text:
While sifting through Apex Legends Feb 13th update files, data miners caught a glimpse of a new vehicle. It could make its way in the game very soon.
Apex Legends was officially released on Monday, February 4th and since then it is ruling the Battle Royale gaming community. Unlike, other Battle Royale games Apex Legends has only one vehicle in the game in the form of the supply ship. It is only used for collecting loot rather than traveling across the map. But, according to the leaks from data miners Respawn is planning to introduce the first transport vehicle in the game.
New Apex Legends vehicle leaked in the update files
A data miner, known as ApexGameInfo, has found evidence of “Hoverbike” in the update files. According to the evidence, the new vehicle has already deployed in the game for Developers, but not for the general players.
It seems like an “Hoverbike” is in the making and is only available to developers at the moment!
— Apex – Info & Leaks (@ApexGameInfo) February 13, 2019
The leaked file mention the Hoverbike’s spawn and its physics.
There is no expected release date for the vehicle, and there is no guarantee that it will make its way to the game or not.
Earlier today, Respawn has released Apex Legends Feb 13th update. You can read the Apex Legends Feb 13th full patch notes for getting information about the change made to the game.


text:
Adidas is paying homage to the late Jam Master Jay with the release of their “Superstar” sneaker, VIBE reports.
The limited edition kicks will be released on what would have been Jay’s 51st birthday, Jan. 21st, 2016. With a white color scheme, the tongue will boast black and gold with Jay’s name etched into the design. The sneaker is similar to the Pro Model sneakers Adidas released earlier this year, also in Jay’s honor.
Limited Edition Superstar 'Jay' ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I want to give a massive shout to @shakejmj for allowing me to get my hands on these!?? With the anniversary of Jam Master Jay's untimely death, friends of Jay @shakejmj & @kingdmc came together to create a limited-edition Superstar & Pro Model dedicated to him, released in extremely limited numbers. In addition to the shoe, there's a dope limited-edition t-shirt and a shoebox that resembles a milk crate full of records. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #clicks #clickskicks #jmj #jmj4ever #originalsuperstar #superstar #adidasoriginals #adidasoriginals #rundm #jammasterjay #noairneeded #teamearly
Jam Master Jay, a founding member of Run DMC, was shot and killed on Oct. 30 2002 in his studio. His murder remains unsolved.

domain: news


text:
Mark Duncan at Yachting Partners International has confirmed some of the yachts they will be presenting at the upcoming Cannes Boat Show and Monaco Yacht Show.
Two sailing yachts are so far confirmed for Monaco - Valquest, the 41-metre Dubois-designed fast cruising sloop built by Bloemsma Van Breemen in 2009, asking €17.5 million; and the recently launched Lionheart by Claasen Jachtbouw. At 44m she is the largest J-Class yacht to have been commissioned to date, and is asking €14.9 million.
On display in Cannes will be the 36.84m expedition yacht Jasmin, built by RMK Marine in 2003, asking €9.4 million. And alongside her will be the brand new 39m GO, the 3rd yacht in Feadship's SL39 modular concept series. Launched earlier this year she is asking €27.5 million.
YPI will be providing details of other yachts they will be displaying in Monaco in the near future so watch this space.


text:
Want to join the conversation?
Mitch Kummetz of B. Riley asks for an update on Initial Markup Unit (IMU). $FL CFO Lauren Peters said that the IMU has really stabilized and has been pretty stable for the last several quarters. The company is past the point where shift in category and brand mix is impacting the IMU, added Lauren.
$GOOG’s Waymo accuses Uber of stealing its intellectual property. Startup Otto, which was recently acquired by Uber, also named in the lawsuit. Stage set for another dramatic legal battle!
We all knew $VALE CEO Murilo Ferreira was going out soon, but now I hear he has no idea who will succeed him!
$JCP, another traditional retailer that just shocked us with its biggest number of store closures.


text:
Stockwatch: The Complex Biologics Market Is…Complex
Lovenox And Copaxone Generic Challenges Foreshadow Biosimilar Market Inhibition
The rise of the biosimilars has been predicted for many years, but the commercial dynamics after complex biologic drugs’ loss of exclusivity suggests that it may not be so straightforward.
You may also be interested in...
The company released an annual pricing report, showing that Sanofi's US average net prices declined for the fifth year in a row.
The FDA’s rejection of Acadia’s label expansion into a broader patient population for its only approved drug resulted in an aggrieved reaction. Better disclosure from both sides would have helped.
Conventional wisdom from the first biosimilar launches was that the European market that was far tougher on innovator products than was the US. More recent data suggest that things may play out differently in the long run.


text:
WhatsApp announced that it’s introducing Stickers to help users express themselves more easily while communicating with friends and family on its app.
After introducing emojis and camera features, Status and animated GIFs to make communicating on its app more fun and expressive, WhatsApp is following in its parent Facebook’s footsteps with the introduction of Stickers. WhatsApp is beginning the rollout of this new feature on both iOS and Android devices in the next few weeks, by launching a few sticker packs that are created by its own designers and some from other designers.
As the company’s announcement reads, “Whether with a smiling teacup or a broken heart, stickers help you share your feelings in a way that you can’t always express with words.” To use stickers in a chat, users simply tap the sticker button and choose the sticker they want to share. Similarly, users can add new sticker packs by tapping on the plus icon.
Additionally, WhatsApp has added support for third-party sticker packs so that designers and developers from around the world can also create stickers for the app. To allow them to do so, WhatsApp has “included a set of APIs and interfaces” that will help them “build sticker apps that add stickers to WhatsApp on Android or iOS.”
Designers or developers who would like to do so can publish their sticker app just like any other app directly to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store – users can then download and install the app to be able to send stickers from the packs. If you’re interested in finding out how to create your own sticker apps for WhatsApp, you can find more information here.
You might also like
More from WhatsApp
A change spotted in WhatsApp beta limits the sharing of regular messages (not just frequently forwarded ones) with multiple chats.
WhatsApp announced its first global brand partnership with Milwaukee Bucks forward and 2021 NBA All-Star MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Α new feature allowing users to migrate chats from Android to iOS has been spotted on both OS updates for …
WhatsApp is becoming more private by showing your online status only to your existing contacts, or those you've chatted with …
Whatsapp has launched a pilot program to test the ability to send and receive instant payments with a simple chat …
Spotify is reportedly introducing a TikTok-like vertical video feed with music videos songs in a new dedicated Discovery tab.
WhatsApp will now let users link up to four iOS or Android devices to one account without compromising privacy.


text:
Another activist investor is making demands of Kohl’s.
Ancora Holdings, which owns 2.5% of shares at Kohl’s, is asking the board of directors to oust company CEO Michelle Gass and chairman Peter Boneparth. In a Thursday letter to the board of directors, Ancora Holdings leadership emphasized the need for leaders with more experience in turning around a business at “this critical fork in the road” for the company.
“During the Boneparth era, the Board has created an environment in which Ms. Gass is no longer well-positioned to lead,” read the letter, which later added, “Looking ahead, we believe shareholders’ capital should be utilized to compensate a new chairman and chief executive officer that possess operating expertise and turnaround pedigree.”
Kohl’s said in a statement that the board “unanimously supports Michelle Gass and her leadership team.”
“We remain committed to maximizing value and acting in the interests of all our shareholders by staying focused on running the business, and the board continues to actively engage with management to navigate the current retail environment,” the company said.
This is not the first time at activist investor has pressured Kohl’s to make major changes to its business.
In January, Macellum Advisors, which owns nearly 5% of shares at Kohl’s, sent an open letter to other shareholders to call out Kohl’s for “mismanaging” the business and “failing to implement necessary operational, financial and strategic improvements.” A week later, the activist investor advised the company to strongly consider a sale of the company and also asked for Kohl’s to put a Macellum representative on the board. And in December, investor Engine Capital LP, which owns 1% of outstanding shares at Kohl’s, asked the company to separate its physical store business from its e-commerce business. Engine also asked the company to run a market test to determine how much certain financial sponsors would pay per share for the company.
The renewed pressure comes during a rough time for Kohl’s. Earlier this month, it was named in a new class action lawsuit that accused the retailer of misleading shareholders about the “company’s business, operations and compliance policies,” including failing to disclose that the company’s strategic plan was not engineered in a way to help the company achieve its goals.
Kohl’s in May reported lower-than-expected results in the first quarter of 2022 amid weakened demand and inflationary pressures.
The company also failed to complete a negotiation to sell itself a few months ago. After entering into exclusive negotiations in early June with Franchise Group to discuss a potential sale of its business, the Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based retailer said on July 1 that it withdrew from the process. The offer, initially priced at $69 per share, was downgraded to around $60 per share on June 6 and revised again to $53 per share on June 29.
Earlier this month, reports revealed that Kohl’s was in talks with private equity firm Oak Street Real Estate Capital LLC to discuss potentially selling its real estate assets for around $2 billion.


text:
Major League Baseball Advanced Media, MLB’s in-house development studio, finally unveiled the first details for the upcoming RBI Baseball franchise reboot last month, and this week they’ve officially announced that RBI Baseball 14 will be heading to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and iOS on April 9th. There hasn’t been a new RBI Baseball game in nearly 20 years, and MLBAM’s aim for this latest iteration is to be a throwback to those classic games, focusing on simple “two button" gameplay but using the MLB’s trove of statistics to provide a realistic experience behind the scenes.
Polygon has posted a nice preview of their experience with the Xbox 360 version, and unfortunately it appears to them that MLBAM’s goal of providing a simplistic, throwback baseball game might be a tough sell for today’s more evolved gaming crowd. It sounds like a very pared down experience, but despite that, Polygon did end up enjoying their time with RBI 14. Personally, I’m ready for a more simplistic sports game that focuses on the basics, especially on a mobile platform like iOS. Be sure to check out the full preview at the source link below for more impressions, and watch for RBI Baseball 14 on April 9th which could mean it hits international App Stores as early as tomorrow morning US time.


