Apple to Xiaomi: Talk Is Cheap (AAPL, SSNLF) | ||
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Xiaomi CEO and founder Lei Jun irked Apple on Thursday by saying his company could be the number one smartphone maker in the world in 5 to 10 years, reports The Guardian's Samuel Gibbs. “I believe that no one thought the Xiaomi from three years ago, which just made its first phone, would later rank as the third largest player,” said Jun. "Within five or 10 years, we have the opportunity to become the number one smartphone company in the world." That didn't sit well with Bruce Sewell, Apple's head of legal and government affairs, who was at the event. "It is easy to say, it is more difficult to do," said Sewell. That comment didn't seem to deter Jun. "In this magic land, we produced not only a company like Alibaba, but a small miracle like Xiaomi," he said. Jun's company became the third-largest smartphone maker in October, behind Apple and Samsung, according to Reuters. Xiaomi has its work cut out for itself if it wants to knock Samsung off the number one spot. The company holds just 6% of the global smartphone market compared to Apple's 12% and Samsung's 25% market share, according to a Strategy Analytics study. Xiaomi's phones are often compared to Apple's iPhone for looking similar. Apple lead designer Jony Ive doesn't take that characterization lightly, though. "I don't see it as flattery. I see it as theft," Ive said at a Vanity Fair event in October. SEE ALSO: Apple Gives A Big Win To Samsung Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Here's Everything Google Knows About You | ||
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If you rely on Google search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, or any of Google's other zillion free products, the company stores a bunch of data about you. Google is extremely open about what data it stores and makes it very easy to delete that data, but many people still don't realize exactly what's being stored, whether that information is given freely or deduced based on your searches. A recent survey by the company Survata actually showed that the 2,500 respondents were more concerned about Google having access to their personal data than the NSA, their bosses, their parents, or their significant others:
In case you need the reminder... If you have location history turned on, Google will track where you go. Here's where you can find your location history. Google will also track your search in a bunch of different categories if you have Search History turned on. Here's how to see your Search history. It was actually pretty interesting to see what ads I've clicked on. See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
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CAMERA SHOOTOUT: iPhone 6 Plus Takes On The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 And Nexus 6 | ||
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Smartphone cameras have become so advanced, they've come to replace digital cameras for many people. But not all smartphone cameras were created equal. Apple, Samsung, and Motorola have all put a ton of effort into perfecting the camera on their flagship smartphones. Over the years, Samsung has added a ton of editing features, and Apple has added new shooting modes such as panoramic shooting and time lapse. The Nexus 6, Google's latest phone built by Motorola, is said to have the best camera of any Nexus phone yet. The iPhone 6 Plus comes with an eight-megapixel camera, while the Galaxy Note 4 comes with a 16-megapixel camera and the Nexus 6 uses a 13-megapixel camera. We've taken a bunch of photos with all three phones to illustrate exactly how they compare. (NOTE: All photos were taken at the same place during the same time with the camera set to Auto. The only exception is the low-light image, which was set to No Flash.) Here's a photo taken on Fifth Avenue with the iPhone 6 Plus. It's pretty sharp, and the colors are really bold. It looks a bit blue when compared to the Galaxy Note 4's photo. And here's that same photo taken with the Galaxy Note 4. It's the best of the bunch since the image is generally clear and the colors seem accurate. The Nexus 6's photo was the worst of the three. The shot is generally clear, but the upper right corner looks washed out. See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
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The Giant iPhone 6 Plus Is Most Popular In Asia (AAPL) | ||
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Asian consumers are in love with the iPhone 6 Plus, according to a report published Thursday by AppLovin, a mobile ad network. AppLovin looked at data from the more than 25 ad requests it processes every day, and found that the global split between iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users is about 80/20 right now. But in some Asian countries, the 6 Plus is much more popular. AppLovin found that 35% of Chinese consumers were picking the 6 Plus instead of the 6, nearly twice the global rate of 20%. In Japan and Vietnam, adoption rates for the 6 Plus were even higher at 36%. The Philippines showed the most interest in Apple's new phablet with a 37% adoption rate. South Korea was the only Asian country with an adoption rate below 35% percent. App Lovin found that only 29% of consumers on Samsung's home turf preferred the iPhone 6 Plus. The giant iPhone's popularity in Asia is surprising given that Japanese consumers were opting for the iPhone 6 over the 6 Plus when both phones came out in September. On the other hand, the success of Samsung's Galaxy Note says Asian consumers have been waiting for an Apple phablet for some time now. SEE ALSO: Japan Is Overwhelmingly Choosing The iPhone 6 Over The 6 Plus Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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How A Five-Year-Old Startup Is Winning Deals Over A Huge $60 Billion Company (EMC) | ||
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But every incumbent gets disrupted by a new startup at some point, and EMC has plenty of young, hungry companies nipping at its heels. One of them is Pure Storage, a five-year-old company that has raised over $470 million at a roughly $3 billion valuation. The company says it increased revenues 8x last year, which would be the highest growth rate in storage history. And when you’re growing that fast in this space, that means you’re eating EMC’s lunch in one way or another.
“If we go head-to-head against anybody, we win 75-plus percent of the time,” Pure Storage’s president David Hatfield told Business Insider. “And we compete with EMC more than anybody given their market share.” Although it continues to be the king of the traditional storage market, EMC has been facing stiff competition in the market for all-flash solid-state disks (SSD), a storage type that Gartner predicts will take 20% of the traditional high-end storage arrays by 2017. Flash is the same type of storage used in USB drives or smartphones, and generally has 10X better performance and speed, while taking up less space than the more commoditized, hard disk drives (HDD). Hatfield says the biggest challenge for Pure Storage has been just raising the awareness of flash storage’s effectiveness. “Our biggest challenge is having people realize we actually cost less money, and it’s 50 times more reliable than a mechanical disk (HDD),” he says. Yet Pure Storage has still been able to sign customers across all kinds of industries, from big enterprises like LinkedIn and Workday to traditional retailers like Sears and Gap. It also signed deals with the CIA and the City of Davenport in Iowa. So what’s the secret sauce? Hatfield says it’s simply in the software. Pure Storage’s software makes flash more reliable and available than the traditional hard disks, compressing data to maintain that leverage over competitors. In fact, Gartner ranked Pure Storage as one of the top three leaders, alongside EMC and IBM, in its Magic Quadrant for All Flash Arrays in August. Another sign of Pure Storage’s success is how former EMC employees have been defecting to the startup. It got to the point last year where EMC ended up suing Pure Storage and the 44 employees who jumped ship, alleging they stole EMC’s intellectual property and trade secrets. “I think the incumbents are going to try and do whatever they can to slow down the innovation and the adoption in the marketplace. But there’s definitely a lot of interest from the incumbents (employees),” Hatfield said. With over 750 employees worldwide, and investments from public market long term investors like Fidelity and T. Rowe Price, Pure Storage may not be too far away from going public. Hatfield declined to comment on anything related to a possible IPO, but he said Pure Storage already operates like a public company, reporting to shareholders in the same way a public company would. We asked EMC to respond to Prue's claims, and here's what they said: "Pure has a track record of exaggeration on many topics, including its market position as related to EMC. The analyst community has consistently reported that EMC is #1 in all-flash array deployments. EMC continues to deliver market-leading results in our EMC II business—and those results directly contradict Pure’s claims. We believe this latest statement is nothing more than hype ahead of Pure’s rumored IPO.” Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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EMC is the 800-pound gorilla in the storage space with a market cap over $60 billion. Bitcoin Enthusiasts Are Flocking To This Crazy Spanish Hacker Monastery — Here's Why | ||
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A Spanish collective for hackers has become a bitcoin hacklab, according to Jamie Bartlett's new book "The Dark Net." The old textile factory complex, called Calafou, is referred to as a "postcapitalist ecoindustrial colony" by the 30 or so people who live there. It lies outside of Barcelona and is an experiment in collective living — a haven for anarchists and social activists who wish to live outside of the capitalist system for a little over 100 euros a month. The cooperative is nicknamed "Hackafou" by resident hackers, who spend their time looking for ways to make bitcoin, a software-based online payment system, more sophisticated and secure. "Bitcoin is a currency based on mathematics," one Calafou hacker, Amir, tells Bartlett. "The purest kind. And it creates the truest market, peer to peer with no corrupt or controlling third parties." Indeed, Calafou has been transformed into a kind of bitcoin hacklab by cypherpunks who view cryptography as a route to social and political change. Projects there such as "Dark Wallet," "SX," and "libbitcoin" aim to make bitcoin transactions anonymous, trustworthy, and most importantly, untouchable by governments.
In his book, Bartlett gives his first impressions of the complex: "Everything about Calafou is big. The plot must be 200 acres...and looks to be in a near-permanent state of creative destruction. A huge spray-painting of Captain Crunch, the infamous telephone hacker from the 1970s, and Alan Turing, the genius British cryptographer, leaves little doubt about the group’s loyalties."
Buy Bartlett's book here to read more about the dark side of the internet. SEE ALSO: The Dark Net Is Thriving Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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How Flip Phones Could Return In A Big Way | ||
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A decade ago, flip phones ruled the world. The Motorola Razr was the bestselling clamshell phone, selling more than 130 million units during its four-year run — starting in 2003, and ending in 2007 with the introduction of the iPhone. Apple’s smartphone changed everything. Suddenly, phone makers needed their hardware to be “smart,” and tried their best to emulate the “large” 3.5-inch screen of the iPhone. They discarded the common smartphone design — a small screen on top with a keyboard on the bottom, with a hinge connecting the two “shells” so one would protect the other when closed — opting for a simple, unbendable rectangle with an exposed screen. Years later, smartphones are everywhere. According to the Pew Research Internet Project, 56% of American adults owned smartphones, and 83% of millennials (people aged 18-29) owned a smartphone. And yet, the smartphone hasn’t reached total saturation. Because there’s still something to be said for the old-school clamshell, even though its simplicity disallows all the latest modern apps and tools like Uber and Spotify. But perhaps there’s a middle ground.
