Consumer Reports ran lab tests on the two new iPhone models, and found that it is difficult to bend the devices under pressure. Apple said on Thursday that only nine customers’ iPhones have bent.
To test the strength of the hardware, the consumer watchdog placed the phone on two wooden points, then applied force on top with a high-precision compression machine. While the iPhone 6 and the larger iPhone 6 Plus bent under less pressure than did the iPhone 5, the Apple phones were not the weakest: The HTC One deformed and separated from its case under less pressure than the other phones tested.
“Impressively, despite some serious damage from our Instron machine, some of the phone continued to work,” Consumer Reports wrote in a post on Friday. “Several of the screens illuminated and were functional to the touch; we even completed a call from one phone to another.”
Apple this week scrambled to rebut the fallout of a video that went viral showing a bent iPhone 6. On Thursday, the infamously tight-lipped company sent an unusually long statement to The Huffington Post explaining that the bend is “extremely rare.”
Still, coupled with the botched rollout of a glitchy update to the iOS 8 operating system, Apple had a rough week. The company’s stock rebounded on Friday after taking a hit from the dual snafus.
This article originally appeared in The Huffington Post
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Microsoft up for Windows 10
Microsoft has decided that it will completely skip Windows 9 and go straight towards Windows 10. Windows 10 will more emphasize mobile usage and internet services. Windows 8 was reported as a radical change from Windows 7, so Microsoft has decided to bring back some original features that were predecessors of the Windows 8 Version.
Microsoft has only offered a small sneak peek into the new version in San Francisco to business partners. Windows 10 will be available next year.
Microsoft has only offered a small sneak peek into the new version in San Francisco to business partners. Windows 10 will be available next year.
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
IOS 8 Breakdown
With almost two weeks of the IOS 8 the problems have already raised. Some users of the latest IOS have complains that the IOS limits the use of calls and other messaging systems. Apple is working on the problem, IOS 8 is still available for upgrading on the store though.
Monday, September 22, 2014
La Liga Competiveness
With scores of 8-2 (Real Madrid/ Deportivo) and 5-0 (Barcelona/ Levante), is the La Liga getting weaker or the stronger teams just get more stronger? With Real Madrid and Barcelona winning at least one title every decade, just how many trophies do the teams want?
Sunday, September 21, 2014
BCTF End Strike
The British Columbia Teachers Federation (BCTF) has officially ended their strike and public school in the province will continue on Monday for most districts. Now the real question for parents are when are we going to get our daycare money from the provincial government.
Friday, September 19, 2014
A portion of the White House Evacuated
A portion of the White House was evacuated after a man jumped over the fence on the near the west wing of the property. At the time the president was going on a trip to Maryland with his family.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
The Scotland Independence Vote
With more than 50% of the votes taken in from the Scotland referendum in seems that the Scottish will support the "Yes," campaign. This will continue the British rule that has been going on for more than tree centuries.
Air Canada to charge for first checked bag, following WestJet
Air Canada stated that it will start to charge passengers $25 for their first checked luggage, following the steps of their rival WestJet several days later.
Starting September 18, 2014, customers purchasing Air Canada’s lowest Economy Class Tango fare for travel on or after November 2, 2014 on domestic flights within Canada and to and from the Caribbean and Mexico will now be charged $25 for a first checked bag, in line with the baggage allowance policies of other North American carriers.
This change is expected to affect an estimated one in five Air Canada passengers on domestic flights within Canada, representing approximately 5 per cent of the airline’s customers system-wide, Air Canada said.
The U.S. fee for first checked luggage is still the same since 2011.
WestJet said on Monday its $25 fee would apply to about 20 per cent of the airline’s 18.5 million customers a year, beginning with flights booked Sept. 14 for travel as of Oct. 29. Baggage fees generated $3.35-billion (U.S.) for U.S. airlines last year.
The move sparked a flurry of upgrades for WestJet stock amid expectations of higher earnings. Air Canada stock also spiked, in anticipation of similar measures. Air Canada said at the time it was evaluating the WestJet announcement.
Starting September 18, 2014, customers purchasing Air Canada’s lowest Economy Class Tango fare for travel on or after November 2, 2014 on domestic flights within Canada and to and from the Caribbean and Mexico will now be charged $25 for a first checked bag, in line with the baggage allowance policies of other North American carriers.
This change is expected to affect an estimated one in five Air Canada passengers on domestic flights within Canada, representing approximately 5 per cent of the airline’s customers system-wide, Air Canada said.
The U.S. fee for first checked luggage is still the same since 2011.
WestJet said on Monday its $25 fee would apply to about 20 per cent of the airline’s 18.5 million customers a year, beginning with flights booked Sept. 14 for travel as of Oct. 29. Baggage fees generated $3.35-billion (U.S.) for U.S. airlines last year.
The move sparked a flurry of upgrades for WestJet stock amid expectations of higher earnings. Air Canada stock also spiked, in anticipation of similar measures. Air Canada said at the time it was evaluating the WestJet announcement.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Scots prepare for independence vote
He looks just like many would imagine the typical Scot. Kilt, knee-high socks, bagpipes and a solid build. People stand and clap when John Patterson plays Highland melodies near Edinburgh Castle. In the emotional question of Scottish independence, Patterson has answered questions for one local TV station after another. "There is a lot of tension in the air," he said. "People want to see emotions."
He added that he doesn't have a firm view on Scottish independence. But - as a New Zealander - he's not allowed to vote anyway, and instead chuckles with amusement when people regard him as a typical Scot. After all, he said, there are only two types of people: "Scots and the people who wish they were Scots."
Audry Painsarnault came to Scotland with her husband and four children to hang up "no" posters and stickers around the city and to try and convince people to keep Scotland in the United Kingdom. Like Patterson, she won't be able to vote in Thursday's referendum. "My husband has Scottish ancestry so we decided if we could do some small part in all this then we would," she said. "We came with our four children to help. We want to convince people to vote - no matter what their opinions are." She added that in Canada there is a similar movement for independence among French-speaking Canadians in Quebec.
Alex Salmond, Scotland's first minister and head of the Scottish National Party, laid out a clear definition. Anyone who lives in Scotland is a Scot and can vote on the question of whether to leave the United Kingdom after more than 300 years and become an independent nation. The three latest polls show the "yes" and "no" camps nearly neck-and-neck with those opposed to independence leading with 52 percent to 48 percent, though the polls do not take the eight percent of undecided voters into account.
Ben Walker is a businessman from London who said he sees himself as a Scot and wants his home to stay in the UK with England, Wales and Northern Ireland. He regrets that he, like 800,000 other Scots living outside of Scotland, does not have a vote. "All Scots who live in England are not, under the terms of the referendum, allowed to vote." Walker said. "I would become a foreigner without having a say on it."
Campaigning in the final days leading up to the referendum has heated up, with Scottish nationalists saying they wanted to free themselves from oppression and dismissing offers of more regional autonomy as untrustworthy. Unionists then accused the nationalists of lying. Pro-British Labour Party leader Ed Miliband was even attacked during a campaign event in Edinburgh. The British tabloid press managed to dig out a few final scandals. The Scottish Daily Mail accused Salmond of megalomania for proposing that a new position be created after independence.
Claims that Scots were about to take their fate in their hands at the ballot box were made by both sides on the final day of campaigning.
"I think the emotional side is nice - I'm a Scot, I was educated here," he said. "I care quite passionately about my country. But I think from the rational side it is something we cannot afford. We are wandering into an abyss and I think we are going to be much worse off."
The economic effects would be disastrous, he said, adding: "Why would you break up one of the most successful states? The UK is not perfect, and it has the same problems as Germany or France or America or any Western democracy and independence and rampant nationalism isn't the way to solve that."
A few blocks further down the streets at the "Yes" campaign office, Rachel Blair has a different take. She said Scotland's oil reserves would bolster the country's economy.
"At the moment we have a government in London that people in Scotland feel quite disconnected from," she said. "We need a government that is closer to home and more accountable to the Scottish people. I think we have got a lot of problems here. We have one in five children in poverty, families queuing up at food banks. We need to be in control of our own resources to address these issues."
Those for and against independence disagree on whether Scotland would remain in the European Union and keep the pound as its currency. But charges that Scotland would be left on its own are just fear-mongering, Blair said.
A number of trade and industry groups have warned against independence. Unions are split on the issue. The British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, spends her summers in Scotland but has not taken a clear position on the referendum, saying only that the voters should consider the consequences of their choice. Regardless of the poll's outcome, most nationalists say they want the queen to remain their head of state.
Polls will close at 10 pm local time and results from the vote are expected in the early hours of Friday. Some pubs in Edinburgh have had closing times lifted so people can congregate and hear the results. Some nationalists have even already setup a border checkpoint between Scotland and England - one that looked so real some drivers actually stopped and handed over their papers.
"I'm not for or against independence, " Jon Parker Lee of Manchester said after passing the faux-checkpoint. "I just want everyone to have a good laugh."
He added that he doesn't have a firm view on Scottish independence. But - as a New Zealander - he's not allowed to vote anyway, and instead chuckles with amusement when people regard him as a typical Scot. After all, he said, there are only two types of people: "Scots and the people who wish they were Scots."
Audry Painsarnault came to Scotland with her husband and four children to hang up "no" posters and stickers around the city and to try and convince people to keep Scotland in the United Kingdom. Like Patterson, she won't be able to vote in Thursday's referendum. "My husband has Scottish ancestry so we decided if we could do some small part in all this then we would," she said. "We came with our four children to help. We want to convince people to vote - no matter what their opinions are." She added that in Canada there is a similar movement for independence among French-speaking Canadians in Quebec.
Alex Salmond, Scotland's first minister and head of the Scottish National Party, laid out a clear definition. Anyone who lives in Scotland is a Scot and can vote on the question of whether to leave the United Kingdom after more than 300 years and become an independent nation. The three latest polls show the "yes" and "no" camps nearly neck-and-neck with those opposed to independence leading with 52 percent to 48 percent, though the polls do not take the eight percent of undecided voters into account.
Ben Walker is a businessman from London who said he sees himself as a Scot and wants his home to stay in the UK with England, Wales and Northern Ireland. He regrets that he, like 800,000 other Scots living outside of Scotland, does not have a vote. "All Scots who live in England are not, under the terms of the referendum, allowed to vote." Walker said. "I would become a foreigner without having a say on it."
Campaigning in the final days leading up to the referendum has heated up, with Scottish nationalists saying they wanted to free themselves from oppression and dismissing offers of more regional autonomy as untrustworthy. Unionists then accused the nationalists of lying. Pro-British Labour Party leader Ed Miliband was even attacked during a campaign event in Edinburgh. The British tabloid press managed to dig out a few final scandals. The Scottish Daily Mail accused Salmond of megalomania for proposing that a new position be created after independence.
Claims that Scots were about to take their fate in their hands at the ballot box were made by both sides on the final day of campaigning.
"I think the emotional side is nice - I'm a Scot, I was educated here," he said. "I care quite passionately about my country. But I think from the rational side it is something we cannot afford. We are wandering into an abyss and I think we are going to be much worse off."
The economic effects would be disastrous, he said, adding: "Why would you break up one of the most successful states? The UK is not perfect, and it has the same problems as Germany or France or America or any Western democracy and independence and rampant nationalism isn't the way to solve that."
A few blocks further down the streets at the "Yes" campaign office, Rachel Blair has a different take. She said Scotland's oil reserves would bolster the country's economy.
"At the moment we have a government in London that people in Scotland feel quite disconnected from," she said. "We need a government that is closer to home and more accountable to the Scottish people. I think we have got a lot of problems here. We have one in five children in poverty, families queuing up at food banks. We need to be in control of our own resources to address these issues."
Those for and against independence disagree on whether Scotland would remain in the European Union and keep the pound as its currency. But charges that Scotland would be left on its own are just fear-mongering, Blair said.
A number of trade and industry groups have warned against independence. Unions are split on the issue. The British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, spends her summers in Scotland but has not taken a clear position on the referendum, saying only that the voters should consider the consequences of their choice. Regardless of the poll's outcome, most nationalists say they want the queen to remain their head of state.
Polls will close at 10 pm local time and results from the vote are expected in the early hours of Friday. Some pubs in Edinburgh have had closing times lifted so people can congregate and hear the results. Some nationalists have even already setup a border checkpoint between Scotland and England - one that looked so real some drivers actually stopped and handed over their papers.
"I'm not for or against independence, " Jon Parker Lee of Manchester said after passing the faux-checkpoint. "I just want everyone to have a good laugh."
Tim Cook’s Apple has ended the company’s obsession with tiny, secret teams
It’s no secret that Tim Cook is stylistically different from his predecessor, the brilliant but mercurial Steve Jobs. The leadership transition has had a dramatic effect on the company’s culture and structure, as documented by Bloomberg Business week’s latest interview with Cook. He has opened up how the company organizes departments, recruits talent is recruited, and designs products, doing away with Jobs’ more closed, compartmentalized approach.
Before Cook took over, Apple was strictly broken up into different highly specialized departments; they shared very little and were united mostly by Jobs’ presence.
Now finance and operations employees sit alongside hardware or software engineers in product roadmap sessions, teams are much larger, and Cook will pointedly ask about spending and hiring in product review sessions, to the objection of some Apple traditionalists, according to the interview.
For example, rather than walling off a small, exclusive group to design the new Apple Watch, the team “included hundreds of engineers, designers, and marketing people” as well as metallurgists and algorithm specialists.
“The lines between hardware, software, and services are blurred or are disappearing,” Cook told Business week. “The only way you can pull this off is when everyone is working together well. And not just working together well but almost blending together so that you can’t tell where people are working anymore, because they are so focused on a great experience that they are not taking functional views of things.”
Before Cook took over, Apple was strictly broken up into different highly specialized departments; they shared very little and were united mostly by Jobs’ presence.
Now finance and operations employees sit alongside hardware or software engineers in product roadmap sessions, teams are much larger, and Cook will pointedly ask about spending and hiring in product review sessions, to the objection of some Apple traditionalists, according to the interview.
For example, rather than walling off a small, exclusive group to design the new Apple Watch, the team “included hundreds of engineers, designers, and marketing people” as well as metallurgists and algorithm specialists.
“The lines between hardware, software, and services are blurred or are disappearing,” Cook told Business week. “The only way you can pull this off is when everyone is working together well. And not just working together well but almost blending together so that you can’t tell where people are working anymore, because they are so focused on a great experience that they are not taking functional views of things.”
Cook has been on a hiring spree to add expertise in the areas he lacks. Unlike Jobs, who wanted control over the entire company’s vision, Cook is more willing to let others share ownership. Cook maintains an intense focus on his particular area of expertise, management of the company’s supply chain.
Recent hires include co-founders of Beats Entertainment Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre (through Apple’s recent acquisition of the company), watchmaker Tag Heure’s Paul Pruniaux, Yves Saint Laurent’s Paul Deneve, and ex-Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts.
The aim is to shore up the company’s knowledge of selling new categories of luxury goods, but provide a diversity of experience and perspective that Cook values, Apple board member Susan Wagner said.
Though Apple’s internal management seems to have opened up, its product plans are bound to remain top secret.
New Apple devices include default kill switch
WASHINGTON - New Apple Inc phones include a theft deterrent system that enables users to lock their devices and wipe them clean of data if stolen, a victory for regulators who have long pushed the telecommunications industry to do more to stem theft.
The tool, known as a kill switch, will be standard on Apple's new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices and can be installed on previous models of iPhones starting Wednesday, according to an announcement from the office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
Schneiderman has long fought alongside New York District Attorney George Gascón to convince device manufacturers to include the kill switch as a default setting on their devices.
"This is a game changer,” said Gascón. "This is a major development that will change behavior on the street and eventually turn around this violent epidemic."
The announcement marks the first time a kill switch is present as a default option on the iPhone.
In April, Apple was among 10 device makers to sign a voluntary agreement to make the feature available on new smartphones.
In 2012, 1.6 million Americans were victimized for their smartphones, according to Schneiderman's office.
The tool, known as a kill switch, will be standard on Apple's new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices and can be installed on previous models of iPhones starting Wednesday, according to an announcement from the office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
Schneiderman has long fought alongside New York District Attorney George Gascón to convince device manufacturers to include the kill switch as a default setting on their devices.
"This is a game changer,” said Gascón. "This is a major development that will change behavior on the street and eventually turn around this violent epidemic."
The announcement marks the first time a kill switch is present as a default option on the iPhone.
In April, Apple was among 10 device makers to sign a voluntary agreement to make the feature available on new smartphones.
In 2012, 1.6 million Americans were victimized for their smartphones, according to Schneiderman's office.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
McCain Onion Rings Recalled Over Possible Glass Contamination
McCain Foods has pulled some of its frozen onion rings from the shelves over concerns they may contain glass.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the New Brunswick-based company voluntarily began the recall late last week.
The recall affects 397-gram bags of McCain frozen onion rings, with an expiry date of Oct. 28, 2015. The affected products have a lot code beginning with V40728.