text:
Yeezys at the outlet? While that might seem impossible given the speed at which Kanye West's sneakers sell out and the prices they go for on the secondary market, Reddit user KaizenStrife says it actually happened.
According to the Redditor, he found a pair of the Adidas Yeezy 350 Cleats at an Adidas outlet in Vacaville, California. The shoes were listed at their retail price of $250, but it's still strange to imagine a future where some of West's footwear doesn't immediately disappear from retail shelves.
While the story about these cleats arriving at outlets is believable enough, we're probably still a long way off from any proper Yeezy Boosts doing the same.
UPDATE 10/27: According to Adidas, there was just one pair available at the store in question and that singular pair was a return made by a customer. The brand says there is no additional Yeezy stock at outlets.


text:
- Amazon reported a 29% increase in total sales and an 11-fold surge in profit for its third quarter.
- However, international sales growth slowed to 13% compared to 29% in the same period last year, and 27% in the previous quarter.
- On a post-earnings call, Amazon's CFO, Brian T. Olsavsky, pointed out that the reason for this had to do with the timing of Diwali, an Indian festival characterised by bumper retail sales.
Amazon released its results for the June-September period Thursday. The quarter was a solid one for the global e-commerce giant. Total sales rose by 29% to $56.6 billion while the firm's net profit rose more than 11 times to $2.9 billion, owing to the strength of its cloud service operations.
However, there was one chink in Amazon's polished armour: international sales growth. Sales in markets outside the US grew at a paltry 13% to $15.5 billion, compared to a growth of almost 30% in the same period a year ago, and 27% in the previous quarter.
Speaking on a post-earnings call, Amazon's chief financial officer, Brian T. Olsavsky, was quick to point out that the reason for this had to do with the timing of Diwali, an Indian festival characterized by bumper retail sales of electronic appliances, smartphones and other items.
Olsavsky explained that half of Amazon's Diwali sales last year took place in Q3, while this year all Diwali sales would fall into Q4. The date for the festival, which is determined by the Hindu lunar calendar and is usually between mid-October and mid-November, shifted to Nov. 7 this year from Oct. 19 last year.
He expects a significant bump in Q4 international sales as a result of this, especially since the e-commerce giant has already seen a 60% growth in new customers so far during the sales period, which started earlier this month. The second leg of Amazon's Diwali sale began on Oct. 24 and ends on Oct. 28. He added that orders had already come from 99% of the PIN codes all over India.
Olsavsky's statement is indicative of the importance of the Indian market to Amazon's global sales growth. The firm has already earmarked $5 billion worth of investments in the country as it locks horn with Walmart-owned Flipkart for the top spot in India's online retail market.


text:
Indian market is flooded with illegal cigarettes. These cigarettes don’t carry statutory health warning and also does not have legal manufacturing units. This not only puts the Indian consumers at a huge health risk but also takes the nation back as the statutory taxes ( custom duty & local taxes ) have been paid.
It has also been established that illegal money generated by cigarette smuggling and illegal local cigarettes is also used in terror funding & other illegal activities against the Indian state & citizens. This business is thriving because of greed of few individuals and government officials and is taking the country backwards. Cigarettes, which itself is harmful for the consumers health is further compromised because of this illegal & non regulated trade.
There are separate laws like COTPA which govern the illegal cigarettes along with the laws under the Indian customs and DRI.
The need is that the citizens of India not only take a fight against these illegal cigarettes but also stop consuming such cigarettes


text:
The day has come! Our favorite sandwich is back... the McDonald's McRib returns Wednesday, December 2nd.
To celebrate the end of No Shave November, McDonald's is giving away a free McRib sandwich to the people who show off their clean-shaven faces on social media. If you didn't have a beard to shave off, you can still enter to win! Starting today, the first 10,000 fans who submit a photo of their clean-shaven face will get a free McRib!
Who else is excited about this? Are you a fan of the McRib?!
For more, click here!


text:
Questor says HOLD
SHOULD Royal Mail investors return their shares to sender after the company warned on increasing competition in the parcel delivery market? Questor thinks there is more going on beneath the surface at the national postal service and this first set of full-year results as a listed company show why shareholders should hold on.
The long-term investment case remains. Revenue increased 2pc to £9.46bn, and pre-tax profits jumped from £283m to £1.67bn. Even adjusting for a £1.35bn pension benefit this year the adjusted pre-tax profits were still up by more than a fifth to £363m, from £304m.
There was a mixture of good and bad news in the detail. There was disappointment in parcel delivery. This is important for the share price because profit from parcels is seen as the big opportunity for the business as more people shop online.
Royal Mail remains the UK market leader in parcel delivery but warned of “intense” competition. Despite this, volumes are forecast to increase by about 5pc next year.
Letters, on the other hand, delivered an encouraging performance. Most in the industry accept letters are in long-term decline. The volume of letters sent was down 4pc to 16.5bn this year, but revenue was only down 2pc as stamp price increases offset lower volumes.
UK Parcels, International and Letters (UKPIL), the core Royal Mail division that generates 82pc of revenue and 72pc of profits, reported profits up £15m to £309m. So, not exactly breathtaking, and the profit margin slipped from 3.9pc to 3.5pc, but still a steady profit performance. Revenue in the core division is split about 60/40 between letters and parcels.
The European parcel delivery business called General Logistics Systems (GLS) makes up the balance of revenue and profits. The results here were again solid with revenue up 7pc to £1.65bn and profits 4pc higher at £128m. Royal Mail warned revenue growth would be more muted this year.
The annual results revealed an increase in redundancy-related costs from £195m to £241m. But a large part of this was Royal Mail preparing for the loss of 1,300 management roles. These changes are expected to save £25m by March 2015, rising to £50m next year.
Questor was more interested in the performance below the surface. Free cash flow was better, up £64m to £398m. This strong performance meant net debts were lower than expected at £555m. Both these factors reduce risks for shareholders.
Dividend payments look fairly comfortable. The final dividend proposed is 13.3p, ex-dividend July 2, payable July 31. Royal Mail only floated part way through its full financial year, so there was no interim payment. Adding this in for the current year will equal about 21p, representing a yield of 4pc.
There is still the potential of a cash inflow from the sale of Royal Mail’s properties. The company’s sites at Mount Pleasant, Nine Elms and Paddington are all prime London property. There is no way of knowing if or when they will be sold, but in total they have been valued at up to £500m, which works out at 50p per share.
Questor was an early supporter of the Royal Mail flotation. On September 27, we advised “Get in quick and buy Royal Mail” at 330p. The shares have since returned gains of more than 62pc. We downgraded the shares last year (565p, November 28) as the rating got ahead of itself at 17 times forecast earnings. The shares fell more than 7pc yesterday.
Cost-cutting and revenue growth are expected to increase the adjusted earnings at Royal Mail to about £500m in the year ended March 2015. The closest European sector peers are rated on about 9.5 times adjusted earnings, which gives a share price of 475p.
Throw in about half the property, and the shares around 500p look reasonable. Royal Mail issued a cautious outlook, proving life in the private sector is tough, but Questor believes they remain a solid investment for the long term. Hold.


text:
Could Detroit-style pizza from blue steel pans be a hit across the nation?
The Michigan-based local chain with 12 locations in southeastern Michigan just announced that they’ve taken an undisclosed investment from CapitalSpring to recapitalize the company.
The express goal was to “accelerate new store growth across the Midwest and beyond.”
CapitalSpring is a private investment firm based out of New York that focuses on the restaurant industry. They firm manages assets of more than a $1.3 billion and has worked with brands like Taco Bell, Hardee’s and Denny’s.
“We are thrilled to support the Buddy’s team and look forward to working together to grow the brand over the coming years,” said Erik Herrmann, Managing Director at CapitalSpring. “It’s rare to find a restaurant concept with such signature food, deep-rooted brand equity, and passionate customers, and we are honored to be their partner in accelerating the business.”
The exact terms of the financial deal were undisclosed.
“This partnership is a significant opportunity for us to introduce Buddy’s iconic pizza, rich culture and community roots to new customers in Detroit and beyond,” said Robert Jacobs, CEO of Buddy’s. “We are extremely excited for this new chapter and to have found a partner that can not only maintain our commitment to quality food and an exceptional guest experience, but also offer substantial restaurant expertise.”
Buddy’s was founding in 1946 in Detroit and they’re preparing to open their 13th location at the Detroit Zoo this spring.