Samsung plans to release its first smartphone with a super flexible display next year — though it’s been showing off the ability to bend and deform working displays since 2010. If Samsung can push its flexible displays to withstand constant bending, perhaps we could see a smart flip phone: A handset with a large display that’s also super portable and protected, since it can be folded. This dream is still years away: Phone makers have been taking baby steps in terms of rolling out flexible display technology to the public. Last year’s Samsung Galaxy Round and LG G Flex were the first major “curved” phones, but they were curved without being flexible, and were generally met with a lot of criticism. This year, Samsung released the Galaxy Note Edge with one curved side to offer unique functionality, but that phone costs a whopping $946 off-contract, and it offers the same specs and features as the Galaxy Note 4. But quality flexible technology is definitely coming: Last year, we got a glimpse of the PaperTab, which is a 10.7-inch plastic touchscreen that’s as thin and flexible as a sheet of paper, and can be bent, thrown around and deformed in all sorts of ways — and bending the display also activates all sorts of functions, as well. The trick will be finding a hardware design that can accommodate all the bending. But that's where the flip phones could come back. People clearly love the clamshell design, and they went nuts about five years ago when news leaked that Microsoft had plans to build a tablet that would fold like a book, or like a clamshell, called the "Courier." Unfortunately, Microsoft killed that product two years after that initial news leak, so we'll never know what it'd be like to have a flip-tablet. But it's not too late for a smartphone to offer this same design appeal: Something with plenty of visual real estate that can be folded and protected by its carapace. The clamshell phone ruled the world 10 years ago, and the large-screened smartphone is dominating this decade. In 10 years from now, there’s no reason flexible displays couldn’t allow the clamshell fashion to thrive once again. But by then, maybe we’ll have moved onto something even better. SEE ALSO: BlackBerry Says 'No' To Kim Kardashian Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Today’s smartphones have almost everything, but clamshells have one distinct advantage: Since they can fold in half, their displays remain protected when closed or in a pocket or purse, and the phone’s form factor also becomes smaller, too. So unlike larger, taller “phablets” like the iPhone 6 Plus and Galaxy Note 4, you won’t see flip phones peeking out of people’s pockets, which makes them harder to steal. LEAKED: Internal Uber Deck Reveals Staggering Revenue And Growth Metrics | ||
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Uber is a four-year-old mobile ride service company that could soon generate $10 billion of revenue per year. How much revenue is Uber currently generating? How many active users does it have, and how many people are driving for it in cities around the world? Business Insider obtained an internal Uber presentation that's nearly 60 pages long that was produced in early 2014. In it, there's city-by-city data in terms of revenue, active drivers, average fares, active users, trips per week, and more. Most of the data only spans one month — December 2013. Even though the numbers are dated, there's a lot to learn from it. For example, San Francisco generated nearly $18 million of revenue that month. A year of that monthly revenue would make San Francisco alone a $212 million business annually for Uber. And that's just one market. That calculation also assumes no growth, and Uber has expanded to nearly 100 more cities since then. Here are some of the key takeaways from the document:
Business Insider sifted through and organized the data into a number of charts and graphs to make it easier to scan. We also included the city-by-city breakdowns directly from the Uber presentation so you can see how the charts were derived. Here's the most in-depth look at Uber's operations yet. Uber declined to comment for this story. The Uber presentation mostly shows December 2013 data, which BI compiled into a bunch of charts. So here's what monthly revenue looked like in Uber's top markets, almost one year ago. There's a dip the week of Christmas, and a surge during New Years Eve, Uber's biggest night of the year. Here's how much Uber generated in December 2013 in four of its top markets. Where's that revenue coming from? Well, there are tens of thousands of Uber rides completed in Uber's top markets every week. See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
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Foxconn Is Building A Whole Factory Just To Make Displays For Apple (AAPL) | ||
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Foxconn Technology Group is building a factory exclusively to make screens for Apple products, reports Bloomberg News. The factory will be located in southern Taiwan and follows an "urgent request" from Apple, according to a Foxconn spokesperson quoted by Bloomberg. The news comes in the wake of the bankruptcy of GTAT, which had been talking to Apple about building sapphire displays for the iPhone 6. That deal fell through. Apple was already Foxconn's largest customer, and Foxconn has a couple of factories dedicated to assembling Apple products, but this is the first one dedicated to building a particular part. Having an exclusive factory for displays reduces the likelihood of a supply shortage, which has been a problem in the past. The plant will reportedly cost $2.6 billion and employ 2,300 people. It should be up and running by the end of 2015. SEE ALSO: Foxconn Worker Detained For Allegedly Smuggling Out iPhone 6 Parts And Selling Them For $960 Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Uber Is Looking To Hire An Opposition Researcher Who Can 'Weaponize Facts' Against The Taxi Industry | ||
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Uber has come under fire this week. The company's SVP of business, Emil Michael, suggested at a dinner party that Uber hire a team of opposition researchers to dig up dirt on the company's critics, including journalists. A new report from BuzzFeed suggests Uber has looked to hire an opposition researcher. But instead of digging up dirt on critical journalists, this opposition researcher would be “weaponizing facts” against one of Uber's biggest competitors: the taxi industry. Opposition — or "oppo" — research is inherently political, and involves paid consultants who investigate a candidate's opponent. Oppo research consists of relatively benign things, like public records and Google searches, but could also be more involved and aggressive, like recording conversations or digging through someone's garbage. BuzzFeed obtained a confidential document for potential hires from a source who was "disturbed" by recent news about Uber. The title of the oppo researcher is "director of research and rapid response." Here's what BuzzFeed has to say about the document:
An Uber representative told BuzzFeed that Uber's decision to consider hiring an oppo researcher was not "newsworthy." The same spokesperson told BuzzFeed that Michael's comments about hiring oppo researchers to dig up dirt on journalists were totally separate from the company's plans to hire oppo researchers to focus on the taxi business. “Emil’s reported comments had no connection to the reality of how we do and will operate,” she said. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has talked about the taxi industry at length. “Uber is the candidate and [the opponent] is an asshole called Taxi,” Kalanick told Re/code’s Kara Swisher earlier this year. Uber has also supported TaxiFacts.com, a website that purports to tell 'the truth" about "Big Taxi." This sounds bad, but mostly because it's getting tangled up with the other big story of the week. Companies often build nasty campaigns to attack other companies. Microsoft, for instance, built a whole nasty attack against Google called "Scroogled." It didn't do much for Microsoft, though. You can read the full BuzzFeed report here. SEE ALSO: Uber Exec Reportedly Suggested Digging Up And Publicizing Personal Details Of Female Journalist Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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CHART OF THE DAY: Uber Has More Than 12 Million Payment Cards On File | ||
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It's been a tense week for Uber, the dominant car-hailing service, which came under fire on Tuesday after the company's SVP of business suggested his company spend millions of dollars to hire people to investigate the private lives of its vocal critics in the media. And though the tech scene is up in arms about the off-the-record comments, many of the people we spoke to say they haven't deleted the app or their Uber accounts. So while people might be upset at Uber's PR right now, there's no data to suggest Uber is in trouble: the company is leagues ahead of its competitors — both in number of weekly rides facilitated by the service, and the number of payment cards on file. Based on leaked company data charted for us by BI Intelligence, Uber had north of 11.8 million payment cards on file as of last December, and considering the company's upward trajectory, the company is likely far beyond the 12-million cards mark. Comparatively, Hailo and Lyft, two Uber rivals, had only 4.4 million and 781,000 payment cards on file.
SEE ALSO: For The First Time Ever, Americans Spend More Time Using Mobile Devices Than TV Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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There's No Reason For A Tech Company To Spy On A Journalist — It Will Only Make It Look Petty And Cruel | ||
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Everyone's in a tizzy over Uber executive Emil Michael's Gaffe last week. At a private dinner, Michael told BuzzFeed editor Ben Smith that he'd like to hire a team of investigators to dig into Pando Daily editor Sarah Lacy after she wrote several unflattering articles about Uber. This has spurred a debate about the kind of relationships companies should have with journalists that cover them. While the bulk of public opinion seems to be against that kind of snooping, there are some that appear to embrace it. And a lot of young tech companies have the tools to do it with their own platforms, like Uber's "God Mode" that lets employees track the rides of any user. You can chalk it up to startup growing pains. You can also say it's common practice and usually isn't malicious, as Liz Gannes of Re/code reported Thursday. But there also appears to be a legitimate sentiment in the tech community that it's not even a debate. Tech companies absolutely should use their tools to snoop into the private lives of journalists, these people say. For example, tech entrepreneur Dave Winer wrote on his personal blog Thursday that "there is nothing surprising or wrong with the idea of a tech company investigating reporters." He also said journalists shouldn't have to worry if they don't have anything to hide. But Winer and others in his school of thought miss the point. PR representatives dig into journalists' lives all the time. It's not uncommon for the bigger companies to have entire files on journalists containing everything from blog posts to tweets to the kinds of photos they post on Instagram. It helps them build a relationship with that journalist and it's all part of the game. I've had PR people I've met for the first time casually bring up stuff like video games and tattoos because they know those are things I'm interested in based on what I've shared online or told other people. Fine. That's all fair game. And there's a legitimate business reason to track journalists on that level. Plus it's all already public. But that's not the kind of surveillance the $1 million Michael suggested spending gets you. As Lacy said on CNBC Wednesday, that buys you private investigators who follow journalists around to dig up real dirt. What's the point of doing that to a journalist? A journalist writes a critical column about your company, and you do what? Publish on your company blog that he's cheating on his wife? Or that she owes back taxes? What does that accomplish? Nothing. It's going overboard, and in the end makes the company look petty and cruel. But there seems to be a segment of the tech industry that thinks journalists, despite writing everything publicly under their byline should be investigated like that. It's not a question about whether or not a journalist has anything to hide, as Winer wrote. Most probably don't. And anything worth knowing about them is easily available under their name with a quick Google search and a look through their archives of published articles. The same can't be said about public figures in the tech industry. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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There’s been a lot of hype surrounding social commerce — the idea that posts and ads on sites like Facebook and Pinterest would generate lots of immediate sales on e-commerce sites.
This Microsoft Customer Switched To Google Because It's 'More Innovative' (GOOG) | ||
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After putting both Office 365 and Google for Work through their paces, Canadian real estate company Royal LePage choose Google for its 15,000 agents. Royal will replace an older Microsoft Exchange cloud email technology (known as Office Web Access Light) with Google Apps. Royal isn't the biggest contract Google ever won, but the reasons why it won over Microsoft are pretty interesting. Carolyn Cheng, senior vice president of Business Services at Royal LePage tells us Royal thought Google was better for three reasons:
While Microsoft Office 365 was a good choice, and the company would have been happy with it, Google really turned her head, she said. Even more interesting: Google pitched Apps to this customer because Royal was a customer of Google Maps For Work, which lets realtors embed maps into web sites and documents. That shows Google is starting to solve a problem we reported on all last year: its lack of enterprise sales knowledge. At one point, Google pushed a business customer into Microsoft's arms by blowing it on the bidding proposal process. And it couldn't handle another potential customer's long, international sales sales cycle. But Google has clearly gotten its enterprise sales act together. It has reeled in big contracts like The City Of Boston, (76,000 employees on Apps) and Whirlpool (68,000 employees on Apps). Royal proves it is also convincing customers to buy multiple enterprise products. This follows new in October that Google signed PricewaterhouseCoopers (45,000 employees on Apps) to be both a customer and a partner helping it sell Google to enterprises. That professional third-party support is important. Enterprises want to have someone to call when they need help. The clincher for Cheng was when Google brought in a third-party reseller Cloud Sherpas to help the company get up and running. Cloud Sherpas is helping Royal set up things like using Chromecast to broadcasts Apps presentations to a big screen TV and setting up special open house calendars. SEE ALSO: Source: A Battle Is Brewing Between Two Big Shot Microsoft Executives Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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The Secret To Creating A Huge Company, According To Peter Thiel | ||
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One of the main philosophies in Peter Thiel's book, and something he discussed a lot during a speech at the Demo conference on Wednesday, is the notion that successful businesses solve a specific problem, and go on to become a monopoly in their newly defined field. That should be an entrepreneur's main goal, he believes. Someone in the audience asked him what're the top 3 unsolved problems that have the potential to become a successful and monopolistic startup in their field. He mentioned a couple, such as the challenge of finding cheap and clean energy, as well as several diseases that still need cures, like Alzheimer's'. But there's something else people need to keep in mind when starting a business. "It's always which problems are you really passionate about that are important that you can work on," he said. "I think for anyone founding a company, the three questions you'd answer are what are some important questions that, number two, you can contribute on solving, and number three, that for some strange reason other people are not really focused on, and they have some psychological block where they haven't seen this as a problem that's important and solvable." In other words, look for the problems that you're passionate about solving, but that other people think are either impossible to solve, or too small to bother with. That's where to start. Watch the entire video on Demo's site. (The part where he starts talking about problems is around the 43-minute mark.) SEE ALSO: Peter Thiel Says People Are Scared Of The Future And Silicon Valley Doesn't Get It Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Amazon Now Has Thousands Of Robots Filling Customer Orders | ||
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Amazon has thousands of robots filling customer orders this holiday season. The machines follow barcodes on the floor to find merchandise, then they lift entire shelves and carry them to human employees, who pick and pack the necessary items.
