Stewart Butterfield Says His Insanely Popular App Slack Is 'Terrible' Today | ||
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Slack an app that lets coworkers chat with one another has been taking the enterprise world by storm. Launched to the public in February, Slack has nabbed more 300,000 people as users, 73,000 of them paid users, and recently raised $120 million in investment, making the startup worth $1.12 billion. You'd think that its popularity would be validating to the man responsible for it, Stewart Butterfield who, prior to Slack, was best known as a cofounder of Flickr. Not so. In an interview with MIT Technology Review, when asked about if he was working to improve Slack, he answered with refreshing honesty: Oh, God, yeah. I try to instill this into the rest of the team but certainly I feel that what we have right now is just a giant piece of shit. Like, it’s just terrible and we should be humiliated that we offer this to the public. Not everyone finds that motivational, though. Disclosure: The Business Insider tech team uses Slack every day. We probably wouldn't describe the app in quite so salty of terms, but he's right that it's just a basic chat room that could be improved a lot. We have to warn him, though, the basic-ness of it is what we like. Too many layers would turn Slack into something like a Yammer (in other words, spoil it). Still, Butterfield tells MIT the Slack folks are working on some things that could be awesome: the ability to "favorite" comments, and something that helps you manage chat overload (too many comments and missing the important ones). The fact that Slack emerged almost by accident might protect it. Butterfield and his then-company Tiny Speck invented Slack when they were working on a game called Glitch. Glitch was a flop, but the tool the team built to talk to each other became winner. So if the team continues to use Slack to communicate about building Slack, that would be a winning combination. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Elon Musk On Tesla's Gigafactory: We Didn't Manipulate Nevada Into Anything (TSLA) | ||
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has responded to critics of his plans to build a battery "gigafactory" in Nevada. Musk defended his company's plans in a blog post entitled "The House Always Wins," a reference to casino gambling. "There have been several articles recently implying that Tesla, through clever machinations, maneuvered Nevada into providing an overly large incentive package for the Gigafactory," said Musk. "I love backhanded compliments as much as the next person, but this is untrue." Musk was presumably referring to an investigative report in Fortune that detailed how several states competed to build the factory by offering various incentives. Musk noted that the state incentives for Tesla's factory were approved unanimously by Nevada's legislature. "The deal is not merely slightly good for the people of Nevada, it is extremely good," said Musk. The Tesla CEO denied receiving any cash from the state, but did acknowledge that his company had recieved a parcel of land from the deal. "If you have been to Nevada, you will notice that there is quite a lot of extra land with nobody on it," he said. "This is not in short supply." Musk said Nevada's contributions would only cover a small portion of the Gigafactory's cost. "Of the $5 billion investment needed to bring the Gigafactory to full production in five years, state incentives will cover about 5%," he said. That would value Nevada's contribution at about $250 million. The Fortune article said the "tally" for Nevada was $1.4 billion. Musk also revealed that Nevada didn't write Tesla a blank check, so to speak. "All of the incentives approved by the legislature are performance based," he said. "We must execute according to plan to receive them, meaning that, while the state and Tesla both share the upside, only Tesla suffers the downside." SEE ALSO: How Elon Musk Cleverly Manipulated 7 States To Compete For Tesla's Huge Factory Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Tina Fey's New Show Picked Up By Netflix | ||
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Tina Fey's newest show has a new home before it even moved into the old one. "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" was canceled from NBC and shortly after, picked up by Netflix, according to Deadline Hollywood. It is set to debut in March on Netflix, which is around the same time it was supposed to happen on NBC. “The very construct of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt — its offbeat premise, hilarious and rich characters and serialized storytelling — make it a perfect Netflix comedy series,” Cindy Holland, VP of Original Content at Netflix told Deadline Hollywood. “Tina and Robert’s unique comic voice and sensibility come through in this series and we could not be more excited to present Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt exclusively to Netflix members around the world.” Deadline Hollywood describes the series: "After living in a cult for fifteen years, Kimmy decides to reclaim her life and start over in New York City. Armed with just a backpack, light-up sneakers, and a couple of way-past-due library books, she’s ready to take on a world she didn’t even think existed anymore. Wide-eyed but resilient, nothing is going to stand in her way. She quickly finds a new job (working for 30 Rock’s Jane Krakowski), a new roommate (Tituss Burgess, 30 Rock), and a new beginning. The cast also includes Lauren Adams, Sara Chase, Sol Miranda and Emmy winner Carol Kane (Taxi, The Princess Bride)." Tina Fey and Robert Carlock created the series. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Europe Can't Split Google In Two Anyway, These Antitrust Experts Say (GOOG) | ||
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The European parliament is thinking about making a ruling that Google split off its search engine from other parts of its business, according to a report today in the Financial Times. But we were wondering: how can Europe order an American company to break apart? How would that even work? "I don't know," answered Herbert Hovenkamp, a law professor at the University of Iowa who is considered one of the leading American experts on European antitrust law. "I think it’d be very difficult for Google to disaggregate all its own assets and interests from Google Search just in Europe. I'm not saying it couldn’t do it, but it would be costly. You’d get a lot of squawking from European consumers because it would deteriorate the quality of Google search quite a bit." That's because Google uses its own products to provide quick answers to certain kinds of queries. (It must be noted that Hovenkamp did some work for Google in 2010 during its dispute with the American Federal Trade Commission, but hasn't worked for them since.) Keith Hylton, an law professor at Boston University, agrees. "The European Parliament has no authority to break up Google – and I’m surprised that this sort of legislation isn’t considered unfair, since it targets one entity for punishment." However, Hylton thinks Google would be wise to take the threat seriously. "Expect a much harsher deal than Google worked out earlier with the previous EC competition commissioner Almunia. That earlier deal was a laughable outcome in which Google was poised to make more money from the remedy than it would have made without EC intervention." Regulators in Europe have been looking at Google closely for a few years now, concerned that the company is using its search dominance to guide users to its own products and away from competing products, as well as generally playing unfair in the advertising market. But both professors think that the American Federal Trade Commission had the right idea when it looked at Google, found no wrongdoing, and closed its investigation. The reason? Unlike the case with Microsoft in the 1990s, where consumers paid for Windows on new PCs and faced some technical barriers in switching to a new operating system, using Google search is free and it's easy for people to switch search engines. "If a customer doesn’t like a particular search engine they can switch to different one," says Hovenkamp. "The thing about bias with respect to Google assets or interests, that problem can be addressed by requiring Google to post a note or symbol" — for instance, YouTube results could be clearly marked as coming from Google. "My view is this is problem that can be addressed with something much more modest and less reactionary," he added.
SEE ALSO: Here's Why Europe Is Thinking Of Splitting Google Up Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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You Can Sleep In A Giant Dog For $98 A Night On Airbnb | ||
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"Stay in a giant dog!" the listing says. "That's right, it's a beagle-shaped one-unit inn where being in this doghouse is a GOOD thing and comfortable to boot!" The structure was built by two artists who got their big break selling wooden dog carvings on QVC. They used the money they made to build the Dog Bark Park, where they continue to make dog carvings. The inn sleeps four and includes a continental breakfast and free parking. One night's lodging costs $98 — a small price to pay for a stay in the belly of a giant beagle. Dogs are welcome. Once you go inside, you'll see dog memorabilia everywhere.
SEE ALSO: Airbnb Is Releasing Its Own Print Magazine — Here's What It Looks Like Inside WE'RE ON INSTAGRAM: Click Here To Follow Us Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Airbnb prides itself on offering an alternative experience for travelers, and 
You can catch up on some reading in this cozy nook.
There's even a giant red fire hydrant in the front yard.
Don't forget to stop by the gift shop on the way out.