text:
The round could be an internal round with existing investors
The company has already received the investments from SoftBank and Alibaba
Paytm is also in talks with other investors for investment in this round
Digital payment company Paytm is reportedly in the middle of raising around $1.5 Bn – $2 Bn from its existing investors SoftBank Vision Fund and Alibaba’s Ant Financial, according to a news report.
Citing sources, an ET report said that following this funding round, the company may be valued between $16 Bn – $18 Bn. According to the report, the capital from both SoftBank and Ant Financial is already in, however, the digital payment company is in talks with other investors to take the round to $2 Bn. The round is most likely to be an internal round with investments expected from existing investors.
Prior to this round, the company had raised an undisclosed amount from US-based investment firm Berkshire Hathaway.
In 2017, the Japanese technical conglomerate SoftBank invested in Paytm for the first time. During that time, Paytm had raised $1.4 Bn funding from the SoftBank Group. Currently, SoftBank owns a 19% stake in the company while Alibaba controls 38% stake of PAytm’s parent company One97 Communications.
This round of funding is important at a time when the digital payment space is witnessing a close competition among the three dominant players, Paytm, PhonePe and Google Pay.
The competition is set to become tougher as recently it was also reported that Flipkart has given in-principal approval to its online payment subsidiary PhonePe to be set up as a separate entity. Following this, PhonePe will be allowed to set up an independent board and raise fresh funding from external investors.
As of January 2019, Paytm recorded 221 Mn transactions while PhonePe and Google Pay clocked nearly 220 Mn transactions each.
Earlier in March, it was also reported that government-backed instant real time payment system Unified Payments Interface (UPI) had clocked in 674.19 Mn transactions in February 2019.
To catch up with Paytm, Google Pay is planning to introduce Gold-backed investment plans for its users. Though the feature is yet to be formally announced, an updated clause in the company’s terms and conditions page, spotted by data platform Paper.vc, had tipped off users about Google’s plans. Meanwhile, PhonePe also raised INR 743.5 Cr ($107.6 Mn) from its Singapore-based parent entity PhonePe Pvt Ltd, to bulk up its cash position as it is an official co-sponsor for the TV broadcast of VIVO IPL 2019.
Not only online, but GPay is also looking to strengthen its footprint in the offline payment market. The company is now pilot testing a service which will allow users to transfer money using unified payments interface (UPI) even while purchasing offline.


text:
Local news stories affecting the auto body industry in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin
Left to right are Baldwin, Becky and Greg Jacobs and office manager/bookkeeper Sue Dixson.
Photo Credit: Fairbault County Register
"What goes around, comes around," the saying goes.
A fire that destroyed Dean's Auto Parts in Baxter, MN on November 18 and sent fireballs into the sky caused $750,000 in damages, Brainerd Fire Chief Tim Holmes said Sunday.
At the former site of Putnam’s Auto Body Shop in Burlington, IA, it looks as though someone dug up a graveyard’s worth of cars and left their mangled, rusting bodies to rot in piles.
Although family-owned and operated since 1983, Tom & Ed's Autobody is rapidly expanding. This year, the company has added three locations. They also have rebuilt their Merrillville location while adding a Boat/RV Repair Division.
Pictured are the Collision Repair students (in blue shirts) and representatives of other student organizations on campus which held fund-raisers to provide car seats and gas cards. On the far right are Constance, vehicle recipient; Mary Ellen Schaid, Executive Director of Safe Passage; Dr. Laurie Borowicz, President of Kishwaukee College; and Greg Brink, Collision Repair Tech instructor.
The Kishwaukee College Collision Repair Technology (CRT) program participated in the Recycled Rides program offered by the National Auto Body Council and a local DeKalb woman received a vehicle.
Fischer Body Shop owner Curt Fischer, center, speaks after his business was announced as the winner of the Small Business of the Year award.
Photo by Shelby Kardell/Fulton Sun
What does it take to be the biggest name in business in Jefferson City, MO?
The MoKan CARSTAR Business Group is helping make dreams come true.
Gerber Collision & Glass has announced the October 17, 2016 opening of a new collision repair center in Battle Creek, Michigan.


text:
Gun Sales Booming
Jamestown, CA — Word of a possible gun ban has people flocking to buy guns across the country and right here in the Mother Lode according to one store owner.
Connie Youngman owner of B Bar Y Traders says the possible bans have people running to her store. She says they’re buying, “Hand guns and self defense items like shotguns and California Assault Rifles. Those semi-automatic rifles you can only have ten round magazines in them and it has to have what’s called a bullet button in them, so they are a California legal gun. People use them for rodent hunting.”
Youngman actually says she wishes business would slow down as she is working long hours making sure all of the paper work for the gun sales are filled out correctly for the state.