At some warehouses where the robots are used, employees are expected to scan 300 items a day, up from 100 items daily without the robots, according to the Journal.
The machines are made by Kiva Systems, a company that Amazon bought for $775 million in 2012. SEE ALSO: Meet Lowe's New Robot Retail Workers Follow us: On Facebook Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Google Is Going To Let You Pay To Get Rid Of Ads On Certain Sites (GOOG) | ||
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Google is testing out a new program called Contributor that will let web users pay a monthly fee to get rid of ads on — and support — a handful of participating sites. Users who choose to pay between $1 and $3 a month will stop seeing Google AdSense ads on those sites. Instead, they'll see a pixel pattern or a "thank you" message. Google and the websites will each get part of the fee, and Google says the goal is to help support the people who make the web. Even though you could get rid of ads using a free adblocker, Google wants people to essentially give publishers a small subscription revenue. As of now, Urban Dictionary, The Onion, ScienceDaily, WikiHow, Mashable, and Imgur are all on board, though Google says that's only a few of the sites signed up. You have to request an invite to participate; join the waitlist here. SEE ALSO: Here's What Happened After Google Wrote An Equation For Deciding Which Engineers Should Get Promoted Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Holiday Travelers: Stay Charged With Limefuel's Giant Battery Pack [58% Off] | ||
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Avoid getting lost and missing meetings with the Limefuel LP200X. The backup battery is thin, powerful, and currently available with a 58% discount. This portable battery pack holds enough juice to refill something like an iPad Air between two and four times over. Smaller devices like a phone will charge more times still, and the Limefuel offers dual USB ports, so you can charge two devices at the same time. Meanwhile, the front screen provides an idea of how much the Limefuel has left to give, and while there’s still some juice, you can use the built-in flashlight during a power outage. All in all, it’s a pretty useful assistant to have around if you need to stay powered on a flight or when you're on the go. Get 58% off the Limefuel LP200X Dual USB Battery ($34.99 incl. shipping) For those of you interested in the specs:
The deal includes free shipping, but this price applies to the continental US only; the Limefuel is available internationally at a 47% discount. For more details on this handy sidekick, click below. Get 58% off the Limefuel LP200X Dual USB Battery ($34.99 incl. shipping) SEE ALSO: Essential Items For A Grown-Up Grooming Routine Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Twitter Co-Founder Explains Why He Protested Against Police Brutality (TWTR) | ||
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Jack Dorsey is in London today to announce the global roll-out of Square Register, his payment software that lets business owners process payments through an iPhone or iPad. During the Financial Times 125 event, hosted in the middle of London's finance district, an audience member asked Dorsey why he went to the recent protests in Ferguson, Missouri. He explained that he grew up in St. Louis, a 15-minute drive away from the center of the protests which erupted after a police officer shot dead 18-year-old Michael Brown. "St. Louis is my home and I care deeply about it," Dorsey said. "There are so many experiences of Twitter being used to organise protests and surface conversations in the heat of revolutions - but that has always been outside of this country. To see people utilize those tools on the street was just stunning. I've never seen so much use of Vine." Dorsey himself was on the ground during the protests and documented his experience on Vine: "People were just bringing out their phones and recording everything," Dorsey said. "That was so important to people on the ground. It felt like the whole world was watching. It's so critical to make this world feel smaller, that is the power of Twitter." SEE ALSO: Twitter Cofounder Jack Dorsey Is Providing Live Updates From Ferguson, Missouri Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Jack Dorsey On The Moment That He Realized Twitter Was 'Amazing' (TWTR) | ||
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Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey explained one of the moments where he first realized the power of the site. Speaking to an audience at the Financial Times' 125 event in London, Dorsey was asked how politicians can connect with voters using social media. Dorsey explained how crucial it was that business leaders and politicians use social media to reach people, remarking that "there's a real thirst for humanism." He went on to share a moment that he said stood out to him as showing the power of the platform. After Obama was elected, Dorsey said he watched a speech that came after 100 days of the Presidency. Obama was speaking to Congress, and Dorsey was watching it live on CNN. "The camera panned around, and a lot of them were on their phones," Dorsey said. "I thought 'Wow, that's rude, why aren't they paying attention to the President?'" But then Dorsey realized what the senators were doing on their phones. "I got a buzz in my pocket, and my home senator, Claire McCaskill, was tweeting about her friend, the President. I just had this moment of feeling suddenly close to my government. Anther human on the floor had typed it up personally. It reached me and I could reply and have a conversation with my senator." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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This Jeff Bezos Quote Explains Amazon's Insanely Difficult Hiring Process | ||
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Amazon's hiring process is notoriously difficult. The company believes that every new employee should increase the average level of productivity on whichever team they join, ensuring that the company's standards get higher and higher as time goes on. Its interviews are no joke either, with difficult questions ranging from "How would you solve problems if you were from Mars?" to "You are Amazon, and Samsung offers you 10,000 Samsung Galaxy S3s at a 34% discount. Is that a good deal?" Back in the early days of the company, founder and CEO Jeff Bezos shared with a colleague an idea that perfectly encapsulates Amazon's hiring philosophy. According to a Fast Company story, Bezos said, "I'd rather interview 50 people and not hire anyone than hire the wrong person." This philosophy explains why the company uses employees it calls "bar raisers" to weed out people who aren't a perfect fit for company. Bar raisers are full-time employees who, in addition to all their other duties, spend 2o to 30 hours a week interviewing potential job candidates for positions in other parts of the company. Excluding warehouse workers, each prospective employee goes through five bar raiser interviews that take two to three hours each. And if even one of the bar raisers has an objection to Amazon hiring the candidate, they can simply veto the application. In addition to making sure every hire fits in with the company's culture, the bar raiser program smartly prevents a manager from hiring the wrong person because there is an opening that needs to be filled. Since the bar raisers come from other parts of the company, they have less pressure to hire someone quickly. As Bezos put it in his 1998 letter to shareholders, "Working to create a little bit of history isn't supposed to be easy, and well, we're finding that things are as they're supposed to be! ... Setting the bar high in our approach to hiring has been, and will be, the single most important element of Amazon.com's success." SEE ALSO: Here's What To Say When You're Asked About Salary In A Job Interview Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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LOLCats Creator Ben Huh Explains How His Company Spiraled Out Of Control | ||
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Ben Huh, the creator of LOLCats and CEO of the entertainment company Cheezburger, has had a couple of tough years. Cheezburger has been around since 2007. In 2011, the company raised $30 million from venture capitalists. But a combination of bad decisions and bad luck almost drove the company under. That's because Cheezburger went on a crazy hiring spree and lost sight of their goals, said Huh in a self-reflective Medium post on Thursday. The company was hiring so fast in 2011, Huh writes, that it was too busy to actually build and ship products. By 2012, Huh recognized Cheezburger had problems. "We moved all our sites onto our own platform, but users hated it," he said. "The disagreements with my team escalated. My top executives were either fired or pushed out." Then it got blindsided by the shift from desktop to mobile, causing Huh to lay off a third of his employees last year. To get Cheezburger turned around, Huh hired Amber Dunn as the company's chief revenue officer. Dunn worked with Huh to create a new business model for Cheezburger, but neither could escape the elephant in the room: Dunn's terminal ovarian cancer. For a moment, things seemed to be okay. "We kicked off 2013 with high expectations," said Huh. "We were back in investment mode, but this time with a plan." Not long after Huh was regaining hope for his company, Dunn's cancer took a turn for the worse. She passed away within months. "To this day, I often wonder if I am responsible for shortening her life," said Huh. By the point the LOLCats creator feared he had lost objectivity and could no longer lead Cheezburger to success. But instead of shutting down the company, Huh hired a CEO coach, embraced his failures publically, and vowed to move on. "I felt that learning to persevere and righting my wrongs was the least I could to do for my investors and employees," he said. After raising more cash and hiring new leaders, Huh geared up for Cheezburger 3.0. He also cofounded Circa, a mobile news app. It's too early to tell if Cheezburger is out of the woods for good, but he is hoping that a revamped iPhone app, released today, will be the company's ticket back to relevance. You can read Huh's whole post over on Medium. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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The Real Reason Facebook Bought Oculus: 'Virtual Reality Will Be The On-Ramp To Optical Computing' | ||
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In March, Facebook freaked everybody out by buying Oculus, the makers of the Rift VR device, for $2 billion. As we've reported before, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said they bought the company because it was a "a new communication platform." At the Paley International Council Summit on Thursday, we learned a little bit more about those plans. It came up during a conversation between Dan Rose, Facebook's VP of content and media partnerships, and Jason Rubin, Oculus' head of worldwide studios. Rose gave this reason for Oculus being the future of both computing and entertainment: If you think about the trends in computing technology over the last 50 years, we went from mainframe computers, which were very impersonal and distant, to desktop computers that became directly interactive — you can touch and feel and interact with and interface yourself and set on your desk — to laptops, which you can now suddenly take with you, [to] now today, everybody has a computer in their pocket. The natural progression of that suggests that the next computing platform will move closer to our bodies. And our belief is that means that it will be something that sits directly on our face that we interact with through our eyes. Futuristic, right? "There are a lot of different approaches to how this might take place," Rose said. "Our bet is that virtual reality will be the on-ramp to optical computing." To translate: Facebook thinks that virtual reality is going to be the gateway to working with a computer that you control with your eyes, which takes the promise of something like Google Glass and pushes it even further. In a recent interview with Business Insider, Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe said that virtual reality headsets will eventually shrink to the size of a pair of glasses. And if you could control those with your eyes, you're looking at a computer interface unlike anything we've ever experienced. And Oculus, by Facebook's estimate, is way ahead of everybody else in making that happen. Thus the acquisition. SEE ALSO: Here's Why Mark Zuckerberg Studies Chinese Every Day Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Snow-Trapped Buffalo Bills Players Have Turned To iPads To 'Practice' From Home | ||
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Microsoft paid $400 million to make the Surface "the official tablet of the NFL" but it is Apple's iPads that the Buffalo Bills are using to prepare for this weekend's game while they are stuck at home following this week's massive snow storm. Bills running back Fred Jackson was a guest on ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike Show" and explained how the team is preparing for this Sunday's game in Buffalo even though nobody can get to the team's facility to practice. At this point, the team's "practices" are limited to what can be done on iPads and not Surface tablets which have become a common sight on the sidelines at NFL games.
