What Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and other highly successful people do on the weekends | ||
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For some, the weekend is a sacred retreat from the hustle and bustle of our busy work lives. For others, the weekend is a myth — Saturday and Sunday are mere extensions of the workweek and a chance to get ahead of the competition. Judging from the various ways highly successful people spend their (at least theoretical) time away from work, we can conclude that there really is no right or wrong way to structure your weekends — it's all about striking the right balance for you. Here's how super-successful people do it. Elon Musk spends time with his kids. Musk, the billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has five sons, with whom, he told Mashable, he hangs out on the weekends. However, he also admitted at South by Southwest in 2013 that some of this "quality time" is spent sending emails. "Because they don't need constant interaction, except when we're talking directly," he said. "I find I can be with them and still be working at the same time." Jack Dorsey hikes and prepares for the week. In 2011, when Jack Dorsey was running Twitter and Square full-time, the cofounder told the audience at Techonomy 2011 that, to got it all done, he gave each day a theme. This allowed him to quickly recall and refocus on the day's task once the distraction was out of the way. Dorsey said he would take Saturday off to hike and spend Sunday focusing on reflections, feedback, strategy, and getting ready for the rest of the week. Now that he's back to running both companies, there's a good chance theme days could come in handy again. Rachel Maddow ditches her NYC apartment for the country. The political journalist told People she, her girlfriend Susan Mikula, and English Lab occupy a 275-sq.-ft. Manhattan apartment during the week when Maddow tapes her show. During the weekends, though, they drive three hours so they can retreat to their country home in Western Massachusetts. "Having a place out of the city is a shortcut toward the mental reset I need," Maddow told People. She also loves spending her Saturday reading comic books. See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
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Venture firm sued by Ellen Pao issues diversity report, but forgets diversity is more than a gender issue | ||
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Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a prominent venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, released a diversity report — except that it missed out on the whole point of diversity. Tristan Walker, the CEO of Walker &Co., was one of the first to point out KPCB's glaring omission. SEE ALSO: John Doerr says he 'felt sick' when he found out Ellen Pao was suing Kleiner Perkins Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This photographer got 100,000 Instagram followers by arranging food in a very particular way  | ||
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THE ROBOTICS MARKET REPORT: The fast-multiplying opportunities in consumer, industrial, and office robots | ||
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Robots have been a reality on factory assembly lines for over twenty years. But it is only relatively recently that robots have become advanced enough to penetrate into home and office settings.
We also examine the market for industrial manufacturing robots since it is the market where many robotics companies got their start, and remains the largest robot market by revenue. We assess how far along the robotics industry has come in solving some of the most pressing hardware and software challenges. And finally, we assess the factors on the consumer side that might still limit the market for relatively inexpensive home robots. Access The Full Report And Data By Signing Up For A Trial » Here are some of the most important takeaways from the report:
In full, the report:
To access the full report from BI Intelligence, sign up for a 14-day trial here. Members also gain access to new in-depth reports, hundreds of charts and datasets, as well as daily newsletters on the digital industry.
Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do  | ||
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In a This woman's photo of her daughter with Down syndrome was stolen and used in an ad for genetic testing | ||
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Christie Hoos, a Canadian mother of four, posted a photo of her daughter who has Down syndrome on her personal blog. Then, it ended up being used to promote a company that performs genome testing on unborn children. The medical company says it downloaded the photo from a free image website and used it in several promotional materials, including a banner in Spain, as reported by BuzzFeed. The company maintains that the images were intended to be seen only by employees, despite having displayed them in public places.
Since Hoos discovered the photo, the company has removed her daughter's image from the website and formally apologized. The picture has also been taken down from the image hosting website. The photo was used in a display and on the website for a product called "Tranquility," a DNA test produced by a Swiss biotechnology company, Genoma, Life Site reported last week. "Tranquility" uses maternal blood samples to check for Down syndrome and other chromosomal disorders before a baby is born. Hoos's ten-year-old daughter Becca is currently also undergoing chemotherapy for Leukemia. She originally shared the photo of Becca on her personal blog, "So Here's Us." Here's a look at the page from the stock photo company, Free Large Images, where Genoma believed it was "legal" to download Becca's picture.
The Free Large Images website explains that all of the Down Syndrome photos have since been taken down because of complaints. These are some of the complaints people posted to the page. Many of them are from Becca's father, Glen Hoos.
The Hooses were not the only family to discover their child's image had been stolen for commercial use. "You have my daughter's photo listed here and you do NOT have my permission to use it. Please remove immediately, the photo contains my watermark and text about physical characteristics of Down syndrome," wrote Ellen Stumbo in her complaint to Free Large Images. This is the photograph of Stumbo's daughter which she originally posted to her website, in a post explaining the physical characteristics of Down syndrome.
After discovering that her daughter's picture was also on the image hosting site, Stumbo searched the web for other places that might have stolen her image. "I found it in several places, including some pretty disgusting ones, like a forum discussing why babies with Down syndrome should be aborted," Stumbo told Business Insider. "[T]hey have all sorts of negative, distasteful, and offensive discussions." She found the picture in multiple web advertisements, including this one for an Indian homeopathy clinic offering advice and cures for a wide range of medical conditions. Neither Free Large Images or Genoma has responded to Business Insider's request for comment. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This is why we are compelled to lie  | ||
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Uber stops letting its drivers and passengers carry guns | ||
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Car service app juggernaut Uber has quietly changed its policy to prohibit its drivers from carrying firearms while they're on duty. Previously, Uber had deferred to local laws when it came to whether or not its drivers could carry guns. In an update to the Legal section on Uber's website there's a new "Uber Firearms Prohibition Policy," first noticed by The New Republic. It says: We seek to ensure that everyone using the Uber digital platform—both driver-partners and riders—feels safe and comfortable using the service. During a ride arranged through the Uber platform, Uber and its affiliates therefore prohibit possessing firearms of any kind in a vehicle. Any rider or driver found to have violated this prohibition may lose access to the Uber platform. In other words, carrying a gun is grounds for losing your Uber-driving privileges. Back in April, an Uber driver with a concealed handgun stopped a mass shooting in Chicago. Meanwhile, Lyft has barred its drivers from carrying firearms for some time. Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment. SEE ALSO: An Uber driver with a concealed handgun prevented a mass shooting in Chicago Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: What To Do When There's A Gun To Your Head  | ||
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Jeff Bezos wants to send you to space — here's how to reserve a seat | ||
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A trip to space used to be for the trained and the few, but that was in the 20th century. One of the privately-owned space companies changing the way we think about spaceflight of the 21st century is Blue Origin, who wants to be the first to take you where only few have gone before: the final frontier. Blue Origin — founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in 2000 — now has an early notification service that will alert you the second they start selling tickets for a ride on their brand new space vehicle, called "New Shepard." By submitting your information, "You'll receive early access to pricing information and tickets when we open reservations," the company describes on the its registration website. When you register, you get to choose how many seats to reserve. New Shepard can carry up to six passengers at a time to an altitude of 62 miles above Earth's surface — the boundary where Earth ends and space begins. For each ride, passengers get to experience four to five minutes of weightlessness before returning to Earth. The New Shepard space vehicle has two parts: a crew capsule for passengers and a rocket for transportation. Blue Origin has built both parts for reuse and tested out the design for the first time last April.