text:
For anyone looking for a new way to play video games, a man has created two very unique game controllers — one that can be controlled by your mouth and another by your rear.
Ben Krasnow, an engineer at video game developing company Valve, created the two controllers. In the videos below, he demonstrates how the two controllers work, though Krasnow doesn't say why he came up with the ideas.
The mouth controller uses hardware from a computer mouse connected to a retainer that you wear.
Krasnow points out that it would be impossible to use this to play an actual game. It's not really for precise movements but more for swiping gestures and movements.
You'd also have to wear a retainer to use the mouth controller.
The one for the rear that's made out of a bathroom scale and Xbox 360 controller let's you turn a character left or right while you sit on top of it.
It's not really clear what either of these would add to the gaming experience. It sure doesn't seem like the "rear" controller would make me any better at first-person shooters.
As silly as they look or sound, these controllers could be useful prototypes for someone with physical disabilities.
Click for sound.
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick explains how the company may expand cab services to delivery, after several successful marketing campaigns of delivering kittens, roses and mariachi bands.
Produced by Kamelia Angelova, Alana Kakoyiannis and Justin Gmoser
Follow Us: On YouTube
Apple has signed a deal to offer the iPhone on China Mobile's network, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Apple's share of active smartphones in China has slowly decreased from 19.8% in the fourth quarter of 2012 to 18% in the third quarter 2013, according to Kantar Worldpanel. The deal has the potential to reverse this trend.
With over 750 million mobile subscriptions, China Mobile is the largest mobile carrier by subscriptions in the world. The deal gives Apple unprecedented access to a huge market. In addition, China Mobile will be the first carrier in the country to offer 4G. The company's faster network will be compatible with the iPhone, in contrast to the company's 3G network. In combination with carrier subsidies, this could be enough of an incentive for Chinese consumers to open their pockets for an upgrade to a premium device.
In other news...
Apple displaced Dell to become the most desirable desktop brand during the holidays, according to Park Associates. (CNET)
As early as today, Twitter could announce that it is ready to start offering retargeted ads. There is speculation that Twitter will be the first social network to bring these ads to mobile. (TechCrunch)
China's central bank banned financial institutions from handling Bitcoin which led to a 20% plunge in the value of the crypto-currency. (Bloomberg)
A leaked screenshot of Uber's dashboard provides a window into the company's financial standing. (Valleywag)
Activist investor Carl Icahn filed a shareholder proposal aimed at getting Apple to amp up its share buyback program. (TechCrunch)
The NSA is tracking the whereabouts of mobile devices across the globe, collecting 5 billion location-based records daily. (Washington Post).
A digital publishing company is using the new iBeacon to offer location-based access to subscription magazines. (TechCrunch)
The FCC approved Verizon's $130 billion purchase of Vodafone's stake in the company. (Verizon)
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory successfully launched a drone from a submerged submarine.
This picture is a real composite of a time-lapse photo taken during the launch, of this all-electric, fuel cell-powered unmanned aerial system (UAS).
The XFC unmanned aircraft is vertically launched from a 'Sea Robin' launch vehicle attached to the submerged submarine USS Providence.
The drone autonomously deploys its X-wing airfoil and assumes a horizontal flight path — which it can sustain for more than 6-hours.
This demonstration took 6 years to produce and was significantly less expensive compared to traditional decade-long programs.
Earlier this year, the Navy successfully launched and landed an X-47B drone from the deck of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. George H.W. Bush.
Dr. Warren Schultz, NRL program developer, described this new technology as "an unprecedented paradigm shift in UAV propulsion and launch systems."
Twitter added a new board member this morning, Marjorie Scardino.
She's not much of a tweeter. As far as we can tell, she sent her first tweet today.
Most of Twitter's board members are fairly quiet on Twitter, as this chart from Quartz shows.
While it's easy to think of this as a bad thing, it's probably fine. A normal Twitter user doesn't jam out a lot of tweets. They sit back and read what other people are creating. If Twitter's board members are reading Twitter like the rest of us, that's not a bad thing.
As computers and machines get smarter, many businesses that are successful today are going to have a harder time thriving tomorrow. Business owners need to think about the future now before they are overtaken by it.
In his new book, "Average Is Over," George Mason University economist Tyler Cowen discusses what a future economy dominated by intelligent machines and increasing income inequality is going to look like.
We've broken out a few of the most important lessons that will help business owners figure out how to adapt and survive.
Being able to add value to computers is the way forward.
There are going to be a limited number of ways to succeed in the future. If your company consistently benefits from technology and is able to add value to what computers already do, you're in good shape.
If a computer does things better without you, Cowen says, then it's unlikely the business will survive. Travel agencies are a good example of a field that machines have taken over.
And the worst position to be in, Cowen argues, is one where computers are helping people in China and India compete against you, areas like telemarketing, manufacturing, and document review.
Marketing is going to be more important than ever.
Income inequality is already rising, and Cowen argues that the gap will increase further as computer and technology skills become more valuable and more job functions are automated. That means that a relatively small number of people with big incomes are going to be doing a lot of the buying of consumer goods.
Excellent marketing and sales skills, particularly the ability to connect and communicate well with individuals, will be more valuable than ever.
"Despite all the talk about STEM fields, I see marketing as the seminal sector of our future economy," Cowen writes. "It might appear that a masseuse is not much affected by computers, at least provided you are skeptical about these robots that now offer massages. Nonetheless, masseuses increasingly market themselves on Google and the internet. These masseuses fit the basic model that favors people who can blend computer expertise with an understanding of how to communicate with other people."
Targeted deals are the future.
Increasingly, consumers are willing to give up some privacy in return for lower prices. Cowen gives the theoretical example of a shopping cart that uses GPS to track consumers' movements through the store and uses cameras to see reactions to products and deals in order to adjust pricing.
Pilot programs like this are already underway, and small businesses that are early adopters may be more successful at convincing people to make the trip to the store rather than ordering everything online.
"Companies have discovered that if the first product seems cheaper than expected, the customer is more trusting — and more willing to spend — for the duration of the shopping trip," Cowen writes. "So if the intelligent machines spot you coming in the door and heading to the gourmet chocolate, maybe there will be a quite temporary sale, communicated by electronic sensors."
Personal service is becoming more important.
One of the fastest growing parts of the economy is surprisingly low-tech. Job functions like chauffeur, gardener, and assistant are becoming more important because an increasingly wealthy group at the top can afford them. Companies that do a great job of providing personal service can capitalize on the trend.
"At some point it is hard to sell more physical stuff to high earners, yet there is usually just a bit more room to make themselves feel better. Better about the world. Better about themselves. Better about what they have achieved," Cowen writes.
More high earners means an increasing demand for high-end service. Companies that can truly create a positive and personalized customer experience, either by selling personal services or providing generally excellent customer service, can expect better business in the future.
Hiring and empowering good managers will set businesses apart.
"If you have an unusual ability to spot, recruit, and direct those who work well with computers, even if you don't work well with computers yourself, the contemporary world will make you rich," Cowen writes.
Managers are actually going to be more important than ever in the economy of the future. Businesses that enable them to do their jobs, making people more efficient and stringing together distant teams, are going to benefit as other businesses fall by the wayside.
SEE ALSO: 20 Bizarre New Jobs Of The Future
Just slip the keyboard onto your phone like a case and start typing away as if you had a BlackBerry. The Typo launches in early 2014.
Seacrest co-founded the company with Show Media CEO Laurence Hallier and the duo expects to invest more than $5 million to continue to create variations on the attachment, according to AllThingsD.
The idea originated because apparently Seacrest (and all his friends) used two phones: One with a keyboard for typing and correspondence and an iPhone for virtually everything else. After trying out and hating other keyboard models on the market, Seacrest and the team spent two years developing Typo.
You can pre-order it for your iPhone 5 or 5s for $99.
Check out the demo video:
Instagram will hold a press event next week, likely for a new product announcement.
We're not entirely sure what the announcement is, but based on the invitation the company sent us, we imagine it has something to do with printing out the photos you take on Instagram. Members of the press each received some pretty bow-tied boxes. Inside the box was a wooden block with an Instagram photo printed on it.
The even takes place on December 12 at 9 a.m. in New York. We'll be there covering the news live.
The sleuths at VC Experts, a site that tracks the financial information of private companies, have done it again. They uncovered a new regulatory filing that shows Snapchat is about to raise a hefty investment which is far, far less than the $200 million they were rumored to be seeking.
There isn't enough evidence to prove Snapchat sold all the shares they've authorized. But if they have, the company would be valued at about $2 billion, says VC Expert's Justin Byers. That's less then the rumored $3 billion or $4 billion bandied about in the press.
"We pulled their most recent restated certificate of incorporation filed just a few weeks ago 11/26/2013, and it shows that they have authorized a new Series C Preferred for approx. $54,542,880 (1,600,000 shares @ $34.0893 per share)," Byers told Business Insider. This could mean that the founders are looking to cash out some of their equity, he speculated.
This filing is a new round since a its huge $60 million raise from June 2013, which at that time gave it an $800 million valuation.
Two-year-old Snapchat has raised $73 million to date, according to its CrunchBase profile.
The currentinvestment round, if it happens, puts it about halfway toward these speculative valuations of the company, and it hasn't even developed a revenue model yet. However, it looks to be on its way with that. It just hired a new COO, Emily White, who was leading from Facebook's advertising efforts on Instagram.
We reached out to Snapchat for comment and will update when we hear back.
Here's the juicy part of the new regulatory filing:
Each time Spotify plays a song, your favorite singer or band gets as little as 0.6 cents, the company said.
At that rate, a song would need to be played 166 times for the artist to earn $1 in royalties (100 cents divided by 0.6 = 166).
The info comes from a fascinating — and hugely welcome — article Spotify published on its revenue model. In a single post, Spotify has done more to demystify artist royalties in streaming music than Pandora and Apple have ever done, combined.
But before you get angry at the fantastically tiny amount of cash that bands get for each song, remember that those fractions of pennies add up.
This is Spotify's revenue picture (below). The company says it has 6 million users paying $9.99 (or £9.99 or €9.99) in 2013: That would imply its gross revenues from users are somewhere north of $720 million annually:
The company also said it will pay out $500 million in royalties this year:
Spotify says it pays 70% of its gross revenue in royalties to artists. Again, that would put Spotify's annual revenue from users at around $720 million. (Spotify didn't talk about advertising revenue, which it generates on top of that.)
In terms of per-song fees, Spotify said: "Recently, these variables have led to an average 'per stream' payout to rights holders of between $0.006 and $0.0084."
Here is how that breaks down for artists over time (below). Spotify has also projected future revenue for artists if the service grows to 40 million paid subscribers:
Glassdoor, the job-hunting site where employees share inside skinny about their companies, raised a big $50 million round. That brings its total funding to $93 million.
The company will use the money to expand its international operations and also hire like mad. Glassdoor, founded in 2008, now employs 200 and will add another 100 people to its staff, cofounder and CEO Bob Hohman told Business Insider.
Hohman says that sometimes he looks out the window of his offices in gorgeous Sausalito, Calif. (just north of San Francisco across the Golden Gate bridge) and ponders how Glassdoor has been a game-changer.
It was cofounded with Rich Barton (founder of Expedia and Zillow) and Tim Besse, all of whom worked together at Expedia.
"When we started this company six years ago, we thought it was crazy that you could get more information on where you should eat and where you should travel but zero information on where you should go to work," he told Business Insider.
Today, the halls of the Glassdoor offices are covered with quotes from people about how it helped them avoid a bad-fit job or land their dream job, he says.
Glassdoor has seen impressive growth. It makes its money selling recruiting services and now has:
- Data from employees on 300,000 companies in 190 countries, especially companies in the U.S., the U.K., Canada and India.
- 22 million registered members.
- 150% growth (CAGR) in revenue for three years.
- 15,000 registered employers who interact with Glassdoor "on a daily basis".
- 1,400 of those registered employers pay for the recruiting service.
- 200 employees, with goal to ramp up to 300.
For the record, Glassdoor employees rate the company 4.5 stars out of 5 as a good place to work and Hoffman has a 98% approval rating, according to its own Glassdoor profile.
The $50 million round was lead by Dragoneer Investment Group with participation from existing investors Battery Ventures, Benchmark Capital, DAG Ventures and Sutter Hill Ventures.
This morning there was a series of quotes that made it seem like Alan Mulally wasn't going to be the next CEO of Microsoft.
A Ford board member said,"Alan is staying through the end of 2014 and that’s all I know."
Mulally said, "I love serving Ford ... I have no change to the plan."
The board member's comment sounded like a fairly strong statement that indicates Mulally will not join Microsoft. As a result, Microsoft's stock dropped.
Well, Rick Sherlund at Nomura says, "We view these comments as non-answers to the question and appear to us to be consistent with our view that he is in discussions with Microsoft’s board for the CEO slot at Microsoft."
Sherlund also says,"If he were not in discussions, it would be easy to say I am not interested and will not go, as some other candidates have said. He does not say this."
He still thinks Mulally is "likely" to be the next CEO of Microsoft.
Mobile-based transactions, including mobile payments and e-commerce, will only account for about 2% of total U.S. credit and debit card transaction volume this year, and 4% globally, according to BI Intelligence estimates.
But that figure is going to grow explosively in the next few years, especially as mobile-enabled purchases at the point-of-sale begin to make a real dent in total transaction volume.
Mobile payments, which we define as the use of a phone or a tablet to enable an in-store transaction, whether on the merchant or consumer side, are becoming more convenient every day.
In a recent report from BI Intelligence, we find that consumer and merchant uptake of mobile payments has finally risen enough to have a major impact on the payments landscape. As the industry consolidates and awareness increases, mobile payments transaction volume will make big leaps.
Here are some of our findings on the state of the mobile payments industry today and our projections on how it will keep growing:
- The U.S. is still lagging behind, but growth is skyrocketing: Mobile transactions will account for about 2% of all credit and debit card volume in the United States in 2013. But, since 2008, mobile transactions have enjoyed 118% annual average growth. Markets in Africa and Asia-Pacific actually see a much larger share of mobile-driven transactions.
- Consumer uptake has exploded: Smartphone users are quickly adopting mobile wallets, payments apps, and QR-scanning apps to facilitate offline and online purchases.
- Merchants are rushing to incorporate card readers: Mobile device attachments can transform tablets into replacements for clunky point-of-sale systems. They're a perfect fit for small to medium-sized businesses, or SMBs.
- The industry is ripe for consolidation: Payments app developers, niche technology providers, and small payments start-ups are enjoying massive growth and helping to push forward innovation. Look for larger digital payments companies to acquire these upstarts. At the same time, mobile payments solutions continue to proliferate, so the market is no less crowded.
- The industry is still in a state of flux. New technologies are emerging, while once-promising tools are sputtering: Take near-field communication, or NFC — uptake has failed to impress. Now, Apple's Bluetooth-powered iBeacon technology may challenge NFC head-on.
We define a mobile payment as a transaction facilitated by a mobile, Internet-connected device (including tablets, smartphones, or even a watch or Google Glass) that is used in a physical store or at a point-of-sale to make a purchase. Mobile transactions are a larger category that includes these payments, but also includes mobile commerce, or e-commerce channeled by an app or mobile website (e.g., Amazon's iPhone app).
- Estimates global and U.S. mobile payment and transaction volume for 2013
- Compares the fast uptake in the international market with the relative lethargy in the U.S. and how smartphone penetration has powered global growth in mobile payments
- Assesses the various mobile payments providers and who's winning and losing market share
- Looks at usage vs. awareness of some of the main mobile payment providers
- Considers other opportunities for mobile payment technologies, including value-added services, such as loyalty programs and personalized offers
The thing that's easy to forget about Samsung is that it is not just a maker of smartphones, TVs, and other consumer electronics.
It also makes huge industrial equipment. (That's how the company accounts for something like 30% of South Korea's economy.)
Samsung's latest mega-gadget is something called Predude. Shell owns it. It's called a Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG).
It's a 600,000 ton barge that was built in South Korea and will soon float down to Australia and park there for the next couple decades. It's longer than the Empire State building is tall. It is 150 meters longer than the largest US aircraft carrier.
For an objective take, check out the BBC's segment on the Prelude.
For a more promotional take from Shell, full of pretty pictures, watch this YouTube video:
Amazon is far from the only company building drones for same-day delivery services.
Google has been toying with the idea since late last year, too, as part of its secret Google X lab that works out on all of Google's far-out projects, Seth Weintraub of the 9to5 Google blog reported back in February.
Google hopes to one day use drones and self-driving cars to deliver purchases made through its new experimental services, sources told Weintraub.
For instance, in March, Google launched a same-day delivery service in the Bay Area. Users can shop at a variety of retailers including Target, Walgreens, Staples, American Eagle, Toys“R”Us, or Nob Hill grocery stores, and Google will deliver the items. Google envisions one day making those deliveries via drones and self driving cars.
As we previously written, UPS is looking into drone delivery vehicles too.
All of this is years away. The technology has to mature enough to be safe so that all these drones flying around the sky don't crash into each other, get tangled in telephone poles, interfere with air travel, or otherwise cause trouble. In fact, automated drone delivery is currently outlawed by the FAA.
Still, as we reported in November, workplace experts predict that consumer drones will become an everyday tool for a lot of businesses, not just for same-day delivery but for other tasks, like running around warehouses.
