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The race is tightening up, but Google Chrome remains the Windows Web browser to beat, in terms of speed, features, and support for new standards.

Struggling online deals pioneer Groupon has ousted its quirky founder and CEO Andrew Mason amid worries that people are tiring of the myriad of online restaurant, spa and Botox deals that Groupon built its business on.

Let's get one thing straight: It wasn't Andrew Mason's personality that got him fired as CEO of Groupon today. If the local discounts service were doing well -- and not taking one body blow after another from a Wall Street disappointed with its results and skeptical of its promise -- he would have a job tomorrow morning, and for a long time to come. Mason's penchant for antic behavior that highlighted his immaturity and called into question his seriousness as a leader didn't cause that.

Citing inhumane and unsanitary practices, lawmakers want to regulate online pet sales. The current law allows breeders who sell puppies online to escape all health and safety requirements.

Groupon lost more than a fifth of its value in early trading after reporting a quarterly loss late Wednesday that fueled criticism of the daily-deals site's aggressive growth strategy.

Tucsonans flooded social media sites Wednesday night speculating on what caused a loud boom heard — and felt — over a chunk of the city. Tweet messages started about 7:45 p.m., many from residents of Tucson's west side, saying a large explosion rattled windows at some homes. Tucson police received reports of two jets flying over about 7:40 p.m., just seconds before the boom was heard, said spokesman Sgt. Chris Widmer. But it still isn't known it was a sonic boom.

"Hello world from comms center in (hash)Pyongyang." That Twitter missive, sent Monday from Koryolink's main service center in downtown Pyongyang using my iPhone, marked a milestone for North Korea: It was believed to be the first tweet sent from a cellphone using the country's new 3G mobile data service.

Hackers targeted dozens of computer systems at government agencies across Europe in a series of attacks that exploited a recently discovered security flaw in Adobe Systems Inc's software, security researchers reported on Wednesday.

The virtual water cooler, it seems, has nothing on the real thing. Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer has decided that the company will no longer abide by its long-standing practice of using employees who telecommute to work each day.

Death already has a surprisingly vivid presence online, with improvised memorials and outpourings of grief for loved ones on social media, and the unintentional mementos the departed leave behind in comments, photo streams and blog posts.