Anyone who has the product should throw it away or return it to the store, the company told the Toronto Sun.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the New Brunswick-based company voluntarily began the recall late last week.
The recall affects 397-gram bags of McCain frozen onion rings, with an expiry date of Oct. 28, 2015. The affected products have a lot code beginning with V40728.
Anyone who has the product should throw it away or return it to the store, the company told the Toronto Sun.
Obama: Ebola crisis 'spiraling out of control'
President Barack Obama issued a global call to action to fight West Africa's Ebola epidemic on Tuesday, warning the deadly outbreak was unprecedented and "spiraling out of control," threatening hundreds of thousands of people.
Speaking as he unveiled a major new US initiative which will see 3,000 US military personnel deployed to West Africa to combat the growing health crisis, Obama said the outbreak was spreading "exponentially."
"Here's the hard truth. In West Africa, Ebola is now an epidemic of the likes that we have not seen before," Obama said.
"It's spiraling out of control. It is getting worse. It's spreading faster and exponentially. Today, thousands of people in West Africa are infected. That number could rapidly grow to tens of thousands.
"And if the outbreak is not stopped now, we could be looking at hundreds of thousands of people infected with profound political and economic and security implications for all of us."
As well as the military deployment, the US will also set up a command and control center in the capital of Liberia, the hardest-hit country, build new treatment centers and train health workers.
The Ebola epidemic has killed more than 2,400 people in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone this year.
The virus can fell its victims within days, causing severe fever and muscle pain, weakness, vomiting and diarrhea -- in some cases shutting down organs and causing unstoppable bleeding.
The United Nations Security Council is poised to adopt a resolution on Thursday exhorting countries to provide more field hospitals and urgent aid to the crisis-stricken region.
Likely passage of the resolution marks only the third time that the Security Council will vote on a public health crisis after resolutions on AIDS in 2000 and 2011.
The United Nations said nearly one billion dollars would be needed to beat back the worst-ever outbreak of the disease, which is on track to infect 20,000 people by the end of the year.
The world body has set a goal of stopping the spread of Ebola within six to nine months but aid agencies are complaining that help has been too slow.
Ban is planning a "high-level event" on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next week to draw attention to the crisis.
The capacity of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia to provide even the most basic necessities is "on the brink of collapse," she warned.
The United Nations said the response to the crisis would require $987.8 million (763 million euros), with about half needed for Liberia.
The World Bank meanwhile approved a $105 million grant, part of a $200 million pledge made in early August aimed at helping people cope with the economic impact of the crisis and strengthening public health systems.
"The world needs to do much, much more to respond to the Ebola crisis in these three countries," World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said in a statement.
The UN said if the international community and affected countries respond swiftly and energetically, transmission should begin to slow by the end of the year and halt by mid-2015.
China will send a 59-person mobile laboratory team from its Centre for Disease Control to Sierra Leone, including epidemiologists, clinicians and nurses -- bringing the number of Chinese medics in the country to 174, the WHO said.
The EU, Britain, France and Cuba have also pledged to send medical teams and other aid to the region.
Noting that the known Ebola toll "represents only a fraction of the real number," she stressed that "the ground response remains totally and lethally inadequate."
"The window of opportunity to contain this outbreak is closing," she warned.
Speaking as he unveiled a major new US initiative which will see 3,000 US military personnel deployed to West Africa to combat the growing health crisis, Obama said the outbreak was spreading "exponentially."
"Here's the hard truth. In West Africa, Ebola is now an epidemic of the likes that we have not seen before," Obama said.
"It's spiraling out of control. It is getting worse. It's spreading faster and exponentially. Today, thousands of people in West Africa are infected. That number could rapidly grow to tens of thousands.
"And if the outbreak is not stopped now, we could be looking at hundreds of thousands of people infected with profound political and economic and security implications for all of us."
As well as the military deployment, the US will also set up a command and control center in the capital of Liberia, the hardest-hit country, build new treatment centers and train health workers.
The Ebola epidemic has killed more than 2,400 people in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone this year.
The virus can fell its victims within days, causing severe fever and muscle pain, weakness, vomiting and diarrhea -- in some cases shutting down organs and causing unstoppable bleeding.
The United Nations Security Council is poised to adopt a resolution on Thursday exhorting countries to provide more field hospitals and urgent aid to the crisis-stricken region.
Likely passage of the resolution marks only the third time that the Security Council will vote on a public health crisis after resolutions on AIDS in 2000 and 2011.
The United Nations said nearly one billion dollars would be needed to beat back the worst-ever outbreak of the disease, which is on track to infect 20,000 people by the end of the year.
The world body has set a goal of stopping the spread of Ebola within six to nine months but aid agencies are complaining that help has been too slow.
Ban is planning a "high-level event" on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next week to draw attention to the crisis.
The capacity of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia to provide even the most basic necessities is "on the brink of collapse," she warned.
The United Nations said the response to the crisis would require $987.8 million (763 million euros), with about half needed for Liberia.
The World Bank meanwhile approved a $105 million grant, part of a $200 million pledge made in early August aimed at helping people cope with the economic impact of the crisis and strengthening public health systems.
"The world needs to do much, much more to respond to the Ebola crisis in these three countries," World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said in a statement.
The UN said if the international community and affected countries respond swiftly and energetically, transmission should begin to slow by the end of the year and halt by mid-2015.
China will send a 59-person mobile laboratory team from its Centre for Disease Control to Sierra Leone, including epidemiologists, clinicians and nurses -- bringing the number of Chinese medics in the country to 174, the WHO said.
The EU, Britain, France and Cuba have also pledged to send medical teams and other aid to the region.
Noting that the known Ebola toll "represents only a fraction of the real number," she stressed that "the ground response remains totally and lethally inadequate."
"The window of opportunity to contain this outbreak is closing," she warned.
SpaceX, Boeing land NASA contracts for manned space flight
LOS ANGELES—Boeing and SpaceX have landed NASA contracts worth a total of $6.8 billion (U.S.) to launch an astronaut into space, the agency announced Tuesday.
The contracts are aimed at continuing the final development of spacecraft that will take astronauts to the International Space Station.
Under the contracts, the companies will have a goal of performing a test flight to the space station with a NASA astronaut in 2017.
Since NASA retired its space shuttles in 2011, it has been paying the Russian government about $70 million a seat to transport U.S. astronauts to the space station. That arrangement, which was always intended to be temporary, has become strained in recent months amid tensions between Russia and the West over the situation in Ukraine and Crimea.
SpaceX, whose name is short for Space Exploration Technologies Corp., is based in Hawthorne, Calif., and helmed by entrepreneur Elon Musk. It already has a $1.6-billion contract with NASA to deliver cargo to the space station.
Chicago-based Boeing Co. has built nearly every manned spacecraft in U.S. history.
Sierra Nevada Corp. of Sparks, Nev., which has been building a space plane that closely resembles a miniature space shuttle, had also been in the running for the NASA contract.
The contracts are aimed at continuing the final development of spacecraft that will take astronauts to the International Space Station.
Under the contracts, the companies will have a goal of performing a test flight to the space station with a NASA astronaut in 2017.
Since NASA retired its space shuttles in 2011, it has been paying the Russian government about $70 million a seat to transport U.S. astronauts to the space station. That arrangement, which was always intended to be temporary, has become strained in recent months amid tensions between Russia and the West over the situation in Ukraine and Crimea.
SpaceX, whose name is short for Space Exploration Technologies Corp., is based in Hawthorne, Calif., and helmed by entrepreneur Elon Musk. It already has a $1.6-billion contract with NASA to deliver cargo to the space station.
Chicago-based Boeing Co. has built nearly every manned spacecraft in U.S. history.
Sierra Nevada Corp. of Sparks, Nev., which has been building a space plane that closely resembles a miniature space shuttle, had also been in the running for the NASA contract.
Facebook Wants To Know If I Trust It
Last week, my email address and a very old email password appeared on a list of about five million compromised accounts that was leaked onto a Russian Bitcoin forum. I hadn't used that password in ages, and thought I was safe. As it turns outs, I was wrong.
My least-often used, but largest social media account, Facebook, still used this password. Some delightful resident of Indonesia decided to log into my account with it, but luckily, the security guards over at Facebook stopped the attempt and asked me to reset my password right away, via email. They also pressured me into activating two-step verification, which I am a big fan of, but had not turned on as I log into my Facebook account so infrequently.
I felt pretty good about Facebook. For a couple days at least.
Today, I decided to log back in and torture myself with some engagement photos or cat videos, and Facebook asked me if I'd like to take a survey. I love surveys so I took Facebook up on their offer:
Well, you did protect me from being hacked by a rogue Indonesian, so, sure, I am satisfied.
We don't know one another that well, Facebook. We had a thing back in high school and we were really close during prom, but we haven't talked much since then. I don't know you like that anymore; perhaps I never did.
I decided to dig a little deeper, so as not to dismiss a potentially caring and deep relationship with Facebook so quickly. I looked into which words Twitter thinks I use most often versus the words Facebook thinks I use most often.Clearly, I share the stories I write for The Wire across both platforms (link, written, interviews), but there's also a big difference in the kind of stories I share on Twitter (dolphin, sea, putin, kiev) and Facebook (death, police, interviews, ferguson.) Twitter is reserved for more light-hearted stories that I want to discuss with random Internet folk, whereas Facebook is for more serious matters that I prefer to discuss with friends. Facebook is also a bit outdated — I have written about Kiev more recently than about police officers or Ferguson. Next, I looked at the ads I get on both networks. Facebook is trying to sell me shoes, phone cases ,and dresses. I don't actively post about any of those, but they are all generic to what my demographic is: 21-29, female, in a metropolitan city. I do like all of those things, but I am not compelled to click on any of their ads. Twitter, on the other hand, has me a little more figured out. A quick scroll down my timeline shows ads for a financial portfolio building firm I was researching for a story and Fanta, which I happen to love. It also makes sense, as I often tweet about my affection for Diet Coke. With this method, I determined that Facebook, you certainly care about the ad dollars I can produce for you, and you care a lot about figuring out who I am, but you don't really know me . You care about the version of my profile that is most profitable.
My first reaction is to click "Neither agree nor disagree." Sure, Facebook makes me feel creeped on and weird, but it hasn't actively violated my trust. It hasn't actively or consistently done anything to show it was trustworthy, either, besides this one time it protected my account from a hacker. Oh, right. That's why I got this survey at all. Because of that one hack that made me feel pretty okay about Facebook and want to start using it again. Facebook is skewing their own results with the timing of this survey. Of course their users are more likely to feel trusting of them right after the company protected them from a hack.
I decided to reach out to Facebook to learn a bit more about this strange timing and exactly what their plans were with my results. Would they show up in an investor report, used to prove to a board far more important than little old me that their mega company was very, very trustworthy? Would they become public? Well, I learned... absolutely nothing. I have no idea where that data is doing, or who inside (or outside) Facebook would be using it.
Notably, there is also no back button or the ability to change your answers:
So once you have said (well, multiple choice selected) your piece, Facebook wouldn't like to hear an updated opinion or second thought.
When the Washington Post's Brian Fung took a similar survey last year, Facebook told him, "We are constantly working to improve our service and getting regular feedback from the people who use it is an invaluable part of the process."
"Improve our service" could certainly mean "use this information in an internal investor report," meant to soothe those most invested in the company about their ability to be trustworthy. Perhaps when the public is allowed to see what they have to say about Facebook, then I would trust Facebook.
My Facebook account is now secure from whoever was in Indonesia and whoever else was scanning that list of five million hacked accounts, sure. I thank you for that Facebook, but I don't really think my account is secure from the prying eyes of your ad sales department.
My least-often used, but largest social media account, Facebook, still used this password. Some delightful resident of Indonesia decided to log into my account with it, but luckily, the security guards over at Facebook stopped the attempt and asked me to reset my password right away, via email. They also pressured me into activating two-step verification, which I am a big fan of, but had not turned on as I log into my Facebook account so infrequently.
I felt pretty good about Facebook. For a couple days at least.
Today, I decided to log back in and torture myself with some engagement photos or cat videos, and Facebook asked me if I'd like to take a survey. I love surveys so I took Facebook up on their offer:
Well, you did protect me from being hacked by a rogue Indonesian, so, sure, I am satisfied.
We don't know one another that well, Facebook. We had a thing back in high school and we were really close during prom, but we haven't talked much since then. I don't know you like that anymore; perhaps I never did.
I decided to dig a little deeper, so as not to dismiss a potentially caring and deep relationship with Facebook so quickly. I looked into which words Twitter thinks I use most often versus the words Facebook thinks I use most often.Clearly, I share the stories I write for The Wire across both platforms (link, written, interviews), but there's also a big difference in the kind of stories I share on Twitter (dolphin, sea, putin, kiev) and Facebook (death, police, interviews, ferguson.) Twitter is reserved for more light-hearted stories that I want to discuss with random Internet folk, whereas Facebook is for more serious matters that I prefer to discuss with friends. Facebook is also a bit outdated — I have written about Kiev more recently than about police officers or Ferguson. Next, I looked at the ads I get on both networks. Facebook is trying to sell me shoes, phone cases ,and dresses. I don't actively post about any of those, but they are all generic to what my demographic is: 21-29, female, in a metropolitan city. I do like all of those things, but I am not compelled to click on any of their ads. Twitter, on the other hand, has me a little more figured out. A quick scroll down my timeline shows ads for a financial portfolio building firm I was researching for a story and Fanta, which I happen to love. It also makes sense, as I often tweet about my affection for Diet Coke. With this method, I determined that Facebook, you certainly care about the ad dollars I can produce for you, and you care a lot about figuring out who I am, but you don't really know me . You care about the version of my profile that is most profitable.
My first reaction is to click "Neither agree nor disagree." Sure, Facebook makes me feel creeped on and weird, but it hasn't actively violated my trust. It hasn't actively or consistently done anything to show it was trustworthy, either, besides this one time it protected my account from a hacker. Oh, right. That's why I got this survey at all. Because of that one hack that made me feel pretty okay about Facebook and want to start using it again. Facebook is skewing their own results with the timing of this survey. Of course their users are more likely to feel trusting of them right after the company protected them from a hack.
I decided to reach out to Facebook to learn a bit more about this strange timing and exactly what their plans were with my results. Would they show up in an investor report, used to prove to a board far more important than little old me that their mega company was very, very trustworthy? Would they become public? Well, I learned... absolutely nothing. I have no idea where that data is doing, or who inside (or outside) Facebook would be using it.
Notably, there is also no back button or the ability to change your answers:
So once you have said (well, multiple choice selected) your piece, Facebook wouldn't like to hear an updated opinion or second thought.
When the Washington Post's Brian Fung took a similar survey last year, Facebook told him, "We are constantly working to improve our service and getting regular feedback from the people who use it is an invaluable part of the process."
"Improve our service" could certainly mean "use this information in an internal investor report," meant to soothe those most invested in the company about their ability to be trustworthy. Perhaps when the public is allowed to see what they have to say about Facebook, then I would trust Facebook.
My Facebook account is now secure from whoever was in Indonesia and whoever else was scanning that list of five million hacked accounts, sure. I thank you for that Facebook, but I don't really think my account is secure from the prying eyes of your ad sales department.
B.C. teachers' strike: When will schools reopen?
A tentative deal has been reached in an effort to end the B.C. teachers' strike, but a lot remains to be done before schools can reopen.
Both sides need to finalize the details of the tentative pact, which is expected to happen sometime on Tuesday.
Then the province's 41,000 public school teachers will have to vote on the proposed contract.
A date for a ratification vote has not yet been announced, but B.C. Teachers' Federation spokeswoman Nancy Knickerbocker tweeted that teachers could vote on the tentative deal on Thursday.
David Komlenjovic, president of the Kamloops/Thompson Teachers' Association and a member of the provincial bargaining committee says he expects classes to resume next week.
"The executive still has to ratify it provincially, recommend it to the membership, and once the membership has ratified it, students could be back in school by Monday."
Lots of work to be done
Vancouver School Board trustee Mike Lombardi says school administrators have been doing what they can to prepare for a swift return to classes, but it will take time.
He says there may be specific details regarding the back-to-school protocol in the tentative deal — if that's the case, they would dictate how soon classes can begin.
Administrators need to assign teachers to classes, and then those teachers will need time to prepare for students.
School counsellors also need to draw up new schedules for students, in particular those who were unable to make up classes at summer school.
"In our secondary schools, the administrator is not the one who does the timetable. The timetable is specifically done by the counsellors, and so the counsellors are part of the union. So we're going to have to wait until we see exactly what kids' courses look like."
Lombardi says there may be difficulty working out missed summer school courses for some students.
In addition, administrators say schools, which have behind picket lines for three months, need to be cleaned.
It all suggests students could be back in school likely Monday next week.
Some schools have professional development days scheduled for Monday and it remains unclear what will happen in those cases.
Both sides need to finalize the details of the tentative pact, which is expected to happen sometime on Tuesday.