Before they can start ushering the public into space, Blue Origin will need to ensure their rocket is reusable. Otherwise, they would have to build a new rocket for each ride, which would be too expensive to maintain for very long. Blue Origin didn't specify when their tickets will go on sale or how much a single ticket will cost, but it looks like they have a little more work and at least one more flight test to complete beforehand. All the same, they're excited at the prospect of sending you to space and want to get you excited, too: "Our New Shepard space vehicle will carry a new generation of explorers and adventurers – we're looking forward to flying with you!" They write on the registration site. LEARN MORE: Why Elon Musk's space rockets are so much more promising than Jeff Bezos' right now SEE ALSO: A crazy new theory solves 40-year-old mystery by explaining what happens inside of a black hole Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: How Elon Musk and SpaceX plan to drastically reduce the cost of space flight  | ||
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While the rocket successfully reached space, it was not retrieved, and Highly anticipated smart scooter aims to tackle Asia's catastrophic smog problem | ||
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Taiwan-based Gogoro is trying to connect those vehicles while also driving down energy consumption in those heavily polluted megalopolises with its electric Smartscooter. Gogoro announced yesterday that it would start taking orders on for its Smartscooters – priced at $4,100 – in Taiwan later this month. Finding this article interesting? Thousands of professionals just like you had it in their inbox first. Stay ahead of the curve and gain a comprehensive understanding of the latest news & trends, start your day with the IoT INSIDER. Get 7-days FREE » Gogoro’s scooters include 30 sensors that send diagnostic information to owners’ smartphones via Gogoro’s app and are powered by two 20-pound batteries. When the batteries run low, they can be swapped out at Gogoro’s smart recharging stations for fully charged batteries. Gogoro plans to place networks of its charging stations throughout cities in Asia. It already has 32 in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital city, as part of the pilot it’s running there. It plans to increase that number to 150 by the end of the year. The Smartscooter can travel 62 miles at 60mph on a pair of fully charged batteries. Gogoro will need the infrastructure of battery-swap stations in place to expand to new cities. The Smartscooter is also more expensive than gas-powered alternatives, but the company says that over the first two years of ownership the electric Smartscooter costs less than some gas-powered models. Replacing the millions of gas-powered scooters on the streets of Asia’s biggest cities with electric ones would help alleviate the air pollution problems in many of those cities. Here are other stories you need to know from today's IoT INSIDER:
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Connected cars are getting a great deal of attention right now, as they offer the chance to transform transportation in Western countries where cars and trucks dominate road traffic. In Asia’s dense mega-cities though, it’s gas-powered scooters, not cars, that rule the road. Big tech companies are making a tough choice when it comes to developers | ||
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Earlier this week, SoundCloud quietly announced it would be limiting access to the music and podcasts hosted on the site to outside developers as it tries to crack down on those who would abuse the service. As of July 1st, third-party apps that hook into SoundCloud will only get 15,000 song plays total in every 24 hour period. The official SoundCloud embedded player is unaffected, as is the main SoundCloud app, so the vast majority of average users won't even notice. For developers, this means that if you make an app that uses SoundCloud for audio, and you have 5,000 users, they each get three plays before SoundCloud suspends your access to its public API — the "hook" that programmers use to integrate their apps with an outside service. Developers are pretty upset, judging from the comments on the news from SoundCloud's official blog post: "Hate to say it but the end is near," reads the first response. "Hanging by a thread! I didn't think you could actually make it any worse but you have," reads another. It seems that this change was made because some unscrupulous parties were using this API access to build apps that would artificially boost up the number of plays on a SoundCloud track, vastly inflating their popularity. By limiting access, it drastically reduces their ability to game the system. But it has a splash effect on other developers putting it to legitimate usage. In the grand scheme of things, this only affects a small subset of developers, and there are alternatives like sfx.io out there for coders who need a similar service. And, at least according to SoundCloud, not many developers were using the API in this way anyway. But it points to a major business decision that most tech companies have to make: How much developer freedom is too much? As a recent example: Back in 2012, Twitter shut down most of its public APIs to outside developers, completely killing the burgeoning market for third-party Twitter apps — apps that users loved. At the time, Twitter was investing heavily in its burgeoning advertising business, and third-party clients posed a risk — they could easily be made to not display any ads. That would have been good for users, but bad for Twitter's bottom line. And so, the axe came down on Twitter's APIs. Even more recently, in November 2014, Netflix shut down its own public API to focus its energy on making its internal services better. This had the side-effect of killing off third-party services like A Better Queue that people liked using to manage their Netflix account, since they could no longer pull data down from the movie site. In all cases, the public API helped these services grow, as developers provided useful extra features and services that the companies couldn't originally build in-house. But at a certain point, to build a sustainable business, a line must sometimes be drawn in the sand. This move makes it a little more appealing for SoundCloud's base of mainly independent artists, who will have more assurance that the music rankings are honest, and making them more likely to stay with the service. SEE ALSO: Apple isn't being very nice to some of its biggest fans Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: If You're Going To Pay For Music — Pay For This  | ||
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A lawmaker tried to ban memes and now the internet can't stop mocking her | ||
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The people who make memes are not who you'd want as enemies. A congresswoman in Mexico introduced a bill to punish meme-makers who mock Mexican life with fines up to $1,600 — and the internet community has predictably fired back with memes making fun of her. Congresswoman Selma Guadalupe Gomez is the champion of the "anti-meme" law, a bill formally named the "Law of Civil Responsibility for the Protection of the Right to Private Life, Honor and the Image of the State of Sonora," reports Rafa Fernandez De Castro from Fusion. Her goal is to protect the "moral patrimony" of the Mexican state Sonora by regulating social media content and fining offensive meme-makers. Fines can be as heavy as $1,600. The meme community, known for its ability to levy sustained social media attacks on individuals, has lashed out against the Congresswoman. Here are some of the memes that have been posted on Twitter. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: The Overly-Attached Girlfriend Explains What It's Like Being A Wildly Popular Internet Meme  | ||
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Cleaners say WeWork threatened to fire them for unionizing | ||
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Cleaners working at WeWork's New York locations say the co-working space startup threatened to fire them if they unionized, BuzzFeed reports. A branch of the Service Employees International Union, representing more than 100 of WeWork's contracted janitors, filed a charge to the National Labor Relations Board Thursday. Earlier this week, WeWork's janitors organized and protested outside of WeWork's New York headquarters. They want to make as much as their unionized colleagues do. WeWork's cleaners come from a non-union contractor and make about $11 an hour. Unionized janitors can make $23 an hour in addition to receiving benefits, the local SEIU chapter told BuzzFeed. WeWork is a four-year-old startup that divides up big, rented office spaces, subletting them to startups and other businesses. Right now, the company has 15 office spaces in New York City. WeWork also has office spaces in cities like San Francisco and Washington DC. Valued at $5 billion with $568.9 million in funding from T. Rowe Price, Benchmark Capital, and Wellington Management, WeWork is among the most valuable private tech companies in the world. WeWork isn't the only startup coming into conflict with contracted laborers. Earlier this week, the California Labor Commission ruled that an Uber driver who brought a lawsuit against the company was an employee, not an independent contractor. A WeWork company spokesperson provided us with the following statement: "This story is wrong. 1. We do not employ any cleaners at our various locations in New York. These individuals are all employees of our cleaning services contractor. 2. We absolutely did not and would not threaten the employment of any one who works at one of our locations because of any union activity. Moreover, since all of these individuals are employees of our contractor, we do not even have the right to terminate their employment. 3. We have not received any charge from the NLRB.” Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This photographer got 100,000 Instagram followers by arranging food in a very particular way  | ||
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How an obsessive recluse blew the lid off the secret technology authorities use to spy on people's cell phones | ||
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Over the last year the world has learned a lot about a jarring surveillance technology. It's called "Stingray," and it's a device used by both federal and state law enforcement agencies to gain access to citizens' cell phone data. Even though we’re now getting a better sense of what Stingray does, we still know little about how this technology became known to the public. A new radio interview, however, has tracked down the man who first discovered the clandestine technology. Stingray works by mimicking cellphone towers. The authorities drive around with them sending out signals and all mobile devices in the vicinity are forced to connect to it. It has reportedly been used by numerous enforcement agencies for years, thousands of times. But the problem is that any organization signing on to use the device is forced to sign a nondisclosure agreement. This means that if a group is asked to divulge details of Stingray in court, they must drop the case. Given all this, it's quickly become clear that the authorities never wanted people to know that Stingray existed. In fact, according to the latest episode of the WNYC radio show Note To Self, it took an obsessed man in prison to comb through thousands of documents to piece together what was going on. A reclusive fraudsterDaniel Rigmaiden is the man who first discovered Stingray while he was in prison facing charges of tax fraud. In an attempt to live off the grid, Rigmaiden had concocted a scheme where he would file tax returns for dead people. He did so for quite a while — making sure to cover his tracks — and was able to rake in thousands of dollars. Despite his intense meticulousness to details, Rigmaiden was ultimately caught by the authorities. Yet he didn’t understand how they became hip to his ways. He used a slew of fake IDs, maintained almost no public identity, and even lived in the woods. The only weak link, he thought, was the cellular AirCard he used to access the internet. But, given that he only used fake identities and anonymized his web browsing, Rigmaiden did not understand how they tracked him down. And so he began to research. They sent "rays into my living room"Rigmaiden had a hunch of how he was caught. He told his lawyer "I think they tracked me down by sending rays into my living room." At the time — over five years ago — this seemed unheard of. No one had ever claimed that the police could surveil citizens in such a capacity.
Finally, Rigmaiden discovered a few allusions to new "investigative techniques" associated with cell towers. And this is where things get even more miraculous. Rigmaiden didn’t have internet access in prison, so for months he called a court appointed paralegal to do his online searching. He gave this person detailed instructions about what to Google, who would then send him the appropriate documents. Rigmaiden spent hours on the phone with this paralegal trying to describe whatever it was he was looking for. Putting the pieces togetherConducting his own investigation for years, Rigmaiden slowly amassed enough proof via formal documents and transcript from local meetings to get a sense for what Stingray really was: A secret new technology that intercepted cell phones so authorities could gather data from them. With this new information he assembled, he made a dossier of his findings. Finally, the prisoner contacted the American Civil Liberties Union’s Christopher Soghoian, who ultimately helped illuminate the public about what Stingray is and how it was being used by authorities. Since then, numerous probes have been made about the constitutionality of Stingray, and slowly documents are surfacing detailing just how widespread it is. We now know Stingray has been used thousands of times in numerous states, and is even beginning to be trialed in the UK. Of course, the irony is that if a suspect discovers the authorities used Stingray against them, they will likely be set free because those using Stingray aren't allowed to disclose any information about the technology. And all of this information is thanks to one man who was obsessive enough to spend years combing through documents to fully understand what led to his arrest. WNYC radio show Note To Self reports that Rigmaiden is no longer incarcerated and in fact is often used as a consultant for lawyers and legislators looking into the Stingray technology. You can listen to the full podcast below. SEE ALSO: Some big groups have pulled out of meetings about facial recognition technology Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Mark Cuban explains why downloading Snapchat is a huge mistake  | ||
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Unable to convince a lawyer to defend him with such a claim, Rigmaiden decided to represent himself. College freshmen are using Facebook to post the most bizarre messages to their future classmates | ||
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Now that the typical school year is ending, many high school seniors are excited to be heading off to college — but they've still got a few more excruciating weeks left hanging out in their hometowns before school starts. So what do they do in the meantime? They connect with their future classmates on Facebook — and they post some pretty embarrassing introductions, requests, and personal information. Meeting your future college classmates on Facebook is a tradition that dates back to the days when Facebook was just for college students.
