Why Tesla employees fear Elon Musk, as told by one of the company's cofounders | ||
| | ||
Working under a leader that's as eccentric, brilliant, and intense as Elon Musk is sure to come with its fair share of challenges and benefits. In his new book, "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future," Bloomberg's Ashlee Vance paints a thorough portrait of Musk and what it was like to work alongside him — illustrating both the upsides and downsides that come with it. J.B. Straubel, Tesla's chief technology officer and one of the company's cofounders, described Musk as "difficult" to work for when speaking with Vance for the book. Straubel also said employees "can get afraid of him." Here's what Straubel said to Vance when describing what it's like to work with Musk: I try really hard to back away and put my ego aside. Elon is incredibly difficult to work for, but it's mostly because he's so passionate. He can be impatient and say, 'God damn it! This is what we have to do!' and some people will get shell-shocked and catatonic. It seems like people can get afraid of him and paralyzed in a weird way. An anonymous former Tesla employee also described his experience working with Musk to Vance, saying workers were "tossed to the curb like a piece of litter:" Elon's worst trait by far, in my opinion, is a complete lack of loyalty or human connection. Many of us worked tirelessly for him for years and were tossed to the curb like a piece of litter without a second thought. Maybe it was calculated to keep the rest of the workforce on their toes and scared; maybe he was just able to detach from human connection to a remarkable degree. What was clear is that people who worked for him were like ammunition: used for a specific purpose until exhausted and discarded. Straubel says he really respects Musk, though: He has driven this thing with his blood, sweat, and tears. He has risked more than anyone else. I respect the hell out of what he has done. It just could not work without Elon. To read more stories about Elon Musk's childhood and career, you can check out Vance's full book by clicking here. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Here's what really happens at a Tesla Supercharger station  | ||
| |
The fight between Airbnb and San Francisco just got nastier | ||
| | ||
Airbnb housing could be cutting into San Francisco's rental market, taking as much as 40 percent of potential rentals off the market in some neighborhoods, according to a new report released yesterday by the city. The report calculated that approximately 2,000 entire housing units, or 23 percent of current available vacant units, have been removed from the housing market because of Airbnb rentals. That's a big deal as San Francisco is facing a shortage of affordable housing. Average rents are up 15% from last year, according to stats recently released by real-estate site Zillow, and it's the most expensive city in the U.S. to rent an apartment, at an average of more than $3,400 a month, according to real-estate marketplace Zumper. But Airbnb panned the city's evaluation of its impact and released a new memorandum of its own to show the money the city could lose from taxes if it adopts a plan to limit the number of days units can be rented to 60. Airbnb's memo, released to Business Insider, calculated that the city would lose $50 million over the next 10 years, or an additional $416,000 a month. The company regularly pays more than $1 million a month in taxes it collects from renters. The dueling releases are the latest back-and-forth in the mud slinging between the company and the city. San Francisco is still grappling with how to deal with how to regulate short-term rentals after its first attempt at legislation last fall was deemed a failure and unenforceable by San Francisco's planning department. Of the thousands of units available to rent on Airbnb, only 282 have successfully registered with the city as of May 1. On Monday, the Board of Supervisors Land Use and Transportation Committee will vote on how to amend the regulation. One proposal from the Mayor's office puts the cap at 120 days a year for short term rentals. Another option set forward by Supervisor David Campos was to limit short term rentals to a max of 60 days a year and compels Airbnb to release its data to the city. Is Airbnb hurting housing?Thursday's report from the city's Budget and Legislative Analyst's office, which was requested by Campos, found the average number of days booked a year to be 58 days. Airbnb, on the other hand, has publicly stated that San Francisco rentals are booked an average of 6.5 days a month or a total of 78 days a year per unit. Airbnb did not provide the city with data, so the city's report is based on unofficial web scrapes of the site. The city officials then looked at the rentals and divided them into "casual" users, or renters who are renting out a bedroom occasionally for extra income, or "commercial" users, who are renting their entire apartment with an open calendar and operating like a business. By taking the commercial count and comparing the numbers to the city 's available housing stock, the report concluded that Airbnb does take homes off the rental market — and to varying degrees, depending on the location. Supervisor David Campos argued that if there is a hard 60-day cap, like he has proposed, those units who are renting out entirely for long periods would have to return to the rental market because you couldn't afford to sustain them.
However, an earlier report from the city's Planning Department showed that a "commercial" rental may not be a direct replacement for a rental unit on the market. In an April analysis, the city calculated that a short-term rental would need to be on the market for 257 days to "outcompete residential use." An Airbnb spokesperson said that the April analysis "made significantly more accurate conclusions about short-term rentals and the housing market” than the report from the budget analyst's and ordered by Campos. "This comes from the same people who want to ban new housing in the Mission, ban home sharing, and make San Francisco more expensive for middle class families," said an Airbnb spokesperson. "Home sharing is an economic lifeline for thousands of San Franciscans who depend on the extra income to stay in their homes. Supervisor Campos’ proposal would make it even harder for middle class families to stay in San Francisco and pay the bills." SEE ALSO: Actually, here's what everybody in San Francisco is REALLY talking about Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: People in Portland, Oregon are going crazy over these tiny houses  | ||
| |
"In neighborhoods like the Mission, which has become ground zero for displacement, you see that as high as 40 percent of the housing stock that could be rented is being Airbnb'ed," said Supervisor David Campos in an interview. Google could launch a huge counterstrike against Amazon in a few weeks (GOOG) | ||
| | ||
Google is preparing to roll out special "buy" buttons alongside some of its search ads, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The move, which the report says is expected in the coming weeks, is the latest sign of Google's ambitions to expand its search engine from being a mere provider of Web links to a one-stop shop where consumers can directly buy whatever strikes their fancy. It could also be a strong counter against Amazon's pull as a online destination for all things retail, which threatens Google's most lucrative source of search advertising money. The buy buttons will initially be available only on mobile searches, according to the report. And the feature will appear alongside paid search ads, but not "organic" search results. Google is reportedly in talks with a small number of retailers, including Macy's. Here's how it will work, according to the Journal's anonymous sources: Click on a buy button, and you'll go to a special Google page (rather than to, say, Macy's website) where all the regular purchase options can be filled out (size, color, shipping options, etc). Consumers will give their payment information directly to Google, which will pass along the order and the money to the retailer. Google has said for years now that it sees itself as more than a place for consumers to get "ten blue links." But the need to do this has become increasingly important as mobile apps that let consumers do everything from order food to cabs, increasingly compete with Google for consumers' attention. Earlier this month Google announced a feature that lets US consumers order restaurant food directly from its search results, thanks to a partnership with six companies including GrubHub and MyPizza.com. And with Google expanding its same-day delivery service, Google Express, some believe it's just a matter of time until Google search results all have a one-click option to have something delivered to straight your doorstep, courtesy of Google. SEE ALSO: These new stats about Amazon should make Google very nervous Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Here's how much you have to buy to make Amazon Prime worth it  | ||
| |
Wireless carriers could become the next important mobile payments provider | ||
| | ||
The biggest question app developers are facing today is how to get paid for their apps and content. In particular they face two challenges: how to make purchasing on mobile easy enough so that people will buy their app and in-app content, and how to enable people to make payments in markets where many do not have credit cards. One answer is carrier billing. Carrier billing allows people to buy digital content by adding the cost of a purchase directly to their mobile bill. It's similar to buying on-demand television by adding it to your cable bill. The idea is not new and, in fact, carrier billing was the first method available to consumers for buying things like ring tones and wallpapers before the advent of smartphones. But now a report from BI Intelligence finds that carrier billing is being updated for the mobile app age. While the concept of adding charges to one's mobile bill hasn't changed, carrier billing technology has made some giant leaps and now offers a smooth, low-friction way for consumers to pay for digital content like apps and tokens within apps. That's why it has developers, app stores and mobile carriers so excited. But that said, it faces some major hurdles, in particular the high prices currently charged by mobile operators for providing carrier billing services has kept many app developers away. Access the Full Report By Signing Up For A Trial Today >> Here are some of the key elements from the report:
The report is full of charts and data that can be downloaded and put to use. In full, the report:
To access the full report from BI Intelligence, sign up for a 14-day trial here. Members also gain access to new in-depth reports, hundreds of charts and datasets, as well as daily newsletters on the digital industry. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do  | ||
| |
People are seriously discussing whether Facebook might be the end of the web as we know it (FB, GOOG) | ||
| | ||
If you want a really interesting and/or frightening take on how Facebook's new Instant Articles feature might change the web, head over to Danny Sullivan's column on MarketingLand. Sullivan is a longtime observer of Google and the search world. All he has done is take Facebook's press release for its new on-Facebook news publishing platform and change all the references of "Facebook" to "Google." The result suggests an unrecognisable future in which publishers might be persuaded to largely abandon publishing stories on their own websites in favour of simply embedding them as native content on Facebook and Google. That would leave the web as we know it — a vast collection of varied websites all doing different things — a largely empty place for news. If Facebook can persuade news companies to publish their stories directly on Facebook, then Google could do the same, for exactly the same reasons, Sullivan says, using the voice of a faux Google press release: As more people get their information on mobile devices, we want to make the experience faster and richer on Google. People search for a lot of information on Google, particularly on our mobile app. To date, however, these pages take seconds to load, far slower than Google itself. Instant Results makes the reading experience much faster than standard mobile web articles.
