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The latest news from Twitter is that it plans to open another office for its international interests – and it will be situated in Ireland.

Appropriately enough, news of the new headquarters was released on Twitter itself.  The Irish Industrial Development Agency made the announcement, which means Twitter will be set to join a number of other large recognisable companies who have set up business in Ireland.  Google and Facebook already have offices in the country, so it is no big surprise that Twitter has chosen to follow them.

However beyond the actual announcement there was little hint of the company’s plans for the HQ.  No one has any idea of how many jobs could be created there.  The only other thing we know is that the office is set to open in Dublin.

We often hear about the Silicon Valley in the US, but now we are hearing more and more about a Silicon Valley in Ireland as well.  This latest move to the country by a social media company will strengthen this vision even more.  However many jobs are created by the move, it will certainly be good news for those working in and around Dublin and have the appropriate experience to offer.

One of the main reasons why the Twitter HQ will set down roots in Ireland is the favourable corporation tax rate.  At just 12.5%, this is one of the lowest rates of its kind in the whole of Europe.  It makes it easier for companies like this to choose Ireland over any other location.

Every now and then, a new internet start-up comes along that fits snugly in a gap between two other types of website.  In this case, BlogZa appears to fit in between a regular blog and Twitter.  The former allows you to blog at length about all manner of different topics, whereas Twitter has a strict 140-character limit.

However, BlogZa limits you to a single sentence when you sign up for one of their blogs, so it may suit some people more than others.  It is very new at the moment and there is no indication of how many people may have signed up for the service.  The very simple home page has a short description of what the site is about, followed by a short registration form.  This requires you to fill in your name and choose a username and a password.  You also have to fill in your email address, but that is all the information you need to give.

BlogZa could well be good for individuals to use as a blogging platform.  Nevertheless, it is also very likely to be used by people who want to promote another site they may own.  There is no indication of whether links are allowed in the sentence, so it remains to be seen how the site develops as more and more people join it.  It may well appeal to those who like brevity in their blogs, so it is worth keeping up with for that reason alone

Netflix has been troubled lately.  After announcing their plans to separate DVD and streaming packages (and thus raise prices by 60% for subscribers), the company has suffered a heavy deluge of backlash.  At the same time, attempted deals with cable movie channel Starz fell through so that the Netflix-Starz contract currently in place will expire early next year.  This would have left the movie rental giant with little to offer its streaming customers, since the Starz deal included both Disney and Sony Pictures content.

Now, at least, some of that damage is being restored.  DreamWorks announced, as reported in the New York Times, that it has penned a big money deal with Netflix to allow the streaming powerhouse to show DreamWorks movies online.  The deal is worth an estimated $30 million per movie.

This marks some big changes in Hollywood thinking and it’s no wonder the independent DreamWorks would be the first to see where the industry is going and jump on board.

“We are really starting to see a long-term road map of where the industry is headed,” Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks CEO, said in an interview. “This is a game-changing deal.”

This deal could also give Netflix a big leg up against emerging competition from big names like Walmart, Apple, Amazon, and more.

The deal with DreamWorks is exclusive, but no one has said how long it’s for.  As Gigaom’s Janko Roettgers says, Netflix has almost literally stolen DreamWorks from HBO, since the deal cuts HBO out of the picture – rumors say that Netflix had been attempting to woo HBO to replace Starz.  This deal basically does an end-run around HBO and takes their best content from them.

With Netflix’ stock down by more than half and investors very unhappy about the company’s direction, this announcement couldn’t come at a better time for CEO Reed Hastings (pictured).

NOVA has created five applications for the iPad under the umbrella of 3D 4 Medical.  The apps are all medical/body/anatomy related and feature some awesome visualizations of the human body at work.  The apps are meant for students, medical professionals, and teachers, but anyone can use them and learn.

The first app is Brain Pro, which gives an in-depth knowledge of the brain, visually.  You can look at an image of a human brain and rotate, slice, peel away, and go transparent to view a map of the brain and which portions do what function.  It’s very cool.

Next is iMuscle, which is a workout aid with visual muscular graphics to show you what you’re working and what affect it has.  Students can see how the muscles interact and what each popular exercise routine is doing internally.  You can zoom in and out on specific muscle groups or individual muscles themselves.

Then comes Skeletal System Pro II, which lets you go Halloween and look at your skeletal system up close and personal like.  It’s a great anatomy course builder with a lot of 3D that lets you get into even the smallest of bones.  Watch how joints work, how bones interact, and even how teeth are held into the bones of the jaw.

To go beyond iMuscle, you can get into Muscle System Pro II, a more cutting-edge and anatomically-focused look at the muscular system.  This one lets you focus on specific muscles, remove layers so you can view muscles underneath others, and get detailed about how ligaments and tendons attach and affect movement.

Finally comes Heart Pro, an up close and personal look at the body’s most important muscle.  With this one, you can rotate, stop and start, slice through layers, and otherwise manipulate a heart to see how it operates at all levels.  A full body icon shows blood flow throughout the body and how changing pressure and other factors affects both the heart and circulatory system.

All of these apps are really cool and are available from NOVA and the iTunes Store.  Other apps in the series include looks at the Nervous, Cardiovascular, and Digestive systems.  Plus quizzes to test your knowledge.

Remember when eBay used to be all about auctions of second-hand items?  This is no longer the case, as you will find countless Buy it Now items on the site as well, all of them being bought every second of the day.  However, there have been other changes in e-commerce too over the years, and it would seem that eBay is struggling to catch up with one change in particular.

We are all used to buying items online by sitting at our computers and going through the motions.  Nevertheless, this is no longer the case, as many of us are using our smartphones to go online and make purchases too.

To this end, the company has created an entire ad campaign that will make widespread knowledge of the fact that we can all shop on eBay by using our smartphones.  Many people have already started shopping on eBay in this way, but the company realises that many more people have never thought about using the site like this.

Considering how big eBay is, it is strange to think that it has been left behind in this way.  However, one suspects that it will not take long for the site to catch up to its rivals, particularly with the assistance of this new advertising campaign.  There may come a day when there are more people shopping on eBay via their phones than there are using the old method of going online via a computer.

Product research can be difficult for companies that are setting up shop online.  However, a new website facility aims to make it much easier for companies to receive feedback from people.

TheCom.it is designed to enable people to explore the world of start up businesses and to comment on the things they like and the things they do not like.  It is unlike anything else provided online, and although it is in its very early days, it shows a lot of promise.  Companies who are new to the internet and want some feedback on what they are doing right and wrong should be impressed with the service that TheCom.it offers.

The blog for the website mentions the idea of alpha testers.  This means that people who visit the website can interact with a start-up in its earliest stages.  At present, there is very little information on the home page of the website, and you have to create an account to log in and find out more.  Nevertheless, perhaps as more and more people discover what The Com.it is all about, we can see more information and feedback from those who are using the service and benefiting from it.

The best bet at the moment is to check out the blog and keep reading it to see the latest developments.  Becoming a member of the site is also a good thing, so you can see how it works and perhaps be an active member as well.