SHAFAQNA

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association)  There’s no place like Paris, Barcelona or Rome – but Europe has untouched corners that match the big hitters on beauty and charm, and with far fewer tourists. Take the road less travelled with these ten hidden gems of Europe. 1. Burg Satzvey, Germany Whisper it: this fairytale castle is a short ride from touristed Bonn and Cologne but remains off most travellers’ radar. Its medieval castle walls, moat and quaint setting will delight even the most jaded…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – We're all thirsty and we don't even know it. But an Estonian start-up called Jomi Interactive aims to solve this problem. Although they're only in a developmental stage right now (Read: Give us your money!), the company managed to turn more than a few heads online this week when prototypes of their new products were featured on TechCrunch and several other websites. The product is a Jomi band (or sleeve). You attach it around…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Allergies have been on the rise over the past 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Studies show that nearly half of all Americans are sensitive to one or more allergen. “The pollen season seems to be coming earlier - for certain pollens it seems to be lasting longer - and we are seeing higher peak pollen levels for certain allergens,” said Dr. Nathanael Horne, an allergist at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) Proposed changes to the US immigration system would be a boon for America’s tech companies, but some worry that if Facebook, Google and others get their way, it will just give them more leverage over employees at the bargaining table. The legislation would increase the number of H-1B skilled worker visas by 45,000, to 110,000 each year, and make it easier for companies to hire more visa employees by exempting workers applying for permanent residency…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has on a number of occasions offered accurate information on Apple's product plans, recently published a new research note outlining his expectations for Apple's fifth-generation iPad. Kuo expects mass production and shipments of the new iPad to ramp up in the August-September timeframe, with the device registering roughly 15% thinner and 25% lighter than the current full-size iPad. We think the tablet will, at 7.5-8.0mm, be 15% thinner than…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) While Sprint and T-Mobile have officially unveiled details about when the Samsung Galaxy S4 isarriving on their networks, Verizon and AT&T aren’t talking just yet. Luckily, an alleged internal document from RadioShack might shed a bit of light on AT&T’s plans. The document was first reported on by Phandroid. The internal memo suggests the Galaxy S4 will arrive at RadioShack on April 26th with a price tag of $200, with contract. Of course this is just when…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -- In 2007, the hacktivist collective Anonymous was dubbed the "internet hate machine" by Fox News for their trolling campaigns. Six years later, they are the white knights of the digital realm, seeking justice for the now deceased 17-year-old Rehtaeh Parsons, an alleged gang rape victim who killed herself after bullying by her Nova Scotian classmates. This is just one of the collective's high profile causes in the past week, but in terms of good PR and an agency…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) Cross-platform is the buzzword of all the big tech companies now. Every Google earnings call, like clockwork, CEO Larry Page lately dedicates considerable time upfront to talking about how the search giant is focusing on making sure users have a seamless experience and equal access to services as they switch between devices. In general, that’s already a reality if you know where to look. But there’s so much more potential. No matter how much apps talk…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) In addition to the long curly cords, and the part where they are permanently attached to a wall, old-fashioned landlines have something else that we've lost in the cell phone revolution: a dial tone. What happened to that thing? Dan Goldin of Makers Alley just happened to be reading The Idea Factory when he came upon a passage that addresses just that and was nice enough to share it with us all. From the book: Meanwhile, Phil Porter, who…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) Internet search giant Google has launched a tool that lets users decide what happens with their email and other accounts after they die, or if their online accounts become inactive.  Called "inactive account manager", the feature lets users of Google's services tell the company what to do with email messages and other data. "Whatever the reason, we give you the option of deciding what happens to your data," the company said on a message at an account settings page…