Now, joining your class's Facebook group is sometimes the very first thing a high school senior does when they get their letter of admission. Facebook groups allow a closed group of users to share messages, pictures, and articles with each other. For those unfamiliar with Facebook, picture an enhanced mass email chain. Once the school year begins, these groups become an effective platform for spreading information about classes, gripping about the disrepair of dorms and promoting events. But before college actually starts for incoming Freshmen, these groups are just a mass of cringe-worthy introductions. Members of the Class of 2019 are desperate to make a good first impression on their soon-to-be-classmates in these groups. But sometimes, their attempts can be awkward. Business Insider gained access to the Class of 2019 groups for Penn State University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University of Miami, Roger Williams University and Georgetown University. Check out a sampling of posts from the Class of 2019.
These groups are full of humblebrags and embarrassing bios.
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The $3.2 billion that Google paid for Nest is starting to make a lot more sense (GOOG) | ||
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Earlier this week, Nest launched a new smart camera called “Nest Cam,” a device that will let users see what’s going on inside their home with their smartphones when they’re away. Nest Cam takes Nest beyond its core smart thermostat and smoke detector markets, potentially making it a strong home security device maker as well. And when you look at the market size potential, it starts to make sense why Nest would want to get in the connected home security space. According to BI Intelligence, 132 million smart home security devices will be shipped this year. That number is estimated to grow to 709 million devices by 2019. If Nest Cam could win just 3% of the total estimated shipments of smart home security devices by 2019, that would translate to more than $4 billion in sales (Nest Cam costs $199 per device) — which is more than the $3.2 billion Google paid to acquire Nest in 2014.
SEE ALSO: Here's what $6 billion Fitbit really needs to worry about Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: The 12 best new features coming to the iPhone  | ||
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20 befuddling pictures of pizza, everywhere but where you'd expect | ||
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Everyone loves pizza. Jonpaul Douglass is no different. The Los Angeles-based photographer was walking in his neighborhood one day when he saw a pizza tagged on a wall in his neighborhood that was usually covered in graffiti. First he laughed out loud. Then he got an idea. Jonpaul began a series called "#pizzainthewild," placing pepperoni pies in a variety of areas, both urban and rural. He likes to photograph the pizzas, which he gets them from Little Caesars, as fresh if he can, but admits that for certain situations he sometimes lets them sit in his trunk and get as hard as a rock. In an interview with Heritage Radio, Jon remarked that "one of the great things about L.A. is that I can do this all day and people don't think twice of it. My friend and I were putting like 20 pizzas on just a lazy boy recliner on the sidewalk one day and so many people walked by without even turning their head." Speaking of humans, there's never any in his shots - making the shots seem even more surreal. He's taken over 100 pizza photos for the series already. We selected 20 of his best and most unusual images. Jonpaul lives in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles and often places pizzas around there.Plenty of peacocks roam the neighborhood he lives in. The area, being centrally located, also allows him to easily travel around town.He picks up pizzas two at a time, shoots, and then sticks them in the fridge in case another photo opportunity presents itself.See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
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Driverless cars might 'wipe out' the car insurance business as we know it, says the Bank of England | ||
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The Bank of England has started a blog called "Bank Underground." (The name is a play on the fact that the bank is located at the Bank station on London's Underground system.) So far, it's fascinating. The first post has some nice charts about deflation forecasts but the second one was a real eyebrow-raiser: Driverless cars might wipe out the motor insurance business. That is not trivial: The auto-insurance business booked $33 billion in global revenues in 2013, according to a 2014 McKinsey report. Yet because driverless cars of the type being researched by Google, Uber and Apple don't actually require drivers and, in theory, don't make the mistakes drivers do, all that is now at risk. The BofE writes: The entire basis of motor insurance, which mainly exists because people crash, could also be upended. Harvesting data on individual drivers is key for insurers to predict the riskiness of people – more information means smarter pricing. But self-driving cars take the driver out of the equation – a 17 year old male and 35 year old female could now receive the same car insurance quote – with the vehicle as the key determinant of risk. It's not all bad news for insurers, however. The Bank sees their business evolving rather than going to the wall: Will this wipe out traditional motor insurance? Maybe not. It’s feasible that some motor incidents may still require traditional insurance, even if driving habits change significantly. Damage and injuries caused by trees falling onto driverless cars could be subsumed under health insurance or shift to household contents insurance, according to a study by RAND. Second, manufacturers may want to partner with insurance companies. After all, insurers will have the existing organisational structures, customer links and expertise to provide insurance. ... [and] Retail motor insurance – currently based on the relationship between a driver and their insurance company – might increasingly mould into commercial, inter-company insurance contracts. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Here's how Cristiano Ronaldo spends his money  | ||
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This amazing poster featuring all 468 NYC subway signs is blowing up on Kickstarter | ||
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Graphic design nerds and subway enthusiasts, there's a new Kickstarter campaign you'll want to get in on immediately. A rare poster showing every single one of the MTA's 468 subway signs is available to anyone who pledges to support it on Kickstarter before July 21. The project is blowing up on Kickstarter. In 36 hours, it's raised $67,281 — more than double its $29,800 goal. The poster is such a big deal because its creators had to get permission from New York City's Metropolitan Transit Authority to recreate all of the signs, which are the MTA's intellectual property.
The poster is the brainchild of Alex Daly and Hamish Smyth. Daly is the "Crowdsourceress," a professional crowdfunder whose company, Vann Alexandra, has a 100% success rate. This is her first time signing on as a creator on a project. Smyth is her boyfriend, and another old Kickstarter pro. He and fellow designer Jesse Reed got permission to reprint the 1970 New York City Transit Authority Graphics Standards Manual in September 2014. Daly organized their Kickstarter page for them, and they raised over $800,000 for the massively successful project. Smyth drew all of the subway signs and arranged them in alphabetical order, then he and Daly hung it in their apartment.
"Everyone who visits our apartment loves the poster and asks where they can get one," Daly and Smyth write. "That's why we have decided to share it exclusively on Kickstarter." They're using 11 Pantone spot colors for the poster, and it's being printed in Italy. The posters come in two sizes: 24" by 33 1/4" and 28" by 38 1/4". "During the The Standards Manual campaign our fascination with subway signage only deepened," Daly and Smyth write on their Kickstarter page. "Even though the signs have changed from the original 1970 Unimark designs, they remain close to the original intent of [designers] Bob Noorda and Massimo Vignelli." The signs' relative lack of change since 1970 "is a testament to the simplicity and elegance of the design," Daly and Smyth write. "This is an iconic design that should be remembered and celebrated, and we think a beautifully printed poster is a great way to get it into many people's hands." Click here to check out their Kickstarter page. SEE ALSO: Here's what the NYC subway map looks like to a disabled person Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Here's The First-Person View From An Amazing NYC Subway Drummer  | ||
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Bond Street, a 2-year-old startup that just raised $110 million, is making Wall Street sweat | ||
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Like Lending Club, a peer-to-peer lender that went public in 2014 at an $870 million valuation, Bond Street is eating into the business of some major banks by making loans to small businesses. It just pocketed a whopping $110 million investment from Jefferies investment bank and Spark Capital, where Haber formerly worked. Some individual investors, like Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk, also participated in the round. "Not having capital for a few months when we were seeing amazing companies that we would have loved to fund was hard," Haber, a Harvard grad, told Business Insider during a phone call Friday. "Nothing about this [funding round] was easy and I don't take it for granted at all." It took persistent, in-depth conversations with Jefferies before the firm was convinced Bond Street was a good investment. But it soon became excited about Bond Street's technology, process and customer pipeline, according to Haber. Bond Street is one of a few financial tech companies that has Wall Street on the lookout. In his annual letter to shareholders, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon warned, "Silicon Valley is coming." He specifically mentioned lending companies and wrote, "There are hundreds of startups with a lot of brains and money working on various alternatives to traditional banking ... The [new] firms can lend to individuals and small businesses very quickly and – these entities believe – effectively by using Big Data to enhance credit underwriting. They are very good at reducing the ‘pain points’ in that they can make loans in minutes, which might take banks weeks.” Haber is prepared to take on Wall Street. "The way that we're going to win out against banks is by creating a much better customer experience," Haber said. "We're these businesses' financial advocates and we're thoughtful of how they grow their companies."
