Thursday, October 31, 2013

Facebook Enters Bear Market In Shortest Time Ever

Facebook Enters Bear Market In Shortest Time Ever

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

As stocks near high, is it time to cherry pick?

As stocks near high, is it time to cherry pick?

Gold Miners Are Burning Cash at Current Levels

Gold Miners Are Burning Cash at Current Levels

At the end of September, Citigroup put out a research report for the gold and silver mining sector, and if you're an investor in the space it does not make for good reading. The report concentrates on the rising costs but falling revenues of the mining industry and sets out how this is going to/has already affected many gold miners. We all have our own opinions, that's what makes us Foolish; nonetheless it is helpful to know what the big players in the industry think about certain matters, and information within this report could be helpful.
The report uses a current spot gold price of $1,320/oz throughout, so that is the figure I'm referring to when I use the term "at current prices."
The most shocking and surprising element of the report states that at current spot prices ($1,320/oz) up to 98% of gold companies are cash-flow negative, a staggering percentage of the industry. What's more, while the price of gold has fallen around 20% during the period June 2012 to June 2013, the average cash cost per ounce of gold production around the world has risen 11.8%, from $675/oz to $754/oz. 

Icahn sends letter to Tim Cook, makes pledge: Source

Icahn sends letter to Tim Cook, makes pledge: Source

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Tesla Is Experiencing Tepid German, Danish Sales So Far

Tesla Is Experiencing Tepid German, Danish Sales So Far

Document Security Systems Announces Partnership with National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators

Document Security Systems Announces Partnership with National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators
NADDI is a non-profit organization that facilitates cooperation between law enforcement, healthcare professionals, state regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical manufacturers in the prevention and investigation of prescription drug diversion.  NADDI's objective is to improve its members' ability to investigate and prosecute pharmaceutical drug diversion.
This partnership provides NADDI members access to DSS's AuthentiSuite technologies as part of an initiative to standardize prescription drug authentication for members and customers. NADDI members have never before had access to this type of authentication capability. The AuthentiSite technology can be employed as a tool for investigators or consumers who are looking to verify websites for prescription drug purchases and validate that pharmaceutical product information, lists of authorized suppliers, and other online information comes from the Brand Owner and not an unauthorized or fraudulent source.
AuthentiSite provides true website authentication from a smartphone application. The DSS team will create and distribute an AuthentiSite seal equipped with DSS patented AuthentiGuard® PrismTMtechnology for NADDI and its members to implement on their websites.  Using the smartphone application, investigators and consumers alike can scan the seal to verify that a website represents a true, licensed reseller.
Robert Bzdick, President of DSS stated, "We are pleased to be working with NADDI, the nation's most prominent organization linking healthcare regulators, manufacturers and consumers, to offer its members access to our AuthentiSite technology in order to combat drug diversion. This partnership brings the powerhouse of AuthentiSuite technologies into the pharmaceutical world, while opening up future opportunities to build business relationships in this area."

Choking smog paralyzes cities in northeast China, closing schools, airports

Choking smog paralyzes cities in northeast China, closing schools, airports

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value. Albert Einstein

Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.

Jobs Right as Apple Customers Prefer 5s to Cheaper IPhone

Jobs Right as Apple Customers Prefer 5s to Cheaper IPhone

Apple Inc. (AAPL) co-founder Steve Jobs, who emphasized high-end consumer gadgets over cheaper ones, may have been right all along.
Last month, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook introduced the colorful iPhone 5c, a less-expensive version of Apple’s smartphone, to “serve even more customers” around the world. It turns out people so far are more interested in its pricier, feature-rich cousin, the 5s.
Three surveys in the past two weeks said the company’s new high-end model is outselling the 5c by at least 2 to 1. KGI Securities Co., a brokerage firm, slashed its quarterly estimates for 5c sales by a third, and retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target Corp. have reduced the phone’s price. The Wall Street Journal reported Apple’s orders to suppliers for the iPhone 5c have been cut by a third.
Customers are shrugging off the $99 iPhone 5c even as Apple spends heavily to advertise the handset, which is last year’s model repackaged in a colored plastic case. The 5c, which costs $100 less than the souped-up iPhone 5s, is Apple’s attempt to lure buyers in developing markets likeChina, where Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) and other Android phone makers lead. Even so, big sales of the pricier model are a boon because they carry fatter profit margins.

