Vitalik Buterin explains Ethereum in his own words at Disrupt SF: http://ift.tt/2xdqoNe
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Dienstag, 26. September 2017
Vitalik Buterin describes Ethereum in his own words | Disrupt SF 2017
Vitalik Buterin explains Ethereum in his own words at Disrupt SF: http://ift.tt/2xdqoNe
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Study: More Than 40% Of Americans Struggling To Make Ends Meet
There are no shortage of surveys and studies that have found consumers aren’t doing so great with their finances: from 45% of American’s carrying at least $25,000 in debt to one-in-four families failing to seek medical attention because of financial worries. Now, another survey — this time from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — found that more than 40% of adults struggle to make ends meet.
The National Financial Well-Being Survey [PDF] — the first of its kind from the CFPB — aimed to provide a bit of insight into the financial well-being of Americans, and how that can be affected by demographic, employment, and other characteristics.
The survey, which was conducted in 2016, asked respondents 10 questions, on which they were then given a score from 0 to 100.
In all, the average consumer score was 54. About a third of all adults in the U.S. have financial well-being scores of 50 or below, meaning they struggle to make ends meet or experience material hardships.
Another third of respondents have scores of 61 or above, which means they have a low probability of having trouble paying for basic needs.
Average Doesn’t Mean You Can Make Ends Meet
According to the CFPB, at the average U.S. financial well-being score of 54, roughly one-third of individuals has difficulty making ends meet.
Approximately one-in-five consumers sometimes have difficulty paying for basic needs like food, housing, and medical care. However, the majority of people at the average score don’t face these challenges.
Difficulty Making Ends Meet
According to the CFPB survey, scores of 50 or below are associated with both a high probability of struggling to make ends meet and of experiencing material hardship.
Of the nationally representative sample of consumers surveyed, 43% of consumers report struggling to pay bills.
Another 34% of all consumers surveyed reported experiencing material hardships in the past year, such as running out of food, not being able to afford a place to live, or lacking money to seek medical treatment.
How Characteristics Play A Part
The CFPB’s report found that an individual’s level of financial well-being was often influenced by their education level, age, income, and employment status.
For instance, the survey found the greatest disparities in financial well-being when viewing individual’s savings.
Adults with less than $250 in savings had an average score of 41, while those with $75,000 or more invasions had higher score of 68, on average.
Likewise, age played a factor in these differences. Those aged 65 an older had an average score of 61, while those ages 34 and younger often had an average score of 51.
While the 10-point difference isn’t much, the range can mean the jump between paying your bills and not being able to do so.
The study found that while each of these characteristics taken individually don’t make a huge difference in consumers’ financial well-being, taken together, they do.
Increasing Your Know-How
The study found that people with a higher level of financial know-how, confidence, and certain day-to-day money management skills have a more positive relationship with financial well-being.
In an effort to ensure more consumers are gaining this knowledge, the CFPB today released an interactive financial well-being tool that will allow people to evaluate their own status and explore how to take control of their finances.
The tool allows individuals to use the financial well-being scale themselves, and see their resulting financial well-being score online.
People can track their financial well-being score over time, or see how they compare to other consumers nationally, including by income, age, and employment status.
Additionally, consumers can access CFPB resources to help take control of their finances and make progress towards financial goals, and find free or low-cost help from financial professionals.
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
5 Things Amazon Should Remember As It Becomes Sears Circa 1926
As much as Amazon’s “Everything Store” approach might seem disruptive, particularly as the retailer branches out into supermarkets and physical stores, it’s not that different from what Sears did nearly a century ago as its wildly successful mail-order business transformed into a bricks-and-mortar mega-chain. The question is: Can Amazon keep from making the same mistakes that led to Sears’ fall from grace?
Here’s what we learned from an interesting recent piece in the Atlantic that compared Sears Roebuck as it began its store-building spree in the late 1920s with Amazon as it opens more bookstores and gets into the grocery business in 2017.
1. Sears was the original Everything Store.
You might think that Amazon sells everything, but it doesn’t sell firearms, cars, houses, or tombstones. Sears did, a century ago, alongside the merchandise you might expect, like clothing, tools, and toys.
2. Selling everything isn’t about making money from everything.
Offering a wide variety of products means that shoppers will turn to that store first when they need something. Sears expanded its range of merchandise (see above) and kept its prices low by selling huge volumes. Customers stayed loyal because of the wide variety and low prices, turning to Sears first for much of their shopping. Even today, it’s one of the few retailers where you can buy lingerie and lawn mowers.
Amazon has understood this for a long time, lowering its prices relentlessly to win business, not necessarily making a profit. In the last few years, it has turned to making its own private-label products to boost its profit margins after gaining shoppers’ trust.