Teens Are Tweeting Unappealing Photos Of Their School Lunches With The Hashtag #ThanksMichelleObama | ||
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A new trending topic #ThanksMichelleObama is popping up all over Twitter, but the sentiment is anything but gracious. Teenagers who are unhappy with their school lunches are snapping pictures of the food and tweeting them along with the hashtag. "Hunter Whitney, a student at Wisconsin’s Richmond Center High School, said this dish is called “Spanish rice” and that students aren’t supplied with salt," Buzzfeed reports. Other teens have chimed in with their own photos. The lunches comply with new USDA regulations which Michelle Obama has largely supported in her quest to end childhood obesity. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Your Facebook App Is Quietly Clogging Up Your iPhone | ||
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We discovered that the Facebook app for the iPhone is taking up way too much space on your phone. The video above explains in much more depth and tells you how to solve the problem, but it's still annoying. Produced by Matthew Stuart. Special thanks to Matt Johnston. Follow BI Video: On Twitter Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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The Surprising Facts About Who Shops Online And On Mobile | ||
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But who are these shoppers driving the trend of buying online and on mobile devices? It's important for retailers to know who their potential customers are online in order to market to them effectively. Here are some of the most important takeaways about who shops online:
Access The Full Report by Signing Up For A Free Trial Today >> In full, the report:
For full access to all BI Intelligence's reports, charts, and newsletters covering the e-commerce industry, sign up and get started. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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In the first quarter of 2014, 198 million U.S. consumers bought something online, according to Here's Why Europe Wants To Break Up Google (GOOG) | ||
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The European parliament is considering a motion that would suggest Google unbundle its search engine from its other products, The Financial Times reported this afternoon. Although the parliament doesn't have the power to split up Google (or any company for that matter), this dramatic move would put political pressure on the European Union to double-down on the antitrust investigation that it has been conducting against Google for the last four years. European concern about Google stems from the fact that the company has huge market share in Europe — about 90%, versus around 68% in the US. Some believe that it abuses that dominance by downgrading the search results of its rivals. When the antitrust investigation first launched in 2010, now-former VP of the European Commission Joaquin Almunia listed four main areas of concern:
Yelp, for example, has argued that Google pushes down its results in favor of its own properties (like Google+ reviews), even when Google's websites offer lower quality search results. In February of this year, Google nearly settled the European antirust case by promising it would give its rivals more prominence in specialized search results and would allow competitors like Yelp to stop Google from using their content, without pushing down their organic links. There was no fine against Google and the Commission ultimately found that it was not an illegal business. Competitors and other critics didn't think that solution was harsh enough. "We do not believe Google has any intention of holding themselves to account on these proposals," David Wood, legal counsel for a trade group representing Microsoft and other rivals, told The New York Times. The "very, very negative" response from a lot of different sources prompted the European Commission to re-open the case in September. German justice minister Heiko Maas demanded that Google reveal how its search algorithm works, in order to protect consumers and prove it doesn't favor its own products. EU Commissioner Almunia has also suggested that it may launch an investigation into Android, Google's mobile operating system, which runs on about 75% of all new smartphones sold in Europe. Google, for its part, strongly maintains that it doesn't promote its own products at the expense of its competitors, it just tries to give the best results. In a speech in Berlin in October, former Google CEO and current executive chairman Eric Schmidt tried to justify Google's results by wants to be able to provide users with the most direct answers to any question they may ask. The EU is investigating Google because other companies have complained that the search engine favors its own results, and Schmidt argues that it's because Google just wants to be as direct as possible and save users from having to click around. "Put simply, we created search for users, not websites," he says. "And that’s the motivation behind all our improvements over the last decade." The anti-trust case isn't the only instance of Google clashing with the EU. In June, Google was forced to start enacting the EU's "right to be forgotten" ruling. The ruling says individuals can request to have Google stop linking to websites, news stories, and items that are "inadequate, irrelevant, or no longer relevant." Opponents of this legislation — including Google — believe that it's akin to censorship. SEE ALSO: Here's Everything Google Knows About You Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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CHART OF THE DAY: Apple Has Nearly A Billion Payment Cards On File (AAPL) | ||
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Having payment card information is crucial for keeping customers within one’s ecosystem, and the biggest tech companies have done a great job at convincing people that their services for sending/receiving payments and purchasing goods are trustworthy and worthwhile. But no company has more cards on file than Apple. Based on estimates charted for us by BI Intelligence, Apple is nearing a billion iTunes accounts on file, and that number is likely to surge immensely. Customers in China can now link their UnionPay payment cards to their Apple IDs: For context, UnionPay is the largest card network in the world with more cards in circulation than Visa and MasterCard combined. (Not on this list: Uber, which has north of 12 million 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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By The Time Europe Finally Gets Around To Breaking Up Google, There's A Good Chance It Won't Matter (GOOG) | ||
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As Europe considers splitting Google into two companies, it's worth remembering what happened the last time a government tried to break up a dominant tech company. Last time around it was Microsoft, which dominated personal computers. In the 1990s, as the web took off, the only way most people could get online was with a PC. More than 95% of PCs shipped with Microsoft Windows. In 1995, Microsoft bundled its web browser, Internet Explorer, with Windows. Over the next few years IE became the dominant browser, and the main gateway to the Internet. Netscape, the pioneer in the space, basically became irrelevant. (It was bought by AOL and later open sourced and used as the basis of Firefox.) Competitors complained, and the Department of Justice stepped in with a formal investigation. The government also looked at a bunch of other things, like what Microsoft did with its own version of Sun's Java technology (then commonly used to make interactive web pages) and how it pressured PC makers to support its favored technology. In March 2000, the judge in the case, Thomas Penfield Jackson, did what Europe is considering doing to Google today. He ruled that Microsoft should split into two companies — one that made Windows, and another that made everything else. Fast forward 14 years. Microsoft no longer dominates computing. So the government's antitrust investigation worked, right? Sort of. A lot of Microsoft insiders say that its antitrust battles did make the company more timid. For instance, before the antitrust problems, Microsoft might have considered bundling its search engine, Bing, into Windows. But there was no way Microsoft would even consider doing that afterwards. Microsoft also stopped paying attention to IE, allowing competitors like Firefox and Google's Chrome to horn in. It's no longer the number one browser. There was also a lot more bureaucracy put into place — certain decisions had to pass through more legal reviews, employees had to get trained on legal considerations, and so on. This may have contributed to a slower-moving culture that failed to innovate as quickly as it needed to. But consider the following:
Google is incredibly powerful. Search drives a lot of web traffic, and Google absolutely dominates that market. Google dominates web advertising, mobile operating systems, and online video as well, and Chrome is now the number-one desktop web browser. Regulators should absolutely look at how Google is using that power and step in with forceful targeted penalties if they find abuse. But in the end, the disruption to Google's business will come from an unexpected place. Most of Google's revenue still comes from search advertising through a web browser. So maybe Facebook or another company will dominate mobile advertising before Google has a chance to. Maybe users will conduct web searches within particular mobile apps rather than turning to Google's web browser. Or, more likely, some company or business we can't even imagine yet will make search a lot less relevant. Antitrust is a blunt, slow-moving instrument. By the time regulators actually figure out what to do to stop Google from using search to dominate other businesses, search probably won't matter that much anyway. SEE ALSO: The EU Wants To Break Up Google Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Uber Grew 369% And Generated $10.7 Million Of Revenue In A Single Day — Here's How | ||
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The biggest day of the year for ride-sharing startup Uber is always New Year's Eve. On New Year's Eve, December 31, 2013, the company generated $10.7 million in gross revenue, a staggering 369% increase from New Year's Eve in 2012. Uber keeps roughly 20%, so that's $2.14 million in net revenue. How did Uber generate almost $11 million in a single day? An internal document obtained by Business Insider last week has a bunch of stats that explain. The highlights:
Here are the number of trips completed in some of Uber's largest markets on December 31, 2013:
And here's how many of those trips had surge pricing attached to them on NYE 2013. Now let's look at city-by-city revenue breakdown on Uber's $10.7 million day.
Three cities generated more than $1 million in gross revenue for Uber that day: Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. DC missed $1 million by a hair ($918,918). Total gross revenue on New Years Eve grew 367% from 2012 ($2.28 million) to 2013 ($10.7 million).
And if you really want to geek out on the data, here's city-by-city New Year's Eve revenue from 2012 and 2013. Note, the million-dollar cities are extreme outliers. The median was only $22,000.
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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The Sleek Panther Drone Is The Perfect Way To Start Flying [55% Off] | ||
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Drones have been one of the most popular topics this year, and the Panther Spy Drone is a great way to start flying. It comes with a camera for photos and video, so you can take a family portrait, or film that backyard football game before Thanksgiving dinner.
The drone is lightweight and the blades are encased so you don't have to worry about inflicting damage as you learn to fly. It's powered by 4 AA batteries and it comes with a 1GB micro SD. Get 55% off The Panther Drone ($110). Full specs below:
Get 55% off The Panther Drone ($110). SEE ALSO: This Smartphone Breathalyzer Will Keep You From Embarrassing Yourself At The Company Party [14% Off] Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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This Teen Went From Being A Die-Hard YouTube Fan To A Star With Thousands Of Fans | ||
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19-year-old Issa "Twaimz" Tweimeh has been a die-hard fan of YouTuber Shane Dawson for years. With more than 6 million subscribers, 1 billion views, and a brand-new movie, Dawson is a favorite in the YouTube community. Last year, Twaimz went to VidCon, an annual conference for YouTube creators, and waited in line for more than four hours in the hopes of getting a chance to meet Dawson. When he finally got to the front, he presented Dawson with a picture he had drawn of the YouTube star's dog. Dawson loved it so much that he gave Twaimz a shout-out at the end of his next video. "I went home that day and was so inspired," Twaimz told Business Insider. "I thought, 'I want to be in that place. I want to be inspiring people.'" In April, Twaimz created a YouTube account and started uploading videos about his life. In the seven months since then, he's accumulated more than 255,000 subscribers and 5 million views. He's now being represented by YouTube network Fullscreen. He says fans have started recognizing him in public, too, following him in groups around the mall and saying hi to him on the street. Twaimz and his family are still adjusting to his newfound fame. He's also learning how to use his channel to get a message across — he recently uploaded a video about why it's wrong to use the word "gay" as an insult. "My parents are a little more conservative. I think they're kind of unaware of the impact of social networks. The Internet now vs. 10 years ago ... it's really different," he said. "I'm really grateful for my fans. I want to try to inspire people." SEE ALSO: YouTube Superstar Michelle Phan Shares Her Tips For Building A Social Media Brand Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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17 Top Executives Share Their Favorite Interview Question | ||
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Interview questions like, "What's your biggest strength?" and, "What's you biggest weakness?" aren't as telling as they seem. That's probably why most savvy CEOs and executives steer clear of these cliché queries and instead ask more meaningful ones. In fact, many top execs have their one favorite go-to question that reveals everything they need to know about a job candidate. Some prefer to ask more serious questions, while others believe that silly queries about costumes and the zombie apocalypse, for instance, best uncover an applicant's creativity. This is an updated article originally written by Alison Griswold and Vivian Giang. On a scale of one to 10, how weird are you? One of Zappos' core values is to "create fun and a little weirdness," Tony Hsieh, CEO of the company, tells Business Insider. To make sure he hires candidates with the right fit, Hsieh typically asks the question: "On a scale of one to 10, how weird are you?" He says the number isn't too important, but it's more about how people answer the question. Nonetheless, if "you're a one, you probably are a little bit too straight-laced for the Zappos culture," he says. "If you're a 10, you might be too psychotic for us." Another question Zappos usually asks candidates is: "On a scale of one to 10, how lucky are you in life?" Again, the number doesn't matter too much, but if you're a one, you don't know why bad things happen to you (and probably blame others a lot). And if you're a 10, you don't understand why good things always seem to happen to you (and probably lack confidence). What didn't you get a chance to include on your résumé? Virgin Group founder Richard Branson explains in his new book "The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership," that he isn't a fan of the traditional job interview, reports Business Insider's Richard Feloni. "Obviously a good CV is important, but if you were going to hire by what they say about themselves on paper, you wouldn't need to waste time on an interview," Branson writes. That's why he likes to ask: What didn't you get a chance to include on your résumé? How would you describe yourself in one word? The best candidates are the ones who know exactly who they are. That's why Dara Richardson-Heron, CEO of women's organization YWCA, always asks her candidates this question. Richardson-Heron says she doesn't judge people on the word they choose, but it does give her insight into how people package themselves. She tells Adam Bryant at The New York Times that she likes when people take time to ponder the question and answer thoughtfully. See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
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Twitter Engineer Turned VC Mike Abbott: How To Get In On A Multi-Billion Market | ||
