Oculus VR CEO Explains Why The Company Would Have Turned Down A Deal From Google (FB) | ||
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When Facebook acquired virtual reality startup Oculus VR for $2 billion in March, it came as a surprise to most of the tech community. After all, Facebook isn't primarily a hardware or a gaming company. However, Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe said the social media giant was a perfect fit for Oculus VR's vision. After Iribe first met with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, he began to think about whether Facebook would be the right partner for Oculus. "If we were going to partner with somebody, because this is a long road ahead ... we were thinking the whole time that we wouldn't partner with Microsoft or Sony," Iribe said on stage at Business Insider's Ignition conference. Iribe said he didn't want Oculus to partner with a company that was already strongly tied to an existing operating system or platform because it would be too limiting. "This really needs to be a new platform," he said. The case was the same when he thought about what would happen if Oculus partnered with Google. Since Google is focused on so many bigger projects, Iribe felt Oculus might have gotten lost in the mix. "We didn't know how much time we'd get from the leadership team," he said. One of the biggest reasons Iribe said Facebook seemed like an attractive partner is because Oculus VR's technology has the potential to become a really social platform. "Your brain just believes you're there," Iribe said in reference to Oculus' virtual reality technology. "The next step is to feel like you're there with other people." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Sorry, Microsoft! A Bunch Of Teenagers Just Talked About Doing School Work And None Of Them Use Word | ||
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If you were a teen today, there's a good chance you'd be finishing your homework on your smartphone on the way to school. At least, according to the eight New York City teenagers, all juniors or seniors in high school, that Stephanie Retblatt of Smarty Pants grilled about their productivity and work habits on stage at Business Insider's Ignition conference. The general consensus: Teens like to work on-the-go and in collaborative ways and almost all of their school work happens on the internet. When asked about what programs or apps they used to get work done, Google Drive came up the most. "It's a huge thing at our school," one teen boy said. "A lot of us depend on Google Drive, so we can edit our work at the same time." "Google became very student-efficient over the last few years," another girl added. "Google Drive has a lot of resources to make things easy for us." Teachers post homework on assignment-dedicated websites. Some apparently tweet out assignments. Other classes create Facebook groups to discuss projects. A number of the teens said they often finished work on the way to school or got started on the bus or subway ride home. "I'll start typing essays on my iPhone's Notes app," one student said. Because of an Apple feature called "Handoff," he can then pick up right where he left off on his computer. At a similar panel last year, one teen said they would start writing papers by telling Siri to create a memo and then just speaking for 30 minutes. One program that was notably ignored by the teens: Microsoft Word. Microsoft recently released a free version of Office that will let you create and edit documents for free. It recently hit #1 on the iOS app store. Still, not a single kid said that they used Office to do school work. Today's teens seem to be content sticking to what they know: The world of Google. Other productivity apps the kids mentioned were Quizlet, which lets students and teachers create digital flashcards and PDF Notes, which allows students to download textbooks and mark them up with notes and highlights. People think we just use our phones for stupid stuff, one teen said, but they've really changed how we work. SEE ALSO: Jeff Bezos: Why It Won't Matter If The Fire Phone Flops Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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A Teen Told Us She Only Got Facebook 'Because Her Grandma Had It' | ||
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At Business Insider's Ignition conference, a handful of NYC teenagers took the stage to talk about media and technology, and more importantly, what they think is cool (and not cool.) The results were varied from some of the things we've heard repeated a lot in the news. These eight teens — all high schoolers from five boroughs — say Facebook isn't dead. They also say they use email, and some of them even use, gasp, their phones to make actual phone calls. Stephanie Retblatt of Smarty Pants interviewed the teenagers, and while we know their views and opinions don't represent a whole generation, their insights were very interesting. Vine, Instagram and Buzzfeed"I'm totally over Vine," one girl confessed. "Ever since Instagram came out with video it's like Vine is just...there." Her peers didn't exactly echo her sentiments, but agree that they love Instagram. "It's senior year," another girl said, "so I go to pretty places and take pretty pictures." When asked how much time the teens spend on Instagram, you could hear a collective groan mixed with uneasy laughter. "Too long," one of the 18-year-old boys admitted. "You can get lost and lose track of time." Another girl agreed the same thing happens when she logs onto websites like Buzzfeed, mentioning the site's addictive quizzes — "What food are you?" was an example given — and its video content. One of the girls admitted: "Sometimes I'll just spend hours on Buzzfeed and then I'll look up from the computer and I'll be like...'why did I just do that?'" And of course — Facebook!Like we mentioned above, this crew says the site isn't dead. But the ways that they use Facebook may surprise you. One teenage boy said he disabled the voluminous Newsfeed all together and only uses the social network to organize his ultimate Frisbee games. One girl said she only joined Facebook because her "Grandma made an account" (but admits she has yet to accept Grandma's friend request!) Others said it was good for school, citing that some of their teachers have created pages for their classes to post updates, notes, and homework assignments. In fact, they all said they use their phones, iPads, and computers to study, and that there's a world of apps to help them with their school work. "What's something you think people don't understand about teens?" Retblatt opened the floor at the end of the talk, and all of the kids on the panel were really adamant about making sure that the audience (and the moderator) understood that they weren't just "dumb kids who are obsessed with their cell phones." "We want adults to understand that we're intelligent people, we don't just use our phones for stupid things, and we even like talking to each other face-to-face," one of the teens explained. "And also, yes, email is still a thing," another chimed in. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Steam Launches A Game-Streaming Service To Compete With Twitch | ||
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Popular games marketplace Steam just announced its own live streaming feature to compete with Twitch. Steam is basically an app store for PC and Mac games. It's calling the new feature "Broadcasting," according to The Next Web. With over 100 million active users, Steam is already a hub for gamers using a PC or Mac instead of a game console. Like Twitch, Steam's Broadcasting feature will allow users to both live stream their own games or drop in and observe a friend's gaming session.
Steam is known for its avid following of PC gamers, many of which already use Twitch and Steam in tandem. Because of this, Broadcasting makes a lot of sense for Steam, essentially eliminating the need for players to use multiple programs when they're gaming. Live-streaming services have gained massive popularity in the last five years, and with Twitch's recent acquisition by Amazon for $970 million, Steam is clearly eager to enter into the streaming space. Broadcasting is a beta feature of Steam for now, but anyone can enable the feature by signing up for the ongoing Steam Beta here. SEE ALSO: Everyone Can Use Snapchat's New Geofilters Starting Today — Here's How They Work Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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COMMERCIAL DRONES: Assessing The Potential For A New Drone-Powered Economy | ||
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Not too long ago, when most people heard the word “drones,” they thought of unmanned military aircraft engaged in highly controversial clandestine operations. But when Jeff Bezos announced that Amazon was testing the idea of delivering packages via drones, he made drones with popular commercial application suddenly seem like a viable proposition. While drones are unlikely to become a part of our daily lives in the immediate future, they will soon begin taking on much larger roles for businesses and some individual consumers, from delivering groceries and e-commerce orders to revolutionizing private security, to changing the way farmers manage their crops — perhaps even aerial advertising. In a new report from BI Intelligence, we size the commercial and military drone market to estimate how big the drone industry could become, and which industries are most likely to see drones become part of their business model in the next few years. We also look at what components industries, like GPS and sensors manufacturers, will be working to become drone-ready. And we assess how drone development will proceed in light of stiff safety and privacy concerns and regulatory hurdles. Access The Full Report By Signing Up For A Free Trial Today>> Here are some of the issues and opportunities that will impact how the drone industry develops:
In full, the report:
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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The Microsoft Engine That Nailed The World Cup Is Predicting Every NFL Game — Here Are Its Picks For Week 14 | ||
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Microsoft Cortana had a decent Week 13, correctly predicting 10 of 16 NFL games. It's now 126-66 (65.6%) on the season. Cortana is a Windows phone virtual assistant that's using an algorithm from Bing Predicts to pick every game of the NFL season. After making headlines at the World Cup by correctly predicting 15 of the tournament's final 16 games, it's having a harder time picking NFL games. The algorithm picks games straight up, not against the point spread. Its record is one game better than the Vegas favorites (which are 125-64-3, 65.1%) and a few games worse than Nate Silver's ELO model (which is 132-60, 68.8%). After getting two out of the three Thanksgiving games wrong, Cortana made a comeback and went 9-4 on Sunday and Monday. Vegas favorites also finished the week 10-6, and ELO went 9-7. Here are Cortana's picks for Week 14 as of Tuesday night. We'll update them if they change throughout the week (Vegas favorites in parentheses):
