Alcatraz inmates, who were believed to have died in their tumultuous escape while attempting to swim across freezing waters, wrote a letter to the San Francisco Police Department in 2013. This letter officially surfaced this past week, leading many to wonder of its validity. If the brothers and their accomplice were still alive today, their ages would range between 85-90.
Apple Posts Job Ad Only Few Can Find
Nothing quite like the reward of a new job opportunity when solving a puzzle. Apple recently hid an advertisement "for a talented engineer to develop a critical infrastructure component that is to be a key part of the Apple ecosystem." However, this wasn't just any kind of hiding - the ad "was listed under [a] web address...[which is one] of a series of servers that belong to Apple". Zack Whittaker, cyber-security reporter, "discovered it by chance while analyzing some data being sent from iPhone apps" but isn't looking to apply for the position. Although this isn't the first time "'hidden' messages [have been used] in recruitment campaigns", Apple's unique way of enticing potential recruits not only screens them before ever applying, but also proves out an innovative way of critical thinking.
The Sky Won't Be The Only Thing Going Dark on Aug. 21st
The upcoming solar eclipse on August 21st may have more gravitas than neat pictures. Across the country, percentage of total sunlight blocked will vary from 50% to total darkness for approximately 3 minutes - spanning its full course from Oregon to South Carolina in a matter of 90 minutes. Granted its impact on daily activity will likely be minimal, photovoltaic generators across the country will have a much lower energy output. North Carolina has the largest amount of generator capacity that will be in the 90% darkness band, which provides with state with 3.1% of its electricity generation. However, California will be the hardest hit with a direct reduction of 4.2 GW statewide and is projected to even slightly darken the state for about 2.5 hours mid-morning.
YouTube Will Hide Extremist Content But Not Ban It
YouTube ranges in content from professional outlets to homemade bloopers; however, highly controversial, extremist views have also made their way to the social media platform. For the past months, YouTube has been working diligently to take command of this growing issue and today announced their progress thus far. The item getting the most attention? "YouTube will now begin limiting the reach of videos that have 'controversial religious or supremacist content' but don’t strictly violate the website’s hate speech guidelines." This seemingly "gray" line between free speech and extremist views is quite ridiculous. YouTube seems to be strictly following their own policies - why not write a little tighter regulations for the site's content? Come on guys.
Facebook Robots Make Up Own Language
Facebook chose to shut down two robots this past week after they began to communicate in their own "language" while working through a negotiation role play. They were having the robots "barter" for items such as hats, balls, and books; each of which were assigned a value. Although when looking at the text conversation it doesn't seem to make much sense, the robots continually stressed their own names, seeming to be a part of the negotiations. The robots would even "place interest in one specific item - so that they could pretend they were making a big sacrifice by giving it up."
This isn't the first time artificial intelligence has made up its own language in an effort to improve efficiency - "Google revealed earlier this year that...its Translate tool had created its own language to translate into then out of." In this instance, Google chose to continue to let the AI run, citing it was happy with the development. Seemingly futuristic, one linguist says it's "unlikely the language is a precursor to new human speech" specifically due to its text based foundation rather than spoken.
Big Step in DNA Editing?
SciFi movies are becoming less and less fictional as science and technology continue to evolve. Recently, Oregon scientists have reported successfully editing human embryos both efficiently and with few mistakes. In the past, researchers have targeted specific strands with the key focus being serious genetic defects; this time, however, the entire strand was edited. Of course, there are many concerns on both sides of the fence about this finding including the concept of "designer babies". Yet, some scholars also question the importance of a study such as this citing that these are only "research embryos" without any confirmation of actually being able to successfully transfer for implantation.
Bureaucrats Hindering Progress
A Toronto man recently decided to take matters into his own hands when city officials took too long to come to a final decision on building out a staircase due to an outlandish estimate. What took this man a few hours with the help of a homeless man and $550 total, the city had projected costs to run anywhere from $65,000 to $150,000. The resident said he had seen multiple people fall and hurt themselves on this "steep path" to their community garden. Officials currently have the staircase roped off while determining the stairs' safety and stated there is an accessible path for "those who worry about falling down the incline".
The Juice is Loose...on parole that is
Today O.J. Simpson was granted parole after 9 years served in prison. For those of you who don't know Mr. Simpson, he is better known for his connections with the Kardashian family....or when he was thought to have killed a young woman with a knife, and the first Kardashian husband, Mr. Robert Kardashian, helping write the famous line "if [the glove] doesn't fit, you must acquit." ~Johnny Cochran
However, despite the gruesomeness of that alleged crime, O.J. was actually sentenced for armed robbery and kidnapping. Since then, Mr. Simpson has been a model inmate who never created any problems. He was also deemed by the state to, not only be a first time offender, but at a low risk to commit an offense again. More importantly though, Mr. Simpson was likely granted parole for serving his 9 year sentence, which is the minimum term for the crime he committed in that respective state. All in all, the Parole Board had almost no choice but to let go of the individual that has captured the minds of so many for so long.