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Before that he was known for his engineering roles at Palm and Microsoft, for a couple of startups he co-founded, and for some angel investing. He's been a VC at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers since 2011 and lately he's been focused on the area known as "big data." Here he shares his thoughts on this hot technology which lets businesses collect massive amounts of data (everything from documents to tweets) and sift through it all to instantly find insights. Much of this advice is good for any startup. Launching Your Big Data StartupBig data keeps getting bigger. Last year, VC firms invested $3.6 billion – 75 percent of what they invested in the previous five years combined. The pace has continued this year, with several firms announcing new funding rounds in the tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars. For aspiring big data entrepreneurs, it’s exciting – and intimidating. I meet a lot of smart, talented engineers who want to work in big data but don’t know where to start. I tell them to focus on an area where you can have a big impact, including feature engineering, mining email for B2B, applications for CRM, data governance, vertical integration, health care solutions – big data can drive health care savings of $300B according to a recent study – and tying into existing consumer properties such as Facebook or LinkedIn to drive sales leads. Other areas, like data visualization or databases, are important but saturated, though there may be an opportunity to build next-generation databases using time series data. Still others, like personalization technology, are better for established companies like Google and Facebook that have the data to train their image and voice recognition models. Once you focus and develop your big data idea, how do you turn that idea into a company? Turning Your Big Data Idea into a CompanyMy advice in brief: be a painkiller rather than a vitamin, build and sell for enterprise customers, and remember that even with big data, less can be more. Be a Painkiller, Not a VitaminLike so many entrepreneurs, I love the technical challenge of programming. I started coding in fourth grade and have never stopped. So I understand how founders can be enchanted by the technical wizardry behind their products, especially in fields like data and machine learning. But the corporate customers who are deciding whether to buy the product will be asking a set of questions with a very different focus. Questions like: What’s the ROI here? Will your proposed solution integrate well with our business culture? Will it help move my production workloads? One way to stay focused is to remind yourself to be a painkiller, not a vitamin. Vitamins are great, but painkillers are vital. Use technology to build a product that customers need – now. I always ask founders in our first meeting why they made certain technical decisions. If you don’t know why you selected a particular technology and how your decision helps the customer, I would be hard-pressed to back your company. Build and Sell for the EnterpriseStartups need to sell. In big data and machine learning, most customers will be enterprise customers. And most startups greatly underestimate what it means to be enterprise-ready. My two bits of advice: First, if you’re an engineer, be sure to work closely with a product person, business person, or CIO so that you understand what it really means to sell to the enterprise. As a venture investor, I often introduce people to one another for precisely this purpose. Second, manage the gap between perception and reality. There are so many possibilities for big data, but there is also a lot of hype. Manage the expectations of CMOs and CIOs so that you do not under-deliver at the start of what may otherwise be a lucrative long-term relationship. Understand the “Why” of Data StorageWe all know how easy and efficient it is to store data today. In three decades, the cost of storing a gigabyte has gone from thousands of dollars to a few pennies. But now people have a tendency to store data without knowing how they want to use it. At some point, you enter a “data obesity” state where data storage, maintenance, and upkeep cost too much and slow you down. Even in a data-driven world, you shouldn’t default to storing every bit of data. Instead, stop and ask yourself: Do I have an idea of how I or somebody else in my company wants to use this data in the future? Data storage still consumes energy and resources. Before you store data, consider whether it will ever help you make a decision or deliver a product or service. Whether it is the onrush of data from sensors, advances in machine learning and deep-belief nets, or new modes of virtual reality, we are swimming in new information and need to imagine what will create the next wave of extracting knowledge and insights from all of it. As I learned at Twitter, building tools that allow more people to access and ask questions of the data enables everyone to make better decisions more quickly. As an investor, I often wonder: What are the new opportunities that will be created that we haven’t even thought of? SEE ALSO: The 25 Best Tech Employers For Women [Ranked] Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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In the Valley, Mike Abbott is known as the former vice president of engineering at Twitter who grew the team from 80 to more than 350 engineers and cured its "Failed Whale" problem. Meet The Female Pinterest Engineer Who Forced Tech Companies To Release Their Diversity Numbers | ||
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Chou “can now do with a line of code what a master brain surgeon can do with a rongeur,” Nathan Heller writes in Vogue. But her fate as a star programmer was not sealed from the beginning. Despite growing up in Silicon Valley as the child of two programmers and spending long afternoons at her parents' startup, she briefly considered a career in marketing. But when Facebook called her in for a software-engineering internship in college, her natural talent and mastery of the skills that she had learned as a computer science major at Stanford kick-started her career in engineering. She went on to intern at Google with some of the most elite programming staff in the country, for before ultimately joining Quora, as an early hire and joining Pinterest in 2011. In 2012 she was named one of the most 25 Powerful Women Engineers In Tech. One thing Chou noticed during her rapid climb to the top however, was how few women she encountered. She knew the tech industry was male dominated, but she was too focused on her budding career to attempt to tackle the problem head on. That all changed last year when she attended the Grace Hopper Celebration, an annual conference dedicated to fostering the work of women in computing. "The general sense I was getting was 'There aren’t enough women; the numbers are really bad,'" she says. "But where was the proof?" She decided to put her unparalleled programming talent to use solving the problem with a data oriented approach. She knew that gathering hard numbers on the issue would force companies and hiring managers to acknowledge the problem. So she wrote a blog post calling on tech companies across the country to release their diversity data. The results were not encouraging. Less than 9% of Mozilla’s engineers were women, and Facebook and Yahoo employed only 15%. Certain companies couldn’t even count one woman on their engineering team. The results astounded the industry and she gained immediate fame for calling corporations out on their lack of female engineering staff and holding tech companies accountable for their abysmal lack of female engineers. “I knew of her before I knew her,” a female programmer tells Vogue. Girls swarmed to take photos of her at last year’s the Grace Hopper conference. Since her initial call, waves of tech companies have begun making internal diversity data public and it seems to have elicited direct change. In just the past year, Pinterest's female engineering staff has grown from 12 percent to 17 percent. It's a small step, but one in the right direction. You can read the entire profile of Tracy Chou in Vogue. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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THE EU WANTS TO BREAK UP GOOGLE (GOOG) | ||
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The European Union is planning its most aggressive move yet to curb Google's growing power. According to the FT, the European parliament is considering a motion that would suggest Google unbundle its search engine from its other products. Google executives are said to be "furious" about the proposal, which they only found out about a couple days ago. The big concern is that nearly everybody uses Google for search — it's got well over 90% share in Europe. In 2011, some smaller specialized search companies complained that Google moved them down in search results so that users wouldn't easily be able to find them. Microsoft also complained that Google had done things like make it hard for Bing to search Google's YouTube, and blocked advertisers from accessing data. The EU has been investigating on and off ever since. The parliament doesn't have the power to order Google to split up on its own, but could pressure antitrust regulators, who have been investigating Google for more than three years now. The concern is that Google uses its search dominance to squeeze out search results that would guide people to potential competitors. Germany has been most aggressive toward Google, and its justice minister called on the company to publish exactly how it ranks search results. Today, a German member of the European parliament, Andreas Schwab, who is one of the backers of the motion, said that "unbundling cannot be excluded." Google and the EU were said to be reaching a deal earlier this year, but Microsoft and some other competitors argued against it, and the EU reopened its investigation in September. The European parliament will agree on final language for the proposal next week and is expected to vote on it next Thursday. Read the whole thing at the FT >> Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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What Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, And 11 Other Tech Visionaries Were Like In College | ||
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The technology industry is known for having been created by college dropouts like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Larry Ellison, but that doesn't mean these innovators didn't have meaningful undergraduate experiences. Bill Gates became friends with Steve Ballmer at Harvard, Larry Ellison learned he was a pretty good computer programmer at the University of Illinois, and Steve Jobs considered his time at Reed College among the most valuable experiences of his life. Meanwhile, Peter Thiel actually graduated from Stanford, but today he thinks college is such a waste of time that he offers $100,000 scholarships to students who want to drop out. What can we say, everyone's experience is different. Larry Page, University of Michigan Google cofounder and CEO Larry Page had been a quiet child growing up in East Lansing, Michigan, but he began to find his footing socially while attending the University of Michigan during the early 90s. There, he made friends with other students who loved technology and became editor of a newsletter put out by Eta Kappa Nu, an electrical and computer engineering honor society, according to a Business Insider story earlier this year. BI's Nicholas Carlson reports that Page also developed a reputation for prescient predictions about the future — such as when he realized that cheaper hard drives would make PCs a lot more useful — and a desire to solve big problems regardless of whether the technology existed to do so. Elon Musk, University of Pennsylvania PayPal cofounder and Tesla CEO Elon Musk studied physics and business at the University of Pennsylvania, transferring from Queen's University in Canada following his sophomore year. Musk's housemate at the University of Pennsylvania, Adeo Ressi, recalls at a 2010 event held by TheFunded.com that Musk did not drink and was "the biggest dork I've ever met." Meanwhile, The New Yorker reports Musk loved first-person shooter video games, and he was so focused on his schoolwork that his mother would check on him to make sure he was eating and changing his socks every day, according to a 2012 Forbes story. But in addition to all that studying and gaming, Penn's alumni magazine reports that Musk and Ressi made money by charging other students to attend parties they threw at their house. Marissa Mayer, Stanford University Yahoo president and CEO Marissa Mayer was already an overachiever by the time she enrolled at Stanford in 1993, having served as president of her high school's Spanish club, treasurer of its Key Club, and captain of both the debate team and pom-pom squad. This intense focus on achievement continued in Palo Alto, where a former classmate describes her as having been "very smart and very serious," according to Business Insider's Nicholas Carlson. Carlson reports that Mayer wavered from her initial plan to become a doctor, finding that she preferred the problem-solving skills used in computer programming to the rote memorization needed to succeed in pre-med classes. As an upperclassmen, Mayer excelled teaching younger students in her symbolic systems major, a course of study that combines linguistics, philosophy, cognitive psychology, and computer science classes. See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
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Hackers Just Exposed Thousands Of Gamer Passwords From Sony, Microsoft, And 2K | ||
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A hacker group by the name of DerpTrolling claims to have hacked the PlayStation Network, Windows Live, and 2K Games Studios platforms, posting many of the username/password combinations on Pastebin to prove it. According to CNET, the Pastebin link includes usernames and passwords for 2,131 PlayStation Network users, 1,473 Windows Live users, and 2,000 2k Game Studios users. The hacking group had previously said it didn’t want to leak customer data, but explained why it changed its mind in the Pastebin document. "We were advised by one of our friends over at RedHack to make adjustments in our operations," the DerpTrolling member said. "A show of force from us, would be an attack on 2K that would be very similar to our attacks on Blizzard. Like I said, DerpTrolling in no way wants to harm our children by leaking such damaging data. It's only a warning to the companies." "We have 800,000 from 2K and 500,000 credit card data. In all of our raids we have a total of around 7 million usernames and passwords," he said. "We have around 2 million Comcast accounts, 620,000 Twitter accounts, 1.2 million credentials belonging to the CIA domain, 200,000 Windows Live accounts, 3 million Facebook, 1.7 million EA origins accounts, etc.” We’ve reached out to Microsoft, Sony, and 2K, and we’ll update this story as soon as we learn more. As we wait for official word from these companies, we strongly advise any users of these platforms change the passwords associated with their accounts. SEE ALSO: How Flip Phones Could Return In A Big Way SEE ALSO: You Can Now Play 'Super Smash Bros.' On A Graphing Calculator Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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An Entrepreneur Who Went To Last Week's Uber Dinner Tells Another Side To Buzzfeed's Story | ||
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An attendee from last week's notorious Uber dinner party has spoken out about what happened that night. In case you missed it, Uber held a dinner, inviting guests like Arianna Huffington, Edward Norton, and BuzzFeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith. At the dinner, Uber's SVP of business, Emil Michael, told Smith about how his company could hire a team of opposition researchers to dig up dirt on journalists critical of the company. Michael specifically mentioned PandoDaily's founder and editor-in-chief Sarah Lacy, who had been critical of the company in the past. Smith reported the news on Monday, and it spread like wildfire. Nicole Campbell, an entrepreneur, was also at that dinner. The way she tells it, the conversation that took place between Michael and Smith wasn't exactly what Smith reported. She says Smith "sensationalized" Michael's comments. It's worth noting Campbell is a friend of Michael, and the two served as White House Fellows together. On Huffington Post, Campbell writes:
SEE ALSO: LEAKED: Internal Uber Deck Reveals Staggering Revenue And Growth Metrics Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Craigslist Slammed On National TV For Selling Dangerous Recalled Products | ||
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An ABC news crew startled Craigslist founder Craig Newmark when they approached him on the street outside his San Francisco home, cameras running, and asked for comment on a big problem with Craiglist. The site was found to be reselling recalled items, some of them dangerous to children, particularly a Bumbo baby seat linked to several horrific infant accidents, according to an ABC News investigation involving 17 ABC stations across the country. Startled by the cameras, Newmark refused comment and walked away. He added that he's no longer in charge of day-to-day operations at the company he founded. That comment was seconded in a blog post by CEO Jim Buckmaster refuting allegations from this news report. Newmark was extremely polite throughout the whole incident, even stopping to greet one of the ABC crew as he left.