Then the province's 41,000 public school teachers will have to vote on the proposed contract.
A date for a ratification vote has not yet been announced, but B.C. Teachers' Federation spokeswoman Nancy Knickerbocker tweeted that teachers could vote on the tentative deal on Thursday.
David Komlenjovic, president of the Kamloops/Thompson Teachers' Association and a member of the provincial bargaining committee says he expects classes to resume next week.
"The executive still has to ratify it provincially, recommend it to the membership, and once the membership has ratified it, students could be back in school by Monday."
Lots of work to be done
Vancouver School Board trustee Mike Lombardi says school administrators have been doing what they can to prepare for a swift return to classes, but it will take time.
He says there may be specific details regarding the back-to-school protocol in the tentative deal — if that's the case, they would dictate how soon classes can begin.
Administrators need to assign teachers to classes, and then those teachers will need time to prepare for students.
School counsellors also need to draw up new schedules for students, in particular those who were unable to make up classes at summer school.
"In our secondary schools, the administrator is not the one who does the timetable. The timetable is specifically done by the counsellors, and so the counsellors are part of the union. So we're going to have to wait until we see exactly what kids' courses look like."
Lombardi says there may be difficulty working out missed summer school courses for some students.
In addition, administrators say schools, which have behind picket lines for three months, need to be cleaned.
It all suggests students could be back in school likely Monday next week.
Some schools have professional development days scheduled for Monday and it remains unclear what will happen in those cases.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Apple says sees record demand for new iPhones
Apple on Monday said it had received record pre-orders for its new iPhone models, and that some customers will have to wait for the larger-screen versions of the smartphones.
The California tech giant said more than four million pre-orders were received in the 24 hours after the new devices went on sale last Friday.
"Demand for the new iPhones exceeds the initial pre-order supply and while a significant amount will be delivered to customers beginning on Friday and throughout September, many iPhone pre-orders are scheduled to be delivered in October," Apple said in a statement.
Apple last week unveiled the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, in a move aimed at satisfying consumer preference for bigger smartphone displays.
The announcement means Apple may see shortages and long lines at its retail stores when sales begin on Friday.
"Pre-orders for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus set a new record for Apple, and we can't wait to get our best iPhones yet into the hands of customers starting this Friday,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in the statement.
Sales are set to open at 8 am local time in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and Britain. Some 20 more countries will get the iPhone September 26.
Some of the new iPhones will also be available from carriers and other retailers.
Apple last Tuesday unveiled its first smartwatch and two large-screen versions of the iPhone, in a move to recapture its role as a trend-setter.
Apple added in a new mobile wallet that will allow consumers to simply tap their phones to pay retailers.
New iPhone 6 models boost screen sizes in what some see as the company catching up to a "phablet" trend combining features of smartphones and tablets.
The frenzy at Apple's website on Friday indicated that in the eyes of myriad iPhone lovers, bigger is indeed better.
Apple's main rival Samsung has long had a range of larger handsets and has tried to market a smartwatch of its own.
The iPhone 6 will have a screen of 4.7 inches and the 6-Plus will be 5.5 inches, allowing Apple to adapt to consumers' apparent preference for bigger displays.
The California tech giant said more than four million pre-orders were received in the 24 hours after the new devices went on sale last Friday.
"Demand for the new iPhones exceeds the initial pre-order supply and while a significant amount will be delivered to customers beginning on Friday and throughout September, many iPhone pre-orders are scheduled to be delivered in October," Apple said in a statement.
Apple last week unveiled the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, in a move aimed at satisfying consumer preference for bigger smartphone displays.
The announcement means Apple may see shortages and long lines at its retail stores when sales begin on Friday.
"Pre-orders for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus set a new record for Apple, and we can't wait to get our best iPhones yet into the hands of customers starting this Friday,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in the statement.
Sales are set to open at 8 am local time in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and Britain. Some 20 more countries will get the iPhone September 26.
Some of the new iPhones will also be available from carriers and other retailers.
Apple last Tuesday unveiled its first smartwatch and two large-screen versions of the iPhone, in a move to recapture its role as a trend-setter.
Apple added in a new mobile wallet that will allow consumers to simply tap their phones to pay retailers.
New iPhone 6 models boost screen sizes in what some see as the company catching up to a "phablet" trend combining features of smartphones and tablets.
The frenzy at Apple's website on Friday indicated that in the eyes of myriad iPhone lovers, bigger is indeed better.
Apple's main rival Samsung has long had a range of larger handsets and has tried to market a smartwatch of its own.
The iPhone 6 will have a screen of 4.7 inches and the 6-Plus will be 5.5 inches, allowing Apple to adapt to consumers' apparent preference for bigger displays.
First Formula E Race Shockingly Electrifying
Beijing hosted the world's first ever Formula E (electric motor car) race Saturday, featuring 10 teams of two drivers each weaving through a circuit around the city's Olympic Park.
The 10-stop international circuit ending in June is meant to promote both the electric technology—something China hopes to use to cut down on air pollution—and attract new fans for a budding sport.
Team Audi won the weekend's inaugural race following a dramatic final lap crash between the leading cars and here are the major takeaways from the new sport's first outing:
About 75,000 spectators showed up to the never-before-seen sport, including many local residents. The trick? The international event only required a park entrance fee.
But besides the low rate, the competition brought a unique feel to the city, one that wasn't just about racing, but about innovation as well. As the South China Morning Post reported from the scene, fans "lined the track sides, carrying children on their shoulders as the futuristic whine of the cars sounded across the track, and techno music added to the atmosphere." Fans were also encouraged to use a program called FanBoost, which they could use to vote for their favorite drivers.
The race also didn't require Beijing itself to invest exorbitant time and resources into planning and programming. Formula E can pack everything—practice rounds, qualifying races, and the hour-long competition—into a single day, a marked difference from the three days usually required for other series.
With about $100 million in backing from Formula One veterans and notable names like Sir Richard Branson and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, the series had plenty of room for developing faster energy-saving cars. The result: The Spark-Renault SRT_01E, which all drivers are using for this first international circuit.
The car features top-of-the-line elements, from its tires to its steering wheel. The all-weather tires designed by Michelin can last the whole race, meaning each Formula E car received only 10 tires for the race weekend, compared to the whopping 52 Formula One cars receive. The massive battery pack, which occupies the space usually meant for the engine and gas tank in F1 cars, weights about 772 pounds, but can accelerate a car past 150 mph at top speeds. The motor also yields just 80 decibels, far quieter than the 130 decibels F1 cars emit around the track.
What does this all mean? For one thing, it proves electric cars are quieter, durable, and will have no trouble picking up speed. As Beijing native Wang Zhigang told The New York Times, "I had no idea electric cars could be so fast."
For another, China's willing to pursue the electric cars. According to The Times, the country aims to have five million of the vehicles in use by 2020. Of course, ordinary consumers will have to be convinced into buying electric cars first. China may be the largest market for electric cars, but as NPR noted, it's still home to cheap gas and skeptical residents.
While the cars clearly work, they're meant to be a first step on the road toward creating a popular electric car.
"We expect this championship to become the framework for research and development around the electric car, a key element for the future of our cities," Alejandro Agag, the Spanish businessman who, along with the International Automobile Federation President Jean Todt, first came up with the idea in 2011, told the race's website.
And development is inevitable. The cars may be fast, but they're not quite furious: Because one battery can't last the whole race, drivers must stop and change into a new car halfway through. For this first circuit, all drivers are using the same car, therefore all having to do so, but in the future, teams will be able to design their own cars, researching and possibly finding paths around the obstacle.
"Right now, we are going to be going about 25 to 30 minutes with the battery at 130 to 140 miles an hour," former racecar driver Michael Andretti told CBC News in Beijing, where he had a Formula E team. "Five years from now, we'll probably be going 200 miles an hour with a battery that is half the weight that goes two or three times farther. That is what competition does."
The 10-stop international circuit ending in June is meant to promote both the electric technology—something China hopes to use to cut down on air pollution—and attract new fans for a budding sport.
Team Audi won the weekend's inaugural race following a dramatic final lap crash between the leading cars and here are the major takeaways from the new sport's first outing:
About 75,000 spectators showed up to the never-before-seen sport, including many local residents. The trick? The international event only required a park entrance fee.
But besides the low rate, the competition brought a unique feel to the city, one that wasn't just about racing, but about innovation as well. As the South China Morning Post reported from the scene, fans "lined the track sides, carrying children on their shoulders as the futuristic whine of the cars sounded across the track, and techno music added to the atmosphere." Fans were also encouraged to use a program called FanBoost, which they could use to vote for their favorite drivers.
The race also didn't require Beijing itself to invest exorbitant time and resources into planning and programming. Formula E can pack everything—practice rounds, qualifying races, and the hour-long competition—into a single day, a marked difference from the three days usually required for other series.
With about $100 million in backing from Formula One veterans and notable names like Sir Richard Branson and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, the series had plenty of room for developing faster energy-saving cars. The result: The Spark-Renault SRT_01E, which all drivers are using for this first international circuit.
The car features top-of-the-line elements, from its tires to its steering wheel. The all-weather tires designed by Michelin can last the whole race, meaning each Formula E car received only 10 tires for the race weekend, compared to the whopping 52 Formula One cars receive. The massive battery pack, which occupies the space usually meant for the engine and gas tank in F1 cars, weights about 772 pounds, but can accelerate a car past 150 mph at top speeds. The motor also yields just 80 decibels, far quieter than the 130 decibels F1 cars emit around the track.
What does this all mean? For one thing, it proves electric cars are quieter, durable, and will have no trouble picking up speed. As Beijing native Wang Zhigang told The New York Times, "I had no idea electric cars could be so fast."
For another, China's willing to pursue the electric cars. According to The Times, the country aims to have five million of the vehicles in use by 2020. Of course, ordinary consumers will have to be convinced into buying electric cars first. China may be the largest market for electric cars, but as NPR noted, it's still home to cheap gas and skeptical residents.
While the cars clearly work, they're meant to be a first step on the road toward creating a popular electric car.
"We expect this championship to become the framework for research and development around the electric car, a key element for the future of our cities," Alejandro Agag, the Spanish businessman who, along with the International Automobile Federation President Jean Todt, first came up with the idea in 2011, told the race's website.
And development is inevitable. The cars may be fast, but they're not quite furious: Because one battery can't last the whole race, drivers must stop and change into a new car halfway through. For this first circuit, all drivers are using the same car, therefore all having to do so, but in the future, teams will be able to design their own cars, researching and possibly finding paths around the obstacle.
"Right now, we are going to be going about 25 to 30 minutes with the battery at 130 to 140 miles an hour," former racecar driver Michael Andretti told CBC News in Beijing, where he had a Formula E team. "Five years from now, we'll probably be going 200 miles an hour with a battery that is half the weight that goes two or three times farther. That is what competition does."
British PM warns Scots against vote for independence
British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday made a trip to Scotland to urge Scots to vote against independence and warned them of dire consequences otherwise in his most forceful speech yet ahead of this week's historic referendum.
Cameron was speaking in Aberdeen on what could be his last visit to Scotland before the vote on Thursday and promised to give Scotland sweeping new powers in the event of a "No" result against independence.
"Head, heart and soul, we want you to stay," Cameron said to applause from a mostly elderly audience of hundreds of people who were bussed in for the event in a city that is a hub for Scotland's offshore oil and gas industry.
"Independence would not be a trial separation, it would be a painful divorce," he warned.
A "Yes" victory would endanger pensions and put up a physical border between England and Scotland that "may not be so easily crossed," he continued.
He said Scotland's pro-independence government had outlined a future that was "too good to be true", and added: "I don't want the people of Scotland to be sold a dream that will disappear."
"There is no going back from this", he said.
A "Yes" win would be "the end of a country that all of us call home, and we built this home together".
The United States has stepped into Scotland's knife-edge debate by saying that it hoped to maintain its "special relationship" with a "united" Britain.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest stressed that Washington respected the right of Scots to decide their future in Thursday's referendum, but hoped for a "strong, robust and united" ally.
The upped pressure to keep the United Kingdom together, though, was dismissed by 73-year-old Ron Fowlie, a Scottish resident handing out pro-independence leaflets in Aberdeen's city centre.
He said he was "confident" of victory and stated: "We would like to run our own country."
Asked about the opinion polls, he said: "It seems to be 50-50, so half of the population will be disappointed."
Gilliam Wanterbberin, 39, who attended Cameron's speech, was more sympathetic to the pro-unity stance. "He's done a good thing in coming here and not staying in London," he said.
With polls showing an extremely tight vote on Thursday, campaigners for and against keeping Scotland in the United Kingdom were pulling out all stops.
English football icon David Beckham lent his support to the "Better Together" camp and pro-UK campaigners held a rally in Trafalgar Square in London.
Meanwhile, Scotland's pro-independence first minister, Alex Salmond, met some business leaders who have argued that leaving the United Kingdom makes economic sense.
"This is about creating a more prosperous Scotland but also about creating a fairer society," Salmond said, accusing Cameron of "orchestration" in getting other business leaders to come out against independence.
"People have got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in three days' time to put Scotland's future in Scotland's hands," he said.
Support for a "Yes" vote has grown in recent weeks. The campaign got a further boost on Sunday with top Scottish bands Franz Ferdinand and Mogwai playing a gig in the capital Edinburgh and encouraging Scots to cast ballots against the union.
"People are excited. The 'Yes' camp, I feel, are more invigorated," Calum Forbes, a 22-year-old recent graduate and "Yes" supporter, said at the concert.
Three surveys published over the weekend put the pro-union campaign ahead by varying margins: 47 percent for "No" to 40.8 percent for "Yes" in a poll by Survation; 47.7 to 42.3 percent in an Opinium survey; and 47.1 to 46.1 percent in a Panelbase poll.
Cameron was speaking in Aberdeen on what could be his last visit to Scotland before the vote on Thursday and promised to give Scotland sweeping new powers in the event of a "No" result against independence.
"Head, heart and soul, we want you to stay," Cameron said to applause from a mostly elderly audience of hundreds of people who were bussed in for the event in a city that is a hub for Scotland's offshore oil and gas industry.
"Independence would not be a trial separation, it would be a painful divorce," he warned.
A "Yes" victory would endanger pensions and put up a physical border between England and Scotland that "may not be so easily crossed," he continued.
He said Scotland's pro-independence government had outlined a future that was "too good to be true", and added: "I don't want the people of Scotland to be sold a dream that will disappear."
"There is no going back from this", he said.
A "Yes" win would be "the end of a country that all of us call home, and we built this home together".
The United States has stepped into Scotland's knife-edge debate by saying that it hoped to maintain its "special relationship" with a "united" Britain.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest stressed that Washington respected the right of Scots to decide their future in Thursday's referendum, but hoped for a "strong, robust and united" ally.
The upped pressure to keep the United Kingdom together, though, was dismissed by 73-year-old Ron Fowlie, a Scottish resident handing out pro-independence leaflets in Aberdeen's city centre.
He said he was "confident" of victory and stated: "We would like to run our own country."
Asked about the opinion polls, he said: "It seems to be 50-50, so half of the population will be disappointed."
Gilliam Wanterbberin, 39, who attended Cameron's speech, was more sympathetic to the pro-unity stance. "He's done a good thing in coming here and not staying in London," he said.
With polls showing an extremely tight vote on Thursday, campaigners for and against keeping Scotland in the United Kingdom were pulling out all stops.
English football icon David Beckham lent his support to the "Better Together" camp and pro-UK campaigners held a rally in Trafalgar Square in London.
Meanwhile, Scotland's pro-independence first minister, Alex Salmond, met some business leaders who have argued that leaving the United Kingdom makes economic sense.
"This is about creating a more prosperous Scotland but also about creating a fairer society," Salmond said, accusing Cameron of "orchestration" in getting other business leaders to come out against independence.
"People have got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in three days' time to put Scotland's future in Scotland's hands," he said.
Support for a "Yes" vote has grown in recent weeks. The campaign got a further boost on Sunday with top Scottish bands Franz Ferdinand and Mogwai playing a gig in the capital Edinburgh and encouraging Scots to cast ballots against the union.
"People are excited. The 'Yes' camp, I feel, are more invigorated," Calum Forbes, a 22-year-old recent graduate and "Yes" supporter, said at the concert.
Three surveys published over the weekend put the pro-union campaign ahead by varying margins: 47 percent for "No" to 40.8 percent for "Yes" in a poll by Survation; 47.7 to 42.3 percent in an Opinium survey; and 47.1 to 46.1 percent in a Panelbase poll.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
ISIS war chest grows by an estimated $3M every day
Islamic State militants, who once relied on wealthy Persian Gulf donors for money, have become a self-sustaining financial juggernaut, earning more than $3 million a day from oil smuggling, human trafficking, theft and extortion, according to U.S. intelligence officials and private experts.
The extremist group's resources exceed that "of any other terrorist group in history," said a U.S. intelligence official who, like others interviewed, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss classified assessments. Such riches are one reason that American officials are so concerned about the group even while acknowledging they have no evidence it is plotting attacks against the United States.
