Facebook says no sex apps on Oculus, but won’t discuss limits on violence | ||
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Oculus wants your virtual reality experience to be safe and pleasant. The Facebook-owned company will start selling its Oculus Rift virtual reality headset in the first quarter of next year. And it will operate its own app store (similar to Apple’s app store) so you can download games and other engrossing apps that deliver the thrills of virtual reality. Oculus will reportedly vet which apps appear in its store, and even rate the apps. But one thing that has no place is Oculus’ brave new world is virtual sex. A company representative re-iterated the Oculus position on the matter when we asked about it on Friday: “Oculus only distributes developer content that meets their terms of service which forbid pornographic content from being a part of the Oculus Store,” the spokesman said. Fair enough. But that got us thinking, what about violence? If Oculus intends to make the world inside its headsets family-friendly, how will it handle violent content? Here, Oculus had an interesting response: “Oculus only distributes developer content that meets their terms of service, but they aren’t open to discuss what those terms are at this time.” It's a curious silence for an issue that's not likely to remain hypothetical. Gaming is expected to be one of the most popular uses of virtual reality headsets like Oculus, and many video games, from first-person shooters to fighting games, are inherently violent. But virtual reality will also open the door to other forms of entertainment, many of it more movie-like. That means the makers of gory horror movies will also gravitate to VR platforms like Oculus. Will Oculus draw the line on what level of violence is too much or how graphic the depictions of violence can be? It’s a good question, just don’t look to Oculus for answers right now. Of course, this only applies to apps available through Oculus’ official app store. There will likely be unofficial app stores where users will be able to download whatever they want. But the rules for the official Oculus app store are important, since that’s how most mainstream consumers may experience virtual reality. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: The 12 best new features coming to the iPhone  | ||
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The 'connected car' is creating a massive new business opportunity for auto, tech, and telecom companies | ||
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The connected car is equipped with internet connections and software that allow people to stream music, look up movie times, be alerted of traffic and weather conditions, and even power driving-assistance services such as self-parking. By 2020, BI Intelligence estimates that 75% of cars shipped globally will be built with the necessary hardware to connect to the internet. In this report from BI Intelligence, we take a deep dive into the connected-car market. We size the market for connected cars, determine the average selling price and how it will decline over time, and assess different manufacturers' approaches. Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:
In full, the report:
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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John Doerr's pick for next Twitter CEO: Google's product chief or Netflix CEO Reed Hastings (TWTR) | ||
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While there's already rampant speculation over who should be the next full time CEO of Twitter, Kleiner Perkins' legendary partner John Doerr dropped his own two cents on who he thinks would be a good replacement to interim CEO Jack Dorsey. "Reed Hastings would be a good CEO at Twitter. I think Sundar [Pichai] at Google would be a great CEO at Twitter," Doerr said in an interview with Bloomberg's Emily Chang. "I think there’s a lot talent out there. I think the board will do a good job in finding somebody to fill Dick’s shoes," he added. When told those two already have a fulltime job, Doerr simply answered, "I expect the CEO that's recruited to Twitter will have a job." Doerr didn't provide any further thought to his reasoning, but he did note that Costolo's done a great job as CEO, bringing the company from roughly $3 billion to over $24 billion in market cap. Doerr also gave the golden answer to making Twitter a better overall product: "I'd like to see Twitter easier to use for my mom." Costolo announced his resignation from Twitter's CEO role on Thursday, allowing Jack Dorsey to step in as interim CEO. Doerr was one of the early investors in Twitter, but mentioned he was not consulted about the recent management shake up during the interview. SEE ALSO: Twitter's CEO search is pretty much a sham — here's what's really going on Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Venture Capital Legend Reveals How To Spot The Next Tech Superstar  | ||
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Katie Couric gets a pay raise as she re-signs with Yahoo (YHOO) | ||
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Katie Couric has reportedly renewed her job as global news anchor of Yahoo. The New York Post reported that Couric's new contract raises her salary from $6 million a year to $10 million. It's still less than the reported $15 million anchor's salary she earned at CBS. Despite moving from the daytime TV slot to a website in 2013, she's landed interviews with some major figures, including one this week with presidential candidate Senator Lindsey Graham and one of the first with former Kleiner Perkins partner Ellen Pao after her trial. The Couric deal is often touted as one of Marissa Mayer's big accomplishment's during her tenure as Yahoo CEO and is part of the company's larger plan to double down on video content. But the strategy has yet to markedly change Yahoo's business, which continues to struggle. Yahoo recently won rights to live stream a Bills-Jaguars NFL game on October 25 when it's played in London. Couric's short videos also show up in the Snapchat Discover news feature in the popular ephemeral messaging app. For Mayer, the decision to hire Couric — and likely to re-up her — has been about producing original content and developing Yahoo's voice. "But I will say, to me it was really more about raising that journalistic standard, getting our name out there as people who really want to participate in news and participate in the dialogue in a different way than just republishing content," Mayer told Dan Primack in an interview with Fortune in May. "I also think, when I look across the different digital players, one of the things that has set Yahoo apart over the ages is a personality, and a viewpoint. There’s a lot of other places where there’s less personality, or it’s the personality of your friends, and it’s different for each person," Mayer continued. Asked about the reports of Couric's new contract, Yahoo had this to say:
"We can confirm that Katie remains as Yahoo's global news anchor. We don't comment on rumors, speculation or personnel matters." SEE ALSO: There Are Still Big Questions About Yahoo's $6 Million Katie Couric Gamble Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: The 3 people Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer leans on for advice  | ||
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Apple isn't being very nice to some of its biggest fans (AAPL) | ||
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Some of those announcements, especially Apple's plan to make its popular Swift programming language open source, got applause and cheers. But not everybody is happy with Apple at the moment. SherlockedFirst off, a lot of things Apple announced make a lot of startups redundant. Developers call this well-documented phenomenon "sherlocking," in reference to the time in 2002 that Apple introduced a new search feature called "Sherlock" into Mac OS 8 that made a commercial, outside product named "Watson" totally obsolete. Market research firm CBInsights noted in a blog post that apart from the obvious — Apple Music competes with music services like Spotify, Rdio, and SoundCloud, Apple News competes with Flipboard — there are 12 other venture-backed companies whose iOS-based services now compete with Apple. These include Evernote (Apple Notes) and menstrual cycle tracking app Clue (new updates to Apple's HealthKit).
This isn't necessarily a death knell. Apple's iCloud, for instance, was supposed to be a Dropbox-killer (it didn't work out that way, obviously). And just as iMessage didn't kill WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, iOS 9 won't completely destroy every other competitor. But it gives startups a much harder time getting off the ground if they have to go against Apple itself on its home turf. Going on SafariNext, Apple announced a change to the way developers work with Apple. In the past, Apple had separate programs for iPhone/iPad and the Mac. If you wanted access to the early developer versions of iOS and Mac OS X, and the tools to get your stuff listed in the App Store, you needed to join two programs, each at a cost of $99 a year. At WWDC, Apple brought the two of them together. So far so good. The problem is that Apple also made Safari extensions — tools made by outside parties that add extra features to Apple's Safari browser — part of the program. That means the people who make Safari extensions must now pay an annual $99 fee. That $99 per year is not a big deal for developers who make iPhone games or Mac apps from which they can then make money (whether by charging for the app, doing in-app purchases, or by running advertising). But for developers who make Safari extensions, which are always available to consumers for free, it's a bitter pill to swallow.
Often, developers release these extensions as hobby projects, and so many feel that charging $99 per year to distribute software that makes Safari better at a net loss to themselves makes no sense. "Not only is the cost an annoyance, I also don't feel Apple deserves $100 from me just so I can have the privilege of continuing to publish free software that enhances its browsers," wrote honestbleeps, who makes the free Reddit Enhancement Suite tool in a very popular, widely-read post on the Apple subreddit community. "This just feels like a HUGE kick in the face from Apple." If you don't pay the $99, it seems that you can still distribute your Safari extensions from your own website, but once OS X El Capitan is released with a new version of Safari, those extensions won't automatically update themselves — basically a kiss of death. Since websites can change drastically overnight, a browser extension that works today might not tomorrow, and without an automatic update from the developer, it'll just stop working entirely until the user goes in manually. And who knows how long that would take? Business Insider has reached out to Apple for clarification on this point and will update when they respond. Compounding the frustration is the fact that Safari has a much smaller marketshare than other browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Internet Explorer. There is, of course, another side to this story: The $99 annual fee also includes the ability to list your Safari extension in the Safari Extensions Gallery, Apple's official place to find extensions, meaning more eyeballs on the fruits of your labor.
But many Safari extension developers, like honestbleeps, just want to make their passion projects for the browser and let people use them, without having to pay out of pocket. Change is afootApple is trying very hard to make itself friendlier to developers, and the streamlining of its developer program goes a long way. But for a company as big and as platform-focused as Apple, there are going to be some bumps in the road. In the eyes of some people though, a few of the bumps appear to be smaller startups and independent developers getting run over. SEE ALSO: Here's the news that got the loudest cheers at Apple's big event today Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Apple finally introduces split-screen multitasking on the iPad — here's what it looks like  | ||
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At this week's developers conference, Apple made a whole bunch of announcements aimed at getting the hordes of people who make their living building apps and software for iOS, Mac, and Apple Watch excited to work with the company. 