But his action is symbolic of Craigslist's part in a big problem. Every year, more than 400 manufacturers issue recalls on products, ABC reports. But that doesn't mean that those items magically disappear from use. They are being resold pretty freely on Craigslist, according to this investigation. eBay and Amazon use technology that block people from advertising recalled items on their sites. When ABC News tried to post an ad for the recalled version of the Bumbo baby seat, Amazon blocked the listing immediately and eBay pulled it down 24 hours later. But on Craigslist, the ad remained until ABC pulled it down itself. Plus, ABC News was able to buy the recalled Bumbo baby seat on Craigslist "again and again," it reported. A Craigslist spokesperson told ABC that selling recalled products is against Craigslist terms of service, and that users can alert Craigslist if they notice a recalled item on the site. The spokesperson also said that the site uses an automated system to help prevent ads of recalled items. But the government's new top safety advocate isn't buying that. The chairman of the Consumer Safety Product Commission, Elliot Kaye, who took the job in July, slammed Craigslist in a TV interview as being “morally irresponsible” for not putting in strong technology filters that block the sale of recalled products. “They do not and will not do it to date,” said Kaye. His office has made repeated requests for Craigslist to use the same filters used by Amazon and eBay. Kaye also wants manufacturers to step it up and do more to make consumers aware of recalled items. In response, Craigslist CEO Buckmaster slammed ABC News, calling this a "hit piece." He wrote: Ignoring email and phone calls from craigslist with our side of this 'story', ABC News chose instead to ambush our largely-retired founder, Craig Newmark, outside his home on November 11. Buckmaster also said that Craigslist had not heard from the Consumer Safety Product Commission for six months. But six months ago, he talked with the commission, outlined what Craigslist was doing to prevent the sale of recalled items and based on those talks, "craigslist has further minimized the posting of recalled items by craigslist users." The results of this investigation, "Recall Roulette" will air Friday, November 21 on "20/20" at 10 p.m. ET. ABC News also reported on the investigation on Good Morning America, which we've posted below. At 2:06 in the video, the report delves into Craigslist's role in the problem and at 2:47, Brian Ross, ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent, surprises Newman outside his home. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Apple Pay Will Work With Square Starting Next Year (AAPL) | ||
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Square will start accepting Apple's new mobile payments system next year, the company's founder and CEO Jack Dorsey just confirmed to CNN Money (via 9to5Mac). While some may have perceived Square and Apple Pay as rivals, Dorsey told CNN he doesn't see it that way. Rather, he wants Square to help businesses accept all types of payment methods, including Apple's. Here's what he told CNN: We're not building a credit card. We're not building a payment device. We're building a [cash] register and this register accepts all forms of payments. As of now, businesses can accept payments through an iPad or iPhone using Square's tiny credit card reader. But in 2015, Square's existing reader will be configured to work with Apple's new payments platform. Apple Pay has caused some discontent among major retailers since its official launch. Some giant retailers have refused to accept the system because they're already committed to a competing platform. Wal-Mart, for example, is a leader of the Customer Merchant Exchange, a group of merchants working on their own payment system called "CurrentC." Apple's new partnership with Square could help it spread its own payments system among small and local businesses. The move also comes as Square announced its plans to roll out its app globally. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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GameStop Is Crashing (GME) | ||
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GameStop reported disappointing earnings on Thursday, and now its stock is crashing. Shares are down 12% today. After the close Thursday, the video game retailer reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $0.57, missing expectations for $0.60. Revenue came in at $2.09 billion, missing expectations for $2.2 billion. Comparable stores sales fell 2.3% in the third quarter. In a statement, GameStop CEO Paul Raines said: "Overall, most of our major product categories performed very well, but our third quarter results were impacted by Assassin’s Creed Unity moving out of October." The company said the "Assassin's Creed" delay affected both top- and bottom-line results in the third quarter. "We believe the negative EPS impact of moving that game was at least $0.05," BMO Capital analyst Edward Williams said. GameStop's guidance for the fourth quarter also disappointed, with the company saying it saw comparable store sales coming in between -5% and +2%. The company expects profit in the fourth quarter to come in between $2.08 and $2.24 per share, below the $2.28 expected by the Street. GameStop also expects to miss profit forecasts for the full year, with the company saying earnings in fiscal 2014 will total $3.40 to $3.55 per share, below the $3.68 expected by Wall Street. Here's the full release from GameStop.
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Jack Ma's Former Home In China Is Now An Office For Lucky Alibaba Employees | ||
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Alibaba founder and CEO Jack Ma may now be worth about $23.8 billion, but he comes from incredibly humble beginnings. Ma grew up poor in communist China, and it took him some time to find his way. He failed his college entrance exam twice and was rejected from dozens of jobs, including one at KFC. Ma was living in a small, six-room apartment in Hangzhou, China when he came up with the idea for Alibaba in 1999. Though the billionaire no longer lives there, that apartment is still a major part of Alibaba work culture today. According to CNBC, Ma has been sending his most talented programmers and product managers to do their work in the apartment. The apartment isn't far from Alibaba's new headquarters, where employees can make use of exercise facilities, basketball courts, foosball, pool tables, and gourmet cafeterias. Still, the 30 employees chosen to work at the small apartment feel lucky to be there. "It's an honor for all people to work here," Alibaba product manager Chen Hang told CNBC's David Faber. Ma's hope is that the environment inspires employees to create the next best Alibaba product. Old pictures of Ma hang on the walls, and a handwritten note reads, "The core of the company is to grow and grow." Watch the video below to see CNBC's full tour of the apartment. SEE ALSO: The Inspiring Life Story Of Alibaba Founder Jack Ma, Now The Richest Man In China WE'RE ON INSTAGRAM: Click Here To Follow Us Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Gunmen execute 28 on Kenya bus near Somalia border | ||
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Garissa (Kenya) (AFP) - Gunmen seized a bus in northeastern Kenya near the Somali border early Saturday and executed 28 non-Muslim passengers, police said, blaming the attack on Shebab Islamic extremists. "I can confirm .... that 28 innocent travellers were brutally executed by the Shebab," said regional police chief Noah Mwavinda, referring to the Somali militant group. He said the gunmen forced the bus to stop and drove it to the side of the road, where they proceeded to kill passengers identified as non-Muslim.