Freelancer Float vs. Linkedin

Freelancer Float vs. Linkedin

The founder of outsourced jobs portal Freelancer.com, Matt Barrie, says there are enough tech-savvy investors in Australia who understand why his soon-to-list business will carry a $218 million market capitalisation off forecast calendar 2013 earnings of just $471,000.
“LinkedIn is double [Freelancer’s price-to-earnings multiple], a market cap of $US26 billion off about 900 million current earnings, and locally [accounting software provider] Xero doesn’t even have positive earnings and it’s trading at a huge valuation,” Barrie says, following therelease of the prospectus for next month’s float.

Google shares hit new high after earnings beat

Google shares hit new high after earnings beat

FDA Not in Favor of Amarin's Vascepa

FDA Not in Favor of Amarin's Vascepa

Monday, October 14, 2013

Microsoft Promotes ‘Phablets’ After Smartphone, Tablet Misfires

Microsoft Promotes ‘Phablets’ After Smartphone, Tablet Misfires

Microsoft Corp. unveiled Windows Phone software for smartphone-tablet hybrids as well as more powerful chips as the company plays catchup to Google Inc. and Apple Inc. in mobile devices.
A bigger start menu with higher-resolution displays will enable the software to run on phones with five- and six-inch screens for the first time, Microsoft said today in a blog post. The update to Windows Phone 8 will roll out to developers tomorrow and customers in the coming months.
After losing out in smartphones and tablets to Google’s Android operating system and Apple’s iOS software, Microsoft is trying to appeal to consumers in the middle. Global shipments of so-called phablets will more than double to 60.4 million this year, research firm IHS predicted in January. That’s a fraction of the more than 1 billion smartphones researcher IDC expects to be shipped

.

$tsla $f $gm Electric Car Rentals Stalled in U.S. by Range Anxiety

$tsla $f $gm Electric Car Rentals Stalled in U.S. by Range Anxiety

In fact, people who drive off in electric vehicles from Enterprise Holdings Inc., the biggest U.S. auto renter, often bring them back to trade for a car that runs on gasoline.
“People are very keen to try it, but they will switch out of the contract part way through,” Lee Broughton, head of sustainability at Enterprise, said in an interview. “Range anxiety makes them think they can’t get to a charging station.”
Limited range is holding up demand for electric vehicles nationwide, both in rentals and sales. About 140,000 plug-in EVs are on U.S. roads, short of President Barack Obama’s goal for 1 million of the cars by 2015, data from the Electric Drive Transportation Association shows. That may slow efforts to cut pollution from transport, which is responsible for a third of U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions.
At Enterprise, customers rent the electric cars for about 1.6 days on average, compared to six days to seven days for conventional vehicles. Slow demand is the main reason the St. Louis-based company has 300 electric cars in its fleet, 40 percent below a target it set in 2010 when it ordered 500 of Nissan Motor Co.’s plug-in electric Leafs, Broughton said.
Hertz Global Holdings Inc. said in 2010 it would have 500 to 1,000 electric vehicles in its fleet by 2011, including Leafs and General Motors Co.’s Chevrolet Volt. It’s fallen short of that goal because of lower-than-expected customer interest, according to Paula Rivera, a spokeswoman for the company based in Park Ridge, New Jersey.

‘Definite Interest’

“When we first launched in 2010, there was definite interest, but we fleeted according to demand,” Rivera said.
Hybrids have been easier to promote because they’re similar to conventional cars, Rivera said. She wouldn’t say how many EVs or hybrids Hertz owns. Enterprise has 11,000 hybrids.

Google to NetApp Sidestep Courts to Combat Patent Claims

Google to NetApp Sidestep Courts to Combat Patent Claims

Google wants Congress to expand the quick review for business methods beyond finance because it allows a broader range of arguments, such as whether the idea is an abstract concept ineligible for legal protection, said Laura Sheridan, Google’s patent counsel.
Rackspace Hosting Inc. lawyer Van Lindberg is fed up with what he considers dubious patent-infringement lawsuits -- like when licensing company Rotatable Technologies LLC demanded $75,000 to settle a February case.
Many companies negotiate to pay the company to go away, since it’s cheaper than what may become a lengthy court battle.
Using a procedure called inter partes review created by the 2011 America Invents Act, Lindberg instead petitioned the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a new examination of the computer-image display patent. If Rackspace persuades the agency the patent never should have been issued, the suit will be dismissed. Rotatable says in court documents its patent is valid. Its lawyer Austin Hansley in Dallas didn’t return calls.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Gold shorts going down, but still bearish $gld $abx

