Remember Webvan.com? A lot of people do, but you'd be hard pressed to find someone with anything nice to say about it. At the dawn of the internet retail revolution, Webvan was supposed to do for groceries what Amazon had done for books. The site failed miserably. But that's not what futurists of the year 2000 predicted for it.
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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Vh2wd31PABc/@kcampbelldollaghanNEW YORK (Reuters) - A deal between SAC Capital and U.S. prosecutors to resolve a criminal insider trading case against the firm could come in a few days, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
Any potential deal between Steven A. Cohen's SAC Capital and federal authorities would likely involve some admission of liability by the firm, the source said.
The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times both previously reported that a deal between the hedge fund and prosecutors was close and could involve a penalty of more than $1 billion (619.1 million pounds).
(Reporting by Matthew Goldstein; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)
Napkin is a Mac-only app that stores and syncs its documents on iCloud, Apple's ubiquitous online service. It has no iOS version. Nothing for iPhone. Nothing for iPad. Yet, with iOS 7, you can now drill down into Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup > Manage Storage, select Napkin, and delete any of its saved documents with a single swipe and two taps. Same holds true for other Mac-only apps, including Apple's own TextEdit.
That's both kinda cool... and kinda scary.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/R8uiEfW2sHY/story01.htm
6 hours ago
southparkstudios.com
"South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker got caught in the dark.
Oh my God! They killed — the lights! On Tuesday, a blackout plunged the Los Angeles-based South Park Studios into darkness, preventing this week's show from being completed — which meant for the first time in its 17-season history, the series was unable to turn in a fresh episode of "South Park" on time.
Trey Parker (co-creator of "South Park" with Matt Stone) wrote on the studio's website: "It sucks to miss an air date but after all these years of tempting fate by delivering the show last minute, I guess it was bound to happen."
The animators are known for cutting their deadlines close; they usually turn in episodes to Comedy Central with less than 24 hours before they air for the first time. The delay of a blackout meant the final touches couldn't be made to Episode 1704, "Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers," so Comedy Central had to run an encore presentation of "Scott Tenorman Must Die."
"Posers" will air next Wednesday, Oct. 23, but here's a clip (includes some bleeped-out vulgarity)!
Hulu has announced that Mike Hopkins, a board member at Hulu and president of Fox Networks Group, is the company’s new CEO. Hopkins had previously been reported as the likely candidate for the role.
It’s been a bumpy year for the online TV site. Then-CEO Jason Kilar left in March and was replaced by acting CEO Andy Forssell who now, according to Hulu, is leaving the company.
Then there were rumors that the media companies that own Hulu (21st Century Fox, The Walt Disney Company, and NBC Universal) were looking to sell, though they eventually invested another $750 million instead.
In an email to the company, which was also posted on the Hulu blog, Hopkins acknowledged that things have been rough, but he wrote:
The fact is, through all the recent uncertainty not only have you kept this business together, but you’ve continued to deliver on every key performance metric. In fact, you are delivering one of the strongest years Hulu has ever seen: We expect revenues to be close to a billion dollars this year, and Hulu Plus subscribers continue to climb.
With the foundation you have built, the significant capital infusion of three quarters of a billion dollars, and our partners aligned and fully supportive of what we need to get it done, the sky is the limit for Hulu. I am looking forward to working with you all.
What does Hulu need to “get it done,” and what will it mean for Hulu users? It’s hard to say at this point, but when I brought this up with TechCrunch’s Ryan Lawler, he pointed out that Fox programming on Hulu, such as American Dad, requires a subscription to, say, DISH Network (or another supported pay-TV service) access — otherwise you wait a week. So perhaps we’ll see Hulu adopting this policy with other content providers.
Radiation is serious—especially in Japan. With the country still dealing with a nuclear disaster, people need to protect themselves.
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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/OR8bTuni6CQ/@jcondliffeWe now live in a world in which you can buy a smartphone with a curved glass screen, with Samsung’s Galaxy Round hitting South Korean stores. But, in the eyes of its creators, it’s just a prototype. Still, whack it on the shelves, eh?