3. Building physical stores doesn’t hurt catalog (or online) sales.
Sears learned that sales actually increased as it built its first physical stores. Yet its catalog business didn’t really die out until the country was thoroughly suburbanized in the 1980s. Amazon may find the same, as it nestles smart speakers in the produce sections of its Whole Foods stores, but also includes Amazon Lockers as a pickup point for orders. Amazon has also found that a physical retail presence boosts online sales.
4. Follow the customers.
Sears found success by reading census data and studying its own catalog mailing lists, then putting stores where its customers were, or following trends to put stores where its customers were going. In the 1920s, it noticed that customers were migrating to cities, and heading south and west. In the 1960s, the department store chain didn’t just follow its customers to the suburbs: It developed its own malls in areas that didn’t already have one.
Amazon has already taken this lesson seriously, building its bookstores in upscale malls, building pickup points on college campuses, and acquiring the Whole Foods chain, which already attracts an upper-income population of shoppers.
5. Adjacent businesses can be helpful, but don’t get distracted.
Sears grew a lot of related businesses along the way, like Allstate auto insurance (when it sold cars and auto parts) and the Discover card, both of which it later spun out as separate businesses.
Amazon doesn’t sell car insurance or run its own credit card, but it does experiment with side businesses like robotic fashion advice, handmade crafts, and food delivery. Even original TV programming is an odd side business, unless you think of it as something to attract people to Prime subscriptions, which lead them to buy more from Amazon.
by Laura Northrup via Consumerist
Saber Gas Grills Recalled Over Potential Flame Bursts
When you’re cooking with a gas grill, it’s very important to be able to control the flow of the gas — too much, and there may be fiery consequences. That’s why Saber Grills is recalling more than a dozen models of its gas grills that could have a problem regulating gas pressure.
Fiery situations
In conjunction with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Saber Grills has issued a recall for gas grills and liquid propane regulators. The affected LP regulators allow gas to flow at a higher pressure than intended, which can result in a gas leak and flame bursting from the burner knobs, posing fire and burn hazards to anyone using them.
Thus far, Saber Grills has received 35 reports of regulators malfunctioning, including three reports of singed arms and two reports of burned or singed hair.
What you should do
Immediately stop using the recalled grills and regulators and contact the company for free repair kit with installation instructions. A video on how to install the replacement components is available here.
Consumers with questions can call Saber Grills toll-free at 866-671-7988 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET Saturday, or online at recall.sabergrills.com.
Affected products
The recall involves RA329 LP regulators with a date code in the range of 1120 to 1344, which were:
• Sold with certain Saber LP grills, warranty part kits, and natural gas to LP conversion kits;
• Installed as warranty or service parts in certain other Saber LP grills; or installed in Saber natural gas grills and burners if they have been converted to use LP instead of natural gas.
The grills and LP regulators were sold at specialty outdoor living stores nationwide, including Family Leisure, Fortunoff Backyard Store, and Watson’s, and through authorized websites and catalogs including Bed, Bath & Beyond and Frontgate, from September 2011 to May 2017 for between $800 and $2,000.
The price of the LP conversion kit ranges from $90 to $105. The warranty parts were also sold as service parts for between $50 and $110.
Check the underside of the grill’s grease tray for the model number:
The regulator date code is stamped on the regulator adjacent to the gas tank connection, and the regulator model number is on the center of the regulator:
Here are the model numbers included in recall:
LIQUID PROPANE (LP) GRILLS
| MODEL NUMBER | GRILL DESCRIPTION |
| R33CC0312 | SABER® 330 LP Cast Grill with Stainless Insert |
| R33SC0012 | SABER® 330 LP Stainless Grill |
| R33SC0012-A1 | SABER® 330 LP Stainless Grill – Partially Assembled w/ Cover |
| R33SC0012-A2 | SABER® 330 LP Stainless Grill – Partially Assembled w/o Cover |
| R50CC0312 | SABER® 500 LP Cast Grill with Stainless Insert |
| R50CC0612 | SABER® 500 LP Cast Grill with Porcelain Insert |
| R50SC0012 | SABER® 500 LP Stainless Grill |
| R50SC0012-A1 | SABER® 500 LP Stainless Grill – Partially Assembled w/ Cover |
| R50SC0012-A2 | SABER® 500 LP Stainless Grill – Partially Assembled w/o Cover |
| R67SC0012 | SABER® 670 LP Stainless Grill |
| R67SC0012-A1 | SABER® 670 LP Stainless Grill – Partially Assembled w/ Cover |
| R67SC0012-A2 | SABER® 670 LP Stainless Grill – Partially Assembled w/o Cover |
Liquid Propane (LP) Grill Potentially Affected if Replacement Regulator Installed
| Model Number | Grill Description |
| R50CC1715 | SABER® 500 L LP Cast Grill with Stainless Insert |
Liquid Propane (LP) Conversion Kit and Warranty/Service Parts