Gold shorts going down, but still bearish $gld $abx

Norway Takes Manhattan

Norway Takes Manhattan
Early last month, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund announced it would invest $684 million in a 45 percent stake of Boston Properties’s Times Square Tower.
No small achievement, the investment is the Norwegian Government Pension Fund’s second real estate play in the United States in a span of just eight months as it seeks to rev up its portfolio to as much as 5 percent of total assets under management.
The uptick in activity, prompted in part by the fund’s desire to reduce its exposure to the bond market, is a welcome development for real estate’s largest institutional players now seeking to realize gains on investments made during the past decade and to deploy capital in other sectors of the market.
But while Abu Dhabi, China and Kuwait have all invested heavily in U.S. property over the past decade, it is Norway–with approximately $750 billion in state oil money, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund–that has made the biggest splash across New York City’s robust real estate market.
Partnering with established New York real estate owners Boston Properties and TIAA-CREF, Norway is snapping up stakes in trophy towers like no other as the dollar values of foreign transactions creep ever higher.
“We are moving into the larger denomination transactions,” Phil McAndrews, head of global real estate transactions and joint ventures at TIAA-CREF, said. “It’s a strong indicator that the U.S. economy is regarded highly around the globe, and real estate is a desirable asset class.”

Hedge Funds Dumped Amarin $amrn

Hedge Funds Dumped Amarin $amrn

Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing. Warren Buffett

Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing. -Warren Buffett

Kim Kiyosaki The bottom line is: Sacrifice is required.

The bottom line is: Sacrifice is required.

Friday, October 11, 2013

$dss details of secondary offering @ 1.075

Title of Each Class of
Securities to be Registered
 Amount to be
Registered(1)
  Proposed Maximum Offering Price
Per Share(2)
  Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering
Price (2)
  Amount of Registration
Fee
 
Primary Offering            
Common Stock, $.02 par value per share  15,000,000  $1.075(3) $16,125,000  $2,076.90 
Warrants     (4)  (4)  (4)
Secondary Offering                
Common Stock  4,859,894  $1.075(3) $5,224,386.05  $672.90 
Total  19,859,894          $2,749.80 

The combined company may require additional capital to support its present business plan and its anticipated business growth, and such capital may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all, which would adversely affect the combined company’s ability to operate.

DSS believes that the Bascom intellectual property will significantly augment the scope and value of DSS’s litigation and licensing business without impacting its current operations or resource allocation plan.

The Bascom Portfolio will expand upon DSS’s licensing potential and ability to compete within its current areas of commercial focus. DSS’s primary commercial focus is to develop integrated security solutions for authentication and brand protection that incorporate DSS’s proprietary print and digital technologies such as its suite of AuthentiGuard patents, the DSS Digital Group’s cloud computing platform and intellectual property, and customized software that delivers digital security solutions via standard handheld devices (such as the apple iPhone) and the cloud. DSS anticipates that this commercial focus will benefit from the integration of technical “know-how” from Thomas Bascom, the President and Chief Technology Officer of Bascom Research, as well as from the ability to use the current Bascom Portfolio and any potential new derivative technologies that may be co-developed and licensed. DSS initially will be the only competitor in the marketplace that is a licensee of the Bascom Portfolio, which may lead to additional licensing opportunities for DSS with customers or competitors.

The Bascom Research intellectual property licensing program provides a significant new potential income stream for DSS’s litigation and licensing business that will be funded by DSSTM, and as such, will not alter the current resource allocation for DSS’s existing litigation and licensing business. DSSTM has delivered approximately $6.25 million in capital (net of transaction fees) in connection with the Merger, which will be used in part to fund the Bascom Research licensing effort. We do not expect that DSS capital resources will initially be used for Bascom Research, and the Bascom Research effort will not initially divert other DSS resources aside from requiring some oversight by the current DSS General Counsel, who will be involved in all ongoing litigation and licensing matters for the combined company.
----
The shares of common stock offered by us may be sold directly by us, through dealers or agents designated from time to time, to or through underwriters or dealers or through a combination of these methods on a continuous or delayed basis.  See “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus.  We may also describe the plan of distribution for any particular offering of our securities in a prospectus supplement. If any agents, underwriters or dealers are involved in the sale of any securities in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered, we will disclose their names and the nature of our arrangements with them in a prospectus supplement. The net proceeds we expect to receive from any such sale will also be included in a prospectus supplement.