The Daily Value Of Bitcoin Transactions Has Passed Western Union's And It's Catching Up To Paypal's (EBAY)
The value of all daily Bitcoin transactions is now just about one-third less than transactions on online pay service giant PayPal.
That's according to Coinometrics, a site that tracks digital currency data.
Around 80,000 transactions occur in Bitcoin daily. The dollar value of those transactions total around $257 million.
Compare that with $397 million for Paypal.
And that's already greater than $216 million worth of transactions conducted by Western Union, the company that Bank of America's David Woo compared Bitcoin to in his forecast for the digital currency's potential.
However, those 80,000 overall daily transactions still pale in comparison to more mainstream American companies, including Western Union, which does 633,000 exchanges a day, Coinometrics says.
The transactions include all transactions on the Bitcoin network, meaning exchanges processed by places like Bitpay and Coinbase. They do not include trades that occur at exchanges, which are off-chain transactions that do not show up on the network.
Here's the chart:
And here's the data in table form:
And here's the fun graphic:
SEE ALSO: The Most Bullish Sign For Bitcoin Yet
Earlier this year, Yahoo made a surprising announcement: Dan Loeb was stepping down from the company's board, and Yahoo was buying 40 million of its shares from his hedge fund.
Loeb, more than any other person, is responsible for the rejuvenation of Yahoo. He got Scott Thompson fired, and Marissa Mayer hired as CEO.
At the time, it looked like Loeb was just cashing in and leaving. His firm earned $1 billion on the sale of its Yahoo stock, which is an excellent haul for a little over a year's worth of work.
It turns out Loeb didn't just up and leave. According to a new report by Bethaney McClean in Vanity Fair, Mayer outmaneuvered Loeb, and essentially pushed him out of the company.
When Loeb decided he wanted to sell, he told Mayer he was planning on selling 20 million Yahoo shares, or a third of his stake in the company. Mayer countered by saying Yahoo would buying 40 million shares at $29.11 per share.
Mayer's offer was advantageous for Loeb in that he got $29 per share locked in. If he went to the open market and started selling, there was no guarantee that he would get that price. (McLean says Loeb planned to sell if Yahoo got in the $25-$30 range.)
Indeed, Yahoo's stock dropped 5% on the news that Loeb was cashing out.
At the time, our Henry Blodget argued that this was almost insider trading: "Third Point is getting the pre-resignation price for its stock, while knowing about the upcoming board member resignations. And the rest of us Joe Schmo Yahoo shareholders, who didn't know about the resignations, are now getting the post-resignation price."
He added, "I am sure that this deal was lawyered out the wazoo. So I'm sure there's some innocent explanation. But until I hear that explanation, I will be scratching my head."
There is an explanation, but it's not so innocent.
When Loeb said he wanted to sell, Mayer saw an opportunity to get rid of Loeb. By selling 40 million shares, Loeb's ownership of Yahoo dropped below 2% and he forced off the board.
Why would Mayer want to get rid of Loeb? Because, like any good CEO, she wants absolute control over her company. Dumping Loeb gave her that control.
An industry executive explained it best to McLean, saying, "She dodged a bullet ... I thought she and Dan were going to go sideways. He would have fired her. Both are extreme alphas. Dan was going to turn at some point. She ran the first gauntlet. She got him out. Dan had a gun to her head whether she knew it or not, and she orchestrated his departure."
In other words, Loeb and Mayer may have gotten along initially, but that would not last. At some point, Loeb was going to be angry with Mayer. As a board member he could have made her life miserable.
Before that could happen, Mayer pushed him out of the way, and now Yahoo is all hers to run as she sees fit.
Twitter's Mobile Ad Offerings Just Took A Huge Step Forward — And They Might Be Even Better Than Facebook's
Twitter is rolling out an advertising product that allows advertisers to target mobile users based on how they surf the Web on their desktops, a function that isn't yet fully available to Facebook's mobile advertisers.
The company announced Thursday on its blog that it will identify users by their login data to show them ads on mobile and desktop devices that are targeted to them based on cookies the users have picked up surfing the Web.
The move is a huge step forward as advertisers continue looking for ways to send relevant messages to users on mobile, where it has harder-to-identify user preferences. This is because the default settings on Apple devices turns off third-party cookies, and Android devices only track what users do in the Web browser.
Twitter's retargeting news is also important in light of the fact that it gives Twitter an increased ability to track users across devices, a major initiative shared by rivals Facebook and Google as people continue to use the Internet on a mix of smartphones, tablets, and desktops. Twitter can benefit greatly by being able to match up the mobile and desktop devices a user has logged in to and then show them ads based on the sites they visited on the desktop while they were logged in to Twitter.
By contrast, Facebook's only mobile retargeting product is its custom audiences offering, which allows advertisers to target users who have visited their own sites. Though Facebook has the login data necessary to target mobile users in the same manner as Twitter, the company has recently been working to simplify its advertising offerings and take care of one thing at a time.
Additionally, Facebook's complex privacy settings mean the company needs to take its time to make sure its eventual mobile retargeting efforts don't rankle privacy advocates who are already upset with the social network, as it did when it launched its desktop retargeting ad exchange, FBX. By contrast, Twitter allows people to simply opt out of any kind of targeted ads by clicking a box in their privacy settings.
Twitter started experimenting with its retargeted advertising program this past summer. TechCrunch reports that Twitter will work with advertisers directly on retargeted ad buys as it did during the trial program, but the company might bring in demand-side platforms to facilitate real-time bidding.
If Amazon discounts a product you just ordered, there's a quick and easy way to get your money back.
Reddit user poorsol posted an exchange with the retailer to demonstrate how easy it is to get a refund.
In a brief chat with an Amazon customer service representative, poorsol explains that the wine rack he originally bought for $28.52 has been discounted by about $8.
The rep says that the company will refund for any discounts made within seven days of your purchase:
We dug around Amazon's website and couldn't find anything about this policy, so we decided to chat customer service.
They confirmed that this is the policy:
Click for sound.
Elon Musk tells us how he tried to get a job at Netscape after finishing college, and how he bootstrapped his first company.
Produced by Kamelia Angelova, Alana Kakoyiannis and Justin Gmoser
Follow Us: On YouTube
Imgur, The Huge Image-Sharing Site Beating Reddit In Traffic, Was Started In An Ohio Dorm Room in 2009
The Atlantic has a great origin story on Imgur, the photo-sharing site created by Alan Schaaf for his fellow picture-, GIF-, and meme-swapping Redditors.
Schaaf built Imgur ("im-uh-jer") while studying at Ohio University in 2009. He presented it to the Reddit community as "an image hosting service that doesn't suck," and it snowballed from there. Now Imgur drives more traffic than Reddit itself.
If you doubt the power of such a huge site, consider this recent romance to blossom out of it. A girl took this picture of a comically tall man watching television over a door. She posted it to Imgur, where the comically tall man recognized himself. The Atlantic goes into all the good detail, but they end up dating. Awww.
Mobile Display Advertising Is As Messy And Confusing As Ever, Here's How All The Pieces Fit Together
In the United States, mobile now accounts for 15% of overall spending on digital advertising, which is almost double the share mobile had just a year ago.
That's the good news.
The bad news is that despite some deals and consolidation, performance and prices are still uneven, tracking is tough, and mobile display advertising is as complicated as ever. Mobile ad companies promise everything to buyers or sellers, or both. Every company says it has the secret sauce, the best data, the latest targeting technologies, the greatest automated selling and buying platforms.
A recent report from BI Intelligence seeks to cut through the noise,identify the most meaningful broad shifts in the landscape, and demystify the actual role played by the different entities and technologies.
- The Ad Networks: The ad network is the traditional center of the digital ad world, but it’s under threat. Sometimes the term “ad network” is used loosely, but strictly speaking it refers to relatively old-fashioned platforms that may use proprietary technology to hook into publisher websites and apps, but still rely very much on direct human relationships and old-fashioned insertion orders, i.e. sales contracts.
- The Ad Exchanges: Similar to ad networks, ad exchanges are centralized marketplaces, where buyers and sellers meet. But ad exchanges are more tech-oriented, and have focused on real-time bidding. They also are more focused on the needs of app developers and site publishers, which traditionally turned to ad exchanges to unload ad inventory they couldn't place directly with ad networks, or agencies. To further complicate matters, ad networks sometimes buy from exchanges. Many advertisers view exchanges as long-tail solutions.
- Demand-Side Platforms or DSPs: These emerged to meet the increasingly high-tech needs of ad buyers. DSP clients are usually media agencies, or their trading desks. As ad exchanges and new techniques like programmatic buying and real-time bidding came on the scene, DSPs offered ad buyers a means to plug into the new ecosystem with software stacks that included interfaces, back-end technology, and data management tools. Many DSPs claim to have mobile expertise, but only a handful really do.
- The trading desks are specialized business units set up at media agencies to make highly targeted digital ad buys. A trading desk might work with several DSPs to access different ad exchanges and other ad sources. However, just because they operate within the confines of large agencies doesn’t mean they call all the shots. Often trading desks face the same barriers seen by DSPs.
- Supply-side platforms or SSPs cater directly to the needs of publishers. SSPs help publishers organize, manage, and track their own ad inventory, and plug into the ad exchanges.
The report is full of charts and data that can be easily downloaded and put to use.
- Clearly explains what the different players like DSPs and ad exchanges do. And how the old and new players work together — and apart.
- Sizes the mobile ad market and provides charts and data showing how that spend is breaking down in terms of format and company revenues.
- Examines the benefits and weakness of each of the different players within that ecosystem.
- Explains how programmatic is becoming one of the most important developments changing the game for ad buyers and sellers.
- Considers programmatic's limitations for the time being, and its projected impact in the future.
- Articulates the biggest consolidations and mergers within the mobile ad ecosystem and what these changes mean for mobile advertising.
Caran Johnson from Washington State avidly tweets local news and has amassed over 1,000 followers for her updates.
Last night, she took to Twitter to live-tweet a car crash in her hometown of Vancouver before learning that her husband was a victim.
It was at 2:11 p.m. PST when Caran Johnson retweeted the Columbian Metrodesk’s coverage about the accident.
As Trooper Will Finn (@wspd5pio) tweeted on-the-scene, Johnson followed his tweets and relayed what she was learning to her followers.
That's when Johnson became nervous.
According to CNN, at 2:17 p.m. Johnson posted, "I'm trying not to panic, but my husband left work early and he drives 205 to get home. he's not answering his phone."
She asked Officer Finn if there was an official description of the cars.
— Trooper Will Finn (@wspd5pio) December 4, 2013
At this point, Officer Finn stopped live-tweeting the accident.
"I didn't want someone to find out over Twitter that their husband passed away. I didn't want her to find out that way. That is a hard thing to go through," he told CNN.
At 3:50 p.m, Johnson's fears were confirmed. She sent this final tweet:
Johnson's husband, Craig, was the only fatality in the accident.
"I feel terrible. I still feel terrible," Finn told CNN. "Our hearts go out to the family. This person was a member of our community and we just lost him."
Microsoft Says Government Surveillance Is An 'Advanced Persistent Threat' That May Be Unconstitutional (MSFT)
Microsoft has again used aggressive language to suggest that U.S. government surveillance and hacking of its own citizens' email and other online accounts is unconstitutional. In a blog post late last night, Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith said "government snooping potentially now constitutes an 'advanced persistent threat,' alongside sophisticated malware and cyber attacks."
"We all want to live in a world that is safe and secure, but we also want to live in a country that is protected by the Constitution," Smith continued.
It's unusually bold stuff.
And Microsoft has done this before. Back in July, Smith suggested that the NSA's domestic surveillance program, PRISM, was unconstitutional.
The company has vowed to conduct a war on government spies and hackers, Smith said. The company will begin encrypting all email and other services, and it will scramble data passing between its servers.
And it is adding language to its business contracts vowing to notify customers of every request for information it gets from the government, and to fight every gag order in court.
Here's Smith's entire statement:
Protecting customer data from government snooping
4 Dec 2013 9:00 PM
The following post is from Brad Smith, General Counsel & Executive Vice President, Legal & Corporate Affairs, Microsoft.
Many of our customers have serious concerns about government surveillance of the Internet.
We share their concerns. That’s why we are taking steps to ensure governments use legal process rather than technological brute force to access customer data.
Like many others, we are especially alarmed by recent allegations in the press of a broader and concerted effort by some governments to circumvent online security measures – and in our view, legal processes and protections – in order to surreptitiously collect private customer data. In particular, recent press stories have reported allegations of governmental interception and collection – without search warrants or legal subpoenas – of customer data as it travels between customers and servers or between company data centers in our industry.
If true, these efforts threaten to seriously undermine confidence in the security and privacy of online communications. Indeed, government snooping potentially now constitutes an “advanced persistent threat,” alongside sophisticated malware and cyber attacks.
In light of these allegations, we’ve decided to take immediate and coordinated action in three areas:
· We are expanding encryption across our services.
· We are reinforcing legal protections for our customers’ data.
· We are enhancing the transparency of our software code, making it easier for customers to reassure themselves that our products do not contain back doors.
Here’s a closer look at what we’re doing:
For many years, we’ve used encryption in our products and services to protect our customers from online criminals and hackers. While we have no direct evidence that customer data has been breached by unauthorized government access, we don't want to take any chances and are addressing this issue head on. Therefore, we will pursue a comprehensive engineering effort to strengthen the encryption of customer data across our networks and services.
This effort will include our major communications, productivity and developer services such as Outlook.com, Office 365, SkyDrive and Windows Azure, and will provide protection across the full lifecycle of customer-created content. More specifically:
· Customer content moving between our customers and Microsoft will be encrypted by default.
· All of our key platform, productivity and communications services will encrypt customer content as it moves between our data centers.
· We will use best-in-class industry cryptography to protect these channels, including Perfect Forward Secrecy and 2048-bit key lengths.
· All of this will be in place by the end of 2014, and much of it is effective immediately.
· We also will encrypt customer content that we store. In some cases, such as third-party services developed to run on Windows Azure, we’ll leave the choice to developers, but will offer the tools to allow them to easily protect data.
· We’re working with other companies across the industry to ensure that data traveling between services – from one email provider to another, for instance – is protected.
Although this is a significant engineering effort given the large number of services we offer and the hundreds of millions of customers we serve, we’re committed to moving quickly. In fact, many of our services already benefit from strong encryption in all or part of the lifecycle. For example, Office 365 and Outlook.com customer content is already encrypted when traveling between customers and Microsoft, and most Office 365 workloads as well as Windows Azure storage are now encrypted in transit between our data centers. In other areas we’re accelerating plans to provide encryption.
Reinforcing Legal Protections
We also will take new steps to reinforce legal protections for our customers’ data. For example, we are committed to notifying business and government customers if we receive legal orders related to their data. Where a gag order attempts to prohibit us from doing this, we will challenge it in court. We’ve done this successfully in the past, and we will continue to do so in the future to preserve our ability to alert customers when governments seek to obtain their data. And we’ll assert available jurisdictional objections to legal demands when governments seek this type of customer content that is stored in another country.
Except in the most limited circumstances, we believe that government agencies can go directly to business customers or government customers for information or data about one of their employees – just as they did before these customers moved to the cloud – without undermining their investigation or national security. And when those limited circumstances arise, courts should have the opportunity to review the question and issue a decision.
Just as we’ve called for governments to become more transparent about these issues, we believe it’s appropriate for us to be more transparent ourselves. We’re therefore taking additional steps to increase transparency by building on our long-standing program that provides government customers with an appropriate ability to review our source code, reassure themselves of its integrity, and confirm there are no back doors. We will open a network of transparency centers that will provide these customers with even greater ability to assure themselves of the integrity of Microsoft’s products. We’ll open these centers in Europe, the Americas and Asia, and we’ll further expand the range of products included in these programs.
Ultimately, we’re sensitive to the balances that must be struck when it comes to technology, security and the law. We all want to live in a world that is safe and secure, but we also want to live in a country that is protected by the Constitution. We want to ensure that important questions about government access are decided by courts rather than dictated by technological might. And we’re focused on applying new safeguards worldwide, recognizing the global nature of these issues and challenges. We believe these new steps strike the right balance, advancing for all of us both the security we need and the privacy we deserve.
Trivia app QuizUp has been on a tear lately.
In just three weeks, the trivia game for iPhone has amassed 3.5 million registered users, New York Magazine reports. On its eighth day, QuizUp reached its 1 millionth user.
Now QuizUp is being hailed as the "fastest-growing iPhone game in history."
Draw Something, one of the hottest games last year, took about nine days to reach 1 million users.
QuizUp is a free trivia game for iOS that offers more than 150,000 trivia questions in about 300 categories.
The cool part about QuizUp is that you can challenge both your friends and strangers. Players can either compete in a quiz against their opponent in real-time or round-by-round. Each quiz has seven rounds that lest ten seconds each.
While QuizUp is clearly attracting tons of users, it's not resonating with everyone. Business Insider's Alyson Shontell has a personal bone to pick with the app. QuizUp broadcasts to all of your friends just how many times you've lost. Now all her friends know, she says, that she's terrible at trivia.
Just last month, QuizUp raised $2 million led by Sequoia Capital and eVentures. It had previously raised $3.6 million from Greycroft Partners, CrunchFund, and Time Warner's Olaf Olafsson.