The Islamic State group has taken over large sections of Syria and Iraq, and controls as many as 11 oil fields in both countries, analysts say. It is selling oil and other goods through generations-old smuggling networks under the noses of some of the same governments it is fighting: Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq, Turkey and Jordan.
While U.S. intelligence does not assess that those governments are complicit in the smuggling, the Obama administration is pressing them do to more to crack down. The illicit oil is generally transported on tanker trucks, analysts said.
"There's a lot of money to be made," said Denise Natali, who worked in Kurdistan as an American aid official and is now a senior research fellow at National Defense University. "The Kurds say they have made an attempt to close it down, but you pay off a border guard you pay off somebody else and you get stuff through."
The price the Islamic State group fetches for its smuggled oil is discounted — $25 to $60 for a barrel of oil that normally sells for more than $100 — but its total profits from oil are exceeding $3 million a day, said Luay al-Khatteeb, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution's Doha Center in Qatar.
The group also has earned hundreds of millions of dollars from smuggling antiquities out of Iraq to be sold in Turkey, al-Khatteeb said, and millions more from human trafficking by selling women and children as sex slaves.
Other revenue comes from extortion payments, ransom from kidnapped hostages, and outright theft of all manner of materials from the towns the Islamic State group has seized, analysts say.
"It's cash-raising activities resemble those of a mafia-like organization," a second U.S. intelligence official said, reflecting the assessment of his agency. "They are well-organized, systematic and enforced through intimidation and violence."
Extortion, bank robberies, ransom
Even prior to seizing Mosul in June, for example, the group began to impose "taxes" on nearly every facet of economic activity, threatening death for those unwilling to pay, U.S. intelligence officials say. An analysis by the Council on Foreign Relations estimated the group was reaping $8 million a month from extortion in Mosul alone.
Once the group took over Mosul, in northern Iraq, and other areas, it grabbed millions of dollars in cash from banks, though not the hundreds of millions initially reported, U.S. intelligence officials say.
This spring, four French and two Spanish journalists held hostage by Islamic State extremists were freed after their governments paid multimillion-dollar ransoms through intermediaries.
The Islamic State group "has managed to successfully translate territorial control in northern Syria and portions of Iraq into a means of revenue generation," said a third U.S. intelligence official.
Analysts say the group is relying on the fact that the area along the border between Iraq and Turkey has long been a smugglers haven, and was made more so by the fall of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in 2003. Generations of families have illicitly moved goods through the region.
The Islamic State is the successor to al-Qaeda in Iraq, which was founded by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. For a time, the group was allied with the Nusra Front, the al-Qaida affiliate that is a key player among the rebels battling Syrian President Bashar Assad. The Islamic State group has since broken with the Nusra Front and al-Qaeda.
In the early days of the Syrian civil war, the Islamic State group was funded in large part by donations from wealthy residents of Gulf States, including Kuwait and Qatar, American officials have said.
"A number of fundraisers operating in more permissive jurisdictions — particularly in Kuwait and Qatar — are soliciting donations to fund ... al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, the Nusra Front, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS)," David Cohen, the Treasury department's top counterterrorism official, said in a speech in March.
That stream of funding has diminished in recent months as the group's violent tactics have drawn worldwide attention, U.S. intelligence officials say.
The group's reliance on oil as its main source of revenue could easily be disrupted by American airstrikes, officials say. But so far, no decision has been made to target Iraqi or Syrian oil infrastructure, which is serviced by civilian workers who may have been conscripted.
The extremist group's resources exceed that "of any other terrorist group in history," said a U.S. intelligence official who, like others interviewed, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss classified assessments. Such riches are one reason that American officials are so concerned about the group even while acknowledging they have no evidence it is plotting attacks against the United States.
The Islamic State group has taken over large sections of Syria and Iraq, and controls as many as 11 oil fields in both countries, analysts say. It is selling oil and other goods through generations-old smuggling networks under the noses of some of the same governments it is fighting: Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq, Turkey and Jordan.
While U.S. intelligence does not assess that those governments are complicit in the smuggling, the Obama administration is pressing them do to more to crack down. The illicit oil is generally transported on tanker trucks, analysts said.
"There's a lot of money to be made," said Denise Natali, who worked in Kurdistan as an American aid official and is now a senior research fellow at National Defense University. "The Kurds say they have made an attempt to close it down, but you pay off a border guard you pay off somebody else and you get stuff through."
The price the Islamic State group fetches for its smuggled oil is discounted — $25 to $60 for a barrel of oil that normally sells for more than $100 — but its total profits from oil are exceeding $3 million a day, said Luay al-Khatteeb, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution's Doha Center in Qatar.
The group also has earned hundreds of millions of dollars from smuggling antiquities out of Iraq to be sold in Turkey, al-Khatteeb said, and millions more from human trafficking by selling women and children as sex slaves.
Other revenue comes from extortion payments, ransom from kidnapped hostages, and outright theft of all manner of materials from the towns the Islamic State group has seized, analysts say.
"It's cash-raising activities resemble those of a mafia-like organization," a second U.S. intelligence official said, reflecting the assessment of his agency. "They are well-organized, systematic and enforced through intimidation and violence."
Extortion, bank robberies, ransom
Even prior to seizing Mosul in June, for example, the group began to impose "taxes" on nearly every facet of economic activity, threatening death for those unwilling to pay, U.S. intelligence officials say. An analysis by the Council on Foreign Relations estimated the group was reaping $8 million a month from extortion in Mosul alone.
Once the group took over Mosul, in northern Iraq, and other areas, it grabbed millions of dollars in cash from banks, though not the hundreds of millions initially reported, U.S. intelligence officials say.
This spring, four French and two Spanish journalists held hostage by Islamic State extremists were freed after their governments paid multimillion-dollar ransoms through intermediaries.
The Islamic State group "has managed to successfully translate territorial control in northern Syria and portions of Iraq into a means of revenue generation," said a third U.S. intelligence official.
Analysts say the group is relying on the fact that the area along the border between Iraq and Turkey has long been a smugglers haven, and was made more so by the fall of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in 2003. Generations of families have illicitly moved goods through the region.
The Islamic State is the successor to al-Qaeda in Iraq, which was founded by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. For a time, the group was allied with the Nusra Front, the al-Qaida affiliate that is a key player among the rebels battling Syrian President Bashar Assad. The Islamic State group has since broken with the Nusra Front and al-Qaeda.
In the early days of the Syrian civil war, the Islamic State group was funded in large part by donations from wealthy residents of Gulf States, including Kuwait and Qatar, American officials have said.
"A number of fundraisers operating in more permissive jurisdictions — particularly in Kuwait and Qatar — are soliciting donations to fund ... al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, the Nusra Front, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS)," David Cohen, the Treasury department's top counterterrorism official, said in a speech in March.
That stream of funding has diminished in recent months as the group's violent tactics have drawn worldwide attention, U.S. intelligence officials say.
The group's reliance on oil as its main source of revenue could easily be disrupted by American airstrikes, officials say. But so far, no decision has been made to target Iraqi or Syrian oil infrastructure, which is serviced by civilian workers who may have been conscripted.
Family-owned businesses disappear amid more opportunity for young Londoners
Two very different downtown businesses with a shared history and a shared challenge: No family members interested in continuing their tradition.
In the same week that Kingsmill’s department store was cleaning out the last of its stock and getting ready to lock the doors a final time, Mascot co-owner Peter Veregiris announced his restaurant would be closing after 43 years in business.
In a region that has had more than its share of youth unemployment, one may think it would be easy for the owners of family businesses find young relatives ready to pick up the torch.
But that’s increasingly not the case.
“I honestly think the kids these days have so much more opportunities than a family business,” says Janette MacDonald, executive director at the Downtown London business association.
“I think there is definitely room in our economy for family businesses, and there is a lot of them in Covent Garden Market that have gone on for some time. But (there’s also the fact) that a lot of the jobs kids are doing these days, weren’t around 10 years ago.”
Sean Quigley, executive director at Emerging Leaders, sees several reasons why the younger generation may not want to run with what their families started.
“One of the big things, and it happened during the 1930s stock market crash, is in times of economic decline when things are tough, a lot of the younger generation start their own businesses,” said Quigley.
Another factor may be these family owned businesses do not have a clear succession plan in place to move the business from one generation to another.
“It is an important question,” he said. “I have heard it a lot in organizations that are 30 people or less, that many of them have some big issues with succession planning.
“With people retiring later, there is less and less opportunity for younger people to get the experience they need to step into those leadership positions.”
In the same week that Kingsmill’s department store was cleaning out the last of its stock and getting ready to lock the doors a final time, Mascot co-owner Peter Veregiris announced his restaurant would be closing after 43 years in business.
In a region that has had more than its share of youth unemployment, one may think it would be easy for the owners of family businesses find young relatives ready to pick up the torch.
But that’s increasingly not the case.
“I honestly think the kids these days have so much more opportunities than a family business,” says Janette MacDonald, executive director at the Downtown London business association.
“I think there is definitely room in our economy for family businesses, and there is a lot of them in Covent Garden Market that have gone on for some time. But (there’s also the fact) that a lot of the jobs kids are doing these days, weren’t around 10 years ago.”
Sean Quigley, executive director at Emerging Leaders, sees several reasons why the younger generation may not want to run with what their families started.
“One of the big things, and it happened during the 1930s stock market crash, is in times of economic decline when things are tough, a lot of the younger generation start their own businesses,” said Quigley.
Another factor may be these family owned businesses do not have a clear succession plan in place to move the business from one generation to another.
“It is an important question,” he said. “I have heard it a lot in organizations that are 30 people or less, that many of them have some big issues with succession planning.
“With people retiring later, there is less and less opportunity for younger people to get the experience they need to step into those leadership positions.”
NYPD Gets Training on How to Gain Followers and Influence on Twitter
For a department that's still trying to figure out how to recover from the #MyNYPD debacle, the New York Police Department should be commended on their perseverance to learn the Twitterverse — and now they're doing it in the classroom with course materials and everything.
The New York Post got its hands on the NYPD's new social media handbook which, among other things, coaches officers to use humor to gain followers and interest.
“Tasteful humor is good,” it says.
It goes on to offer tips on how to make people LOL in 140 characters or less, citing real tweets from San Francisco cops as examples.
One reads: “Officers just arrested a naked man in the bison paddock in GG [Golden Gate] Park. The bison seemed unimpressed.”
By contrast, it tells cops not to post boring, jargon-filled tweets, such as, “Officers responded to an apartment on the 2500 block of Turk St. regarding a burglary.”
Top brass is expected to tweet at least four time a day — and not everybody is happy about the additional requirements. “It’s a lot more work … Now I have to worry about social media on top of everything else I have to do,” one police source told the Post.
If they can get it right, police departments report that social media definitely helps them in their work and in building good relations with their community.A 2013 social media survey from the International Association of Chiefs of Police found that 96 percent of police departments use social media in some capacity, 80 percent say it has helped them solve crimes, and 73 percent of agencies said it helped improve police-community relationships in their jurisdiction.
The New York Post got its hands on the NYPD's new social media handbook which, among other things, coaches officers to use humor to gain followers and interest.
“Tasteful humor is good,” it says.
It goes on to offer tips on how to make people LOL in 140 characters or less, citing real tweets from San Francisco cops as examples.
One reads: “Officers just arrested a naked man in the bison paddock in GG [Golden Gate] Park. The bison seemed unimpressed.”
By contrast, it tells cops not to post boring, jargon-filled tweets, such as, “Officers responded to an apartment on the 2500 block of Turk St. regarding a burglary.”
Top brass is expected to tweet at least four time a day — and not everybody is happy about the additional requirements. “It’s a lot more work … Now I have to worry about social media on top of everything else I have to do,” one police source told the Post.
If they can get it right, police departments report that social media definitely helps them in their work and in building good relations with their community.A 2013 social media survey from the International Association of Chiefs of Police found that 96 percent of police departments use social media in some capacity, 80 percent say it has helped them solve crimes, and 73 percent of agencies said it helped improve police-community relationships in their jurisdiction.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Athletico Stun Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid secured a magnificent away 1-2 victory to consign their great rivals Real Madrid to their worst start to a league campaign in nine years, leaving manager Carlo Ancelotti under huge pressure. The visitors took the lead after just 10 minutes when Tiago was left unmarked to head home Koke’s corner delivery. Real Madrid’s vulnerability at set pieces was once again highlighted, they have now conceded three goals in their last two games. But Ancelotti’s side bounced back on 26 minutes when Ronaldo converted from the penalty spot. The Ballon d’Or winner fell under the challenge of Guilherme Siqueira and he stepped up to net his fourth goal of the season so far. Real dominated the remainder of the first-half, but looked rather lacklustre in the second period and, inspired by a host of changes, Atletico grabbed all three points when Arda Turin slammed in the winner 14 minutes before time after a clever dummy from Raul Garcia allowed the substitute space and time to slide the ball into the bottom corner. Atletico now have seven points on the board having won two league matches and drawing one, but the pressure grows on Ancelotti and his team as they trail leaders Barcelona by six points. In their last league outing, Real let slip a two-goal lead and lost 4-2 at Real Sociedad at the end of August and it was another disappointing display from the European champions, who have just spent heavily to bolster their star-studded squad.
Cars that drive themselves starting to chat with each other
DETROIT - An Acura RLX sedan demonstrated an unusual way to tow another car this week: the vehicles were not physically attached. The second car drove itself, following instructions beamed over by the first in a feat of technology that indicates a new stage in automation is happening faster than many expected.
Systems that enable vehicles to communicate with each other have been developed in recent years in parallel with features that enable cars to drive themselves. Manufacturers and suppliers now are putting the two together in novel ways, with broad implications for vehicle safety and convenience.
General Motors Co, Honda Motor Co, which owns Acura, and other automakers are working with traditional suppliers and startup firms. Tech giants Google, with its pioneering work on driverless cars, and Apple, which is working with automakers to embed greater connectivity in their cars, are accelerating the change.
"It is the mix of big companies -- Apple, Google, the automakers and the data aggregators -- that starts to create momentum. Two years ago, it was different. It was a promise. Today, it’s reality," said Laurens Eckelboom, executive vice president of business development at Parkmobile, a smart-parking startup whose investors include BMW AG and Ford Motor Chairman Bill Ford's venture capital firm Fontinalis Partners.
A "truck platooning" application by Peloton Technology, a startup based in California's Silicon Valley, is intended to save fuel and reduce collisions.
As with virtual towing, a "platoon" of two heavy trucks use wireless communication and computer-controlled braking and acceleration to keep in close formation on the highway, according to a description by the company, which expects to start selling the technology late next year at $2,000 per truck plus a share of the projected operating savings.
The total price tag for widespread adaption of such features could be steep. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates automakers will need to spend billions of dollars to install safety systems that automatically assist drivers and could be mandated by 2020, when the industry expects the first self-driving cars to start easing onto roads.
There are other risks and issues including reliability, cybersecurity and legal liability.
"What happens if a self-driving car gets into an accident? Who is liable for the damages? Will the human ‘copilot’ be at fault or will the car’s manufacturer?," the Center for Insurance Policy and Research wrote last month, citing "a long list of safety and legal issues to iron out before self-driving cars hit the road.”
All the razzle-dazzle technology promised by automakers and regulators "shouldn't take our eyes off the prize -- cars that don't crash," Jon Lauckner, GM's chief technology officer, said at the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress in Detroit this week.
Citi analyst Itay Michaeli said the convergence of connected and automated technologies also has the potential to reduce vehicle emissions and fuel usage, and bring down vehicle operating and insurance costs.
Active safety, including hands-free driver assistance and accident avoidance, was a common thread of many technical discussions and technology advances on display at the ITS show, which attracted 10,000 engineers, scientists and researchers, ending on Thursday.
Automakers are starting to put more of the new technologies on the road "to get some experience and see how the market reacts in advance of the government requiring it," said Jeff Owens, Delphi Automotive chief technology officer.
Price is still a big question. Some advanced systems could cost two to three times more to develop than early adopters are likely to pay, several industry insiders estimated in conversations at the show.
Even with just a few semi-automated systems installed, the price tag remains stiff, although recent studies have shown car buyers are willing to pay about $3,000 to have hands-free driving capability.
The Chrysler Group, a unit of Italy’s Fiat SpA, is charging nearly $3,500 for a technology bundle on its new 2015 Chrysler 200C sedan that includes adaptive cruise control, which automatically applies brakes and throttle to keep a vehicle a safe distance behind the one ahead; lane departure warning with lane keep assist, which automatically redirects a vehicle that is drifting out of its traffic lane; blind spot and cross path detection, which helps the driver monitor the presence of vehicles, and automatic park assist.
GM's Cadillac brand hasn't said how much its new Smart Cruise system will cost when it debuts in about two years. The system is designed to enable hands-free driving on the freeway with automatic steering, braking and throttle, as well as using GM's OnStar system to provide location, weather and traffic information to the automated systems.