Vulnerable Republicans Brace for Hard Post-Shutdown Races $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

Vulnerable Republicans Brace for Hard Post-Shutdown Races 

$dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Samsung Watch Not Ready For Prime Time

Samsung Watch Not Ready For Prime Time

President Obama on Thursday rejected a proposal from politically besieged House Republican leaders to extend the nation’s borrowing authority for six weeks

President Obama on Thursday rejected a proposal from politically besieged House Republican leaders to extend the nation’s borrowing authority for six weeks

8 Top Scariest or Funny Debt Ceiling Quotes

8 Top Scariest or Funny Debt Ceiling Quotes

Toyota Trims Plug-in Prius Price to Improve U.S. Sales $tsla $f $gm

Toyota Trims Plug-in Prius Price to Improve U.S. Sales $tsla $f $gm

Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) is reducing the price of its plug-in Prius models to try to boost sales and meet a California mandate as automakers find that cost is critical to U.S. consumers’ willingness to buy rechargeable autos.
The world’s largest seller of hybrid autos is trimming the base price of the 2014 Prius Plug-in to $29,990, a $2,010 reduction from the current car, while the top-end Advanced grade gets a 12 percent cut to $34,905, Toyota said in a statement yesterday. The new versions, which also get a $2,500 U.S. tax credit, go on sale next month.
The company in August began offering reduced lease and loan deals for its battery-powered RAV4 crossover to spur its sales. Honda Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co. and General Motors Co. (GM) have all turned to discounted leases, price cuts or both for rechargeable models.
Toyota is under particular pressure to sell as many plug-in hybrids and battery-only vehicles as possible in California to comply with the state’s Zero-Emission Vehicle program. The Toyota City, Japan-based company has the biggest share of auto sales in the state and as a result must sell the most low-polluting models.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Baupost Group Boosts Credit & Property Portfolio In Europe

Baupost Group Boosts Credit & Property Portfolio In Europe

Quasar IV Encrypted Ninja Smartphone Goes Into Production, Despite Indiegogo Failure

Quasar IV Encrypted Ninja Smartphone Goes Into Production, Despite Indiegogo Failure

One of the more ambitious and interesting hardware projects on a crowdfunding platform recently has to be the Quasar IV, a smartphone designed entirely around security, encryption and identity protection. QSAlpha’s Quasar IV uses authentication tech called Quatrix, and a hybrid Android/Linux and Quatrix mobile OS called QuaOS to make sure communications in and out of the phone are protected.
The Quasar IV is going to be made, despite the fact that there are only nine days remaining in its Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, and only $48,796 raised out of $3.2 million sought on a fixed funding goal (meaning they don’t get anything if they haven’t got the whole amount committed). While the Quasar IV won’t raise that much money in the next 9 days, it apparently will get made regardless thanks to help from outside investors.

Apple Said to Expand ITunes Radio to Internationally Before Pandora

Apple Said to Expand ITunes Radio to Internationally Before Pandora

Apple Inc. (AAPL) plans to expand iTunes Radio to English-speaking countries outside the U.S. by early 2014, beating industry leader Pandora Media Inc. (P) to the U.K. and Canada, people with knowledge of the situation said.
ITunes Radio is also set to start early next year in Australia and New Zealand, where Pandora already operates, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public. Nordic countries are also being targeted in the same time frame, the people said.
Apple is moving faster than Pandora because it forged agreements for international rights withVivendi SA (VIV)’s Universal Music Group and other record companies, said one of the people. Pandora, which doesn’t have such deals, relies on rights granted by government entities, limiting service to the U.S., Australia and New Zealand.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Eric Schmidt calls Android 'more secure than the iPhone'

Eric Schmidt calls Android 'more secure than the iPhone'

Google's Eric Schmidt has a reputation for raising eyebrows with his public proclamations, so this latest episode should come as little surprise — the company chairman declared during the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo that Android has a security advantage over Apple's iPhone. In comments, Schmidt responded to a question from Gartner analyst David Willis as such:
Willis: "If you polled many people in this audience they would say Google Android is not their principal platform... When you say Android, people say, wait a minute, Android is not secure."
Schmidt: "Not secure? It's more secure than the iPhone."