| Model Number | Kit Description |
| A00AA0912 | SABER® Natural Gas to LP Conversion Kit |
| 55710672 | KIT, Control Console w/ HVR Assembly & Integrated Ignition |
| 55710654 | KIT, Control Console w/ HVR Assembly & Integrated Ignition |
| 55710666 | KIT, Control Console w/ HVR Assembly & Integrated Ignition |
| 55710845 | Kit, Control Console w/ HVR Assembly & Push Button Ignition |
| 55710846 | Kit, Control Console w/ HVR Assembly & Push Button Ignition |
| 55710843 | Kit, Control Console w/ HVR Assembly & Push Button Ignition |
| 55710613 | KIT, Control Console w/ HVR Assembly & Switch, Saber 330 |
| 55710637 | KIT, Control Console w/ HVR Assembly & Switch |
| 55710680 | KIT, Control Console w/ HVR Assembly & Switch |
Natural Gas Grills and Burners if Converted to Use Liquid Propane
| Model Number | Description |
| R50SB0412 | SABER® 500 NG Stainless Built-in Grill |
| R67SB0312 | SABER® 670 NG Stainless Built-in Grill |
| K00SB1814 | SABER® Natural Gas Dual Built-in Side Burner |
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
BusinessPrint Expects 30% Capacity Boost Following Kodak Investment
South African commercial printer BusinessPrint has chosen Kodak as a key partner to help boost production capacity by 30% and elevate its service provision to include B1 printing, using KODAK SONORA Process Free Plates and the MAGNUS Q800 Platesetter. Learn more at http://ift.tt/1hvdn7t
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Dubai's flying drone taxi service is lifting off
The autonomous passenger drone service would be the first in the world Dubai was serious when it said it wants to be first in the world to offer a flying taxi service. That's why on Monday, it staged a maiden test flight for one of its potential taxis: a two-seater, 18-rotor unmanned flying vehicle made by German firm Volocopter, which is backed by fellow German company Daimler. The automated vehicle, which lifts and lands vertically like a helicopter, whisked Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed away for a five-minute flight 200 meters above a patch of sand. Subscribe to Engadget on YouTube: http://engt.co/subscribe Get More Engadget: • Like us on Facebook: http://ift.tt/1k1iCZT • Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/engadget • Follow us on Instagram: http://ift.tt/1k1iCZV • Add us on Snapchat: http://ift.tt/1UqS18a • Read more: http://www.engadget.com Engadget is the definitive guide to this connected life.
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ClauseMatch CMS for Banks | Disrupt SF 2017
ClauseMatch helps banks and enterprise clients with realtime document collaboration and management. Find out more about Disrupt SF: http://ift.tt/2xa2PY2
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Tinder Has Loads Of Data On You; Says You Shouldn’t Expect It To Remain Secure
Human beings say and do a lot of stupid things when trying to connect romantically. Before the internet, there was no record of all the idiotic pick-up lines you used or that others used on you, no permanent file of all the people you randomly dismissed as unattractive (or inexplicably found attractive at the moment). Dating sites like Tinder now have vast amounts of data on their users’ preferences, peculiarities, and peccadilloes, but are they concerned about keeping it safe?
Guardian reporter Judith Duportail wanted to get some idea of exactly what sort of information Tinder had about her use of the dating app. And since European Union data protection laws allow every EU citizen to request this data from Tinder, she did… Though she probably now wishes she hadn’t.
Under European Union data protection laws, every citizen is entitled to ask companies for access to their personal data.
So Much Information
What Duportail got from Tinder was more than 800 pages of data, including her name, Facebook likes, the age-rank of men she was interested in, the 870 matches she’d made with different people, and the 1,700 conversations she’d had with those matches.
“As I flicked through page after page of my data I felt guilty,” Duportail wrote. “I was amazed by how much information I was voluntarily disclosing: from locations, interests and jobs, to pictures, music tastes and what I liked to eat.”
The data revealed more about Duportail than she realized she’s even divulged, such as the fact that she had copy-pasted the same joke to multiple matches, or talked to several people at one time.
Security experts say unknowingly handing over these details is a result of consumers being “lured into giving away all this information” by apps, simply because consumers can’t feel data.
“This is why seeing everything printed strikes you,” Luke Stark, a digital technology sociologist at Dartmouth University, tells The Guardian. “We are physical creatures. We need materiality.”
What About Leaks?
As for the security of this information, it’s not guaranteed, Duportail writes.
But Tinder is pretty upfront of this.
According to Tinder’s privacy policy users “should not expect that your personal information, chats, or other communications will always remain secure.”
“Users should also take care with how they handle and disclose their personal information and should avoid sending personal information through insecure email,” the policy continues.