If enough partners use Instant, and if there is enough good Instant content to read, users will begin to regard linked-out stories as weird slow garbage that should Not Be Clicked. This dystopian vision of "a web without news" is plausible because Facebook is already part of the way along to creating a web without the web. About 28% of all time on the internet is spent on Facebook. In developing countries, where Facebook comes preloaded on feature phones, many people believe Facebook is, basically, the web. Facebook's revenues are trending toward $14 billion a year. This is a company that now needs new businesses that will generate billions in sales to move the needle. It needs more of the entire internet, in other words. By amazing coincidence — not — Facebook is also developing a search engine that will index its massive database of links and status updates. Doubtless this search engine will be very good at ranking Instant Articles, perhaps to the disadvantage of stories displayed on the external web. If you're a publisher, and Facebook is sharing revenue with you to publish your stuff on Facebook first, why would you continue to bother with the web? And as Sullivan points out, anything Facebook can do, Google can do, too. It already has a search engine of course, and it is already publishing and prioritising its own content on Google search over external websites that provide the same or better information. (If you've seen those non-clickable fact boxes that Google sometimes gives you when you search for a well-known fact, you'll know what I mean.) It is not a stretch to imagine Google saying, "We will give additional SEO to articles that can be served up instantly on our platform, over those that require another click to a website of uncertain speed." The reality will probably lie somewhere in between — publishers will most likely offer some content to Facebook while also monetising their native content on their own sites. But it is likely, as Sullivan and Herrman say, that Facebook now gives readers fewer and fewer reasons to actually surf the web for news. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
John Herrman of Edward Snowden: 'I work a lot more now than I did at the NSA' | ||
| | ||
Even though Edward Snowden is in exile in Moscow, he's still hard at work — although he won't reveal what exactly he is working on quite yet because he believes in being judged on the results. Whatever he's working on, the former NSA contractor who exposed controversial US surveillance practices, says it's much tougher than his last gig. "The fact is I was getting paid an extraordinary amount of money for very little work with very little in the way of qualifications. That's changed significantly," Snowden said in an event at Stanford University on Friday, via teleconference from Moscow. "I have to work a lot harder to do the same thing. The difference is that, even though I've lost a lot, I have a tremendous sense of satisfaction." Snowden talked about the ethics of whistle-blowing and what his life is like in Russia now. Just last week, a federal appeals court ruled that the NSA's massive collection of Americans' phone records is illegal — a victory for Snowden, who revealed the existence of the surveillance program in the documents he leaked to the press. Some of the other documents that Snowden leaked, relating to US hacking of China, have sparked criticism that he crossed the line from whistleblowing to treason. Snowden said in the teleconference that he worked with reporters so that there could be a system of checks and balances, and noted that he did not publish a single document himself. Still, he couldn't leak his secrets anonymously to the reporters because his colleagues' livelihoods would have been at risk as well if the NSA conducted a witch-hunt, Snowden said. "Whistleblowers are elected by circumstance. Nobody self nominates to be a whistleblower because it’s so painful," Snowden said. "Your lives are destroyed whether you are right or wrong. This is not something people sign up for." Snowden emphasized that he doesn't see himself as a hero or a traitor, but he had just reached the tipping point where he needed to do something. "You have to have a greater commitment to justice than a fear of the law," Snowden said. "We all have a limit of injustice, of incivility, of inhumanity in our daily life that we can kind of accept and ignore. We turn our eyes away from the beggar on the street. We also have a breaking point and when people find that, they act." SEE ALSO: Why Edward Snowden won't be coming home anytime soon Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: These Surveillance Balloons Are The Hot New Way To Spy On People  | ||
| |
Microsoft to pirates: No, you can't have Windows 10 for free (MSFT) | ||
| | ||
Free Windows 10 is not really going to be free for everyone. Computers that aren't running a genuine, paid-for earlier version of Windows will not be eligible for the upgrade, Windows boss Terry Myerson clarified in a blog post on Friday. When Microsoft had announced the free upgrade, the company had indicated even pirated versions of Windows would be eligible for the upgrade. Then it backtracked. And now it has clarified. Myerson confirmed that users of bootlegged versions of Windows will be warned with a watermark and regularly asked to upgrade, a practice known as nagware. Microsoft has complicated licensing enforcement tech. Sometimes people are using a correctly licensed version but Microsoft has made a mistake and thinks it's a pirated copy. Sometimes a person has bought a new PC and the manufacturer didn't install the license correctly. And, then again, sometimes it really is a bootlegged version of Windows, which has been a big problem in some countries, like China. Myerson explains: Microsoft and our OEM partners know that many consumers are unwitting victims of piracy, and with Windows 10, we would like all of our customers to move forward with us together. While our free offer to upgrade to Windows 10 will not apply to Non-Genuine Windows devices, and as we’ve always done, we will continue to offer Windows 10 to customers running devices in a Non-Genuine state. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Watch these giant container ships collide near the Suez Canal  | ||
| |
THE PAYMENTS INDUSTRY EXPLAINED: The Trends Creating New Winners And Losers In The Card-Processing Ecosystem | ||
| | ||
Understanding this complex and rapidly evolving space can be challenging. In a new explainer, BI Intelligence offers a high-level look at the payments industry — how it functions, who the key players are, and the trends shaping the industry. We start by explaining payment-card processing, since the majority of consumer payments and transaction volume flow through this system. From there we take a look at how consumers' move to mobile devices is changing the way we pay, and which players stand to benefit. Access the Full Report By Signing Up For A Trial Membership Today >> Here are some of the key takeaways:
In full, the report:
To access the full report from BI Intelligence, sign up for a 14-day trial here. Members also gain access to new in-depth reports, hundreds of charts and datasets, as well as daily newsletters on the digital industry. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This 9-year-old makes $1 million a year opening toys  | ||
| |
The payments industry had a huge year in 2014 and it's showing no sign of slowing down. On the one hand tech giants like Amazon and Apple released new products that affirmed their long-term payments ambitions (Apple Pay and Amazon Local Register). On the other hand startups such as Stripe and ShopKeep continued to carve out market share, challenging older players like PayPal and VeriFone. Google’s testing self-driving cars in public this summer, but they’re still years away from going mainstream (GOOG) | ||
| | ||
Google announced on Friday that prototypes of its pod-shaped self-driving cars will hit California’s public roads this summer. They will be equipped with the same software Google used to retrofit its fleet of self-driving Lexus and Toyota cars. For now, Google is capping the speed of the prototypes at 25mph and will operate with a safety driver behind the wheel. Although this is a big step forward for Google, we’re still years away from seeing any substantial adoption of self-driving cars. According to the chart by BI Intelligence, based on data from research firm Frost and Sullivan, there were only about 70 self-driving cars worldwide as of last year (and they were all prototypes, since you cannot actually buy a self-driving car today). That’s expected to jump to 180,000 by 2020, when advances in technology and regulatory changes could make self-driving cars available to the general public. But it’s still a tiny fraction of this year’s 88 million-plus global auto sales. Consumers are still getting comfortable with the notion of taking their hands off the steering wheel. Two-thirds of Americans indicated they’re not completely against self-driving car technology, and 22% said they’d consider buying a self-driving car if the safety and reliability concerns are solved, according to recent Harris Poll survey. “Right now, the self-driving car market is in its infancy and will see a lot of scrutiny over the next five to ten years as consumers adapt to them and lawmakers create the necessary regulations,” BI Intelligence writes.
SEE ALSO: More Americans are switching from Android to iPhones, according to this chart Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Here's how much you have to buy to make Amazon Prime worth it  | ||
| |
23 of the most powerful women engineers in the world | ||
| | ||
The percentage of of women holding technical jobs in corporate America is abysmally small — about 15% — and has been for years. That means you need a microscope to find women in high-powered tech positions amidst a sea of men. But among those women who do enter the field, and then stay the course, many are killing it in their professions. They're inventing or working with amazing tech or are leaders at their companies. So every year we get out our microscope and find a whole bunch of women engineers with fabulous, powerful jobs. No. 23: Ubisoft's Lisette Titre Lisette Titre, Art Manager at Ubisoft Titre has been a video game developer for over thirteen years. A couple of months ago she landed at Ubisoft, makers of the smash hit Assassin's Creed series, as a manager in its art/computer animation department. Not only does she have a geek's dream job, but Titre has also been a tireless advocate encouraging more young women, especially underprivileged youth, to consider the gaming industry as a career. No. 22: SpaceX's Amanda Stiles Amanda Stiles, Mission Operations Engineer at Space Exploration Technologies Stiles is a training and simulation engineer for SpaceX's various commercial operations. She came to SpaceX after running technical operations for the X PRIZE Foundation and was particularly involved in the Google Lunar X PRIZE, where Google is offering $30 million in prizes to people who build robots to send to the moon. She also did a stint at the NASA Ames Research Center, testing software for a lunar spacecraft. No. 21: Intersect ENT's Lisa Earnhardt Lisa Earnhardt, president, CEO at Intersect ENT Intersect ENT makes a biotech device for millions of people suffering from from chronic ear and sinus infections. The tiny device is implanted into the body and delivers small, constant doses of medication, a less invasive alternative than surgery. Earnhardt joined the company in 2008 and led it through an IPO last summer. Prior to that she was president of Boston Scientific’s Cardiac Surgery division with over 450 employees. See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
| |
'The Apple of China' is dipping its toe in Apple's home turf (AAPL) | ||
| | ||
Xiaomi, the so-called "Apple of China" and the biggest smartphone maker in the country, announced on Friday that it will soon sell its popular line of consumer electronics in the US, UK, France, and Germany. On its Facebook page, Xiaomi said it will start off lightly in these countries by selling only four accessories from an online store, including two power banks, a pair of headphones, and a fitness wearable. Customers can place orders beginning May 19th at 7 a.m. EST. Still, it's doubtful Xiaomi has any plans to sell its insanely popular line of smartphones in the US anytime soon. Back in March, Xiaomi VP Hugo Barra suggested the US wouldn't see Xiaomi phones because its phones aren't yet compatible with North American 4G LTE networks. He also mentioned how the way handsets are sold in China is very different to how phones are sold in the US, referring to how Americans buy subsidized smartphones in exchange for carriers' contractual agreements. Xiaomi notes it'll have a limited quantity of these accessories, and that anyone wanting to purchase them will need to create a Mi account. The account sign-up and login page shown in the Facebook post is in Chinese, so we hope your browser of choice has a translation feature, even if it isn't very accurate (our Chrome browser translated the main sentence on the page as "An account, play all millet service!").