Plus, by placing extensions under that same Apple Developer Program, it makes it easier for iOS and Mac app developers to make the Safari browser integrate with their apps. That's especially important since Safari in iOS 9 for iPhones and iPads will let users install extensions for the mobile browser. Oculus apps will have virtual reality 'comfort' ratings so you don't get sick or scared | ||
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Virtual reality is an engrossing experience — so engrossing that it might make some people dizzy, uncomfortable or even frightened. That's why Oculus, which will begin selling a virtual reality headset next year, will provide special "comfort ratings" for all the games and other apps that it makes available through its official app store. Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe told TechCrunch that the company will pre-approve all third-party apps that are offered through its store (similar to Apple's practice of vetting iPhone apps) and that the company will give the apps different ratings to ensure that consumers know exactly what kind of a virtual world they're stepping into. The idea, he said, is to steer people with weak stomachs away from nausea-inducing games, Iribe told TechCrunch. “Something can be comfortable from a disorientation standpoint, where it doesn’t make me feel bad...it doesn’t have crazy locomotion like a roller coaster. But if it is really, really super intense, we do want to give people warnings about that.” TechCrunch notes that it could also help prevent potentially dangerous scenarios, such as someone having a heart attack when a monster suddenly pops into their view. Oculus has already said that the third-party apps distributed in its store will have to meet certain criteria. Pornographic content, for instance, will not be allowed. But the company is being very vague when it comes to the kinds of graphical violence it will permit. When asked whether the Oculus store would have any restrictions on violence, a spokesperson replied with the following statement: "Oculus only distributes developer content that meets their terms of service, but they aren’t open to discuss what those terms are at this time." SEE ALSO: Facebook's virtual reality company just shocked everyone by announcing a partnership with Xbox Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This is what it's like trying the Oculus Rift for the first time  | ||
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Salesforce just invested in a startup that can make gadgets like the Apple Watch useful at work (CRM) | ||
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Salesforce Ventures was part of a $10 million, Series B round raised by APX Labs, a software maker for wearables at work, Washington Business Journal reported on Thursday. It's unclear who led the round or how much Salesforce put in it, but the deal is another clear sign that Salesforce is serious about wearable devices at work. APX Labs' software can instantly turn wearable devices, like Google Glass and Apple Watch, to something useful at work. Based on what we see in its videos, APX Labs' software integrates various devices and helps improve workflow, like contract approval and sending emails, with a simple tap on the device. Its software is mostly used in heavy industries like energy, automotive, and aerospace. The way APX Labs' software works is right in line with what Salesforce cofounder Parker Harris recently described as the best use case of the Apple Watch at work. He said, aside from the obvious benefits of taking quick phone calls and text messages, the Watch could make it easy to make approvals straight from the device. Salesforce has been one of the earliest adopters of wearable devices among enterprise software companies. Its app was the only true enterprise app shown during Apple's Watch launch event, and its CEO Marc Benioff has been one of the most vocal supporters of wearables since at least 2008. Some of the other wearable-related startups Salesforce Ventures invested in include conference calling software Speakeasy and Will.i.am's smartwatch company Puls. SEE ALSO: Why Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff Is Totally Obsessed With His Fitbit Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This is the Chinese version of Google Glass and it's only a fraction of the price  | ||
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Apple is totally obsessed with this hipster bakery in San Francisco | ||
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Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Kids settle the debate and tell us which is better: an Apple or Samsung phone  | ||
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Here are the actual tubes one company plans to use to make the real Hyperloop | ||
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One of the companies planning to build a Hyperloop test track has begun receiving its first set of test tubes. It's worth mentioning that the company has no affiliation with Elon Musk, who orignially proposed the Hyperloop idea. It also has no affiliation with Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, which is another company that also plans to build a test track and recently secured land in Quays Valley, California to build its track. It plans to break ground as soon as next year. In 2013, Musk published a paper on how the high-speed transportation technology would work. Basically, the Hyperloop involves people traveling in pods through steel tubes at speeds that could top 700 miles per hour. After Musk revealed his idea, several entrepreneurs took interest and began their own companies to start working on testing the technology. Check out pictures of Hyperloop Technologies' progress below.
SEE ALSO: These maps break down the cities that would benefit most from a Hyperloop system Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: The Best Features Of Elon Musk's Hyperloop  | ||
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People have hijacked an adoption hashtag after a NAACP leader was 'outed' as white | ||
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A prominent civil rights leader who most people believed to be black is actually white, according to her parents — and Twitter's freaking out about it. On Thursday, the parents of Rachel Dolezal — the head of a local NAACP chapter in Spokane, Washginton — told multiple news outlets that despite "disguis[ing] herself" as black, their daughter's heritage was Czech, Swedish, and German with "faint traces" of Native American heritage. Her mother also told The Spokesman-Review that they didn’t know why their daughter would "disguise herself” as black since 2006 or 2007 with a perm and noticeably tanner skin. Now, she's been elected head of a local chapter of the NAACP. Some people on Twitter are now saying Dolezal is "transracial" — both seriously as well as jokingly — equating the term with being transgendered. The false logic goes that the same way a transgendered person is born with the wrong anatomy, a person can be born with the wrong race. But the term "transracial" has never been used this way. Historically, transracial is used in regards to interracial adoption — also known as transracial adoption — and has nothing to do with people from one race "identifying" as another race. But the term quickly went viral on Twitter anyway, first spotted by MIC’s Darnell L. Moore:
Soon, people began fighting back against the concept of switching races — without either realizing or citing that "transracial" has a totally different definition that has nothing to do with changing one's race. There were also a few jokes.
This is also not the first instance of someone on Twitter using the term transracial in this way. Back in April, a Twitter user used screen shots of what was quite possibly a joke statement by someone claiming to be a white woman wanting to be “trans-black." She used stereotypes to bolster her claim.
Not all Twitter users misinterpret the term "transracial." If you keep going back in Twitter’s history, you’ll see that before the Dolezal news broke, the most common use for the #transracial hashtag was in tandem with the hashtag #adoption, referring to interracial adoption where a child from a different race is adopted by parents from a different race, for example white parents adopting a black child.
So unless they’re referring to interracial adoption, you can show this tweet to anyone in favor of the #transracial hashtag on Twitter: SEE ALSO: What the NAACP leader accused of pretending to be black said when asked about her ethnicity Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Fast food chains are using apps to speed customers through checkout and drive sales higher | ||
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Fast food chains — dubbed Quick Service Restaurants — have started embracing apps that let customers order ahead of time and pick up in-store. In part, it's about convenience but it's also about helping these retailers drive revenues higher. Recently, Taco Bell launched a mobile order-ahead app that allows customers to purchase food from the app and pick it up without waiting in line. The app has seen significant early success — with higher average order sales boosting total revenues. In new research from BI Intelligence, we look at how fast-food chains are leveraging mobile order-ahead to attract more customers, intensify loyalty, ease payment friction, and drive additional incremental revenues. 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 »  | ||
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Obama's former chief tech officer: Hacking got me the job | ||
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While working there his major responsibility was controlling Project Narwhal, which got voter information to Obama campaign workers from across the country. He had never done anything like that before, but knew he could do the job, he writes in a new post on Medium. Why? “I attribute that confidence to my experience as a hacker and the subsequent willingness to take risks,” he writes. “If you never break through that wall of doubt, you will never see what might’ve been possible.” Harper started hacking early on in his life, finding a gateway to forbidden knowledge in pre-Internet Bulletin Board Systems (BBS). He got in trouble for helping a classmate find a copy of the "Anarchist Cookbook"—which the classmate promptly used to blow up a $20,000 haystack. Harper says he has never stopped thinking about himself as a hacker. And he says that’s where his whole career started: those bulletin boards, the concept of breaking in somewhere. And Harper hasn’t just broken into the political world. He held the job of CTO of the online clothing company, Threadless form 2005t to 2009. Currently, he’s CEO at the e-commerce startup Modest. But no matter where he goes, Reed credits hacking culture with guiding his path. “It seemed like the world was somehow brighter, the greens were greener,” he writes. He was never going back. SEE ALSO: 8 security tricks that make you harder to hack Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This is the hardest part about being President Obama's personal chef  | ||
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With his red beard and gauged earrings, Harper Reed doesn’t look like a prominent force in President Obama’s world. But back in 2012, Reed was hired as the chief technical officer for Obama’s re-election campaign. These maps break down the cities that would benefit most from a Hyperloop system | ||
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Elon Musk’s Hyperloop concept is still very much in its nascent stages, but that hasn’t stopped people from speculating on where or how the tubular system should be implemented. Earlier this week a white paper was published by SupraStudio, a studio at UCLA’s architecture school, that explored where in the US a Hyperloop system makes the most sense. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, which is one of the companies planning to build a Hyperloop test track, also collaborated with the group for the report. The group’s research ranked major cities on a scale of one to 10 in nine different categories to determine where the system would best be suited. Some of the criteria of which cities were ranked included population size, economic growth and ridership of public transport. One key goal of the research was how to tie megaregions, which are defined in the report as “dense and interconnected centers of population and economic activity,” together all around the US.