According to insider sources speaking to SamMobile, the device is just being used to test both consumer interest in the technology, and the reliability of such a handset out in the real world. Only an extremely limited number of the handsets will be going on sale, and, priced at somewhere upwards of $800, it might be a bit of a tough sale regardless. It’s now looking very unlikely that this particular curved screen phone will be hitting western stores anytime soon. Still, it’s just a twisted Galaxy Note 3 without the S-Pen to begin with, so no biggie. [SamMobile]
Madonna has been banned from watching movies at the Alama Drafthouse movie theater chain after texting on her phone during the screening of “12 Years A Slave”.
The singer annoyed other attendees that showed up to see the Steve McQueen biopic and called one woman an “enslaver” for daring to call her on it.
Was Madonna not entertained by the movie?
Film critic Charles Taylor revealed on Facebook that one attendee overheard a blonde woman in black lace gloves snap at the woman who tapped her on the shoulder while she texted, saying, “It’s for business… ENSLAVER!”
The woman was later revealed to be Madonna and she was seen standing at the side of the theater when the movie was over.
Alamo CEO Tim League wrote on Twitter, “Until she apologizes to movie fans, Madonna is banned from watching movies.”
The cinema chain has a zero tolerance policy about phone use during their screenings, with their website proclaiming, “We aren’t afraid to kick anyone rude enough to start texting their friends during a show right out of the theater.”
One eyewitness wasn’t sure what to make of the incident, but stated, “Some people are shocked by this, because Madonna was visibly tearing up, everybody there thought that she was very moved by it.”
Click thumbnails for larger pictures
Images: wenn.com
Men stand inside the gold mine in Greenland's Nulanaq mountain on Dec. 19, 2009. The Danish territory's underground wealth was at the forefront of elections in March. Now, Greenland faces another dilemma: whether to end a zero-tolerance policy on uranium extraction.
Men stand inside the gold mine in Greenland's Nulanaq mountain on Dec. 19, 2009. The Danish territory's underground wealth was at the forefront of elections in March. Now, Greenland faces another dilemma: whether to end a zero-tolerance policy on uranium extraction.
Karen Hanghoj, a scientist with Denmark's Geological Survey, points to the southern tip of Greenland on a colorful map hanging in her office.
"What you can see here in the southern region here, is you have a big pink region," she says. "And then within the pink region, you see you have all these little purple dots.
"And what the purple dots are is a later period of rifting. These complexes have these weird chemistries and have these very, very strange minerals in them," she adds.
Those minerals include rare earth elements. They are essential to making cell phones, wind turbines, hybrid cars and many other products. China enjoys a near-monopoly on the global supply, sparking a race to find new sources of the 17 metals. One particularly large known deposit is in Greenland. But there's a catch.
Hanghoj lifts a hefty rock off her desk. It comes from that pink and purple polka-dotted region, though the rock itself is nondescript — except for one shiny black nugget known as steenstrupine.
"That mineral has all of the rare earths, or most of the rare earths, but also most of the uranium," Hanghoj says.
Uranium would therefore have to mined along with those coveted rare earth minerals.
Legislative Roadblocks
There are a few problems with that.
First, Greenland has a ban on uranium extraction. The zero-tolerance policy was put in place 25 years ago when Greenland was more tightly controlled by nuclear-averse Denmark. Since then, Greenland has taken on a new level of self-governance, including jurisdiction over its own natural resources.
This month, Greenland's parliament appears likely to lift the zero-tolerance policy. That could open the door for uranium mining not only as a byproduct, but also as a primary product. By some estimates, Greenland has enough of the radioactive stuff to make it one of the top five exporters in the world.
“ It's one thing if we're abolishing a policy, but what is going to be the policy instead of that? And that is something where Denmark and Greenland for the first time in their history really need to start engaging in a discussion that they have not had up to this point.
That raises questions for Denmark, which is still responsible for Greenland's foreign policy and security.
"The Greenlandic position seems to be that as long as we are exporting for peaceful purposes, then Denmark does not need to be engaged," says Cindy Vestergaard, a senior researcher with the Danish Institute for International Studies. But, she adds, "how will Denmark know it is being used for peaceful purposes if they are not involved?
"So it's one thing if we're abolishing a policy, but what is going to be the policy instead of that?" she asks. "And that is something where Denmark and Greenland for the first time in their history really need to start engaging in a discussion that they have not had up to this point."
Environment Or ...
There are also environmental concerns – parallels for which can be seen across the world in projects like the Keystone XL pipeline in the U.S. and Brazil's massive dams in the Amazon.