Where Is All The Data Going?
All of this information could give someone a pretty clear picture of your life. But why is it necessary?
That’s the question Duportail posed, noting that she would “feel shame” if someone else read her 800 pages of information.
According to Twitter, the data is used “to personalize the experience for each of our users around the world.”
Despite this, Durportail notes that the company couldn’t provide how details on how it personalized the experience using this information.
“Our matching tools are a core part of our technology and intellectual property, and we are ultimately unable to share information about our these proprietary tools,” the spokesperson told The Guardian.
The data is also likely used for targeted advertising, providing users with ads and other products geared toward their behaviors.
It’s Not Just Tinder
Security researchers tell Duportail that Tinder isn’t the only company that is using so much personal information.
“Your personal data affects who you see first on Tinder, yes,” privacy activist Paul-Olivier Dehaye from personaldata.io tells The Guardian. “But also what job offers you have access to on LinkedIn, how much you will pay for insuring your car, which ad you will see in the tube and if you can subscribe to a loan.”
This phenomenon, he says, is part of the world’s transition into a place where data will decide “larger facets of your life.”
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
ARGOSY Artist Spotlight - Pool Party Post, Austin, TX
In the first of our new Artist Spotlight Series, we take a look at Pool Party Post in Austin, TX and speak to sound designer, Cabel Adtkins, about the importance of good sound design in your favorite shows and movies, as well as touch upon the ever-changing landscape of audio based careers. . More on Pool Party Post: Pool Party Post is a audio post production facility located on the beautiful east side of Austin, TX, specializing in original music, mixing and recording for advertising, film, and web media. Clients include Nike, Toyota, Levi's, Honda, Samsung, Audi, Hewlett Packard, Volvo, Motorola, ESPN, TNT, New Regency, and Disney. . Follow us on social media: Facebook: http://ift.tt/2piHWna Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/argosyconsole Instagram: http://ift.tt/2owldqg
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Polymatica @ GTC Europe 2017 - NVIDIA Inception Startup for Big Data Processing
GTC Europe is the must-attend event of the year in Europe for developers, data scientists and senior decision-makers. Join us in Munich, October 10-12, 2017: http://nvda.ws/2vZau6X Polymatica is a software developer of the analytical platform for Big Data processing using Data Mining algorithms and Machine Learning methods; NVIDIA Inception program member. Polymatica stands out from other range of Business Intelligence products, Data Mining systems, OLAP-servers and Interactive visualizers: http://ift.tt/2hvCttp
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GOP Leadership Says There Will Be No Senate Vote On Latest Obamacare Repeal
Facing implacable opposition and a Sept. 30 deadline to pass a bill to repeal and replace large chunks of the Affordable Care Act, the Republican leadership in the Senate has decided not to vote on a measure that seemed destined to come up short of passage.
GOP senators made the decision to not vote on the latest repeal legislation, dubbed the Graham-Cassidy bill, this afternoon at a weekly party lunch. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who was ultimately responsible for the decision, confirmed afterward that the bill won’t be voted on in time to meet the deadline.
MORE TO COME
by Chris Morran via Consumerist
My Book Duo | Description produit officielle
Grâce à sa capacité colossale, le disque dur My Book™ Duo est idéal pour stocker vos photos, vidéos, documents et fichiers musicaux. Abonnez-vous à WD® sur YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/westerndigital  Suivez WD® sur Twitter : https://twitter.com/WDCreators  Likez WD® sur Facebook : http://ift.tt/1U5v6TD  Suivez WD® sur Instagram : http://ift.tt/2vJ38Zv Le disque dur My Book™ Duo offre une très grande capacité de stockage, idéale pour vos photos, vidéos, documents et fichiers musicaux. Avec ses disques WD Red™, il est ultrarapide et offre une vitesse de lecture séquentielle qui peut atteindre 360 Mo/s1 en utilisant le port USB Type-C™. 1Pour un débit en lecture séquentielle, sachant qu’un mégaoctet par seconde (Mo/s) = un million d’octets par seconde. My Book™ Duo | Description produit officielle
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AMC Dipping Its Toes Into Virtual Waters With Plans For New VR Centers
While virtual reality gadgets can be entertaining, the fun is usually limited to one person at a time — not counting those who enjoy watching and laughing while you creep around the living room, groping the air). In an attempt to open up virtual reality to more people with new VR multiplexes offering an “immersive” experience.
AMC Entertainment announced today that it’s investing a total of $20 million into a company called Dreamscape Immersive, which has been developing something called “virtual-reality” multiplexes.
“Unlike other VR platforms, Dreamscape Immersive offers a social experience in which participants explore and interact with up to six people simultaneously, untethered from a computer, with full use of their senses – just as they would in the real world,” the companies’ announcement explains.