Is It Time to Jump Ship?
Negotiating salaries has long been a key topic in the business world across all industries; however, by the time inflation is calculated based on the average 3% annual raise, the actual bump in pay is closer to 1%. Over the past decade, fears of a recessionary economy have steered companies towards these minimal raises that have now become the norm. Add this up and after staying with a company for 2 years, over an assumed 10 year career, you could earn 50% less - and that's conservatively! Interestingly, by onboarding with a new employer, salaries can increase anywhere from 10-20%. This logic comes from the fact that raises are usually pulled from a base salary; if starting fresh, you are no longer bound to this lower wage. Yet, there are, of course, potential downfalls to continually leaping from one company to another as well. Overall, you must weigh the pros and cons of choosing whether to stay with your current employer or actively seek new opportunities. Most importantly, "as an individual, you’re a CEO of one, and you have a duty to maximize your profits."
Iranian Economic Sanctions
The Trump Administration has announced economic sanctions against Iran "targeting at least 16 individuals and entities for supporting what it said was 'illicit Iranian actors or transnational criminal activity'." These particular sanctions includes freezing any US banking system interaction as well as US assets. Just yesterday, it was announced that Iran was complying with the set nuclear deal; however, these sanctions are being pushed on the basis of "breaking the 'spirit' of the deal" with the threat of additional to come should things not turn around. These individuals "had backed Iran's military or Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by developing drones and military equipment, producing and maintaining boats, and procuring electronic components, according to the US."
The FCC & Internet Regulation
Have you ever thought about where we would be without the internet? I surely wouldn't be writing on a public domain to all of you. Since its birth, the internet has brought along many discussions of regulation and just who is supposed to be steering that ship. With the recent election brought a new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the recirculation of the "Web's hottest political topic - net neutrality". According to the tech community's online campaigns, "The FCC wants to destroy net neutrality and give big cable companies control over what we see and do online. If they get their way, they’ll allow widespread throttling, blocking, censorship, and extra fees.” Whatever your opinion may be, there are a couple avenues that could be taken aside from net neutrality such as regulating the internet as a public utility or repeal net neutrality altogether and allow "providers to experiment with different models". However, at this point, it's up to the FCC to choose just how things will move forward over the next decade in internet growth.
TELEPORTATION IS HERE!
Just when you thought quantum physics was a topic only discussed on Big Bang Theory...think again! In 2016, Chinese scientists launched Micius, a satellite "named after an ancient Chinese philosopher who died in 391 B.C.". This satellite "is a highly sensitive photon receiver that can detect the quantum states of single photons fired from the ground" and passes the same point over Earth each day. Just a couple days ago, the team revealed their success in "[using] this quantum network to teleport the first object from the ground to orbit". This is also the longest distance a transport such as this has been made. This groundbreaking launch will set the tone for an exorbitant amount of research in the future.
Snap is Slipping
"Facebook Inc.’s strategy of copycatting virtually every feature of the Snapchat app [has been] taking a toll" on Snapchat's share price and overall investor confidence after announcing slower growth than projected in their first quarterly earnings this past May. Many analysts are deeming the stock a buy recommendation with an additional driver to lower stock - the end of this month marks all investors who had their "shares in a lockup after the IPO will start to be able to share them". It will be important for Snap to find sustainable revenue streams in order to boost long term shareholder value.
France Bans Fossil Fuel Vehicles
French President Emmanuel Macron's environmental appointee, Nicolas Hulot, has his eyes set on quite a goal for the country in 2040. Over the next 33 years, France is planning to become carbon neutral by banning the market of fossil fuel vehicles which make up 96.5% of the French market. This announcement has caused a stir in many of France's main manufacturing brands, who now plan to accelerate their plans of at least a hybrid model if they haven't already done so. However, in order for the country to become completely carbon neutral, it'll be more than just vehicles - electricity generation and other carbon activities will have to find alternatives. This all comes in an effort to further support the Paris Climate Accord as well as the explicit statement that President Trump's decision to withdraw was a key factor in this plan's development.
