second Rate Tech World

Source:  On Apple.

Here is yet another example of Chinese consumer tech companies demonstrating their inability to innovate and using government shields to copy Western companies like Apple.  Here is its Miui 6 skin that runs on top of its own Android variant (san Google apps) where it copied the look and feel of Apple's iOS.

What's worse as it has been reported previously by various media outlets is that it even copied the look and feel of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S.

However, don't look for Apple to do anything about this in China anyway. 

More at On Apple.

I'm A Zombie - Stomach Bacteria Controlling Your Appetite

Source:   CNET.

This is a different take on zombie and quite possibly look for Hollywood to get in on this as the virus-variant of zombies could be running out its course.  According to researchers, what we crave could be a result of the type of bacteria we have living in our stomach.

The biological term for these little guys is microbiome.  How do they do it?  One, they create cravings for certain types of food that would provide the best nutrients for itself or ones that would suppress the growth of competitors.  Second, create dysphoria (makes you feel crappy or less than optimal) until you eat it.

Boy, I know what that feels like.  At times, I eat food that I know just isn't that great for me but I do it anyway.  Maybe it might not be a certain type of microbiome but just what's in my head.  However, the possibility that my appetite is being controlled is fascinating.

Now that I know this is a possibility, I think I will definitely be more conscious about my food choice.

Of course, there is really nothing to worry about until you wake up in the middle of the night craving fresh meat or brains.

Social: The Purge Prank Instigated On Twitter

Source:  Wave 3, Uproxx.

We all know how powerful Twitter can be.  These days, it can topple governments, change society, and be used in more ways than what anyone ever imagined.  Even getting a midsize city official to believe that "a purge" was coming.

That's what one high school teen did to Louisville, Kentucky.  It got a football (American version) scrimmage to be moved.  Needless to say, the kid seemed apologetic.  And he was dismissed from his football team.

In case you didn't know, this Purge prank was based on a 2013 and its 2014 sequel called The Prank in which the government allows a 12-hour window in which any crime can be committed without legal consequences.

Seriously, right?  This is a teenager's wet dream.  Prank or otherwise.  And authorities will likely be on the lookout for more of these pranks and making sure no one out there thinks this is serious.  After all, The Purge did nearly $90 million at the box office costing only $3 million to make while its sequel, The Purge: Anarchy pulled on $96 million (Box Office Mojo).