Jeff Tran, director of sports marketing and alliances at Microsoft, told Business Insider that Microsoft is continuing to work with the league and individual teams on how to expand the partnership beyond gamedays. "We’re working with all of the teams in the league to continue expanding the Microsoft partnership beyond the field," Tran said. "This ground breaking partnership is in its infancy, and we’re confident the teams will continue to seek the benefits of our products and services for years to come." As for the game, at this point it is not even clear if the game will be played. According to the Bills, Ralph Wilson Stadium is buried in waist-deep snow and that 220,000 tons of snow need to be removed. The Bills are proceeding as if the game against the New York Jets will be played at 1 pm on Sunday. However, some have speculated that the game could be moved to Tuesday like the NFL did with a Philadelphia Eagles game in 2010 when a massive blizzard was expected but never happened. The NFL is also prepared to move the game with Detroit, Toronto, and New Jersey all being considered by the league. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Peter Thiel: People Are Scared Of The Future And Silicon Valley Doesn't Get It | ||
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PayPal cofounder and billionaire investor Peter Thiel took the stage at Demo in San Jose, California, on Wednesday to discuss his new book "Zero To One." Someone from the audience asked him what the one core insight into the universe he has that is most at odds with Silicon Valley conventional wisdom. Thiel joked that there are a bunch of things that he believes are contrary to what people in the Valley believe, and that it would be "dangerous" to say one that he is radically at odds with. Instead he chose to elaborate on one that he's "somewhat at odds with," but is important all the same. "I think in Silicon Valley we always talk about how much technological progress is happening, how we're living in this age of accelerating technological progress in one way or another," he said. "I do not believe that by and large we're living in a scientific or technological age at all." On the contrary, he said, people actually hate science and technology. "We live in a society that is dominated by hatred and dislike of all things scientific and technological." As proof, he offers up all the sci-fi movies that have come out over the years that show how technology doesn't work and actually kills people instead of helps and point to a dystopian future, such as "The Terminator," "The Matrix," and "Avatar." "I watched the 'Gravity' movie the other day," he said. "You would never want to go into outer space. You'd want to stay on some muddy tropical island." He doesn't think that Silicon Valley should stop what it's doing, though. It's actually doing really well and should be doing more. "And I think that we should never lose site of how countercultural it is to a broader society, which would prefer a complete stasis at this point because the broader society is dominated by a fear of the future, not hope for the future," he said. Watch the entire video on Demo's site. (The part where he starts talking about the future is around the 41:14-minute point.) Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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10 Things You Need To Know Before European Markets Open | ||
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Good morning! Here are 10 major events you should know about before trading starts in London and Paris. UKIP Won Another Seat In Parliament. With 42% of the vote to the Conservative party's 35%, Mark Reckless is now the anti-EU party's second member of parliament. Asian Markets Are Up. Japan's Nikkei closed up 0.33% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng is currently 0.59% higher. Obama's Immigration Announcement Could Lead To A Shutdown. Obama unveiled his executive order that will shield about 4 million undocumented immigrants from deportation in a prime time address from the White House on Thursday evening. Top Republicans responded by hinting they could push the government toward another shutdown. Alibaba Raised $8 Billion In A Massive Bond Sale. Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba raised $8 billion in a bond offering, the Wall Street Journal said. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Support Is Tumbling. Support for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is at its lowest since he took office and more than a third of voters think his economic policies have failed, a survey showed on Friday. Blackstone Is Buying $1.6 Billion (£1.02 Billion) Of Real Estate From GE. US private equity firm Blackstone said it would buy the residential real estate arm of General Electric's property unit in Japan, as the country's land prices slowly recover from an asset bubble burst. The Fed Is Reviewing Its Relationship With Big Banks. According to the Financial Times, The Federal Reserve will conduct a review of its position as regulator of large financial institutions. India Is Trying To End The State Monopoly On Coal. The country's coal minister said the government would look at the how quickly to bring in the private sector after a tentative auction of mining rights in March. Foxconn Is Building Another Factor Just For Apple Displays. The factory will be located in southern Taiwan and follows an "urgent request" from Apple, according to a Foxconn spokesperson quoted by Bloomberg. Draghi Is Coming. ECB boss Mario Draghi will speak in Frankfurt at 8 a.m. GMT, and investors will be looking out for any hints at further ECB action. At 9.30 a.m. GMT, UK public finance figures are out, with analysts expecting that the government borrowed £6.7 billion ($10.5 billion) in October. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Wagner, Machida going for figure skating gold in Bordeaux | ||
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Bordeaux (AFP) - American Ashley Wagner will bid for a third straight women's title at the Trophee Eric Bompard and Japan's Tatsuki Machida his first men's as the race for the final spots in next month's ISU Grand Prix final heats up on the ice in Bordeaux starting Friday. Wagner, 23, won the French title in 2012 and 2013 on the ice of Paris-Bercy, with the event taking place this year in the western city of Bordeaux because of renovations at the Paris venue. The American would not only become the first woman to achieve the feat in 13 years, but it would also give her a spot in the Grand Prix final after her runners-up medal in Skate Canada. For Machida, 24, it will his first time skating on the ice in France, and like Wagner he has the chance to book his spot in the Barcelona Grand Prix final after his gold at Skate America. Olympic team bronze medallist Wagner's leading challengers in the fifth of the six-leg series should be Russian teenagers Elena Radionova, 15, and 16-year-old Julia Lipnitskaya. Both are also in the running for the Grand Prix final with two-time world junior champion Radionova winning Skate America and Lipnitskaia taking silver at the Cup of China. "I just couldn't understand what happened to me at the Cup of China," said Lipnitskaya. "I couldn't show anything there. It was my career's worst skating, but I'm completely confident I can do better." Machida will be the favourite in the men's event after the world silver medallist's successful defence of his title at the season-opening Skate America. Kazakhstan's Denis Ten will need to battle as he did for men's bronze at the Sochi Olympics after finishing just fourth in Skate America, with Russia's Maxim Kovtun, 19, a challenger after his first gold at the Cup of China. "Though I won at Shanghai it was extremely hard to skate my free programme there," said the Russian. "But it was my first routine in front of the public this season. I hope I've learnt from this and will perform better in the future." America's Richard Dornbush, 23, could also qualify after finishing third in the Cup of China, while French hopes lie with Florent Amodio, sixth in Skate Canada. In pairs, Russia's Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov, who won gold in the Sochi Olympics team event, will be looking for their second win in a week after the Cup of Russia. Wang Xuehan and Wang Lei are coming off a third place at the Cup of China at home, while compatriots Sui Wenjing and Han Cong were silver medallists in Skate Canada. In ice dance, France's Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron will be looking to continue their golden season after winning their first Grand Prix at the Cup of China. Competition begins Friday and concludes on Saturday at the Meriadeck Ice Rink. After Bordeaux, the Grand Prix series concludes next week with the NHK Trophy at Osaka, with the top six skaters in each of the four disciplines qualifying for the Grand Prix Final at Barcelona from December 11-14. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Alibaba raises $8 billion in bond deal | ||
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New York (AFP) - Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba raised $8 billion in a bond offering, the Wall Street Journal said. The company announced one week ago that it planned to make the sale, with the intention to repay an $8 billion loan owed to banks. Maturities ranged from three to 20 years in the six-part deal, the Journal reported. It called the transaction one of the largest corporate bond deals of the year. Alibaba completed the world's largest stock offering with its listing on the New York Stock Exchange in September, with an offer price of $68. It closed at $109.82 Thursday, up .92 percent. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Blackstone to buy GE's real estate in Japan for $1.6 bln | ||
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Tokyo (AFP) - US private equity firm Blackstone said it would buy the residential real estate arm of General Electric's property unit in Japan for more than 190 billion yen ($1.6 billion), as the country's land prices slowly recover from an asset bubble burst. The deal will see Blackstone Real Estate Partners Asia acquire the business that owns and operates more than 10,000 units in 200 properties, primarily in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka, it said. "We continue to believe strongly in the residential sector’s fundamentals, especially in Japan’s major cities," Alan Miyasaki, senior managing director at Blackstone, said in a statement issued Thursday. "We are excited by the opportunity to invest in such a high-quality and well managed business." The deal comes as GE, whose financial arm was hit hard during the 2008 global financial crisis, moves back to its industrial roots including a recent deal to buy most of French giant Alstom's energy assets for 12.4 billion euros ($15.6 billion). Japanese real estate -- which had long been in a slump after an asset bubble collapsed in the late 1980s and the early 1990s -- is showing signs of recovery. Recent government data showed land prices in the nation's three major cities -- Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya -- rose 0.8 percent year on year by July 1, marking a second consecutive annual gain, although overall prices across Japan were still down 1.2 percent. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Japan lower house dissolved ahead of election | ||
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Tokyo (AFP) - The lower chamber of Japan's parliament was dissolved on Friday in readiness for a general election, expected next month, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks to consolidate his grip on power and reinvigorate his economic drive. "In accordance with article seven of Japan's constitution, the lower house is dissolved," speaker Bunmei Ibuki told the chamber. Ibuki's move came after a mandate from Abe, who is going to the polls less than half way through a four-year term. Abe said earlier this week that he wanted to ask for voters' endorsement for his decision to postpone a sales tax rise after data showed an earlier hike had knocked the economy off its axis. His cabinet is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting Friday afternoon to confirm the election will be Sunday, December 14. "I'm fully aware that it's going to be a tough election," Abe told a meeting of businessmen Thursday afternoon in Tokyo. "Through the election campaign, I want to clarify if the growth strategy we are pushing is right or wrong," he said. The last 24 months have seen two of the so-called "three arrows" of "Abenomics" fired -- massive fiscal stimulus and a flood of easy money. A third "arrow" of structural reforms remains stuck in the quiver, a victim of the vested interests it is intended to undermine. "The third arrow has never flown at all, facing resistance" from his own conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Kenji Eda, co-leader of the opposition Japan Restoration Party, said Thursday. Banri Kaieda, head of the largest opposition Democratic Party of Japan, also said: "We can't have the (rich-poor) gap widen. We can't give him a blank cheque for another four years." According to opinion polls conducted by the Asahi Shimbun Wednesday and Thursday, the Abe cabinet's approval rate fell to 39 percent from 42 percent earlier this month. His disapproval rate rose to 40 percent from 36 percent, making it higher than his approval rate for the first time since he took office in December 2012, the survey showed. Abe has tried to cast the election as a referendum on his decision to delay the sales tax hike to 10 percent, after the first jump to 8.0 percent sent consumers scurrying for cover and took a huge bite out of GDP. But the Asahi survey said 65 percent of voters were not convinced by his reasoning. Most commentators agree that the election is a fig leaf to cover Abe's attempt to consolidate his own position within his fractious LDP, and to fend off challengers in a party leadership election scheduled for September next year. However, he also runs the risk of undermining his authority if his coalition's majority is reduced too much. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Ukrainians in rebel east brace for winter among the ruins | ||
