3pm update: Investors condemn Sir Fred Goodwin as a 'cataclysmic failure' and 'benefit scrooge', but former chief has not yet buckled under pressure

The sequinned cardigan and check skirt were bought from J Crew, a midmarket American retailer whose clothes the Obama family often wear; instead of changing accessories with each outfit, Michelle Obama wore the same double string of pearls throughout the visit. These are minor details, but ones which help fix the first lady

An aerodynamic shape was essential for maximum efficiency: It requires less energy to propel a streamlined car. But the Volt was designed to wow crowds, not slice through the air; there was no guarantee that it would ever see production. "Aerodynamics was not a consideration," GM design chief Bob Boniface says.

Contrary to what Facebook friend counts may lead you to believe, most people really don’t have hundreds upon hundreds of friends. Sure, they may know some absurd number of people - but according to a study by HTC, about 55% of people really only care about communicating with five or fewer people.

Funding continues to pour into green-technology research and development despite low oil prices and a stubborn recession, but whether that will continue long enough to help the economy recover may be up to the government...

His cash bonanza gives Obama lots of leeway in how to place ads on national, local, and cable TV, while McCain has to pick his spots