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Battling Ebola: the worst of humanitarian missions | ||
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Kenema (Sierra Leone) (AFP) - An invisible, murderous enemy that puts caregivers in almost unbearable working conditions, Ebola is a gruelling test for even the most experienced humanitarian. Joachim Gardemann had spent 20 years with the Red Cross in Rwanda, Bosnia and Syria before his toughest mission in eastern Sierra Leone. "In a conflict, you avoid areas where there is risk, landmines... Here the enemy is everywhere," says the German paediatrician, who runs an Ebola treatment unit in Kenema district. "Usually medicine is your best protection because if you work well, no one will attack you. With Ebola, you yourself are a target." The virus has infected hundreds of local healthcare workers in west Africa, and has not spared their colleagues from more developed countries either. A doctor from the Cuban contingent in Sierra Leone was evacuated Thursday to Geneva and a Spanish Doctors Without Borders volunteer in Mali was repatriated as a precaution on Friday. On Monday a Sierra Leonean doctor evacuated to the United States died of the virus. Gardemann's 60-bed unit has around 20 doctors and nurses originating from Switzerland, Canada, Norway and Portugal. "We have experience, we've lived through wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods... In a catastrophe, after a few days you have fewer and fewer new patients. Here, they increase," he says. And more than half of those patients leave the unit in disinfected body bags, he tells AFP. The working conditions are exhausting for his team, who toil head to toe in rubber biohazard suits, plexiglass masks protecting their face and eyes in temperatures of more than 35C (95F). Scottish nurse Margie Lee and her colleague Liz, from New Zealand, finish a round of the patients, having just given a pale toddler a blood transfusion. Exhausted, the women pass together through a chlorinated shower to the undressing area, the most dangerous part of the process where they must peel off their suits without touching the outside. Despite the exhaustion, they proceed meticulously, not letting their concentration drop. Liz looks up, while Margie closes her eyes. Each item is methodically removed under the orders of a "dresser" who directs the procedure. - No handshakes, no kisses - It takes 15 to 20 minutes for the nurses to remove everything, revealing blouses drenched in sweat. "Without the dresser, even after three weeks we would end up missing a step," says Margie. "We do two to three rounds per day, of one hour at most. Always in a pair and with a watch on the sleeve to check the time. We have to move slowly. "Sweat forms a cloud on the mask, it runs down the inside... It's difficult to put in a drip, especially with gloves on. We know we have no room for error." The heat and the intense concentration take their toll on the mind as well as the body, she says, describing the work as "emotionally exhausting". Patients can die suddenly, the latest example an 18-month-old baby a day earlier who had arrived two weeks ago with its mother, who has also died. The infant seemed to be doing well. But that's Ebola, says Margie. "You are talking to someone who seems good and an hour later, he's dead," she tells AFP, voice faltering. "The children... they die alone, suddenly, no one at their side. The others are afraid of them so they don't come near." And when the young patients do get to see the nurse, she is hidden behind her mask. "But they do not seem disturbed by our appearance, they accept it," Margie says. For centre manager Ranveig Tveitnes, there is no let-up. Even in the evenings, the team get together to talk about the day's cases. "The strange thing about this situation is that here, your safety comes first, then public health and only then the patient. It is difficult for caregivers," he says. Healthcare workers are on assignment for four to five weeks -- a month or more with no physical contact, no handshakes, no kisses, no helping hands. Recently a British medic who had become a friend of Gardemann left the centre. "We both put on protective suits to be able to give each other a big hug," he says. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Obama extends US combat role in Afghanistan: report | ||
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Washington (AFP) - Barack Obama has extended the combat role for US troops in Afghanistan for another year, in a classified order he signed in recent weeks, the New York Times reported Friday. Previously, the president had said US-led NATO combat operations would finish at the end of this year. The NATO follow up mission, to take over on January 1 with 9,800 US troops and about 3,000 soldiers from Germany, Italy and other member nations, was to focus on supporting Afghan forces as they take on the Taliban, in parallel with US counter-terrorism operations. But in a strategic shift, the New York Times said, Obama signed an order authorizing US troops through 2015 to carry out missions against militant groups, including the Taliban, that threaten them or the Afghan government. The new order also allows for air support -- from US jets, bombers and drones -- for Afghan combat missions. The newspaper said civilian advisors argued against the broader mission for 2015, objecting to putting American lives in danger in the fight against the Taliban and recommending a narrower, counter-terrorism focus against Al-Qaeda. "There was a school of thought that wanted the mission to be very limited, focused solely on Al-Qaeda," one American official told the paper. But, the official said, "the military pretty much got what it wanted." However, a senior official told the Times that US forces next year would not carry out regular patrols against the Taliban. "We will no longer target belligerents solely because they are members of the Taliban," the official said. "To the extent that Taliban members directly threaten the United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan or provide direct support to Al Qaeda, however, we will take appropriate measures to keep Americans safe." The newspaper said the change was in part related to the rapid advance of jihadist Islamic State militants in Iraq, which has sparked criticism that Obama pulled troops out without a fully-prepared Iraqi military in place. it also said that new Afghan president Ashraf Ghani was more open to accepting a wide-ranging US military mission than his predecessor Hamid Karzai. Earlier this month, US defense officials had said commanders were weighing a delay in withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan after the country's protracted election set back preparations for the transition. The new head of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, General John Campbell, and other senior officers were reviewing whether a larger force needs to stay in place longer than initially planned, officials said. At its peak, the US force rose to more than 100,000 in Afghanistan, and there are now 27,000 troops deployed. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Security Was So Tight On The New 'Star Wars' Movie Set That Phone Cameras Had To Be Covered With Stickers | ||
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Some photos from “Star Wars: Episode VII” may have leaked online from fans and TMZ, but don’t expect to see any from the cast or crew make their way to the internet. According to The Hollywood Reporter, any crew members entering the set at Pinewood Studios in England had to cover the lens of their phone with a sticker to prevent them from taking photos. The sticker couldn’t be removed until they were off the set. Producers even required that a sticker be applied over the lens of every cellphone that entered the perimeter of Pinewood Studios outside London and removed upon departure. Once taken off, the sticker could not be reused, so visitors couldn't sneak a photo and reapply it. THR highlights a few other measures Disney took to make sure "Star Wars" was kept underwraps.
As production continued, director J.J. Abrams reportedly had anti-spoiler posters with the phrase "Loose Lips Bring Down Starships." put up all over Pinewood Studios to discourage cast and crew from spreading rumors off set. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy's husband, Frank Marshall, tweeted out the following photo of the poster during a set visit:
"Star Wars: Episode VII" will be released December 18, 2015. SEE ALSO: How Marvel prevents footage from leaking at New York Comic Con Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Hong Kong democracy movement split in protest-weary city | ||
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Hong Kong (AFP) - Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters are at a crossroads -- as public support fades after nearly two months of mass sit-ins and gridlocked traffic, activists are split on whether to retreat or ramp up their campaign. With little hope of fresh dialogue between protesters and government, the spectacle of a small faction smashing up a side entrance to Hong Kong's legislature on Wednesday left a sour taste in a city where criminal damage is extremely rare. And a thwarted attempt by student leaders to fly to Beijing and take their demands for free elections to China's authorities did little to alter cooling public opinion. "The majority are against it. What they are asking for is reasonable, but it's causing a hindrance (to traffic)," said a 65-year-old gardener who gave his surname as Mo, waving a sprinkler as he tended to plants in public gardens around the main Admiralty protest site. "There are many other ways to do it," he said. "People have to make a living. I don't know that much, but many people agree with me," he added. Demonstrators are demanding free elections for the city's next leader, but Beijing insists that candidates for the 2017 leadership vote must be vetted by a loyalist committee. Sit-ins and rallies at key intersections have brought traffic to a standstill and diverted buses and taxis, leaving commuters and local businesses irate. In a reflection of residents' growing frustration, the protests have suffered a steady drop in popular backing -- 83 per cent of respondents in a Hong Kong University poll of 513 people said this week they want the occupation to end, and just over 60 percent declared the government should clear the protest areas. A similar study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong conducted a month ago suggested just 35.5 percent of 802 respondents were opposed to the occupation.
- 'Out of proportion' -
Since late September, a tent city has sprung up around the city government's headquarters, sprawling across a main thoroughfare in the downtown Admiralty district, which now boasts an outdoor gym, study area, medical tent and art installations. Nightly rallies by charismatic protest leaders calling for fully free leadership elections in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory were initially attended by tens of thousands, and two more sites quickly appeared in densely packed shopping districts. But some high-profile figures from within the movement argue the occupation has run its course and would better serve the ideals of greater democracy -- a principle that still enjoys broad public support -- by changing tack. "If the occupy movement has induced negative sentiment among residents, it could mean the scale of disturbance may have gone out of proportion, making it necessary to shift to other means of disobedience," Chan Kin-Man, one of the founding members of the Occupy Central group, wrote in an editorial this week. His sentiment was shared by heavyweight backer Jimmy Lai, a media magnate whose popular tabloids have been broadly supportive of the movement, in an interview with an Australian newspaper. Hong Kong authorities are acutely aware of the slide in public support, reviving failed attempts to clear the sites after a court granted an order to remove obstructions this week, beginning with some barricades in Admiralty. Similar action is expected imminently in Mong Kok, a working-class district and focal point for clashes between police, demonstrators and anti-protest groups.
- 'No retreat for the sake of it' -
The masked activists who damaged the legislature included two members of the more radical "Civic Passion" group, whose leader told the South China Morning Post he was sympathetic to their "frustration", while stopping short of endorsing their actions after the pair were arrested. Student leaders seemed initially mystified by the incident, suggesting a lack of co-ordination with more militant protesters, and only condemned it hours later by saying those involved had the responsibility to act in the interest of the wider public. The incident has also buoyed Beijing's supporters in Hong Kong, as China considers the protests illegal and has attempted to paint the protesters as violent criminals. Whatever happens next, some protesters are determined to maintain the occupation's status quo. Student protester Louis Tong has lived at the main protest site since its early days, and has no intention of leaving. "We should not retreat for the sake of retreating. Democracy is not just a mechanism. It should be a state of mind," he said, as two protesters on stationary bikes behind him exercised on what used to be a nine-lane highway. "We need to bring the message to the public."
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The FBI Just Arrested Two Guys Accused Of Buying Explosives To Use In Ferguson | ||
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The FBI arrested two men for allegedly buying explosives intended for upcoming protests in Ferguson, Missouri, reports CBS News. The two men are allegedly members of the Black Panthers and live in the greater St. Louis area. Tensions in Ferguson have risen in recent days as the community prepares for a verdict from the grand jury on whether or not officer Darren Wilson will be charged for the killing of Michael Brown, a black teenager who was unarmed at the time. The two men were arrested in an undercover operation and reportedly intended to use the explosives to buy pipe bombs. The suspects' names were not released. Both were arraigned in federal court on Friday. SEE ALSO: Michael Brown's Official Autopsy Reportedly Seems To Support The Story Of The Cop Who Shot Him Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Fears of army influence as interim Burkina PM picks team | ||
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Ouagadougou (AFP) - Burkina Faso army strongman and new Prime Minister Isaac Zida is set Saturday to name his ministerial team, amid fears of continued military influence over the phased return to democratic rule. Lieutenant Colonel Zida, in charge of Burkina Faso since the ouster of veteran leader Blaise Compaore three weeks ago, formally handed power to interim civilian President Michel Kafando on Friday. Zida presented a Burkinabe flag to Kafando, who waved it before the crowd gathered in a stadium in the capital Ouagadougou for a ceremony attended by six African heads of state. Zida has been named prime minister in Burkina's interim government, a move that will ensure the military retains a large say in running the country under Kafando, a 72-year-old former foreign minister and career diplomat. Zida is expected to name army officials to the key positions of defence, finance and social affairs in his new 25-member government on Saturday, a diplomatic source said. "Make no mistake, it's (Zida) who will lead the country," said a diplomat, on condition of anonymity. Some civil society representatives have also voiced concern over Zida's appointment, while some residents of Ouagadougou called it a betrayal of their "revolution". He will lead a 90-seat parliament, known as the National Transitional Council, during a year-long interim administration. Both Kafando and Zida are barred from standing in elections scheduled to be held in November next year under the transition deal.
- 'We will settle accounts' -
Kafando vowed to punish those responsible for excesses during the 27-year-long rule of Compaore, who was very close to deposed Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi and Liberian warlord-turned-president Charles Taylor, currently jailed for war crimes. "We will settle accounts with all those who have abused justice and who think they can siphon off public funds," Kafando said. "The message of the people is clear and we have heard it," he said. "No more injustice, no more chaos, no more corruption." Six African heads of state were present for the handover. A seventh, Togo's President Faure Gnassingbe, was replaced at the last moment by his prime minister, as thousands of protesters -- apparently inspired by the Burkina uprising -- tried to march on his country's parliament. Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama called it "a great day that marks the end of a period of political uncertainty". Zida, 49, was appointed prime premier by Kafando on Wednesday, a day after the former UN ambassador was sworn in as interim leader. Chosen following negotiations between political parties, the army and civil society, Kafando has emphasised his "humility" as a figure entrusted with "power that belongs to the people". His ousted predecessor, meanwhile, flew into Morocco Friday on a visit from Ivory Coast where he fled after his long rule was ended on October 31 by a popular uprising against a constitutional change that could have enabled him to stay in power.