These megaregions would consist of networks between large cities. And based on the ranking of the cities, the network could be built out in phases, which would look something like this.
SEE ALSO: This chart shows how the Hyperloop could destroy all other forms of transportation Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 3 goats went airborne in China as part of an elaborate stunt with a giant kite  | ||
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Hillary Clinton is not on Snapchat, but we just found some compelling evidence that it’s coming soon | ||
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It looks like Hillary Clinton is going to start campaigning on Snapchat any day now. The presidential hopeful is already popular on Instagram after only two days on the service. So I tried to see if I could find Clinton on Snapchat — and it turns out, every name she could possibly use has already been reserved. This means that either someone's planning a fake account, or the Clinton campaign is stockpiling the names themselves. A Snapchat spokesperson wouldn't speak on the record about Clinton's possible involvement with Snapchat, and Clinton's press team has not responded to a request for comment. If Clinton is planning a Snapchat effort, she won't be the first. Presidential contenders Martin O'Malley, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio already use Snapchat to share information about their campaigns. I did some digging on Snapchat in an effort to figure out how and when Secretary Clinton will engage with the photo sharing platform. I found that the following usernames are currently taken:
This is what happened when we tried to send a Snapchat to each of these accounts:
The "pending" message usually shows up when a user hasn't added you back yet because they've set their account to private. It also appeared when we tried to send a snapchat to Senator Rubio's account, which is already in action:
Excitement about Clinton's Snapchat plans exploded on Twitter shortly after she posted her first Instagram.
The photo and video sharing app is used by 50 million people, the median age of whom is 18, according to Forbes. Snapchat offers a valuable platform for candidates to engage young voters. “There is no harder riddle to solve in politics than reaching young Americans who are very interested in the future of their country but don’t engage with traditional news,” Dan Pfeiffer, a former senior advisor to President Obama, told the New York Times. “Snapchat may have just made it a whole lot easier to solve this riddle.” Snapchat has been staffing up in preparation for the 2016 election. In May, Dylan Byers at Politico reported that Snapchat was seeking "content analysts" to assist with 2016 election coverage. "We're looking for political junkies and news aficionados to join our team in NYC to help review Snaps that are submitted to Our Story events, and cover the 2016 presidential race and other news events for Snapchat," a job posting read. Many have predicted that Snapchat will shape the 2016 election in the same way that Facebook and Twitter shaped the election of Barack Obama in 2008.
The former Secretary of State should have no difficulty attracting attention when she does begin to use Snapchat. She cannonballed into the world of Instagram this week and already made a big splash. In just two days, she's acquired 121,000 followers. That number blows Marco Rubio (with 13,000) Rand Paul (with 27,200) and Jeb Bush (with 11,900) out of the water. Candidates Martin O'Malley, Bernie Sanders and Lincoln Chafee have a combined number of 11,358 followers. Clinton outpaces each of these Democratic opponents by over 100,000 followers. Clinton's posts are also popular. This video, which rapidly summarizes Secretary Clinton's career in public service, received 10,400 likes. Clinton, who's spent much of the last two months traveling New Hampshire and Iowa to speak about her accomplishments as a champion and leader of the American people, follows no one. SEE ALSO: Hillary Clinton just posted her first Instagram photo and it's incredibly self-aware Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 11 little-known facts about Hillary Clinton  | ||
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The European Games just began, and this video game makes the host country look terrible | ||
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Azerbaijan is hosting the first ever European Games in its capital city of Baku, and activists have used that spotlight to shine on Azerbaijan's paltry human rights abuses. According to Amnesty International, the Azerbaijani government is guilty of persecuting activists, journalists, lawyers, and anybody else who speaks out in opposition to President Ilham Aliyev and the government. AI claims that "at least 22 prisoners of conscience are currently languishing in prison or in detention in Azerbaijan awaiting trial following trumped up charges ranging from fraud and embezzlement to abuse of drugs and even treason." These allegations have inspired designer and academic Pippin Barr along with the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) to create their own game that they hope will spread awareness about the environment in which the inaugural games are taking place, according to the website boingboing.net. The game is called Real Baku 2015, and according to Leigh Alexander of boingboing.net, it works like this: "You decide whether you're playing as a lawyer, a journalist or an activist, and against the bleak and simple palette, you select a competitive sporting event you'd like to perform. You must then attempt it inside a jail cell. The message is instantaneous and clear: to a political prisoner, these games are an insult."
Alexander explains that in every game you are given the simple task of either tapping your mouse or clicking your keyboard to make your "athlete" compete. But no matter how rapidly you click, your efforts are in vain. "The game interfaces, timing you and counting your meager 'points', highlights the inevitable futility of your performance," writes Alexander. "For example, if you choose to compete in 'swimming' you'll be splashing in your jail cell sink, the game always chortling DISTANCE: 0.0 at you no matter how frantically you click. Choose to compete in 'boxing,' and watch the game count up all your punches that never land." At the end, after you have thrown the shot put against the wall or sprinted around your cell a few times, the game invites you to share it with your friends on social media. It is a unique and effective way to communicate the injustice being experienced right now in Azerbaijan. Click here to play the game. SEE ALSO: Turkmenistan's dictator just built a huge golden statue of himself riding a horse Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This animated map shows how humans migrated across the globe  | ||
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Square has reportedly filed to go public, even as its CEO will be also be running Twitter | ||
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The payments startup Square plans to go public this year and may have already filed a confidential registration document with the Securities and Exchange Commission, sources with knowledge of the matter tell Forbes. Confidential filings are permitted for companies with less than $1 billion in revenue. "It's going to happen soon, if it hasn't happened already," a source told Forbes' Ryan Mac. "There has been some internal debate about the ideal timing." The timing is definitely interesting. On Thursday, Square CEO Jack Dorsey announced that he plans to take on an interim CEO role at Twitter, which he cofounded, when current CEO Dick Costolo steps down on July 1. Under this arrangement, he will be running both Square and Twitter until the latter finds a replacement. Business Insider heard that Dorsey was actually vying for a more permanent position at Twitter. That plan could be complicated by an impending IPO. Square's most recent fundraise came late last year, when it raised $150 million at a reported $6 billion valuation. Square declined to comment on this report. SEE ALSO: Twitter's CEO search is pretty much a sham — here's what's really going on Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Patrick Stewart's Only Rule For Using Twitter  | ||
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We tried the 'belly button challenge' that's taking over China — and it's way harder than it looks | ||
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Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Business Insider is hiring a breaking news editor | ||
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Are you always the first person to know when news is breaking around the world? Do you want to keep a global audience informed about current events? Are you obsessed with social media? If so, you may the perfect candidate for the Breaking News Editor position at Business Insider. The Breaking News Editor is responsible for following world events and reporting on them in real time across multiple social media platforms and on our website. He or she will manage a small team of reporters covering major news events, and coordinate their schedules. The ideal breaking news editor has:
This person lives for the thrill of getting faves on Twitter and likes on Instagram and Facebook. APPLY HERE with a résumé and cover letter if this sounds like the job for you. Please note that this position requires that you work in our Manhattan office. Business Insider offers competitive compensation packages complete with benefits. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Mark Cuban: Why perfection in business is a bad thing  | ||
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Why Facebook can't wait any longer for the release of a new virtual reality headset (FB) | ||
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Facebook finally told us when the Oculus virtual reality headset will go on sale: the first quarter of next year. This opens up a huge untapped market for Facebook. According to BI Intelligence, the virtual reality headsets market is set to explode. While only 825,000 units are expected to ship globally this year, that number is set to reach 26 million by 2020, BII says. That's roughly 99% compound annual growth in the next five years. By comparison, the PlayStation 4 sold about 20 million consoles in a little over a year, which makes it the fastest-selling console Sony's ever launched. BII says gaming will be the biggest driver of demand for VR headsets, and Facebook seems to be aware of it too — Facebook has partnered with Microsoft to allow XBox users to stream games through Oculus headsets.
SEE ALSO: Twitter's biggest problem in one chart Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 5 clever iPhone tricks only power users know about  | ||
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The full story of Jack Dorsey is much more awesome than you realize | ||
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Twitter announced that CEO Dick Costolo will be stepping down and former CEO Jack Dorsey will fill in as interim CEO. Here are 13 facts about Dorsey's fabulous life. Produced by Devan Joseph. Special thanks to Madeline Stone. Follow BI Video: On Facebook Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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How a day 'water tasting' with a water sommelier cured my skepticism about fancy hydration | ||
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Riese is the water sommelier for the Patina Group in Los Angeles and has been certified as such by the German Water Trade Association since 2010. He and I are sitting in the sunny dining room of the Ray’s and Stark Bar, a restaurant tucked into the courtyard of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The restaurant has a “water menu” of more than 40 pages and dozens of water choices, each detailing its mineral content, “taste,” and place of origin.
In front of us are five distinctly shaped bottles of water, which sell for between $8 and $20. It’s not quite the price of a quality vintage wine from Napa Valley, but, for a product which most people expect to be free, it can have some sticker shock. “When people look through my water menu, their minds are blown,” Riese says. “They realize that water has value … Sometimes they see that I have a bottle for $20 and they think I’m insane.”