A Father's Day Like No Other
A little over a week ago, Bill Conner completed his 2,600 mile bike ride to listen to a stranger's heartbeat. However, the beat itself was one that was oh so close to home. Bill lost his daughter Abigail, also a registered organ donor, suddenly this past January. Upon her death at only 20 years old, four of her organs were quickly matched with those in need. Her heart in particular went to a young man who had just learned his own heart was failing and likely wouldn't survive without a transplant. Almost six months later and he's now well past recovery, thankful for another chance at life. Although the loss to Mr. Conner carries a burden of inexplicable pain, Abigail's heart carries on her legend, "This isn’t about me. This is about Abbey and helping other people in need. It’s unfortunate she didn’t have a choice on how she was gonna leave this earth but at the same time, just like Abbey, [she's] making an impact even though she left."
Amazon's Black Friday
Power up your laptops, ladies and gentlemen. The Black Friday of Amazon kicks off the evening of July 10th. Amazon Prime Day features a myriad of deals for prime members from a wide variety of products, including electronics. For the first time, this service will be launching in China, India, and Mexico, where prime membership just recently began service. Amazon's prime service offers many benefits including free expedited shipping, unlimited video/music/photos, and much more. This expansion further accentuates the company's market share and presence globally. In addition to the newer members, US, UK, Spain, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Canada, Belgium and Austria are other countries on the list. Amazon will begin "exclusive promos" starting today for all prime members until the mega shopping on July 10th.
Syrian Chemical Warfare
As many have seen over the past few days, chemical warfare is becoming an increasing threat from the Assad regime in Syria. "The United States said Tuesday that it has observed Syrian chemical warfare personnel visiting known production facilities, suggesting that President Bashar al-Assad’s government is preparing fresh strikes on the rebel-held north of the country. The White House warned late Monday that the Assad government would pay a 'heavy price' for any such strikes, indicating publicly for the first time that it believes the Assad government is capable of launching new chemical attacks." Yesterday U.S. military struck a Syrian airbase after their use of sarin in the northern rebel-held portion of the country, killing many civilians and hospitalizing even more. Sarin is a colorless, odorless gas that acts a nerve agent and is extremely potent. The large amount of remaining inventory of this chemical was considered by a European official to be "one of the worst-kept secrets in international diplomacy." Governments worldwide continue to monitor the Assad and many are forming synergistic strategies for the road ahead.
The Unknown Drug Dealers
Many of us rely on both private & commercial postal companies on a daily basis from work activities to the latest Amazon purchase; however, some are using mail carriers for something entirely different - drug dealing. "Seizures of fentanyl arriving by both international mail and express carriers reached nearly 37 kilograms in the U.S. overall in fiscal 2016, compared with 0.09 kilogram five years earlier, according to Customs and Border Protection data." This exponential increase is of great concern throughout the country. Most of this transport is coming from international locations and, with 621.4 million packages arriving via USPS in 2016, the chances of catching the majority of these deals are slim. Additionally, "The chemicals are so lethal, drug-sniffing dogs aren't trained to identify them for fear of death." The saddest part? Young adults and teenagers are dying from this epidemic by receiving synthetic narcotics through their unknowing mailman right under their parents' watch. Mr. Holman, the father of one overdose victim, stated, "Your drug dealer today is your mailman. If your kids are getting any packages in the mail whatsoever, you need to know what that is."
Mars is Becoming Closer
SpaceX is amidst a busy weekend starting yesterday and running through tomorrow as they launch two planned satellites on either side of the coast. With only 48 hours in between, this will be a key indicator of the company's future. By increasing launch rates, SpaceX becomes much more attractive to customers by not having to wait on an incredibly long wait list and potentially turn to a competitor. This will be SpaceX's ninth launch this year and the second time utilizing a used rocket booster. "A rapid pace of launches, together with a reusable rocket system, are integral to SpaceX’s eventual Mars colonization plans." Reusing these boosters allows for the quicker turnaround as well as a reduction in costs; as of last year, the company had 70 planned launches totaling a worth of $10 billion.
Thus far, yesterday's launch of a Bulgarian communications satellite from Kennedy Space Center was a success, which leaves roughly 24 hours before all eyes will turn to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
A $1 Billion Tequila
What George Clooney considered a simple drink made for him & his friends has now paid off exponentially. His tequila line, Casamigos, began with friend Rande Gerber (husband to Cindy Crwaford) and translates to "House of Friends". In 2013, Clooney and Gerber took the private label public and have been one of the fastest growing tequila lines on the market since. Just a short four years later, Diageo (parent company to Smirnoff and others) plans to initally pay $700 million for the company in the fourth quarter with the potential to pay out an additional "$300 million based on the tequila's performance over the next 10 years". Clooney and his partners are expected to stay on with the company after the acquisition.