As part of the deal, AMC will finance six new VR centers over the next year and a half both in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Some of those centers will be within AMC cinemas, while others will be standalone locations. Dreamscape’s flagship location will open at Century City Mall in Los Angeles in 2018.
As for the virtual environments themselves, Dreamscape says it recently green-lit its first piece of original content, and is having licensing chats with “several major studios. It’s not just AMC that sees a chance to get in on the virtual reality action, either: Other investors include Warner Bros., 21st Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, IMAX, and director Steven Spielberg.
“We were mesmerized by what we saw,” Adam Aron, CEO of AMC Entertainment, told The New York Times. “Their vision is to change what V.R. has been — away from just a heightened level of video game and toward cinematic storytelling — and we think it’s what consumers have been waiting for.”
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
TechWiseTV: Introducing Cisco Intersight for UCS & HyperFlex and the New ACI Anywhere
Live from the Data Center InnovationFest 2017 The digital world is getting more complex. Yet, IT operations are somehow expected to select the best environment for each new application and immediately provision necessary resources. All while optimizing existing applications and ensuring scalability, reliability, consistency, and security across an ever-growing complex of clouds and services we now call the network. In this episode of TechWiseTV, originally live streamed at the Cisco Data Center InnovationFest on September 26, 2017, you’ll learn about new cloud-based management innovations for Cisco UCS & HyperFlex and the new ACI Anywhere powering Cisco’s new intent-based data center. • Cisco Intersight: Cisco’s new, intelligent management cloud platform for Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) and HyperFlex. • ACI Anywhere: Cisco’s Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) 3.0 innovations, which enable seamless workload mobility between on-premise data centers and private or public clouds without compromising automation, security, and control. Together these innovations provide the pervasive simplicity, actionable intelligence, and agile service delivery you need to succeed in today’s increasingly complex digital landscape. Subscribe to Cisco's YouTube channel: http://cs.co/Subscribe.
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TRENDnet 8-Port Gigabit EdgeSmart PoE+ Switch - TPE-TG44ES
TRENDnet’s 8-Port Gigabit EdgeSmart PoE+ Switch, model TPE-TG44ES, is a cost-effective switch solution for high-speed gigabit PoE+ applications. This EdgeSmart switch features the most commonly used managed switch features, reducing unnecessary switch complexity. The web-based management interface offers features for traffic control, troubleshooting, access controls, and monitoring. TRENDnet’s TPE-TG44ES provides four gigabit PoE+ and four gigabit non-PoE ports. The PoE+ standard supplies up to 30W of power per port for devices such as high power wireless access points, PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom) Internet cameras, and VoIP telephony systems. • 4 x Gigabit PoE+ ports • 4 x Gigabit ports • 60W PoE power budget • Easy to use web-based management interface • Supports LACP, VLAN, QoS, and IGMP Snooping • Bandwidth control per port • 16Gbps switching capacity • IEEE 802.1p QoS with queue scheduling support • Compact fanless design • Wall mountable metal housing Learn More: http://ift.tt/2k21kWe
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Demo: Cisco Tetration and Infoblox
This demo is about compliance and security with Cisco Tetration and Infoblox joint solution. Click here for more information: http://cs.co/60028Nezj.
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Demo: Cisco Tetration and Citrx
Learn how you can achieve full data center visibility, analytics and security with this joint solution. Click here for more information: http://cs.co/60088NeDI.
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Demo: Cisco Tetration and ServiceNow
Learn how to achieve service visibility and operational efficiency with Cisco Tetration and ServiceNow joint solution. Click here for more information: http://cs.co/60078NdAF.