Cortana and Vegas disagree on Chiefs-Cardinals and Titans-Giants right now. Here are Cortana's results so far this year:
SEE ALSO: NFL Power Rankings, Where Every Team Stands Going Into Week 14 Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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THE FUTURE OF APPLE (AAPL) | ||
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Analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray gave a presentation on Apple's future at Business Insider's Ignition conference Tuesday. Here's the presentation he gave outlining his predictions for what's next from Apple.    See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
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Jeff Bezos Says Amazon's Delivery Drones Are 'Truly Remarkable,' But You Probably Won't See Them Soon (AMZN) | ||
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It's been almost exactly a year since Amazon first announced Prime Air, its efforts to make drones that can deliver packages to customers in 30 minutes or less. Since then, we haven't heard much about them from the company. Jeff Bezos, speaking at Business Insider's Ignition conference, said that the main hurdle for Prime Air right now is regulatory, not technical, and that he's saddened to think that America will end up being late to mainstream commercial drone usage because of regulations. "Technology is not going to be the long pole," Bezos said. "The long pole is going to be regulatory." Sources recently told The Wall Street Journal that the Federal Aviation Administration's soon-to-be-released proposal for drone rules will specify that commercial drone operators must be certified pilots of manned aircrafts, that drones could only fly during the day, and that they must remain below 400 feet and in view of the operator. Those rules are stricter than expected and would be bad news for Amazon. Those proposed rules may be unexpected, but they're not a surprise. Bezos says that Prime Air has the highest ratio of lawyers to engineers of any team at Amazon and admits it's "hard to predict" when regulators could actually allow something like Prime Air loose. In the meantime, the team is working on getting the tech ready. "I saw the 10th or 11th generation of the drone, flying around in the cage, and it's truly remarkable," Bezos says. "It's not just the physical airframe, electric motors, and so on — the most interesting part of this is the autopilot, the guidance and control, the machine vision systems that make it all work." Earlier this year, German company DHL was authorized to use drones to deliver medicine to an island in the North Sea. Delivery drone startup Matternet has conducted tests in Bhutan and Papua New Guinea. Business Insider CEO Henry Blodget asked Bezos whether he thinks everyone else in the world will start seeing the use of delivery drones before America does. "I think it is sad but possible that the US could be late," Bezos said. "Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm being too skeptical. I hope I'm wrong." SEE ALSO: Why Amazon Needs Drones More Than People Realize Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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One Thing Everyone Is Getting Wrong When It Comes To The Apple Television (AAPL) | ||
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Apple and TV. It's a long running, unrequited love story. People desperately want Apple to make a television. Apple has yet to do much in the TV market aside from the Apple TV, its $99 box that serves up a variety of streaming video apps. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster talked about Apple TV today at our conference, IGNITION. Munster has been repeatedly loud wrong on Apple's television plans. He admitted as much today on stage saying Apple TV has "almost become the bane of my existence." Still, during his talk, he said there's one thing that people are getting wrong about Apple and TV. Investors have believed for a long time that Apple's television is being held back by content. The idea is that Apple needs content companies like Fox, CBS, NBC, etc. on board before it releases a TV. Without the content, the TV would be useless, the thinking goes. Munster thinks this line of thinking is wrong. He says he thinks that when Apple releases a television, the content will follow. Look at the iPod. When Apple released the iPod, it didn't have iTunes. The music industry was upside down, says Munster. But, the music came later. Look at the iPhone. When Apple released the iPhone, there was no App Store. The apps came after the phone. Similarly, when Apple puts a "stake in the ground" with a TV, content will follow. There's a few reasons Munster is so focused on Apple doing TV. One, Apple CEO Tim Cook just keeps talking about the tv market. Repeatedly he as called it an area of great interest. Two, consumers really, really, really want a TV from Apple. Munster said that he's surveyed people about buying an Apple Watch. Only ~25% of people said they were interested in buying a Watch. And that's interest has been steady for years, including before and after the official announcement of the watch. When Munster asks people about an Apple TV, he says 50% of people say they want a TV from Apple. (He notes it drops to 15% when he tells them it might cost $2,000.) The indication here is clear: People want a TV from Apple. If Apple launched a TV without deals from the current TV industry, it might not matter. Apple's affluent user base would buy the TV. And then, the content makers get their content on an Apple TV. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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These Are The Best Cheap Smartphones You Can Buy | ||
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You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a decent phone. There are plenty of options out there for people who want to save a little cash but still need a phone that's fast, can connect to the internet, and looks nice, too. Here's a look at some of the cheapest phones worth buying. Motorola's Moto G is one of the best budget phones you can buy. It's hard to find a phone cheaper than the Moto G. Motorola's second-generation model starts at $179, comes with a clean version of Android, and runs pretty smoothly, even though it's powered by components that are older than those in today's more expensive phones, according to reviews from CNET and Engadget. In short, it's a nice, compact phone with easy-to-use software that won't cost you more than $200. You can also get the 4G model for $219. If you want something that costs even less, try the Moto E. The Moto E is even cheaper than the Moto G at $129 without any carrier subsidies. If you can get by with a basic phone and mostly care about using Android apps, the Moto E is a good choice. In my review, I found its camera and lack of 4G to be the biggest weak points, but it's exactly what you would expect for a phone so cheap. Google's Nexus 5 is a sharp, thin, and fast Android phone that's affordable. The Nexus 5 starts at $349, which is still much cheaper than most popular phones like the Galaxy S5 or iPhone 6, which cost anywhere between $500 and $800 without a carrier contract. The best benefit from owning a Nexus phone is that you'll always get the most important Android updates before anyone else does. The Nexus 5 is a slim, attractive phone with a soft-touch back, a thin design, and a 1080p screen. You can only use it on T-Mobile's network, but it's a great choice if you're on a tight budget. See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
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Tumblr Has Emerged As The Most Teen-Centric Social Network | ||
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Tumblr remains the most teen-centric social network. It's also much more popular among millennials than it is among Gen Xers. Young users mean income levels are low among Tumblr users, but Tumblr is great as a canvas for brand messages: it's image-centric, its content is very shareable, and it has a very defined quirky user culture that has grown up around it. In a new report from BI Intelligence, we unpack data from over a dozen sources to understand how social media demographics are still shifting. Access The Full Report And Its 20 Charts By Signing Up For A Free Trial >> Here are a few of the key takeaways from the BI Intelligence report:
The report is full of charts (over 20 charts) and data that can be downloaded and put to use. In full, the report:
For full access to all BI Intelligence reports, briefs, and downloadable charts on the digital media industry, sign up for a free trial. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Watch The Smithsonian 3D Print President Obama | ||
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The White House teamed up with the Smithsonian to make an exact 3D replica of President Barack Obama. A video released by the White House on Tuesday showed Smithsonian staffers using scanners, cameras, and computer programs to obtain measurements that were used to make a 3D-printed bust of President Barack Obama. According to Gunter Waibel, the director of the Smithsonian Digitization Program Office, the project was "inspired" by "life masks" of President Abraham Lincoln's face that were made from plaster casts. In order to make the 3D presidential portrait, Obama sat in front of a "mobile light stage" with 50 customized LED lights that replicated multiple different lighting conditions. While Obama sat there, he was photographed by multiple cameras. Smithsonian staffers also used handheld 3D scanners.
The portrait session yielded exact measurements of Obama that were used to make a presidential bust. "This isn't an artistic likeness of the president this is actually millions upon millions of measurements that create a 3D likeness of the president," Adam Metallo, the Smithsonian's 3D Digitization Program Officer explained. The Smithsonian can use 3D printers to make multiple copies of the presidential portrait.
And, of course, Obama got the chance to see one of the 3D printed busts face-to-identical-face.
Check out the full White House video below. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Here Are The Most Common Apps On People's Home Screens (FB) | ||
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We recently wrote about a new app called Homescreen, which lets you share with others what's on your iPhone's home screen. Betaworks, the company behind Homescreen and several other popular services like Instapaper and Chartbeat, created a designated page to show off the "top apps" used by Homescreen members. Based on Homescreen's data, charted for us by BI Intelligence, you can see that most Homescreen users have Facebook apps on their phone, leading with Instagram and Facebook in the No. 1 and 2 spots, respectively. In the No. 4 spot is Facebook-owned WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger takes up the No. 6 spot. Google also claims six apps in the top 28 Homescreen apps. One interesting tidbit worthy of note: There are no games on this list.