"Jonathan Rubinstein [the owner] said, 'This is so radically different than anything I've experienced in the bank,'" Haber said. "He might have paid 2 percent more with us, but it was a no brainer for him to be able to open his store and work with people he likes and have that process feel very transparent." It takes weeks to hear back from a bank, and people can't apply for bank loans online, according to Haber. Haber made sure his process was much faster by snagging up resources like Quickbooks and the IRS, the latter of which now accepts e-signatures, so his company could evaluate credit histories with the click of a mouse. "In just a couple of minutes, businesses can basically share all the data we need to make a lending decision," Haber said. According to Haber, Bond Street compresses time decisions that would normally take weeks to a few days. Now Bond Street is trying to chop down that time further, to just a few seconds. In the future, Haber plans to collect data from business owners so he can show them how they're doing with respect to the rest of the industry, he told New York Business Journal. The $100 million will be put toward expanding Bond Street from eight to 25 full-time people next year. "We'll probably expand that even more to 40 within the next two years, but we'll see," Haber said. SEE ALSO: The toughest place to interview on Wall Street Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Elon Musk's life story is more incredible than fiction  | ||
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David H
One Bond Street success story he always shares: A simple design innovation let a Chinese entrepreneur build a 57-story skyscraper in 19 days | ||
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Broad Sustainable Building, a Chinese architecture company, recently constructed a 57-story, 800 apartment building in 19 working days. It's called Mini Sky City. The man behind it is Zhang Yue, a Chinese entrepreneur with an Elon Musk-ian streak for launching revolutions. As the BBC reports, Zhang wants to start a revolution in building. Which you can see from Mini Sky City's three-floors-per-day construction.
The full video is nuts.
It'll be called Sky City, standing a full 220 stories high. Founder Zhang Yue tells the BBC that Broad Group will build Sky City in a fraction of the time. While it took the Burj five years to be completed, Zhang says that Sky City will only take seven months. It'll come complete with everything you need to "live vertically," like an indoor farm or a helipad. The key? A little hack called modular construction. The Modular Building Institute defines it like this: Modular construction is a process in which a building is constructed off-site, under controlled plant conditions, using the same materials and designing to the same codes and standards as conventionally built facilities – but in about half the time. Buildings are produced in “modules” that when put together on site, reflect the identical design intent and specifications of the most sophisticated site-built facility – without compromise. Modular design has been used at a smaller scale for a while now. We probably know it most intimately through the work of Ikea, a company with a furniture empire that has come to dominate the world. Here's how Ikea describes its sectional sofas: The great thing with a modular sofa is that you can create your own combination, so you get exactly what you want. Then you can adapt or add on to what you have if your needs change. And with our big choice of styles and covers, it’s easy to get the look that suits you, too. Broad Group's skyscrapers are kind of like the Ikea sofas of construction. As BBC reports, the process for building is the same: steel comes into Broad Group's factories, and it gets welded into modules like a column or cross beam.
Then those modules get trucked out.
Crane them up.
And snap them into place, Tetris-style.
"With the traditional method they have to build a skyscraper brick by brick, but with our method we just need to assemble the blocks," company engineer Chen Xiangqian told the Guardian. "This is definitely the fastest speed in our industry." To read the full BBC feature on Broad Sustainable Building, go here. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Two models in Russia just posed with a 1,400-pound bear  | ||
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Here's why IBM CEO Ginni Rometty felt she needed an honorary PhD | ||
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On Friday morning, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty gave the commencement speech at her alma mater, Northwestern University. She holds a bachelor of science degree in computer science and electrical engineering, graduating with high honors. After graduating, Rometty immediately went into the workforce and is now CEO of one of the most powerful tech companies in the world, and the first woman to lead the venerable old company. But she never went back for a post grad degree. Instead, the university granted her an honorary PhD and she joked she was grateful to have it because it allowed her to play catch up with her siblings. (Rometty also has an honorary PhD from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.) Rometty is the oldest of four. She often tells the story of how her dad left the family when she was a kid, leaving her mom to figure out how to raise four kids on her own, which she was able to do by going to school to get a nursing degree and working at night. That appreciation for education was imprinted on the whole Nicosia clan (her maiden name), Rometty said during the speech: And my brother and two sisters, they share, among themselves, five degrees from Dartmouth, Georgia Tech and Northwestern. And thank goodness for this doctorate, because I was losing that race on number of degrees. SEE ALSO: It sounds like IBM layoffs are still going on Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Take a tour of the $367 million jet that will soon be called Air Force One  | ||
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Dropbox employees are not happy with its most important business | ||
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On Friday, Jessica Lessin, a former WSJ reporter who launched her own news site The Information, wrote a story that corroborates our report. She writes: “I do know that some of [Dropbox's] employees think its preoccupation with its consumer business has come at the expense of its success in the enterprise, and they have complained that the company is only now adding features like direct integration with the widely used Microsoft Active Directory authentication system.” What Lessin is referring to is Dropbox’s integration with Microsoft Active Directory, one of the most common security features used by business customers. Although it’s a natural step for any early enterprise product to take, the fact that Dropbox just made this feature available earlier this month after launching its business product nearly two years ago shows just how far behind Dropbox is in the enterprise storage space. In fact, Stratechery’s Ben Thompson, a popular media critic on the business of technology, raised a similar point in his news letter recently: “I was kind of shocked to realize that [Dropbox] didn’t directly support Active Directory integration until now (Active Directory integration has been possible via 3rd-parties like Okta for some time). This is table stakes for an enterprise product. Then again, as a product that was built first-and-foremost for consumers, why would it?” Thompson has a point. Dropbox has always been a consumer-centric product, and is probably the most popular consumer file storage product in the market. Because of this, Dropbox never had to really focus on its business product until recently because it was already seeing tremendous growth on the consumer side. Dropbox claims to currently have 300 million users worldwide.
The problem is Dropbox was slow to join the enterprise storage market, and as Lessin points out, some employees think its early success on the consumer side was the reason for the hold back. As some former Dropbox employees told us, the company had lost that sense of urgency after seeing massive growth on the consumer side early on — and it’s why Dropbox just started to really build up its enterprise side of the business over the past 18 months. But according to Lessin, the root of the problem may be in Dropbox’s strategy to do well in both the consumer and enterprise spaces. “While it’s more trendy and tempting than ever to want a piece of both pies, it’s more often than not a mistake…I think their continued desire to keep a foot in both worlds is also holding them back.” SEE ALSO: Google just crushed Dropbox's dream of becoming your one-stop storage destination Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 12 awesome facts about WWE superstar Brock Lesnar  | ||
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Last month, 
But a large portion of those users are estimated to be non-paying users, and Dropbox has learned that going after business customers instead is a far more lucrative strategy. And they need that sales boost from the business side too: our sources have told us Dropbox’s revenue last year was a little over $400 million, which hardly justifies its $10 billion valuation. Conflict-scarred Mali on cusp of peace deal | ||
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Bamako (AFP) - Mali's Tuareg-led rebel alliance prepared Saturday to sign a landmark deal to end years of unrest in a nation riven by ethnic divisions and in the grip of a jihadist insurgency. The Algiers Accord aims to bring stability to the country's vast northern desert, cradle of several Tuareg uprisings since the 1960s and a sanctuary for Islamist fighters linked to Al-Qaeda. The document was signed in May by the government and loyalist militias but the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), a coalition of rebel groups, had been holding out until amendments were agreed two weeks ago. Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, former head of the UN peacekeeping force in Mali, and his French counterpart Laurent Fabius welcomed the CMA's commitment to the accord and urged Mali to ensure the deal was implemented. "This responsibility lies primarily with the Malian actors and the government and armed groups must regain mutual trust -- the only possibility for progress," they said in a joint op-ed in French daily Le Monde published on Friday. "The political party leaders also have an important role to play, as well as civil society, including women and youth. In a word, reconciliation is the business of all Malians." Ramtane Lamamra, the foreign minister for Algeria, which has been leading international efforts to mediate the peace talks, is expected in the Malian capital to sign the deal, along with scores of rebels. - 'Untenable' - The peace accord, hammered out over months under the auspices of the UN, calls for the creation of elected regional assemblies but not autonomy or federalism, in deference to government concerns of separatism. The Malian government and several armed groups signed the document on May 15 in Bamako, in a ceremony spurned by the CMA. The rebels finally agreed to commit on June 5 after winning concessions including a stipulation that its fighters be included in a security force for the north, and that residents of the north be represented in government institutions. "It is a necessary and highly anticipated step it will help to clarify the situation on the ground. Violence has increased in recent months," said Bamako-based political commentator Souleymane Drabo. "The situation is untenable for everyone -- for the people, for the United Nations and government forces." But Drabo, a columnist at pro-government national daily newspaper L'Essor (Progress), warned that the CMA's signature would not necessarily lead to immediate peace. "In 1992 a national pact was signed here between the government and armed groups and... fighting continued for three years after the signing," he said. Mali was shaken by a coup in 2012 that cleared the way for Tuareg separatists to seize towns and cities of the north, an expanse of desert the size of Texas. - Deadliest UN mission - Al-Qaeda-linked militants then overpowered the Tuareg, taking control of northern Mali for nearly 10 months until they were ousted in a French-led military offensive. The country remains deeply divided, with the Tuareg and Arab populations of the north accusing sub-Saharan ethnic groups in the more prosperous south of marginalising them. The United Nations MINUSMA peacekeeping mission in Mali has suffered the largest losses among the UN's 16 missions worldwide, and is regularly targeted by militants in the country's restive north. Its commander, Major General Michael Lollesgaard, said on Wednesday the force lacked the training, logistics and intelligence capabilities to effectively carry out operations. Since the mission's deployment in 2013, 36 soldiers have died and more than 200 have been wounded, making it the deadliest mission since Somalia in the 1990s. Loyalist militias seized the northeastern town of Menaka from the CMA in April, in an operation which has sparked several violations of a ceasefire agreement and left many dead on both sides. The move threatened to undermine the country's already fragile and long-running peace process, before a deal was struck to evacuate the pro-government forces, known as the Platform. The Malian government has lifted arrest warrants issued in 2013 against several CMA rebels in a further attempt to smooth the path to peace. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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New management at News Corp to push Asia expansion | ||
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Sydney (AFP) - A new management team at Rupert Murdoch's News Corp's Australian operations will support plans to expand into fast-growing Asia, son Lachlan Murdoch said Saturday. It was announced Friday that chief executive Julian Clarke will retire at the end of the year to be replaced by chief operating officer Peter Tonagh. In addition, Michael Miller will rejoin News from APN News & Media, which has newspaper and radio assets, to take on the newly created role of executive chairman of News Corp Australasia. News Corp's non-executive co-chairman Lachlan Murdoch described the appointments as "the best of both worlds" as he said the company planned to make acquisitions and investments in start-ups in Asia, The Weekend Australian said. "It makes absolute sense to geographically diversify," Lachlan Murdoch told News Corp Australia's national broadsheet. "Michael's first task will be to start looking at building operating businesses in Australasia, and he's the right person to do it." Tonagh will take over from Clarke in overseeing the company's national, metropolitan and local newspapers. Clarke came out of retirement in August 2013 to take on the job after then News Corp Australia chief Kim Williams quit. "Julian has done such an amazing job bringing back the sales culture," Lachlan Murdoch said. "He has made a huge contribution over the last two years, helping to stabilise the Australian newspapers." News Corp's chief executive Robert Thomson said the management changes were part of a "clear plan to use Australia as a base for significant expansion of our presence in Asia, while ensuring that our traditional businesses in Australia are developed to their full potential". They come just days after Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox said its board had approved a shake-up that puts the 84-year-old tycoon's son James in the chief executive job from July 1. The media-entertainment conglomerate's board approved the plan under which the Australian-born magnate steps down as CEO and becomes co-executive chairman with his other son, Lachlan. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Thousands attend vigil as US church suspect held on murders | ||
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Charleston (United States) (AFP) - Thousands of mourners clutching red and white roses attended a vigil in the stunned city of Charleston to remember nine African-American men and women shot dead by a suspected white supremacist. Holding hands, many with tears in their eyes, people sang the protest-anthem "We Shall Overcome" in response to the carnage at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, as suspected gunman Dylann Roof was charged with nine murders and ordered to be held without bond earlier Friday. Roof, 21, reportedly said he "wanted to start a race war," while gunning down the nine black worshippers, an act authorities are treating as a hate crime and investigating as possible "domestic terrorism." The Wednesday night shooting was the worst attack on a US place of worship in decades and comes at a time of revived racial tensions in many parts of the country. But the response from the community and even victims' families has been one of "love," as the genteel coastal city comes to terms with the tragedy. Tearful relatives came forward at Roof's bond hearing expressing their grief and forgiveness toward the alleged shooter who appeared through video link. At the vigil held at the College of Charleston TD Arena, community leaders expressed similar messages of faith and compassion, and said the tragedy will not drive a racial divide through the city. "We come together this evening in prayer and love," said Mayor Joseph Riley, who shared the stage with several of Charleston's leading religious leaders. Charleston's pipe and drum band played the Christian hymn "Amazing Grace," before Catholic, Protestant and Jewish clergy appealed for community unity. "Our hearts are broken. We have an anguish that we never had before," said Riley.
- 'Never be the same' -
Roof appeared on screen in court from an adjacent jail block for a 14-minute bail hearing, flanked by two guards in dark body armor. He was dressed in standard prison garb and appeared subdued, bowing his head slightly, as Judge James Gosnell asked him his age and if he had a job. A detective confirmed Roof had two previous run-ins with the law for trespassing and a pending drug possession charge. Families mourned deceased loved ones as the bail hearing took place. "Every fiber in my body hurts and I'll never be the same. Tywanza Sanders was my son. But he was my hero," said mother Felicia Sanders at the hearing. Others pledged to forgive the suspected shooter. "I forgive you and God have mercy on your soul," said Nadine Collier, daughter of victim Ethel Lance, 70, a lifelong member of the Emanuel church. Several media outlets reported that Roof confessed to investigators that he walked into "Mother Emanuel" -- one of the oldest black churches in the country -- and opened fire on a Bible study class. His arrest warrant revealed how he allegedly shot the six women and three men multiple times with a high-caliber handgun and then stood over a survivor to make a "racially inflammatory" statement. A spokeswoman for the US Justice Department, Emily Pierce, said authorities were looking at the killings "from all angles." "This heartbreaking episode was undoubtedly designed to strike fear and terror into this community, and the department is looking at this crime from all angles, including as a hate crime and as an act of domestic terrorism," Pierce said. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said she believed Roof should face the death penalty if convicted. "This is an absolute hate crime," Haley told NBC's "Today" show. "We will absolutely want him to have the death penalty. This is the worst hate that I've seen and the country has seen in a long time." Roof's family, in their first public reaction to the killings, offered condolences to the dead and spoke of their "shock, grief and disbelief."
- Gun control debate -
The killings also reignited concerns about gun control in the United States. President Barack Obama said that the country was "shocked and heartbroken," but voiced confidence that its permissive gun laws would eventually change. He accused Congress of failing to act after a mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012 which killed 26 people, including 20 children. "More than 11,000 Americans were killed by gun violence in 2013 alone -- 11,000," a strident Obama told US mayors in San Francisco. "At the very least we should be able to talk about this issue as citizens. Without demonizing all gun owners who are overwhelmingly law abiding, but also without suggesting that any debate about this involves a wild-eyed plot to take everybody's guns away," he said. "I'm not resigned. I have faith we will eventually do the right thing," he added.
- Loner dropout? -
Roof was arrested in North Carolina on Thursday shortly after the shooting and brought back to South Carolina. Conflicting descriptions have emerged of Roof, a high-school dropout whose Facebook page includes a picture of him wearing the flags of defunct white supremacist regimes in South Africa and Rhodesia. He is alternately described as a quiet, even friendly, loner who snapped -- or as a calculating white supremacist who supported segregation and had been planning for some time to kill blacks.
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Marta ready to inspire Brazil against Matildas in Women's World Cup | ||
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Vancouver (AFP) - Superstar forward Marta returns as Brazil bid to maintain their winning momentum at the Women's World Cup against Australia on Sunday, with France and Canada also in action in the last 16. Third-ranked France will be up against South Korea in Montreal while hosts Canada play Switzerland over on the west coast in Vancouver. "Australia are a very competitive team, very intense players," said Brazil coach Vadao of their 10th-ranked opponents ahead of the game in Moncton. "We're going to face a very strong rival. It's sudden death and we can't afford any mistakes. We have to fine tune and every detail is going to be very important." Marta did not play in the 2007 runners-up final group game against Costa Rica, because of a slight injury, along with stalwarts Cristiane and Formiga. But Vadao insisted: "Marta will play on Sunday I can tell you that for sure." The 29-year-old former five-time world footballer of the year is bidding to add a first world title to her trophy cabinet. "I will continue fighting, as I always did. I will do everything possible to try to return to Brazil with the expected results," she said. The record Women's World Cup goal scorer now has a dual responsibility -- to be an inspiration on and off the pitch. "It is logical that now I have a greater responsibility. In the group there are many girls who watch everything I do. I have a good relationship with all of them." Alen Stajcic's Matildas face a tough task against a Brazil who won all three of their group games and are yet to concede a goal. Captain Lisa De Vanna will be one of the key players for Australia who finished second in their group behind the United States. "It's going to be a tough match but we've already made it out of the group of death supposedly," said Australian midfielder Tameka Butt. "Marta is definitely a big player and someone we have to watch out for," added striker Michelle Heyman. "But the way we structure and our game plan, if we stick to how we play football I think we’ll be alright."