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Time for Equifax to find a new CEO (The 3:59, Ep. 289)
The credit-monitoring agency's CEO "retires". Plus, running through the details of MacOS High Sierra. Equifax: http://cnet.co/2fNXrQn MacOS High Sierra: http://cnet.co/2xBtiND Good morning from CNET NY Studios while we record the daily news-bite podcast: The 3:59. Hangout while we cover a multitude of stories from around the tech world and then Ben Fox Rubin and Alfred Ng will take your questions and comments in the chat. Watch more episodes of 3:59 on Youtube: http://bit.ly/29LVP7F Livestream: http://ift.tt/2jPXbF8... Periscope: http://ift.tt/2qU1nTf Subscribe to the audio podcast: iTunes: http://apple.co/29T3fbf Google Play: http://bit.ly/2hkXp5P Feedburner: http://bit.ly/2tVTkqw Soundcloud: http://bit.ly/2hlanQK TuneIn: http://bit.ly/2uVg9vN Stitcher: http://bit.ly/2vfeHXE Cnet: http://bit.ly/2veEfEw Subscribe to CNET: http://bit.ly/17qqqCs Watch more CNET videos: http://bit.ly/1BQxrGw Follow CNET on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CNET Follow CNET on Facebook: http://ift.tt/UQQ9wc Follow CNET on Instagram: http://ift.tt/1YieDuO Subscribe to CNET: http://bit.ly/17qqqCs Watch more CNET videos: http://ift.tt/1Lg5Xzr Follow CNET on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CNET Follow CNET on Facebook: http://ift.tt/UQQ9wc Follow CNET on Instagram: http://ift.tt/1YieDuO Follow CNET on Snapchat: CNETsnap
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Equifax CEO resigns
Chief executive Richard Smith is out (effective immediately) as security breach scrutiny intensifies. Subscribe to CNET: http://cnet.co/2heRhep Check out our playlists: http://cnet.co/2g8kcf4 Download the new CNET app: http://ift.tt/2fmiQ6l Like us on Facebook: http://ift.tt/1930vfU Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/cnet Follow us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2icCYYm
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This Woman is Changing the Auto Industry | How She Works
Presented by Coors Light // On this episode of How She Works, Tisha Johnson shows us how her designs are shaping the future of the auto industry. Mashable’s series ‘How She Works’ highlights amazing women in diverse occupations. Watch more: http://on.mash.to/HowSheWorks • The Virtual Reality Camera Expert - https://youtu.be/mcDY0pOZMPE • Meet Female MLB Head Groundskeeper - https://youtu.be/6xpozeTIgIo • Using VR to Fight Memory Loss - https://youtu.be/sLEC74xcEZ4 MASHABLE ON YOUTUBE Subscribe to Mashable: http://on.mash.to/subscribe Best of playlist: https://on.mash.to/BestOf MASHABLE ACROSS THE WEB Mashable.com: http://on.mash.to/1hCcRpl Facebook: http://on.mash.to/2lyOwmZ Twitter: http://on.mash.to/1Udp1kz Instagram: http://on.mash.to/1U6D40z Mashable is for superfans. We're not for the casually curious. Obsess with us.
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States Ask Betsy DeVos To Not Drop Protections For Student Loan Borrowers
Earlier this month, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos declared that the Department of Education would no longer work with the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to root out bad players in the student loan servicing arena. While the CFPB fired back, accusing DeVos of misunderstanding just what the Bureau does, a coalition of state attorneys general are now joining the choir, claiming the decision to end the agencies’ agreements undermine protections for student borrowers.
Today, a group of 21 state attorneys general sent a letter [PDF] to DeVos, demanding that she stop rolling back protections related to student loan borrowers and continue working with federal regulators to ensure students aren’t being taken advantage of by unscrupulous lenders and debt collectors.
Leading To This
In early Sept., DeVos sent a notice [PDF] to the CFPB notifying the agency that her department was ending years of formal cooperation combating student loan fraud.
DeVos accused the CFPB of not living up to its end of agreements established in 2011 and 2013, by doing too much to hold loan servicers accountable.
According to the memorandums, the two agencies are to “collaborate to ensure coordination in providing assistance to and seeing borrowers seeking to resolve complaints” related to their student loans.
The Secretary claimed the Bureau overstepped its authority by taking enforcement actions against student loan servicers and collectors, rather than simply passing those matters on to the Education Dept. to handle.
Additionally, the notice accused the CFPB of failing to abide by its agreement to provide the Department with all complaints related to federal student loans within 10 days of receiving the grievance.
The CFPB fired back the following week, with director Richard Cordray noting in a letter [PDF] that he believes the Department’s decision to end years of formal cooperation combating student loan fraud is based on DeVos’ misunderstanding about the Bureau’s responsibilities and the actions it has taken related to student loans.
The AGs’ Take
The group of 21 attorneys general this week took issue with DeVos’ decision, declaring that they won’t let the Department victimize students.
“Secretary DeVos and the Trump administration have repeatedly rolled back vital protections for borrowers, putting deceptive lenders above the very students the Department of Education is supposed to serve,” New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said.
The AGs took issue with DeVos’ letter, noting that it was trouble for at least three reasons.
No Exclusive Role
First, the AGs claim that the Dept. of Education made false assertions that it has exclusive jurisdiction over companies that service student loans.
Rather, these companies are subject to oversight by the CFPB, Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice, attorneys general, and other law enforcement agencies.
In fact, the AGs note that members of Congress made this clear just this month in their own letter, noting that the Deptartment’s authority is “not exclusive and has been intentionally constrained by law due to the Department’s historical negligence in carrying out many of its oversight responsibilities over federal student loan servicers.”
Hurting Everyone… Again
Second, the AGs claim that the termination of the memorandums between the Department and the CFPB will harm taxpayers and the tens of millions of families who struggle to repay student loans.