But drivers should not expect to take a snooze. "We are talking about 'automated' driving features, not autonomous driving," with Smart Cruise, warned spokesman Jim Cain. "We will have strategies in place to keep the driver alert and engaged."
Systems that enable vehicles to communicate with each other have been developed in recent years in parallel with features that enable cars to drive themselves. Manufacturers and suppliers now are putting the two together in novel ways, with broad implications for vehicle safety and convenience.
General Motors Co, Honda Motor Co, which owns Acura, and other automakers are working with traditional suppliers and startup firms. Tech giants Google, with its pioneering work on driverless cars, and Apple, which is working with automakers to embed greater connectivity in their cars, are accelerating the change.
"It is the mix of big companies -- Apple, Google, the automakers and the data aggregators -- that starts to create momentum. Two years ago, it was different. It was a promise. Today, it’s reality," said Laurens Eckelboom, executive vice president of business development at Parkmobile, a smart-parking startup whose investors include BMW AG and Ford Motor Chairman Bill Ford's venture capital firm Fontinalis Partners.
A "truck platooning" application by Peloton Technology, a startup based in California's Silicon Valley, is intended to save fuel and reduce collisions.
As with virtual towing, a "platoon" of two heavy trucks use wireless communication and computer-controlled braking and acceleration to keep in close formation on the highway, according to a description by the company, which expects to start selling the technology late next year at $2,000 per truck plus a share of the projected operating savings.
The total price tag for widespread adaption of such features could be steep. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates automakers will need to spend billions of dollars to install safety systems that automatically assist drivers and could be mandated by 2020, when the industry expects the first self-driving cars to start easing onto roads.
There are other risks and issues including reliability, cybersecurity and legal liability.
"What happens if a self-driving car gets into an accident? Who is liable for the damages? Will the human ‘copilot’ be at fault or will the car’s manufacturer?," the Center for Insurance Policy and Research wrote last month, citing "a long list of safety and legal issues to iron out before self-driving cars hit the road.”
All the razzle-dazzle technology promised by automakers and regulators "shouldn't take our eyes off the prize -- cars that don't crash," Jon Lauckner, GM's chief technology officer, said at the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress in Detroit this week.
Citi analyst Itay Michaeli said the convergence of connected and automated technologies also has the potential to reduce vehicle emissions and fuel usage, and bring down vehicle operating and insurance costs.
Active safety, including hands-free driver assistance and accident avoidance, was a common thread of many technical discussions and technology advances on display at the ITS show, which attracted 10,000 engineers, scientists and researchers, ending on Thursday.
Automakers are starting to put more of the new technologies on the road "to get some experience and see how the market reacts in advance of the government requiring it," said Jeff Owens, Delphi Automotive chief technology officer.
Price is still a big question. Some advanced systems could cost two to three times more to develop than early adopters are likely to pay, several industry insiders estimated in conversations at the show.
Even with just a few semi-automated systems installed, the price tag remains stiff, although recent studies have shown car buyers are willing to pay about $3,000 to have hands-free driving capability.
The Chrysler Group, a unit of Italy’s Fiat SpA, is charging nearly $3,500 for a technology bundle on its new 2015 Chrysler 200C sedan that includes adaptive cruise control, which automatically applies brakes and throttle to keep a vehicle a safe distance behind the one ahead; lane departure warning with lane keep assist, which automatically redirects a vehicle that is drifting out of its traffic lane; blind spot and cross path detection, which helps the driver monitor the presence of vehicles, and automatic park assist.
GM's Cadillac brand hasn't said how much its new Smart Cruise system will cost when it debuts in about two years. The system is designed to enable hands-free driving on the freeway with automatic steering, braking and throttle, as well as using GM's OnStar system to provide location, weather and traffic information to the automated systems.
But drivers should not expect to take a snooze. "We are talking about 'automated' driving features, not autonomous driving," with Smart Cruise, warned spokesman Jim Cain. "We will have strategies in place to keep the driver alert and engaged."
Friday, September 12, 2014
Want to fight global warming? Watch some car racing this weekend
Here’s the most important thing you can do this weekend: Turn on the television.
Formula E, a new motor racing championship, begins in Beijing tomorrow. The E stands for electric. As in electric cars. And there’s a lot riding on its success.
The money put in by sponsors is one thing. The investment by the participating teams is another, as are the jobs that have been created as a result. But if the new championship is a success, the most important outcome will not be profits for firms or continued employment for drivers, but the very future of private mobility.
The thinking goes something like this: Motor races in the late 19th and early 20th centuries drove some of the most major advancements in automotive technology. Developments by Peugeot in the 1910s had big effects on engine design. Later, things like fuel injection, commonplace in modern cars, were a direct result of innovations on the race track, says John Heitmann, president of the Society of Automotive Historians and a professor at the University of Dayton. Heitmann sees a similar revolution if electric car racing takes off. “There’s inordinate promise for technology transfer to go from racing to production,” he says.
The question of sustainability has been dogging motor sports for years. Even as Formula 1 has grown into a global behemoth, it has tried to reduce its environmental impact by changing engines to be more efficient. But that is incremental change. Formula E presents the chance to rethink engines altogether, and to create a market for innovation in electric cars and batteries.
“Motor sport has been losing a bit of its relevance. So this was a way to come back to where the mainstream is and to bring relevance to motor sport and do something useful for society,” says Alejandro Agag, a former Formula 1 man who owns the rights to Formula E and runs the company handling and promoting the championship.
Agag and his team have faced criticism along the way. Purists complain that the cars are too silent (hear for yourself in the video above), and that audience engagement tactics such as giving an extra power boost to the driver who receives the most tweets—perhaps materially altering the outcome of the race—are too gimmicky. But Agag argues that such innovations are necessary for a sport created in the 21st century. “It’s a designed media strategy consistent with the way media works in the modern world,” he says.
Formula E, a new motor racing championship, begins in Beijing tomorrow. The E stands for electric. As in electric cars. And there’s a lot riding on its success.
The money put in by sponsors is one thing. The investment by the participating teams is another, as are the jobs that have been created as a result. But if the new championship is a success, the most important outcome will not be profits for firms or continued employment for drivers, but the very future of private mobility.
The thinking goes something like this: Motor races in the late 19th and early 20th centuries drove some of the most major advancements in automotive technology. Developments by Peugeot in the 1910s had big effects on engine design. Later, things like fuel injection, commonplace in modern cars, were a direct result of innovations on the race track, says John Heitmann, president of the Society of Automotive Historians and a professor at the University of Dayton. Heitmann sees a similar revolution if electric car racing takes off. “There’s inordinate promise for technology transfer to go from racing to production,” he says.
The question of sustainability has been dogging motor sports for years. Even as Formula 1 has grown into a global behemoth, it has tried to reduce its environmental impact by changing engines to be more efficient. But that is incremental change. Formula E presents the chance to rethink engines altogether, and to create a market for innovation in electric cars and batteries.
“Motor sport has been losing a bit of its relevance. So this was a way to come back to where the mainstream is and to bring relevance to motor sport and do something useful for society,” says Alejandro Agag, a former Formula 1 man who owns the rights to Formula E and runs the company handling and promoting the championship.
Agag and his team have faced criticism along the way. Purists complain that the cars are too silent (hear for yourself in the video above), and that audience engagement tactics such as giving an extra power boost to the driver who receives the most tweets—perhaps materially altering the outcome of the race—are too gimmicky. But Agag argues that such innovations are necessary for a sport created in the 21st century. “It’s a designed media strategy consistent with the way media works in the modern world,” he says.
Apple's confusing map of Canada
TORONTO - Apple seems to be a little confused when it comes to Canadian geography.
Consumers who hit Apple.ca to pre-order one of the company's new iPhones and clicked on a link about delivery timelines saw an error-riddled map of Canada.
Apple appeared to have mixed up the nation's capital and Ontario's capital, and placed Ottawa roughly where Toronto should be on the map.
Edmonton is also seen to be northwest of Calgary, instead of northeast.
And St. John's, N.L. is missing its apostrophe.
A comment from Apple was not immediately available.
Consumers who hit Apple.ca to pre-order one of the company's new iPhones and clicked on a link about delivery timelines saw an error-riddled map of Canada.
Apple appeared to have mixed up the nation's capital and Ontario's capital, and placed Ottawa roughly where Toronto should be on the map.
Edmonton is also seen to be northwest of Calgary, instead of northeast.
And St. John's, N.L. is missing its apostrophe.
A comment from Apple was not immediately available.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Football: Early Liga boost on offer for old foes Real, Atletico
MADRID: A seventh Madrid derby of the year tops the bill as Spain's four Champions League representatives face off on Saturday (Sep 13) ahead of the kick-off of their group stage campaigns in midweek.
Real Madrid and La Liga champions Atletico meet again at the Santiago Bernabeu for the third time already this season with Atletico having emerged victorious over two legs in the Spanish Super Cup last month.
Los Blancos' victory over Atletico in the Champions League final in Lisbon meant both teams from the capital ended the season happy. But Atletico boss Diego Simeone claimed his side's triumph in breaking Real and Barca's hegemony of the Spanish title was the greater achievement.
"For me to win the league is as good as it gets because it is what the fans live day-by-day," Simeone told Argentine newspaper Clarin. "A league is 38 games competing against two enormously powerful teams. To maintain their rhythm is almost impossible and we managed to do it."
Atletico's 1-0 win at the Bernabeu 12 months ago proved the launching pad to their title run and they could move four points clear of Real should they repeat the feat this weekend.
Carlo Ancelotti's men endured a horror show in San Sebastian just before the international break as they let a 2-0 lead slip to lose 4-2 to Real Sociedad. Madrid were without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo due to his ongoing knee problems for that defeat, but he is hopeful of returning to face Atletico having also sat out Portugal's shock 1-0 reverse to Albania.
Real's other injury concern surrounds right-back Dani Carvajal, who had to pull out of Spain's 5-1 thrashing of Macedonia due to a hamstring problem. The 22-year-old is not expected to recover in time and, according to Spanish press reports, Ancelotti will switch one of centre-backs Raphael Varane or Sergio Ramos out to the flank to help combat Atletico's height advantage at set-pieces.
Real Madrid and La Liga champions Atletico meet again at the Santiago Bernabeu for the third time already this season with Atletico having emerged victorious over two legs in the Spanish Super Cup last month.
Los Blancos' victory over Atletico in the Champions League final in Lisbon meant both teams from the capital ended the season happy. But Atletico boss Diego Simeone claimed his side's triumph in breaking Real and Barca's hegemony of the Spanish title was the greater achievement.
"For me to win the league is as good as it gets because it is what the fans live day-by-day," Simeone told Argentine newspaper Clarin. "A league is 38 games competing against two enormously powerful teams. To maintain their rhythm is almost impossible and we managed to do it."
Atletico's 1-0 win at the Bernabeu 12 months ago proved the launching pad to their title run and they could move four points clear of Real should they repeat the feat this weekend.
Carlo Ancelotti's men endured a horror show in San Sebastian just before the international break as they let a 2-0 lead slip to lose 4-2 to Real Sociedad. Madrid were without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo due to his ongoing knee problems for that defeat, but he is hopeful of returning to face Atletico having also sat out Portugal's shock 1-0 reverse to Albania.
Real's other injury concern surrounds right-back Dani Carvajal, who had to pull out of Spain's 5-1 thrashing of Macedonia due to a hamstring problem. The 22-year-old is not expected to recover in time and, according to Spanish press reports, Ancelotti will switch one of centre-backs Raphael Varane or Sergio Ramos out to the flank to help combat Atletico's height advantage at set-pieces.
Canadian Forces to school Kurds on ‘art and science’ of air strikes
The roughly 70 special forces soldiers Canada is deploying to Iraq have yet to start their mission, but these elite troops would be able to teach Kurdish fighters everything from marking targets for air strikes to operating high-tech communications gear.
Stephen Harper has committed Canadian soldiers to Iraq for a 30-day assignment, although it is widely believed Ottawa will ultimately extend what the government insists is not a combat mission. Canadians will operate in northern Iraq as military advisers to Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State militants who are wreaking havoc there.
Canadian special forces soldiers are not yet fighting in Iraq, but soldiers are already on the ground to conduct advance planning and determine what equipment troops need to bring.
Military sources say one benefit of sending members of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment rather than regular forces is efficiency: these troops are largely self-reliant and can operate without significant support staff.
The government has been occupied in recent days obtaining visas for the soldiers and hammering out a “status-of-forces agreement” with Iraq, the sovereign authority in the region. This agreement will be part of diplomatic notes exchanged between Ottawa and Baghdad and defines what legal protections and rules – Canadian military law or Iraqi law – will cover Canadian troops in various scenarios.
The government has not detailed what sort of military advice Canadians might offer the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, except to say it would include instruction on conventional warfare techniques. The Canadian Special Operations Regiment regularly works with foreign military and security forces.
“People keep saying Peshmergas don’t need instructions on how to fight. But that’s not what Canada would bring to the mix,” said an official with the Canadian military who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Marking targets for air strikes is an example of aid special forces soldiers could provide the Kurds, the official said.
“Planning for, co-ordinating and organizing air strikes is an art and science.”
The United States has been attacking Islamic State forces from the air, and Britain has not ruled out air strikes as allies ramp up their efforts to degrade and destroy the militia.
Other lessons Canadian soldiers could impart include instructing the Kurds on using more sophisticated communications equipment, global positioning system gear and infrared beacons that reduce the chances allied aircraft will mistakenly attack them, and help troops avoid shooting each other at night.
“They’re not used to operating in a coalition and with air cover,” the official said.
Canada’s special forces soldiers might also offer instruction in sophisticated battlefield first aid that, with medical advances in the past decade, makes it more likely injured soldiers will survive.
It is not clear what equipment Canadian soldiers might ship with them to Iraq to help the Kurds. Asked earlier this week whether Canada might bring Chinook helicopters or drones to Iraq, General Tom Lawson, the Chief of the Defence Staff, told reporters troops would bring neither.
The Canadians will work alongside U.S. military advisers, but will remain under Canada’s direction and control, the government says. U.S. President Barack Obama recently announced he would deploy 475 more soldiers to assist forces in Iraq fighting the Islamic State, bringing the total number of U.S. soldiers sent there to about 1,600.
Stephen Harper has committed Canadian soldiers to Iraq for a 30-day assignment, although it is widely believed Ottawa will ultimately extend what the government insists is not a combat mission. Canadians will operate in northern Iraq as military advisers to Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State militants who are wreaking havoc there.
Canadian special forces soldiers are not yet fighting in Iraq, but soldiers are already on the ground to conduct advance planning and determine what equipment troops need to bring.
Military sources say one benefit of sending members of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment rather than regular forces is efficiency: these troops are largely self-reliant and can operate without significant support staff.
The government has been occupied in recent days obtaining visas for the soldiers and hammering out a “status-of-forces agreement” with Iraq, the sovereign authority in the region. This agreement will be part of diplomatic notes exchanged between Ottawa and Baghdad and defines what legal protections and rules – Canadian military law or Iraqi law – will cover Canadian troops in various scenarios.
The government has not detailed what sort of military advice Canadians might offer the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, except to say it would include instruction on conventional warfare techniques. The Canadian Special Operations Regiment regularly works with foreign military and security forces.
“People keep saying Peshmergas don’t need instructions on how to fight. But that’s not what Canada would bring to the mix,” said an official with the Canadian military who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Marking targets for air strikes is an example of aid special forces soldiers could provide the Kurds, the official said.
“Planning for, co-ordinating and organizing air strikes is an art and science.”
The United States has been attacking Islamic State forces from the air, and Britain has not ruled out air strikes as allies ramp up their efforts to degrade and destroy the militia.
Other lessons Canadian soldiers could impart include instructing the Kurds on using more sophisticated communications equipment, global positioning system gear and infrared beacons that reduce the chances allied aircraft will mistakenly attack them, and help troops avoid shooting each other at night.
“They’re not used to operating in a coalition and with air cover,” the official said.
Canada’s special forces soldiers might also offer instruction in sophisticated battlefield first aid that, with medical advances in the past decade, makes it more likely injured soldiers will survive.
It is not clear what equipment Canadian soldiers might ship with them to Iraq to help the Kurds. Asked earlier this week whether Canada might bring Chinook helicopters or drones to Iraq, General Tom Lawson, the Chief of the Defence Staff, told reporters troops would bring neither.
The Canadians will work alongside U.S. military advisers, but will remain under Canada’s direction and control, the government says. U.S. President Barack Obama recently announced he would deploy 475 more soldiers to assist forces in Iraq fighting the Islamic State, bringing the total number of U.S. soldiers sent there to about 1,600.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
This sports car runs on saltwater—but it’s no threat to Tesla
When a months-old company called NanoFlowcell AG showed up at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2014, debuting its prototype for a “supercar” powered by saltwater-filled flow battery, onlookers appeared intrigued but skeptical.