Monday, October 7, 2013

Tesla Model S Unintended Acceleration Complaint Filed With NHTSA $tsla

Tesla Model S Unintended Acceleration Complaint Filed With NHTSA $tsla

Chanos Lays Out Bearish Thesis on Tesla $tsla $hpq

Chanos Lays Out Bearish Thesis on Tesla $tsla $hpq

He says investors are “chasing momentum because it’s working.”
But that could have its pitfalls over the long term. In general, Mr. Chanos says the stock market has gotten “extremely speculative” at current levels. He compares it the tech bubble and says the current environment is “almost akin to the day-trading-like market that we had in the late 1990s.”
“We didn’t see any of that in March 2009,” he says. “People were too scared”.
He says this all explains how “pressure is rising and things are getting more speculative,” he says. “It’s time to be a little more careful than people were four years ago.”

Jim Chanos Hints He is Shorting Tesla Short (Sorta) $tsla $hpq

Jim Chanos Hints He is Shorting Tesla Short (Sorta) $tsla $hpq
Jim Chanos provides a dislcaimer that any stock he mentions the audience should assume he’s short,, but cannot confirm this for certain. Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has gone beyond interesting innovation to a cult stock. These stocks are now based on wild predictions.
He notes that his analyst realized that a sell side analyst had only $5 out of the $200 price target based on current earnings. However, based on valuation it seems investors are just chasing momentum lately.

Bill Ackman Has Heard of George Soros, Dan Loeb $hlf $jcp

Bill Ackman Has Heard of George Soros, Dan Loeb $hlf $jcp

This congressman just said the dumbest thing anyone has said about the debt limit. Even worse, he’s proud of it. $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

This congressman just said the dumbest thing anyone has said about the debt limit. Even worse, he’s proud of it. $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

Stocks hit 1-month low on US deadlock; Dax down 1.2% $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac $tsla $fb $goog

Stocks hit 1-month low on US deadlock; Dax down 1.2% $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac $tsla $fb $goog

Sunday, October 6, 2013

US shutdown is starting to hit business, says Commerce Secretary $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

US shutdown is starting to hit business, says Commerce Secretary $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

Google, Apple And Facebook Are At War Over 'Latent' Search

Google, Apple And Facebook Are At War Over 'Latent' Search $fb $goog $aapl

Everyone knows Google dominates search. It usually has roughly 70% market shareof all search activity on the net. Microsoft’s Bing comes a distant second.
But Google is facing a series of challenges that could upset that dominance. The challenge comes with a new type of search, called “latent,” “abstract,” or “conversational” search.
Until now, if you wanted to search for something on the web, you typed in keywords. Google has trained us all to type in those words in order of importance, not the order in which they make sense.
In the future, that may change. Google, Facebook, and Apple are all developing tools that will allow us to search the way we speak naturally, even though searching for the kinds of non-specific, abstract, or latent concepts we use in real life – “where is a good place to eat dinner?” – generally produces useless search results.

And Then Steve Said, ‘Let There Be an iPhone’

And Then Steve Said, ‘Let There Be an iPhone’ $aapl $goog $bbry $msft $nok

The 55 miles from Campbell to San Francisco make for one of the nicest commutes anywhere. The journey mostly zips along the Junipero Serra Freeway, a grand and remarkably empty highway that abuts the east side of the Santa Cruz Mountains. It is one of the best places in Silicon Valley to spot a start-up tycoon speed-testing his Ferrari and one of the worst places for cellphone reception. For Andy Grignon, it was therefore the perfect place for him to be alone with his thoughts early on Jan. 8, 2007.
This wasn’t Grignon’s typical route to work. He was a senior engineer at Apple in Cupertino, the town just west of Campbell. His morning drive typically covered seven miles and took exactly 15 minutes. But today was different. He was going to watch his boss, Steve Jobs, make history at the Macworld trade show in San Francisco. Apple fans had for years begged Jobs to put a cellphone inside their iPods so they could stop carrying two devices in their pockets. Jobs was about to fulfill that wish. Grignon and some colleagues would spend the night at a nearby hotel, and around 10 a.m. the following day they — along with the rest of the world — would watch Jobs unveil the first iPhone.