You can find the US sign up page here. Even though Xiaomi devices have never been available outside of China and India, news of its success and near cult-like following in China makes headlines because they're more popular than Apple devices. And now, the company is probing Apple's home turf. The accessories being sold in the US are relatively inexpensive, and it'll be interesting to see how they compare in quality and performance to similarly priced and more expensive counterparts currently being sold in the US. SEE ALSO: Look how similar red-hot Chinese startup Xiaomi's products are to Apple's designs Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Here’s the newest phone from Xiaomi — the company that’s outselling Apple and Samsung in China  | ||
| |
Elon Musk’s ex-wife describes the first time they met: ‘He seemed quite nervous’ | ||
| | ||
Elon Musk, the billionaire who helped found Tesla, SpaceX, and PayPal, divorced actress Talulah Riley for the second time earlier this year. Musk's breakups have been in the spotlight — the first time he divorced Riley in 2012 he tweeted it publicly. Before that, his divorce from his first wife, Justine Musk, caused such widespread interest that he wrote a lengthy statement to set the record straight. But a story that's not quite as publicized is how Musk met his recently estranged wife, Talulah Riley, which Ashlee Vance details in his book "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future." After Musk initially filed for divorce from Justine in June 2008, he fell into a slump, as Vance writes in his book. Hoping to lift his spirits, Musk's friend and SpaceX investor Bill Lee convinced him to accompany him on a trip to London that July. The trip started out poorly — when Musk visited Aston Martin to see a tour of its factory, the CEO treated Musk "like an amateur car builder," Vance writes. Then Musk suffered from severe stomach pains that raised worries of appendicitis (which it wasn't). Lee eventually convinced Musk to join him on a night out at a bar called Whisky Mist in Mayfair, an area in West London. It was at this bar that Musk met his second wife, Talulah, who has appeared in films such as "Pride and Prejudice." A club promoter had invited his friends to come meet them at the bar, and one of those friends happened to be Riley. According to Vance's book, Riley and Musk hit it off immediately. Here's how Riley recalled what it was like to meet Musk for the first time: I remember thinking that this guy probably didn't get to talk to young actresses a lot and that he seemed quite nervous. I decided to be really nice to him and give him a nice evening. Little did I know that he'd spoken to a lot of pretty girls in his life. Musk was fixated on Riley. He showed no interest in talking to the other pretty models that the club promoter tried to introduce him to that night. "I figured he couldn't be all that bad after that," Riley said, according to the book. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Peter Diamandis: Elon Musk deserves his success because he risked everything  | ||
| |
Snapchat CEO explains what it was like not selling his company for billions of dollars to Facebook | ||
| | ||
Evan Spiegel, Snapchat's 24-year-old CEO, spoke at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business commencement on Friday. Spiegel came up with the idea for Snapchat while working on a class project as a student at Stanford in 2010. He initially called it Picaboo. With two of his fraternity brothers, Spiegel left Stanford in 2012 to develop Snapchat before he completed his degree. During his very short speech at Friday's commencement — he only spoke for ten minutes — Spiegel talked about his own graduation ceremony three years ago, in which he listened to Cory Booker speak "for what felt like a really long time." Then he walked across the stage to receive an empty diploma case. Spiegel left Stanford just a few credits shy during his senior year after he raised a seed round of financing. "It only recently occurred to me how totally absurd this whole [graduation] charade was," Spiegel said. "We do all sorts of silly things to avoid appearing different." For Spiegel, being different meant starting a company and not completing his college education. "Conformity is so fascinating and so pervasive that it has been studied for a very long time," he continued. "It turns out there are two things that can dramatically reduce conformity in a group setting. The first is a single dissenting voice. The second is the ability to communicate privately with other members of the group." Another time Spiegel didn't conform was when he decided not to sell Snapchat to Facebook for billions of dollars. Facebook made him an offer at least twice, and Spiegel reportedly walked away both times. Spiegel says the question he receives most often now is, "Why didn't you sell your business?" "It doesn’t even make money. It’s a fad. You could be on a boat right now. Everyone loves boats. What’s wrong with you?'" Spiegel recalled. "I am now convinced that the fastest way to figure out if you are doing something truly important to you is to have someone offer you a bunch of money to part with it," Spiegel said, referencing Facebook's offer to buy Snapchat for $3 billion. "The best thing is that, no matter whether or not you sell, you will learn something very valuable about yourself. If you sell, you will know immediately that it wasn’t the right dream anyways. And if you don’t sell you’re probably onto something. Maybe you have the beginning of something meaningful," he added. "When we decided not to sell our business people called us a lot of things besides crazy — things like arrogant and entitled. The same words that I’ve heard used to describe our generation time and time again. The Millennial Generation. The 'Me' Generation. Well, it’s true," Spiegel said. "We do have a sense of entitlement, a sense of ownership, because, after all, this is the world we were born into, and we are responsible for it." Before leaving the stage, Spiegel imparted several other pieces of advice to the young audience:
You can read Spiegel's entire commencement speech in the embedded document below.
SEE ALSO: A 22-year-old made the ultimate guide on how to use Snapchat Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: It's dangerously easy to record Snapchats without the other person knowing  | ||
| |
There's one glaring problem with Oculus Rift's plan to conquer virtual reality (FB) | ||
| | ||
The highly-anticipated virtual reality headset Oculus Rift is finally going to be available for purchase early next year. But there's a problem: If you own a Mac or Linux system, or a basic PC, you're out of luck. At least for now. Facebook-owned Oculus VR on Friday released the technical requirements for running the Oculus Rift — it will require a PC with a powerful graphics card. But it won't work on any Apple or Linux computers. And the system specifications are far above the levels of any basic PC. "Our development for OS X and Linux has been paused in order to focus on delivering a high quality consumer-level VR experience at launch across hardware, software, and content on Windows," Oculus' chief architect Atman Binstock wrote in a blog post. "We want to get back to development for OS X and Linux but we don’t have a timeline." We always knew the first-generation Oculus Rift would require a computer to work, but it's disappointing that it won't work across all platforms just yet. And furthermore, you'll have to own an at least $1000 PC with a beefy graphics card if you want a quality experience. Delayed gratification
Luckey's original Kickstarter campaign surpassed its goal in less than 24 hours on its way to raising over $2.4 million. It was endorsed by countless gaming executives, including Valve CEO Gabe Newell and "Doom" creator John Carmack. It became an even bigger deal when Facebook saw its potential and acquired the company for $2 billion in March 2014. Over that time, Oculus built three official development kits for the Rift headset, but everyone wanted to know when they could expect the first consumer version to ship. The company finally answered that question earlier this month, promising the first units of the Oculus Rift would ship early next year. Unfortunately, just because it's officially called the "consumer version" doesn't mean the first-generation Rift is for "all consumers." Due to these technical requirements and restrictions, it sounds like the Oculus Rift will only appeal to hardcore gamers at this point, who already own a gaming rig that can handle the computational load.
Personally, I was looking forward to buying the first-generation Oculus Rift, but I probably won't at this point. I'm a big gaming enthusiast but only a casual gamer — I don't have a crazy setup like a massive computer tower with three monitors, I just have a MacBook Pro. I would need to buy a completely separate PC just to play around with the Rift. Here's what they say you'll need to actually use this thing:
That is not going to come anywhere near approaching the average user's home computer system. And as a result, it's going to leave a lot of people who want to experience virtual reality out of the loop. Of course, this is not what Oculus wants, either. Most virtual reality companies say their goal is to get their VR products untethered from computers to simply become plug-and-play experiences like many living room game consoles. But that future isn't quite here yet, and unfortunately, that means many people — non-gamers and casual gamers included — will be missing out on the first wave of virtual reality. SEE ALSO: 3 virtual reality products will dominate our living rooms by this time next year Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Watch Henry Blodget Freak Out When He Tries Oculus Rift And Looks Down From A Virtual Skyscraper  | ||
| |
The Oculus Rift was responsible for re-sparking interest in virtual reality back in 2012, when gaming enthusiast Palmer Luckey promised a better virtual reality experience that was also accessible and affordable for most people.
Watch these daredevils in China climb to the very top of the second-highest skyscraper in the world | ||
| | ||
Video courtesy of On The Roofs Follow BI Video: On Facebook Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
National Geographic just reached one billion likes on Instagram — here are its most spectacular photos | ||
| | ||
As print magazines transition to digital, one legacy publication has had no problem amassing a large social following from millennials: National Geographic. With 17 million followers, the magazine's Instagram account is one of the most beloved on the platform — in fact, @natgeo is the top non-celebrity account. The account is celebrating a recent milestone, having just surpassed 1 billion likes after posting almost 7,000 photos. They've also launched two new accounts: @natgeoyourshot, where the curate the best reader-submitted photos, and @natgeoadventure, where they spotlight photographers and adventurers. The @natgeo account is also incredibly diverse and young — 70 percent of followers come from outside the United States and 75 percent are millennials, according to National Geographic.
Steve Winter shot this photo of a tiger, the planet's largest big cat.
This photo of a gray seal in the Gulf of Maine has garnered 542,000 likes so far.