- No 'banana republic' -
Kafando has pledged he will not let his landlocked nation of 17 million people become a "banana republic", but observers have pointed to the powerful role the military is set to retain. Then second-in-command of the presidential guard, Zida was installed by the military in the immediate aftermath of the uprising against Compaore. Under intense international pressure and the threat of sanctions if the military retained the post of head of state, an agreement was thrashed out to work towards elections in November 2015. On Wednesday, Zida urged the Burkinabe people and the international community "to accompany us without prejudice" towards a peaceful transition, insisting the government would make no "selfish calculations". He has already dismissed the heads of two public companies close to Compaore's family, accusing them of "sabotage", and suspended municipal and regional councils widely held to be corrupt.
- 'Error of judgement' -
On Wednesday Compaore's party, the Congress for Democracy and Progress, said in a statement it had made "an error of judgement" in trying to extend Compaore's rule. Burkina Faso is known as the "land of upright men" since army captain Thomas Sankara came to power in a 1983 coup in the former Upper Volta. Sankara, a widely loved Marxist and pan-Africanist young leader, was killed four years later when his former comrade in arms Compaore seized power. Burkina Faso notably exports cotton and gold, but almost half the population lives on less than $1 dollar a day and many are subsistence farmers. Every change of regime in the country has been triggered by a coup since independence from France in 1960.
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Arsenal, Man United in Premier League duel to stay in touch | ||
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London (AFP) - Arsene Wenger says Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck has been playing with a point to prove as he prepares for his first reunion with former club Manchester United on Saturday. Welbeck has impressed for the Gunners since his £16 million ($25.1 million, 20 million euros) transfer deadline day switch from United. The England international's five goals in 12 appearances have gone some way to silencing the critics, including United boss Louis van Gaal, who said Welbeck wasn't up to the standard required at Old Trafford. Arsenal manager Wenger knows he has benefitted from Welbeck's determination to show he can make it at the highest level and he expects the forward, a boyhood United fan who had been at the club for 11 years, to be fully motivated when United come to the Emirates Stadium this weekend. "You can take every challenge in a positive way and that is what Danny did," Wenger said. "You have to understand Louis van Gaal did not have Welbeck under his command for a long time and it is always very difficult to know the players well when you see them for three or four weeks. "Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie have an exceptional goalscoring record -- he had two quality players in front of him, so what he needed was a chance. "What is important is that the player makes a good career and has a good opportunity." United, like Arsenal languishing well behind leaders Chelsea after a spluttering start, received a fresh blow during the international break when Dutch midfielder Daley Blind sustained a knee ligament injury likely to sideline him for several weeks But although they face ongoing injury problems in defence, goalkeeper David de Gea and midfielders Michael Carrick and Angel di Maria should all be fit to face Arsenal despite sustaining knocks on international duty.
- City, Liverpool seek spark -
The season may be only 11 games old, but complacency and rank misfortune already seem the only factors capable of preventing Chelsea from romping to a first league title since 2010. A 2-1 win at Liverpool enabled Jose Mourinho's side to open up an eight-point lead over reigning champions Manchester City prior to the international window, while Arsenal, United and Liverpool are even further back. "The win at Anfield was really important because it was a really difficult game and we knew it was important for the future," said Chelsea left-back Filipe Luis during a fan event at Stamford Bridge this week. Chelsea host West Bromwich Albion on Saturday and will hope to see top scorer Diego Costa firing on all cylinders after he was left out of the Spain squad to rest his troublesome hamstrings. The only team who have threatened to keep pace with Chelsea are Southampton, who trail the leaders by four points ahead of their trip to Aston Villa in the Monday night game. Champions City will look to drag themselves out of a damaging rut when they host Swansea on Saturday, having won only one of their last six matches in all competitions. Manuel Pellegrini's side are on the brink of elimination in the Champions League ahead of Tuesday's home game with Bayern Munich, but have at least been able to rely on the form of Sergio Aguero. The Argentine sharp-shooter scored his 11th and 12th league goals of the season in City's 2-2 draw at Queens Park Rangers a fortnight ago and appears to have overcome the injury problems that bedevilled him last term. Another team in desperate need of an upturn in fortunes are Liverpool, who lie in 11th place, 15 points behind Chelsea, after three games without a victory. On Sunday, Brendan Rodgers's side play Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, scene of their crushing late-season capitulation last May, when they effectively gifted City the title by letting a 3-0 lead slip to draw 3-3. Liverpool's woes have been compounded by the news that striker Daniel Sturridge could be out until the new year after aggravating a thigh injury.
Fixtures Saturday (1500 GMT unless otherwise stated): Arsenal v Manchester United (1730 GMT), Chelsea v West Bromwich Albion, Everton v West Ham United, Leicester City v Sunderland, Manchester City v Swansea City, Newcastle United v Queens Park Rangers, Stoke City v Burnley
Sunday: Crystal Palace v Liverpool (1330 GMT), Hull City v Tottenham Hotspur (1600 GMT)
Monday: Aston Villa v Southampton (2000 GMT) Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Bill Cosby's Lawyer Issues New Statement Tearing Into The Media | ||
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NEW YORK (AP) — A statement issued Friday by Bill Cosby's lawyer, Martin Singer, in response to allegations of sexual assault against the comic: "The new, never-before-heard claims from women who have come forward in the past two weeks with unsubstantiated, fantastical stories about things they say occurred 30, 40, or even 50 years ago have escalated far past the point of absurdity. These brand new claims about alleged decades-old events are becoming increasingly ridiculous, and it is completely illogical that so many people would have said nothing, done nothing, and made no reports to law enforcement or asserted civil claims if they thought they had been assaulted over a span of so many years. Lawsuits are filed against people in the public eye every day. There has never been a shortage of lawyers willing to represent people with claims against rich, powerful men, so it makes no sense that not one of these new women who just came forward for the first time now ever asserted a legal claim back at the time they allege they had been sexually assaulted. This situation is an unprecedented example of the media's breakneck rush to run stories without any corroboration or adherence to traditional journalistic standards. Over and over again, we have refuted these new unsubstantiated stories with documentary evidence, only to have a new uncorroborated story crop up out of the woodwork. When will it end? It is long past time for this media vilification of Mr. Cosby to stop."
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RBS admits European stress test blunder | ||
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London (AFP) - The Royal Bank of Scotland has accepted that it got its sums wrong over the European Banking Authority stress tests last month. Revised figures revealed Friday showed that instead of passing the test easily as initial results from the exercise showed, the state-owned RBS had narrowly scraped through and was the weakest performer among Britain's banks. The crunch audit was aimed at preventing a repeat of the crisis that nearly led to the euro's collapse. The stress tests ran the banks through two different economic scenarios to see whether their balance sheets were healthy enough to withstand further economic shocks. Under a baseline scenario, a bank's core capital ratio, a measurement of financial strength, must not fall below 8.0 percent. In the adverse scenario, it must not fall below 5.5 percent. RBS's initial calculations initially resulted in a level of 6.7 percent being reported. However, the Edinburgh-based bank has now admitted that part of its modelling had been wrong and this should have been 5.7 percent -- barely above the minimum. The error related to a 4.2 billion euro ($3.3 billion) overstatement of its capital strength under the scenario. Shares fell nearly one percent on Friday following the disclosure. The worst results from the stress tests were concentrated in Italy, where some nine banks failed, as well as Greece and Cyprus with three each. The RBS revelation came the day after British financial regulators fined the bank a combined £56 million ($87.6 million, 70 million euros) for a series of IT failures that left customers unable to access services. The bank is about 80-percent owned by the British government after it was rescued with £45.5 billion of taxpayers' cash during the global financial crisis, making it the world's biggest-ever banking bailout. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Judge approves $450 mn deal in Apple ebook suit | ||
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San Francisco (AFP) - A US judge signed off on Apple's $450 million legal deal to compensate consumers harmed by an illegal price-fixing conspiracy for electronic books. The settlement negotiated to avoid trial in the civil case brought by authorities in 33 states calls on Apple to reimburse consumers to the tune of about $400 million and then pay legal costs and fees. The settlement was deemed by the court to be "fair, reasonable and adequate." In an unusual twist, the agreement is contingent on the upholding of a verdict in a July 2013 federal court ruling that Apple violated antitrust laws by orchestrating a conspiracy with five publishers to raise e-book prices. Apple is appealing the decision. If Apple's federal conviction is overturned, no money will be paid. In the case of a retrial, Apple will pay a reduced settlement figure. Apple declined to comment for this report. "This settlement proves that even the biggest, most powerful companies in the world must play by the same rules as everyone else," New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in June when the agreement was reached. The case centers on Apple's deal with the publishers as it introduced its iPad tablet, the varied uses of which included a challenge to Amazon's Kindle electronic book reader. The complaint, filed on behalf of consumers, accused Apple of working with five top publishers in 2009-2010 to set the prices of electronic books in an Apple-led effort to break into rival Amazon's dominance of the market. Their complaint was filed on the heels of July's federal court verdict against the iPhone and iPad maker, finding Apple guilty of conspiracy to fix prices of e-books with the publishers. The judge in the case issued an injunction barring Apple from any similar practices and ordered the company to work with a court-appointed monitor on compliance. Prior to Apple's entry into e-books, the publishers -- all of whom have settled in the case -- complained about Amazon's $9.99 price for most titles. Apple and the publishers agreed on contracts that let publishers set the price of most bestsellers at $12.99 or $14.99, but Apple won a provision that allowed it to match the prices of Amazon or any other retailer. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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LA schools in huge child abuse settlement payout | ||
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Los Angeles (AFP) - Los Angeles school officials agreed to a $139 million settlement Friday for victims of a teacher jailed for lewd conduct with students, in what lawyers said was the biggest ever such payout. The deal, to settle lawsuits that had been due to shortly go to civil trial, covers 81 victims of teacher Mark Berndt, who allegedly photographed blindfolded students with roaches on their faces, and spoons of semen to their mouths. "Today, there is some measure of justice for children who were victimized for more than 30 years by a school district that refused to protect the children," said Luis Carrillo, a lawyer for the victims. "There is some justice for the children and these monies will go to pay for long-term therapy, because the emotional damage will last a lifetime." The Los Angeles Unified School District had previously paid out some $30 million to over 60 other victims of the abuse at the Miramonte Elementary School. Berndt, who taught for more than 30 years at the school in east Los Angeles, pleaded no contest to multiple charges of committing lewd acts and was jailed for 25 years in November 2013. Jury selection had begun for a planned civil trial stemming from the victims' lawsuits, resolved by the compensation agreement. "Our goal from the outset of these appalling revelations has been to spare the Miramonte community the anguish of a protracted trial," said schools official Ramon Cortines. "Given these circumstances, we believe we struck a balance between those objectives."