- Important day for Korea -
France, meanwhile, started their campaign off with a confident 1-0 win over England, but came crashing back to earth with a 2-0 defeat to Colombia. But Philippe Bergeroo's side got back on track with a 5-0 whipping of Mexico which saw them advance top of their group F. The only previous meeting with the Koreans was at the 2003 World Cup and the French won 1-0. "They like movement and possession but it's not a very powerful team like the United States and Germany can be," estimated midfielder Camille Abily. This is France's third World Cup and they finished fourth in 2011. While the top Asian sides are Japan, China, or even North Korea, the South Koreans are not used to the world stage, with their only previous appearance in 2003. "I think it's an important day for South Korean women's football," said coach Yoon Deok-yeo after his side emerged from the group stage. "I feel they can have a great match against France who are a very strong opponent and among the leaders in the soccer world." Hosts Canada, whose best finish was fourth in 2003, are looking to get their home crowd behind them against newcomers Switzerland in BC Place Stadium. Canada finished top of their group while Switzerland are back in as one of the four best third-place finishers.
Fixtures (all times GMT) Brazil v Australia at Moncton (1700) France v South Korea at Montreal (2000) Canada v Switzerland at Vancouver (2330) Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Brazil shock as Neymar banned, Chile power on at Copa | ||
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Santiago (AFP) - Brazil superstar Neymar was dramatically thrown out of the Copa America as Chile shrugged off the drunken-driving controversy surrounding Arturo Vidal to power into the quarter-finals. Neymar's participation in the South American footballing showpiece came to an abrupt end after a disciplinary hearing slapped him with a four-match ban for headbutting a Colombian opponent. The punishment deprives the tournament of one of its most recognizable stars and leaves Brazil in turmoil as they contemplate the remainder of the tournament without their captain and best player. Neymar's fate had been in the balance after he was given a red card for headbutting an opponent during a post-match brawl that erupted after Brazil's 1-0 upset loss to Colombia in Group C on Wednesday. The 23-year-old superstar was already ruled out of Brazil's final group game against Venezuela on Sunday after collecting a second yellow card of the tournament against the Colombians. Neymar, who was also fined $10,000, can appeal the punishment. But unless the ban is reduced it means he has played his last game of the Copa, with Brazil having at most four games left. Colombian player Carlos Bacca, who shoved Neymar following his butt on goal scorer Jeison Murillo, was suspended for two games.
- Fall from grace -
Neymar's shock early departure marks a stunning fall from grace for the young forward, who had been carrying his nation's hopes as they chased a first Copa America crown since 2007. There was already bad blood between Neymar and the Colombian team heading into Wednesday's match. The Brazilian suffered a tournament-ending fractured vertebra during a stormy World Cup quarter-final battle with Colombia last year. However Neymar arrived in Chile brimming with confidence and good form following a starring role in Barcelona's treble-winning season, scoring the final goal in the Spanish giants' Champions League victory over Juventus in Berlin on June 6. The Brazilian was also in sparkling form against Peru in his country's opening game of the tournament, scoring one goal and setting up an injury-time winner for the five-time world champions.
- Chile rout -
On the pitch Friday, hosts Chile, rocked by the arrest for drunk-driving of star midfielder Vidal earlier in the week, turned on the style to ensure qualification for the quarter-finals as group winners with a 5-0 demolition job of Bolivia. Both Chile and Bolivia had already been assured of a place in the last eight after Ecuador's 2-1 victory over Mexico earlier in the day. Goals from Charles Aranguiz (2), Alexis Sanchez, Gary Medel and an own goal from Bolivia captain Ronald Raldes completed a one-sided rout for the hosts, who now face a quarter-final in Santiago next Wednesday against the best ranked third placed team from the first phase, most likely to be either Uruguay or Paraguay. The Chileans, who included Vidal in their starting line-up, swept into an early lead after only three minutes with a well-worked goal from Aranguiz. Inter Milan defender Medel pumped a long ball forward, and Eduardo Vargas knocked down it into the path of Aranguiz, who drilled a low shot beyond Bolivia goalkeeper Romel Quinonez. English Premier League star Sanchez made it 2-0 with a superb low header on 37 minutes to leave Chile in control at half-time. Aranguiz grabbed his second of the evening at 66 minutes, finishing off a low cross from Angelo Henriquez. Medel made it 4-0 with a superb individual effort in the 80th minute, playing a one-two with Jorge Valdivia, controlling on his chest and then lifting a chipped finish over Quinonez. Bolivia's misery was complete when skipper Raldes chipped his goalkeeper for a freak own goal to make it 5-0.
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Brazil's Neymar out of Copa with four-match ban | ||
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Santiago (AFP) - Brazil captain Neymar was sensationally thrown out of the rest of the Copa America after being hit with a four-match ban for headbutting a Colombian opponent. South American football's governing body CONMEBOL confirmed the 23-year-old's punishment following a hearing in Santiago to address Neymar's dismissal following Brazil's 1-0 defeat to Colombia on Wednesday. The Brazilian ace was shown a red card after appearing to aim a headbutt at Colombian goalscorer Jeison Murillo when an ugly brawl erupted after the final whistle of a stormy Group C game. Neymar had already been given a provisional one-match suspension, ruling him out of Brazil's final group tie against Venezuela on Sunday, after collecting his second yellow card of the tournament. But while a heavier sentence was always possible at Friday's hearing, few had predicted that tournament chiefs would throw the book at the Barcelona striker, one of the most recognisable stars of world football. Neymar, who was also fined $10,000, can appeal the punishment. But unless the ban is reduced it means he has played his last game of the tournament, with Brazil having a maximum of only four games left. Colombian player Carlos Bacca, who shoved Neymar following his butt on Murillo, was suspended for two games, CONMEBOL confirmed.
- Fall from grace -
Neymar's shock early departure from the competition marks a stunning fall from grace for the young forward, who had been carrying his nation's hopes as they chased a first Copa America crown since 2007. There was already bad blood between Neymar and the Colombian team heading into Wednesday's match. The Brazilian suffered a tournament-ending fractured vertebra during a stormy World Cup quarter-final battle with Colombia last year following a rugged challenge from Juan Camilo Zuniga. However Neymar arrived in Chile brimming with confidence and good form following a starring role in Barcelona's treble-winning season, scoring the final goal in the Spanish giants' Champions League victory over Juventus in Berlin on June 6. The Brazilian was also in sparkling form against Peru in his country's opening game of the tournament, scoring one goal and setting up an injury-time winner for the five-time world champions. Neymar's humiliating exit gives under-fire coach Dunga a major selection headache, with his most potent attacking weapon no longer available. The 1994 World Cup-winning captain had put a brave face on the absence of Neymar before the four-match ban was confirmed. "We have played without Neymar before. We have to be ready," Dunga said. Neymar had earlier slammed the performance of Chilean referee Enrique Osses, saying after the Colombia match: "The rules are always used against me." Neymar's team-mate Dani Alves had also accused Osses of trying to be "the star" of the game. "Referees have to stop thinking that they are the stars, the stars are not them -- they are there to control the game," Alves fumed. "We are used to this in South America -- everyone here is against Brazil." Alves also accused Colombia's players of setting out to provoke Neymar as part of bad blood lingering from the World Cup. "They know the personality of Neymar and they went in search of him," he said. "They tried to provoke him and make him nervous." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Venture firm sued by Ellen Pao issues diversity report, but forgets diversity is more than a gender issue | ||
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Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a prominent venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, released a diversity report — except that it missed out on the whole point of diversity. Tristan Walker, the CEO of Walker &Co., was one of the first to point out KPCB's glaring omission. SEE ALSO: John Doerr says he 'felt sick' when he found out Ellen Pao was suing Kleiner Perkins Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This photographer got 100,000 Instagram followers by arranging food in a very particular way  | ||
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Google acts to curb 'revenge porn' from search results | ||
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Washington (AFP) - Google said Friday it was taking steps to remove from search results "revenge porn," or sexually explicit images of people posted without their consent. The Internet search giant said it would soon put up an online form that will allow victims to make requests to remove these items from Google search queries. "We've heard many troubling stories of 'revenge porn': an ex-partner seeking to publicly humiliate a person by posting private images of them, or hackers stealing and distributing images from victims' accounts," Google search vice president Amit Singhal said in a blog post. "Some images even end up on 'sextortion' sites that force people to pay to have their images removed. Our philosophy has always been that search should reflect the whole web. But revenge porn images are intensely personal and emotionally damaging, and serve only to degrade the victims -- predominantly women." Singhal said Google will "honor requests from people to remove nude or sexually explicit images shared without their consent from Google search results." He said it was "a narrow and limited policy, similar to how we treat removal requests for other highly sensitive personal information, such as bank account numbers and signatures," that may surface in search results. "We know this won't solve the problem of revenge porn -- we aren't able, of course, to remove these images from the websites themselves -- but we hope that honoring people's requests to remove such imagery from our search results can help." Twitter implemented a similar policy earlier this year, banning "intimate photos or videos that were taken or distributed without the subject's consent." Reddit also moved to curb the posting of explicit images without consent of the people in them, after the online bulletin board was criticized for allowing the distribution of hacked nude pictures of Hollywood stars. Google is facing a legal dispute in Europe on a similar matter, after an EU panel ordered the US tech giant to honor requests from individuals to have links to information about them deleted from searches in certain circumstances, such as if the data is outdated or inaccurate. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Sixth mass extinction is here: US study | ||