Riese begins his water presentation by paying homage to the artistic scene in Los Angeles. “I believe everyone on this planet has something to offer. Here, there are amazing painters and artists. Painting is their gift. I cannot paint at all. I have a special palette,” he says. He is passionate about his subject and it shows. Riese has been tasting water since he was a 4-year-old boy in northern Germany. His parents, who worked in hospitality, often took him to vacation hot spots all across Europe. His first concern was always tasting the water from the tap. "It was fascinating to me that everyone said it’s all tap water and none of it tasted the same to me. I couldn’t understand why everyone called it the same thing,” Riese says. What he was tasting was the different total dissolved solids (TDS) level in each tap water. All waters have TDS levels ranging from the very low (between 10 and 40) to the very high (up to 7,000). Those with high TDS levels have a large amount of minerals like potassium, calcium, and magnesium in the water. It can have a huge effect on taste. Generally, waters with higher TDS levels are saltier, harsher, and “harder.”
Riese serves only spring and minerals waters that have been filtered by a natural aquifer, giving each water its own flavor, character, and mineral content, determined by geology, soil, and the climate of the place that it's from. Mass-produced waters like Dasani and Aquafina — which are not on the water menu — are purified waters, meaning they have been filtered to remove most impurities and minerals. While Riese admits they perfectly fine to drink, he thinks they all taste the same. He finds that boring. "A good water should come from nature, not a factory,” Riese says. The first water he opens is a familiar bottle — Voss. I've had Voss a few times, though I have to admit I am woefully under-informed on different water types. I had long assumed that Fiji and Voss were more expensive than Poland Spring simply because of their unique bottle shape.
The Voss bottle is cold but not too cold. According to Riese, it is at the perfect drinking temperature: 59 degrees Fahrenheit. Just cold enough to be refreshing but not so cold that it will give you a stomach ache. Voss comes from Norway and is made from glacier water, which is very pure, Riese tells me. My skepticism is running high, because, frankly, my first sip tastes like any other cold, refreshing water. Riese says there’s a reason for that. Glacier waters tend to have a very low TDS. Voss’s TDS is 40, about the same as most purified bottled waters. In addition, he says, it’s very hard to taste a difference until you have something to compare it to.
He brings a bottle of Iskilde close. It is smooth and oblong like a bottle one might find filled with a miniature ship. Iskilde water comes from an artesian spring in a conservation area in Denmark. The spring was discovered by a retired insurance broker and his wife, who had wanted to build a house on the property. Before approving the land for a well, the Danish government required the couple to have the water on the property tested by a lab. The water turned out to have oxygen that was more than 8,000 years old and a unique blend of minerals, having passed through 150 feet of alternating layers of quartz sand and clay. As Riese pours the Iskilde into the glass, I notice that glass looks like it is filled with sparkling water. While it doesn’t look quite like seltzer, there are tons of bubbles. Riese fills me into why. Iskilde isn’t a carbonated water, but it does have an exceptionally high oxygen content because it passes through an air bubble in the ground on its way to the spring. When the water is poured out of the bottle, the oxygen dissipates as the pressure from the bottle goes away, leading to the bubbles.
“I’m not Jesus. I can’t turn water into wine. I’m more like David Copperfield. I can do magic with water,” Riese says with a laugh. So what does 8,000-year-old Danish spring water taste like? Pretty good, it turns out. The taste is earthy when compared to Voss, which tastes acidic when I go back to drink it. The texture between the two is the most noticeable difference. If Voss could be likened to skim milk in texture, Iskilde is more like 2% milk. The TDS level in Iskilde is 400, 10 times the mineral content of Voss. I marvel at the two glasses, switching back and forth between the two to keep trying to taste the difference. Riese explains that most people don’t think about the taste of water because it requires so much effort. “When we taste things, we actually rely on three senses: taste, sight, and smell. Water is tough because you can only rely on taste. It hopefully has no color or odor,” Riese says. I have to admit, I wouldn't have thought twice about the difference between the two if I weren't sitting there doing a "water tasting." But when you focus on tasting the flavor, the difference in taste is undoubtedly there.
The next water bottle has an attractive angular shape and a label that looks trendy. It’s called Beverly Hills 9OH20 and, of course, it’s Riese’s personal brand. If this is where your BS-meter goes haywire, don’t worry. Mine did, as well. But considering the previous water revelation, I give him the benefit of the doubt. 9OH20 comes from a spring in the Sierra Nevada mountains, which is then combined with a “special chemical formulation” of minerals "to craft the perfect pairing water.” The water’s special formulation — some combination of magnesium, silica, calcium, and potassium — is supposed to accentuate the taste of wines, spices, cheeses, and other foods. "Water changes the taste of wine because you drink it right next to it," Riese explains. "A water that is perfectly balanced can actually lower the tannins in the wine so that you will taste more fruit components. That was the concept behind 9OH20. I’ve crafted a water with the ability to lower acidity and spice levels.”
I’m not taking him at his word. I tell him to get some foods to try with the water. He has his waiter bring over fresh blue cheese and a red chili paste. I try each and then chase it with a sip of the water. He tells me 9OH20 should make the taste “open up,” whatever that means. While I don’t notice anything different with the blue cheese, the chili paste is noticeably more aromatic and not as painfully spicy after drinking the water. According to Riese, that’s because the water has silica, which helps the palette deal with the spice.
The next water is Vichy Catalan, the No. 1 consumed sparkling water in the country. It has a TDS level of more than 3,000. According to Riese, Vichy Catalan is a popular water in Spain because of the country’s climate. People lose a lot of minerals when they are sweating, and Spaniards drink Vichy to replenish those minerals. In addition, Vichy’s high mineral levels give it a very salty taste, which pairs well with the rich and salty foods of Spain. Indeed, when I try Vichy, I find that it has a very sharp, salty flavor, but whether the flavor is sharper than that of any other sparkling water like Pellegrino, I have no idea.
The last water is very special, Riese says. He only has 10 bottles of it, which he uses exclusively for tastings. The bottle is squat with a golden top and golden writing on the side — Roi. It comes from the Rogaška Spa and Health centre in Slovenia and has long been used as a medication water, renowned because it has the highest concentration of magnesium of any water in the world. The company behind ROI explicitly states on its website that its water is a health product and is not intended to “quench thirst.” I soon find out why. Roi’s TDS is 7,400, which is “insane,” according to Riese. When I try it, I find it has a very strong bitter, metallic taste that I immediately associate with tonic water. While the taste is interesting, I doubt I would ever drink it for fun. I wouldn't say the taste is exactly unpleasant, but it’s certainly off-putting. Riese acknowledges this, saying he would never recommend it to be drunk with a meal. Instead, he says that Roi is best for two things — with your pre-dinner cocktail or after a night of drinking. It works pre-dinner because the high mineral content prepares your stomach for a meal and helps with digestion. It works after a night of drinking because the high mineral content replenishes the nutrients lost while drinking. The carbonation also settles upset stomachs. I would love to put it to the test, but unfortunately, Roi isn’t currently distributed in the US. The next time I’m in Slovenia I’ll have to give it a try. Riese sits back satisfied. I taste each of the waters again to make sure I wasn’t going crazy. Each tastes distinct. He asks me which one I prefer. I point to the Iskilde without hesitation, surprising even myself. It had just the right balance of minerals. As if to emphasize his point, Riese points to different tables around the Ray’s and Stark Bar, each with a different brand of sparkling water. “You were skeptical? That’s okay, I was skeptical too," Riese says. "I was skeptical that [the water menu] would work, but I like variety. It looks to me like other people like variety too.” Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: A Japanese lifestyle guru explains how to organize your home once — and then never again  | ||
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“I bet you are thinking I’m a little bit crazy,” says Martin Riese, as he cracks open a tall glass cylinder of crystal-clear water. A wide toothy smile breaks across the German's face. “That’s totally normal.".jpg)
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World's biggest wine fair eyes Africa's new tipplers | ||