SEE ALSO: CHART OF THE DAY: iOS Smashed Android Where It Counts On Black Friday Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Hackers May Have Stolen Personal Information From Thousands Of Sony Employees | ||
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Hackers may have stolen personal information pertaining to tens of thousands of Sony employees, cybersecurity expert and former Washington Post reporter Brian Krebs said on Tuesday. Last week, Sony Pictures Entertainment's website went down after its computer systems had been hacked, resulting in the leak of several unreleased movies, including Jay Z's "Annie" reboot, among others. But, according to Krebs, those hackers stole much more than unreleased movies. Multiple sources have told him that more than 25GB of personal data on Sony employees have been breached. This data includes Social Security numbers, medical information, and salaries, according to Krebs. Files currently being traded on torrent networks include a global list of Sony employees complete with names, locations, employee IDs, network usernames, base salaries, and birth dates for more than 6,000 employees. Krebs says he has seen this list himself. Additionally, a separate file being traded online reveals names, birthdays, Social Security numbers, and health savings account data for about 700 employees. The document is dates back to April of this year, according to Krebs. A group calling themselves the "Guardians of Peace," or GOP for short, is believed to be behind the massive attack. The North Korean government refused to deny allegations that the country may be behind the security breach, according to the BBC. When asked if North Korea was involved in the incident, a spokesperson said "Wait and see." We've reached out to Sony for more information on the situation and will update this article accordingly if we hear back. SEE ALSO: This Analogy Explains Why Re-Using The Same Password Is The Most Dangerous Thing You Can Do Online Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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America's Fanciest Restaurants Want You To Pay Before You Eat | ||
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I have a friend who doesn't live in New York, but went to grad school here and visits often. When he plans a trip, he regularly books two dinner reservations at hard-to-get-into restaurants on the OpenTable app. An hour or two before dinner, he chooses one and cancels the other. It's a great system for him, less so for the restaurants who are all of a sudden out a spot. They'll probably be able to fit in a walk-in, but maybe not. This is what Nick Kokonas' new reservation, deposit, and payment system, Tock, is attempting to cut down on when it launches in 2015 — at least for the highest-end restaurants. There are a couple of different ways that restaurants can use the system: simple reservations, prepaid meal reservations (generally excluding wine and anything extra you might want to order at the table), and dynamically priced meals. Dynamic reservations allow restaurants to charge more during peak periods, and to offer discounts to people who are willing to eat at 5:30 or 10:30 p.m. Some of the most expensive, high-profile restaurants in the US are experimenting with the pre-paid option. Eater reports that two of Thomas Keller's restaurants, The French Laundry in California and Per Se in New York, will start asking customers to pay ahead of time next year. A beta version of the system is already in place at the two restaurants that Kokonas owns with Grant Achatz in Chicago, as well at Coi in San Francisco, LA's Trois Mec, and WD~50 in New York (which used the system in its final weeks, before closing for good on Nov. 30). Ticketing systems in the past haven't worked very well. Volver, a restaurant in Philadelphia, experimented with a similar system earlier this year before abandoning it in September. Ryan Sutton wrote back in July, "I spent 30 Sisyphean minutes navigating through various pitfalls in the system, gave up, took a hot shower, regrouped, then called the restaurant and purchased my reservations over the phone in 120 seconds." If the functionality of Tock is right, there isn't any reason it can't work, particularly if it offers a simple reservation system for lower-end, a la carte restaurants. OpenTable's free restaurant reservation system is nearly ubiquitous in US metro areas. Priceline.com bought it for $2.6 billion earlier this year. And the pre-paid part of the system could be ideal for high-end, set-menu restaurants that have very high up-front costs. It not only would help them manage their cash flow, but would help protect them from last-minute cancellations. Pre-paid dinners probably won't work for 95% of restaurants in New York (or any other city). But a tasting menu at Per Se or the French Laundry is not a meal. It's an event. For this reason, it's easier to imagine that people would be willing to buy a ticket in a way that they wouldn't for a nice, two-stars-from-the-Times kind of place on a regular Friday night. People pay for lots of other high-end entertainment well in advance. Why not food?
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I Still Have One Big Problem With Mark Cuban's Stance On The Future Of The Internet | ||
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A few weeks ago, Mark Cuban and I had a lengthy email exchange about net neutrality. Net neutrality is the concept that all traffic on the internet should be treated equally. That means big companies shouldn't be allowed to pay internet service providers (ISPs) for a so-called "fast lane" to consumers. The fear is that if rich companies are allowed to pay for fast lanes, then smaller startups won't be able to compete and eventually create more innovative services. The big guys will get bigger, and no one will be able to stand up to them. The FCC is in the process of making a big decision that'll set the tone for internet access for years to come. One route would be to classify ISPs under Title II, the same classification given to utilities like telephone lines. Another option is to allow companies to pay for those fast lanes, while at the same time guaranteeing others won't be purposefully slowed down. Cuban's stance is that the government shouldn't be allowed to regulate the internet under something like Title II. Following our email exchange, we caught up in person back stage at Business Insider's Ignition conference where he later spoke on stage with Henry Blodget. We also had a brief exchange in front of a few hundred people during that talk. Here's what it boils down to. Cuban thinks there's good enough competition to leave everything as it is without government intervention. But I don't think that's the case. The big problem is that almost all markets are controlled by one broadband ISP. Two if you're lucky. That gives the ISPs very little incentive to offer innovative services, faster speeds, and competitive pricing because they're the only game in town. Cuban's argument to me was that there are some companies creeping into certain markets with fiber internet, which is much faster than what your cable companies give you. AT&T has said it would like to bring fiber to 100 markets. (It's since sort of wavered on that pledge.) Google Fiber is already in a few cities, and might come to a few dozen more. That'll force the traditional cable companies to react and provide better pricing and services. But assuming Google and AT&T are able to follow through (and that's going to be tough and take several years), they'll only bring competition to a teeny tiny sliver of the US. Most markets will still only have one provider. And once Comcast finishes acquiring Time Warner Cable, it'll control internet access to about a quarter of the country. That's nowhere close to a competitive market. Cuban said to me both on and off stage at Ignition that he'd like things to stay the same. The internet has been fine since the beginning. Why screw with it? I agree! But unfortunately the FCC has to make a decision following a Supreme Court decision that kicked the can to a regulatory agency to decide how all this stuff should work. It's not ideal, but it has to happen now because Verizon decided to file a lawsuit. Cuban's stance is that you can't trust the government to regulate the internet because it's evolving so quickly that it's impossible to tell what the internet will be in a few years. Today's regulations might not even apply to the internet of 2020 and beyond. And eventually, he says, the next generation of wireless networks will reach the point where they become viable alternatives to traditional wired broadband. That'll provide plenty of competition. Still, that's at least five or six years away. That all said, Cuban didn't have an answer when I asked him what the FCC should decide when the time comes. I think that's the biggest problem with his argument. To me, Title II or something similar is the lesser of the two evils the FCC faces. It can either err on the side of caution and write a rule that guarantees all internet traffic is treated equally. Or it can mimic the cable TV model and let the big rich companies pay to get better access to you. And if that happens, it's going to be tough for future internet companies to compete and disrupt large incumbents. Also! For the record, I really like Mark Cuban. He's a smart, passionate guy. We disagree on a lot of stuff, but as my editor Jay Yarow wrote on Ello, he's extremely personable and accessible. No PR handlers. No suits. No BS. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Life-Changing Career Advice From LinkedIn's Billionaire Founder Reid Hoffman | ||
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In December 2002, Reid Hoffman launched a professional networking site that would become a $20 billion-plus company, called LinkedIn. Hoffman reveals the career wisdom that helped lead him to that success in a book called "The Start-Up of You." Those ideas have been visualized in the following slideshow, which he's allowed us to republish on Business Insider.    See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
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The 12 Best New Apps You May Have Missed | ||
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With over a million apps out there and more launching every day, it can be tough to keep track of them all. Luckily, we've collected the best apps of the last month so you can find something new to try out. From apps that will help you choose your next beer or wine when you grocery shop to a new email app from the Gmail team, you're bound to find something you'll like. Next Glass scans beer and wine bottles to help you find your favorite drink. With over 23,000 bottles tested and in its system, Next Glass is a powerful tool for predicting whether you'll like that case of beer or new brand of wine. Once you tell the app what drinks you like, you can scan the label of the bottle and you'll see a personalized score and the nutritional information, including the alcohol by volume. Shortcut is basically Uber for haircuts. Shortcut is great for when you need a haircut but don't have time to make it to your local barber. Shortcut's licensed barbers will come to your home, office, or hotel, and you get a discount if your friends get a haircut at the same time. They're open late, too. Price: Free (haircuts start at $75, but get cheaper for each additional friend who shares the appointment) Homescreen lets you share what apps you're using. Everyone likes to know what apps their friends are using. With Homescreen, you can upload a screenshot of your smartphone's homescreen online and see which apps are trending. Price: Free (iOS) See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
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AMAZON CEO: 'I Want To See Millions Of People Living And Working In Space' (AMZN) | ||
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Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has an ambitious vision for the future of humanity. When asked about why space exploration appears to be a common interest among tech entrepreneurs such as himself, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, Bezos replied with the following: "We are really evolved to be pioneers," Bezos told Business Insider CEO Henry Blodget at this year's Ignition conference. "And for good reason. New worlds have a way of saving old worlds... And that's how it should be. We need the frontier. My vision is I want to see millions of people living and working in space." Bezos' private spaceflight company Blue Origin is currently working with the United Launch Alliance to build a new liquid rocket engine called the BE-4. The United Launch Alliance is said to be one of the biggest rivals to Musk's commercial spaceflight company SpaceX. The vehicle Bezos' company is working on uses a modern booster engine, which is said to be more efficient than those made 20-30 years ago, reports The Washington Post. Bezos also said the vehicle is autonomous, so there's no need to send test pilots when they're running trials with it. Although companies such as Blue Origin and SpaceX are making progress when it comes to space exploration, Bezos says there's no specific time frame for when he'll venture into outer space. His response when asked at Ignition was "when we're ready." "This is not a business where you can rush things or cut corners," he said. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Here's How Amazon Can Get Away With Never Earning A Profit (AMZN) | ||
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One of the defining characteristics of Amazon from an investor's perspective is that it has basically never earned a profit. Despite the lack of profits, the company's stock has gone up and up and up. This is something many other companies wish they could get away with. Apple, for instance, was the most profitable company in the world in fourth quarter of 2012 with $13.1 billion in earnings, yet it still disappointed investors because it didn't make more money. Its stock started falling after that. So, how does Amazon get away with it? How can it forgo profits and yet still have a strong stock? Speaking at Business Insider's IGNITION conference, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos used a Warren Buffett story to explain how he gets away with it. Paraphrasing Buffett, Bezos said you could hold a rock concert. Or you could hold a ballet concert. But don't tell people they are going to a rock concert, then put on a ballet. Or conversely, don't tell people they are going to the ballet, then put on a rock concert. So what does that mean? It means, say from the very outset what you're doing, and stick to it. Bezos says Amazon has a few strong, profitable businesses. He uses that money to fund other businesses. The way Bezos sees it, he built a lemonade stand that did really well. So he took the money from the lemonade stand and he built a hot dog stand, and a hamburger stand, and so on. That has always been the plan for Amazon. Invest its profits in new lines of business. Amazon's investors know that's the deal and are OK with it. This is why Apple couldn't suddenly shift gears and say, "We're going to forgo profits to pursue market share!" That's not the company people are investing in. So, if you're starting a company and you want to be like Amazon, do it from day one. Nobody who pays for a rock show wants to see the ballet.
