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Showing posts from January, 2020

Mark Zuckerberg says he's become 'more religious' after becoming a father in rare public discussion about faith: 'The last few years have been really humbling for me' (FB)

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Mark Zuckerberg has grown "more religious" over the past few years. The Facebook CEO said the birth of his daughters and the challenges his company have faced have influenced his faith. The 35-year-old tech exec made the rare public comments about religion at a conference in Utah. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories . Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says he's grown more religious over the last few years as a result of fatherhood and the "challenges we've been through as a company." In an on-stage interview at a conference in Utah on Friday, the 35-year-old technology executive made rare public comments about his Jewish faith. Asked about who his mentors are Zuckerberg segued into a discussion about religion. "I've become more religious," he said: "The last few years have been really humbling for me." He went on: "I think there's a comfort in knowing and having confidence that there are things bigger

Former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, Key Figure In Impeachment Trial, Retires - NPR

Former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, Key Figure In Impeachment Trial, Retires    NPR Marie Yovanovitch, diplomat at center of impeachment drama, retires    CNN Key impeachment witness Marie Yovanovitch retires from State Department - Business Insider    Business Insider Marie Yovanovitch retires from the State Dept.    NBC News Diplomat at Center of Trump Impeachment Retires From State Department    The New York Times View full coverage on Google News

Amazon’s Echo Show can now scan barcodes to flesh out your shopping list

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Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge In our review of the Amazon Echo Show 5 smart display , Dan called it the “smart alarm clock to get.” But I think I might move mine to the kitchen, right next to the garbage can. That’s partly because Amazon has just added the ability for the Echo Show 5 and Echo Show 8’s camera to scan barcodes, and automatically add those items to your shopping list (via VentureBeat ). I might do that when I’ve got an empty package I’m about to toss in the trash. You start by saying “Alexa, scan this to my shopping list.” Up pops this screen: Image by Sean Hollister / The Verge I just tried it with a milk carton, orange juice, and a New Balance shoebox, and it seems to work fine in each case, adding each to my Alexa shopping list. Though as you can see below, some results are less useful than others: Image by Sean Hollister / The Verge Do you really need the specificity of 64-ounce lactose free 2 percent milk before you run to the store, anyhow? You know w

Airbnb quietly acquired payments startup Bold Financial Technologies in 2016

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Airbnb bought payments startup Bold Financial Technologies in November 2016 in a previously unreported deal, a spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider. Bold aimed to make international payments easier and more secure for large marketplaces like Airbnb and Uber. Airbnb did not disclose the price or terms of the deal, or what happened to Bold's team or product. Airbnb has acquired more than two dozen startups in its journey toward becoming a public company, which it said it plans to do in 2020. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.  In November 2016, continuing its under-the-radar buying spree, Airbnb acquired Bold Financial Technologies, a startup that aimed to make international payments safer and more convenient, an Airbnb spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider. Bold, started in 2014 by Sean Safahi and Noah Spirakus, targeted clients like Airbnb, Uber, Lyft, and eBay that facilitate payments to lots of recipients, Safahi told the Phoenix Busi

AI IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS: Why carriers could lose out if they don't adopt AI fast — and where they can make the biggest gains

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This is a preview of the AI in Telecommunications  research report from Business Insider Intelligence. Purchase this report. 14-Day Risk Free Trial: Get full access to this and all Connectivity & Tech research reports. In the face of rising demand for data, increasingly saturated mobile markets, and stiff opposition from legacy players, tech entrants, and startups, global telecoms are locked in a battle for market share. These market pressures have led to vicious price wars for mobile services and, as a result, declining average revenue per user (ARPU). Making matters worse, improvements in infrastructure and technology have made telecoms largely comparable in terms of coverage, connection speeds, and service pricing, meaning companies must transform their businesses if they hope to compete. For many global telecoms, shoring up market share under today's pressures while also future-proofing operations means having to invest in AI. The telecom industry is expected to inv

Mark Steyn: Impeachment trial a 'stinker' from beginning to end - Fox News

Mark Steyn: Impeachment trial a 'stinker' from beginning to end    Fox News Trump impeachment: What happens next?    Reuters Senate Impeachment Trial Of President Trump - Day 10 | NBC News (Live Stream)    NBC News Senate impeachment trial Day 9: Senators gave their final question ahead of vote on witnesses    POLITICO Watch LIVE: Impeachment Trial of President Donald Trump day 8 - ABC News Live Coverage    ABC News View full coverage on Google News

Justice Roberts refuses to read question from Sen. Rand Paul – updates - USA TODAY

Justice Roberts refuses to read question from Sen. Rand Paul – updates    USA TODAY John Roberts stares down another possible legacy moment    CNN CNN anchor John King says Republicans make 'legitimate point' about whistleblower    Fox News Warren's pathetic treatment of Chief Justice John Roberts    Washington Examiner Rand Paul named the whistleblower and revealed the hypocrisy at the heart of the Republican Party    The Independent View full coverage on Google News

Why Lori Loughlin and Husband Mossimo Are Selling Their MILLION MANSION (Exclusive) - Entertainment Tonight

Why Lori Loughlin and Husband Mossimo Are Selling Their MILLION MANSION (Exclusive)    Entertainment Tonight Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli list house for $28M    msnNOW Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli List $28 Million House    TMZ Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli List Mansion as College Admissions Scandal Rages On    Realtor.com News Lori Loughlin and husband put house up for sale for $28.6 Million    AOL View full coverage on Google News

