Good morning! It's freezing in New York, so wear a hat and gloves and a scarf. Here's the tech news you need to know today.
Here's What To Do If You're Stranded On A Snowy Highway | ||
| | ||
Heavy snow has stranded many motorists on a western New York highway. Some tips on what to do if you find yourself stuck in the snow: — Pull off the highway and make yourself visible to rescuers. Turn on hazard lights and tie a bright cloth to your antenna or door handle. — Call 911 from your cellphone, if you have one. Be prepared to describe the location, the condition of your companions and the trouble you're having. Don't hang up until you know whom you've spoken with and what will happen next. — Stay in your vehicle. — Stay calm. Don't get hot and sweaty. Wet clothing loses insulation and makes you more susceptible to hypothermia. — Keep fresh air in your vehicle. It is much better to be chilly or cold and awake than to become comfortably warm and slip into unconsciousness. — Keep the exhaust pipe free of snow to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Run the engine at 10-minute intervals for heat and keep a downwind window cracked. — Turn on the dome light at night to attract attention, but only when running the engine. — Keep your blood circulating by loosening tight clothing, changing positions frequently and moving your arms and legs. Huddle close to one another. Use maps or even car mats for added insulation. — Take turns sleeping. One person should be awake at all times to look for rescue crews. — Don't expect to be comfortable. The point is to survive until you're found. SOURCES: South Dakota, Massachusetts and Virginia transportation departments Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
The 10 Most Positively-Perceived Countries In The World | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Germany trumps the US in the annual Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index as having the "best perceived brand" in the world. The Denmark-based organization compiled the index with a total of 20,125 interviews across 20 countries to measure the global perceptions of 50 nations. The study used 23 factors including strength in exports, governance, culture, immigration, tourism, and investments. The US has held the top spot since 2009 but has recently suffered from its perceived shaky stance on "various international confrontations," according to the report. Here's the top 10:
SEE ALSO: The 30 Most Prosperous Countries In The World Join the conversation about this story »  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |
Australia win 3rd ODI against S.Africa, lead series 2-1 | ||
| | ||
Canberra (AFP) - Australia beat South Africa by 73 runs in the third one-day international in Canberra on Wednesday to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. The Australians, led by Aaron Finch's 109 and Steve Smith's unbeaten 73, amassed 329 for five and dismissed South Africa for 256 with last man Imran Tahir unable to bat because of a knee injury. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Republicans: Keystone Will Be Back | ||
| | ||
WASHINGTON (AP) — Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is promising the new Republican majority will quickly resurrect Keystone XL pipeline legislation killed by Democrats, potentially setting up an early 2015 veto confrontation with President Barack Obama. "I look forward to the new Republican majority taking up and passing the Keystone jobs bill early in the new year," the Kentucky Republican said Tuesday, shortly after the bill fell one vote short of the 60 votes needed to advance. He was joined by incoming Senate Energy Committee Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who said the fight wasn't over. The vote was a blow to Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., who had forced the issue onto the Senate agenda, and who faces difficult odds in a Dec. 6 runoff election against Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy. "I'm going to fight for the people of my state until the day that I leave, and I hope that will not be soon," she said. Even if Landrieu wins her re-election, Republicans are likely to have enough votes to assure the bill's passage in January, when they will have at least 53 seats — 54 if Cassidy wins the Louisiana runoff. "If you look at new Congress, you can count four more (GOP seats) right away, and there may be others," Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota, the lead sponsor of the bill, said after the 59-41 vote Tuesday. "You can see we're well over 60." Hoeven acknowledged that Republicans would need 67 votes to override a veto, but said one possibility is to include Keystone in a larger energy package that may not prompt a veto threat. The vote was one of the last acts of this Senate controlled by the Democrats. It is expected to complete its work by mid-December. Cassidy, Landrieu's Republican opponent, said Louisiana families "need better jobs, better wages and better benefits," and the pipeline would provide them. Democratic divisions were on vivid display in a bill that pitted environmentalists against energy advocates.
While Obama opposes the measure, likely 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton has repeatedly refused to take a position. Most recently, her spokesman did not respond to two requests over the weekend to do so. The project would move oil from Canada into the United States and eventually to the Texas Gulf Coast. Supporters say it would create jobs and ease American dependence on Middle East oil. A government environmental impact statement also predicts that a pipeline would result in less damage to the climate than moving the same oil by rail. Critics argue that the drilling itself is environmentally harmful, and said much of the Canadian crude would be exported with little or no impact on America's drive for energy stability. At the White House, press secretary Josh Earnest said the measure is something "the president doesn't support because the president believes that this is something that should be determined through the State Department and the regular process that is in place to evaluate projects like this." After the vote, five people were handcuffed and led off by Capitol police outside the Senate chamber after breaking into loud yowls. One was wearing what appeared to be Native American beads and feathers in his hair. ___ Follow Dina Cappiello on Twitter www.twitter.com/dinacappiello
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
10 Things In Tech You Need To Know Today (AAPL, FB, GOOG, NFLX, SBUX) | ||
| | ||
1. Apple has released its "Watchkit" software development tool. It lets developers create apps for the Apple Watch. 2. A Facebook bus driver has explained why he's so angry with his job. He's angry about his grueling schedule. 3. Some iPhone 6 Plus customers are complaining that the camera won't focus properly. Lots of people are having the same issue. 4. An Uber employee has been accused of warning a journalist that he could track her ride info. This comes one day after an Uber exec considered launching a smear campaign against another female journalist. 5. The founders of Yik Yak are being sued by another man who accuses them of cutting him out of the company. Yik Yak is a chat app popular amongst teens. SPONSORED BY CPXi 6. Facebook is launching its own technology news wire service. This could be a move toward publishing content directly on the site. 7. The iPhone 7 could include major changes to the device's camera. It could be "the biggest camera jump ever." 8. Google is reportedly the first advertiser to use the world's largest outdoor digital advert. It is being switched on today. 9. Netflix is coming to Australia and New Zealand. It will arrive in March. 10. Starbucks is rolling out wireless charging in some stores. It's experimenting with the devices in 200 stores. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Wages Are Even Worse Than You Thought: UK Pay Is Back To 2001 Levels | ||
| | ||
The Office for National Statistics just released the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, a handy guide on the UK's wage situation. In short, it's not too pretty. In fact, weekly median earnings are now back to 2001 levels in real terms (after the effect on inflation is accounted for). Here's the damage:
Wage growth since the financial crisis has averaged 1.4% each year, while inflation has been well above the Bank of England's 2% target for the majority of that period. In short, the amount most people earn has been growing much more slowly than prices. In the 2013-14 year, it barely grew at all even in nominal terms, up just 0.1%. Some of this weakness has been compensated for by the government's tax threshold increases. The level of income needed to pay the 20% basic rate of income tax has steadily risen since 2010, from just under £6,500 in 2010 to £10,000 in the current tax year. There are also two sides to this story: very low nominal wage growth is one of the reasons that the UK's unemployment didn't rise as high as some people thought it would, and why it has plummeted so much in the last couple of years. It's also a reflection of the UK's absolutely abysmal productivity situation, especially among the least productive sectors:
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