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Europe's PMI Readings For November Are Coming Out Right Now | ||
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Eurozone services PMIs are rolling out this morning: PMIs are major business surveys that try to give a hint at how an economy is performing, months before hard, official data comes out. This is some of the last major data before the European Central Bank's decisions and president Mario Draghi's press conference on Thursday. If they're weak, they're going to heap more pressure on the ECB to ease their policies. Any figure over 50 signals growth, while anything under 50 hints that the services sector is shrinking. First out of the blocks is Spain: November's PMI is down to 52.7. That's the lowest in a year, down from 55.9 last month, and way lower than the 55.2 that was expected. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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The 10 Most Important Things In The World Right Now | ||
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1. Hundreds of pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong have vowed to stay at protest sites, despite calls from the student leaders who founded the movement to retreat. 2. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for early elections after firing his finance and justice ministers for opposing government policy. 3. President Barack Obama is said to have picked Ashton Carter, the former deputy secretary of defence, to replace outgoing defence secretary Chuck Hagel. 4. Xiaomi, the world's third-biggest smartphone manufacturer, made its first US investment as part of a $40 million funding round for a Silicon Valley wearables startup called Misfit. 5. The Iraq government and the autonomous Kurdish region reached a long-term deal to share the country's oil revenues and military resources. 6. China said on Wednesday that it hoped to keep strengthening relations with Taiwan after the island's pro-China nationalist governing party suffered a stunning electoral defeat. 7. The captain accused of causing the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, Francesco Schettino, said in a testimony that he manoeuvred the ship too close to an island to impress passengers with a better view. 8. Japan launched a space probe on a six-year journey to land on an asteroid and then bring samples back to earth. 9. Qatar released the design of their fourth stadium for the 2022 World Cup. 10. Archaeologists in South Carolina think they have uncovered the remnants of an 18th century wharf where some 100,000 African slaves arrived in America at the height of the slave trade. And finally ... North Korea has banned its citizens from using the name Kim Jong-Un. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Good morning! Here's what you need to know for Wednesday. Arsenal's Welbeck eager to stay on winning track against Southampton | ||
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London (AFP) - Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck hopes to maintain the momentum generated by his match-winning header at West Bromwich Albion when Southampton visit the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. Welbeck's header at The Hawthorns was his first goal in seven games for Arsenal and secured a priceless victory for the Gunners as they attempt to force their way back into the Champions League spots. Successive league defeats had seen the north London club drop away from the leading group, but after following up the Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund with victory at West Brom, Arsene Wenger's side moved up to sixth, two points behind Manchester United in fourth. That wasn't enough to satisfy some of the travelling Arsenal supporters at the weekend who unfurled a banner demanding the veteran manager quit. Victory against a Southampton side still smarting from a painful 3-0 home defeat by Manchester City last weekend will help defuse the anger of those fans frustrated at Arsenal's failure to keep pace with leaders Chelsea. Welbeck is convinced the confidence generated by his much-needed goal will help turn things around. The striker, signed from Manchester United for £16 million ($26.6 million, 20.2 million euros) at the end of the last transfer window, said: "I've had a couple blocked off the line [in recent games] and it just wasn't going my way, but I've got the goal and I'm just looking forward to scoring more and helping the team to win games." Welbeck's goal was timely as he attempts to retain his position as Arsenal's main striker following the return to fitness of Olivier Giroud. "It gives the manager a good headache and he's got a lot of options going forward. Going into the games, everybody's going to be giving 100 percent," he said.
- Schneiderlin setback -
Southampton remain third despite the defeat at the hands of City and Wenger knows they will pose a testing challenge. The Gunners boss has been left with yet another injury headache ahead of the visit of Ronald Koeman's team. Defenders Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal are both doubtful after suffering injuries at West Brom, forcing Wenger to consider using Calum Chambers or Laurent Koscielny as a makeshift left-back. Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is again likely to miss out because of a hip problem but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is expected to recover from a minor knock Koeman criticised his side for the individual errors he believes were responsible for the loss to a City side reduced to 10 men for the last 16 minutes. The Saints' hopes of returning to winning ways have not been helped by the loss of midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin due to injury. "He's not ready for Wednesday," said Koeman. "He's now having a scan on his right leg, we have to wait and see the results of the scan. "We know exactly what Morgan means for our team, he's one of our key players and without key players it's always difficult for the rest of the team." Southampton have already tasted victory at the Emirates Stadium this season when they knocked Arsenal out of the League Cup. "The previous result gives the confidence that we can beat them, but Arsenal in the last two games have had two good results," said Koeman. "I think they are a little bit back with the spirit about these two results. "It will be difficult, but you always get space against Arsenal. They like to play, they like to play offensive. "I think it will be an open game and, with our possibilities, we believe we will have chances for a good result," added the former Dutch international. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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10 Things You Need To Know Before European Markets Open | ||
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Good morning! Here are 10 big stories you need to hear about before markets open in London and Paris. South-Eastern Europe Is Reacting Badly To Russia's Aborted Pipeline. President Vladimir Putin announced the decision to curtail the south stream gas pipeline earlier this week, but Bulgarian, Hungarian and Serbian governments say they have already invested in the scheme and had no advance warning, according to the Financial Times. Latin America Is Hitting A Wall. Latin America's economies, hit by falling investment, will grow just 1.1 percent in 2014 - their lowest level in five years, a UN commission on the region said Tuesday. European Retail Sales Are Coming. At 10 a.m. GMT, European retail sales numbers for October are out., and analysts are expecting a 0.6% increase from September. That's the last hard data on Europe's economy that we'll see before Thursday's ECB monetary policy announcements. Hong Kong's Students Won't Retreat. Protesters vowed to stay put at protest sites in key parts of the Asia financial centre on Wednesday in their demand for electoral reforms, defying calls by leaders of the civil disobedience movement Occupy Central for them to retreat. Asian Markets Look Mixed. Hong Kong's Hang Seng is currently trading down 0.65% just ahead of the close, while Japan's Nikkei climbed another 0.32% in Wednesday's session. GM's Auto Sales In China Are Up 5.3% Year On Year. General Motors and its Chinese joint ventures sold 310,094 vehicles in China in November, up 5.3 percent from the same month a year earlier, the US automaker said on Wednesday. The Australian Dollar Hit A Four Year Low After Bad Economic Data. The economy expanded by 0.3 percent in the three months to September, down from 0.5 percent in the previous quarter, to take the annual rate of growth to 2.7 percent. The Australian dollar dropped to as low as $0.839 after the news, the weakest in four years. China's Services Sector Picked Up Pace In November. HSBC's services PMI, a major business survey, rose from 52.9 to 53, and the government's official PMI rose from 53.8 to 53.9, with any number over 50 pointing to growth. A US Financial Watchdog Says Risks Are Rising. New rules to make banks safer after the credit crisis are imperfect and could boost less-regulated activities in the so-called shadow banking system, according to the Office of Financial Research. The body also said that the Federal Reserve's annual check of the financial health of the banking system, known as stress tests, fell short on several counts. Morgan Stanley Thinks China's Rallying Stocks Could Shoot Higher. The bank thinks there's a chance of an "ultra-bull" scenario as the central bank keeps easing, according to Bloomberg. Shanghai stocks are already up 34.8% this year. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Hong Kong protest founders prepare to surrender | ||