This leatherback sea turtle just hatched before the photo was taken in Trinidad.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
| |
Inside the beautiful apartment of an executive at one of New York City's hottest startups | ||
| | ||
Rebekah Rombom, VP of business development at coding education startup The Flatiron School, never saw the need to fully decorate her tiny apartment on New York City's Upper West Side. "I thought it was out of reach and not really worth it in a rental in New York City," she told Business Insider. "But I was running into the problem of not having a well-defined work space in my home." The Flatiron School is a highly selective, full-time program that teaches people how to code and eventually get jobs as engineers. Rombom met Will Nathan, cofounder of interior design startup Homepolish, when he turned to the Flatiron School to recruit developers. She decided to purchase 10 hours of design time with Homepolish designer Michele Bitter. The result is a colorful, efficiently organized apartment that has made it easier for Rombom to work on her latest Flatiron School projects from home. One of the main goals Rombom and Bitter had was to define the tiny studio apartment into separate sleeping, working, and living spaces. Installing a tall bookshelf was one way to accomplish this without blocking too much sunlight. Growing a startup means working crazy hours, so having an efficient desk space was extremely important. "When all is said and done, having a place that’s cohesive and feels like it’s your own really makes a difference in your productivity," Rombom said. See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
| |
The alleged Bitcoin founder went to law school for fun — and that says a lot about what Bitcoin is really for | ||
| | ||
The New York Times' Nathaniel Popper thinks that he's found Satoshi Nakamoto, the elusive, pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin. Popper thinks Satoshi is Nick Szabo, a programmer with a longtime interest in cryptography and law. Szabo even went to law school at one point (for fun, basically). According to his new book, Digital Gold (which comes out next week), Popper met Szabo at a party and asked him about about his time at George Washington: He had returned to school in part because he had become convinced that the singular focus on markets, among libertarians and crypto-anarchists, was naive. Szabo believed that society had multiple "protocols" beneath markets, such as the legal system, which determined how markets worked. All of this, though, had just been a hobby for Nick, until very recently. If it's true that Szabo is Satoshi, and this really is the reason that Szabo went to law school, that adds a really interesting layer to the history of bitcoin. It means that bitcoin was created with more thought toward US legal structure than it's normally given credit for. That's becoming relevant now as bitcoin becomes more popular and the companies that use it and promote it become increasing regulated. Szabo has certainly been thinking about contracts and how programming can be applied to the legal system for a while. In 1997, he published a paper on smart contracts in First Monday, a peer-reviewed journal about internet economics. Smart contracts would apply the idea of rules dictating property ownership (which is what contracts are) to the digital realm. Instead of having to go to a lawyer to know the rules, a computer can just assign property based on what its code says. In his paper from almost two decades ago, he actually predicted a smart contract that exists today: auto lenders being able to remotely disable a car's ignition if the owner misses a payment. Here's the idea, from Szabo's 1997 paper: ...we can create a smart lien protocol: if the owner fails to make payments, the smart contract invokes the lien protocol, which returns control of the car keys to the bank. This protocol might be much cheaper and more effective than a repo man. A further reification would provably [sic] remove the lien when the loan has been paid off, as well as account for hardship and operational exceptions. For example, it would be rude to revoke operation of the car while it's doing 75 down the freeway. And the way the current system works for many subprime lenders, according to a 2014 New York Times story: But before they can drive off the lot, many subprime borrowers like Ms. Bolender must have their car outfitted with a so-called starter interrupt device, which allows lenders to remotely disable the ignition. Using the GPS technology on the devices, the lenders can also track the cars’ location and movements. The devices, which have been installed in about two million vehicles, are helping feed the subprime boom by enabling more high-risk borrowers to get loans. But there is a big catch. By simply clicking a mouse or tapping a smartphone, lenders retain the ultimate control. Borrowers must stay current with their payments, or lose access to their vehicle. Can you imagine thinking of that mechanism back in 1997? SEE ALSO: The New York Times thinks it's identified mysterious bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Here's how Floyd Mayweather spends his millions  | ||
| |
Netflix stock hit a record high on the news that it might enter China (NFLX) | ||
| | ||
Netflix stock reached a record high Friday afternoon. It hit ~$617.75 after shooting up more than 5% on the news that it might be in talks to enter China's online video market, which Bloomberg reported early this morning. The company is now worth more than $37 billion. All told, Netflix is up 78% in the last 12 months.
SEE ALSO: Netflix is in talks to enter China's booming online video market Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: We tried the app that's like Netflix for movie theaters — and it's totally worth it  | ||
| |
The people who control the internet got together in a room yesterday — here's what they're worried about | ||
| | ||
On Thursday, in a large Romanesque ballroom on Manhattan’s Amsterdam Avenue, the people who make the big decisions relating to the underlying technology of what we call the "internet" sat discussing the future. There's a huge power shift happening in this world, away from US control and toward a more international approach. Most of the world-leading experts in this field were OK with this. But at least one internet pioneer, Vint Cerf, who now works for Google, worried that this could break the internet into warring fiefdoms that won't work well together. This conference on Internet Governance and Cyber-Security, held at at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, invited some of the best-known internet scholars and policymakers to discuss the technical and meaty topic known as "Internet Governance." Looming in the background was last year's announcement that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a US government agency, would relinquish its oversight of the global internet naming authority — the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). While this issue isn’t making the front pages, it is a huge shift in power for the bureaucracies keeping the internet afloat. ICANN is the private nonprofit organization that oversees how domains are named and assigned. Up until now, the US has had formal oversight.
Despite this shakeup, Fadi Chehadé — the president and CEO of ICANN — assured the room that everything was okay. "The logical infrastructure of the internet is safe, resilient, and well governed," he said. "Most of the world now agrees on that." Sitting in the same row with Chehadé was former ICANN chair Paul Twomey, along with the president and CEO of the Internet Society, Kathryn Brown, and Beth Noveck, who runs New York University’s GovLab. With the upcoming NTIA transition, they said, officials are scrambling to figure out how every country with a stake in the internet will get its voice heard. The term "multistakeholder internet governance" was the key buzzword, referring to a process of policymaking that attempts to include all involved parties using a consensus-based model. While this sounds like a logical way for governing technology used by the whole world, not everyone is thrilled. Google’s chief internet evangelist, Vint Cerf, said during his opening remarks that a multistakeholder model could lead to some tension, and perhaps fragmentation of the internet. For example, one country's laws may not coincide with other perceptions of how online content should be disseminated. This could lead to localized data storage and perhaps even halt cross-border data flow. Germany is a great example of a country taking measures to keep its data within its borders. To Cerf, this is a frightening prospect. Brown, on the other hand, believes that the multistakeholder model is just what is needed. "We’re not looking for global agreement," the Internet Society president said. "We’re looking for agreements; we’re looking for consensus where it needs to happen." This model is a way to reach decisions "that are sustainable, that are trusted, that are transparent," she added. Next goal: Improving the integrity of information online Chehadé believes the next hurdle for the global internet community doesn’t relate the underlying infrastructure of the internet. Instead, he thinks it's time to focus on "what happens on the internet." He called this "internet integrity." He went on, "When I see something on the internet written about me ... How do you know it is a high integrity item? How do you know this is the truth?" Chehadé believes that the next issue to be tackled is not how the internet works (which is the infrastructure that ICANN has been overseeing for decades), but how to create a better way to ensure and protect the content disseminated on the internet. Even with this seemingly gargantuan project, the attendees seemed pleased with future prospects. In years past there were questions about how associations like ICANN could make proper internet decisions that relate to the global user base. That’s no longer the case. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Here's how much you have to buy to make Amazon Prime worth it  | ||
| |
Prince Harry in snap encounter with Australian crocodile | ||
| | ||
Sydney (AFP) - Britain's Prince Harry had a close encounter with a ferocious crocodile during his recent trip in Australia, with officials revealing Saturday he helped capture a 3.1 metre predator. Harry spent a month Down Under with the Australian Army, an experience which involved learning bush survival skills, flying helicopters and working with elite SAS commandos. The 30-year-old British prince also helped to snare a crocodile from a trap, pulling in the animal from Darwin Harbour and straddling it after its jaws had been taped closed. "Prince Harry went out on the croc boat and helped our rangers remove a 3.1 metre (10 feet) saltwater crocodile from a trap in Darwin Harbour," Northern Territory Minister for Parks and Wildlife Bess Price said. "This top secret mission is sure to leave a unique, lasting impression of the Territory with Prince Harry," she added in a statement. Prince Harry was welcomed to Australia by hundreds of well-wishers in Canberra on April 6 -- including one who asked to marry him -- but his day-to-day activities with the Army were kept under wraps. Ranger Erin Britton said Harry, who toured Afghanistan twice during a decade in the British Army, was not scared to get close to the crocodile, which was later taken to a local farm. "He'd make a great croc catcher," she said. "He responded to directions when catching the croc, helped pull it into the boat and did a great job." Britton said she hadn't been sure what to expect of the prince "because you don't meet royalty every day," but had found him to be a "sweetie". "I was a little nervous at first when I was getting the snout rope on the croc because Harry was observing so closely, but he was so easy-going that I relaxed pretty quickly," she said. "I found him very approachable and easy to chat with." Rangers in the Northern Territory often have to remove crocodiles from waterways used for boating and fishing to limit the risk of fatalities and injuries. Crocodiles are common in Australia's tropical north where their numbers have increased since the introduction of protection laws in 1971 to around 75,000 to 100,000. Britton said there was "no doubt" the visiting prince enjoyed snaring the crocodile, saying he had been "taking plenty of photos with a huge smile". Senior Wildlife Ranger for the Crocodile Management Team, Tommy Nichols, agreed the prince seemed to enjoy the visit on April 15. "Prince Harry managed to speak to all members of the crocodile team during the time he spent with us and he appeared to be a nice bloke," he said. "It was the first time any of us had met a member of the Royal Family and we were all very excited." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
South Sudan rebels in major assault on key town of Malakal: minister | ||
| | ||
Juba (AFP) - Rebels in South Sudan have launched a large-scale attack on the strategic northern town of Malakal, an official and aid sources said Saturday. Fierce fighting was reported to be raging inside the town, situated in the country's oil-rich north, in what appeared to be a major counter-attack against a several weeks-old offensive by government troops. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Eight bodies found in US chopper wreckage: Nepal army | ||
| | ||
Kathmandu (AFP) - The Nepalese army said Saturday troops had found the bodies of all eight people from the wreckage of a US helicopter which crashed while delivering aid in the quake-devastated country. The UH-1Y Huey was carrying six US Marines and two soldiers from the Nepalese army when it went missing during a relief flight in the mountainous northeastern region on the same day that a second quake hit the country. "Nepalese and US troops recovered all eight bodies from the crash site this morning," major general Binoj Basnyat told AFP by telephone. "None of the bodies are recognisable," Basnyat said. Nepalese troops Friday spotted the aircraft in a remote forest around 70 kilometres (40 miles) northeast of Kathmandu, three days after it disappeared from sight. Teams from the US military and the Nepal army were investigating the wreckage to determine the cause of the crash, Basnyat said. Army helicopters and hundreds of US and Nepalese ground troops had been deployed to scour the mountainous region where the chopper disappeared. Relief teams from around the world have been working for weeks to provide water, food, shelter and medical assistance to Nepal after the first, 7.8-magnitude quake hit on April 25. Nearly 8,500 people have now been confirmed dead in the disaster, which destroyed more than half a million homes and left huge numbers of people without shelter with just weeks to go until the monsoon rains. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Double disappointment for sluggish Phelps | ||
| | ||
Charlotte (AFP) - Olympic legend Michael Phelps failed to make the 200-meter freestyle final and had to settle for third in the 100m butterfly at a Pro Swim Series meet. The 18-time gold medallist clocked 52.59 seconds in the 100m butterfly, behind runner-up Ryan Lochte (52.52) and winner Tom Shields (52.12). Phelps, who has his sights set on competing in a fifth Olympics in 2016 at Rio, holds the world record at 49.82. The 29-year-old American missed out on the 200m final in Charlotte, North Carolina, after posting just the 14th fastest time in the preliminaries. His 1:51.44 was more than eight seconds off his American record and Phelps had to console himself with a win in the 200m B final by clocking 1:49.12. Phelps announced Thursday he was relocating to Tempe, Arizona to join his long-time coach Bob Bowman, who was recently hired as the swim coach at Arizona State University. Phelps won a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and retired after the 2012 London Olympics with a career record 22 Olympic medals, only to make a comeback last year. But last September he was slapped with a six-month suspension by USA Swimming after a drink-driving arrest. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
After a deadly derailment, Amtrak is forced to make safety changes | ||
| | ||
Following a massive derailment that reduced an Amtrak train to a pile of warped metal Tuesday night, the rail line is being forced to make some major safety improvements. The Federal Railroad Administration has ordered Amtrak to broaden its use of an existing signal technology designed to prevent such an incident. The Wall Street Journal reports Amtrak will "change an existing automatic braking system to guard against speeding trains at the curving section of track" that is now the site of the Amtrak 188 crash that killed at least 8 people and injured many others. The Journal says Amtrak has been using the so-called track circuits for quite some time. The circuits generate an alarm "in the cabin of a train that exceeds speed limits," which then cuts power if the train doesn't slow down. Sarah Feinberg, the Federal Railroad Administration's acting administrator, said on CNN Friday night she'll ask that those circuits be installed at the site of the derailment before service is restarted there.