Yes, the Quant e-Sportlimousine was snazzy, and enough research was being done to suggest that liquid-flow batteries (which combine the technologies in regular batteries and fuel cells) could be the future of electric cars, but there was good reason to question the car’s prospects. NanoFlowcell’s founder, Nunzio La Vecchia, had brought another “Quant” car to Geneva before, in 2009, which never made it past the auto show circuit. And though La Vecchia insisted that NanoFlowcell’s 2014 prototype was completely different, few were convinced that it would ever be seen on actual roads. “It’s possible we can see this type of system utilized in the next few decades,” wrote Topspeed.com. “So check back with TopSpeed in 20 years or so for any updates.”
But now that the Quant e-Sportlimousine has been approved for use on European roads, there’s more enthusiasm, and some in the tech media are making the inevitable comparison with the high-profile luxury electric carmaker Tesla Motors and its Model S. The concept of the car, after all, is stupendously attractive. It has four motors—one for each wheel—powered by electricity generated from a process of filtering ionic liquid, or saltwater. The car carries the electrolyte fluids in two adjacent 200-liter tanks separated by a membrane. The fluids in each tank are slightly different, and it’s the reaction between them when they cross the membrane that creates electricity.
NanoFlowcell says its car can go for 370 miles on a single charge. Among the other (somewhat outlandish, and as yet unverified) claims: It takes 2.8 seconds to go from 0 to 62 miles per hour (the Tesla Model S takes 4.2 seconds to do the same); has a top speed of 218 mph (almost 100 mph faster than the Tesla S); and peaks at 920 horsepower (compared to 416 for the Tesla S). Until road tests get underway, though, this might as well be fantasy. At least it’s a beautiful one:
General Electric has been working on flow battery technology for years and announced in August 2013 that it aimed to power a car with a water-based battery for 240 miles, though there is no word on whether much progress has been made there. Flow cell batteries have the potential to power cars three times as far and for one-fourth the cost of lithium-ion batteries (the sort that industry darling Tesla Motors is betting big on), according to GE. Flow cell batteries are said to be safer, lighter, and easier to recharge than lithium-ion ones, as well.
It’s a shame, then, that the makers of the Quant e-Sportlimousine had to put their amazing saltwater battery in a car that, should it ever hit the market, may cost about $1.7 million, making Tesla’s Model S luxury electric car look like a bargain at $70,000 to $95,000.
And that’s why Tesla probably has nothing to worry about here: If the only way to get a saltwater-powered battery into a car is to price it like a moderately sized mansion, then lithium-ion batteries just look even better.
Yes, the Quant e-Sportlimousine was snazzy, and enough research was being done to suggest that liquid-flow batteries (which combine the technologies in regular batteries and fuel cells) could be the future of electric cars, but there was good reason to question the car’s prospects. NanoFlowcell’s founder, Nunzio La Vecchia, had brought another “Quant” car to Geneva before, in 2009, which never made it past the auto show circuit. And though La Vecchia insisted that NanoFlowcell’s 2014 prototype was completely different, few were convinced that it would ever be seen on actual roads. “It’s possible we can see this type of system utilized in the next few decades,” wrote Topspeed.com. “So check back with TopSpeed in 20 years or so for any updates.”
But now that the Quant e-Sportlimousine has been approved for use on European roads, there’s more enthusiasm, and some in the tech media are making the inevitable comparison with the high-profile luxury electric carmaker Tesla Motors and its Model S. The concept of the car, after all, is stupendously attractive. It has four motors—one for each wheel—powered by electricity generated from a process of filtering ionic liquid, or saltwater. The car carries the electrolyte fluids in two adjacent 200-liter tanks separated by a membrane. The fluids in each tank are slightly different, and it’s the reaction between them when they cross the membrane that creates electricity.
NanoFlowcell says its car can go for 370 miles on a single charge. Among the other (somewhat outlandish, and as yet unverified) claims: It takes 2.8 seconds to go from 0 to 62 miles per hour (the Tesla Model S takes 4.2 seconds to do the same); has a top speed of 218 mph (almost 100 mph faster than the Tesla S); and peaks at 920 horsepower (compared to 416 for the Tesla S). Until road tests get underway, though, this might as well be fantasy. At least it’s a beautiful one:
General Electric has been working on flow battery technology for years and announced in August 2013 that it aimed to power a car with a water-based battery for 240 miles, though there is no word on whether much progress has been made there. Flow cell batteries have the potential to power cars three times as far and for one-fourth the cost of lithium-ion batteries (the sort that industry darling Tesla Motors is betting big on), according to GE. Flow cell batteries are said to be safer, lighter, and easier to recharge than lithium-ion ones, as well.
It’s a shame, then, that the makers of the Quant e-Sportlimousine had to put their amazing saltwater battery in a car that, should it ever hit the market, may cost about $1.7 million, making Tesla’s Model S luxury electric car look like a bargain at $70,000 to $95,000.
And that’s why Tesla probably has nothing to worry about here: If the only way to get a saltwater-powered battery into a car is to price it like a moderately sized mansion, then lithium-ion batteries just look even better.
Italy named world's top destination by Condé Nast readers
For the second consecutive year, the boot-shaped nation was named best overall destination in the Readers' Travel Awards conducted by Condé Nast Traveller UK.
With an overall rating of 94.49/100, Italy was ranked first among destination countries according to readers of the prestigious magazine, which is known as a key influencer in the luxury tourism sector. The country's culture and cuisine were cited as some of its most outstanding assets. With a score of 93.89, the US came in second, followed by France in third with 92.98. Readers gave both countries particularly high ratings in the accommodations category.
The survey indicates that Oceania is home to some of the world's most outstanding scenery, as Australia and New Zealand (sixth and seventh overall, respectively) scored the highest in this category. Greece, meanwhile, in fifth place, was praised for the hospitality of the local people.
In addition to polling readers on their favorite countries for travel, the magazine asked for their picks for best cities, best hotels and best islands, among other categories.
Parrot Cay by COMO in the Turks & Caicos took top spot for 'best of the best' in terms of hotels, as well as first place in The Americas & Caribbean, while first place in The Middle East, Africa, & The Indian Ocean was nabbed by Soneva Fushi in the Maldives; New Zealand's Huka Lodge in Taupo ranked highest in Australasia & The South Pacifc; Thailand's Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai got the highest score in Asia & India; and The Bristol Paris was voted best hotel in the Europe, Turkey & Russia region.
When it came to top non-UK cities, New York came in first, followed by Paris, Rome, Barcelona and Venice.
As part of the survey, Condé Nast Traveller readers were asked to rate destinations, hotels, islands, tour operators, airports and other travel industry players based on different criteria.
The full results of the Condé Nast Traveller Readers' Travel Awards can be found in the October issue of the British magazine.
With an overall rating of 94.49/100, Italy was ranked first among destination countries according to readers of the prestigious magazine, which is known as a key influencer in the luxury tourism sector. The country's culture and cuisine were cited as some of its most outstanding assets. With a score of 93.89, the US came in second, followed by France in third with 92.98. Readers gave both countries particularly high ratings in the accommodations category.
The survey indicates that Oceania is home to some of the world's most outstanding scenery, as Australia and New Zealand (sixth and seventh overall, respectively) scored the highest in this category. Greece, meanwhile, in fifth place, was praised for the hospitality of the local people.
In addition to polling readers on their favorite countries for travel, the magazine asked for their picks for best cities, best hotels and best islands, among other categories.
Parrot Cay by COMO in the Turks & Caicos took top spot for 'best of the best' in terms of hotels, as well as first place in The Americas & Caribbean, while first place in The Middle East, Africa, & The Indian Ocean was nabbed by Soneva Fushi in the Maldives; New Zealand's Huka Lodge in Taupo ranked highest in Australasia & The South Pacifc; Thailand's Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai got the highest score in Asia & India; and The Bristol Paris was voted best hotel in the Europe, Turkey & Russia region.
When it came to top non-UK cities, New York came in first, followed by Paris, Rome, Barcelona and Venice.
As part of the survey, Condé Nast Traveller readers were asked to rate destinations, hotels, islands, tour operators, airports and other travel industry players based on different criteria.
The full results of the Condé Nast Traveller Readers' Travel Awards can be found in the October issue of the British magazine.
Microsoft near $2B deal to buy Minecraft maker, sources say
Microsoft Corp., maker of the Xbox video-game console, is in discussions to acquire Mojang AB, the software company behind the popular game Minecraft, for more than $2 billion, three people with knowledge of the talks said.
Microsoft, the world’s largest software maker, is in serious talks with four-year-old Mojang, said the people, who asked not to be named because the negotiations aren’t public. The deal may be concluded as soon as this week, though next week is more likely, said two people.
A purchase of Mojang would be the biggest deal struck since Satya Nadella took over as Microsoft’s chief executive officer in February, succeeding Steve Ballmer. Nadella has been shifting the company’s focus more toward Web-based services and cloud computing. It has also renewed a push to woo serious gamers to the Xbox, following a lacklustre attempt to turn the system into a device to serve up broader content such as movies and music.
“It’s one of the greatest success stories in gaming over the last 10 years,” said Doug Creutz, an analyst at Cowen & Co. in New York, referring to Mojang. “They’ve sold a lot of copies of Minecraft over the Xbox.”
Frank Shaw, a spokesman for Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft, declined to comment Tuesday. Jonas Maartensson, a vice president at Stockholm-based Mojang, declined to comment. Microsoft’s talks with Mojang were reported earlier Tuesday by the Wall Street Journal.
If a deal is reached, Microsoft plans to pay for an acquisition with cash held overseas, one person familiar with the company said. That would have favourable tax consequences for the software maker, whose vast majority of cash and short-term investments are kept outside the U.S.
The deal came together after Mojang founder Markus Persson reached out to Microsoft a few months ago, based on a positive working relationship on Minecraft for Xbox, said the person familiar with Microsoft.
The two companies quickly agreed on a framework and approximate price and have been working out the details since, the person said. Persson will help out with the transition, though he is unlikely to remain beyond that, according to the person.
Xbox chief Phil Spencer has a close relationship with Persson, and has flown out to have dinners with the Mojang founder, another person familiar with Microsoft said.
The software maker calculates it can boost Minecraft sales by expanding the number of game users through Microsoft’s position in video games and computers, and by expanding licensing for things like toys and movies, said one of the people.
Persson founded Mojang in 2010, after he coded Minecraft on a lark in 2009 as a side project when he came home from working his day job at King.com, a U.K.-based gaming site.
For a while, users could only buy Minecraft on Persson’s website, where it retailed for 15 euros. The game puts users inside a vast, pixelated landscape. The goal, as much as there is one, is to avoid being eaten by monsters that come out after dark. By April 2011, Minecraft, which is a bit like playing Lego in a virtual world, had sold more than 1.75 million copies.
Minecraft is made for multiple platforms including consoles, computers and mobile devices. As of June, Mojang had sold more than 54 million copies of the game in all its forms. It was the No. 2 bestselling game by physical retail copies sold in July for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, behind Sony Corp.’s The Last of Us for PlayStation consoles, according to research firm NPD Group Inc. It was the No. 3 game in June.
Minecraft was made available for the newest generation of consoles, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, earlier this month. Microsoft, if it completes the deal, will keep the game available for rival products, said two people familiar with the company’s plans.
The company thinks that this kind of product, like its Office productivity software, has to be available with high-quality versions for multiple platforms, including those of its rivals, the person with knowledge of Microsoft’s thinking said.
Microsoft, the world’s largest software maker, is in serious talks with four-year-old Mojang, said the people, who asked not to be named because the negotiations aren’t public. The deal may be concluded as soon as this week, though next week is more likely, said two people.
A purchase of Mojang would be the biggest deal struck since Satya Nadella took over as Microsoft’s chief executive officer in February, succeeding Steve Ballmer. Nadella has been shifting the company’s focus more toward Web-based services and cloud computing. It has also renewed a push to woo serious gamers to the Xbox, following a lacklustre attempt to turn the system into a device to serve up broader content such as movies and music.
“It’s one of the greatest success stories in gaming over the last 10 years,” said Doug Creutz, an analyst at Cowen & Co. in New York, referring to Mojang. “They’ve sold a lot of copies of Minecraft over the Xbox.”
Frank Shaw, a spokesman for Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft, declined to comment Tuesday. Jonas Maartensson, a vice president at Stockholm-based Mojang, declined to comment. Microsoft’s talks with Mojang were reported earlier Tuesday by the Wall Street Journal.
If a deal is reached, Microsoft plans to pay for an acquisition with cash held overseas, one person familiar with the company said. That would have favourable tax consequences for the software maker, whose vast majority of cash and short-term investments are kept outside the U.S.
The deal came together after Mojang founder Markus Persson reached out to Microsoft a few months ago, based on a positive working relationship on Minecraft for Xbox, said the person familiar with Microsoft.
The two companies quickly agreed on a framework and approximate price and have been working out the details since, the person said. Persson will help out with the transition, though he is unlikely to remain beyond that, according to the person.
Xbox chief Phil Spencer has a close relationship with Persson, and has flown out to have dinners with the Mojang founder, another person familiar with Microsoft said.
The software maker calculates it can boost Minecraft sales by expanding the number of game users through Microsoft’s position in video games and computers, and by expanding licensing for things like toys and movies, said one of the people.
Persson founded Mojang in 2010, after he coded Minecraft on a lark in 2009 as a side project when he came home from working his day job at King.com, a U.K.-based gaming site.
For a while, users could only buy Minecraft on Persson’s website, where it retailed for 15 euros. The game puts users inside a vast, pixelated landscape. The goal, as much as there is one, is to avoid being eaten by monsters that come out after dark. By April 2011, Minecraft, which is a bit like playing Lego in a virtual world, had sold more than 1.75 million copies.
Minecraft is made for multiple platforms including consoles, computers and mobile devices. As of June, Mojang had sold more than 54 million copies of the game in all its forms. It was the No. 2 bestselling game by physical retail copies sold in July for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, behind Sony Corp.’s The Last of Us for PlayStation consoles, according to research firm NPD Group Inc. It was the No. 3 game in June.
Minecraft was made available for the newest generation of consoles, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, earlier this month. Microsoft, if it completes the deal, will keep the game available for rival products, said two people familiar with the company’s plans.
The company thinks that this kind of product, like its Office productivity software, has to be available with high-quality versions for multiple platforms, including those of its rivals, the person with knowledge of Microsoft’s thinking said.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Apple Watch, iPhone 6 models, Apple Pay unveiled
For the first time in years, Apple's iPhones aren't the star of the show. Apple unveiled a smartwatch on Tuesday, a wearable device that marks the company's first major entry in a new product category since the iPad's debut in 2010.
The move is significant because of recent questions about whether Apple still has a knack for innovating following the 2011 death of co-founder Steve Jobs.
The device's introduction upstaged the company's two new, larger iPhones, which won't just have bigger screens; they'll have a new, horizontal viewing mode to take advantage of the larger display.
The iPhone 6 will have a screen measuring 4.7 inches, while the iPhone 6 Plus will be 5.5 inches. In both cases, app developers will be able to design apps that can be viewed differently when the phone is held horizontally.
Apple also introduced a system for using the phone to make credit card payments at retail stores.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based company streamed the event live online — something it does not necessarily do for product unveiling events.
But the livestream went down for many users about a half-hour in, prompting many to take to Twitter to express their frustrations. Apple provided a live blog for those unable to access the live webcast.
The audience erupted with cheers as Cook proclaimed that he had, "one more thing." It was how Jobs used to close his keynote addresses.
That one more thing was Apple's upcoming smartwatch. It's called the Apple Watch, rather than the iWatch that many people had been speculating.
Consumer electronics companies have yet to demonstrate a compelling need for smartwatches, while bracelets have largely been niche products aimed at tracking fitness activities. Apple's device looks to change that.
Much of the interaction would be through the dial on the watch, which Apple calls the digital crown. You use that to zoom in and out of a map, for instance, so you're not blocking the screen, which would have occurred if you were pinching in and out to zoom.
Apple also worked with app developers to create new functionality. You'll be able to unlock room doors at Starwood hotels or remind yourself where you parked your car with a BMW app.
The new watch will come in a variety of styles and straps, with a choice of two sizes. Watches from competing vendors have been criticized for being too big for smaller arms.
The watch will require one of the new iPhones or an iPhone 5, 5s or 5c. It will be available early next year at a starting price of $349US.
Now, Apple is increasing that. The iPhone 6 will have a 4.7-inch screen, while the iPhone 6 Plus will be 5.5 inches. The screen resolution on the Plus version will be sharper than previous iPhones, at 401 pixels per inch rather than 326.
With the larger screen comes a new horizontal view of the home screen. Usually, icons are stacked vertically, even when the phone is turned horizontally. App developers will also have new tools to rearrange their content to take advantage of that larger screen.
The new phones aren't as big as Samsung's latest flagship phones — 5.1 inches for the Galaxy S5 and 5.7 inches for the Note 4 — but they will be large enough to neutralize a key advantage Samsung and other Android manufacturers have had.