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Hong Kong (AFP) - The original founders of Hong Kong's pro-democracy Occupy movement prepared to surrender to police Wednesday in a move they said was to show their commitment to the rule of law. But student protesters who have launched a hunger strike vowed they would continue "suffering pain for justice". Teenage protest leader Joshua Wong and two fellow students, who went on hunger strike late Monday, read out an emotional letter to the city's leader Leung Chun-ying from their tent outside government headquarters. "We believe we are doing better by suffering pain for justice than you are by having big meals," they said. "Please don't ask us to avoid the pain of a hunger strike. Please first ease the agony of suppression and the lack of freedom (suffered) by Hong Kong people." They renewed their call for dialogue with the government over political reforms. "They (the government) have brought society step-by-step towards the edge," 18-year-old Wong said. It came as Occupy Central founders Benny Tai, Chan Kin-man and Chu Yiu-ming are due to hand themselves in to police later Wednesday. Their announcement Tuesday of the decision came after clashes between police and protesters outside the government headquarters left dozens injured Sunday night. Occupy Central leader Benny Tai urged those on the streets to leave "this dangerous place". "As we prepare to surrender, we three urge the students to retreat –- to put down deep roots in the community and transform the movement," said Tai. China's communist authorities insist that candidates for Hong Kong's leadership elections in 2017 must be vetted by a loyalist committee, which the protesters say will ensure the election of a pro-Beijing stooge. Protesters who have blocked three major intersections in the city since late September to demand free leadership elections in the semi-autonomous city said that they cannot leave until their demands have been met. While there is no specific warrant out for the founders' arrest, Hong Kong and Chinese authorities have consistently slammed the protests as illegal. Tai said he did not know how police would respond to their surrender, but that the trio were prepared for any consequences. He said the Occupy movement would now take a different approach to promoting its cause, including through education and a new social charter. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Single cell organism firm joins top ranks of Japan bourse | ||
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Tokyo (AFP) - The high-tech titans of Japanese industry were joined Wednesday in the major league of the Tokyo Stock Exchange by a company exploiting the 500-million-year-old science of a single cell organism. Tokyo-based Euglena, named after the euglena micro-algae known in Japanese as "midorimushi" -- "green bug" -- was listed on the first section of the TSE, joining big names such as Toyota and Sony, two years after its debut on the Mothers start-up market. The company says it is "trying to create a brighter future using euglena," a tiny organism that is rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, and can be used in the production of food or fuel. The half-a-billion-year-old micro-algae absorbs carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, like a plant, but can move around, like an animal. Japan's Euglena achieved a world first in 2005 when it succeeded in mass-producing midorimushi outdoors on a southern Japanese island. The firm has been working with technology giant Hitachi to produce aircraft fuel using the algae, and is cooperating with Isuzu Motors to develop bio-diesel. It also has a partnership with Tokyo Metropolitan Government with the aim of removing nitrogen and phosphorus from sewage before waste water is pumped into the sea. Other companies have also been marketing products using dried euglena powder in everything from yogurt and cookies to cosmetics and pet supplements. Sales came to 3.0 billion yen in the year ended in September, up 45 percent from the previous year. Shares in Euglena were down 2.87 percent at 1,627 yen on Wednesday after rising for four straight days following the announcement of its elevation to the first section. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Is Mona Lisa inscrutably Chinese? Italian's theory raises eyebrows | ||
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Beijing (AFP) - An Italian historian's theory that Mona Lisa might be a Chinese slave and Leonardo da Vinci's mother -- making the 15th-century polymath half-Chinese -- sent online commentators into a frenzy Wednesday. Angelo Paratico, a Hong Kong-based historian and novelist from Italy, told the South China Morning Post: "On the back of Mona Lisa, there is a Chinese landscape and even her face looks Chinese." Chinese web users expressed astonishment and disbelief Wednesday, posting dozens of parodies of the painting, with faces from Chinese comedians to British actor Rowan Atkinson grafted over her delicate features. Little is known about Caterina, the mother of the artist, writer, mathematician and inventor, and the identity of the sitter for the portrait hanging in Paris' Louvre museum has long been a matter of debate. Paratico, who is finishing a book entitled Leonardo da Vinci: a Chinese scholar lost in Renaissance Italy, cited Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud's 1910 assumption that the painting was inspired by the artist's mother. "One wealthy client of Leonardo's father had a slave called Caterina. After 1452, Leonardo's date of birth, she disappeared from the documents," he told the paper. The evidence for a Chinese connection appears to be slight, with Paratico saying he was sure "up to a point" that da Vinci's mother was from the Orient. "To make her an oriental Chinese, we need to use a deductive method," he added. Many posters on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo were incredulous. "I'm so sad that you thought I'm a foreigner!" wrote one, with an image of a frowning Mona Lisa holding two rolls of toilet paper and blowing her nose. "I'd rather be from wherever I am loved." Another user replaced her features with unlikely faces ranging from Chinese male comedian Zhao Benshan to British actor Rowan Atkinson, to a grimacing robot holding a Mona Lisa mask. The topic had been viewed more than four million times and triggered 160,000 postings by midday Wednesday. "I now understand why her smile looks so mysterious and concealed -- it's typically Chinese," said another poster. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Israel PM calls for early elections as ministers fired | ||
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Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for early elections as he fired two key ministers in his coalition for opposing government policy. The sackings were the latest move in a political crisis that will come to a head on Wednesday when lawmakers vote on a bill to dissolve the parliament, or Knesset. That would set the stage for a vote expected in March, in what would be Israel's second general election in just over two years. "In the current state of affairs, I can't lead the country," Netanyahu said at a news conference. "This government, since its inception, has been adversarial," he said, blaming Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni whom he fired of "acting against the government from within". "In a word -- it's called a putsch," he said of their conduct, accusing them of trying to form an alternative government with ultra-Orthodox members of the coalition. Netanyahu said he was formulating a law to dissolve the parliament "as soon as possible" ahead of new elections. "Frequent elections are not a good thing, but a government with no governance and ministers acting against it from within is much worse," he said in televised remarks. Lapid's Yesh Atid party called Netanyahu's decision to fire the two "an act of cowardice and loss of control," with Livni saying the election would be a choice between Netanyahu's "extremism" and her moderate "Zionism". The four other Yesh Atid ministers were to resign later Tuesday, the party said. Cracks in Netanyahu's right-leaning coalition emerged over the 2015 budget and a contentious bill aimed at enshrining Israel's status as the Jewish state in law, a move critics say could harm its Arab minority. The bill was strongly opposed by both Lapid and Livni, who chairs HaTnuah, also centrist. The two parties account for 25 of the coalition's 68 seats. The alliance was pieced together after a January 2013 election, with the next poll theoretically not due until November 2017. To pass, the vote on dissolving parliament will need an absolute majority within the 120-member Knesset, requiring support from members of the ruling coalition.
