Google has thrown its hat into the social networking ring with Google+. Or rather, it’s throwing the latest of several hats into the ring, the previous hats having been stomped into wads of filthy felt scraps. However, Google assures us that Google+ is nothing like Buzz, Orkut and Wave: To begin with, it doesn’t sound like a rejected Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles villain. Secondly, I dunno, it has circles or something.

The most common response to Google+ that I’ve heard is, “Good, I hate Facebook.” This is from people already using Facebook.. These people are praying for the death of a free...

Longtime Nintendo designer Yoshiaki Koizumi, producer of the Super Mario games, has done some secret experiments with Wii U-style gaming on classic systems.
(Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com)

LOS ANGELES — Nintendo doesn’t mess around with its classic videogame series. It will never release an action game starring its mustachioed mascot Mario until it’s a killer app, a true showcase for the hardware’s features.