Scientists estimate nearly 100,000 people are infected with coronavirus

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If you've been keeping a close eye on the progress of the coronavirus outbreak over the past month or so, one thing that probably gave you a little peace of mind is the relatively low number of confirmed infections. Originally in the dozens, the number of confirmed viral infections is now around 10,000. It's a big number, but not that big in the grand scheme of things, right? A new report from the University of Hong Kong suggests that those numbers aren't even close to revealing the true extent of the spread. Based on the university's findings, researchers now estimate the number of actual infections to be over 75,000. Continue reading... BGR Top Deals: Today’s best deals: Free Echo Dot, $25 Fire TV Stick, smart home blowout, $25 true wireless earbuds, $11 Wi-Fi extender, more Amazon’s blowing out smart home products in a can’t-miss sale, today only Trending Right Now: Walmart’s running a big unadvertised sale you didn’t even know about – here are the 10 b

'Not an inch': Palestinians at Al-Aqsa vow to fight Trump's plan - Al Jazeera English

'Not an inch': Palestinians at Al-Aqsa vow to fight Trump's plan    Al Jazeera English Trump's Mideast peace plan could have major long-term implications for ally Jordan    Fox News Trump’s Mideast peace plan is a farce    The Boston Globe Palestinians don’t need the Trump administration’s peace plan or Jared Kushner to civilize them.    Vox.com Trump’s Middle East Plan: Starting Point or Dead End?    The New York Times View full coverage on Google News

Sen. Lisa Murkowski to vote 'no' on witnesses in Trump's impeachment trial - CNN

Sen. Lisa Murkowski to vote 'no' on witnesses in Trump's impeachment trial    CNN Senators signal impeachment trial could spill over into next week | TheHill    The Hill Trump trial could end soon; Alexander says no to witnesses    cleveland.com Watch critical witness vote at Trump's impeachment trial    CNN Romney to vote in favor of impeachment witnesses | TheHill    The Hill View full coverage on Google News

Super Bowl ads: Amazon Alexa, the Google Assistant, and emotions - The Verge

Super Bowl ads: Amazon Alexa, the Google Assistant, and emotions    The Verge Ellen DeGeneres & Portia de Rossi will star in a cute Super Bowl ad    LGBTQ Nation 8 things your Amazon Echo can do that Google Home can't    CNET Save on an Amazon Fire TV Cube in time for the Super Bowl    The Verge Amazon's insufferably smug Super Bowl ad is truly annoying    ZDNet View full coverage on Google News

The guy who knew Nintendo’s Switch surprise ahead of time has pled guilty to hacking

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Photo by James Bareham / The Verge A California man has pled guilty to hacking Nintendo’s servers to steal confidential files, including taking information about the Nintendo Switch months before it was announced, the US Department of Justice revealed today . According to the DOJ, Ryan Hernandez, 21, and an associate phished a Nintendo employee in 2016 to get access to and steal confidential information from the company. In October 2017, the FBI contacted Hernandez and his parents to ask him to stop hacking, at which time Hernandez “confirmed that he understood the consequences of any future hacking.” Hernandez hacked into multiple Nintendo servers However, from at least June 2018 to June 2019, Hernandez continued to illegally access confidential corporate information, according to the DOJ, and he broke into “multiple Nintendo servers” to steal more confidential information. Hernandez apparently boasted about his hacking on Twitter, Discord, and his own chat forum called “Ryan’

Twitter adds threaded replies to iOS to make it easier to see ongoing conversations

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Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Twitter announced a subtle design change to its iOS app today that may go a long way in both making conversations easier to parse and to join. The change, which looks like it’s a change on Twitter’s end that does not require an update, is to the threading feature in the Twitter timeline, which currently does a poor job of differentiating between standard tweets and replies. The update now draws a concrete line between a parent tweet and the replies, with the replies indented slightly and connected by the series of vertical and horizontal lines. It makes a Twitter conversation look effectively like thread of connected notes. The feature was first demoed in the company’s experimental twttr beta app back in spring of last year . It only displays these threads for replies from people you follow, so you won’t have your timeline inundated with tweets from random people you don’t know. Twitter says this “new layout makes it easier to see who’s

Airbnb quietly acquired cloud storage startup Minbox in 2016

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In 2016, Airbnb bought Minbox, a tool for syncing files across cloud storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox, an Airbnb spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider. The previously unreported purchase was one of several quiet acquisitions by Airbnb in 2016. Airbnb did not say how much it acquired Minbox for or how it has integrated Minbox's team and technology. Airbnb has acquired more than two dozen startups in its journey toward becoming a public company, which it said it plans to do in 2020. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.  Airbnb, in a previously unreported May 2016 transaction, bought a small cloud service startup called Minbox, an  Airbnb spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider. Minbox let users sync files across multiple cloud service providers like Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, Evernote, Slack and OneDrive. Started in 2013 by Alexander Mimran, Michael Lawlor, and Simon Fletcher, the company raised a seed round of $800,000 from Co

Read the pitch deck that Uber founder Garrett Camp created for the ride-hailing giant back in 2008 – before the company became the $120 billion giant it is today (UBER)

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It's a big year for Uber. The first name in ride-hailing had a ton of hype around it for the first half of 2019 thanks to its IPO. And though the $8 billion valuation fell well short of speculations of $100 billion, Uber is still one of the biggest names on the market today. With such eye-popping numbers, it's difficult to remember a time when the 10-year-old company wasn't the juggernaut it is today. Uber currently has more than 2 million drivers ferrying passengers in more than 63 countries. But back in August 2008, founder Garrett Camp was laying out his dream of a "next-generation car service" in a slideshow on his computer. Little did he know that dream would grow exponentially into a company that now handles grocery delivery, that has a rapidly growing on-demand food delivery segment in Uber Eats, and is developing a fleet of self-driving taxis. As part of our coverage of the genesis of today's successful companies,   BI Prime   took a look at how C