Notably, Samsung's Note phone isn't getting bigger this year. Last year's Note 3 was 5.7 inches. Instead, Samsung is emphasizing other hardware features, such as a sharper screen. It's also releasing a model with a curved edge to display weather, time and other information on the side of the phone.
Apple says the new phones will be faster and have better battery life than previous versions. The phones will also have a new sensor, the barometer, to estimate how much you've climbed stairs, not just how far you've walked or run.
Of course, some people still use their phones to actually make calls. When there's poor cellular reception, people will be able to make regular calls over Wi-Fi. The handoff between the two networks will be seamless. In the U.S., this feature will initially be available through T-Mobile.
The resolution on the camera is staying at 8 megapixels, while rival Android and Windows phones have been boosting that. The S5, for instance, is at 16 megapixels. However, the megapixel count is only one factor in what makes a good photo. Apple says it is putting in new sensors for better shots.
Apple is also improving a slow-motion video feature by allowing even slower shots. The camera will be able to take 240 frames per second, double what's in last year's iPhone 5s. Normally, video is at 60 frames per second.
The new phones will start shipping in Canada, the U.S. and a number of other countries on Sept. 19, with advance orders to begin this Friday.
In Canada, the iPhone 6 will start at $749 with 16 gigabytes of storage and the iPhone 6 Plus will start at $849.
Starting prices in the U.S. will be comparable to those in the past — $199 with a two-year contract for the iPhone 6 with 16 gigabytes of storage. However, the step-up models will have double the memory than before — $299US for 64 gigabytes and $399US
for 128 gigabytes. The iPhone 6 Plus phones will cost $100 more at each configuration.
You'll be able to use your phone's camera to capture a photo of your card. Apple will verify it behind the scenes and add it to your phone's Passbook account so you can make payments at a retailer. Apple announced several merchants that will accept this system, including Macy's, Whole Foods, Walgreens and Disney stores — and of course, Apple stores.
Many companies have tried to push mobile payment services, but none has caught on widely. Cook says that's because the business models have been centred around companies' self-interest instead of the user experience. The latter, Cook says, is "exactly what Apple does best."
For security, the card number is stored only on the device. Each time you pay, a one-time card number is created to make the transaction.
Though much of the attention has been on new gadgets, the software powering those gadgets is getting its annual refresh. Apple considers iOS 8 to be its biggest update since the introduction of the app store in 2008.
Existing iPhone and iPad users will be eligible for the free upgrade, too. Apple takes pride in pushing existing customers to the latest software, allowing app developers to incorporate new features without worrying about abandoning existing users. With Android, many recent phones can't be upgraded right away because of restrictions placed by manufacturers and wireless carriers.
Among other things, iOS 8 will let devices work better in sync. For instance, it'll be possible to start a message on an iPhone and finish it on an iPad. With an upcoming Mac upgrade called Yosemite, it'll be possible to continue working on that same message on a Mac computer as well.
The new iOS software will also let people do more things without jumping from app to app. For example, if a text message comes in as you're composing an email, you'll be able to pull down the text from the top edge and send a reply, all without leaving the email app.
A new keyboard aims to predict what you're about to type, going beyond standard spell-checking. You can install keyboards from outside parties, too, something Android already allows.
In fact, Apple is opening up more of its features to outside developers than in the past. The fingerprint sensor on iPhones won't be restricted to Apple's own services, for instance.
The new software will be available to existing users on Sept. 17.
The move is significant because of recent questions about whether Apple still has a knack for innovating following the 2011 death of co-founder Steve Jobs.
The device's introduction upstaged the company's two new, larger iPhones, which won't just have bigger screens; they'll have a new, horizontal viewing mode to take advantage of the larger display.
The iPhone 6 will have a screen measuring 4.7 inches, while the iPhone 6 Plus will be 5.5 inches. In both cases, app developers will be able to design apps that can be viewed differently when the phone is held horizontally.
Apple also introduced a system for using the phone to make credit card payments at retail stores.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based company streamed the event live online — something it does not necessarily do for product unveiling events.
But the livestream went down for many users about a half-hour in, prompting many to take to Twitter to express their frustrations. Apple provided a live blog for those unable to access the live webcast.
The audience erupted with cheers as Cook proclaimed that he had, "one more thing." It was how Jobs used to close his keynote addresses.
That one more thing was Apple's upcoming smartwatch. It's called the Apple Watch, rather than the iWatch that many people had been speculating.
Consumer electronics companies have yet to demonstrate a compelling need for smartwatches, while bracelets have largely been niche products aimed at tracking fitness activities. Apple's device looks to change that.
Much of the interaction would be through the dial on the watch, which Apple calls the digital crown. You use that to zoom in and out of a map, for instance, so you're not blocking the screen, which would have occurred if you were pinching in and out to zoom.
Apple also worked with app developers to create new functionality. You'll be able to unlock room doors at Starwood hotels or remind yourself where you parked your car with a BMW app.
The new watch will come in a variety of styles and straps, with a choice of two sizes. Watches from competing vendors have been criticized for being too big for smaller arms.
The watch will require one of the new iPhones or an iPhone 5, 5s or 5c. It will be available early next year at a starting price of $349US.
Now, Apple is increasing that. The iPhone 6 will have a 4.7-inch screen, while the iPhone 6 Plus will be 5.5 inches. The screen resolution on the Plus version will be sharper than previous iPhones, at 401 pixels per inch rather than 326.
With the larger screen comes a new horizontal view of the home screen. Usually, icons are stacked vertically, even when the phone is turned horizontally. App developers will also have new tools to rearrange their content to take advantage of that larger screen.
The new phones aren't as big as Samsung's latest flagship phones — 5.1 inches for the Galaxy S5 and 5.7 inches for the Note 4 — but they will be large enough to neutralize a key advantage Samsung and other Android manufacturers have had.
Notably, Samsung's Note phone isn't getting bigger this year. Last year's Note 3 was 5.7 inches. Instead, Samsung is emphasizing other hardware features, such as a sharper screen. It's also releasing a model with a curved edge to display weather, time and other information on the side of the phone.
Apple says the new phones will be faster and have better battery life than previous versions. The phones will also have a new sensor, the barometer, to estimate how much you've climbed stairs, not just how far you've walked or run.
Of course, some people still use their phones to actually make calls. When there's poor cellular reception, people will be able to make regular calls over Wi-Fi. The handoff between the two networks will be seamless. In the U.S., this feature will initially be available through T-Mobile.
The resolution on the camera is staying at 8 megapixels, while rival Android and Windows phones have been boosting that. The S5, for instance, is at 16 megapixels. However, the megapixel count is only one factor in what makes a good photo. Apple says it is putting in new sensors for better shots.
Apple is also improving a slow-motion video feature by allowing even slower shots. The camera will be able to take 240 frames per second, double what's in last year's iPhone 5s. Normally, video is at 60 frames per second.
The new phones will start shipping in Canada, the U.S. and a number of other countries on Sept. 19, with advance orders to begin this Friday.
In Canada, the iPhone 6 will start at $749 with 16 gigabytes of storage and the iPhone 6 Plus will start at $849.
Starting prices in the U.S. will be comparable to those in the past — $199 with a two-year contract for the iPhone 6 with 16 gigabytes of storage. However, the step-up models will have double the memory than before — $299US for 64 gigabytes and $399US
for 128 gigabytes. The iPhone 6 Plus phones will cost $100 more at each configuration.
You'll be able to use your phone's camera to capture a photo of your card. Apple will verify it behind the scenes and add it to your phone's Passbook account so you can make payments at a retailer. Apple announced several merchants that will accept this system, including Macy's, Whole Foods, Walgreens and Disney stores — and of course, Apple stores.
Many companies have tried to push mobile payment services, but none has caught on widely. Cook says that's because the business models have been centred around companies' self-interest instead of the user experience. The latter, Cook says, is "exactly what Apple does best."
For security, the card number is stored only on the device. Each time you pay, a one-time card number is created to make the transaction.
Though much of the attention has been on new gadgets, the software powering those gadgets is getting its annual refresh. Apple considers iOS 8 to be its biggest update since the introduction of the app store in 2008.
Existing iPhone and iPad users will be eligible for the free upgrade, too. Apple takes pride in pushing existing customers to the latest software, allowing app developers to incorporate new features without worrying about abandoning existing users. With Android, many recent phones can't be upgraded right away because of restrictions placed by manufacturers and wireless carriers.
Among other things, iOS 8 will let devices work better in sync. For instance, it'll be possible to start a message on an iPhone and finish it on an iPad. With an upcoming Mac upgrade called Yosemite, it'll be possible to continue working on that same message on a Mac computer as well.
The new iOS software will also let people do more things without jumping from app to app. For example, if a text message comes in as you're composing an email, you'll be able to pull down the text from the top edge and send a reply, all without leaving the email app.
A new keyboard aims to predict what you're about to type, going beyond standard spell-checking. You can install keyboards from outside parties, too, something Android already allows.
In fact, Apple is opening up more of its features to outside developers than in the past. The fingerprint sensor on iPhones won't be restricted to Apple's own services, for instance.
The new software will be available to existing users on Sept. 17.
Monday, September 8, 2014
J&K floods: UN system stands ready to help India, Pakistan
United Nations: The UN system stands ready to help governments in India and Pakistan in their efforts to provide relief and assistance to the hundreds impacted by the severe floods in Kashmir, a spokesperson for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday.
A large-scale rescue operation has been launched by authorities in Jammu and Kashmir as the Army and Air Force evacuated thousands of people from inundated areas across the state.
Nearly 150 people have been killed in the floods and many more stranded, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing Rs 1,000 crore aid for the battered state.
Ban's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told PTI that UN officials in New Delhi are in touch with Indian authorities "to see how best we can help."
He, however, added that he is not aware whether the UN agencies in India have received any official request from the government for help in relief and rescue operations.
He said UN officials in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs are working closely with the Pakistani government and the United Nations system stands by to help Pakistan and those impacted by the floods.
A large-scale rescue operation has been launched by authorities in Jammu and Kashmir as the Army and Air Force evacuated thousands of people from inundated areas across the state.
Nearly 150 people have been killed in the floods and many more stranded, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing Rs 1,000 crore aid for the battered state.
Ban's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told PTI that UN officials in New Delhi are in touch with Indian authorities "to see how best we can help."
He, however, added that he is not aware whether the UN agencies in India have received any official request from the government for help in relief and rescue operations.
He said UN officials in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs are working closely with the Pakistani government and the United Nations system stands by to help Pakistan and those impacted by the floods.
Twitter tests 'buy' button
Twitter is testing a way to let users go shopping or make charitable contributions between tweets.
A small percentage of users will receive tweets from Twitter test partners Monday featuring a "buy" button that lets them make purchases or donate money. Initial partners include the musical groups Soundgarden and Panic! At The Disco, retailers Home Depot and Burberry, and nonprofits The Nature Conservancy and GLAAD.
On mobile and can't see the tweet below? Read it here.
After clicking the buy button, users will be prompted to enter shipping and payment information. Then the order will be sent to the merchant for delivery.
Users' personal information will be encrypted. And their credit card details won't be given to sellers without permission.
A small percentage of users will receive tweets from Twitter test partners Monday featuring a "buy" button that lets them make purchases or donate money. Initial partners include the musical groups Soundgarden and Panic! At The Disco, retailers Home Depot and Burberry, and nonprofits The Nature Conservancy and GLAAD.
On mobile and can't see the tweet below? Read it here.
After clicking the buy button, users will be prompted to enter shipping and payment information. Then the order will be sent to the merchant for delivery.
Users' personal information will be encrypted. And their credit card details won't be given to sellers without permission.
Barack Obama Insists 'We're Going To Defeat Islamic State'
Barack Obama has insisted "we're going to defeat" Islamic State (IS) and said he will sketch out a plan to do in a speech later this week.
Without revealing details of any planned US action, he said America would engaged in something "similar to the kinds of counter-terrorism campaigns that we've been engaging in consistently over the last five, six, seven years".
He will give his speech on Wednesday, the day before the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
Speaking to NBC's Meet The Press today, Obama, who was elected president on a platform of getting US soldiers out of Iraq, said: "This is not going to be an announcement about U.S. ground troops. This is not the equivalent of the Iraq war.
"The good news is is that because of American leadership, we have I believe, a broad-based coalition internationally and regionally to be able to deal with the problem."
Obama has been accused of being indecisive over IS as it has torn through Syria and Iraq. He told reporters last month "we don't have a strategy yet".
The strategy he will announce on Wednesday will have political and military elements, he said today, which would "systematically degrade" the terror group.
He said: "We are going to be as part of an international coalition, carrying out air strikes in support of work on the ground by Iraqi troops, Kurdish troops.
"We are going to be helping to put together a plan for them, so that they can start retaking territory that ISIL (former name of IS) had taken over."
He said the West would "have to work hard" to attract back Sunni tribes in Iraq which were shunned by the Malaki government, which favoured Shia muslims with government appointments and alienated the Sunnis - who enjoyed more power under Saddam Hussein.
He continued: "So there's going to be an economic element to this. There's going to be a political element to it. There's going to be a military element to it.
"And what I want people to understand, though, is that over the course of months, we are going to be able to not just blunt the momentum of ISIL.
"We are going to systematically degrade their capabilities. We're going to shrink the territory that they control. And ultimately we're going to defeat them."
Obama was speaking after attending the Nato summit in Newport, Wales with other leaders of Nato countries.
Last week, former UK foreign secretary Jack Straw gave a withering critique of the president's foreign policy, saying: "Much though I respect him, I think, if you like, he is very long on analysis and not quite as fleet as foot at being decisive, and you need a balance if you are the president of the United States."
Without revealing details of any planned US action, he said America would engaged in something "similar to the kinds of counter-terrorism campaigns that we've been engaging in consistently over the last five, six, seven years".
He will give his speech on Wednesday, the day before the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
Speaking to NBC's Meet The Press today, Obama, who was elected president on a platform of getting US soldiers out of Iraq, said: "This is not going to be an announcement about U.S. ground troops. This is not the equivalent of the Iraq war.
"The good news is is that because of American leadership, we have I believe, a broad-based coalition internationally and regionally to be able to deal with the problem."
Obama has been accused of being indecisive over IS as it has torn through Syria and Iraq. He told reporters last month "we don't have a strategy yet".
The strategy he will announce on Wednesday will have political and military elements, he said today, which would "systematically degrade" the terror group.
He said: "We are going to be as part of an international coalition, carrying out air strikes in support of work on the ground by Iraqi troops, Kurdish troops.
"We are going to be helping to put together a plan for them, so that they can start retaking territory that ISIL (former name of IS) had taken over."
He said the West would "have to work hard" to attract back Sunni tribes in Iraq which were shunned by the Malaki government, which favoured Shia muslims with government appointments and alienated the Sunnis - who enjoyed more power under Saddam Hussein.
He continued: "So there's going to be an economic element to this. There's going to be a political element to it. There's going to be a military element to it.
"And what I want people to understand, though, is that over the course of months, we are going to be able to not just blunt the momentum of ISIL.
"We are going to systematically degrade their capabilities. We're going to shrink the territory that they control. And ultimately we're going to defeat them."
Obama was speaking after attending the Nato summit in Newport, Wales with other leaders of Nato countries.
Last week, former UK foreign secretary Jack Straw gave a withering critique of the president's foreign policy, saying: "Much though I respect him, I think, if you like, he is very long on analysis and not quite as fleet as foot at being decisive, and you need a balance if you are the president of the United States."
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Apple's rivals hope its iWatch makes 'wearable' work
BERLIN/FRANKFURT - Know what a "Wearable" is? Most top tech executives would struggle to define it. Now they're hoping that Apple will do it for them.
Next week, Apple Inc (AAPL.O) is expected to stride into the market for wearable accessories that link wirelessly up to phones and create a template for other firms that have struggled to create products consumers would want to be seen in.
Rival electronics makers have been marketing hundreds of wearable products over the past year, but have little to show for it in sales despite huge hype for accessories seen as a critical boost to the vast but increasingly saturated market for mobile phones.
Executives at Europe's big consumer electronics trade fair this week in Berlin readily admit to hoping that Apple can crack the missing code for everyone. Where the U.S. innovator leads, its rivals plan to follow by bringing their own improvements or by seeking out profitable niche markets that Apple ignores.
"If Apple offers its own product, it will expand the market," Sung-jin Lee, Director of LG Electronics Inc's (066570.KS) watch product planning team, said in an interview.
"This is what we wanted," Sunny Lee, CEO of Samsung Electronics' (005930.KS) European business told Reuters when asked about Apple's likely debut.
Media reports have pinpointed 9 September as the date Apple will introduce its long-rumored smartwatch - a wrist device that typically connects to a nearby phone. Expectations are high for the iWatch, which could be the tech giant’s first brand new product after a four-year dry spell during which it faced pressure to create another groundbreaking consumer gadget.