This spring a coalition of 48 nongovernmental organizations from around the world called on Greenland to uphold the zero-tolerance policy, citing the potential for radioactive pollution in a delicate Arctic ecosystem. And members of Greenland's opposition party, like Sara Olsvig, say the public still doesn't really understand the potential consequences of uranium mining.
"We have a lot of other choices in Greenland of other minerals, other resources, living and nonliving, that we can export," she says. "And our opinion is that we should go for those other resources instead of rushing through a decision on uranium, not even knowing if in the long run will pay off.
"We don't even know the full picture of what things we would have to build to just monitor a big open pit uranium mine in Greenland."
... Economic Development?
But for others, mining and the economic opportunities it represents cannot come fast enough. Technically, Greenland could declare independence from Denmark at any time. But without new sources of income, it remains tethered to its annual Danish subsidy of roughly half a billion dollars.
"When you can take care of yourself, you have more respect and pride in yourself," says Doris Jakobsen of the ruling Greenlandic party. "The same is true of the Greenlandic people."
Jakobsen says that protecting Greenland's environment is her priority, and adds that lifting the zero-tolerance policy does not mean uranium mining will necessarily happen. But she's tired of hearing what others say Greenland can and can't do.
"I can't accept that Greenland should become a museum," she says. "Those [non-governmental organizations] also say that it should be forbidden to sell our seals, forbidden to whale, forbidden to extract oil, forbidden to extract uranium. You can't limit everything. Greenland needs economic development."
Whatever happens in regard to uranium, this issue has raised the decibel level of discussion about Greenland's future. And if there's one thing both the ruling and opposition parties can agree on, it's that any movement is good if it leads to independence.
New York (AFP) - The United Nations on Wednesday named Dutch official Sigrid Kaag to head the risky international mission to eradicate Syria's chemical weapons.
UN leader Ban Ki-moon also said he was stepping up efforts to convene a Syria peace conference, sending special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to the region for talks with key governments.
Kaag, a UN assistant secretary general who speaks fluent Arabic and has wide Middle East experience, will head a joint UN-Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons mission to destroy poison arms belonging to Damascus.
The UN Security Council has set a deadline of mid-2014 for the mission, but experts say the approximately 100-strong team to be assembled faces an uphill struggle in the conflict-stricken country.
About 60 experts are already in Syria dismantling its arms production and chemical mixing facilities.
But, with about 1,000 tonnes of chemicals to be eradicated, no disarmament mission of this scope has ever been carried out in the midst of a war.
"We have no illusions on the challenges ahead," Ban said alongside Kaag.
"The situation in Syria remains dangerous and unpredictable. The cooperation of all parties in Syria is required."
The UN says well over 100,000 people have been killed in Syria since protests against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011 turned into an anti-regime uprising.
"I am deeply honored and I am mostly humbled to be trusted with this very complex and challenging assignment," Kaag told reporters without commenting on the situation in Syria.
She said she would go to The Hague on Friday for meetings with OPCW leaders before heading to the new mission's base in Cyprus.
Ban also said he was increasing efforts at "all levels" to hold a Syria peace conference in Geneva in mid-November.
He said UN-Arab League Syria envoy Brahimi would go to the Middle East for talks with "key parties" and that UN political chief Jeffrey Feltman was in Moscow for talks.
Another envoy would go to Turkey to meet representatives of the divided opposition, he added.
Some Syrian opposition groups have said they would refuse to take part in a Syrian National Coalition delegation as long as Assad remained in power.
The Syrian government has said that Assad's future cannot be discussed at any conference.
"We are calling on all who truly wish to work for peace and a new democratic Syria to focus not on military actions but rather on ensuring the success of this conference," Ban said.
The OPCW said earlier that its inspectors have checked 11 out of 20 sites identified by the government as chemical weapons facilities.
The chemical arms watchdog -- which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last week -- and Western governments are carrying out separate research into whether all facilities have been declared.
Nobody wants to be the last girl on the block to get goofy edgy photos from gayest straight photographer Terry Richardson. Paris Hilton dragged her lazy eye over to Terry’s studio, strapped on something idiotic looking and kitschy, and pretended to be one of the alt models and porn stars Terry typically shoots for fun. But try and she may, try as she might, cocaine habits and The Herp alone do not an avant-garde model make. It may be time for Paris to find self-worth in other accomplishments in her life, like her DJ business, or her merchandising ventures, or double cornholing with Marvin Davis’ grandkids.