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Bordeaux (AFP) - The world's biggest wine fair opens in Bordeaux, wine capital of France, this weekend, with vintners eyeing new tipplers in Africa as global consumption rises in Asia and elsewhere. The US and China are the world's top wine-lovers, but Africa is the industry's next "future destination", says the Vinexpo wine and spirits fair, in a market expecting 3.5 percent growth over the next three years. In Bordeaux, 45,000 buyers from 120 nations will hop from luxury chateaux to prestige vineyards partying and guzzling as France, the world's leading wine producer, lays out its best bottles and fare for a five-day get-together starting Sunday. Wine is France's second-biggest export after aeronautics, accounting for half a million jobs, and President Francois Hollande will be the first head of state to open the Vinexpo fair. But wine and spirits consumption, though buoyant, faces "a changing picture" and "many uncertainties", said the fair's CEO Guillaume Deglise. "We're at a moment of transition with well-developed markets on the wane, such as France because of changes in consumption patterns and differences between generations," Deglise told AFP. "It's important to identify markets that will drive our exports outside of China and the US," he said. Data surprisingly puts populous Nigeria -- where just over half the people are Muslim -- as one of the fastest-growing countries for champagne consumption, with the bubbly popular among its oil-rich middle class, its hip-hop artists, and its movie stars. And as sales of cognac and other spirits slow in Asia, Nigerians spent $700 million (621 million euros) on spirits in 2012 and are expected to double that to $1.5 billion by 2017. The Vinexpo fair will gather 2,350 exhibitors from 42 countries, two-thirds of them from France, which last year produced 523 million 12-bottle crates. Big producers Italy and Spain too will be well-represented along with Portugal, Chile, Argentina, the United States, Britain, Germany, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Raising glasses will be buyers and traders in all tipples -- reds, whites, roses, bubblies, sweet and dry wines, sherries, cheap plonk and boutique brands. Even Georgia's famed old-world wines -- aged in amphoras according to a tradition that dates back thousands of years -- will get headline attention as its wine techniques become increasingly popular. In France itself, some of the talk is likely to focus on a controversial vote by French MPs last week to loosen the country's tough 25-year-old laws on alcohol advertising. The 1991 legislation, aimed at fighting youth drinking, banned TV advertising of drinks with alcohol content of more than 1.2 percent and showing brands in stadium hoarding. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Greek 'counter-proposals' seek to avert feared default | ||
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Brussels (AFP) - Greece is to make "counter-proposals" on a deal to unlock vital bailout funds Saturday, after eurozone officials said they had discussed the possibility of Athens defaulting if the talks fail. Greek officials have so far rejected what they characterise as "pressure" from creditors, and will send a senior delegation to Brussels to submit its own plans on Saturday to try and end a five-month standoff. The furious back-and-forth took place a day after the International Monetary Fund's negotiating team flew back to Washington from Brussels because of major differences, with a June 18 deadline looming for a deal. The Athens stock market dropped 6 percent after it emerged that senior eurozone officials meeting in Bratislava on Thursday had war-gamed "worst case" scenarios of Greece not being able to pay its bills. "In discussions, a default was mentioned as one of the scenarios that can happen when everything goes wrong," a eurozone official told AFP on condition of anonymity after the Bratislava talks. Another official added: "It was a preparation for the worst case. Countries wanted to know what was going on." The long-running saga over Greece's refusal to agree on reforms demanded by its creditors is set to reach a climax at a meeting of finance ministers in Luxembourg on June 18. A deal to unlock the last 7.2 billion euros ($8.1 billion) of Greece's international bailout is needed next week to give national parliaments time to approve it before the bailout expires on June 30. Greece faces a huge 1.6 billion euro payment to the IMF at the end of the month and a further 3.4 billion euros to the European Central Bank on July 20. Member states are "increasingly raising questions on what are the possible ways forward in this situation," said Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commission vice-president for the euro. "We have to evaluate all the possibilities," Lithuania's Finance Minister Rimantas Sadzius told AFP. - Ratings cuts - Standard & Poor's on Friday, meanwhile, lowered the rating of Greece's four big banks, and said in a statement that the lenders "will likely default in the next 12 months in the absence of an agreement between the Greek government and its official creditors". German Chancellor Angela Merkel said all sides involved had to keep talking to reach an agreement, adding that "where there's a will there's a way", despite Berlin's hardline stance on Greece. Underlining the growing frustration with Athens, a new poll showed a majority of Germans now want Greece out of the eurozone. A narrow majority (51 percent) of Germans polled this week by ZDF television said they are opposed to Greece still sharing the single currency. Six months earlier, only 33 percent were against. Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos insisted that a deal "will come about by June 18 or never", while Minister of State Alekos Flambouraris, a close associate of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, added: "I hope (an agreement) comes very soon, on June 18, when the Eurogroup convenes." Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the Dutch finance minister who heads the group of 19 eurozone finance ministers, has insisted it was "unimaginable" to do a deal without the IMF, whom Athens accuses of trying to pressure other creditors. "If the IMF walks out... then part of the programme's financing will be gone and then we no longer have a base," he said, adding that the Fund's involvement was indispensable. A government source in Athens, however, said the IMF "was pushing in all directions, and mainly in the direction of Berlin, to apply harsh policies in Greece so that it can get its money back". There have been reports of divisions between the hardline IMF and the EU, with the Washington-based lender said to be keen on Europe wiping out some of Greece's debt. European sources have told AFP that Greece and its creditors are debating a possible extension of the current eurozone bailout programme, which expires at the end of June, until March 2016. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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US announces transfer of six Guantanamo detainees to Oman | ||
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Washington (AFP) - The United States has transferred six men from its Guantanamo Bay prison to Oman, the Department of Defense said Saturday, amid an ongoing push by President Barack Obama to close the jail. "The United States is grateful to the government of Oman for its humanitarian gesture and willingness to support ongoing US efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility," the department said in a statement. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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US prison worker pleads not guilty to helping killers escape | ||
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New York (AFP) - A female prison worker plead not guilty to allegedly helping two convicted killers in New York state escape by smuggling tools to them, US media reported, as police stepped up their week-long manhunt. Swarms of state, local and federal agents combed thick woods east of the Clinton Correctional Facility, which Richard Matt, 49, and David Sweat, 35, busted out of, using power tools to cut their way out, before crawling along pipes and out to freedom via a manhole. Investigators have focused on who helped Matt, who was convicted of dismembering his 76-year-old former boss, and Sweat, who shot dead a sheriff's deputy. Joyce Mitchell, 51, who worked at a tailoring shop at the sprawling prison, was arrested and charged Friday with "promoting prison contraband" and criminal facilitation. Mitchell was presented with the charges in court late Friday during an arraignment in which she appeared handcuffed and visibly nervous. CNN and other US media reported that she plead not guilty. Mitchell "provided some form of equipment or tools" that allowed the two murderers to escape, the Clinton County district attorney Andrew Wylie earlier told CNN. Mitchell's arrest was "one large piece of the puzzle" in the hunt for the duo, Major Charles Guess of New York State Police told a press conference, adding: "We have a message for David Sweat and Richard Matt. We're coming for you and we will not stop until you are caught." - 'Dangerous and desperate' - US media reported that Mitchell's husband, another prison employee, was also being investigated for possible involvement in a search that has captivated America. He had not been charged and was not in custody, Guess said, adding that wet weather and the rolling woodlands and hills where the search is focused were complicating the hunt. But that might also slow the killer pair's progress, too, he cautioned. "If they have not escaped the area or they have not availed themselves of shelter, we've got to assume they're cold, wet, tired, and hungry," he said. "I would advise and remind the community and the residents that that makes these individuals even more dangerous and desperate." Authorities "do not have any conclusive evidence that either of the inmates has left this area," he added, referring to the land around the town of Plattsburgh, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) east of the prison. Hacksaw blades, drill bits and two pairs of spectacles with attached lights were among the items Mitchell allegedly gave the convicts, CNN quoted two unnamed law enforcement sources as saying. Officials have suggested that Mitchell may have been charmed by Matt and Sweat, and agreed to pick them up by car from the manhole where they emerged in the early hours last Saturday. Instead, she changed her mind and checked into a hospital -- reportedly suffering from a panic attack. The Wall Street Journal reported that Mitchell had also been under investigation in the last year for allegedly forming a relationship with Sweat while they worked together in the prison tailoring shop. There was not enough evidence to take action, but Sweat was pulled out of the shop, the newspaper reported. - Search intensifies - Police said the search continued for a second day along state highway 374 and a section of the highway would remain closed until the search was completed. Local schools were also closed until Monday to allow the manhunt to continue unimpeded. Police said that more than 800 officers -- an increase of 300 personnel -- were mobilized, including FBI agents and forest rangers, backed by K9 units and helicopters, chasing more than 700 leads. One local newspaper, the Press-Republican, said dogs had picked up the convicts' scent on Wednesday and traced it from outside a convenience store and gas station through the woods. There is a $100,000 reward for information leading to the duo's arrest, and the public has been warned to call 911 immediately if they spot anything suspicious and not to approach either man. Matt, six feet (1.83 meters) tall with multiple tattoos, was serving a sentence of 25 years to life for the 1997 kidnapping and dismembering of his former boss in a 27-hour ordeal. He fled to Mexico after the murder and killed an American, before being sentenced to 20 years and extradited back to New York. Sweat was serving a life sentence without parole for murdering a sheriff's deputy in New York state in 2002 when he was 22. The pair's escape has been likened to Hollywood movies such as "The Shawshank Redemption" or "Escape from Alcatraz." After cutting through walls and crawling through an underground pipe system, they left behind a note saying "Have a Nice Day". Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Clinton to launch formal campaign with New York rally | ||