So far Samsung dominates the smartwatch market, with 74 percent, but numbers remain small. Compared to the 1.3 billion mobile phones expected to be sold industry wide this year, just 1 million smartwatches shipped in the second quarter of 2014, according to market research firm Strategy Analytics estimates.
Those kind of volumes suggest the industry remains in wait-and-see mode, despite devoting huge marketing energy to wearable devices that has garnered an amount of press attention disproportionate to the number of products on the shelves.
"Ultimately, what all these companies have been doing is just public prototyping," or testing the market, said mobile analyst Ben Wood of market research firm CCS Insight.
So far tech companies have struggled to impress consumers in part because younger generations who rarely wear watches but glance at their phones instead don't see the point of a wrist-worn accessory unless it can do something a phone can't.
Apple's arrival promises to bring fashion sense and sleek design to a market that so far has emphasized the technology inside their products rather than its outward usability or aesthetics, Wood noted.
"We are in the Stone Age of wearables right now," said Wood - a self-confessed wearables geek who has 15 such devices strewn on the floor of his office.
While "wearables" is a flexible term that covers health and fitness wrist bands, ear pieces, and even smart glasses or goggles, research firm CCS Insight predicts 87 percent of the market will be wrist-worn devices by 2018.
It forecasts the number of wearable devices to ship will reach 135 million in 2018, up from just under 10 million in 2013. That forecast is partly based on anticipation that Apple will enter the market and on hit products eventually emerging.
So far market-leader Samsung has launched five watch models including one which can make and receive phone calls without linking to a nearby phone. Its closest competitors, according to Strategy Analytics' data, are Pebble Technology Corp, which holds 13 percent of the market with its square-faced black phones offering links to Web apps, and Sony Corp. (6758.T), which has 8 percent and recently launched a new smartwatch model that look like a computer clock.
In a bid to muscle in, LG announced this week in Berlin a range of smartwatches inspired by the design of classic Swiss watches. Unlike many rival black and boxy devices on the market, one doesn't spot the electronics inside at first glance.
"It is not a gold rush yet, but it has the potential to be," said Lee, the LG watch executive, of the wearables market.
Chinese network and phone equipment maker Huawei has so far dabbled in wearables but believes that as long as the devices are sold as accessories to phones, rather than by shrinking phone functions to fit inside, the category won't take off.
"A wearable should be a stand-alone product - and that may take a while," Shao Yang, Huawei's[HWT.UL] vice president of consumer marketing, said in an interview in Berlin.
Traditional watch makers may also benefit if tech firms find the right mix of fashion and function.
In a recent interview, Swatch Group (UHR.VX) CEO Nick Hayek said smartwatches might convince younger generations to start wearing something on their wrists - making them Swatch targets at a later stage.
The Wall Street Journal and other media report that Apple’s device is likely to come in two versions and simplify the process of making mobile payments, but may not actually ship until next year.
Industry executives expect it to eventually also sport an array of sensors to enable health and fitness monitoring.
Next week, Apple Inc (AAPL.O) is expected to stride into the market for wearable accessories that link wirelessly up to phones and create a template for other firms that have struggled to create products consumers would want to be seen in.
Rival electronics makers have been marketing hundreds of wearable products over the past year, but have little to show for it in sales despite huge hype for accessories seen as a critical boost to the vast but increasingly saturated market for mobile phones.
Executives at Europe's big consumer electronics trade fair this week in Berlin readily admit to hoping that Apple can crack the missing code for everyone. Where the U.S. innovator leads, its rivals plan to follow by bringing their own improvements or by seeking out profitable niche markets that Apple ignores.
"If Apple offers its own product, it will expand the market," Sung-jin Lee, Director of LG Electronics Inc's (066570.KS) watch product planning team, said in an interview.
"This is what we wanted," Sunny Lee, CEO of Samsung Electronics' (005930.KS) European business told Reuters when asked about Apple's likely debut.
Media reports have pinpointed 9 September as the date Apple will introduce its long-rumored smartwatch - a wrist device that typically connects to a nearby phone. Expectations are high for the iWatch, which could be the tech giant’s first brand new product after a four-year dry spell during which it faced pressure to create another groundbreaking consumer gadget.
So far Samsung dominates the smartwatch market, with 74 percent, but numbers remain small. Compared to the 1.3 billion mobile phones expected to be sold industry wide this year, just 1 million smartwatches shipped in the second quarter of 2014, according to market research firm Strategy Analytics estimates.
Those kind of volumes suggest the industry remains in wait-and-see mode, despite devoting huge marketing energy to wearable devices that has garnered an amount of press attention disproportionate to the number of products on the shelves.
"Ultimately, what all these companies have been doing is just public prototyping," or testing the market, said mobile analyst Ben Wood of market research firm CCS Insight.
So far tech companies have struggled to impress consumers in part because younger generations who rarely wear watches but glance at their phones instead don't see the point of a wrist-worn accessory unless it can do something a phone can't.
Apple's arrival promises to bring fashion sense and sleek design to a market that so far has emphasized the technology inside their products rather than its outward usability or aesthetics, Wood noted.
"We are in the Stone Age of wearables right now," said Wood - a self-confessed wearables geek who has 15 such devices strewn on the floor of his office.
While "wearables" is a flexible term that covers health and fitness wrist bands, ear pieces, and even smart glasses or goggles, research firm CCS Insight predicts 87 percent of the market will be wrist-worn devices by 2018.
It forecasts the number of wearable devices to ship will reach 135 million in 2018, up from just under 10 million in 2013. That forecast is partly based on anticipation that Apple will enter the market and on hit products eventually emerging.
So far market-leader Samsung has launched five watch models including one which can make and receive phone calls without linking to a nearby phone. Its closest competitors, according to Strategy Analytics' data, are Pebble Technology Corp, which holds 13 percent of the market with its square-faced black phones offering links to Web apps, and Sony Corp. (6758.T), which has 8 percent and recently launched a new smartwatch model that look like a computer clock.
In a bid to muscle in, LG announced this week in Berlin a range of smartwatches inspired by the design of classic Swiss watches. Unlike many rival black and boxy devices on the market, one doesn't spot the electronics inside at first glance.
"It is not a gold rush yet, but it has the potential to be," said Lee, the LG watch executive, of the wearables market.
Chinese network and phone equipment maker Huawei has so far dabbled in wearables but believes that as long as the devices are sold as accessories to phones, rather than by shrinking phone functions to fit inside, the category won't take off.
"A wearable should be a stand-alone product - and that may take a while," Shao Yang, Huawei's[HWT.UL] vice president of consumer marketing, said in an interview in Berlin.
Traditional watch makers may also benefit if tech firms find the right mix of fashion and function.
In a recent interview, Swatch Group (UHR.VX) CEO Nick Hayek said smartwatches might convince younger generations to start wearing something on their wrists - making them Swatch targets at a later stage.
The Wall Street Journal and other media report that Apple’s device is likely to come in two versions and simplify the process of making mobile payments, but may not actually ship until next year.
Industry executives expect it to eventually also sport an array of sensors to enable health and fitness monitoring.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
BP’s walloping fine for “gross negligence” could wipe out a whole year’s profit
One of BP’s main survival strategies over the last four years has been to limit the US cash fine it will owe as a result of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil blowout that killed 11 people and spilled millions of barrels of petroleum. But a judge today rejected the company’s arguments, ruling that it may owe as much as $18 billion in fines, five times the sum that BP had budgeted.
The devastating ruling in New Orleans caused BP’s share price to plunge by more than 6% during the day. The company did not respond immediately to an email seeking comment, but it is likely to appeal the ruling. Oil supermajors typically resist—sometimes for decades—before paying up in court cases.
After an initial public relations offensive to turn around the blow to its reputation caused by the biggest offshore oil spill in US history, BP has recently pushed back. Just this week, the company asked US Judge Carl Barbier to replace an administrator who adjudicates victims claims along the Gulf Coast.
Now BP must determine how far to keep pushing. Today’s unfavorable ruling was from Judge Barbier, who declared BP grossly negligent in the spill. Barbier had the choice of acquitting BP entirely or declaring it only “negligent.” With his finding of gross negligence, Barbier indicated that he is far from sympathetic to BP’s presentation of the facts of the case.
“BP’s conduct was reckless,” Barbier wrote in his decision. As for BP’s two partners on the rig, he wrote, “Transocean’s conduct was negligent. Halliburton’s conduct was negligent.” That means their fines will be smaller than BP’s.
The finding, which involves violation of the US Clean Water Act, makes BP liable for up to $4,300 for each barrel spilled. Barbier must still determine the total volume, but the US government estimate until now has been about 4.2 million barrels, meaning a fine of $18 billion. BP has said it has set aside $3.5 billion to account for the fine, so—if the ruling is upheld on appeal—it would have to find another $14.5 billion. That’s more than the $13.4 billion in total profit that the company reported last year.
The devastating ruling in New Orleans caused BP’s share price to plunge by more than 6% during the day. The company did not respond immediately to an email seeking comment, but it is likely to appeal the ruling. Oil supermajors typically resist—sometimes for decades—before paying up in court cases.
After an initial public relations offensive to turn around the blow to its reputation caused by the biggest offshore oil spill in US history, BP has recently pushed back. Just this week, the company asked US Judge Carl Barbier to replace an administrator who adjudicates victims claims along the Gulf Coast.
Now BP must determine how far to keep pushing. Today’s unfavorable ruling was from Judge Barbier, who declared BP grossly negligent in the spill. Barbier had the choice of acquitting BP entirely or declaring it only “negligent.” With his finding of gross negligence, Barbier indicated that he is far from sympathetic to BP’s presentation of the facts of the case.
“BP’s conduct was reckless,” Barbier wrote in his decision. As for BP’s two partners on the rig, he wrote, “Transocean’s conduct was negligent. Halliburton’s conduct was negligent.” That means their fines will be smaller than BP’s.
The finding, which involves violation of the US Clean Water Act, makes BP liable for up to $4,300 for each barrel spilled. Barbier must still determine the total volume, but the US government estimate until now has been about 4.2 million barrels, meaning a fine of $18 billion. BP has said it has set aside $3.5 billion to account for the fine, so—if the ruling is upheld on appeal—it would have to find another $14.5 billion. That’s more than the $13.4 billion in total profit that the company reported last year.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Samsung unveils smartphone with bent side display, virtual reality headset
BERLIN—Samsung’s new smartphones aren’t getting bigger, but one will have a side display for quick access to the flashlight, Twitter, news and frequently used apps.
The Galaxy Note Edge was announced at a trade show in Berlin on Wednesday, alongside the new Galaxy Note 4 phone, which lacks the side screen, and a virtual-reality headset called Gear VR. They are due for release this fall, in time for holiday shopping, and aim to compete with Apple’s new iPhones due to be unveiled next week.
The Edge uses Samsung’s flexible-display technology, which came out with much fanfare last year but has seen little use beyond a phone and a fitness device with displays that were slightly curved.
With the Edge, the Korean electronics company is offering a practical use for the curvature. While the main screen remains flat like previous phones, the right edge extends and curves until it reaches the back. That creates a side display so information such as weather and time can be seen from the side when the phone is laid on a table — such as a nightstand next to the bed.
With the side display, the phone’s camera functions more like a stand-alone, point-and-shoot camera, as the shutter button and other functions appear on top when the phone is held horizontally. Developers of other apps will be able to specify how the side display gets used.
The side display also provides one-tap access to various apps normally found on the home screen, as well as to functions such as the flashlight and the stopwatch, akin to what Apple offers in the iPhone’s Control Center with a swipe up from the bottom.
Samsung didn’t announce prices or specific release dates. In the U.S., last year’s Galaxy Note 3 went for about $700 without a contract, or $300 with one. Prices are likely to be similar when the Note 4 comes out in October through all four national carriers in the U.S. The Edge will likely cost more. The Edge and the VR will be out some time in the fall.
Analysts said the new display feature could cut both ways.
“An edge-based display will give Samsung’s smartphone clear differentiation in a crowded market,” said Ian Fogg, an analyst covering the mobile industry at IHS in London. “But for Samsung to maximize the potential of an edge display it needs third-party apps to support the display with additional Samsung-specific functions,” he said.
If the South Korean giant wants to avoid paying developers to kick-start the development of such apps, it might have to make the feature standard across its broad smartphone portfolio, said Fogg.
Samsung made the announcements at the IFA trade show, one of the world’s longest-running showcases for consumer electronics and home appliances.
In recent years, the German capital has become a popular home for technology startups, making the IFA a popular location for companies to launch the latest mobile gadgetry as well as innovations in more traditional fields such as home entertainment systems.
The new phones were announced amid expectations that Apple will unveil new iPhones next week. The iPhone 6 is expected to feature a 4.7-inch screen, up from the current 4 inches, to make it more competitive with larger smartphones made by Samsung and other companies. There has been speculation that Apple may also unveil an iPhone with a 5.5-inch screen.
Samsung’s Galaxy S5, which came out in April, has a 5.1-inch screen. The Note is Samsung’s line of larger phones and emphasizes note-taking with an included stylus. The Note 4 will have a 5.7-inch screen, the same as the Note 3. The Edge’s screen is 5.6 inches.
Both will have a 16 megapixel rear camera and 3.7 megapixels on the front. The front camera will be able to take sharper selfies than the typical camera phone. They also will let more people fit into selfies by stitching multiple images together.
Meanwhile, Samsung will sell the Gear VR headset as a companion to the Note 4. It won’t work with the Edge or other phones. The Note 4 attaches to the headset, which has sensors to gauge the head’s position and tells the phone which part of a 360-degree image to display. It can be used to give people an immersive experience with concerts, aerial footage and games.
But video and other content will need to be adapted for the device. Samsung says it expects to have content partnerships in place by the time the device goes on sale.
The Galaxy Note Edge was announced at a trade show in Berlin on Wednesday, alongside the new Galaxy Note 4 phone, which lacks the side screen, and a virtual-reality headset called Gear VR. They are due for release this fall, in time for holiday shopping, and aim to compete with Apple’s new iPhones due to be unveiled next week.
The Edge uses Samsung’s flexible-display technology, which came out with much fanfare last year but has seen little use beyond a phone and a fitness device with displays that were slightly curved.
With the Edge, the Korean electronics company is offering a practical use for the curvature. While the main screen remains flat like previous phones, the right edge extends and curves until it reaches the back. That creates a side display so information such as weather and time can be seen from the side when the phone is laid on a table — such as a nightstand next to the bed.
With the side display, the phone’s camera functions more like a stand-alone, point-and-shoot camera, as the shutter button and other functions appear on top when the phone is held horizontally. Developers of other apps will be able to specify how the side display gets used.
The side display also provides one-tap access to various apps normally found on the home screen, as well as to functions such as the flashlight and the stopwatch, akin to what Apple offers in the iPhone’s Control Center with a swipe up from the bottom.
Samsung didn’t announce prices or specific release dates. In the U.S., last year’s Galaxy Note 3 went for about $700 without a contract, or $300 with one. Prices are likely to be similar when the Note 4 comes out in October through all four national carriers in the U.S. The Edge will likely cost more. The Edge and the VR will be out some time in the fall.
Analysts said the new display feature could cut both ways.
“An edge-based display will give Samsung’s smartphone clear differentiation in a crowded market,” said Ian Fogg, an analyst covering the mobile industry at IHS in London. “But for Samsung to maximize the potential of an edge display it needs third-party apps to support the display with additional Samsung-specific functions,” he said.
If the South Korean giant wants to avoid paying developers to kick-start the development of such apps, it might have to make the feature standard across its broad smartphone portfolio, said Fogg.
Samsung made the announcements at the IFA trade show, one of the world’s longest-running showcases for consumer electronics and home appliances.
In recent years, the German capital has become a popular home for technology startups, making the IFA a popular location for companies to launch the latest mobile gadgetry as well as innovations in more traditional fields such as home entertainment systems.
The new phones were announced amid expectations that Apple will unveil new iPhones next week. The iPhone 6 is expected to feature a 4.7-inch screen, up from the current 4 inches, to make it more competitive with larger smartphones made by Samsung and other companies. There has been speculation that Apple may also unveil an iPhone with a 5.5-inch screen.
Samsung’s Galaxy S5, which came out in April, has a 5.1-inch screen. The Note is Samsung’s line of larger phones and emphasizes note-taking with an included stylus. The Note 4 will have a 5.7-inch screen, the same as the Note 3. The Edge’s screen is 5.6 inches.
Both will have a 16 megapixel rear camera and 3.7 megapixels on the front. The front camera will be able to take sharper selfies than the typical camera phone. They also will let more people fit into selfies by stitching multiple images together.
Meanwhile, Samsung will sell the Gear VR headset as a companion to the Note 4. It won’t work with the Edge or other phones. The Note 4 attaches to the headset, which has sensors to gauge the head’s position and tells the phone which part of a 360-degree image to display. It can be used to give people an immersive experience with concerts, aerial footage and games.
But video and other content will need to be adapted for the device. Samsung says it expects to have content partnerships in place by the time the device goes on sale.
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