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Stepanivka (Ukraine) (AFP) - Farm worker Vitaly digs wearily at the cold earth in the half-ruined village of Stepanivka in war-torn eastern Ukraine. "I will plant something in spring -- if I survive until then," the 62-year-old sighs. Around him, the scars of heavy fighting that left dozens dead in this tiny mist-shrouded hamlet over the summer are everywhere to see. "At the point that we've reached now, everything has to be rebuilt," he says, leaning on his shovel and casting an eye over his damaged house. The building has partly collapsed and he has tried to fill in a hole in one wall with a rusty sheet of metal before the inevitable snows come. Torn electricity cables trail across his beetroot plot and past a mortar casing: like a third of the roughly 1,300 residents here, Vitaly is without electricity. The days have already began to drop below zero. It is minus two degrees Celsius now and temperatures in winter can go as low as 20 below. Trapped in the conflict zone, residents here are forced to rely on supplies from the rebels running the area to help them through the harsh months ahead. "We received some warm clothes and food," says Zimalina, 16, who lives in a one of the few untouched houses with her parents. The separatist authorities -- sitting upon huge deposits in this industrial region -- have promised "free coal" for those living under their control, she says. - House intact, heart broken - Around the village, some people work with hammers to try to restore their tattered homes. Many residents have left and not yet come back to see the devastation. A group of technicians, who say they have been sent by the separatist authorities, connect electricity cables to the house of a frail lady as she watches. Raisa Savchenko, 67, says she fled the fighting but then returned to find her home badly damaged. "There were no windows and no roof" when she got back, she says, and the "ceiling had collapsed." A son came from Russia to try to work on the repairs, she says, as the smell of boiling potatoes fills her kitchen. In each room she has supplies for the winter piled up: cabbages, nuts and jars of pickles. "I also have coal," she says. Nearby, Yury Pozishenko's house may still be intact but his heart is broken. He says he cries every day for his son, Sergei, who was killed in a Ukrainian offensive in late July on the village. Sergei had been trying to move his car to a safe place as the shelling got nearer. A sniper shot him, his father says. "He tried to get up but he could not. He died in our arms in five or ten minutes." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part I' Should Have The Biggest Opening Weekend Of 2014 | |||||||||||||||
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When “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part I” comes out this weekend, it should do something no other film this year has been able to do — make well over $100 million opening weekend. So far, there has only been one movie in 2014 that has had a $100 million opening weekend. That was Paramount’s “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” the fourth installment of Michael Bay’s ongoing franchise back in June. That's unusual. Last year, three movies crossed the $100 million mark opening weekend — “Iron Man 3,” “Man of Steel,” and “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” 2012 had four movies debut to over $140 million (“The Avengers,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “The Hunger Games,” and the final “Twilight” film). The last time we’ve only seen only two movies open above $100 million opening weekend was in 2009 when "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" ($142 million) and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" ($108 million) came out. What’s the deal with 2014? For one thing, more movies have debuted in the $90-$100 million range than previous years. Those five films include "Godzilla," "Guardians of the Galaxy," and sequels "Captain America 2" ($95 million), "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" ($91 million), and "X-Men: Days of Future Past" ($90 million). There also weren't as many event films. Next year, we'll have "The Avengers" sequel, the final "Hunger Games" movie, and a new "Star Wars" film. “Fast and Furious 7” was originally set for a July 2014 release but was pushed back to April 2015 after the death of Paul Walker in late 2013. The last sequel, "Fast 6," made $120 million opening Memorial Day Weekend. "Mockingjay" has been one of the most anticipated movies of 2014. Tickets for the sequel have been on sale since the end of October. After tickets went on sale, both Fandango and MovieTickets.com reported the movie had the largest first day advance ticket sale of the year. The film accounts for over 90% of Fandango's ticket sales this weekend. BoxOffice.com estimates the film will debut to $150 million. A quick look at the film’s two previous openings shows “Mockingjay” could and should easily open higher. Here are the numbers to beat:
SEE ALSO: Our review of "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part I" Join the conversation about this story »  | |||||||||||||||
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Under threat: Kenya's iconic Nairobi national park | ||
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Nairobi (AFP) - It is an image famous in a thousand postcards: giraffe, rhino and zebra pacing the savannah with city skyscrapers towering in the background. But flanked by one of the continents fastest growing cities, Kenya's capital Nairobi, east Africa's oldest national park is under threat. "There is huge pressure on the park," said conservation activist Paula Kahumbu, who heads the Wildlife Direct campaign group. Set up by British colonial settlers in the 1940s, pressure now comes from all sides: roads, railways, factories and houses. The park, some 117 square kilometres (45 square miles), is a wilderness where buffalo and rhino roam just seven kilometres (four miles) from the bustling high-rise city centre. But like countries across the continent, Kenya is weighing the difficult balance between conservation and development. The century-old colonial railway yard is now a traffic-clogged major city growing at breakneck speeds. To the south, the reserve has already had to face the development of a large urban area, pressing on a key wildlife corridor for animals moving to find grazing. Now fresh infrastructure projects threaten the park: a major road bypass and expansion of a railway line, seen as vital to modernise freight lines bringing goods to Kenya and onwards to landlocked east Africa nations.
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"The more we reduce the park, the more the animals' territory shrinks," said Ali Tanvir, president of the Friends of Nairobi National Park group. Supporters say the projects are crucial to decongest the capital of four million people, but the road and rail could slice through the reserve. "Kenya is a developing country, we need roads, railway lines, bridges," said MP Francis Nyenze. "But it is unfortunate that most of the major infrastructure projects in Kenya will swallow parts of the park." Nairobi prides itself on hosting the regional headquarters of multinational companies, and of being the powerhouse driving the economy of east Africa. But it is crippled by traffic jams, with vehicles coming from the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa to the rest of Kenya -- as well as to landlocked Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan -- all travelling through Kenya's capital. Conservationists do not oppose the need for new transport links, but question how those plans are being implemented. Shadowy deals have seen land sold and houses sprout up at times apparently unchecked. Land in Kenya is both increasingly expensive and a highly political issue. "How have people been able to acquire titles to the land?" Nyenze asked. Any development encroaching on nationally protected reserve must be approved by parliament, said Nigel Hunter, from the East African Wildlife Society. Although fenced in on the city side, the park is open-sided elsewhere else to allow the annual wildlife migration in search of grazing.
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"We want the rules to be respected," Hunter said, adding that if granted, land should be opened elsewhere to allow animals still to move. Without that, the parks risks becoming an "island" as if a giant zoo, he said. Home to more than 550 species of birds and attracting some 150,000 visitors a year, activists say the park also acts as the lungs of the city, bringing in fresh air to an increasingly crowded capital. But the challenges and threats are huge. New homes and fences block ancient wildebeest migration routes, and so many cheetahs have been killed on the increasingly busy roads there are none left in the park, said Kahumbu. "Roads are fragmenting the ecosystem and preventing animals from moving," she said. Conflicts between lions and livestock communities living close to the park have also grown. And if the steady encroachment on the park was not enough, animals inside are directly targeted. Amid a wave of rhino and elephant killings across the country, armed poachers have also slaughtered rhino in the heart of the park, despite it being close to the headquarter of the Kenya's wildlife rangers. For MP Nyenze, the future is gloomy, fearing the park could disappear within 20 years. "If the voices are not many and loud enough, the destruction will go on and elephants, lions and so forth will disappear like dinosaurs," he said. "It will be a world without wildlife and we will lose all this biodiversity once and for all."
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Here Are The 6 Key Elements Of Obama's Immigration Plan | ||
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President Barack Obama unveiled executive actions he plans to take to shield millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation in a primetime speech from the White House on Thursday evening. In his remarks, Obama characterized his plan as having three main parts; improving border security, promoting opportunities for "high-skilled immigrants, graduates, and entrepreneurs" and and taking stepts to deal "responsibly with the millions of undocumented immigrants who already live in our country." Prior to Obama's speech the White House distributed a fact sheet with a more detailed list of the various parts of his plan. It included a slew of changes to existing programs and new initiatives, but there were six main components:
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The UK Independence Party Just Dealt A Crushing Blow To Prime Minister David Cameron | ||
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UKIP has won its second MP in the same number of months as Conservative defector Mark Reckless romped home with 42% of the vote in the Rochester and Strood by-election. His victory comes hot on the heals of his erstwhile Tory colleague and now fellow UKIP MP Douglas Carswell's overwhelming victory in Clacton's by-election in October. The loss of Rochester and Strood is a heavy blow to the Conservative party, which got 35% of the vote, and to Number 10 Downing Street in particular with David Cameron having promised to "throw the kitchen sink" at Rochester and Strood. It seems UKIP have been able to throw it right back at the Prime Minister — with interest. Not bad for members of a party that Cameron once called "a bunch of fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists". Earlier in the week Reckless suggested that two further Conservative MPs were ready to defect to UKIP if the party won in Thursday's by-election. With that hurdle now overcome his claims will be put to the test. Any additional defections would add insult to injury for the government. As UKIP leader Nigel Farage said earlier in the evening: "When they said they'd throw the kitchen sink at this by-election, they weren't kidding. If little UKIP in this David vs Goliath struggle can beat the governing party of the day with a well aimed stone it'll be massive, massive victory." Over the past two years a clear picture has emerged over more than 1,000 political polls. While Labour have maintained a lead over the Conservatives it has been gradually eroding. Those losses may previously have lead to gains for the UK's longstanding third party — the Liberal Democrats — but not any more it seems. Disillusionment over the Lib Dem's role as the junior partner of the Coalition government has meant electoral gains have overwhelming been accruing to UKIP. It is now, at least in terms of popularity, Britain's new third party by quite some distance.
Farage's UKIP has seen its popularity surge from around 7% of the national vote in 2012 to around 15% in the latest polls. Moreover, while the party was initially a magnet for disaffected Conservative supporters who were disappointed with the lack of progress on issues such as tightening immigration control and repatriating powers from the European Union, with growth has come wider appeal. In particular, a recent YouGov survey showed that UKIP have been making serious inroads into the support base of the opposition Labour party. While in January 2013 almost 60% of respondents said they had voted Conservative in the 2010 General Election, that figure has now fallen to 48%. Meanwhile the percentage of UKIP supporters who claimed to have voted Labour in 2010 has increased from 7% to 15%.
Despite these gains, under the first-past-the-post system a party's share of the national vote doesn't necessarily translate into a similar share of seats in parliament. As such, although UKIP's share of the national vote is highly likely to exceed that of the Liberal Democrats, they are very unlikely to win anywhere near as many parliamentary seats. So based on this metric UKIP's surge in the polls may translate to as little as 4 parliamentary seats while the UK's third biggest party by seats could be the Scottish National Party (SNP), the same party that lead the charge to pull Scotland out of the country in September's independence referendum. To compound the irony they could do so by winning only 3.2% of the national vote. Using the election forecasting model designed by Chris Hanretty of the University of East Anglia, Benjamin Lauderdale of London School of Economics and Nick Vivyan of Durham University, with 11% of the vote UKIP is projected to win only four seats (rising to a possible 12 seats if they take as much as 17%).