- Netanyahu likely to return -
Sources in Netanyahu's Likud party told AFP that members of the coalition were likely to support the bill. The political tensions peaked on Monday after Netanyahu-Lapid talks aimed at heading off the crisis collapsed. Netanyahu had demanded Lapid accede to five demands for the government to continue -- including agreement to freeze his own flagship initiative for zero percent value-added tax on first home purchases, and to support the Jewish state bill. Lapid refused, accusing Netanyahu of "irresponsibly" pursuing personal interests over those of the public, saying he "decided to take Israel to unnecessary elections". Should the right chalk up gains in a new election, it would diminish even further the chances of resuming dialogue with the Palestinians after the collapse of US-led peace talks in April. US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday he hoped whatever future government formed would be able to "negotiate and move towards resolving differences between Israelis and Palestinians". The political comes amid increasing tensions with the Palestinians, with a growing wave of unrest and deadly "lone wolf" attacks. With peace talks firmly off the agenda, Israel has seen a steady slide to the right. And as chatter has grown about the possibility of early elections, Netanyahu has taken an increasingly hardline stance, throwing his weight behind controversial rightwing initiatives, notably the Jewish state bill. Critics say that law, which has yet to be put to a vote, would come at the expense of democracy and would institutionalise discrimination against minorities. Analysts say Netanyahu's support for the bill is a gesture to Likud hardliners ahead of party primaries in January. In the last election, Likud ran on a joint ticket with the hardline Yisrael Beitenu, securing a narrow victory of 31 seats, followed by Yesh Atid with 19. But the alliance was dismantled this year, leaving Likud with just 18 seats and Yesh Atid the largest party. A poll on Channel 2 television predicted Likud would receive 22 seats, making Netanyahu the likely candidate to head the next government, while Yesh Atid plummeted to nine seats. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Hawking warns artificial intelligence 'could mean end of humanity' | ||
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London (AFP) - British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has warned that development of artificial intelligence could mean the end of humanity. In an interview with the BBC, the scientist said such technology could rapidly evolve and overtake mankind, a scenario like that envisaged in the "Terminator" movies. "The primitive forms of artificial intelligence we already have, have proved very useful. But I think the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race," the professor said in an interview aired Tuesday. "Once humans develop artificial intelligence it would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever increasing rate. "Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn't compete and would be superseded," said Hawking, who is regarded as one of the world's most brilliant living scientists. Hawking, who is wheelchair-bound as a result of motor neurone disease and speaks with the aid of a voice synthesiser, is however keen to take advantage of modern communications technology and said he was one of the first people to be connected in the early days of the Internet. He said the Internet had brought dangers as well as benefits, citing a warning from the new head of Britain's electronic spying agency GCHQ that it had become a command centre for criminals and terrorists. "More must be done by the Internet companies to counter the threat, but the difficulty is to do this without sacrificing freedom and privacy," Hawking, 72, said. Hawking Tuesday demonstrated a new software system developed by Intel, which incorporates predictive text to allow him to write faster. It will be made available online in January to help those with motor neurone disease. While welcoming the improvements, the scientist said he had decided not to change his robotic-sounding voice, which originally came from a speech synthesiser designed for a telephone directory service. "That voice was very clear although slightly robotic. It has become my trademark and I wouldn't change it for a more natural voice with a British accent," he told the BBC. "I'm told that children who need a computer voice want one like mine." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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US says Iranian fighter jets bomb IS jihadists in Iraq | ||
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Washington (AFP) - Iranian fighter jets struck Islamic State militants in eastern Iraq in recent days, the Pentagon said, signaling Tehran's determination to confront the jihadists and Washington's tacit partnership with arch-foe Iran. The air raids marked an escalation in Iran's role in a conflict that has seen Tehran and the Washington set aside their customary hostility to battle a common enemy in the IS group, which both governments view as a dangerous threat. "We have indications that they did indeed fly air strikes with F-4 Phantoms in the past several days," Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told AFP on Tuesday. His comments came days after Al-Jazeera ran footage of what appeared to be an F-4 fighter, similar to those used by the Iranian air force, attacking targets in the eastern province of Diyala. Iranian forces have been active on the ground in Iraq assisting Shiite militia and Baghdad government units, but this was the first time the United States had confirmed the Iranian air force was conducting strikes against the IS group. - No military coordination with Iran - Kirby said the United States was not coordinating with Iranian forces and that it was up to the Iraqi government to oversee military flights by different countries. "We are flying missions over Iraq. We coordinate with the Iraqi government as we conduct those. It's up to the Iraqi government to deconflict that air space," Kirby told reporters. "Nothing has changed about our policy of not coordinating military activity with the Iranians." Even if there is no direct communication between the two countries' forces, the Americans likely would be aware and easily monitor flights over Iraq by Iran's less sophisticated air fleet, which uses a fighter jet that dates back to the Vietnam War. A US air command center in Qatar coordinates American fighters, bombers, drones and surveillance aircraft flying round-the-clock missions over Iraq along with other coalition warplanes from European governments as well as Australia and Canada. The onslaught of the IS in Iraq has forged an unlikely alignment between Iran and the United States, which have been locked in a cold war for more than three decades. The fight against the IS has come amid a US diplomatic drive to agree a deal with Iran over its nuclear program, and officials acknowledge the two sides have discussed the war in Iraq on the margins of the nuclear talks. But the two rivals remain deeply opposed over Syria, with Iran providing crucial military backing for President Bashar al-Assad while Washington has vowed to train a moderate rebel force to eventually confront the Damascus regime. Analysts and former US officials say neither country appears ready to pursue elaborate cooperation for military operations in Iraq, but there appears to be some level of tactical communication at least to avoid accidents. As the two governments expand their military activity in Iraq, there is a growing risk of potential crossed signals or conflict as Washington and Tehran remain bitter enemies. Shiite-ruled Iran has close ties to the Shiite-led government in Baghdad, and Tehran quickly came to the government's aid after the Sunni jihadists overran Iraqi army units in western and northern Iraq earlier this year. Iran also has provided Sukhoi Su-25 aircraft to Iraq amid widespread speculation that the planes are flown by Iranian pilots. Iranian weapons have made their way to Shiite fighters in Iraq, including 12.7 mm rifles designed to penetrate armored vehicles and multiple rocket launchers, according to a report by IHS Jane's Defence. The commander of Iran's elite Quds Force, Major General Qassem Suleimani, led a counter-attack in Iraq over the summer that pushed back IS militants from a key route leading from Samarra to Baghdad, according to Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah. Suleimani flew to Baghdad on June 10, hours after the IS group seized the Iraqi city of Mosul, and hammered out a strategy "to secure Baghdad and its surroundings," according to the Shiite group's Al-Manar website. Suleimani also reportedly has had a hand in operations against the IS group in Amerli in the north and in eastern Iraq near the Iranian border. Iranian television last month released a rare photo of Suleimani in Iraq with Kurdish peshmerga fighters, promoting Tehran's role in the fight against IS. Iran has declined to join the US-led coalition against the IS group and publicly dismissed the air war, but Tehran's Iraqi allies have benefited from the strikes against the jihadists. Iran acquired its F-4 fighters from the United States before the 1979 revolution that toppled the country's pro-US monarchy. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Andes glaciers, ailing giants hit by climate change | ||
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Antisana Volcano (Ecuador) (AFP) - Like ailing giants, the tropical glaciers of the Andes Mountains are melting at worrying speed, raising scientists' fears that many will disappear before anything can be done to save them. These icy castles, scattered across Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, are under a microscope at the United Nations climate talks this month in the Peruvian capital Lima, where 195 countries are trying to hammer out the framework of a global deal to cut the carbon emissions warming the planet. The melting of the glaciers is threatening freshwater supplies in the Andes region and could cause the sea level to rise. Bolivar Caceres, one of the first to research the phenomenon in Ecuador, has watched the retreat of the country's glaciers, which sit atop seven snowy volcanoes. For the past 16 years, he has regularly climbed the Antisana volcano outside the capital Quito to record data on the glacial ice and try to understand what is happening to it. Each time he makes the trip, he has to climb a little higher. "It's striking how much the glacial surface has receded in so few years," said Caceres, who works at Ecuador's National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (INAMHI). "Unfortunately, there's not much we can do. A lot of glaciers are going to disappear." Antisana is a 5,700-meter (18,700-foot) colossus that overwhelms the senses. Tongues of snow hang down 600 meters from its peak, dripping streams of water in different colors. The rush of the wind mixes with the sound of mountain streams running between the volcano's giant boulders. At the end of the 1980s, Ecuador had 92 square kilometers (35.5 square miles) of glaciers. By 2010, that area had shrunk to 42 square kilometers. This year, it is expected to fall to 38 square kilometers, said Caceres. Bolivia, Colombia and Peru have seen similar losses. Scientists say natural cycles are causing at least part of the melting. But there is mounting evidence that global warming caused by humans is making it worse. "What we still don't know is, how much has human activity accelerated the melting of the glaciers," said Caceres. - 'Sentries' of climate change - The increase in global temperatures since the start of the 20th century -- 0.8 degrees Celsius -- has affected glaciers worldwide. Climate scientists call these melting ice sheets the "sentries" of global warming. "The worst effects are happening at the poles, but the impact is also very powerful in the mountains of the tropics," said Olivier Dangles, who heads the Ecuador office of the French-based Institute for Development Research (IRD). In Bolivia, for example, the once year-round snow on Chacaltaya Mountain disappeared four years ago. The mountain used to boast the highest ski trail in the world, at 5,400 meters. In, Peru, glaciers have shrunk by more than 40 percent since 1970, giving birth to nearly 1,000 new lagoons, according to the national water authority. The phenomenon has even forced indigenous Peruvians to adapt an age-old Inca festival, the Qoyllur Rit'i, in which participants for countless generations had climbed glaciers to bring back blocks of ice. The situation is also critical in Colombia, where just 16 percent of snow cover in 1850 remains today, according to a study last year. Melting glaciers could raise the sea level by 24 centimeters (more than nine inches), as well as change the volume and composition of rivers, according to a 2011 study funded by IRD. Species that live in the glacial environment are also threatened, including frogs and flies that hold a key place in the ecosystem. "When a glacier melts it's as if a painter -- in this case nature -- lost a color from his palette," said Dangles. "Each color is a unique ecosystem." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Australia bars Chinese swim star Sun after doping ban: report | ||