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New York (AFP) - Hillary Clinton on Saturday formally launches her bid to become America's first woman president, holding in New York her first big campaign rally and outlining a promise to fight for the middle class. Thousands of supporters are expected to throng Roosevelt Island, a tiny slither of land in the East River between Manhattan and Queens, where Clinton is expected to be joined by husband Bill and daughter Chelsea in the family's first joint appearance of the campaign. Her team sees the rally, on home turf in a state where Clinton served as senator for eight years, as a chance to wrest back momentum from flagging opinion polls and galvanize a friendly crowd. In a campaign video, released on the eve of the rally, Clinton said she was running for president to fight for the middle class and told viewers that she cared about their problems. "Everyone deserves a chance to live up to his or her God-given potential. That's the dream we share. That's the fight we must wage," said the 67-year-old former secretary of state. "My dad, the son of a factory worker, could start a small business, my mom, who never got to go to college, could see her daughter go to college." The video looked back on Clinton's four-decade career in public service and sought to counter growing concerns that the grandmother with a millionaire lifestyle is out of touch. A CNN poll found last week a growing number of Americans say she is not honest and trustworthy (57 percent, up from 49 percent in March). "Everyday Americans and their families need a champion, a champion who will fight for them every single day and I want to be that champion," Hillary said in the video. "I don't quit." Her speech is expected to be a break with the past in being deeply personal, drawing heavily on her mother's disadvantaged background to show that she is motivated by a higher calling than naked ambition. - More Rodham than Clinton - Dorothy Rodham was abandoned as a child by her parents, sent to live with abusive grandparents and left home to work as a housekeeper aged 14 during the Great Depression. The speech is expected to be more Rodham than Clinton, taking in women's rights, and will likely paint the Republican Party as out of touch with an increasingly diverse electorate. The rally signals a new stage in her campaign, ushering in a period when she will expound specific policies and address larger crowds after spending weeks holding small meetings in key states. Karen Finney, a spokeswoman for the campaign, told CNN that from now on the focus would be what motivates Clinton and her vision. "It will be personal, you'll hear her talk a lot about her mother, because her mother's experience really had a strong impact on Hillary at a very young age," she explained. The island named after America's famed World War II and New Deal president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, is also deeply symbolic and offers fabulous views of the United Nations. She will deliver her speech at Four Freedoms Park, a memorial to Roosevelt which celebrates the freedoms he outlined in 1941: freedom of speech and of worship; freedom from want and from fear. In April, Clinton defined "four big fights": building the economy, strengthening families and communities, getting unaccountable money out of politics and protecting the country from threats. Not only is Roosevelt's wife Eleanor a personal hero of Clinton's but in speaking at the memorial, Clinton is "choosing to situate herself in the middle of this enormous legacy," Felicia Wong, the president of the Roosevelt Institute think tank, told AFP. "I think it shows a lot of vision," she added. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Prison worker pleads not guilty to felony charges that she helped 2 convicted murderers escape | ||
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Joyce Mitchell, the woman believed to have helped two convicted murderers escape from the Clinton Correctional Facility in New York has pleaded not guilty to two felony charges. Mitchell has been ordered held on $100,000 bail or $200,000 bond for the most serious of the charges. She's expected back in court Monday. The 51-year-old was arraigned Friday night on first degree promoting prison contraband and fourth degree criminal facilitation. New York State Police said in a statement Friday that Mitchell provided material assistance to Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 34 — helping facilitate what has become one of the longest prison breakouts on record. Business Insider's Pamela Engel earlier reported that the 51-year-old Mitchell told investigators she smuggled contraband into the prison that was allegedly used to help Matt and Sweat complete an elaborate escape. The breakout apparently took the two inmates through the innermost parts of Clinton Correctional Facility and led them to freedom nearly one week ago. Mitchell also reportedly planned to drive the men away from the prison after they broke out, but ultimately changed her mind. The search for Matt and Sweat continued Friday, with investigators focusing their search on a rural area not far from the prison in upstate New York.
Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie said in a press conference Friday afternoon that Mitchell could face up to 7 years in prison on at least one of the two felony charges, if she's convicted. Later, New York State Police Maj. Charles E. Guess stepped in to remind reporters the search for Matt and Sweat will continue unabated. Guess then addressed the escaped inmates directly, looking toward the camera and saying "We're coming for you. We won't stop until you're caught." SEE ALSO: Everything we know about the elaborate maximum-security prison break in New York Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Russia says 'very worrying' slowdown in Iran nuclear talks | ||
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Vienna (AFP) - Russia's negotiator has described a "very worrying" slowdown in progress in nuclear talks between Iran and six major powers ahead of a June 30 deadline to finalise a historic accord. Sergei Ryabkov's remarks on Friday came as US Secretary of State John Kerry said upon his release from hospital after breaking his leg that he would soon head to Vienna in a bid to seal the deal after the outlines of an agreement were reached in April. "The rate of progress... is progressively slowing down," Ryabkov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti as he arrived for the latest round of talks in Vienna. "This is very worrying to us because there is very little time before the deadline and we urgently need to enter the final stage." Another Russian agency, ITAR-TASS, quoted a diplomatic source as saying that the talks -- which were ongoing late Friday -- are "practically stuck. There is a risk that the deadline will be extended again". In April, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany agreed to the outlines of a deal aimed at ending the decade-old standoff over Iran's nuclear programme. According to this framework, due to be finalised by June 30, Iran will dramatically scale down its nuclear activities in order to render any dash to making nuclear weapons all but impossible. In return Iran, which denies wanting nuclear weapons, will see painful sanctions lifted by the six powers -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.
- 'Complicated' talks -
In Washington, State Department spokesman Jeffrey Rathke on Friday admitted the talks were proving "complicated", but nonetheless said the United States believes a deal can still be reached by the end of the month. "We remain of the view that it's possible... to conclude the talks by June 30th. That remains our focus," Rathke told reporters. Kerry told reporters in Boston on Friday that he would be "absolutely fully and totally engaged in those talks" and would "press forward at this critical moment". The 71-year-old broke his right femur on May 31 in a fall on his bicycle in the French Alps during a working visit to Geneva for talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tehran's nuclear programme. He was flown home and underwent surgery in Boston on June 2. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, seen as something of a hawk in the talks, said Thursday that the issue of tighter UN inspections of Iran's remaining facilities after the mooted deal was not yet sewn up. "If we want to be sure that the accord is solid we need to be able to inspect the sites... We don't yet have this certainty. This is one of the points we are discussing," Fabius told French media. "The agreement needs to be verifiable, solid, robust and right now we don't have such a guarantee." Under the hoped-for deal the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), would keep even closer tabs on Iran. Iran though is uneasy about this since it would potentially include the IAEA going to sites -- including military ones -- where it suspects undeclared nuclear activity might be taking place.
- Sticking points -
Other sticking points are thought to be the procedure for handling possible deal violations and an IAEA probe into allegations of past Iranian efforts to develop a nuclear weapon. The six powers have said they will only lift sanctions once Iran has taken certain steps and want to retain the ability to "snap back" sanctions if the Islamic republic breaks the agreement. The deal is also highly complex, comprising a main document of around 20 pages plus five "annexes" totalling an additional 40-50 pages, Iran's lead negotiator Abbas Araghchi said last Saturday. "Each word of this instrument is being discussed and sometimes quarrelled on," he said. "There are differences but work moves forward." Meanwhile on Thursday it emerged that authorities in Switzerland and Austria -- which have hosted most of the past 18 months of talks -- were investigating possible spying on the negotiations. The Swiss attorney general's office said it launched a probe on May 6 and conducted a raid six days later, seizing computer equipment, due to "suspicion of illegal intelligence services operating in Switzerland". Israel, widely assumed to have nuclear weapons itself and which has major misgivings about the mooted deal, denied any involvement.