GOP floats six-week funding and debt ceiling extension $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

GOP floats six-week funding and debt ceiling extension $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

“Economic Shutdown” Obama's new weapon in the debt ceiling fight $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

“Economic Shutdown” Obama's new weapon in the debt ceiling fight $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

Shutdown could delay auto recalls, impact auto safety $tsla $f $gm

Shutdown could delay auto recalls, impact auto safety

That could cause headaches as the investigation continues into precisely why aTesla Model S battery car caught fire earlier this week in a Seattle suburb. Normally NHTSA researchers would be working alongside Tesla investigators to determine the cause of what has been tentatively blamed on road debris puncturing part of the sedan's 85 kilowatt-hour battery pack.

In turn, were the government to discover a serious flaw in the Model S design, that might lead to a recall or other service action.

Boehner Says House Won’t Vote on Clean Debt Limit Bill $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

Boehner Says House Won’t Vote on Clean Debt Limit Bill $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

Netflix stock for real, no 'House of Cards': Pro $nflx

Netflix stock for real, no 'House of Cards': Pro $nflx

Preliminary guidance for third-quarter results provides little case for optimism $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

Preliminary guidance for third-quarter results provides little case for optimism $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac $tsla

Steroid Scandal Hits Google

Steroid Scandal Hits Google $goog $aapl $msft
With a staggering 1.5 million teenagers — both male and female — admitting to using steroids, according to one foundation, concern is growing about an easy way for them to score the drug.
On YouTube, videos advertise and include links to sites where anyone can buy steroids. Many of the sellers are from overseas and claim they do not require a prescription, which would be illegal in the US.
“This is international drug-dealing,” said Tom Galvin of the Digital Citizens Alliance. “It’s coming from places we have no control over, and it’s going directly to our kids.”
The Digital Citizens Alliance, an online watchdog, saw an explosion of these sites this year and went shopping.
One package arrived from Thailand, but the product said it was made in Pakistan. Another package came from Slovakia but the product’s packaging read China. Orders from one other website never arrived.
Testing by the organization showed that while one vial contained steroids, their potency was unclear. Another vial supposed to have human growth hormone, did not. The lab could not determine just what was in the container, other than the fact that it was a protein.
“There have been instances where they [vials] have been found to have lead or arsenic,” Galvin said.
Much of the raw product comes from China, and the steroids are not always made in sterile conditions.
YouTube, which makes money from ads for all kinds of things that accompany the videos, told ABC News that it had systems in place to prevent advertisements from appearing on objectionable content and that it removed “millions of videos each year that violate our policies.”

Inside the Arctic Circle, Where Your Facebook Data Live

Inside the Arctic Circle, Where Your Facebook Data Live $fb $goog $tsla $aapl $csco $hpq

Every year, computing giants including Hewlett-Packard (HPQ)Dell (DELL), andCisco Systems (CSCO) sell north of $100 billion in hardware. That’s the total for the basic iron—servers, storage, and networking products. Add in specialized security, data analytics systems, and related software, and the figure gets much, much larger. So you can understand the concern these companies must feel as they watchFacebook (FB) publish more efficient equipment designs that directly threaten their business. For free.
The Dells and HPs of the world exist to sell and configure data-management gear to companies, or rent it out through cloud services. Facebook’s decision to publish its data center designs for anyone to copy could embolden others to bypass U.S. tech players and use low-cost vendors in Asia to supply and bolt together the systems they need.
Instead of buying server racks from the usual suspects, Facebook designs its own systems and outsources the manufacturing work. In April 2011, the social networking company began publishing its hardware blueprints as part of its so-called Open Compute Project, which lets other companies piggyback on the work of its engineers.
 