text:
In a unanimous vote Wednesday, the Honolulu City Council approved a bill that would ban stores from providing any plastic bags, even ones that are considered reusable or biodegradable, starting in 2020.
Changes were made after the measure was sent back to committee in June.
The approved version of Bill 59 will allow businesses to charge at least 15 cents for a reusable bag, compostable plastic bag, or recyclable paper bag starting July 1, 2018.
Then as of Jan. 1, 2020, no plastic bags will be allowed at all, including compostable bags or bags less than 10 mils in thickness.
There would still be exceptions. The ban would not apply to bags used to carry produce or meat, prepared foods or bakery goods, newspapers, or dry cleaning.
It still needs to be approved by Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and signed into law.
Councilwoman Carol Fukunaga says all testimony received supported this version of the bill, including testimony from affected businesses.
The next step, Fukunaga says, will be to focus on enforcement to keep plastic bags off the island’s parks and beaches.
Plans are in the works to introduce a separate measure that would establish an environmental steward program to allow youth or environmental groups to identify and report violators of the city’s littering ordinance.


text:
Although the litigation was slightly different in each iteration, nearly all of them came down to a pretty simple quarrel: Qualcomm has patents it thinks Apple's infringing, and Apple thinks Qualcomm is essentially a patent troll.
Settling the dispute with Qualcomm could give Apple access to 5G modem chips in time for the 2019 iPhone lineup launch. This means that the pair will stop any further litigation (as far as this particular matter is concerned).
Proceedings between the two companies began Monday in federal court in San Diego.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, Apple and Qualcomm announced "an agreement to dismiss all litigation between the two companies worldwide", including claims against Apple's contract manufacturing partners.
Apple alleged that Qualcomm - which has made crucial chips for the iPhone - charged an unfair amount to license its patents to place calls, connect to the internet and for other technologies, including audio and video.
As part of its settlement, the two companies said that they had reached a six-year license agreement, effective April 1 of this year.
Earlier the same day, Apple had fired the first legal shots in a San Diego courtroom, accusing Qualcomm of abusing its market power.
Qualcomm stock rose 23.21 percent on Tuesday while Apple stock remained relatively flat.
Apple and Qualcomm have been suing each other since January 2017. Certainly, Apple has an incentive to move forward with 5G phones as soon as possible, without the specter of patent disputes hanging over its technology.
Qualcomm had also accused Apple of using the legal system as a way to pay less for its technologies. Intel, a Qualcomm competitor, sharply dipped on the news before recovering.
The chip supplier also stated that Apple has benefited tremendously from the use of Qualcomm's IP, yet it claimed Qualcomm's policies have harmed the company. And he did this by pointing out that an iPhone can still function without Qualcomm's modem chip by using Wi-Fi.
Analysts were also unsure whether Apple's a onetime payment under the deal represented unpaid royalties from the past two years or a down payment on future royalties.
Apple held talks with Samsung, Intel and Taiwan's MediaTek Inc to supply 5G modem chips for 2019 iPhones, according to an Apple executive's testimony at a trial between Qualcomm Inc and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission earlier this year.
Qualcomm alleged Apple breached its agreements "for the express goal of inflicting financial harm on Qualcomm and coercing Qualcomm to accept unfair compensation for its IP", according to Qualcomm's trial brief. As a result, the face of the cellular modem market is changing in an instant, as Apple's shift in allegiances will have repercussions throughout the industry.