That may seem a modest return considering the party's recent fortunes but it could leave UKIP with a significant bargaining position in the formation of any new government. This is because to have a majority a government needs over 325 seats. On current projections no single party is going to come close and even with a Labour-Lib Dem or Conservative-Lib Dem coalition they would still fail to reach that threshold. With the Scottish Nationalists likely to demand a revisiting of the independence question as the price for joining any coalition, it may mean that the decisions of other smaller parties could prove pivotal in ensuring the stability of any new government. UKIP has today given the major parties of Westminster their second bloody nose in two months. Party strategists will now be looking at just how much damage these new kids on the block could inflict at the General Election in six months' time — and how much they might be willing to offer to win them over to their side. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Biden in talks with Ukraine leaders as toll rises in east | ||
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Kiev (AFP) - US Vice President Joe Biden will meet Ukraine's leaders Friday on the first anniversary of the protests that toppled the former pro-Kremlin regime, with Kiev hoping for an announcement on further US assistance. Almost 1,000 people have been killed in Ukraine since a truce came into effect in September, an average of 13 people a day, the United Nations said Thursday, as the conflict in the east of the country drags on. Biden, who arrived in Kiev on Thursday, is the latest high-profile Western politician to visit in the hope of shoring up the bullet-riddled ceasefire. He is due to meet President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk later Friday. On the eve of those talks, Yatsenyuk said he hoped for an announcement on further US assistance to Ukraine during Biden's visit following a $53 million (42 million euro) package announced in September which included $46 million of security assistance. But Russia warned against the US arming Ukrainian forces, with the secretary of Russia's national security council, Nikolai Patrushev, saying the conflict in eastern Ukraine "will grow" if this happened. Last year's Maidan protests, on Kiev's main square, for closer ties with Europe led to the overthrow of then-president Viktor Yanukovych, prompting Russia to seize Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and eventually triggering unrest in the east. Pro-Moscow separatist rebel and Ukrainian forces are fighting a drawn-out battle for territory despite the ceasefire. The Kremlin denies Western and Ukrainian accusations that it is backing the rebels with troops and military equipment but diplomatic relations have plunged to a low not seen since the Cold War over the seven-month conflict. - 'No military solution' - In an interview with Kiev's The Day newspaper published Thursday, Biden stressed there was "no military solution to this crisis" and accused Russia of "interfering in the affairs of a sovereign state". He added: "I will be bringing a strong message of support to the Ukrainian people and government, about which I will have more to say when I am in Kiev." The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine put the number of dead at 957 between September 5, when the ceasefire was signed, and November 18. "The list of victims keeps growing. Civilians, including women, children, minorities and a range of vulnerable individuals and groups continue to suffer the consequences of the political stalemate in Ukraine," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement. Counting the 298 people who died in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine in July, the overall toll since mid-April, when fighting started, stood at 4,317 deaths as of Tuesday. The report also detailed grave human rights abuses on both sides. One Ukrainian soldier said his right arm, bearing a "Glory to Ukraine" tattoo, had been chopped off with an axe by rebels. A separatist detained by Ukrainian forces in Donetsk said he had been repeatedly beaten and had a plastic bag placed over his head. It also highlighted the huge volume of people registered as displaced within Ukraine by the conflict, with the number soaring from 275,489 in mid-September to 466,829 as of Wednesday. - OSCE monitor 'shot' - International monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) mission in the former Soviet state said Thursday one of their teams had been shot at by a man in uniform. The OSCE said it was the first "direct" shot deliberately fired at observers during the mission. The incident followed another Tuesday when a warning shot was fired towards an OSCE vehicle from a Ukrainian checkpoint near the frontline hotspot of Debaltseve. The OSCE has nearly 300 observers working in Ukraine to monitor the ceasefire which has stopped fighting around much of the conflict zone but failed to halt bombardments at strategic flashpoints. The incident highlights continuing high tensions in eastern Ukraine. A 58-year-old female nurse was killed in shelling close to the rebel-stronghold of Lugansk, the region's pro-Kiev governor said Thursday, while rebels said one of their fighters was killed in Donetsk. In September, the US announced a fresh $53 million aid package, including non-lethal military equipment, to Ukraine but Kiev wants Washington to go further and provide lethal assistance. "Blankets and night-vision goggles are important," Poroshenko told Congress on a visit to the US in September. "But one cannot win a war with blankets." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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First humans settled on Tibetan Plateau 3,600 years ago | ||
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Washington (AFP) - Researchers said people likely moved to the Tibetan highlands 3,600 years ago, in an indication of when humans first settled at high altitudes. Humans were able to permanently settle as high as 3,400 meters (11,000 feet) on the plateau -- which is known as "the roof of the world" -- by growing altitude-resistant crops and raising livestock, according to a study published in the US journal Science. They survived on wheat and barley imported from the so-called "Fertile Crescent" in the Middle East and on transplants from China such as broomcorn and foxtail millet, said the researchers from Britain's Cambridge University, China and the United States. The scientists analyzed animal teeth, bones and plant deposits for the study. "Year-round survival at these altitudes must have led to some very challenging conditions indeed," said lead researcher Martin Jones from Cambridge's Department of Archaeology. "This poses further, interesting questions for researchers about the adaptation of humans, livestock and crops to life at such dizzying heights." Sporadic human presence was detected on the plateau as early as 20,000 years ago, while semi-permanent settlers arrived 5,200 years ago. Researchers said early humans likely first traveled to the plateau to hunt animals, but the discovery of altitude-resistant crops allowed them to plant their roots there. The researchers examined the remains of pigs, sheep and cattle as well as plants at 53 sites across the northern Tibetan plateau. Jones said the findings could have an impact on modern-day food security, as most of our foods today are grown in the lowlands. "The more we learn about the rich ecology of past and present societies, and the wider range of crops they raised in the world's more challenging environments, the more options we will have for thinking through food security issues in the future," he said. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Kerry seeks breakthrough in troubled Iran nuclear talks | ||
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Vienna (AFP) - Troubled Iran nuclear talks enter the make-or-break endgame Friday as US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart seek a breakthrough just days ahead of a deadline. Meeting in Vienna in a final round of talks between Iran and six world powers before Monday's deadline to agree a deal, the differences are few in number but of major significance. Speaking in Paris Thursday before flying to Vienna, Kerry said however that the possibility of putting more time on the clock -- as happened in July with an earlier deadline -- was not on the table. "We are not discussing an extension. We are negotiating to have an agreement. It's that simple," Kerry said. He added however that the United States and all the other powers were "concerned about the gaps". Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond had said on Wednesday that he was "not optimistic" the deadline could be met, suggesting that the best hope was for another extension. "I think if we make some significant movement, we may be able to find a way of extending the deadline to allow us to get to the final deal," Hammond said in Riga. Russia's main negotiator in the talks, Sergei Ryabkov, said Thursday that the talks were being held in a "tense atmosphere" and that agreeing the mammoth accord would be tough. "In the current situation it will be very difficult to get a deal unless there is a new spirit," Ryabkov was quoted as saying by Russian agency RIA Novosti. Iran's speaker of parliament Ali Larijani meanwhile told Iranian media: "We are constantly cooperating (but the other side) is raising the tone." He added: "We hope that the other side will behave in a rational manner... and won't take the wrong path." French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who together with Hammond was expected in Vienna on Friday, said there remained "major differences". "We hope that they can be bridged but that depends to a very large extent on Iran's attitude," Fabius said at a joint news conference with Kerry in Paris. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif believes however that the onus is on the other side, urging them not to make "excessive demands".
- Twelve years -
Iran and the six powers -- the US, China, Russia, Britain, France plus Germany -- have been negotiating intensively since February to turn an interim accord with Iran reached a year ago into a lasting agreement before November 24. Such a deal, after 12 years of rising tensions, is aimed at easing fears that Tehran will develop nuclear weapons under the guise of its civilian activities -- an ambition the Islamic republic has always hotly denied. Some areas appear provisionally settled in what would be a highly complex deal that would run for many years, even decades. But two key issues remain: enrichment -- rendering uranium suitable for peaceful uses but also, at high purities, for a weapon -- and the pace of the lifting of sanctions. Diplomats say Iran wants all sanctions lifted at once. The six world powers want however to stagger any suspension to be sure that Iran would not renege on its commitments. Iran wants to massively ramp up the number of enrichment centrifuges -- in order, it says, to make fuel for a fleet of future reactors -- while the West wants them dramatically reduced. Iran's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi stuck to this position on Thursday, saying Iran would increase its enrichment capacity to around 20 times its current ability within eight years. "A deal is still possible by November 24," Arms Control Association analyst Kelsey Davenport told AFP. "The remaining obstacles can be overcome if both sides are willing to show some flexibility."