Photo Credit: Terry Richardson
Reader question: My garage floods due to driveway runoff during heavy rains. I am getting ready to put the house on the market as I am relocating to a different state. Do I need to disclose this as a drainage issue on my seller’s disclosure? Thanks. Brad W.
Monty's answer: Hello, Brad, and thanks for your question. The law requires sellers to disclose defects or conditions that negatively affect value, affect the health of occupants or that if not repaired, removed or replaced would significantly shorten or adversely affect the expected average life of the premises.
It is the right step
As a seller, it is a smart idea to disclose even if the law did not require it. Doing so may eliminate the cost and likelihood of a future lawsuit or small claims judgment. Not disclosing the issue carries a high probability that whoever buys the property will become aware of it, and when they do, a neighbor will make an unwitting comment like “Oh, I thought they took care of that problem. He used to be hauling wet boxes out of the garage every week.” People have a tendency to become upset when they come to believe they have not been treated fairly.
Make the sale easy
Consider the idea of not having the issue on a seller condition report at all. If it has been correctly and permanently repaired, it is not a requirement to report a problem that no longer exists. Here is a quick test: If a buyer has two homes they like that are identical, except home “A” has water rushing into the garage during heavy rains and home “B” has no issues. Which property will they buy? Taking this test helps see the benefit of repair clearly. As a follow-up question, ask “How much would the seller of home “A” have to reduce the price to swing the buyer back over their way? The typical buyer does not want to buy a problem, unless there is a financial incentive.
You could save money
There are other positives in fixing the problem before placing the home on the market. By fixing it first, there is no already nervous homebuyer looking over your shoulder. Also, making the repair after a price is established for the home comes out of your pocket. When making the repair prior to a sale, the cost can often be factored into the asking price. Buyers have a tendency to overestimate the cost of repairs; so taking these potential issues out of the home selling equation are a plus.
Pay the buyer to do it
A common problem in real estate transactions is a buyer that complains because the seller's repair work is shoddy. A similar complaint is "They found the cheapest material." If money is tight, consider negotiating with the buyer to accept a reduced price for the cost of repairs. When the buyer completes, or supervises the repairs, it is difficult to have complaints.
A seller will often overlook the correct repair for an inexpensive method. Identify several contractor or concrete contractor "experts" and solicit 3 written proposals to fix the problem permanently. Make certain they include a “not to exceed” price. They each may have a different solution, and sometimes the least expensive one makes the most sense. If a seller cannot come up with the cash to make the necessary repairs, having 3 estimates to share with a buyer is a positive.
Make lemons into lemonade
In some cases, fixing the issue can also add a new selling point to the equation. For example, perhaps the best solution is to remove the concrete driveway, lower the grade 3 inches and re-pour the driveway. When driveways are cracked and un-even, fixing the water problem creates a home improvement, as well. If a below-grade cap gutter cut into the concrete outside the garage door is the best solution, it may also serve as a floor drain for the garage.
Most water-related issues could be repaired. The main exception is when the home is located in a flood zone.
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ShareContact: Ken McGuffin
mcguffin@rotman.utoronto.ca
416-946-3818
University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management
Toronto We like to think we'd stick to our ethical principles no matter what. But when people feel financially deprived -- as many did from losses suffered thanks to the last market and banking meltdown -- they are more likely to relax their moral standards and transgress to improve their financial situation. They are also more likely to judge other deprived moral offenders who do the same more leniently, says a new paper to be published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.
"We found that most respondents did not think financial deprivation would lead them to behave immorally," said Nina Maar, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management and one of the lead researchers of the study. "Yet, once they actually experienced financial deprivation, they were more likely to loosen their ethical principles."
This could result in workplace sabotage and the pilfering of supplies and equipment, the paper says. Public policies that entrench financial inequalities, such as through regressive taxation plans or tax cuts for the wealthy, could also lead to more cheating inside and outside the office.
And those who interpret or enforce policies or regulations as part of their work -- in corporations, law enforcement, or the judicial system -- need to be mindful of the deprivation effect too. Temporary upsets in their own financial position could lead them to go easier on others demonstrating unethical behaviour while under financial stress, the paper says.
There are many ways people assess their financial health. But research has found one of the strongest influences is comparing oneself to other people. A sense of financial deprivation can happen when people simply feel financially inferior to their peers.