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South Korea reports 14th MERS death, 12 new cases | ||
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Seoul (AFP) - South Korea on Saturday reported the 14th death from an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), with 12 new cases including that of an ambulance driver who moved a patient infected with the deadly virus. The latest fatality was a 68-year-old woman who contracted the virus at a hospital in Pyeongtaek City, 65 kilometres (40 miles) south of Seoul, the Health Ministry said. It said all the 14 deceased had pre-existing health conditions, with the most recent fatality suffering from hypertension and hypothyroidism. Twelve new infected patients brought to 138 the total number of confirmed cases, in the largest outbreak of the virus outside Saudi Arabia. The new cases included an ambulance driver who fell ill after transporting a 75-year-old infected woman to Samsung Medical Centre in southern Seoul on June 7, where she died three days later. Out of 133 people whose contacts have been traced, the largest single group of 60 people have contracted the disease at Samsung Medical Centre, one of the largest hospitals in Seoul. Five other cases are being investigated to find out how and where the patients were infected. The first infected patient in South Korea was diagnosed on May 20 after a trip to Saudi Arabia. The 68-year-old man visited four medical facilities, infecting other patients and medics, before he was finally diagnosed. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Facebook says no sex apps on Oculus, but won’t discuss limits on violence | ||
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Oculus wants your virtual reality experience to be safe and pleasant. The Facebook-owned company will start selling its Oculus Rift virtual reality headset in the first quarter of next year. And it will operate its own app store (similar to Apple’s app store) so you can download games and other engrossing apps that deliver the thrills of virtual reality. Oculus will reportedly vet which apps appear in its store, and even rate the apps. But one thing that has no place is Oculus’ brave new world is virtual sex. A company representative re-iterated the Oculus position on the matter when we asked about it on Friday: “Oculus only distributes developer content that meets their terms of service which forbid pornographic content from being a part of the Oculus Store,” the spokesman said. Fair enough. But that got us thinking, what about violence? If Oculus intends to make the world inside its headsets family-friendly, how will it handle violent content? Here, Oculus had an interesting response: “Oculus only distributes developer content that meets their terms of service, but they aren’t open to discuss what those terms are at this time.” It's a curious silence for an issue that's not likely to remain hypothetical. Gaming is expected to be one of the most popular uses of virtual reality headsets like Oculus, and many video games, from first-person shooters to fighting games, are inherently violent. But virtual reality will also open the door to other forms of entertainment, many of it more movie-like. That means the makers of gory horror movies will also gravitate to VR platforms like Oculus. Will Oculus draw the line on what level of violence is too much or how graphic the depictions of violence can be? It’s a good question, just don’t look to Oculus for answers right now. Of course, this only applies to apps available through Oculus’ official app store. There will likely be unofficial app stores where users will be able to download whatever they want. But the rules for the official Oculus app store are important, since that’s how most mainstream consumers may experience virtual reality. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: The 12 best new features coming to the iPhone  | ||
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The 'connected car' is creating a massive new business opportunity for auto, tech, and telecom companies | ||
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The connected car is equipped with internet connections and software that allow people to stream music, look up movie times, be alerted of traffic and weather conditions, and even power driving-assistance services such as self-parking. By 2020, BI Intelligence estimates that 75% of cars shipped globally will be built with the necessary hardware to connect to the internet. In this report from BI Intelligence, we take a deep dive into the connected-car market. We size the market for connected cars, determine the average selling price and how it will decline over time, and assess different manufacturers' approaches. Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:
In full, the report:
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John Doerr's pick for next Twitter CEO: Google's product chief or Netflix CEO Reed Hastings (TWTR) | ||
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While there's already rampant speculation over who should be the next full time CEO of Twitter, Kleiner Perkins' legendary partner John Doerr dropped his own two cents on who he thinks would be a good replacement to interim CEO Jack Dorsey. "Reed Hastings would be a good CEO at Twitter. I think Sundar [Pichai] at Google would be a great CEO at Twitter," Doerr said in an interview with Bloomberg's Emily Chang. "I think there’s a lot talent out there. I think the board will do a good job in finding somebody to fill Dick’s shoes," he added. When told those two already have a fulltime job, Doerr simply answered, "I expect the CEO that's recruited to Twitter will have a job." Doerr didn't provide any further thought to his reasoning, but he did note that Costolo's done a great job as CEO, bringing the company from roughly $3 billion to over $24 billion in market cap. Doerr also gave the golden answer to making Twitter a better overall product: "I'd like to see Twitter easier to use for my mom." Costolo announced his resignation from Twitter's CEO role on Thursday, allowing Jack Dorsey to step in as interim CEO. Doerr was one of the early investors in Twitter, but mentioned he was not consulted about the recent management shake up during the interview. SEE ALSO: Twitter's CEO search is pretty much a sham — here's what's really going on Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Venture Capital Legend Reveals How To Spot The Next Tech Superstar  | ||
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Katie Couric gets a pay raise as she re-signs with Yahoo (YHOO) | ||
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Katie Couric has reportedly renewed her job as global news anchor of Yahoo. The New York Post reported that Couric's new contract raises her salary from $6 million a year to $10 million. It's still less than the reported $15 million anchor's salary she earned at CBS. Despite moving from the daytime TV slot to a website in 2013, she's landed interviews with some major figures, including one this week with presidential candidate Senator Lindsey Graham and one of the first with former Kleiner Perkins partner Ellen Pao after her trial. The Couric deal is often touted as one of Marissa Mayer's big accomplishment's during her tenure as Yahoo CEO and is part of the company's larger plan to double down on video content. But the strategy has yet to markedly change Yahoo's business, which continues to struggle. Yahoo recently won rights to live stream a Bills-Jaguars NFL game on October 25 when it's played in London. Couric's short videos also show up in the Snapchat Discover news feature in the popular ephemeral messaging app. For Mayer, the decision to hire Couric — and likely to re-up her — has been about producing original content and developing Yahoo's voice. "But I will say, to me it was really more about raising that journalistic standard, getting our name out there as people who really want to participate in news and participate in the dialogue in a different way than just republishing content," Mayer told Dan Primack in an interview with Fortune in May. "I also think, when I look across the different digital players, one of the things that has set Yahoo apart over the ages is a personality, and a viewpoint. There’s a lot of other places where there’s less personality, or it’s the personality of your friends, and it’s different for each person," Mayer continued. Asked about the reports of Couric's new contract, Yahoo had this to say:
"We can confirm that Katie remains as Yahoo's global news anchor. We don't comment on rumors, speculation or personnel matters." SEE ALSO: There Are Still Big Questions About Yahoo's $6 Million Katie Couric Gamble Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: The 3 people Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer leans on for advice  | ||
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Apple isn't being very nice to some of its biggest fans (AAPL) | ||
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Some of those announcements, especially Apple's plan to make its popular Swift programming language open source, got applause and cheers. But not everybody is happy with Apple at the moment. SherlockedFirst off, a lot of things Apple announced make a lot of startups redundant. Developers call this well-documented phenomenon "sherlocking," in reference to the time in 2002 that Apple introduced a new search feature called "Sherlock" into Mac OS 8 that made a commercial, outside product named "Watson" totally obsolete. Market research firm CBInsights noted in a blog post that apart from the obvious — Apple Music competes with music services like Spotify, Rdio, and SoundCloud, Apple News competes with Flipboard — there are 12 other venture-backed companies whose iOS-based services now compete with Apple. These include Evernote (Apple Notes) and menstrual cycle tracking app Clue (new updates to Apple's HealthKit).
This isn't necessarily a death knell. Apple's iCloud, for instance, was supposed to be a Dropbox-killer (it didn't work out that way, obviously). And just as iMessage didn't kill WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, iOS 9 won't completely destroy every other competitor. But it gives startups a much harder time getting off the ground if they have to go against Apple itself on its home turf. Going on SafariNext, Apple announced a change to the way developers work with Apple. In the past, Apple had separate programs for iPhone/iPad and the Mac. If you wanted access to the early developer versions of iOS and Mac OS X, and the tools to get your stuff listed in the App Store, you needed to join two programs, each at a cost of $99 a year. At WWDC, Apple brought the two of them together. So far so good. The problem is that Apple also made Safari extensions — tools made by outside parties that add extra features to Apple's Safari browser — part of the program. That means the people who make Safari extensions must now pay an annual $99 fee. That $99 per year is not a big deal for developers who make iPhone games or Mac apps from which they can then make money (whether by charging for the app, doing in-app purchases, or by running advertising). But for developers who make Safari extensions, which are always available to consumers for free, it's a bitter pill to swallow.
Often, developers release these extensions as hobby projects, and so many feel that charging $99 per year to distribute software that makes Safari better at a net loss to themselves makes no sense. "Not only is the cost an annoyance, I also don't feel Apple deserves $100 from me just so I can have the privilege of continuing to publish free software that enhances its browsers," wrote honestbleeps, who makes the free Reddit Enhancement Suite tool in a very popular, widely-read post on the Apple subreddit community. "This just feels like a HUGE kick in the face from Apple." If you don't pay the $99, it seems that you can still distribute your Safari extensions from your own website, but once OS X El Capitan is released with a new version of Safari, those extensions won't automatically update themselves — basically a kiss of death. Since websites can change drastically overnight, a browser extension that works today might not tomorrow, and without an automatic update from the developer, it'll just stop working entirely until the user goes in manually. And who knows how long that would take? Business Insider has reached out to Apple for clarification on this point and will update when they respond. Compounding the frustration is the fact that Safari has a much smaller marketshare than other browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Internet Explorer. There is, of course, another side to this story: The $99 annual fee also includes the ability to list your Safari extension in the Safari Extensions Gallery, Apple's official place to find extensions, meaning more eyeballs on the fruits of your labor.
But many Safari extension developers, like honestbleeps, just want to make their passion projects for the browser and let people use them, without having to pay out of pocket. Change is afootApple is trying very hard to make itself friendlier to developers, and the streamlining of its developer program goes a long way. But for a company as big and as platform-focused as Apple, there are going to be some bumps in the road. In the eyes of some people though, a few of the bumps appear to be smaller startups and independent developers getting run over. SEE ALSO: Here's the news that got the loudest cheers at Apple's big event today Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Apple finally introduces split-screen multitasking on the iPad — here's what it looks like  | ||
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Here's who the real-life Piper wants 'Orange Is the New Black's' Piper to end up with | ||
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A huge part of Netflix's "Orange Is the New Black" is main character Piper Chapman's romances. We've seen her bounce from her fiance Larry Bloom (Jason Biggs) to partner in crime Alex Vause (Laura Prepon) and others have tried to get a piece of the action. But, the woman who Piper Chapman is based on has her own unique pick for the on-screen version of her.
