Tech

SAN FRANCISCO - Even in the annals of over-the-top celebrity weddings, Sean Parker's planned nuptials may take the cake. The Facebook Inc. billionaire who also co-founded Napster is dropping nearly $10 million on a fairy-tale wedding in Big Sur that includes a whimsical fantasy world featuring faux ruins, waterfalls, bridges and a gated cottage, a person familiar with the plans said. Just the stone dance floor in the woods surrounding the Ventana Inn & Spa will set the 34-year-old back $350,000, according to the website TMZ. The plants and flowers will cost $1 million.

SAN FRANCISCO - The escalating cyber attacks on corporate and government computers have provided a rare opportunity for bipartisan legislation to address the problem. But rather than sailing through Congress, the latest cyber security legislation is exposing a fault line in the tech industry. On one side stand some of tech's biggest companies, such as Intel Corp., Oracle Corp. and IBM Corp., which are pressing for more government action. On the other side are thousands of smaller tech firms and privacy activists who have launched online protests to raise the alarm over a bill they say harms privacy and civil liberties.

You've got lemons? Make lemonade. You have an orange grove? Squeeze out some help for needy families. That's what happened Thursday near the southern end of Franklin Canyon Park as officials of Los Angeles' Department of Water and Power and Recreation and Parks Department teamed up with a high-tech entrepreneur to save one of the city's last orange groves. The 10-acre grove at 1300 N. Beverly Drive dates to the 1940s. It is owned by the DWP, which operates the nearby Lower Franklin Canyon Reservoir as part of Los Angeles' drinking water supply.

Coachella drew more than 650,000 people to its grounds in Indio last year and organizers anticipate even more for this year's festivities that start Friday and go on for two weekends. With such a mass of humanity in one place, attendees will need all the help they can get to survive and enjoy the music. Smartphone apps Some say leave the smartphone at home, but ignore that advice; there are too many apps that could help improve your Coachella experience. For starters, you'll want to use Shazam any time you hear a song you like but don't know its name. The app, using the smartphone's mic, listens to the tune and then scours its database to identify the song or the artist.  At night, having a flashlight app will come in handy.

American companies are so eager to hire highly skilled foreign workers that a cap on new visas has been reached within a matter of days. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Friday that it has received more than 85,000 applications from employers seeking visas for computer programmers, engineers, physicians and other educated workers with specialized skills. Of the total visas, 20,000 are set aside for people with graduate degrees from American universities.  Because the 85,000 limit was exceeded within five days of the April 1 opening date, a lottery will be held to distribute the visas.

American companies are so eager to hire highly skilled foreign workers that a cap on new visas has been reached within a matter of days. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Friday that it has received more than 85,000 applications from employers seeking visas for computer programmers, engineers, physicians and other educated workers with specialized skills. Of the total visas, 20,000 are set aside for people with graduate degrees from American universities. Because the 85,000 limit was exceeded within five days of the April 1 opening date, a lottery will be held to distribute the visas.

With corporate headquarters overlooking the hot office market in West Los Angeles, CBRE Group Inc. - the world's largest real estate services firm - finished 2012 with a record $6.5 billion in revenue, and its new boss is optimistic about the year ahead. "We think the economy is going to grow a couple of points this year, and we are expecting our business to grow considerably," said Robert Sulentic, 56, who took over as chief executive in December from Brett White, who retired. Earlier, Sulentic was chief executive of Texas real estate company Trammell Crow Co., which was acquired by CBRE in 2006.

Google is known for being a bit of a prankster when it comes to April Fools' Day, and the Silicon Valley giant this year once again lived up to its reputation. From an all-blue Gmail to the new "Google Nose" search service that can create artificial scents for users, the company went all out -- but it wasn't the only tech company to release April Fools' Day jokes. Twitter said it was launching a new all-consonant service, and Sony put out a line of tech products for pets. PHOTOS: Top 10 must-have smartphone apps Here are some of this year's best April Fools' Day pranks by tech companies.

Earlier we showed some of the first April Fools' Day pranks posted online by tech companies, with Google notably leading the way, but more companies have joined in on the humorous holiday with pranks of their own. From Netflix's super-specific movie and TV show suggestion categories to Microsoft's April Fools' Day jab at Google, tech companies have been relentless with their pranks Monday. You can check out the first dose of pranks in our earlier post or in our photo gallery , and you can find more pranks below.

SAN FRANCISCO - For years, Silicon Valley companies wanted as little to do with Washington as possible. Hiring lobbyists to promote and protect their interests was about as far as they went. But a new generation of technology entrepreneurs believes it can no longer afford to ignore the Beltway, and is setting its sights on Capitol Hill. Leading the way is Facebook co-founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, who with other tech executives is starting a political advocacy group that plans to push an ambitious legislative agenda, people familiar with the plans said.