“The Department’s termination of the [memorandums] will hurt American families by making it more difficult for the CFPB to assist borrowers with complaints about loan servicers and to fulfill its consumer protection mission,” the AGs write, noting that it will also increase the likelihood of default by borrowers who can’t receive help from the CFPB because the Department withholds information.
Additionally, the AGs point out that this is just the latest in a line of actions the Dept. of Education has taken to “abandon its responsibility to product student loan borrowers.”
In April, DeVos rescinded a number of student loan servicing protections put in place by the previous administration intended to make the student loan repayment process more accurate and transparent.
In a memo sent to the Federal Student Aid office, DeVos withdrew two pieces of guidance from 2016 that required the Federal Student Aid office to consider servicers’ past behavior when awarding contracts, including whether the company had misled or provided wrong information to borrowers or engaged in abusive consumer service.
Speaking of contracts between the Dept. of Equation and student loan servicers, DeVos announced in May the intention to put all federal student loan servicing under the control of just one company starting in 2019.
There are currently nine student loan servicers handling these accounts for the federal government.
“Like those ill-considered actions, terminating the [memorandums] harms students, borrowers, and taxpayers because consumers have lost a key partner in standing up to loan servicer,” the AGs write. “The only beneficiaries of the Department’s sweeping rollbacks of consumer protections are the loan servicers and for-profit colleges, and their executives and investors.”
Eliminating “Critical Leadership”
By terminating its relationship with the CFPB, the AGs claim that the Dept. of Education will allow loan servicers and for-profit schools to continue engaging in allegedly predatory practices.
DeVos’ letter terminating the memorandums misrepresents and undermines the strong work done by the CFPB on behalf of students and families across the country, the AGs state.
“The CFPB has stood up for tens of millions of families trying to repay student loans and for victims of for-profit colleges that fail to deliver a worthwhile education,” the letter reads.
Over the past six years, the AGs note that the CFPB has processed complaints for more than 40,000 student borrowers; cracked down on allegedly abusive for-profit collects; halted illegal loan servicing practices, and worked with AGs to assist borrowers in choosing colleges and comparing financial needs.
Specifically, in January, the CFPB sued the largest student loan servicer in the country, Navient. The Bureau claimed the company cheated borrowers out of repayment rights. The company responded to the complaint two months later, noting in a filing to dismiss the lawsuit that it was under no obligation to help student loan borrowers.
Prior to that action, the CFPB has opened investigations into other servicers, including Wells Fargo, Citigroup, and Discover Bank.
In Aug. 2016 — a month before the whole fake account fiasco broke — Wells Fargo was ordered to pay $4 million in refunds and penalties over allegedly illegal loan servicing practices that increased costs and unfairly penalized certain borrowers.
In Citigroup’s case, the Bureau was looking into the company’s payment processing and servicing policies related to borrowers who have a difficult time making payments. Citigroup stopped servicing loans in 2011.
In July 2015, the agency ordered Discover Bank and its affiliates to pay nearly $18.5 million in refunds and fines for, among other things, overstating amounts due on student loans and failing to notify borrowers of their rights.
“We urge the Department to reconsider its termination of the MOUs,” the AGs write. “Instead of taking on the job of monitoring student loan servicers by itself, we ask that the Department welcome the assistance of the CFPB, AGs, FTC, DOJ, and other law enforcement agencies to ensure that students and families repaying student loans are protected from illegal acts by servicers and for-profit colleges.”
The letter was signed by the AGs from following states: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington State, Illinois, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and the Executive Director of the Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection.
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
Feds Accuse Adidas Execs Of Bribing NCAA Basketball Players & Coaches
Basketball coaches at some of the country’s biggest names in college athletics, and executives at one of the biggest names in athletic apparel, now face federal charges involving allegations that schools and student athletes were getting paid to lock players into deals with financial advisers, endorsers, and even tailors.
The indictments — against assistant basketball coaches at the University of Southern California, the University of Arizona, Auburn University, and Oklahoma State University — were unsealed today by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
The first indictment [PDF] accuses USC’s Tony Bland, Oklahoma State’s Lamont Evans, and Emanuel Richardson of Arizona of each accepting bribes — ranging from $500 to $15,000 — from two co-defendants: a business manager named Christian Dawkins, and financial adviser Munish Sood. According to prosecutors, the coaches accepted this money with the understanding that they would then steer certain players and/or their families into meetings with Dawkins and Sood.
A second indictment [PDF] then links Sood and Dawkins to Adidas marketing executive Jim Gatto and his colleague Merl Code, who are accused of conspiring with colleges that are sponsored by the international athletic gear company. According to the complaint, Adidas would funnel money through the schools to make payments to top high school basketball players in order to recruit them to that Adidas-backed college, and the school would then encourage their top players to sign on with Adidas when they eventually joined the NBA. Dawkins and Sood were allegedly involved in brokering these deals with the schools and players.
