Special Instagram-edition. (Photo: flickr.com/diegorusso

Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer earned $68.6 million last year. Think about that while you're scraping together change to refill your metrocard. :( [Bloomberg]

Rumor has it that Facebook is looking into buying mobile map app Waze for up to $1B. Waze really gets around--last we heard it was dating Apple. [TechCrunch]

Microsoft might be mulling a $1 billion purchase of Nook Media LLC, its joint venture with Barnes and Noble. Ask not for whom the bell tolls, guys. [TechCrunch]

Time and Google have teamed up to produce Timelapse, a new package that shows how the Earth's surface has changed over the last thirty years. (Spoiler: Not for the better, if you like nature.)  [Time]

Can't patent software in New Zealand any more, sorry. [Forbes]

Special Instagram-edition. (Photo: flickr.com/diegorusso

Scuttlebutt says Apple might be interested in acquiring navigational app Waze. If only Apple had a time machine that would let them do so six months ago. [TechCruch]

Twitter is worth about $11 billion these days, if you judge based on how it trades on the secondary market. [Business Insider]

Google+ is growing--largely because users of Gmail, YouTube and the like have to sign up. [Wall Street Journal]

Speaking of THE GOOG, that antitrust investigation might finally come to an end today. [Bloomberg]

What Anonymous managed to dig up and how in the Steubenville, Ohio rape case, including that video (which will destroy your faith in humanity, consider yourself warned). [The Atlantic Wire]

The screengrabs posted on the site come from iPhones and iPads. While many are self-explanatory, some come with pithy commentary, like this image, captioned, "Freiburg, Germany. Seem to be authentic World War II sattelite  (sic) images":

(Original here.)

The only thing missing from the antique-looking gray image is Red Baron in a biplane, with Snoopy in hot pursuit.

Then there's this beaut, which appears to uncover some kind of hideous, warped disaster:

(Original here.)

The image above is captioned, "I-93 at the Zakim Bridge in Boston. Never knew it was a roller coaster!"

That sounds like fun, but one of the best of the worst appears to indicate everyone should get the hell out of Brooklyn, right now:

(Original here.)

The caption reads, "Clearly Apple knows of the coming apocolypse (sic). Manhattan end of the Brooklyn Bridge."

The Tumblr has been updated constantly throughout the day.

We can almost hear the schadenfreude-driven evil laughter rising from Google HQ.

Apple iPhone 5. (Photo: twitter.com/DiarioLaPrensa)

Inside Google HQ's vast and endlessly churning maw there's probably some schadenfreude tonight, as it looks like Apple's iOS6 replacement for the Google Maps app might be a turd in the new iPhone's punch bowl. That's the story from Waze CEO Noam Bardin, anyway.

BGR reports that Waze supplies traffic info for Apple's new maps. Perhaps because Apple is actually relying more on TomTom for mapping services than Waze, Mr. Bardin has some strong opinions about Apple's choices:

"Apple went out and partnered with the weakest player," [Mr. Bardin] said. "They're now coming out with the lowest, weakest data set and they're competing against Google, which has the highest data set. What's going to happen with the Apple maps, is that you're literally not going to find things. When you do find them, they might be in the wrong place or position geographically. And if you do have it, the route to it may not be the optimal route."

Mr. Bardin went on to tell BGR's Dan Graziano that many other app developers are contacting his company hoping to incorporate Waze's maps in new mobile applications instead of whatever Apple's schlepping out with the new iPhone.

Which may answer a question we asked in August, when we speculated recklessly as to why Facebook execs were meeting with the folks at Waze. Are we gearing up for a three-way battle royale between Google, Apple and Facebook over mapping services?

We'll stock up on popcorn, just in case.

UPDATE: TomTom reached to Betabeat with the following comment:

“TomTom supplies maps and related content to the majority of handheld players, including RIM, HTC, Samsung, AOL (MapQuest Mobile), Apple and, yes, Google (for the areas where they don't make their own maps).

Our maps are used by businesses around the world, which have standards for coverage, detail, quality and safety.

When people use a map, their experience is determined by two things. Firstly, the underlying content, notably the maps. This is what TomTom is currently supplying the mobile industry with and it is what gives their maps the best foundation. Secondly, user experience is determined by adding additional features to the map application, such as visual imagery. This is typically defined and created by the handset manufacturers and third party software providers on the basis of their own vision and needs.”

Special Instagram-edition. (Photo: flickr.com/diegorusso

Menlo Park to Israel is a long trip. So what were Facebook executives doing halfway across the world, meeting with executives from fast-growing traffic app Waze? Israeli news site Globes has a couple of ideas: 

The purpose of the talks is not known, but the two companies are reportedly headed for collaboration, possibly involving the use of Waze's application via Facebook. Alternatively, Facebook may acquire Waze.

Please note that there is precious little actual evidence that Facebook is really kicking the tires on an acquisition. (Even if the report of a meeting is true, it's entirely possible they were just in the neighborhood and felt like stopping by, for that matter.)

But it's certainly a tantalizing possibility. Waze would be the social network's third Israeli acquisition, after Face.com (in June) and Snaptu (in 2011). The app isn't Instagram-level ubiquitous just yet, but the numbers aren't too shabby either: 20 million subscribers in 45 countries, and that's having doubled over the course of six months. And, as VentureBeat recently pointed out, the app is wildly popular in its homeland:

“No-one uses Google Maps here, or iPhone maps,” says Eli, one of our hosts for the week. “Everyone uses Waze. Look – here’s how many Waze users are on the road right now…” His screen is covered with pink, smiley speech bubbles, each one contributing to the traffic Hive Mind.

Alternatively, the two companies could be cooking up some kind of partnership meant to help Facebook's fumbling in the dark for a mobile strategy. We've reached out to Waze for comment and will update if we hear anything back.

Of course, it's entirely possible Facebook executives were merely looking for some sort of directional app that could point the company towards a better stock price. Hey-o!

(H/t Forbes)