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Federer seeks Davis Cup consecration | ||
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Lille (France) (AFP) - Roger Federer leads the Swiss quest to win a first Davis Cup title in Lille on Friday, taking on a powerful French quartet spearheaded by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils. The 33-year-old tennis superstar will be playing in his first Davis Cup final and as a partner will have long-time accomplice Stan Wawrinka. Australian Open champion Wawrinka gets proceedings underway against Tsonga with Federer then taking on Monfils in what promises to be a blockbuster of a match for the capacity 27,000 crowd. The buildup to the final has been dominated by the fallout from last Saturday's gruelling clash in London between Federer and Wawrinka in the last four of the ATP Tour finals. By the end of an extraordinary match Wawrinka was left "destroyed" after letting slip four match points, Federer had hurt his back, and they had endured an ugly spat over some inappropriate words from Federer's watching wife Mirka. The two have since buried the hatchet over the Mirka incident, but Federer admits that he will take an element of uncertainty into his opening rubber Friday against Gael Monfils due to his back injury. Wawrinka, however, said that he is full of confidence despite his loss on the London hardcourt. "For sure, it was tough to lose against Roger with four match points. But I took a lot of positive from that week. I'm feeling great from London, a lot of confidence from there. Playing really good tennis," he said. "I've had five days here to change surface, to play on clay. I did what I could here with some good practice. I'm feeling ready for the weekend. "It's going to be a long weekend. Doesn't matter what, you have to be ready for three days. I think I am. Physically I'm feeling fit. It's great that Roger can play tomorrow." In contrast the French -- seeking a 10th all-time Davis Cup win and a first since 2001 -- have been quietly preparing on clay well out of the spotlight down in Bordeaux. None of their players qualified for the Tour finals in London. Captain Arnaud Clement believes that team spirit, camaraderie and home crowd support could be the keys to victory. "They are all very close," he said of his team. "All the players are very close, the four players around me, and even Gilles (Simon), who is not here." The two other members of the French team -- Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet -- have been selected to play in Saturday's doubles against the Swiss pairing of Marco Chiudinelli and Michael Lammer. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Hillary Clinton Praised Obama's Big Immigration Speech | ||
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Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton strongly endorsed President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration reform minutes after his speech concluded Thursday night. "I support the president's decision to begin fixing our broken immigration system and focus finite resources on deporting felons rather than families," Clinton said in a statement. Clinton had previously avoided weighing in on the issue as it became apparent the Obama planned to take executive action. In her reaction to the president's remarks, Clinton agreed with Obama's claim House Republicans forced him to unilaterally address immigration reform. The Senate, which is currently controlled by Democrats, previously passed an immigration bill that stalled in the lower legislative chamber. "I was hopeful that the bipartisan bill passed by the Senate in 2013 would spur the House of Representatives to act, but they refused even to advance an alternative. Their abdication of responsibility paved the way for this executive action, which follows established precedent from Presidents of both parties going back many decades. But, only Congress can finish the job by passing permanent bipartisan reform that keeps families together," Clinton continued. Clinton further urged the American public to take an even-keeled approach to the hot-button issue. "Our disagreements on this important issue may grow heated at times, but I am confident that people of good will and good faith can yet find common ground. We should never forget that we're not discussing abstract statistics we're talking about real families with real experiences. We're talking about parents lying awake at night afraid of a knock on the door that could tear their families apart, people who love this country, work hard, and want nothing more than a chance to contribute to the community and build better lives for themselves and their children," she said. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Scientists study rare tapeworm living in man's brain | ||
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London (AFP) - Scientists in Britain are studying a rare tapeworm that lived in a man's brain for four years, researchers said on Friday. The parasite travelled five centimetres (two inches) from the right side of the brain to the left. The tapeworm causes sparganosis, an inflammation of body tissues that can cause seizures, memory loss and headaches when it occurs in the brain. Surgeons removed it and the patient is now "systemically well", the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute said. It was the first time the tapeworm, Spirometra erinaceieuropaei, was reported in Britain. Only 300 cases have been reported since 1953. The tapeworm is thought to be caught by accidentally eating small infected crustaceans from lakes, eating raw amphibian or reptile meat, or by using a raw frog poultice which is a Chinese remedy for sore eyes. "We did not expect to see an infection of this kind in the UK, but global travel means that unfamiliar parasites do sometimes appear," said Effrossyni Gkrania-Klotsas of the department of Infectious Disease at Addenbrooke's NHS Trust. The team managed to sequence the rare parasite's genome for the first time, allowing them to examine potential treatments. "Our work shows that, even with only tiny amounts of DNA from clinical samples, we can find out all we need to identify and characterise the parasite," Gkrania-Klotsas added. The doctor said the DNA study underlined the importance of a global database of worm genomes, to help identify and treat parasites.
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Obama: US will make immigration 'more fair and just' | ||
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Washington (AFP) - President Barack Obama unveiled his highly anticipated immigration plan, saying lifting the threat of expulsion from 5 million undocumented migrants would make the system "more fair and just." And, while he stressed migrants will not get "a free pass to American citizenship" without taking the proper steps, Obama said that "rounding up and deporting millions of people isn't realistic." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Apple to Xiaomi: Talk Is Cheap (AAPL, SSNLF) | ||
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Xiaomi CEO and founder Lei Jun irked Apple on Thursday by saying his company could be the number one smartphone maker in the world in 5 to 10 years, reports The Guardian's Samuel Gibbs. “I believe that no one thought the Xiaomi from three years ago, which just made its first phone, would later rank as the third largest player,” said Jun. "Within five or 10 years, we have the opportunity to become the number one smartphone company in the world." That didn't sit well with Bruce Sewell, Apple's head of legal and government affairs, who was at the event. "It is easy to say, it is more difficult to do," said Sewell. That comment didn't seem to deter Jun. "In this magic land, we produced not only a company like Alibaba, but a small miracle like Xiaomi," he said. Jun's company became the third-largest smartphone maker in October, behind Apple and Samsung, according to Reuters. Xiaomi has its work cut out for itself if it wants to knock Samsung off the number one spot. The company holds just 6% of the global smartphone market compared to Apple's 12% and Samsung's 25% market share, according to a Strategy Analytics study. Xiaomi's phones are often compared to Apple's iPhone for looking similar. Apple lead designer Jony Ive doesn't take that characterization lightly, though. "I don't see it as flattery. I see it as theft," Ive said at a Vanity Fair event in October. SEE ALSO: Apple Gives A Big Win To Samsung Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Finally! A Boring Draw At The World Chess Championship | ||
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At the World Chess Championship in 2013, played in then-titleholder Viswanathan Anand's home country of India, there was a lot of complaining after the first four games of the match about boring Grandmaster draws in chess. With many of the openings in chess at the elite level understood at a very deep level, it can be profoundly difficult to establish winning tactics in a game between two highly skilled players. Consequently, many GM games end in draws. And far more often than fans would like, GMs agree to draws after only about two dozen moves. At this year's match in Sochi, Russia, the story has been completely different. Reigning champ Magnus Carlsen and Anand, now the challenger, have played a series of enthralling games up to where we are now: Game 9 completed on Thursday, with only three games remaining in the 12-game match. Carlsen has the edge; the score stands at 5-4 in his favor (wins are worth a point, draws count for half a point, and losses equal zero). The stage is set for some serious drama headed into the home stretch. Anand will have two more chances to win, capitalizing on the advantage of playing the white pieces. Carlsen will try to maintain his margin and defend his title. A BORING DRAW The boring GM draw did finally arrive, unsurprisingly in Game 9. Game 7 was a 122-move marathon (and a draw) that created, in Game 8 (also a draw) the bizarre sight of Carlsen possibly nodding off to sleep at the board — or more likely using thinking to disguise his complete exhaustion. Previous games had been dense, theoretical battles — demanding engagements that took a mental toll on both Magnus and Vishy. Wednesday was a rest day, but it clearly wasn't enough for the players. So they collaborated on yet another Berlin Defense in the Ruy Lopez opening (my intro to the opening is here), a game plan that quite often leads to draws in GM play. This time around, the game made it to move 20 before a check was repeated and a draw was agreed upon. In fact, according to some of the online commentary, much of the game was essentially a replay of a GM contest from a few years back. Here's the final position:
Ultimately, nothing too exciting, but this isn't a single-elimination tournament. It's match play. At at this late juncture, strategies for getting to the finish are coming into the picture. Carlsen wants Anand to take a chance, go for a win, overextend himself, and provide Carlsen with an opportunity to close to within a half point of victory (the first player to a 6.5 score will become the World Champion). Anand wants to test Carlsen's preparation: on two occasions in the match, Anand has been able to exploit the 23-year-old Carlsen's weaker grasp of opening theory. Additionally, Anand looks fairly fresh. His 44-year-old body and brain haven't let him down yet. Carlsen, meanwhile...well, there was the whole falling asleep thing...
The boring GM draw in Game 9 shouldn't bum anyone out. There were more of them last year, so only one this time around should be tolerable, even understandable. Bottom line: 2014 has indeed been something completely different — and extremely exciting. And now it's really going to get good. You can watch the replay of Game 9 here. And you can review the game at ChessBase. SEE ALSO: Magnus Carlsen Crushes His Challenger In Game 2 Of The World Chess Championship SEE ALSO: Here's What To Watch For In The World Chess Championship Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Here's Everything Google Knows About You | ||
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If you rely on Google search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, or any of Google's other zillion free products, the company stores a bunch of data about you. Google is extremely open about what data it stores and makes it very easy to delete that data, but many people still don't realize exactly what's being stored, whether that information is given freely or deduced based on your searches. A recent survey by the company Survata actually showed that the 2,500 respondents were more concerned about Google having access to their personal data than the NSA, their bosses, their parents, or their significant others:
In case you need the reminder... If you have location history turned on, Google will track where you go. Here's where you can find your location history. Google will also track your search in a bunch of different categories if you have Search History turned on. Here's how to see your Search history. It was actually pretty interesting to see what ads I've clicked on. See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
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Handover of kidnapped Colombian general begins | ||
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Quibdó (Colombia) (AFP) - The highly anticipated handover of a general and four other hostages captured by FARC guerrillas got underway Thursday, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said, paving the way for the resumption of peace talks. "The procedure is underway," said the president, referring to the release of General Ruben Alzate and four other army captives being held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Colombia had suspended peace talks with the rebels over Alzate's capture. Officials provided few immediate details on the handover, saying only that a deal was reached Wednesday to free the hostages "as soon as possible." If the handover goes smoothly, Santos should be able to resume the two-year-old negotiations in Cuba on which he has staked his presidency. "I'm going to give instructions for negotiators to return to Havana and continue talks, hopefully at a good pace, so they can finish this process as quickly as possible," Santos said. The Red Cross, which the government asked to intervene in the standoff, has a "green light" to oversee the hostages' release, local spokeswoman Patricia Rey said. The FARC for its part called its decision to release the hostages "a great gesture" that would save the talks. "What we're doing is a great gesture of peace, reconciliation, good will and commitment to the peace process," said the guerrillas' third in command, Jorge Torres Victoria, alias Pablo Catatumbo. He repeated the FARC's demand for a bilateral ceasefire to stop further "incidents of war" from derailing the negotiations. The government has so far rejected calls for a ceasefire, which Santos argues would strengthen the rebels' hand.