text:
Google has vowed to block all pornographic applications from appearing on its Google Glass headset.
The web giant's policies prohibit software containing sexually explicit content and nudity from appearing on the device, and the firm has said it will take action against any apps that circumvent its approval process.
"Our policies make it clear that Glass does not allow Glassware content that contains nudity, graphic sexual acts, or sexually explicit material," said Google in a statement issued to CNET.
"Any Glassware that violates this policy will be blocked from appearing on Glass."
The first pornographic application for Google Glass arrived online earlier this week in the shape of MiKandi's Tits & Glass.
MiKandi is distributing the software as unreviewed Glassware to avoid going through Google's approval process, but the search engine firm is likely to block the software.
The prototype Explorer Edition of Google Glass is currently in the hands of around 1,000 developers worldwide, but consumer models will not be available until 2014.
Watch an introductory video to Google Glass below:


text:
Latest Bluetooth Stories
ilumi color changing LED Smartbulbs now turn on and off based on user’s presence and automatically adjust throughout the day to help support one’s circadian rhythm. DALLAS,
“Falcon” was featured on NewsWatch as part of its monthly Tech Report, which features the latest
GasWatch launched an Indiegogo campaign for this newest mobile-integrated model in its line of propane scales on April 22 Charlotte, NC (PRWEB) April 22, 2015
TORONTO, Apr. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- LocoMobi is pleased to announce the most advanced innovation in reader technology to date.
SAN DIEGO, April 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Electronics announced today pricing and retail availability for four new Sound Bars - the HT-ST9, HT-NT3, HT-CT780, and HT-CT380, as well as the
CipherLab 1862 UHF RFID reader is on display in the booth #944 at RFID Journal Live! 2015 San Diego, CA (PRWEB) April 16, 2015 CipherLab, a global leader
mBeaconSense -- The smallest and most innovative multi-sensor hub to power Internet of Things (IoT) SAN DIEGO, April 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Netclearance Systems, Inc., (NCS) the
MOORPARK, Calif., April 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- ForaCare has designed a new wearable watch that captures measurements from FORA Bluetooth enabled medical devices with the help of RollTech, and the
DÜSSELDORF, Germany, April 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- EmoFix, an innovative Bluetooth device that enables photo and video capture without using a smartphone, has officially
Now Shipping the First FPGA Kit with Smartphone Control San Diego, CA (PRWEB) April 14, 2015 Macnica Americas today announced immediate availability
The BlackBerry Curve is a smartphone manufactured by Research In Motion (RIM); introduced on May 3, 2007, with the Curve 8300 series. It had robust multimedia features with a high resolution camera. Five models were introduced, the 8300, 8310, 8320, 8330, and 8350i. In early 2009 the Curve 8900 and 8500 series were introduced and in the next few years three more models were released, the 8910, 8520 and the 8530. The 8900 series was an upgrade of the 8300 versions, the 8500 series added...
- A serpent whose bite was fabled to produce intense thirst.


text:
Two in five retailers across the globe have experienced a data breach in the past year, according to the 2017 Thales Data Threat Report, Retail Edition, just released.
The report, issued by Thales, a leader in critical information systems, cyber security and data security, in conjunction with analyst firm 451 Research, reveals that a staggering 43 percent of retailers had experienced a data breach in the last year, with a third (32%) claiming more than one.
With 60 percent claiming that they had been breached in the past, it’s perhaps unsurprising to learn that the majority (88%) of retailers consider themselves to be ‘vulnerable’ to data threats, with 37 percent stating they are ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ vulnerable. As a result, three quarters (73%) of retailers expect their spending on IT security to increase. An increase in regulations such as the forthcoming EU GDPR has led to greater awareness and concern around issues of data privacy and sovereignty, with 72 percent of retailers claiming to be impacted.
The report reveals that, in an effort to comply with these new requirements, almost two thirds of retailers (64%) are encrypting their data, 40 percent are tokenising data, and a similar number (36%) are implementing a migration project. According to the report, half of retail organisations (52%) will use sensitive data in a big data environment this year, with a third (34%) using encryption to protect that data. Despite this, however, 39 percent were very concerned that they’re using these environments without proper security in place, demonstrating that the pressure to use advanced technology is increasing the risk to the business.
What’s more, the report found that as adoption of cloud and SaaS environments continues to rise, so too do concerns regarding their safe use. Two-thirds of retailers (67%), for example, claimed to be very or extremely concerned about cloud service providers (CSPs) falling victim to security breaches or attacks. A similar number (66%) expressed concerns around vulnerabilities in shared infrastructure, and 65 percent were worried about the custodianship of the encryption keys used to protect their data. 63 percent of respondents suggested that such fears could be allayed through the use of data encryption in the cloud, with keys being controlled at the retailer’s premises, while half (52%) preferred the CSPs to control the keys