Amtrak apparently has those circuits installed on the southbound side of the Frankford Junction where derailment happened Tuesday, but not on the northbound side. Train 188 was apparently traveling too fast while rounding a curve Tuesday night on its way from Washington D.C. to New York City. The incident has reignited ongoing arguments among lawmakers about Amtrak and related infrastructure funding. The conversation reached a boiling point Wednesday, after the House Appropriations Committee backed a measure that would slash Amtrak's budget by $251 million for its next fiscal year. House speaker John Boehner later fired back at critics, saying "Obviously it's not about funding. The train was going twice the speed limit," SEE ALSO: The NTSB is investigating whether Amtrak 188 was hit by a 'projectile' before it derailed Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central  | ||
| |
Japanese aquariums rely on controversial dolphin hunt: report | ||
| | ||
Tokyo (AFP) - Nearly half the dolphins in Japan's aquariums are caught using a controversial fishing method that sees dozens more slaughtered every year, a newspaper reported Saturday. At least 18 of 33 Japanese aquariums that are home to dolphins say their stock were caught using the divisive "drive fishing" method, while eight declined to comment due to concerns over "negative reactions," the Yomiuri Shimbun said. Of 352 kept at the 33 facilities, 158 dolphins were caught after being corralled into a bay or beach and then snatched by fisherman to be sold later, the top-selling newspaper added, while others from their pods were killed for meat. The southern whaling town of Taiji is known for the practice and came to worldwide attention after the Oscar-winning documentary "The Cove" showed pods of the animals forced into a bay and then butchered with knives, in a mass-killing that turned the water red with blood. The Yomiuri Shimbun report did not specify whether the dolphins came from Taiji. Townsfolk say the hunt is for dolphin meat, which they say is a traditional part of their diet. But critics of the practice say there is insufficient demand to justify the slaughter of hundreds of animals a year and say the hunt is only profitable because of the high prices live dolphins can fetch when sold to aquariums and dolphin shows. Last month, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) voted to suspend its Japanese chapter (JAZA), saying it had refused to stop taking dolphins caught in Taiji. WAZA "requires all members to adhere to policies that prohibit participating in cruel and non-selective methods of taking animals from the wild," the organisation said, adding JAZA refused a proposed two-year moratorium on using the Taiji hunt. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
US raises pressure as more grim Asian migrant tales emerge | ||
| | ||
Langsa (Indonesia) (AFP) - Washington raised the pressure on Southeast Asia to open its ports to boatpeople on Saturday after migrants described a terrifying battle for survival between Rohingya and Bangladeshi passengers as their shunned vessel sank off Indonesia. The US State Department said John Kerry had phoned his Thai counterpart "to discuss the situation of migrants in the Andaman Sea and to discuss the possibility of Thailand providing temporary shelter for them". "We urge governments in the region to refrain from push-backs of new boat arrivals," State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said. He called on Southeast Asian authorities "to work together quickly, first and foremost to save the lives of migrants." Southeast Asia is in the grips of a deepening crisis over a flood of boatpeople with Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand coming under pressure to rescue the starving and helpless migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar's oppressed Muslim Rohingya minority. The UN refugee agency has reported a surge in departures from Bay of Bengal ports in recent months, and activists say 8,000 people may be adrift after a Thai crackdown severed busy human-trafficking routes. Survivors of a boat that sank off the east coast of Sumatra island -- among roughly 900 people rescued off Indonesia on Friday -- described a violent struggle between Bangladeshis and Rohingya for scarce food and space. "They were killing each other, throwing people overboard," said Sunarya, police chief of the city of Langsa near where they were rescued. The jam-packed boat had put to sea two months ago, and with supplies running low, its Thai captain would shoot dead migrants who asked for food, said Muhammad Amin, a Rohingya. - Violent struggle on doomed boat - The captain and crew abandoned ship earlier this week, and as the boat was turned away first by Indonesia and then Malaysia, the Rohingya won a violent struggle for remaining supplies, said Bangladeshi survivor Muhammad Koyes. "When we asked for food, they beat us. The Bangladeshis were very weak, so we could not fight back," he said. More fighting broke out as the boat took on water, Muhammad Amin said, and he and others were thrown overboard. He drifted six hours before being rescued. "Thank God we survived, I have a wife and children in Malaysia," he said. Nearly 600 migrants were already sheltering in Sumatra's Aceh province after managing to get ashore in recent days. The Bangladeshis are believed to be mainly economic migrants. But Rohingya have been fleeing their homes in Rakhine state in droves -- bound largely for Malaysia -- to escape years of sectarian violence and discrimination in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. Each spring, boats stream southward out of the Bay of Bengal, trying to beat seasonal monsoon storms. Hundreds die every year, according to the UN refugee agency. The flow has surged recently as traffickers have duped migrants by waiving payment for passage, said Hla Myint, a Rohingya leader in a refugee camp near the Rakhine state capital Sittwe. Instead, they later demand ransoms from migrants' families once at sea, or ashore in Thailand or Malaysia. The trend has contributed to boats being held at sea for weeks. UN chief Ban Ki-moon has called for migrants to be rescued, and his High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said Friday he was "appalled" at the migrant boat push-backs, warning that more will die. But the head of Indonesia's armed forces stood firm. "(Boatpeople) will not be allowed to enter our region. If they do, they may create social problems," General Moeldoko said, according to state-run media. Amid regional finger-pointing, Myanmar -- which insists Rohingya are not its problem -- has snubbed a Thai call for a May 29 crisis summit. The Thai navy discovered 106 Rohingya on an island off its west coast, a provincial governor said Friday. Earlier, a boat carrying about 300 emaciated Rohingya left Thailand's waters, an official said, after authorities repaired its engine and provided food. The Thai official said the migrants refused offers to land, apparently fearing deportation to Myanmar. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Indian, Chinese firms sign deals worth $22 billion | ||
| | ||
Shanghai (AFP) - Indian and Chinese firms signed 21 agreements officials said were worth a total of more than $22 billion in Shanghai on Saturday, witnessed by visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Let us work together in mutual interests," Modi told executives from 200 Chinese and Indian companies at the signing ceremony. "Now India is ready for business." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
IS jihadists seize key Iraqi city, kill dozens in Syria | ||
| | ||
Beirut (AFP) - Islamic State extremists made key gains, seizing a government compound in the strategic Iraqi city of Ramadi hours after allegedly massacring dozens of civilians as they closed in on Syria's ancient metropolis of Palmyra. Women and children were among 23 people executed in cold blood outside Palmyra, monitoring groups said, as fears grew that advancing IS troops would destroy the ancient city renowned as a world heritage site. Following the latest reported IS atrocity in Syria, jihadists raised their black flag over Ramadi's government headquarters after launching a wide offensive using suicide car bombs that sent civilians fleeing the western city, edging closer to what would be their biggest victory in Iraq this year. IS "now occupies the government centre in Ramadi and has also raised its flag over the police HQ for Anbar", a police major told AFP on condition of anonymity. The loss of the capital of Anbar province would be a major setback for Iraq's government, which has struggled to gain the upper hand against the IS group in the region and Baiji, north of Baghdad, despite months of US-led bombing raids. Iraq's government said Ramadi had not fallen yet and a major counter-offensive was under way. The jihadists already hold Mosul, Iraq's second city and the capital of the neighbouring Nineveh province, and US Vice President Joe Biden on Friday pledged to expedite supplies to Iraqi forces in a phone conversation with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. The IS gains in Iraq came as rights groups reported the group had massacred 23 people as it advanced on Palmyra, and it now held positions within one kilometre (less than a mile) of the UNESCO world heritage site. Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP IS fighters had "executed by gunfire 23 civilians, including nine children, in the village of Amiriyeh, north of Tadmor," adding that relations of government officials were among those killed. Palmyra, a 2,000-year-old desert oasis site known in Arabic as Tadmor, is one of Syria's most prized historical gems and experts fear IS plans to destroy the city after it sacked the Iraqi archaeological sites of Nimrud and Hatra. "It is our responsibility to alert the (UN) Security Council so that it will take strong decisions," UNESCO chief Irina Bokova said, adding that the world body was "very worried".