Saturday, October 5, 2013

The Industries 3D Printing Will Revolutionize $exa $ddd $ssys $adsk $prlb

The Industries 3D Printing Will Revolutionize $exa $ddd $ssys $adsk $prlb

Lehman a 'kindergarten show' next to any default $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

Lehman a 'kindergarten show' next to any default $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

Stocks to see a bit more volatility this week from shutdown $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac $tsla $fb $goog

Stocks to see a bit more volatility this week from shutdown $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac $tsla $fb $goog

Apple slammed in China for pulling firewall-busting app OpenDoor

Apple slammed in China for pulling firewall-busting app OpenDoor $aapl $goog $msft $bbry $nok

Apple has been accused of kowtowing to the Chinese government by pulling from its China App Store a product enabling users to circumvent firewalls and access restricted sites.
OpenDoor, a free app that provides users a randomized IP address to keep their browsing habits anonymous and shielded from censors, was removed after the tech giant deemed it contained "illegal content," the app's lead developer told CNN.
It remains available in App Stores outside China.
The developer -- who wished to remain anonymous, saying that "as the developers of an app that protects users' privacy and anonymity online, it only makes sense to do the same ourselves" -- said Apple provided no notification that the app had been pulled, with the developers only learning from consumers.

BlackBerry Accused of Inflating Shares With False Claims $bbry $goog $aapl $nok $msft $aapl

BlackBerry Accused of Inflating Shares With False Claims $bbry $goog $aapl $nok $msft $aapl

iOS 7's Most Common Bugs (And How To Fix Them) $aapl $goog $msft $bbry $nok

iOS 7's Most Common Bugs (And How To Fix Them) $aapl $goog $msft $bbry $nok

$tsla $f $gm The Tesla Fire Is A Textbook PR Problem - And They Should Fix It

$tsla $f $gm The Tesla Fire Is A Textbook PR Problem - And They Should Fix It

$fb $aapl $lnkd $goog $fio $tsla $twtr Was The “Tweeter” Stock Mixup A Penny Stock Scam? $twtr $goog $fb $lnkd $aapl $fio $tsla $kndi

$fb $aapl $lnkd $goog $fio $tsla $twtr Was The “Tweeter” Stock Mixup A Penny Stock Scam?

Here are the secret edits Twitter made to its IPO filing, hoping investors wouldn’t notice $fb $aapl $lnkd $goog $fio $tsla $twtr

Here are the secret edits Twitter made to its IPO filing, hoping investors wouldn’t notice $fb $aapl $lnkd $goog $fio $tsla $twtr

Friday, October 4, 2013

$dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac Economic Confidence Plummets as Gov't Shutdown Begins Current -34 three-day average is worst since December 2011

$dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac Economic Confidence Plummets as Gov't Shutdown Begins Current -34 three-day average is worst since December 2011

$dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac House Republicans predict government shutdown will go on for weeks

$dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac House Republicans predict government shutdown will go on for weeks

Georgia Woman Revealed as Voice of Siri

Georgia Woman Revealed as Voice of Siri $aapl $goog $msft $nok $bbry

"The voice of Apple's voice assistant Siri has been revealed as Georgia-based voiceover actress Susan Bennett.
Bennett made the revelation to CNN, eight years after lending her voice to a 2005 project for ScanSoft, which eventually acquired Nuance, the company that powers Siri. As a result, Bennett did not know she would one day be the voice behind a pop culture icon. When Siri was released on the iPhone 4S in 2011, it was friends who recognized her voice and filled her in.
Nuance and Apple declined to comment on Bennett's revelation to CNN, but the cable channel hired an audio forensics expert to compare her voice to the voice answering queries on iPads and iPhones around the globe. "They are identical - a 100 percent match," the expert told CNN.
Bennett kept quiet about the fact that she was Siri until a September feature from The Verge led some to believe that voiceover actress Allison Dufty was Siri, something Dufty denied."

Why Gold Is Not Rallying On Shutdown Republicans Think They're Winning the Shutdown $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

Why Gold Is Not Rallying On Shutdown

Neither the U.S. government shutdown nor the looming debt-ceiling deadline has been enough to boost demand for gold, which slumped to a near two-month low this week. So, why isn't the safe-haven asset catching a bid? 
According to Dennis Gartman, publisher of the Gartman Letter, the government shutdown is being viewed by some as a deflationary force in the world's largest economy. This is negative for gold as it is often purchased as a hedge against inflation.