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Obama tells Ferguson residents to 'keep protests peaceful' | ||
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Ferguson (United States) (AFP) - US President Barack Obama urged calm Friday ahead of an expected grand jury decision in a town rocked by unrest after a white police officer shot a black teen to death. A grand jury in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson is looking at the racially charged shooting, in which Officer Darren Wilson shot unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown. The August 9 death led to weeks of violence, and Missouri's governor this week declared a state of emergency and activated the state National Guard ahead of the decision. "First and foremost, keep protests peaceful," Obama told ABC News in interview excerpts aired Friday. "This is a country that allows everybody to express their views, allows them to peacefully assemble to protest actions that they think are unjust, but using any event as an excuse for violence is contrary to rule of law and contrary to who we are." Obama's comments came after Brown's father and Attorney General Eric Holder also made separate appeals. "Thank you for lifting your voices to end racial profiling and police intimidation, but hurting others or destroying property is not the answer," the victim's father, Michael Brown Sr, said in a somber video plea. "No matter what the grand jury decides, I don't want my son's death to be in vain." In the United States, grand juries meet in secret to review some cases before deciding whether criminal charges should be brought. The jury could indict Wilson, meaning he could face trial, or determine there is no case for him to answer. Authorities have previously said they expect the grand jury decision any time between mid- to late-November. - Planning for announcement - St Louis County prosecutors, meanwhile, indicated an announcement may be imminent. "We are in the process of setting up the press conference to announce the decision on the Darren Wilson case," the prosecutor's office said in a statement. "The date, time and location hasn't been decided as of yet. The grand jury is still in session." In another sign, schools in the area announced they would be closed Monday and Tuesday, "due to the potential Ferguson unrest." Holder, America's top law enforcement official, released a video urging restraint from his subordinates if people take to the streets. "Over the past few months, we have seen demonstrations and protests that have sought to bring attention to real and significant underlying issues involving police practices, implicit bias and pervasive community distrust," Holder said. "This is the hard work that is necessary to preserve the peace and maintain the public trust at all times, particularly in moments of heightened community tension." The shooting led to weeks of violence in the St Louis suburb of 21,000, which has an African American majority and an overwhelmingly white police force and town government. Brown, a high-school graduate planning on attending technical college, was shot at least six times by Wilson. His body was left in the street for hours. Wilson has reportedly told the grand jury he acted in self-defense after tussling with the youth. Others claim Brown had his hands up in the air when he was shot. Some demonstrators complained that police used undue force during peaceful protests and there was widespread criticism of the military-style equipment and uniforms deployed by local officers. In his video plea, Brown's father appealed to locals to come together. "We're stronger united. Continue to lift your voices with us and let's work together to heal, to create lasting change for all people regardless of race," he said. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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New setback for Cosby as Vegas show cancelled | ||
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Los Angeles (AFP) - Embattled US comic Bill Cosby suffered a new setback as a live performance in Las Vegas was cancelled, just days after the plug was pulled on two TV projects. The Treasure Island casino in the Nevada gambling hub scratched a show next weekend by the comic, a spokeswoman said. Another planned stand-up performance set for next month in Arizona was also cancelled, according to local media. The actor, known for playing a doting father on the popular "Cosby Show" in the 1980s and 1990s, has come under fire in recent weeks over allegations of rape and sexual abuse dating back several decades, made by several women. Cosby, who has refused to personally address the claims, was expected to go ahead with a show later Friday in Florida, but his next show after that, in Vegas next Friday, has been called off. "By mutual agreement, Mr. Cosby's show... at Treasure Island is cancelled," Michelle Knoll, a spokeswoman for the casino, told AFP. She gave no further explanation. The Arizona Republic reported that a show at the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson scheduled for February 15 had been cancelled, as had one in New Jersey, it said. A spokesman for the Tucson casino did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Wednesday, the US network NBC pulled the plug on a new Cosby sitcom, a day after streaming video service Netflix cancelled a planned special, piling pressure on the veteran comic. On Thursday, a video emerged of Cosby declining to comment in a TV interview with the Associated Press, and trying to insist that it not air his 'no comment'. Cosby lawyer John Schmitt told entertainment news website The Wrap at the weekend: "Over the last several weeks, decade-old, discredited allegations against Mr Cosby have resurfaced." "The fact that they are being repeated does not make them true. Mr Cosby does not intend to dignify these allegations with any comment," he added. The storm engulfing Cosby erupted last month when comedian Hannibal Buress branded him a "rapist" during a stand-up show in Philadelphia -- a clip that went viral. A number of women have since come forward with accusations that Cosby sexually assaulted them. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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'Anti-Barbie' doll goes on sale on US | ||
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Washington (AFP) - She's short, brunette, has an average body shape and can even be given cellulite and acne: the 'anti-Barbie' doll is ready to go on sale in the United States. The brainchild of 26-year-old graphic designer Nickolay Lamm, the "Lammily" doll will begin shipping next week with the sales pitch that "average is beautiful." Lamm told AFP he came up with the idea after searching for a doll to buy as a gift and discovering that "all the dolls looked like supermodels." "There's nothing wrong with being a supermodel but I just had the impression that the wall of supermodels suggests that something is wrong with you if you don't look like one," Lamm explained. "I created an alternative to suggest that it's okay to not look like a supermodel, it's okay to look like a normal person." Lamm based the physique of his doll from statistics provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), calculating that the "average" 19-year-old was five feet, four inches (163.3 centimeters) tall, weighed 150 pounds (68 kilograms) and measured 33.5 inches (85 centimeters) around the chest. He contrasted those vital statistics to a Barbie, which is skinnier, taller and more blonde. Lamm raised money for mass production of his doll by crowdfunding. So far, he has received some $225,000 worth of advance orders for the doll, which will sell at $25. Starting in January, a clothing line will be available as well as stickers depicting acne or cellulite. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Stewart Butterfield Says His Insanely Popular App Slack Is 'Terrible' Today | ||
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Slack an app that lets coworkers chat with one another has been taking the enterprise world by storm. Launched to the public in February, Slack has nabbed more 300,000 people as users, 73,000 of them paid users, and recently raised $120 million in investment, making the startup worth $1.12 billion. You'd think that its popularity would be validating to the man responsible for it, Stewart Butterfield who, prior to Slack, was best known as a cofounder of Flickr. Not so. In an interview with MIT Technology Review, when asked about if he was working to improve Slack, he answered with refreshing honesty: Oh, God, yeah. I try to instill this into the rest of the team but certainly I feel that what we have right now is just a giant piece of shit. Like, it’s just terrible and we should be humiliated that we offer this to the public. Not everyone finds that motivational, though. Disclosure: The Business Insider tech team uses Slack every day. We probably wouldn't describe the app in quite so salty of terms, but he's right that it's just a basic chat room that could be improved a lot. We have to warn him, though, the basic-ness of it is what we like. Too many layers would turn Slack into something like a Yammer (in other words, spoil it). Still, Butterfield tells MIT the Slack folks are working on some things that could be awesome: the ability to "favorite" comments, and something that helps you manage chat overload (too many comments and missing the important ones). The fact that Slack emerged almost by accident might protect it. Butterfield and his then-company Tiny Speck invented Slack when they were working on a game called Glitch. Glitch was a flop, but the tool the team built to talk to each other became winner. So if the team continues to use Slack to communicate about building Slack, that would be a winning combination. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Elon Musk On Tesla's Gigafactory: We Didn't Trick Nevada Into Anything (TSLA) | ||
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has responded to critics of his plans to build a battery "gigafactory" in Nevada. And he's not pulling any punches. Musk defended his company's plans in a blog post entitled "The House Always Wins," a reference to casino gambling. "There have been several articles recently implying that Tesla, through clever machinations, maneuvered Nevada into providing an overly large incentive package for the Gigafactory," said Musk. "I love backhanded compliments as much as the next person, but this is untrue." Musk was presumably referring to an investigative report in Fortune that detailed how several states competed to build the factory by offering various incentives. Musk noted that the state incentives for Tesla's factory were approved unanimously by Nevada's legislature. "The deal is not merely slightly good for the people of Nevada, it is extremely good," said Musk. The Tesla CEO denied receiving any cash from the state, but did acknowledge that his company had recieved a parcel of land from the deal. "If you have been to Nevada, you will notice that there is quite a lot of extra land with nobody on it," he said. "This is not in short supply." Musk said Nevada's contributions would only cover a small portion of the Gigafactory's cost. "Of the $5 billion investment needed to bring the Gigafactory to full production in five years, state incentives will cover about 5%," he said. That would value Nevada's contribution at about $250 million. The Fortune article said the "tally" for Nevada was $1.4 billion. Musk also revealed that Nevada didn't write Tesla a blank check, so to speak. "All of the incentives approved by the legislature are performance based," he said. "We must execute according to plan to receive them, meaning that, while the state and Tesla both share the upside, only Tesla suffers the downside." Tesla has huge plans for this enormous facility in Nevada, and the company is making some major "forward-looking" claims about what it will be able to do. Tesla put together a pdf with its future plans for the facility, claiming some major figures by 2020, including a vehicle volume of around half a million per year.
The company also provided this telling chart of where it thinks it will be in relationship to the competition. It says that "The Gigafactory is designed to reduce cell costs much faster than the status quo and, by 2020, produce more lithium ion batteries annually than were produced worldwide in 2013."