- Syria war 'heartbreaking' -
Since the IS offensive in Anbar province began early Wednesday, more than 138 combatants -- 73 soldiers and 65 jihadists -- have been killed. There were also reports of at least 26 civilians executed by IS, the Observatory said. The militant Islamists group has taken advantage of unrest in Syria -- where a four-year civil war has killed more than 220,000 people -- and Iraq to seize huge swathes of both countries, which it rules under its own harsh interpretation of Sharia law. US President Barack Obama said Friday Syria would not likely see peace before he leaves office in early 2017 and reaffirmed his belief that there is no "military solution" to the conflict. "The situation in Syria is heartbreaking but it's extremely complex" Obama told the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television network, adding that "too often in the Middle East region, people attribute everything to the United States". Also on Friday, the chief of staff of the US command overseeing the American-led air war against the IS group, Brigadier General Thomas Weidley, said the jihadists remained "on the defensive" despite their seizure of Ramadi. "We firmly believe Daesh is on the defensive throughout Iraq and Syria," Weidley told reporters, using an alternative acronym for the IS group. Meanwhile north of Baghdad, Iraqi troops were engaged in a difficult fight to hold onto the country's largest oil refinery in Baiji despite 165 US strikes against IS.
- 'Pearl of the desert' -
In Syria, the army pledged to send reinforcements to protect Palmyra, home to some 70,000 people including displaced Syrians who fled there after their home towns were engulfed in violence. The governor of central Homs province, where the ancient city is located, said the situation was "under control". "The army has sent reinforcements and it is bombing the (IS) positions from the air," Talal Barazi said. Palmyra is nicknamed "the pearl of the desert" and UNESCO describes it as a heritage site of "outstanding universal value". IS has destroyed numerous ancient sites in Iraq and Syria as it has advanced, and UNESCO's Bokova said it was important to work "against extremism, against this strategy of eradicating... our collective memory". Syria's opposition National Coalition said IS would be committing "a crime against civilisation" by destroying Palmyra, and accused the regime of not doing enough to protect the ancient city. The historical metropolis stood on a caravan route at the crossroads of several civilisations, and its first and second century temples and colonnaded streets mark a unique blend of Greco-Roman and Persian influences. It also houses a series of old and beautifully decorated tombs. Since Syria's conflict began four years ago, Palmyra has been looted and its architecture has already been damaged by clashes between rebels and the regime. The country's director of antiquities Maamoun Abdelkarim warned that Palmyra's destruction would be "an international catastrophe" and urged efforts to protect the site.
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Kerry in Beijing with island-building on agenda | ||
| | ||
Beijing (AFP) - Top US diplomat John Kerry was to meet Chinese leaders on Saturday with State Department officials saying he would take a tough line over Beijing's island-building in strategic but disputed waters. The US is weighing sending warships and surveillance aircraft within 12 nautical miles -- the normal territorial zone around natural land -- of artificial islands that Beijing is building in the South China Sea. Such a move could lead to standoff on the high seas between the world's top two economies in an area home to vital global shipping lanes and believed to be rich in oil and gas deposits. Pentagon officials last week revealed that China is building artificial islands on top of coral reefs at an unprecedented pace, in a land reclamation effort dubbed a "great wall of sand" by one American commander. The rapid construction comes to 2,000 acres (800 hectares), with 75 percent of the total created in the last five months alone. Senior State Department officials said ahead of the talks in Beijing that Kerry would "reinforce... the very negative consequences on China's image, on China's relationship with its neighbours, on regional stability, and potentially on the US-China relationship" of Beijing's activities in the sea. Beijing claims nearly all of the South China Sea, even waters close to the coasts of other littoral states, on the basis of a segmented line dating back to Chinese maps of the 1940s. One official said Kerry would "leave his Chinese interlocutors in absolutely no doubt that the United States remains committed to maintain freedom of navigation". "That's a principle that we are determined to uphold," the official added. US officials increasingly believe Washington needs to send a clear signal about China's dredging activities around the Spratly Islands and other disputed territories, though they want to calibrate any military operation to avoid triggering a crisis. They also stress that under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea only natural land masses create a territorial claim, not artificial islands. "You can't build sovereignty," an official said. But the US has never ratified the convention itself. Beijing defends the island-building as taking place within its own territory and intended to enhance its ability to carry out international obligations such as search and rescue. In a commentary ahead of Saturday's talks, China's official news agency Xinhua said the US was guilty of "thinly veiled hypocrisy". "The United States is not a party in the South China Sea disputes, which are between China and other claimants and should be handled by those directly involved," it said. "Washington has no valid grounds whatsoever to point an accusing finger at Beijing over South China Sea. Instead, it needs to look at itself in the mirror," it went on, accusing the US of seeking "a pretext to maintain its hegemonic presence in the region". The US is in the process of a foreign policy "pivot" to Asia and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Friday denied the Washington planned to base B-1 bombers in his country, saying an American official had "misspoken" when he told the Senate the deployment was intended. Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to carry out a state visit to the US in September. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
China rights lawyer charged after a year in detention | ||
| | ||
Beijing (AFP) - A top Chinese human rights lawyer detained for more than a year was criminally charged Friday over comments he made online, officials said, prompting denunciations from the United States and advocacy groups. Pu Zhiqiang, a celebrated rights campaigner who has represented dissident artist Ai Weiwei, was taken into detention last May in the run-up to the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square killings. Pu, 50, was accused of "inciting ethnic hatred" and "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," for comments made on the Twitter-like microblogging service Sina Weibo, Beijing prosecutors said online. The charges, which carry maximum jail sentences of 10 and five years respectively, are said by his legal team to stem from 28 posts he wrote on the service. They include posts questioning a state media account of a "terrorist" attack in the mainly Muslim region of Xinjiang, and another accusing the ruling Communist Party of "lying". Pu is virtually certain to be convicted. The party keeps a close grip on the court system and according to official figures 99.93 percent of defendants in Chinese criminal trials are found guilty. A US State Department spokesman expressed "deep concern" for the lawyer and called for his immediate release, describing Pu's treatment as evidence of wider state intolerance of dissidents in China. "His indictment appears to be part of a systematic pattern of arrests and detentions of public interest lawyers, Internet activists, journalists, religious leaders and others who challenge official Chinese policies and actions," Jeff Rathke said. British-based campaign group Amnesty International called for authorities to "end their persecution" of Pu. "He did nothing more than comment on current affairs on social media. The Chinese government is blatantly violating his freedom of expression and attempting to silence an independent voice," Amnesty researcher William Nee said in a statement. China's foreign ministry earlier this month dismissed US calls for Pu's release, saying that Washington should "concentrate on its own domestic problems". Pu was previously celebrated in China's state-run media for seeking compensation for people sent to "re-education through labour" camps. The government said in 2013 it would abolish the system.
- 'Inhumane torture' -
Beijing prosecutors said on a verified Sina Weibo account that "Pu Zhiqiang used information networks to send many Weibo posts inciting ethnic hatred". Pu "insulted others, disrupted public order and shall be held criminally responsible," the statement continued. Pu, who is diabetic, has been subjected to harsh treatment by the authorities during his year in detention, according to a letter written by his wife in December. "He is suffering from... high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia and heart disease," Meng Qun wrote in the letter. "He was interrogated for almost 10 hours every day during the first three months in the detention centre... (and) he was subjected to inhumane torture both physically and mentally." Chinese authorities routinely round up outspoken critics of the Communist Party in the weeks before dates they deem sensitive, such as the June 4 Tiananmen anniversary, and Pu was held after attending a private seminar about the crackdown. More than 40 journalists, lawyers, scholars and activists were held under various forms of detention ahead of last year's anniversary, Amnesty International said, in a larger clampdown than usual. He was formally arrested in June for "creating disturbances and illegally obtaining personal information," charges his legal team said were aimed at silencing the government critic. Meanwhile a wider crackdown on dissent has been under way since Chinese President Xi Jinping took office two years ago, with scores of government critics detained and dozens jailed. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
'Cicadas': US military's new swarm of mini-drones | ||
| | ||
Washington (AFP) - US military scientists have invented a miniature drone that fits in the palm of a hand, ready to be dropped from the sky like a mobile phone with wings. The "micro air vehicle" is named after the insect that inspired its invention, the Cicada, which spends years underground before appearing in great swarms, reproducing and then dropping to the ground dead. "The idea was why can't we make UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) that have the same sort of profile," Aaron Kahn of the Naval Research Laboratory told AFP. "We will put so many out there, it will be impossible for the enemy to pick them all up." The "Cicada", short for Covert Autonomous Disposable Aircraft, was designed to be smaller, cheaper and simpler than any other robotic aircraft -- but still able to carry out a mission in a remote battlefield. The prototype cost just a thousand dollars, and the cost could come down to as little as $250 apiece, said Kahn, a flight controls engineer at the naval lab. With no motor and only about 10 parts, the Cicada resembles a paper airplane with a circuit board. It is designed to glide to programmed GPS coordinates after being dropped from an aircraft, a balloon or a larger drone, researchers said. In a test about three years ago in Yuma, Arizona, Cicada drones were released from 57,600 feet (17,500 meters). The little drone flew -- or fell -- 11 miles, landing within 15 feet of its target. The Cicada drone can fly at about 46 miles (74 kilometers) per hour and are virtually silent, with no engine or propulsion system. "It looks like a bird flying down," said Daniel Edwards, an aerospace engineer at the Naval Research Laboratory. But, he said, "it's very difficult to see." - Robotic carrier pigeons - In the flight test, the Cicada had sensors that could send back weather readings for temperature, air pressure and humidity. But researchers said the mini-drones could be used for a myriad of missions, and outfitted with a range of light-weight sensors, including microphones. "They are robotic carrier pigeons. You tell them where to go, and they will go there," Edwards said. One possible scenario could be using the drones to monitor traffic on a remote road behind enemy lines. "You equip these with a microphone or a seismic detector, drop them on that road, and it will tell you 'I heard a truck or a car travel along that road.' You know how fast and which direction they're traveling," Kahn said. The micro-planes could be outfitted with magnetic sensors to pick up enemy submarines, or to eavesdrop on troops or operatives. For the moment, equipping it with a video feed poses a technical challenge, because extracting the video requires too much bandwidth, researchers said. Although the drones have yet to be deployed, the first use may come outside the battlefield, for weather forecasters. Meteorologists trying to predict tornadoes have to rely on temperature readings from the ground. But the Cicada drone offers the prospect of numerous temperature readings from the air, providing enough data to build a truly three-dimensional model for forecasting tornadoes. And despite their toy-like appearance, the Cicada drones are surprisingly robust, Edwards said. "You can thrown them out of a Cessna or a C-130," he said. "They've flown through trees. They've hit asphalt runways. They have tumbled in gravel. They've had sand in them. They only thing that we found that killed them was desert shrubbery," he said. Edwards had the Cicadas on display at the Pentagon's "lab day" this week, as part of a bid by US defense officials to promote technological innovation. Academics and just about every branch of government have expressed an interest in the Cicada program, including some intelligence agencies. "Everyone is interested. Everyone," Edwards said. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Panama gripped by millionaire ex-president's graft scandal | ||
| | ||