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Miami (AFP) - The world is embarking on its sixth mass extinction with animals disappearing about 100 times faster than they used to, scientists warned Friday, and humans could be among the first victims. Not since the age of the dinosaurs ended 66 million years ago has the planet been losing species at this rapid a rate, said a study led by experts at Stanford University, Princeton University and the University of California, Berkeley. The study "shows without any significant doubt that we are now entering the sixth great mass extinction event," said co-author Paul Ehrlich, a Stanford University professor of biology. And humans are likely to be among the species lost, said the study -- which its authors described as "conservative" -- published in the journal Science Advances. "If it is allowed to continue, life would take many millions of years to recover and our species itself would likely disappear early on," said lead author Gerardo Ceballos of the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico. The analysis is based on documented extinctions of vertebrates, or animals with internal skeletons such as frogs, reptiles and tigers, from fossil records and other historical data. The modern rate of species loss was compared to the "natural rates of species disappearance before human activity dominated." It can be difficult to estimate this rate, also known as the background rate, since humans don't know exactly what happened throughout the course of Earth's 4.5 billion year history. For the study, researchers used a past extinction rate that was twice as high as widely used estimates. If the past rate was two mammal extinctions per 10,000 species per 100 years, then the "average rate of vertebrate species loss over the last century is up to 114 times higher than it would be without human activity, even when relying on the most conservative estimates of species extinction," said the study. "We emphasize that our calculations very likely underestimate the severity of the extinction crisis because our aim was to place a realistic lower bound on humanity's impact on biodiversity." The causes of species loss range from climate change to pollution to deforestation and more. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, about 41 percent of all amphibian species and 26 percent of all mammals are threatened with extinction. "There are examples of species all over the world that are essentially the walking dead," Ehrlich said. The study called for "rapid, greatly intensified efforts to conserve already threatened species, and to alleviate pressures on their populations -- notably habitat loss, over-exploitation for economic gain and climate change." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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THE ROBOTICS MARKET REPORT: The fast-multiplying opportunities in consumer, industrial, and office robots | ||
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Robots have been a reality on factory assembly lines for over twenty years. But it is only relatively recently that robots have become advanced enough to penetrate into home and office settings.
We also examine the market for industrial manufacturing robots since it is the market where many robotics companies got their start, and remains the largest robot market by revenue. We assess how far along the robotics industry has come in solving some of the most pressing hardware and software challenges. And finally, we assess the factors on the consumer side that might still limit the market for relatively inexpensive home robots. Access The Full Report And Data By Signing Up For A Trial » Here are some of the most important takeaways from the report:
In full, the report:
To access the full report from BI Intelligence, sign up for a 14-day trial here. Members also gain access to new in-depth reports, hundreds of charts and datasets, as well as daily newsletters on the digital industry.
Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do  | ||
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Feast your eyes on what could be the world's most expensive mega-yacht | ||
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The Admiral X Force 145 is not your everyday mega-yacht. The 465-foot vessel takes luxury to eye-popping new heights. Not only is the yet-to-be-built boat huge; its lavish interiors are punctuated by crystal chandeliers and solid marble floors. Two pools, two movie theaters, two helipads, a garage, multiple gym facilities, and a bi-level pool area merely scratch the surface of what this incredible boat will offer. Though the price is only available on request, The Daily Mail estimates it will cost over $1 billion. Would that make it the world's most expensive yacht? Only if it gets built before spring 2018, when 4Yacht's Triple Deuce, a 722-foot leviathan, is set to be completed. The Italian Sea Group project was dreamed up by Dobroserdov Design in a partnership with Admiral Centro Stile. They provided us an artist's rendering of what the ship will look like when it's commissioned and completed. Feast your eyes on the Admiral X Force 145. It doesn't get much more luxurious than this. The X Force is longer than two jumbo jets or one-and-a-half football fields. Inside, the yacht is packed with extravagant details. This main salon area is massive. See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
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Obama on the Charleston shootings: Sympathy alone 'is not good enough' | ||
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"Racism remains a blight that we have to combat together," President Obama said at the U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting in San Francisco on Friday. The Charleston shooting, as Obama described, left nine churchgoers dead after "congregates invited a stranger into their place of worship" who later turned on them. "We should be strong enough to acknowledge this," he said. More than 11,000 people died from gun fire in 2013, the president noted, but Congress did not pass "commonsense" gun regulation after the 2012 attack in Newtown left 20 children dead. "No reform can guarantee the elimination of violence," Obama said. "But we might have some more Americans with us." The crowd of 300 mayors, many of whom have had to comfort the families who have lost loved ones to gun violence, cheered loudly.
Obama spoke strongly about the need for conversation that doesn't politicize the issue or demonize gun owners. Despite the multiple mass shootings during Obama's tenure — Charleston, Aurora and Newtown are a few examples, the president said the public opinion on the issue still has to move, and people need to feel a sense of urgency before anything will change at the Congressional level. Obama cited gay marriage as one example. "At some point, we have to reckon with what happens. It is not good enough simply to show sympathy," Obama said. "You do not see murder with this kind of scale, with this kind of frequency in any other advanced nation on earth. I refuse to act that this is the new normal or pretend that it’s simply sufficient to grieve." SEE ALSO: The 2 key factors that explain why people like Dylann Roof commit violent hate crimes Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This haunting domestic violence ad will be the first of its kind to air during the Super Bowl  | ||
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President Barack Obama opened his remarks to a room of mayors by describing another tragedy that has
There's only one prominent Democrat with a detailed plan for debt-free college | ||
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College affordability has recently become the preeminent issue in higher education, as student debt figures have hit staggering levels. A number of prominent Democrats have decried the excessive cost of college, and Hillary Clinton even proposed making college as "debt free as possible." But of all the Democrats calling for debt-free college — including US Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley — only Bernie Sanders has laid out a detailed plan that explains how he will finance the legislation, Inside Higher Ed reported on Friday. Sanders will finance his plan by imposing a "Robin Hood Tax on Wall Street," according to Inside Higher Ed. In May, Sanders held a press conference in Washington where he called the US government irresponsible for allowing students to incur massive levels of debt to pay for college. "It is unacceptable that in many instances interest rates on student loans are two to three times higher than interest rates on auto loans," he told an audience that included student groups and a nurses union. Sanders unveiled his ambitious College For All Act, which would provide free tuition at all public colleges and universities in the country.
"At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, at a time when trillions of dollars in wealth have been shifted from the middle class and working families of this country to the top one tenth of one percent, at a time when the wealthiest people in this country have made huge amounts of money from risky derivative transactions and the soaring value of the stock market, this legislation would impose a speculation fee on wall street investment houses and hedge funds," he said. His proposed legislation and tone surrounding Wall Street is certainly not surprising given Sanders is a self-described socialist. And it's already drawn derision from Republican politicians. Chris Christie pounced on debt-free college proposals saying, “That is a typical liberal approach. It is wrong.” SEE ALSO: There's a huge catch if the federal government forgives your student debt Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Forget the Apple Watch — here's the new watch everyone on Wall Street wants  | ||
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He didn't mince words over the substantial cost that such legislation would require, estimating that it would cost $750 billion over the next 10 years. And he jumped into how he would finance the plan, striking out at the investment industry while doing so. OBAMA: 'We need a change in attitudes' on guns | ||
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President Barack Obama on Friday renewed a push for measures to curb gun violence, in the wake of a deadly shooting in a historically African-American church in South Carolina. "I refuse to act as if this is the new normal, or to pretend that it’s simply sufficient to grieve, and that any mention of us doing something to stop is somehow politicizing the problem," Obama said Friday during remarks at the US Conference of Mayors in San Francisco. "We need a change in attitudes among everybody — lawful gun owners, those who are unfamiliar with guns. We have to have a conversation about it and fix this." Dylann Roof, the 21-year-old alleged shooter in the church shooting that left nine people dead Wednesday night, was arrested on Thursday and appeared at a bond hearing on Friday. The Department of Justice said Friday that it is investigating the incident as a possible act of domestic terrorism. Obama spoke from the White House on Thursday, where he mourned the victims and lamented the fact that it was the 14th time he has addressed the nation after a mass shooting during his presidency. He said Thursday that it was another instance of someone who "wanted to inflict harm" having "no trouble getting their hands on a gun." "If Congress had passed some common-sense gun safety reforms after Newtown, after a group of children had been gunned down in their own classroom — reforms that 90 percent of the American people supported — we wouldn’t have prevented every act of violence, or even most," Obama said. "We don’t know if it would have prevented what happened in Charleston. No reform can guarantee the elimination of violence. But we might still have some more Americans with us. We might have stopped one shooter. Some families might still be whole. You all might have to attend fewer funerals. "And we should be strong enough to acknowledge this. At the very least, we should be able to talk about this issue as citizens, without demonizing all gun owners who are overwhelmingly law-abiding, but also without suggesting that any debate about this involves a wild-eyed plot to take everybody’s guns away." Obama said he thinks Congress will eventually "do the right thing," despite comments on Thursday that some observers took as "resignation" to the dim political prospects for new gun regulations. "I want to be clear — I am not resigned. I have faith we will eventually do the right thing," he said. "I was simply making the point that we have to move public opinion. We have to feel a sense of urgency."
Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Here are all the best moments from Donald Trump's presidential announcement  | ||
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One ominous reason why Wal-Mart is bringing back greeters | ||
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Wal-Mart is bringing back employees known as "greeters" to its store entrances. The company is also adding a fleet of "asset protection customer specialists," who will check receipts as shoppers leave, The Wall Street Journal reports. Wal-Mart is testing the added door presence in 300 of its 4,500 US stores, according to the report. This could indicate that Wal-Mart's theft problems are getting worse. The company likely loses about 1% of its US revenue — or roughly $3 billion dollars every year — to stealing by customers and employees. Wal-Mart US chief Greg Foran recently said that the company is making a renewed push to reduce theft. "One percent of $300 billion is quite a lot of money. If you can save 10 basis points [or 0.1%] of it — boy I’ll take it every day of the week and put it into lower prices for customers," Foran told Reuters.
In an earnings call last month, Foran blamed a decline in gross profit margins on theft, which the company calls "shrink," Reuters notes. He said half of the theft occurred in the food departments. "In the first quarter, gross profit rate declined 13 basis points, driven primarily by a headwind from shrink, half of which was in food," he said, according to a transcript. "We are addressing this increase immediately, bringing a high level of focus and visibility to this concern by adding it as a key urgent agenda item this year." The additional employees at Wal-Mart's store entrances are also meant to improve customer service. The company removed greeters from entrances three years ago so they could help direct shoppers and restock shelves, according to the Journal. Wal-Mart hopes the increased presence at store entrances will make the stores friendlier. SEE ALSO: These 10 restaurant chains you've probably never heard of are taking over America Follow us: On Facebook Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Victoria's Secret is making one mistake that is driving away a lot of women  | ||
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Developers in China are giving away Porsches to sell houses | ||
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After years of over-development, China has found itself with a glut of empty houses. A stagnating economic climate has placed a ton of pressure on developers to move the vast unsold inventory as fast as possible. And they plan to do it with the lure of a good old-fashioned German scream machine. Back in May, the Guangdong Province's Hopson Development Holdings Ltd. reportedly offered a free Porsche — or up to 11 percent off the car's purchase price — to the first 30 buyers of apartments in their new Purple Dragon complex, located in the southern city of Guangzhou, according to Bloomberg. Why offer a Porsche instead of a discount on the actual home? “In the past, price cuts have caused protests and sales disruptions by earlier buyers," writes Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Robert Fong. By offering an incentive with a vague value, the seller avoids angering previous buyers. This is similar to the incentives that developers offered in August of last year, including things like iPhones, car washes, and discounts on shopping services. So how did this little stunt play out for Hopson? Not bad. In the first three hours of inviting home buyers to their sales event, they sold 300 million Yuan of apartments still under construction, according to Bloomberg. SEE ALSO: A developer in China built a complete 57-story skyscraper in just 19 days DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's lifestyle page on Facebook! Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: The tallest building in China — a 2,000-foot skyscraper in Shanghai — is finally ready  | ||
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This woman's photo of her daughter with Down syndrome was stolen and used in an ad for genetic testing | ||
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Christie Hoos, a Canadian mother of four, posted a photo of her daughter who has Down syndrome on her personal blog. Then, it ended up being used to promote a company that performs genome testing on unborn children. The medical company says it downloaded the photo from a free image website and used it in several promotional materials, including a banner in Spain, as reported by BuzzFeed. The company maintains that the images were intended to be seen only by employees, despite having displayed them in public places.
Since Hoos discovered the photo, the company has removed her daughter's image from the website and formally apologized. The picture has also been taken down from the image hosting website. The photo was used in a display and on the website for a product called "Tranquility," a DNA test produced by a Swiss biotechnology company, Genoma, Life Site reported last week. "Tranquility" uses maternal blood samples to check for Down syndrome and other chromosomal disorders before a baby is born. Hoos's ten-year-old daughter Becca is currently also undergoing chemotherapy for Leukemia. She originally shared the photo of Becca on her personal blog, "So Here's Us." Here's a look at the page from the stock photo company, Free Large Images, where Genoma believed it was "legal" to download Becca's picture.
The Free Large Images website explains that all of the Down Syndrome photos have since been taken down because of complaints. These are some of the complaints people posted to the page. Many of them are from Becca's father, Glen Hoos.
The Hooses were not the only family to discover their child's image had been stolen for commercial use. "You have my daughter's photo listed here and you do NOT have my permission to use it. Please remove immediately, the photo contains my watermark and text about physical characteristics of Down syndrome," wrote Ellen Stumbo in her complaint to Free Large Images. This is the photograph of Stumbo's daughter which she originally posted to her website, in a post explaining the physical characteristics of Down syndrome.
After discovering that her daughter's picture was also on the image hosting site, Stumbo searched the web for other places that might have stolen her image. "I found it in several places, including some pretty disgusting ones, like a forum discussing why babies with Down syndrome should be aborted," Stumbo told Business Insider. "[T]hey have all sorts of negative, distasteful, and offensive discussions." She found the picture in multiple web advertisements, including this one for an Indian homeopathy clinic offering advice and cures for a wide range of medical conditions. Neither Free Large Images or Genoma has responded to Business Insider's request for comment. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This is why we are compelled to lie  | ||
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What really happened to Jon Snow in 'Game of Thrones'? | ||
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Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Why you should put a natural swimming pond in your backyard this summer | ||||||||||
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Nature lovers and chlorine haters, rejoice. There's a new pool in town. And by pool, we mean pond. These eco-system swimming creations are environmentally-friendly and will protect you from #DroughtShaming. If you care about the Earth, or if you hate the way your skin smells and feels after swimming in a chlorinated pool, consider going au naturale. What is a swimming pond?Split 50/50 to accommodate vegetation and swimming, Bloomberg recently dubbed the swimming pond as the new and improved backyard pond. The plant section of the pond is around a foot deep, while the swimming area typically ranges from six-and-a-half to eight feet deep. Timber usually separates the two zones. How clean is it without chemicals?Very. The regeneration portion isn't just there for ambiance, it's also the pond's natural filter. Plants like flag irises and water lilies keep phosphate levels in check while getting rid of nitrates so there's no algae. Gravel also plays a role in filtering the pond. To keep the water moving, go the scenic route with a waterfall or install a small pump — this will also help keep the pond clean. Bonus: Your natural oasis will attract wildlife (think dragon flies, birds, tadpoles.), which will help control pesky insects. To avoid snakes, the surrounding grass is kept as short as peach fuzz.
Does a swimming pond cost more than a pool?Michael George, owner and president of Gartenart USA — a company that specializes in natural swimming pools and ponds — told Bloomberg the upfront payment is more expensive because of the regeneration zone, but the cost per square foot is about the same. Thinking ahead, the initial cost pays off. Unheated natural ponds evaporate less than normal pools, don't have energy costs, and you save around $350-500 on chemicals and chlorine. How much does a swimming pond cost?The design you choose plays into the overall cost of installation. Here's a rough estimate of what a basic natural pond costs, courtesy of Gartenart's website.
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Uber stops letting its drivers and passengers carry guns | ||
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Car service app juggernaut Uber has quietly changed its policy to prohibit its drivers from carrying firearms while they're on duty. Previously, Uber had deferred to local laws when it came to whether or not its drivers could carry guns. In an update to the Legal section on Uber's website there's a new "Uber Firearms Prohibition Policy," first noticed by The New Republic. It says: We seek to ensure that everyone using the Uber digital platform—both driver-partners and riders—feels safe and comfortable using the service. During a ride arranged through the Uber platform, Uber and its affiliates therefore prohibit possessing firearms of any kind in a vehicle. Any rider or driver found to have violated this prohibition may lose access to the Uber platform. In other words, carrying a gun is grounds for losing your Uber-driving privileges. Back in April, an Uber driver with a concealed handgun stopped a mass shooting in Chicago. Meanwhile, Lyft has barred its drivers from carrying firearms for some time. Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment. SEE ALSO: An Uber driver with a concealed handgun prevented a mass shooting in Chicago Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: What To Do When There's A Gun To Your Head  | ||
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