How Apple has changed since Steve Jobs $aapl $goog $msft $nok $bbry $rfmd $crus $tqnt

How Apple has changed since Steve Jobs $aapl $goog $msft $nok $bbry $rfmd $crus $tqnt

Congress Five Reasons Republicans Think They're Winning the Shutdown $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

Congress Five Reasons Republicans Think They're Winning the Shutdown $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

$dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac The GOP Is Building Up A 'Final' Offer On The Shutdown And Debt Ceiling, And Democrats Are Already Shooting It Down

$dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac The GOP Is Building Up A 'Final' Offer On The Shutdown And Debt Ceiling, And Democrats Are Already Shooting It Down

$dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac Boehner Insists on Health Law Changes to End Shutdown $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac Boehner Insists on Health Law Changes to End Shutdown

$dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac Boehner Insists on Health Law Changes to End Shutdown

$tsla $f $gm ELON MUSK: Here's Why That Model S Caught On Fire

$tsla $f $gm ELON MUSK: Here's Why That Model S Caught On Fire

BlackBerry Drop Reveals Biggest Discount of North American Deals $bbry $goog $aapl $msft $nok $csco $ibm $tsla $nflx $rfmd $crus

BlackBerry Drop Reveals Biggest Discount of North American Deals $bbry $goog $aapl $msft

Siri's voice: Susan Bennett reveals that she is the real voice behind Apple's Siri $aapl $goog $msft $nok $bbry

Siri's voice: Susan Bennett reveals that she is the real voice behind Apple's Siri $aapl $goog $msft $nok $bbry

Though you’ve never met Susan Bennett, you are probably more familiar with her than you think. You may have asked her for directions, what the weather is like, the score to baseball games and even to remind you to pick up dog food.

Bennett has revealed herself the voice of Apple’s original Siri, and in a recent interview with CNN, she dished on, among other things, how she came to be the one to give life to your favorite snarky personal assistant.

Bennett has done voice work for automated systems since the 1970s. Her first job in the biz was as the voice of Tilly the all-time teller, the first ATM machine. She’s also lent her vocals to GPS devices, automated telephone systems and even Delta airlines terminals.

“The Siri voices were recorded in 2005, in the month of July, four hours a day for the whole month,” Bennett told CNN. “When I recorded those voices, I had absolutely no idea where they would end up.”

Software company ScanSoft, which eventually merged with Nuance Communications, approached Bennett about doing some recordings that would be used in a database to construct speech. Nuance is believed to be the company that partnered with Apple to provide the technology behind Siri.

Boehner Pledge Not To Default $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

Boehner Pledge Not To Default $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

Recession Warnings Found in Asset Price Falls: Cutting Research $msft $aapl $goog $nok $bbry $tqnt $ibm $fb $rfmd $crus $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

Recession Warnings Found in Asset Price Falls: Cutting Research $msft $aapl $goog $nok $bbry $tqnt $ibm $fb $rfmd $crus $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

Thursday, October 3, 2013

This is the first interesting search engine since Google $goog $fb $msft $ibm $lnkd

This is the first interesting search engine since Google $goog $fb $msft $ibm $lnkd

Tesla Car Fire Puts Company To Major Test $tsla $f $gm


Tesla Car Fire Puts Company To Major Test $tsla $f $gm

Best Buy puts iPhone 5C on sale for $50 just two weeks after launch $msft $aapl $goog $nok $bbry $tqnt $ibm $fb $rfmd $crus

Best Buy puts iPhone 5C on sale for $50 just two weeks after launch $msft $aapl $goog $nok $bbry $tqnt $ibm $fb $rfmd $crus

Why Did Apple Buy Cue? Because Google Now Eats Siri’s Lunch $tqnt $rfmd $crus $qcom $fb $goog $aapl $csco $ibm $tsla

Why Did Apple Buy Cue? Because Google Now Eats Siri’s Lunch $tqnt $rfmd $crus $qcom $fb $goog $aapl $csco $ibm $tsla

Facebook's Company Town $fb $goog $aapl $csco $ibm $tsla

Facebook's Company Town $fb $goog $aapl $csco $ibm $tsla

Social Network Is Building a 394-Unit Housing Community Near Its Offices

Boehner Will Raise Debt Limit Even With Democrat Votes $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

Boehner Will Raise Debt Limit Even With Democrat Votes


Labor Department Confirms No Jobs Report Friday $dust $nugt $spx $spy $xly $tbt $tlt $vxx $gs $ms $jpm $ms $wfc $bac

Labor Department Confirms No Jobs Report Friday