The findings are based on a series of experiments that studied people's views about dishonest behaviour, and how they behaved once they were induced to feel financially-deprived themselves. The effects were observed both in experiments where people actually experienced financial loss and in those where they were merely made to feel financially-deprived, relative to others.
The effects were lessened however, when people saw that acting unethically either would be unfair, or would not improve their financial situation -- or when they accepted that their financial position was deserved.
Perceptions of fairness were key to participants' decisions to act honestly or dishonestly, said Prof. Maar. That suggests that one reason why workplace theft is so common is because employees may see their own, and other colleagues' financial positions as inferior and unfair, relative to the companies and executives they work for.
###
Prof. Maar's co-authors on the study were Eesha Sharma of the Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College, Adam L. Alter of NYU's Stern School of Business and Dan Ariely of Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.
For the latest thinking on business, management and economics from the Rotman School of Management, visit http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/FacultyAndResearch/NewThinking.aspx.
The Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto is redesigning business education for the 21st century with a curriculum based on Integrative Thinking. Located in the world's most diverse city, the Rotman School fosters a new way to think that enables the design of creative business solutions. The School is currently raising $200 million to ensure Canada has the world-class business school it deserves. For more information, visit http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca.
For more information:
Ken McGuffin
Manager, Media Relations
Rotman School of Management
University of Toronto
Voice 416.946.3818
E-mail mcguffin@rotman.utoronto.ca
Follow Rotman on Twitter @rotmanschool
Watch Rotman on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/rotmanschool
Share
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
ShareContact: Ken McGuffin
mcguffin@rotman.utoronto.ca
416-946-3818
University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management
Toronto We like to think we'd stick to our ethical principles no matter what. But when people feel financially deprived -- as many did from losses suffered thanks to the last market and banking meltdown -- they are more likely to relax their moral standards and transgress to improve their financial situation. They are also more likely to judge other deprived moral offenders who do the same more leniently, says a new paper to be published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.
"We found that most respondents did not think financial deprivation would lead them to behave immorally," said Nina Maar, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management and one of the lead researchers of the study. "Yet, once they actually experienced financial deprivation, they were more likely to loosen their ethical principles."
This could result in workplace sabotage and the pilfering of supplies and equipment, the paper says. Public policies that entrench financial inequalities, such as through regressive taxation plans or tax cuts for the wealthy, could also lead to more cheating inside and outside the office.
And those who interpret or enforce policies or regulations as part of their work -- in corporations, law enforcement, or the judicial system -- need to be mindful of the deprivation effect too. Temporary upsets in their own financial position could lead them to go easier on others demonstrating unethical behaviour while under financial stress, the paper says.
There are many ways people assess their financial health. But research has found one of the strongest influences is comparing oneself to other people. A sense of financial deprivation can happen when people simply feel financially inferior to their peers.
The findings are based on a series of experiments that studied people's views about dishonest behaviour, and how they behaved once they were induced to feel financially-deprived themselves. The effects were observed both in experiments where people actually experienced financial loss and in those where they were merely made to feel financially-deprived, relative to others.
The effects were lessened however, when people saw that acting unethically either would be unfair, or would not improve their financial situation -- or when they accepted that their financial position was deserved.
Perceptions of fairness were key to participants' decisions to act honestly or dishonestly, said Prof. Maar. That suggests that one reason why workplace theft is so common is because employees may see their own, and other colleagues' financial positions as inferior and unfair, relative to the companies and executives they work for.
###
Prof. Maar's co-authors on the study were Eesha Sharma of the Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College, Adam L. Alter of NYU's Stern School of Business and Dan Ariely of Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.
For the latest thinking on business, management and economics from the Rotman School of Management, visit http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/FacultyAndResearch/NewThinking.aspx.
The Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto is redesigning business education for the 21st century with a curriculum based on Integrative Thinking. Located in the world's most diverse city, the Rotman School fosters a new way to think that enables the design of creative business solutions. The School is currently raising $200 million to ensure Canada has the world-class business school it deserves. For more information, visit http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca.
For more information:
Ken McGuffin
Manager, Media Relations
Rotman School of Management
University of Toronto
Voice 416.946.3818
E-mail mcguffin@rotman.utoronto.ca
Follow Rotman on Twitter @rotmanschool
Watch Rotman on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/rotmanschool
Share
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