- Conflicting accounts of capture -
General Alzate, the head of an army task force charged with fighting rebels and drug traffickers in the jungle-covered department of Choco, is the highest-ranking officer to be captured by the FARC in 50 years of conflict. He was taken hostage along with Corporal Jorge Rodriguez and army adviser Gloria Urrego as they traveled by boat to visit a civilian energy project in the remote western region. FARC fighters were already holding two other soldiers captured in combat in the eastern department of Arauca on November 9, Paulo Cesar Rivera and Jonathan Diaz. Diplomats from Cuba and Norway, two of the countries acting as guarantors of the peace process, announced Wednesday that a deal had been struck to free all five hostages, but gave few details. The defense ministry says Alzate, 55, was ambushed by armed guerrillas on arrival in the village of Las Mercedes. But questions have emerged about why he was apparently traveling in civilian clothing and without a security escort. Local residents denied Thursday that he had been ambushed, casting further uncertainty on an incident that derailed the controversial peace talks just as they reached their two-year anniversary Wednesday. "Four men dressed in civilian clothes arrived in a boat about half an hour before the general," said resident Presentacion Palomeque. "They sat on the benches in front of the church. When the general and his companions arrived, they all met there and talked. The next time I looked, they were all leaving on a boat." Palomeque said he had not seen any gunmen. "It scares us when they say that stuff," said the 37-year-old father of 12, recalling that the entire village had to flee 15 years ago when it came under attack by right-wing paramilitaries. The attacks were sparked by an army corporal who had said that nine members of the since-disbanded paramilitaries had been captured "with the community's help." Choco has been one of the regions hardest hit by the conflict, which has killed more than 220,000 people and caused more than five million to flee their homes since the FARC was founded in 1964. Numerous rebel groups, drug gangs and illegal mining operations flourish in the hard-to-reach, densely forested department, whose population is overwhelmingly poor and black. Local Catholic bishop Juan Barreto said that this year alone 8,000 people in the area had fled their homes to escape violence. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Obama's Big Immigration Speech Sets Up Possible Shutdown Showdown With GOP | ||
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President Barack Obama unveiled his executive order that will shield about 4 million undocumented immigrants from deportation in a primetime address from the White House on Thursday evening. Top Republicans responded by hinting they could push the government towards another shutdown. "For more than 200 years our tradition of welcoming immigrants from around the world has given us a tremendous advantage over other nations. It's kept us youthful, dynamic, and entrepreneurial, " Obama said, adding, "But today, our immigration system is broken and everybody knows it." Obama noted immigrants who "enter our country the right way and play by the rules" have to "watch others flout the rules" and he said "business owners who offer their workers good wages and benefits see the competition exploit undocumented immigrants by paying them far less." "All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America," said the president. "And undocumented immigrants who desperately want to embrace those responsibilities see little option but to remain in the shadows or risk their families being torn apart." READ MORE: Here Are The 6 Key Elements Of Obama's Immigration PlanMany Republicans oppose Obama's decision to take executive action and have argued it is unconstitutional. The current Democrat-controlled Senate passed an immigration reform bill that has been stalled by the House. Obama pointed to this legislation in his speech and argued he was forced to act on his own because it was blocked by GOP leadership in the House. "I worked with Congress on a comprehensive fix and last year 68 Democrats, Republicans, and Independents came together to pass a bipartisan bill in the Senate. It wasn't perfect. It was a compromise, but it reflected common sense," Obama said. According to Obama, the Senate bill would have "doubled the number of border patrol agents while giving undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship if they paid a fine, started paying their taxes, and went to the back of the line." He argued the bill would have passed the House in spite of its Republican majority if the leadership had allowed it to come up for a "simple" vote. Obama stressed he would prefer to have Congress pass immigration legislation, but was spurred to take executive action because the bill was blocked. "Had the House of Representatives allowed that kind of bill a simple yes or no vote it would have passed with support from both parties and, today, it would be the law. But for a year-and-a-half now Republican leaders in the House have refused to allow that simple vote," said the president. "Now, I continue to believe that the best way to solve this problem is by working together to pass that kind of common sense law. But until that happens, there are actions I have the legal authority to take as president, the same kinds of actions taken by Democratic and Republican presidents before me, that will help make our immigration system more fair and more just." Some House Republicans who oppose Obama's executive action have suggested they could use an upcoming government funding bill to block the money needed for the president's proposal. The deadline for that bill is Dec. 11 and, if it is not funded, it could create a situation similar to the government shutdown that occurred last year. In response to Obama's remarks, many top Republicans made statements indicating they would support congressional efforts to block his plan. On Thursday afternoon, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), who will head the GOP majority in the Senate when the new Congress begins next year, issued a statement on Obama's proposal. McConnell vowed the new Republican-led Senate and House majority would take action against Obama's order when they take office. "If President Obama acts in defiance of the people and imposes his will on the country, Congress will act," McConnell said. "We’re considering a variety of options. But make no mistake. When the newly elected representatives of the people take their seats, they will act." A little over an hour before the president's address, Republican House Speaker John Boehner released a video wherein he reiterated his argument Obama was acting like an "emperor" by taking executive action rather than working with Congress on immigration reform. Following the president's address Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama), who has suggested Republicans should use the funding bill to block Obama's plan, issued a statement outlining his vision for this strategy. "The President’s unconstitutional action is a direct threat to our Republican system of government and will have catastrophic consequences for the American people. It must be stopped. And the way to stop it is by using Congress’ power of the purse," said Sessions. "The House should send the Senate a government funding bill which ensures no funds can be spent for this unlawful purpose. If [Democratic Majority Leader Harry] Reid’s Senate Democrats vote to surrender their own institution to an imperial dictate and block the measure, then the House should send a short-term funding measure so the new GOP majority can be sworn in and pass a funding bill with the needed language." Short-term funding bills would extend the Dec. 11 deadline while keeping the threat of a shutdown alive. Republicans could theoretically use this as leverage to extract modifications to Obama's proposal or the Senate immigration reform bill. However, Democrats might assume voters would blame Republicans for any eventual shutdown and refuse to bend in the face of these threats. In his speech, Obama broke his executive action down into three parts. Firstly, he said it would provide "additional resources" for border security to "stem the flow of illegal crossings and speed the return of those who do cross over." Secondly, he said it would "make it easier and faster for high-skilled immigrants graduates and entrepreneurs to stay and contribute to our economy." Lastly, Obama said it would "take steps to deal responsibly with the millions of undocumented immigrants who already live in our country." Obama elaborated on this third point and attempted to address his critics. He stressed that those who "broke our immigration laws" still "must be held accountable" and said this would allow the government to better focus resources on deporting "dangerous" undocumented immigrants who are "actual threats to our security." Obama said his plan would allow qualified people who have been here over five years, pass criminal background checks, and pay their "fair share" of taxes to "come out of the shadows and get right with the law." The president noted opponents of immigration reform describe it as "amnesty." He argued the "real amnesty" would be continuing the current "broken system." Obama also claimed it would not be feasible to deport all of the undocumented immigrants living in the country. "Mass amnesty would be unfair. Mass deportation would be both impossible and contrary to our character. What I’m describing is accountability — a common-sense, middle-ground approach," said Obama. "If you meet the criteria, you can come out of the shadows and get right with the law. If you’re a criminal, you’ll be deported. If you plan to enter the U.S. illegally, your chances of getting caught and sent back just went up." According to the Washington Post, the president's executive action will affect about 3.7 million undocumented immigrants. Following Obama's speech, Boehner, the Republican House speaker, issued a statement where he suggested the president was acting unconstitutionally and the GOP has a "duty" to respond. "By ignoring the will of the American people, President Obama has cemented his legacy of lawlessness and squandered what little credibility he had left. His ‘my way or the highway’ approach makes it harder to build the trust with the American people that is necessary to get things done on behalf of the country," said Boehner. "Republicans are left with the serious responsibility of upholding our oath of office. We will not shrink from this duty, because our allegiance lies with the American people. We will listen to them, work with our members, and protect the Constitution." In his speech, the president stressed he ultimately wants a "more permanent legislative solution." He also offered a simple solution to Republican critics of his executive action. "To those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill," he said. Obama also discouraged the GOP from pushing for a shutdown in response to his decision to use executive power. "Don’t let a disagreement over a single issue be a dealbreaker on every issue. That’s not how our democracy works, and Congress certainly shouldn’t shut down our government again just because we disagree on this," said Obama. "Americans are tired of gridlock. What our country needs from us right now is a common purpose — a higher purpose." After outlining the details of his plan and addressing his opponents, Obama praised many of the country's immigrants as hard workers who make a vital contribution to the society. "Over the past few years, I have seen the determination of immigrant fathers who worked two or three jobs without taking a dime from the government, and at risk any moment of losing it all, just to build a better life for their kids. I’ve seen the heartbreak and anxiety of children whose mothers might be taken away from them just because they didn’t have the right papers," Obama said, adding, "These people –- our neighbors, our classmates, our friends –- they did not come here in search of a free ride or an easy life. They came to work, and study, and serve in our military, and above all, contribute to America’s success." He concluded by saying his proposal is in line with the American "ideal." "Scripture tells us that we shall not oppress a stranger, for we know the heart of a stranger –- we were strangers once, too. My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants," said Obama. "What makes us Americans is our shared commitment to an ideal — that all of us are created equal, and all of us have the chance to make of our lives what we will."
This post was updated continuously throughout the president's speech. It was last updated at 9:41 p.m. SEE ALSO: Here's Hillary Clinton's Reaction To Obama's Big Immigration Speech Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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CAMERA SHOOTOUT: iPhone 6 Plus Takes On The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 And Nexus 6 | ||
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Smartphone cameras have become so advanced, they've come to replace digital cameras for many people. But not all smartphone cameras were created equal. Apple, Samsung, and Motorola have all put a ton of effort into perfecting the camera on their flagship smartphones. Over the years, Samsung has added a ton of editing features, and Apple has added new shooting modes such as panoramic shooting and time lapse. The Nexus 6, Google's latest phone built by Motorola, is said to have the best camera of any Nexus phone yet. The iPhone 6 Plus comes with an eight-megapixel camera, while the Galaxy Note 4 comes with a 16-megapixel camera and the Nexus 6 uses a 13-megapixel camera. We've taken a bunch of photos with all three phones to illustrate exactly how they compare. (NOTE: All photos were taken at the same place during the same time with the camera set to Auto. The only exception is the low-light image, which was set to No Flash.) Here's a photo taken on Fifth Avenue with the iPhone 6 Plus. It's pretty sharp, and the colors are really bold. It looks a bit blue when compared to the Galaxy Note 4's photo. And here's that same photo taken with the Galaxy Note 4. It's the best of the bunch since the image is generally clear and the colors seem accurate. The Nexus 6's photo was the worst of the three. The shot is generally clear, but the upper right corner looks washed out. See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
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Lexus Brought A Gold LF-C2 Concept Car To The 2014 LA Auto Show | ||
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The Lexus LF-C2 Concept is nothing if not interesting. Its bold lines and drop top design wowed the crowd at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. With its angular front headlights and villainous front grille, the LF-C2 will be one of the most eye-catching show cars at the LA Convention center. “This concept shows consumers around the world Lexus’ devotion to emotional designs as well as our passion for an exceptional driving experience," said Lexus group vice president and general manager Jeff Bracken. If and when the LF-C2 makes it over to our show rooms in the next couple of years, it will certainly add a extra level of spice to Lexus' already exciting new lineup. The Lexus LF-C2 Concept explores the design possibilities of a four-seat Lexus roadster. It's for good reason because the concept will likely evolve into the a convertible version of... ... the much lauded Lexus RC coupe. See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
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This Aerial Photography Shows Just How Arresting The Snow Storm In Buffalo Is | ||
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Buffalo's historic snow storm, dubbed "Winter Storm Knife," has been blamed for the deaths of at least eight people since it began on Monday, often by cutting off their access to help in emergency situations. The city in upstate New York typically sees around seven feet of snow throughout its winter; already more than five feet have fallen in just a few days. Derek Gee, chief photographer at The Buffalo News, has taken breathtaking aerial photos of the wintry weather’s arresting impact on the area, which we have run with his permission.
The storm paralyzed 140 miles of I-90, the main highway crossing New York State. More than 100 drivers were at one time stranded in their cars, some for as long as 36 hours. Emergency crews worked around the clock to free them.
Sporting events to have been hosted by home teams in Buffalo were postponed, including Friday's Sabres (NHL) game and Sunday's Bills (NFL) game.
Roofs, porches, and even homes have collapsed under the weight of feet of snow.
New York State Electric and Gas Corp. reported that 72 customers lost electricity Wednesday night.
The snow is the result of "thundersnow," a phenomenon caused when wet air from Lake Erie encounters the colder atmosphere over Buffalo.
Wednesday saw some respite in the snowfall, but authorities still received 12 calls from people finding themselves stuck.
Some emergency calls have been met by authorities using snowmobiles.
“Mother Nature is showing us who's boss once again," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday. "This is an historic event. When all is said and done, this snowstorm will break all sorts of records, and that's saying something in Buffalo.”
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