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Sydney (AFP) - Chinese swimming sensation Sun Yang has been barred from training in Australia and his coach plans to sever ties with the Olympic champion after he was banned for doping, it was reported Wednesday. The double Olympic champion and 1,500 metres world record-holder served a three-month penalty after testing positive for the banned stimulant trimetazidine in May. He completed his ban on August 17, but it was only revealed by Chinese authorities last week. Swimming Australia high performance boss Michael Scott met Sun's Australian coach Denis Cotterell and advised him the star swimmer was no longer welcome to train in Australia. "I met Denis last Tuesday," he told the Brisbane Courier-Mail in remarks published Wednesday. "As a result of that meeting and our policy Denis has advised the Chinese swimming federation that Sun Yang will not be allowed to train at Miami (on the Gold Coast) anymore or any of our podium centres." He added that the integrity of Australian swimming was paramount. "It was a very straight forward call, which Denis supported and has been acted upon already," Scott added. The newspaper said Cotterell, one of Australia's foremost swimming coaches who used to mentor former 1,500m world record holder Grant Hackett, would sever all ties with Sun. Scott added that Australia was tightening rules on foreign swimmers coming to the country, requiring them to register with the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority for out-of-competition testing. "Obviously when things like this happen you review the situation and we've now determined that any foreign swimmer that we agree to come into one of our centres as a condition must list themselves with ASADA for drug testing out of competition," he said. "They're required to pay us a rights fee which will include the cost of any drugs tests." Chinese officials have denied covering up Sun's ban and said the suspension was unusually short because the 23-year-old had convinced them he did not mean to take the banned stimulant. The World Anti-Doping Agency told AFP last week it may appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, saying the World Anti-Doping Code requires drugs violations to be made public within 20 days. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Will Academy go Oscar 'Wild' for Witherspoon? | ||
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Los Angeles (AFP) - Eight years after winning an Oscar for "Walk the Line", Reese Witherspoon is taking another stroll towards Hollywood glory -- but this time, it's a grueling 1,100-mile solo hike. At least that's what her character undertakes in "Wild", a film based on the best-selling, real-life story of a woman's three-month trek along the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from California to the Canadian border. "This movie was definitely one of the hardest movies I've made in my entire life," the 38-year-old Witherspoon told reporters ahead of the film's US release this week. Critics have already rewarded her with glowing reviews, with the Hollywood Reporter describing it as a "vivid wilderness adventure film that is also a powerful story of family anguish and survival." The film is based on the 2012 bestseller "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" by Cheryl Strayed, adapted for the big screen by award-winning British writer Nick Hornby. Directed by Canadian Jean-Marc Vallee -- whose "Dallas Buyers Club" won three Oscars earlier this year -- the film tells the tale of Strayed's hike from the Mojave desert north along the snow-covered Sierra Nevada to Washington state. Strayed embarked on the epic adventure at the age of 26, in part to exorcise the demons of a failed marriage and her mother's death, which had sent her into a downward spiral of sex and drugs.
- 'Gritty scenes' -
Witherspoon -- who won the Academy Award for best actress for her role in 2005's "Walk the Line", a biopic about country music legend Johnny Cash -- said: "There were so many gritty scenes that I had to tackle. That was definitely very daunting. "The other aspect that was difficult was the emotional truth and honesty... You don't really discover why Cheryl's on this hike until halfway through the film. And as soon as you do, you're just rooting for her to finish." Hornby -- known for his novels "Fever Pitch" and "High Fidelity", both of which were made into movies -- was responsible for adapting the book to give it dramatic momentum, partly through flashbacks. "He did a great job restructuring the book, creating more of an emotional mystery," said Witherspoon, who co-stars with Laura Dern as her mother. Musically, the movie has a distinctly 1960s and 70s feel starting from the first frame, when the soundtrack opens with Simon and Garfunkel's "El Condor Pasa." Other tracks include Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" and The Hollies' "The Air that I Breathe." Vallee said this is deliberate -- he shared playlists of the chosen songs with the cast before they even began filming, and made sure they could listen while actually shooting scenes. "I was always trying to find an audio device to play the music so that the characters are hearing the music just like the audience, coming from a house boom box or a car radio," he said. Some critics are already tipping the actress, and the movie, for glory in Hollywood's imminent awards season, which ends with the Academy Awards on February 22. "Wild" scores an impressive 88 percent approval rating on movie review website Rotten Tomatoes, which says: "'Wild' finds director Jean-Marc Vallee and star Reese Witherspoon working at the peak of their respective powers." Strayed, who has joined the filmmakers in promoting the movie, praised Witherspoon's emotional intelligence, saying "She captures, I think, a sense of seeking on that journey which I really truly had." The writer, who is now 46, said it was "entirely bizarre" seeing the actress play her on screen. "I don't think it can be explained how strange it is. Just imagine if you had a movie star pretending to be you on screen," she said, adding: "I feel so honored by the work she did, by the way she represented me." "Wild" will be released across the United States on Friday, after a limited release in Los Angeles and New York on Wednesday. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Liverpool boss Rodgers revels in Gerrard influence | ||
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Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said Steven Gerrard's goal-scoring display in a 3-1 win away to Leicester was proof he could still be a key player for the Merseysiders, albeit in a changed role. Gerrard scored the crucial second goal to help the visitors come back from 1-0 down against the Premier League strugglers at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday. Gerrard was dropped from the starting side for Saturday's 1-0 win over Stoke, a match that marked the one-club man's 16th anniversary at Anfield, and his absence sparked fresh debate about the former England skipper's Liverpool future. Before the Leicester match, Rodgers revealed the 34-year-old midfielder had been offered a new contract and his form against the Foxes suggested there was plenty of life left in Gerrard yet. "I think you see the energy of his legs and influence, it was an outstanding performance and a good goal," said Rodgers. "He looked fresh, he dropped back into midfield but has a natural instinct to get forward. "He arrives in the spot you want for that good finish." Rodgers said injuries and the transfer of star striker Luis Suarez to Barcelona had led him to deploy Gerrard in an altered role. "If you look at Steven, last year he was a playmaker," explained Rodgers of a season where Liverpool finished runners-up to champions Manchester City. "We had three super quick players up-front -- (Daniel) Sturridge, Suarez and (Raheem) Sterling. "He (Gerrard) was not a defensive midfielder, more of a playmaker. But we don't have that similar type (of quick player) this year so we had to change the structure. "I thought he needed to play in a better role and position," the Northern Irish manager added. Gerrard is out of contract at the end of the season and Rodgers dismissed reports of any disagreement with him. "We spoke again yesterday (Monday) just to confirm that we hadn't fallen out with each other!" added the Reds boss. "With him it is about the level he can play at and he is a very important player for us. But he's not 24 anymore. "Did I get the pen and paper out in the dressing room for the contract? No." - Contract silence - Gerrard himself refused to be drawn about his future after Tuesday's match, telling BT Sport: "I'll decide when I'm ready. There's nothing to say on the contract at the moment. "When there is, the fans have known me long enough, I'll come out and say what I need to say." Leicester took an early lead through an own-goal from Reds goalkeeper Simon Mignolet before Adam Lallana equalised. Gerrard then put Liverpool ahead after the break before Jordan Henderson added a third goal late following the red card shown to Leicester defender Wes Morgan for hauling back Rickie Lambert. Leicester remain bottom of the Premier League and have now gone nine games without a win. The pressure appeared to be getting to Foxes manager Nigel Pearson, who was involved in an angry altercation with a supporter as he emerged from his usual vantage spot in the stands late in the game. "I had a spat with a fan towards the end,” Pearson said. "I don't know what they are looking at at times. "If they cannot see the players are having a proper go maybe they need to stay at home. The players are giving everything. I will always look for the positives. "It is very easy for people to look at what we are not good at. I don't like the commitment of my players being questioned. If they honestly think they are not committed, they are very wrong." "I thought my team played very well. It was a tight game and we were a bit unfortunate to lose. Even when down to 10 men we caused them problems. "This losing streak is a difficult cycle to break. We're not getting the results that our performances deserve." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Scientists Are Now 99.99999% Sure They Found The Remains Of King Richard III In A UK Parking Lot | ||
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Scientists – who found the human remains of a person they believe to be King Richard III in a UK parking lot in 2012 – now say they have irrefutable proof through DNA analysis that the remains belong to the medieval king. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Bill Cosby Sued By Woman Who Claims He Assaulted Her When She Was 15 | ||