Carrie "Big Boo" Black is an inmate on the show. While she can be a tough character, Big Boo can show a sympathetic side now and then. Currently on the third season of "OITNB," Piper is relapsing with Alex, but a new inmate, Stella Carlin (Ruby Rose) may throw a wrench in that romance. The third season of "Orange Is the New Black" is available now on Netflix. SEE ALSO: 6 things to know about 'Orange Is the New Black's' striking newbie Ruby Rose MORE: Here's why Netflix released 'Orange Is the New Black' early Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: The trailer for the Wachowskis' mind-bending new Netflix series 'Sense8' has a lot of 'Matrix' in it  | ||
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"I am really hoping that Piper and Big Boo get together," Piper Kerman, who wrote the book which "OITNB" is based on, told Simon double lifts Australia in Women's World Cup | ||
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Winnipeg (Canada) (AFP) - Goals in either half from Kyah Simon lifted Australia to a 2-0 win over African champions Nigeria in their second Group D match at the Women's World Cup on Friday. The 23-year-old Sydney FC striker found the net after 29 and 68 minutes at Winnipeg Stadium to give the Matildas their first win of the competition in Canada after their 3-1 opening loss to the United States on Monday. Nigeria failed to reproduce the style the Super Falcons showed in their stunning comeback from two goals down to draw 3-3 with Sweden in their opener. The United States play Sweden later on Friday, with Australia playing the Scandinavian side in their final group game next Tuesday. Nigeria's final group game will be against former two-time winners the United States. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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The best bicycle parking facility we've ever seen | ||
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You probably already knew the Dutch are big into bicycling when it comes to getting around town. Tons of people in the Netherlands ride bikes — they bike everywhere, all the time. And now more and more Dutch cities have impressive facilities to park all those bikes. As pointed out by The Atlantic's City Lab, via the Bicycle Dutch blog, Delft is the latest city to have its own giant bike parking facility. It can hold 5,000 bikes, and if you add the outside parking, the total comes to a whopping 8,700 spaces for bikes. "As part of the construction of a very pleasant new train station in the city of Delft, local authorities constructed a 5,000-space parking garage for bicycles, which opened this past February," City Lab reports. "Bike parking at the new facility is free for up to 14 days." As City Lab writes, "This is how you create a viable and well-loved transportation system based on bicycles and trains: by making the combination easy, safe, and convenient. People don’t use this system out of idealism. They use it because it’s supremely functional and it’s designed to anticipate and accommodate their needs. Imagine that." While it's not without its problems — there is some bike theft that happens — it's a really impressive facility with lots of cool features, and we have nothing like it in the US. Below are some highlights of the massive and efficient bicycle parking facility, via Bicycle Dutch, which notes that the "symbiosis of the train and the bicycle is very successful in the Netherlands. The train covers a lot of distance fast and the bicycle makes it easy to reach many destinations in the last kilometre." This is the new train station in Delft, which houses the bicycle parking facility underground:
You can ride alongside the station on the bike path right down to the bike parking:
Inside, everyone's just cruising around the huge space, which can park 5,000 bikes:
Just like at the airport, there are monitors that show the train schedule (there are even ticket machines to save you time):
There are just rows and rows and rows of bikes, all neatly parked:
Once you find an empty spot, just slide out the rack:
Lower it:
Place your front wheel in:
Roll your bike up, and then slot in the rear wheel:
Hydraulics make lifting the bike up just about effortless:
Slide your bike in:
Exit the facility, then head to the train or just be on your way:
Watch the full video below: Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Hillary Clinton's campaign team insists they haven't had a 'lockdown' on the press | ||
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Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign team disputes the notion they've been keeping the press at arm's length. On Friday, two top Clinton staffers, campaign manager Robby Mook and communications director Jennifer Palmieri, were asked about the candidate's relationship with the media when they spoke at Politico's Playbook Cocktails event in New York City. There have been complaints from the campaign trail press corps about access and Politico's Mike Allen asked the pair about the criticism there has been a "lockdown" on Clinton. Palmieri emphasized the fact the campaign has been focusing on connecting with voters in early primary states. She also said Clinton's team feels they won't ever be able to give the media the "right" answer to various questions. "I don’t think that voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada feel like there's been a lockdown," Palmieri said. "My view about this is, I love the press, as you know. Most of you all are very smart, a lot of you all are my friends. We have a lot of particularly talented people who are covering Hillary … but what I also know is we're never going to give you the right — were never going to give quite the answer you want." Palmieri went on to describe an example of how the Clinton campaign thinks they have been unable to satisfy the press. Since announcing her presidential bid in April, Clinton has been focused on relatively small-scale events with voters in early primary states. Palmieri characterized this as a response to criticism from the reporters that Clinton is not "relatable." "For example, when, I remember, I started this campaign, 'Hillary Clinton's not relatable, every time you see her, she’s on a tarmac, or she’s getting on a big plane, you know, flying to some other country or she’s on a big stage. She can’t talk to anyone,'" Palmieri said paraphrasing her take on complaints from the press. "So, now we do these small round tables, one-on-one interaction, it's really great, she gets a lot out of it." However, Palmieri claimed the media has responded to this approach by making the opposite critique and asking when Clinton will have larger events. "It's like, 'When is she going to talk to a big crowd?'" Palmieri said. Palmieri went on to claim Clinton has regularly taken questions from the press. "When she has been out campaigning, she takes — she usually takes questions like every other day," Palmieri said. "Oh, come on," Allen replied. At one point following her launch, Clinton did not take questions for about a month. In spite of this, Clinton's campaign staff insisted she has taken weekly questions while on the trail at the Politico event. "To me, it's not about are we not hiding that week," Mook said. "We're running a multi-month campaign." Clinton's campaign has said the first few weeks following her April announcement were a "ramp up" phase. On Friday, Palmieri said the speech Clinton is having on Saturday will begin "the campaign." "Welcome to the campaign," she said. Along with criticism the campaign has not taken enough questions, Clinton's team has been criticized for relying on off-record or background communications with reporters. At the Politico event, Business Insider asked Mook and Palmieri why Clinton's team regularly refuses to go on record with the press. "Sort of across the board, political spokespeople, you default to that," Palmieri said of off record communications. "It's something we probably do too much and it's something we're probably going to do better on." Mook piped in with a joke. "That's on background," he said referring to Palmieri's response. Allen continued to push the pair on whether the campaign would communicate more on record. Palmieri insisted they would and noted she was speaking publicly at the Politico event. "You shouldn’t default to that," Palmieri said. "And we are proud of the campaign and the work we do ... so we'll talk on the record." Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This is the hardest part about being President Obama's personal chef  | ||
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Oculus apps will have virtual reality 'comfort' ratings so you don't get sick or scared | ||
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Virtual reality is an engrossing experience — so engrossing that it might make some people dizzy, uncomfortable or even frightened. That's why Oculus, which will begin selling a virtual reality headset next year, will provide special "comfort ratings" for all the games and other apps that it makes available through its official app store. Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe told TechCrunch that the company will pre-approve all third-party apps that are offered through its store (similar to Apple's practice of vetting iPhone apps) and that the company will give the apps different ratings to ensure that consumers know exactly what kind of a virtual world they're stepping into. The idea, he said, is to steer people with weak stomachs away from nausea-inducing games, Iribe told TechCrunch. “Something can be comfortable from a disorientation standpoint, where it doesn’t make me feel bad...it doesn’t have crazy locomotion like a roller coaster. But if it is really, really super intense, we do want to give people warnings about that.” TechCrunch notes that it could also help prevent potentially dangerous scenarios, such as someone having a heart attack when a monster suddenly pops into their view. Oculus has already said that the third-party apps distributed in its store will have to meet certain criteria. Pornographic content, for instance, will not be allowed. But the company is being very vague when it comes to the kinds of graphical violence it will permit. When asked whether the Oculus store would have any restrictions on violence, a spokesperson replied with the following statement: "Oculus only distributes developer content that meets their terms of service, but they aren’t open to discuss what those terms are at this time." SEE ALSO: Facebook's virtual reality company just shocked everyone by announcing a partnership with Xbox Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This is what it's like trying the Oculus Rift for the first time  | ||
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Salesforce just invested in a startup that can make gadgets like the Apple Watch useful at work (CRM) | ||
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Salesforce Ventures was part of a $10 million, Series B round raised by APX Labs, a software maker for wearables at work, Washington Business Journal reported on Thursday. It's unclear who led the round or how much Salesforce put in it, but the deal is another clear sign that Salesforce is serious about wearable devices at work. APX Labs' software can instantly turn wearable devices, like Google Glass and Apple Watch, to something useful at work. Based on what we see in its videos, APX Labs' software integrates various devices and helps improve workflow, like contract approval and sending emails, with a simple tap on the device. Its software is mostly used in heavy industries like energy, automotive, and aerospace. The way APX Labs' software works is right in line with what Salesforce cofounder Parker Harris recently described as the best use case of the Apple Watch at work. He said, aside from the obvious benefits of taking quick phone calls and text messages, the Watch could make it easy to make approvals straight from the device. Salesforce has been one of the earliest adopters of wearable devices among enterprise software companies. Its app was the only true enterprise app shown during Apple's Watch launch event, and its CEO Marc Benioff has been one of the most vocal supporters of wearables since at least 2008. Some of the other wearable-related startups Salesforce Ventures invested in include conference calling software Speakeasy and Will.i.am's smartwatch company Puls. SEE ALSO: Why Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff Is Totally Obsessed With His Fitbit Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This is the Chinese version of Google Glass and it's only a fraction of the price  | ||
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