Panama City (AFP) - When he ran for office, Panama's former president Ricardo Martinelli promised graft-weary voters he would never steal a cent: Why would he need to, since he was already a millionaire?, he asked. Six years later, he is at the eye of a swirling scandal that has taken down several close allies, including two former ministers jailed for stealing public money. The mounting accusations of massive corruption during his presidency (2009-2014) are now closing in on Martinelli, a white-haired supermarket magnate who is already under investigation for skimming money off the top of a school lunch contract. "It's like a line of dominoes. They're knocking down the first ones to get to Martinelli," said political analyst Jaime Porcell. Martinelli, 63, disappeared from the country in January. His whereabouts are unknown, but he keeps up an active presence on Twitter, where he recently posted a picture of himself with a palm-tree-lined beach in the background, with the caption: "Watching a beautiful sunset with two of my sisters." He also uses the platform to taunt his successor and former ally, President Juan Carlos Varela, whom he accuses of "politically persecuting" him. Varela once served as Martinelli's vice president and foreign minister, but they had a nasty falling out in 2011, when Martinelli sacked Varela from his cabinet, saying he was more focused on preparing for the 2014 presidential election than on doing his job. Varela hit back, accusing Martinelli of massive corruption. He continued to hector his boss from the vice president's office, an elected post that Martinelli was powerless to force him from. Today, Martinelli's tweets include smiling pictures of himself and Varela pre-rift that he has promised to post every week on "#ThrowbackThursday, when we remember the happy family we were." It is all a far cry from 2009, when the pair teamed up to oust a center-left government and bring business-friendly policies back to Panama. Varela, the scion of a rum dynasty, promised to back Martinelli for president if Martinelli would back him in 2014. Martinelli won with vows to put an end to the corruption that has long dogged Panama, which has a reputation as a tax haven and ranks 94th out of 175 countries on watchdog group Transparency International's corruption perceptions index. But now Martinelli is being investigated on suspicion of stealing money from a $45-million contract to buy food for schoolchildren as part of a National Action Plan (PAN) against poverty. - Luxury cars, apartments, yacht - Investigators also allege corruption on an airport parking lot program and a contract with a tax collection firm. Varela says the total stolen during his predecessor's administration is nearly $100 million. Prosecution documents seen by AFP say that money was used to buy luxury cars, apartments and a yacht. As the graft charges have mounted, Martinelli's allies have been falling one by one. His former economy minister, Frank De Lima, was arrested this week as part of a probe into allegations that up to $1.7 million was skimmed from PAN grain contracts. Prosecutors say De Lima oversaw purchases of rice, lentils and beans at twice the actual price, carefully keeping the amounts below $300,000 to avoid congressional oversight. Former social development minister Guillermo Ferrufino is serving jail time for stealing public funds, as are two former directors of PAN, Giacomo Tamburelli and Rafael Guardia. Other top Martinelli allies are under investigation, including business executives, a former Supreme Court judge and his own brother. "They are closing in on Martinelli. There will probably be more (scandals) because there was no oversight," political analyst Mario Rognoni told AFP, saying Martinelli's government pocketed "fist-fulls" of public money. "Martinelli's future must be in prison, given all the known cases, the accusations and the evidence that is coming out," said Magaly Castillo, the director of the Citizens Alliance for Justice, a watchdog group. But Martinelli, who is now a member of the Central American Parliament, maintains it is a smear campaign. He has filed a complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, claiming rights violations. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Survivors say justice served in Boston death verdict | ||
| | ||
Boston (AFP) - Survivors of the Boston Marathon bombings said justice had been served but reacted with mixed emotions after a jury handed down the death penalty verdict to convicted killer Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. "He's going to go to hell. That's where he wanted to go," said Michael Ward, a firefighter who was off duty at the time of the April 15, 2013 attacks but who treated victims at the scene. "I remember when those bombs went off and I remember the vile, disgusting thing that this person did," he told reporters almost immediately after the sentence was handed down following 14 hours of jury deliberations. "This is a matter of justice," he said. "No one's here celebrating. If you ask 10 people you'll get 10 different opinions," he said. "But ultimately, justice has prevailed today... He wanted to go to hell and he's going to get there early," he added. Liz Norden, whose two adult sons each lost a leg in the attacks at the marathon finish line, said she would be there "every step of the way" if ever afforded the option of watching Tsarnaev be put to death. "I feel justice for my kids," she told reporters. "It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders." Ballroom dancer and amputee Adrianne Haslet-Davis tweeted: "My heart is with our entire survivor community. I am thrilled with the verdict!" Yet there was also an element of surprise and sadness over the sentence. The death sentence was possible only under federal law. The state of Massachusetts outlawed capital punishment in 1947 and opinion polls had suggested residents favored a life sentence for Tsarnaev. Some survivors, including the parents of eight-year-old victim Martin Richard, had publicly opposed the death penalty, worried that years, if not decades, of prospective appeals would dredge up their agony. - No peace - The Richard parents reportedly left court on Friday declining to comment. Outside the federal courthouse, a small group of US veterans and anti-death penalty protesters expressed anger and disappointment. Melida Arredondo, her eyes hidden behind dark glasses, conceded she had conflicted emotions about the decision, mainly she said, because of the ongoing process that countless appeals would entail. Laurie Scher said the long, exhausting trial had "been healing" and helped her to forge strong friendships with other survivors, but said the prospect of his execution brought "no" relief. "I have my personal feelings about that and I'd like to keep them to myself," Scher told reporters. "I'm sure at one time in his life, he was a very lovely, caring young man," she said. "He turned into a monster. Why did that happen? We'll never know. My feelings on him are nothing but -- what can I say?" Heather Abbott, who lost her left leg below the knee in the bombings and who set up a foundation to help victims obtain prosthetic limbs, found only sadness in the verdict. "The verdict, regardless of which one it turned out to be, doesn't bring me peace," she wrote on her foundation's Facebook page. "It brings sadness and cause to reflect, again, on just how senseless all of the deaths and injuries that resulting from this situation are." Karen Brassard, who went to the marathon with her husband and daughter to cheer on a friend, welcomed the decision but said she would be praying for the jury and recognized what an "unbelievably difficult" job it had been. The entire family of three was hurt in the attacks. The verdict, she said, made her feel like she could breathe again. "Happy is not the word I would use. There's nothing happy about having to take someone's life," she said. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
British government announces 'unusual' extra budget | ||
| | ||
London (AFP) - Britain's finance minister announced plans for a second 2015 government budget on Saturday to quickly implement his Conservative Party's campaign promises of spending cuts and savings following a surprise election win. "On the eighth of July I am going to take the unusual step of having a second budget of the year," Chancellor George Osborne wrote in The Sun newspaper. "I don't want to wait to turn the promises we made in the election into a reality ." Osborne was re-appointed finance minister following an election last week in which David Cameron won a surprise majority and a second term as prime minister. The chancellor has said he will strip out £12 billion (16 billion euros, $19 billion) a year from Britain's welfare bill in a bid to balance the nation's books by 2020, but has not given full details on where the cuts will fall. Osborne said it would be a "budget for working people" that would protect the National Health Service, make savings in government administration and improve British productivity. "We'll crack down hard on tax avoidance and aggressive tax planning by the rich -- because everyone should pay their fair share," he wrote. "We'll spend less on welfare and instead invest to create three million more apprenticeships, so that young people can learn a trade, get better jobs and earn more." Osborne last delivered a budget on March 18. Plans for a budget are usually announced in a statement to parliament, which is not yet sitting following the election. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Why Tesla employees fear Elon Musk, as told by one of the company's cofounders | ||
| | ||
Working under a leader that's as eccentric, brilliant, and intense as Elon Musk is sure to come with its fair share of challenges and benefits. In his new book, "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future," Bloomberg's Ashlee Vance paints a thorough portrait of Musk and what it was like to work alongside him — illustrating both the upsides and downsides that come with it. J.B. Straubel, Tesla's chief technology officer and one of the company's cofounders, described Musk as "difficult" to work for when speaking with Vance for the book. Straubel also said employees "can get afraid of him." Here's what Straubel said to Vance when describing what it's like to work with Musk: I try really hard to back away and put my ego aside. Elon is incredibly difficult to work for, but it's mostly because he's so passionate. He can be impatient and say, 'God damn it! This is what we have to do!' and some people will get shell-shocked and catatonic. It seems like people can get afraid of him and paralyzed in a weird way. An anonymous former Tesla employee also described his experience working with Musk to Vance, saying workers were "tossed to the curb like a piece of litter:" Elon's worst trait by far, in my opinion, is a complete lack of loyalty or human connection. Many of us worked tirelessly for him for years and were tossed to the curb like a piece of litter without a second thought. Maybe it was calculated to keep the rest of the workforce on their toes and scared; maybe he was just able to detach from human connection to a remarkable degree. What was clear is that people who worked for him were like ammunition: used for a specific purpose until exhausted and discarded. Straubel says he really respects Musk, though: He has driven this thing with his blood, sweat, and tears. He has risked more than anyone else. I respect the hell out of what he has done. It just could not work without Elon. To read more stories about Elon Musk's childhood and career, you can check out Vance's full book by clicking here. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Here's what really happens at a Tesla Supercharger station  | ||
| |
The fight between Airbnb and San Francisco just got nastier | ||
| | ||
Airbnb housing could be cutting into San Francisco's rental market, taking as much as 40 percent of potential rentals off the market in some neighborhoods, according to a new report released yesterday by the city. The report calculated that approximately 2,000 entire housing units, or 23 percent of current available vacant units, have been removed from the housing market because of Airbnb rentals. That's a big deal as San Francisco is facing a shortage of affordable housing. Average rents are up 15% from last year, according to stats recently released by real-estate site Zillow, and it's the most expensive city in the U.S. to rent an apartment, at an average of more than $3,400 a month, according to real-estate marketplace Zumper. But Airbnb panned the city's evaluation of its impact and released a new memorandum of its own to show the money the city could lose from taxes if it adopts a plan to limit the number of days units can be rented to 60. Airbnb's memo, released to Business Insider, calculated that the city would lose $50 million over the next 10 years, or an additional $416,000 a month. The company regularly pays more than $1 million a month in taxes it collects from renters. The dueling releases are the latest back-and-forth in the mud slinging between the company and the city. San Francisco is still grappling with how to deal with how to regulate short-term rentals after its first attempt at legislation last fall was deemed a failure and unenforceable by San Francisco's planning department. Of the thousands of units available to rent on Airbnb, only 282 have successfully registered with the city as of May 1. On Monday, the Board of Supervisors Land Use and Transportation Committee will vote on how to amend the regulation. One proposal from the Mayor's office puts the cap at 120 days a year for short term rentals. Another option set forward by Supervisor David Campos was to limit short term rentals to a max of 60 days a year and compels Airbnb to release its data to the city. Is Airbnb hurting housing?Thursday's report from the city's Budget and Legislative Analyst's office, which was requested by Campos, found the average number of days booked a year to be 58 days. Airbnb, on the other hand, has publicly stated that San Francisco rentals are booked an average of 6.5 days a month or a total of 78 days a year per unit. Airbnb did not provide the city with data, so the city's report is based on unofficial web scrapes of the site. The city officials then looked at the rentals and divided them into "casual" users, or renters who are renting out a bedroom occasionally for extra income, or "commercial" users, who are renting their entire apartment with an open calendar and operating like a business. By taking the commercial count and comparing the numbers to the city 's available housing stock, the report concluded that Airbnb does take homes off the rental market — and to varying degrees, depending on the location. Supervisor David Campos argued that if there is a hard 60-day cap, like he has proposed, those units who are renting out entirely for long periods would have to return to the rental market because you couldn't afford to sustain them.