text:
On June 2018, Instagram announced a huge addition to their platform: a brand new service under the moniker IGTV. The fresh video content vehicle allows creators to upload fullscreen, vertical videos up to one-hour in length.
IGTV marks Instagram’s entry into the long-form video space—this has huge implications for both mobile video creators and the influencer marketing industry.
IGTV is accessible through the most recent mobile version of Instagram, as well as a new standalone IGTV app. IGTV is not yet available through desktop browsers at Instagram.com.
To access IGTV through the Instagram app, tap the “TV” button in the top right corner next to the message icon. IGTV will immediately start playing in the top portion of the screen, while several navigation options will be featured below. The IGTV standalone app can be downloaded for Apple or Android phones.
It’s completely natural for the hottest mobile network to continue to expand their offerings. Lifted from Snapchat, Instagram’s Stories launch in 2016 was a huge bolster to the platform, pushing it past 1 billion users earlier this year. However, Instagram’s new IGTV service isn’t merely an attempt to seize upon a popular social feature — it’s a unique platform for an influx of new content.
Squarely aimed at YouTube’s market share of long-form videos, IGTV content offers two important distinctions:
IGTV’s mobile first strategy not only differentiates the app from competitor YouTube, it also gives Instagram key advantages in an increasingly mobile world.
Related Post: Top 10 Instagram Video Statistics For Marketers
While available to all Instagram users, IGTV is custom-tailored for creators on the platform. For early adopters, IGTV is a prime opportunity for improving engagement with existing audiences, attracting new followers, expanding content offerings, and carving out new niches in the wild west of long-form vertical video. This is especially exciting for creators who’ve had difficulties breaking into YouTube’s hyper-competitive channel space.
Instagrammers who currently have a strong following also stand to benefit as the transition from their Instagram feed to IGTV will be simple and seamless for viewers. Moreover, IGTV’s casual, lightly edited (or raw) format taps into a content style that is already popular with audiences of both small and large creators.
Instagram has incredible reach and growth—the social network currently boasts over 1 billion users and a growth rate of 20% year-over-year. Even the online video juggernaut YouTube is concerned about Instagram’s potential to steal creators and audiences. As such, YouTube has been cutting six-figure checks to top YouTubers to buy their loyalty. The payments are meant to convince creators to post exclusively on YouTube, or post concurrently on IGTV and YouTube (as opposed to posting exclusively to IGTV).
Related Post: Is Instagram The New YouTube?
Today, Instagram’s increasing engagement among its widespread userbase means that creators have more ways to monetize their content than ever before. While Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom says that there are currently no ads on IGTV, the service is “obviously a very reasonable place [for ads] to end up.” In the meantime, there are several avenues for creators to generate revenue for themselves.
Currently, influencers produce sponsored content through their Instagram feed and Stories. IGTV’s longer format offers more opportunities for influencers to get creative with their marketing techniques to plug the brands, products, and services they partner with. Furthermore, IGTV’s integration with Instagram’s current network means that creators can use their feed, Stories, and DMs to market their IGTV content and channel. This consolidated presence on a single platform means no more “link in bio” descriptions or the need for viewers to hop platforms (or apps) to view longer form content.
Creators’ intrigue in IGTV might expand beyond content offerings and the ease of integration. Frustrated with YouTube’s recent demonetization policies, many influencers have started followings on other platforms, such as YouTube Gaming rival, Twitch. Other popular YouTubers are reportedly investing heavily in IGTV already, including online celebrity, Lele Pons. With more than 10 million subscribers on YouTube and over 25 million followers on Instagram, Pons new cooking show is being created specifically for IGTV.
As Instagram continues to offer a friendly space for influencers to create, partner with brands, and connect with audiences, we can expect more creators to make the transition to the new service. That said, whether IGTV’s long-form vertical videos will eat into YouTube’s domination of online video content remains to be seen.


text:
Glitter iPhone cases recalled after burn reports
MixBix has launched an internal investigation to solve the defect casing
A mobile case manufacturer is recalling 24 models from its range after reports emerged of consumers experiencing skin irritations.
MixBix Electronics, known for its mobile accessories, are sold on Amazon and are heavily associated with Victoria's Secret. The issue is that the mobile cases in question contain a liquid that allows the glitter to float in between the plastic casing.
However some consumers have reported skin irritations, blisters or burns when in contact with the liquid, this has forced MixBix to launch an investigation.
Customers are being advised to return cases made for Apple's iPhone 6, iPhone 6S and iPhone 7 to which they will receive a full refund.
Though the recall is in the US, Canada and Mexico, some of the products were on Amazon. Find out here which products are being recalled.


text:
Take-Two has shipped over 75 million Grand Theft Auto V copies since launch
Grand Theft Auto V is one of the best-selling video games, was launched in 2013 by the company's Rockstar Games studio.
By Reuters: Take-Two Interactive Software Inc, best known for its hugely popular "Grand Theft Auto" video game series, cut its profit forecast for its fiscal year 2017, largely due to higher royalty payments.
Shares of the company, which also reported a 15 per cent jump in third-quarter revenue, were down 1.5 per cent in after-market trading on Tuesday."GAAP net income is impacted by higher internal royalties resulting from the continued outperformance of Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online," Chief Financial Officer Lainie Goldstein said on a post-earnings conference call.
"Grand Theft Auto V", one of the best-selling video games, was launched in 2013 by the company's Rockstar Games studio. The company said on Tuesday that to date, sell-in for "Grand Theft Auto V" has surpassed 75 million units.
Take-Two said it now expected a profit of between $1.15 to $1.25 per share for its full-year ending March 31, down from its earlier forecast of $1.80 and $2.09.
The company also trimmed its full-year net revenue forecast range, mainly due to deferrals.
US financial regulators have issued new guidelines that require deferred revenue from games with online components be accounted for over however long users play them, typically six to nine months.
Take-Two said it now expected the top end of its full-year revenue at $1.80 billion, down from $1.85 billion earlier. The company retained the lower end at $1.75 billion.
Chief Executive Strauss Zelnick said in an interview that a truer reflection of the business was bookings.
The company raised its full-year bookings forecast to $1.72 billion to $1.77 billion, up from $1.6 billion to $1.7 billion it expected previously.Take-Two said net revenue rose to $476.5 million from $414.2 million in the third quarter.
On an adjusted basis, the company reported revenue of $744.8 million, beating analysts' average estimate of $705.6 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
The company benefited from sales of "Grand Theft Auto V" and higher digital downloads of its games.
Take-Two had also released its pro-wrestling "WWE 2K17" and strategy "Sid Meier's Civilization VI" games during the period, which also contributed to the increase in revenue.
The high-margin digital business grew 64 per cent to $240.2 million as more players switch to downloading games rather than buying physical game discs.
The company's net loss narrowed to $29.8 million, or 33 cents per share, from $42.4 million, or 51 cents per share, a year earlier, helped by lower total operating expenses.


text:
Reckitt Benckiser (OTCMKTS:RBGLY) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the eight analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on th
Research firm Newzoo recently reported that five games dominated the U.S. PC market in April: Activision Blizzard's (NASDAQ:ATVI) Hearthstone and Overwatch, Tencent's (NASDAQOTH:TCEHY) League of Legends, Epic Games' Fortnite, and PUBG Corporation's PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds(PUBG).
Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) posted a share price loss of 1.3% last week, not much, but enough to maintain its rank as the worst-performing Dow Jones industrialaverage stock of the year to date. So far in 2018, the shares have lost 20.8%.
The second-worst Dow stock so far this year is General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE), which is down 17.6%. That is followed by 3M Co. (NYSE: MMM), down....More>>>
Related SPCB Earnings Scheduled For March 29, 2016 Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Oramed Jumps Following Announcement of up to $50M Licensing, Investment Deal in China; Supercom Shares Dip
Related SVA Stocks Hitting 52-Week Highs Sinovac Biotech Ltd. Stock Surged Amid 'Hostile Takeover' Simavita to Integrate....More>>>
U.S. Treasuries suffered their worst month since 2009 as investors fret President-elect Donald Trump’s policies will spell bad news for debt investors and also brace for hikes in short-term interest rates by the Federal Reserve.
The SPDR Bloomberg Barclays Aggregate Bond fund, which tracks the broad bond market, has dropped 2.7% this month in its worst monthly performance since the....More>>>
Don’t give up the ship. Those were Jim Cramer’s words to his Mad Money viewers Wednesday, as he pleaded with those looking to sell to hold onto their shares for a little while longer. Cramer said there are a number of great companies that investors gave up on, and that lack of conviction ended up being very costly.
First up, PPG Industries (PPG) , a stock that was seemingly caught....More>>>
QI want to give my required minimum distribution from my IRA to several charities. What steps do I need to take so that Im not taxed on the RMD? Is there a minimum amount I can transfer or a limit to the number of charities I can send the money to?
SEE ALSO: How to Report a Tax-Free Transfer From an IRA to Charity A
People older than 70陆 can transfer up to $100,000 per year from....More>>>
Last week, women’s clothing retailer The Limited announced it was closing down all of its stores. It’s yet another casualty in the war on shopping malls and highlights the further transition of clothing retail to “fast fashion” and online formatting. It has been an ominous year for brick-and-mortar stores, but another one down could be good news for the survivors.
Evercore ISI’s James West and team explain whyHalliburton (HAL) remains their “North American Winner” among oil-field-services stocks:
A Structural Favorite. Halliburton remains one of our favorite stocks in the group and the management team’s relentless pursuit of efficiency and aggressive positioning for the upcycle will likely make....More>>>
On Tuesday, our Under the Radar Moversnewsletter suggestedshorting small cap data storage systems stock Qualstar Corporation (NASDAQ: QBAK):
Quelstar is essentially a mirror image of Pixelworks. That is, it’s not just the bearish undertow we want to tap into here. It’s the failure of QBAK to follow-through on today’s effort to break above the 100-day moving average line....More>>>
Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ:WFM) has had a bad time on the market over the past couple of months, losing over 16% of its value on the back of a weak financial performance in its last reported quarter. But, in my opinion, the recent drop in Whole Foods’ shares is an opportunity to buy more of the stock since there are tangible improvements being witnessed across Whole Foods’ operations....More>>>
With July 4th weekend upon us, here were the top 10 stocks with the highest social chatter and sentiment changes this week according to Stockal. Stockal tracks ratings and social data to gauge total sentiment on a stock. Keep an eye out for movement in this stocks next week as well.
1. Atlas Resource Partners, L.P. (NYSE: ARP) – ARP recorded a huge surge in price on Thursday.....More>>>
Tredje AP fonden lowered its stake in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) by 6.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,720 shares of the textile maker’s stock after selling 1,110 shares during the period. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in Ralph
Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Idacorp (NYSE:IDA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Thursday. The firm currently has $99.00 price target on the coal producer’s stock.
According to Zacks, “In a year's time shares of IDACORP ha
Sustainable Growth Advisers LP reduced its position in Lowe’s (NYSE:LOW) by 50.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,774,429 shares of the home improvement retai
Allianz (FRA:ALV) has been assigned a €217.00 ($258.33) price objective by JPMorgan Chase in a research note issued on Monday. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 13.32% from the stock
Doliver Capital Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Ishares S&P 500 (NYSEARCA:IVV) by 2.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,234 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an a