Monthly Archives: May 2014

Machine Can Tell Whether You’re Liberal or Conservative

09 Friday May 2014

Posted by in Politics

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Eye-tracking device (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

John Hibbing and his colleagues are pioneering research on the physiological underpinnings of political ideology… One of Hibbing’s pioneering papers on the physiology of ideology was published in none other than the top-tier journal Science in 2008. It found that political partisans on the left and the right differ significantly in their bodily responses to threatening stimuli…


Shutterstock.com

In a 2012 study, Hibbing and his colleagues showed as much through the use of eye-tracking devices like the one shown above. Liberals and conservatives were fitted with devices that tracked their gaze, and were shown a series of four-image collages containing pictures that were either “appetitive” (e.g., something happy or positive) or “aversive” (showing something threatening, scary, or disgusting)… Hibbing and his team have even found that preferences on such matters appear to have a genetic basis.

Read more: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/04/inquiring-minds-john-hibbing-physiology-ideology

Commander: U.S. Military Not Ready for Cyber Warfare

09 Friday May 2014

Posted by in Tech, Wars

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… Cyber Command, currently staffed by 1,100 people … The main concerns are cyber attacks from nation states such as China or Russia that could create massive power outages in the United States, or an attack on U.S. financial networks, such as stock exchanges and financial institutions, that could cripple the economy… U.S. military personnel also lack training and readiness needed to confront advanced cyber threats, Alexander added, and military commanders lack confidence about what levels of risk are acceptable in the cyber domain. They also lack a “reliable situational awareness”—military jargon for knowing what is in the battle space, globally or in U.S. military systems, he said… Adm. Cecil D. Haney, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, which is in charge of Cyber Command, also testified at the hearing that cyber threats are increasing… Haney said plans call for creating 133 “cyber mission teams” staffed by over 6,000 people by the end of 2016. So far 17 teams are deployed in a variety of missions within combatant commands and at Cyber Command headquarters at Fort Meade, Md.

~ Gen. Alexander tells Senate threat of major cyber attacks is growing By Bill Gertz, The Washington Free Beacon.

Staying Mobile in a Collapse Situation

09 Friday May 2014

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Under normal operation (not the end of the world), I collect used engine oil and fuel from changed filters off Peterbilt trucks I service (roughly 120 trucks). I filter and blend this used oil with a setup at my house that I will detail later. However, in a SHTF scenario, the theory would be collecting the engine oil and automatic transmission fluid or even power steering fluid from abandoned vehicles, which will have run out of fuel on the road, to make a custom blend of usable emergency fuel for your diesel… The proper vehicle to run this fuel would be one with a mechanically-injected older diesel engine, pre-1997 would be safest. All older IDI Fords, 6.9 l and pre-powerstroke 7.3 l engines do well on it.

By Matt Conner

Lessons From Negotiating With Steve Jobs

09 Friday May 2014

Posted by in Markets, Tech

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… I had pitched 15%, our standard. Steve pointed at it and said, “15%? That is ridiculous. I want 50%.” I was stunned. There was no way I could run my business giving him 50% of my product revenues… I had to make the business make sense financially. I just needed to make my 15% look like his 50%. To do so, I reduced the nut to split by first deducting the cost of packaging, of technical support, the salaries for some developers on my side of the business to implement fixes, and when I still couldn’t get the math to pencil out, I added a $6 per unit ‘handling fee’ thanks to some inspiration from an infomercial on the Home Shopping Network. My new “Hollywood net” number read 50%, but fully-loaded it was pretty close to the 15% of gross I needed to make the deal work. Magic! Steve was happy with his 50% contract and the deal got inked…
What I Learned Negotiating With Steve Jobs by Heidi Roizen

See also: Five Business Lessons From Steve Jobs by Kevin O’Leary.

Poll: Most say U.S. doesn’t have a responsibility in Ukraine

09 Friday May 2014

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65 percent of Americans do not think the U.S. should provide military aid and equipment to Ukraine in response to Russia’s actions, while only 26 percent think the U.S. should. Majorities of Republicans (59 percent), Democrats (67 percent), and independents (69 percent) are opposed to providing military aid and equipment to Ukraine.
~ CBS News Polls

US Internet ad revenue surpasses broadcast TV

09 Friday May 2014

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NEW YORK (AP) — For the first time, U.S. Internet advertising revenue has surpassed that of broadcast television thanks to sharp growth in mobile and digital video ads… Internet advertising revenue rose 17 percent to a record $42.8 billion in 2013. Broadcast TV ad revenue, in comparison, was $40.1 billion in 2013. Mobile advertising revenue more than doubled to $7.1 billion from $3.4 billion in 2012 … The report is based on a survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Associated Press

Beef prices reach highest level since 1987

09 Friday May 2014

Posted by in Markets

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The highest beef prices in almost three decades have arrived just before the start of grilling season, causing sticker shock for both consumers and restaurant owners — and relief isn’t likely anytime soon. A dwindling number of cattle and growing export demand from countries such as China and Japan have caused the average retail cost of fresh beef to climb to $5.28 a pound in February, up almost a quarter from January and the highest price since 1987.

~ Associated Press

Amazon Is Attacking A Trillion-Dollar Industry And No One Ever Talks About It

08 Thursday May 2014

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For all the attention focused on Amazon’s new TV-streaming deviceand expanding selection of Prime Instant TV and movies, the company’s next big money-maker could be something scarcely talked about and entirely less sexy: wholesale distribution.  AmazonSupply — which is still listed as a beta product — …  prices were about 25% lower than others in the industry…  the potential market is enormous: Wholesalers made $7.2 trillion in revenue in 2012

Amazon Is Attacking A Potential Trillion-Dollar Industry …  Jillian D’Onfro, Business Insider.

See also: Amazon’s Wholesale Slaughter: Jeff Bezos’ $8 Trillion B2B Bet. By  Clare O’Connor, Forbes.