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Bill Cosby is facing a lawsuit from a woman who says he sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in 1974 when she was 15, TMZ reports. The woman's name is Judy Huth. TMZ says the suit is filed at the LA Superior Court. She is reportedly accusing Cosby of getting her and a friend drunk before inviting them to the Playboy Mansion, telling them to lie about their age if it came up. "Huth claims she eventually went to a bedroom with Cosby and that's where she claims Cosby began to 'sexually molest her by attempting to put his hand down her pants, and then taking her hand in his hand and performing a sex act on himself without his consent.' The Associated Press notes that the woman "claims ... she discovered its impact on her within the past three years, which allows her to file the lawsuit under California law." Sexual-assault allegations against famed comedian Bill Cosby, 77, resurfaced last month after another comedian targeted Cosby during a taped set that went viral. Many of Cosby's accusers have said that the comedian lured them in with promises of career help and mentorship, then gave them pills to make them immobile so he could assault them. The allegations span decades — some dating back to 1969 and one as recent as 2004. "The allegations are strung together by perceptible patterns that appear and reappear with remarkable consistency: mostly young, white women without family nearby; drugs offered as palliatives; resistance and pursuit; accusers worrying that no one would believe them; lifelong trauma," according to a comprehensive report from the Washington Post. "There is also a pattern of intense response by Cosby’s team of attorneys and publicists, who have used the media and the courts to attack the credibility of his accusers." SEE ALSO: Former NBC Employee Corroborates Some Of The Cosby Allegations Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Australia's economy slows as private investment weakens | ||
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Sydney (AFP) - Australia's economy slowed more than expected in the third quarter as an increase in exports was weighed down by falling private investment, data showed Wednesday, in another sign of the nation's rocky transition away from mining-led growth. The economy expanded by 0.3 percent in the three months to September, down from 0.5 percent in the previous quarter, to take the annual rate of growth to 2.7 percent, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said. The new readings were well below analysts' forecasts of 0.7 percent quarterly growth for a year-on-year rate of 3.1 percent, and sent the Australian dollar plunging third-quarters of a cent. The local unit fell from the day's high of 84.69 US cents to a fresh four-year low of 83.92 US cents. "There's always two sides to a boom," JP Morgan economist Tom Kennedy told AFP. "We've had the good side of it, and now we are seeing a little bit of unwind from the investment boom. "It looks like almost all of the surprise here is from the private capex front, which took off 0.5 (percentage points) from GDP and we were expecting a much smaller drag from that component." Net exports supported growth, expanding by a seasonally adjusted 0.8 percentage points as consumption spending rose by 0.4 percentage points. But private capital spending slipped by 0.5 percentage points and public investment eased by 0.2 percentage points. Australia's economy is transitioning towards non-resources driven growth, supported by the Reserve Bank's decision to keep interest rates at a record low of 2.5 percent amid an expected sharp fall-off in mining investment next year. The mining investment boom has helped keep the economy out of recession for more than two decades, but as business spending declines, growth has slipped below trend while the unemployment rate has edged up to a decade high of more than 6.0 percent. Sharp falls in commodity prices have also hit the economy, with the data showing a 3.5 percent decline in the terms of trade and real gross domestic income falling by 0.4 percent. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Thousands to mourn Australia cricketer Phillip Hughes | ||
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Macksville (Australia) (AFP) - Thousands are set to attend the funeral of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes on Wednesday, after the death of the young batsman from a freak on-field injury shook the sport and triggered an outpouring of grief. Hughes, 25 and on the cusp of a recall to the Test team, died from bleeding on the brain last Thursday after being hit on the base of the skull by a rising ball while playing at the Sydney Cricket Ground. His tragic death stunned Australia, where cricket is considered the national game, and has prompted the rescheduling of the upcoming India Test series, while fans around the world placed cricket bats outside their front doors as a mark of respect. In Hughes' hometown of Macksville, on Australia's east coast, tributes to the opener who scored three centuries in 26 Tests hang in shop windows, while ribbons in the green and gold colours of the Australian Test team adorn telephone poles. "It's so huge. It's so massive," said local resident Bethany Simmons of the response to Hughes' death as she looked at the tributes with her children. "It's so shocking, you never expect this to happen in cricket. Everyone knows the risks of rugby... but this was just so shocking. And he had so much potential." Macksville itself, home to a population of just 2,500, is bracing for the funeral which will be attended by cricket luminaries such as Shane Warne, Brian Lara, Richard Hadlee, Virat Kohli and Hughes' first Test skipper Ricky Ponting. Prime Minister Tony Abbott will also be at the memorial. Current Australian captain Michael Clarke, a close friend of Hughes, will be among the pallbearers and deliver a tribute during the service which starts at 2:00pm (0300 GMT) and will be televised live across the country.
- A no-fuss guy -
Hughes' parents Greg and Virginia and siblings Jason and Megan have invited the whole town to the service at Macksville High School, with about 1,000 expected to cram into the hall and 4,000 more filling overflow areas. After the service, Hughes' hearse will travel down the town's main street, with mourners expected to line the procession to bid farewell to one of their favourite sons. "There's not one Australian who can't be with us here in Macksville to celebrate Phillip's life," Hughes' manager James Henderson said. "That's something, again, that's been very exceptionally moving for the family, to think that the whole of the country can stop and join them in celebrating his life and sending him off in the way that they really want to. "Hughesy was a really no-fuss guy and I know he would be looking down at all of this and wondering what the hell's going on," he added. Hughes died after his vertebral artery split when hit by the ball, leading to massive bleeding in his brain. It was a freak injury, with only 100 cases ever reported and only one as a result of a cricket ball. Henderson said Hughes' family had been moved by the support from around the world. "They're very proud that their son has made such an impression on people who knew him and obviously now people who have come to know him in this unfortunate circumstance." As she walked the main street looking at the tributes, local resident Zan Moc said she wished the family well. "They gave us their son -- I just hope that we can all support them," she said. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Oculus VR CEO Explains Why The Company Would Have Turned Down A Deal From Google (FB) | ||
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When Facebook acquired virtual reality startup Oculus VR for $2 billion in March, it came as a surprise to most of the tech community. After all, Facebook isn't primarily a hardware or a gaming company. However, Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe said the social media giant was a perfect fit for Oculus VR's vision. After Iribe first met with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, he began to think about whether Facebook would be the right partner for Oculus. "If we were going to partner with somebody, because this is a long road ahead ... we were thinking the whole time that we wouldn't partner with Microsoft or Sony," Iribe said on stage at Business Insider's Ignition conference. Iribe said he didn't want Oculus to partner with a company that was already strongly tied to an existing operating system or platform because it would be too limiting. "This really needs to be a new platform," he said. The case was the same when he thought about what would happen if Oculus partnered with Google. Since Google is focused on so many bigger projects, Iribe felt Oculus might have gotten lost in the mix. "We didn't know how much time we'd get from the leadership team," he said. One of the biggest reasons Iribe said Facebook seemed like an attractive partner is because Oculus VR's technology has the potential to become a really social platform. "Your brain just believes you're there," Iribe said in reference to Oculus' virtual reality technology. "The next step is to feel like you're there with other people." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Sorry, Microsoft! A Bunch Of Teenagers Just Talked About Doing School Work And None Of Them Use Word | ||
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If you were a teen today, there's a good chance you'd be finishing your homework on your smartphone on the way to school. At least, according to the eight New York City teenagers, all juniors or seniors in high school, that Stephanie Retblatt of Smarty Pants grilled about their productivity and work habits on stage at Business Insider's Ignition conference. The general consensus: Teens like to work on-the-go and in collaborative ways and almost all of their school work happens on the internet. When asked about what programs or apps they used to get work done, Google Drive came up the most. "It's a huge thing at our school," one teen boy said. "A lot of us depend on Google Drive, so we can edit our work at the same time." "Google became very student-efficient over the last few years," another girl added. "Google Drive has a lot of resources to make things easy for us." Teachers post homework on assignment-dedicated websites. Some apparently tweet out assignments. Other classes create Facebook groups to discuss projects. A number of the teens said they often finished work on the way to school or got started on the bus or subway ride home. "I'll start typing essays on my iPhone's Notes app," one student said. Because of an Apple feature called "Handoff," he can then pick up right where he left off on his computer. At a similar panel last year, one teen said they would start writing papers by telling Siri to create a memo and then just speaking for 30 minutes. One program that was notably ignored by the teens: Microsoft Word. Microsoft recently released a free version of Office that will let you create and edit documents for free. It recently hit #1 on the iOS app store. Still, not a single kid said that they used Office to do school work. Today's teens seem to be content sticking to what they know: The world of Google. Other productivity apps the kids mentioned were Quizlet, which lets students and teachers create digital flashcards and PDF Notes, which allows students to download textbooks and mark them up with notes and highlights. People think we just use our phones for stupid stuff, one teen said, but they've really changed how we work. SEE ALSO: Jeff Bezos: Why It Won't Matter If The Fire Phone Flops Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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