Here's Musk's entire blog post responding to his critics:
SEE ALSO: How Elon Musk Cleverly Manipulated 7 States To Compete For Tesla's Huge Factory Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Netflix Steals Tiny Fey's New Comedy From NBC | ||
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Tina Fey's newest show has a new home before it even aired. "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" was set to air on NBC in as a midseason show but has been sold to Netflix, according to Deadline. In an unprecedented move, the streaming service picked up the series for two seasons. The comedy will debut in March on Netflix, which is around the same time it was supposed to air on NBC. “The very construct of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt — its offbeat premise, hilarious and rich characters and serialized storytelling — make it a perfect Netflix comedy series,” Cindy Holland, VP of Original Content at Netflix told Deadline. “Tina and Robert’s unique comic voice and sensibility come through in this series and we could not be more excited to present Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt exclusively to Netflix members around the world.” Deadline describes the series: "After living in a cult for fifteen years, Kimmy decides to reclaim her life and start over in New York City. Armed with just a backpack, light-up sneakers, and a couple of way-past-due library books, she’s ready to take on a world she didn’t even think existed anymore. Wide-eyed but resilient, nothing is going to stand in her way. She quickly finds a new job (working for 30 Rock’s Jane Krakowski), a new roommate (Tituss Burgess, 30 Rock), and a new beginning. The cast also includes Lauren Adams, Sara Chase, Sol Miranda and Emmy winner Carol Kane (Taxi, The Princess Bride)." Tina Fey and Robert Carlock created the series. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Europe Can't Split Google In Two Anyway, These Antitrust Experts Say (GOOG) | ||
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The European parliament is thinking about making a ruling that Google split off its search engine from other parts of its business, according to a report today in the Financial Times. But we were wondering: how can Europe order an American company to break apart? How would that even work? "I don't know," answered Herbert Hovenkamp, a law professor at the University of Iowa who is considered one of the leading American experts on European antitrust law. "I think it’d be very difficult for Google to disaggregate all its own assets and interests from Google Search just in Europe. I'm not saying it couldn’t do it, but it would be costly. You’d get a lot of squawking from European consumers because it would deteriorate the quality of Google search quite a bit." That's because Google uses its own products to provide quick answers to certain kinds of queries. (It must be noted that Hovenkamp did some work for Google in 2010 during its dispute with the American Federal Trade Commission, but hasn't worked for them since.) Keith Hylton, an law professor at Boston University, agrees. "The European Parliament has no authority to break up Google – and I’m surprised that this sort of legislation isn’t considered unfair, since it targets one entity for punishment." However, Hylton thinks Google would be wise to take the threat seriously. "Expect a much harsher deal than Google worked out earlier with the previous EC competition commissioner Almunia. That earlier deal was a laughable outcome in which Google was poised to make more money from the remedy than it would have made without EC intervention." Regulators in Europe have been looking at Google closely for a few years now, concerned that the company is using its search dominance to guide users to its own products and away from competing products, as well as generally playing unfair in the advertising market. But both professors think that the American Federal Trade Commission had the right idea when it looked at Google, found no wrongdoing, and closed its investigation. The reason? Unlike the case with Microsoft in the 1990s, where consumers paid for Windows on new PCs and faced some technical barriers in switching to a new operating system, using Google search is free and it's easy for people to switch search engines. "If a customer doesn’t like a particular search engine they can switch to different one," says Hovenkamp. "The thing about bias with respect to Google assets or interests, that problem can be addressed by requiring Google to post a note or symbol" — for instance, YouTube results could be clearly marked as coming from Google. "My view is this is problem that can be addressed with something much more modest and less reactionary," he added.
SEE ALSO: Here's Why Europe Is Thinking Of Splitting Google Up Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Hillary Clinton's Top Supporters Insist She Could Lose In 2016 | ||
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Hillary Clinton seems to have a very clear path to the White House in 2016. A slew of polls have shown her leading all her likely Democratic primary rivals. While that kind of prime positioning obviously has its advantages, being the front-runner hasn't worked for four Democrats in recent races — including Clinton in 2008. In a recent piece, the New Yorker's Ryan Lizza spoke to experts who warned Clinton could fall into this "inevitability trap" once again in the next election. On Friday, top Clinton supporters gathered in New York City for a meeting of the finance council of "Ready For Hillary," a super PAC dedicated to backing her potential candidacy. Many of them shot down the notion Clinton has the White House locked up. Ready For Hillary Executive Director Adam Parkhomenko devoted much of his sitdown with reporters at the event to batting down the idea Clinton is inevitable. "In terms of inevitability, I wouldn't have been doing this since Jan. 2013 if I thought she was inevitable," Parkhomenko said at the event, which was held at the Sheraton Times Square hotel. Political consultant James Carville, a veteran Clinton ally, put things in even more blunt terms. "It's stupid. It's a stupid perception. There's no such thing as inevitability in politics," Carville told Business Insider. "I just think it's coming from inexperienced people that don't know what they're talking about." Lanny Davis, another longtime Clinton loyalist, concurred with Carville and blamed the media for creating a false sense of Clinton's inevitability. "This is only a problem when the press is interviewing the press. It's a media non-story that the media creates into a story," Davis told Business Insider. "I think she has to work hard and earn the nomination. This is a media invention when they have nothing to write about. Blaming a candidate for being inevitable is like blaming the sun for rising in the east." Stephanie Schriock, the president of EMILY's List, a group dedicated to supporting pro-choice Democratic women, argued those who see Clinton as inevitable are ignoring the fact voters have desire for change after eight years of President Barack Obama. "I think the biggest challenge we have is that history says that Americans don't really like to go with the same party for three terms. So we've got our work cut out for us under the best of circumstances," Schriock said at a briefing with reporters. "This is not going to be an easy election. ... She's going to have to make the case if she decides to run." Schriock is rumored to be one of the leading candidates to manage Clinton's White House bid. However, she declined to discuss whether she could play a role on Clinton's campaign. "I'm not going to talk about any conversations I may or may not be having with any candidate who may or may not be running," she said. For his part, Parkhomenko pointed to the fact history making nature of a potential Clinton candidacy as evidence she should not be seen as a lock. "She's not inevitable," he repeated. "It's not going to be easy. A woman's never won the Iowa caucuses. A woman's never won a major party nomination. A woman has never become president." Parkhomenko also pointed out she hasn't officially entered the race. "Hillary Clinton hasn't made up her mind," he said. Parkhomenko also reminded reporters at the event of Clinton's loss in 2008, when she was widely seen as inevitable before being upset by Obama. "It's important to note that, if you go back and you look at a lot of the stories that some of the folks in this room wrote at this time in the 2008 cycle, it was 'Hillary Clinton vs. Rudolph Giuliani' — and we know how that turned out," he said. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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The Best 'Cheap Eats' In Chicago | ||
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Eating in big cities is hardly ever inexpensive. A good meal at a top-rated restaurant is a quick way to empty your wallet. But every city has its own quiet, inexpensive gems that produce great food at cheap prices. The food experts at restaurant review site The Infatuation put together a list of the best "cheap eats" in Chicago. A unique blend of barbeque, continental, Asian cuisine, and more will leave you drooling. Cemitas Pueblas has two locations that serve authentic Mexican dishes. 817 West Fulton Market/ 3619 West North Avenue With one location in the West Loop and one in Humboldt Park, Cemitas Pueblas specializes in cemitas, Mexican sandwiches with egg bread and sesame seeds containing varieties of meat, cheese, and vegetables. Their famous Cemita Atomica has marinated pork, ham, and milanesa with avocado, chipotle sauce, and an abundance of Oaxacan cheese and costs $11. Their highly touted tacos only cost $2-3. Cafecito serves traditional Cuban sandwiches and platters. Cafecito's specialty is the Cubano sandwich — the traditional Cuban sandwich with roasted pork, ham, Swiss, pickles, and mustard. Also recommended is their twist on the Cuban, the Guava Q Sandwich, which combines roasted pork with barbeque sauce and caramelized onions to give it a tangy flavor. Sandwiches only range between $5-6 For something lighter, order some plantains or just grab a Cuban coffee or cafe con leche. Crisp specializes in Korean barbeque and Asian fusion. Crisp's unapologetic, hearty Asian fusion and Korean barbeque draws rave reviews for their friend chicken and wings. The Seoul Sassy Fried Chicken Prices boasts their "sassy" sauce, a combination of soy, ginger, garlic, and spices costing $8.95 for a half or $14.95 for a whole. Their lighter Buddha Bowls allow diners to choose a variation of marinated vegetables on top of rice and fried egg for $7-10.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
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You Can Sleep In A Giant Dog For $98 A Night On Airbnb | ||
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"Stay in a giant dog!" the listing says. "That's right, it's a beagle-shaped one-unit inn where being in this doghouse is a GOOD thing and comfortable to boot!" The structure was built by two artists who got their big break selling wooden dog carvings on QVC. They used the money they made to build the Dog Bark Park, where they continue to make dog carvings. The inn sleeps four and includes a continental breakfast and free parking. One night's lodging costs $98 — a small price to pay for a stay in the belly of a giant beagle. Dogs are welcome. Once you go inside, you'll see dog memorabilia everywhere.
SEE ALSO: Airbnb Is Releasing Its Own Print Magazine — Here's What It Looks Like Inside WE'RE ON INSTAGRAM: Click Here To Follow Us Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Here's What The Last Few Months Have Been Like For Your Thanksgiving Turkey ... | ||
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It's almost turkey time. Millions of Americans will soon be diving into the big bird, smothering it with gravy or cranberry sauce or both. Many will also face the scornful stare of their vegetarian cousin, silently asking, "Do you know how that turkey got here?" We can assure you: You don't want to know. From conception to carcass, here's the short, hellish life-cycle of some industry-produced turkeys. Not the most romantic beginning... Domestic turkeys aren't interested in sex, and even if they were, the size of their breasts would make it impossible. To get around this problem, major turkey breeders rely on artificial breeding, which often takes place at separate artificial insemination facilities. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, the process involves "stimulating the copulatory organ by massaging the abdomen and the back over the testes ... pushing the tail forward with one hand and, at the same time, using the thumb and forefinger of the same hand to 'milk' semen from the ducts of the organ." Subsequently, the turkey semen is propelled into the oviduct via syringe. The semen produced by one male bird — a "tom" — can usually inseminate several hens. Photo: Farm Sanctuary Next, keep knocking up the same hen again and again... As soon as a hen lays an egg — within one or two days — the breeders inseminate her again. She can keep this up for around 25 weeks, at which point she is "spent," says the National Turkey Federation. Some breeders then ship off these hens to be processed for meat. Others take time to recondition the hen for another round of breeding. The so-called "molting" (rehabilitation) of a turkey hen takes a leisurely 90 days, according to the NFT. Force-molting is much faster, however, and involves a 72-hour trauma in a completely dark room with no food or water, according to the Humane Society. This resets the hen, and she is ready to be knocked up again. Then it's on to the hatchery As soon as an egg hits the hay, inseminators ship it off to a separate facility for hatching. At the hatchery, thousands of eggs are put in large incubators, set for high speed with bright lights and optimal heat and humidity, according to the Humane Society. Turkey eggs hatch in less than a month. See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
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Teens Are Tweeting Unappealing Photos Of Their School Lunches With The Hashtag #ThanksMichelleObama | ||
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A new trending topic #ThanksMichelleObama is popping up all over Twitter, but the sentiment is anything but gracious. Teenagers who are unhappy with their school lunches are snapping pictures of the food and tweeting them along with the hashtag. "Hunter Whitney, a student at Wisconsin’s Richmond Center High School, said this dish is called “Spanish rice” and that students aren’t supplied with salt," Buzzfeed reports. Other teens have chimed in with their own photos. The lunches comply with new USDA regulations which Michelle Obama has largely supported in her quest to end childhood obesity. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Your Facebook App Is Quietly Clogging Up Your iPhone | ||
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We discovered that the Facebook app for the iPhone is taking up way too much space on your phone. The video above explains in much more depth and tells you how to solve the problem, but it's still annoying. Update: Facebook sent us additional information on how it's addressing the problem: "Photos and videos account for most of the data we store, and we made a recent update to get smarter about when to delete old photos from the device that aren’t being used anymore. We also made an update in v18 of our app to clear out cached web pages after the web page cache reaches 25 megabytes." Produced by Matthew Stuart. Special thanks to Matt Johnston. Follow BI Video: On Twitter Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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