However, an earlier report from the city's Planning Department showed that a "commercial" rental may not be a direct replacement for a rental unit on the market. In an April analysis, the city calculated that a short-term rental would need to be on the market for 257 days to "outcompete residential use." An Airbnb spokesperson said that the April analysis "made significantly more accurate conclusions about short-term rentals and the housing market” than the report from the budget analyst's and ordered by Campos. "This comes from the same people who want to ban new housing in the Mission, ban home sharing, and make San Francisco more expensive for middle class families," said an Airbnb spokesperson. "Home sharing is an economic lifeline for thousands of San Franciscans who depend on the extra income to stay in their homes. Supervisor Campos’ proposal would make it even harder for middle class families to stay in San Francisco and pay the bills." SEE ALSO: Actually, here's what everybody in San Francisco is REALLY talking about Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: People in Portland, Oregon are going crazy over these tiny houses  | ||
| |
Rodgers wants Reds to give Gerrard the perfect send-off | ||
| | ||
London (AFP) - Brendan Rodgers has called on Liverpool's players to give Steven Gerrard the perfect Anfield farewell present with a victory against Crystal Palace on Saturday. Emotions will be running high when Gerrard makes his final appearance in a Liverpool shirt on home turf before joining LA Galaxy in the close-season and Reds boss Rodgers would dearly love to send the club captain off to California with one last memorable Anfield moment. The 34-year-old midfielder is already well established as a Liverpool legend after 17 seasons with the team he supported as a boy, but Rodgers hopes there is still room in his storybook career for a fairytale departure in the style of Ian Rush, another Anfield icon who scored a late winner against Watford in his final home appearance before joining Juventus in 1987. "In terms of trying to control emotion it has been very simple. The attitude of all the players has been first class, Steven in particular," Rodgers said. "We are concentrating on winning the game as I am sure Steven will want to go out with a win. The players are not on holiday at all. "Steven doesn't like the focus and attention but it is brought on because of his star quality." Elsewhere on Saturday, several clubs will be looking to avoid joining already-relegated Burnley and Queens Park Rangers in English football's second-tier next term. Hull currently occupy the one remaining relegation place but can do themselves a power of good, if not make absolutely certain of their top-flight status, with a win away to a Tottenham side who have not scored in five of their last eight games. The Tigers lost 1-0 to Burnley last weekend and manager Steve Bruce has demanded a much-improved performance from his side against Spurs. "My main concern is we haven't got anywhere near the level we're capable of and I take responsibility for that," Bruce said. Newcastle and Sunderland are the next two clubs in line, with the north-east rivals both on 36 points, although Sunderland do have a game in hand, against Arsenal, next week. This weekend sees Newcastle away to QPR while Sunderland face Leicester, just a point and a place above them, in what promises to be a classic relegation "six-pointer". Last week's 1-1 draw with West Brom ended Newcastle's run of eight straight defeats, their worst for 38 years, and left them two points above the relegation zone with two games to play.
- Hurt pride -
Victory at Loftus Road, allied to a Hull failure to win, would see Newcastle stay up but Magpies' caretaker boss John Carver, desperate to be the manager of his hometown club come next season, said he wanted more than that. "My pride has been hurt by the run of results. I want to do something about it. If that means winning the next two games, that will make me feel a little bit better," Carver said. Sunderland welcome Leicester to the Stadium of Light buoyed by a morale-boosting 2-0 victory at Everton. But although Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat has taken 10 points from six games since his arrival, his new club are still not out of danger. "We thought that with six points, we had enough, and now we have 10 points and we still need three points, so hopefully we can do that on Saturday," Advocaat said. Leicester, however, are currently on a brilliant run of six wins in their last seven matches which has seen the Foxes give themselves a remarkable lifeline after being bottom of the table for 140 days this season. Meanwhile, Sunday should help decide which clubs join already-crowned champions Chelsea among the top three guaranteed direct entry into the Champions League. Manchester City, currently second, travel to Swansea, while fourth and third meet when Manchester United face Arsenal at Old Trafford. Chelsea are at West Bromwich Albion on Monday.
Fixtures (1400 GMT unless stated) Saturday: Burnley v Stoke, Liverpool v Crystal Palace (1630 GMT), QPR v Newcastle, Southampton v Aston Villa (1145 GMT), Sunderland v Leicester, Tottenham v Hull, West Ham v Everton Sunday: Manchester United v Arsenal (1500 GMT), Swansea v Manchester City (1230 GMT) Monday: West Bromwich Albion v Chelsea (1900 GMT)
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Google could launch a huge counterstrike against Amazon in a few weeks (GOOG) | ||
| | ||
Google is preparing to roll out special "buy" buttons alongside some of its search ads, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The move, which the report says is expected in the coming weeks, is the latest sign of Google's ambitions to expand its search engine from being a mere provider of Web links to a one-stop shop where consumers can directly buy whatever strikes their fancy. It could also be a strong counter against Amazon's pull as a online destination for all things retail, which threatens Google's most lucrative source of search advertising money. The buy buttons will initially be available only on mobile searches, according to the report. And the feature will appear alongside paid search ads, but not "organic" search results. Google is reportedly in talks with a small number of retailers, including Macy's. Here's how it will work, according to the Journal's anonymous sources: Click on a buy button, and you'll go to a special Google page (rather than to, say, Macy's website) where all the regular purchase options can be filled out (size, color, shipping options, etc). Consumers will give their payment information directly to Google, which will pass along the order and the money to the retailer. Google has said for years now that it sees itself as more than a place for consumers to get "ten blue links." But the need to do this has become increasingly important as mobile apps that let consumers do everything from order food to cabs, increasingly compete with Google for consumers' attention. Earlier this month Google announced a feature that lets US consumers order restaurant food directly from its search results, thanks to a partnership with six companies including GrubHub and MyPizza.com. And with Google expanding its same-day delivery service, Google Express, some believe it's just a matter of time until Google search results all have a one-click option to have something delivered to straight your doorstep, courtesy of Google. SEE ALSO: These new stats about Amazon should make Google very nervous Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Here's how much you have to buy to make Amazon Prime worth it  | ||
| |
Wireless carriers could become the next important mobile payments provider | ||
| | ||
The biggest question app developers are facing today is how to get paid for their apps and content. In particular they face two challenges: how to make purchasing on mobile easy enough so that people will buy their app and in-app content, and how to enable people to make payments in markets where many do not have credit cards. One answer is carrier billing. Carrier billing allows people to buy digital content by adding the cost of a purchase directly to their mobile bill. It's similar to buying on-demand television by adding it to your cable bill. The idea is not new and, in fact, carrier billing was the first method available to consumers for buying things like ring tones and wallpapers before the advent of smartphones. But now a report from BI Intelligence finds that carrier billing is being updated for the mobile app age. While the concept of adding charges to one's mobile bill hasn't changed, carrier billing technology has made some giant leaps and now offers a smooth, low-friction way for consumers to pay for digital content like apps and tokens within apps. That's why it has developers, app stores and mobile carriers so excited. But that said, it faces some major hurdles, in particular the high prices currently charged by mobile operators for providing carrier billing services has kept many app developers away. Access the Full Report By Signing Up For A Trial Today >> Here are some of the key elements from the report:
The report is full of charts and data that can be downloaded and put to use. In full, the report:
To access the full report from BI Intelligence, sign up for a 14-day trial here. Members also gain access to new in-depth reports, hundreds of charts and datasets, as well as daily newsletters on the digital industry. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do  | ||
| |