Unlike the alleged bribes to the basketball coaches, which were relatively small dollar amounts compared to the volume of money floating around NCAA basketball, the alleged payments from Adidas to some families were quite substantial. The indictment claims that the Adidas execs, through Dawkins and Sood, secretly paid high school players as much as $150,000 each to sign on to schools sponsored by the company.
The final indictment [PDF] involves allegations against Auburn assistant coach, and former NBA Rookie of the Year, Chuck Person, and former NBA official Rashan Michel. Per the complaint, Person accepted at least $65,000 in payments to steer his players toward specific service providers, including Michel, who now owns a men’s clothing boutique selling bespoke apparel. Person is also accused of taking payments in exchange for trying to push players and their families to accept the services of a financial adviser.
by Chris Morran via Consumerist
Disney Testing Immersive Theme Park Infomercials In Some Stores
The majority of Americans don’t live within driving distance of a Disney theme park, but they do live within driving distance of a mall. That’s why Disney is experimenting with a new store concept in six of its 340 mall stores. A central feature of these stores is a large video screen where aspiring Mouseketeers can watch a live feed of the daily parade down Disneyland’s Main Street.
“It’s not unusual to have 50 people or so come [for the parade] on a Tuesday or Wednesday,” the entertainment mega-company’s executive in charge of stores, Paul Gainer, told Bloomberg News.
If that’s not immersive enough for you, there are plans to bring in vendors that will sell popcorn, cotton candy, and mouse ears, since there’s nothing more Disney than relentless up-selling.
The stores can also do two-way communication and celebrations for kids, with Donald Duck serenading guests celebrating their birthdays from the screen.
Disney’s retail stores are suffering the same problems with foot traffic as other retailers, and it doesn’t help that Disney hasn’t had a merchandise-heavy hit movie like Frozen in a few years.
This year’s release of the next Star Wars saga installment, The Last Jedi, may help with that problem, but doesn’t solve the wider issue of declining mall foot traffic. Creating events that people will want to attend, and that help promote the company’s theme parks and characters while they’re at it, is at least an on-trend way to get people in the store.
If they buy some popcorn, a princess dress, and a lightsaber, that’s even better.
by Laura Northrup via Consumerist
The Blossom Smart Sprinkler works great, but don't buy it
Despite competent smarts, Blossom gets overshadowed by the competition. Subscribe to CNET: http://cnet.co/2heRhep Check out our playlists: http://cnet.co/2g8kcf4 Download the new CNET app: http://ift.tt/2fmiQ6l Like us on Facebook: http://ift.tt/1930vfU Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/cnet Follow us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2icCYYm
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Matt Jensen, ASC on Filming the magic of Wonder Woman
Matt Jensen, ASC, cinematographer for "Wonder Woman" is our guest this week. We had a particularly fun time talking with Matt about his career and the opportunity to be a part of such an iconic movie. If you were ever wondering what it’s like to shoot epic-ness on film- then this episode is for you. Matt shared some great insight about what it took to pull off this summer blockbuster. Do not miss it!
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Vocord @ GTC Europe 2017 - Inception startup presents security systems based on computer vision
GTC Europe is the must-attend event of the year in Europe for developers, data scientists and senior decision-makers. Join us in Munich, October 10-12, 2017: http://nvda.ws/2vZau6X Vocord is a developer and manufacturer of high-tech security systems based on computer vision and intelligent video processing algorithms; NVIDIA Inception program member. Developing software and HW and SW solutions in the fields of facial recognition, ALPR, video analytics and pattern recognition, video processing and video enhancement. Web page: http://vocord.com
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Bill Pope ASC on Steering Baby Driver into Frame
Bill Pope, ASC, is our guest this week. Bill is a cinematographer extraordinaire who has crafted some of the most exhilarating action/adventure films in history. Bill most recently worked on "Baby Driver". He shared some great stories about what it took to pull off high speed car chases, why he continues to work with Edgar Wright and what differentiates film from digital. Give it a listen!
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VisionLabs @ GTC Europe 2017 - face recognition, object recognition, AR and VR
GTC Europe is the must-attend event of the year in Europe for developers, data scientists and senior decision-makers. Join us in Munich, October 10-12, 2017: http://nvda.ws/2vZau6X VisionLabs is a team of computer vision and machine learning experts; NVIDIA Inception program member. Specializing in developing products and solutions in the areas of face recognition, object recognition, augmented reality and virtual reality. Web page: http://ift.tt/2fpQmER
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Tom Cruise & Doug Liman Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions | WIRED
'American Made' star Tom Cruise and director Doug Liman take the WIRED Autocomplete Interview and answer the Internet's most searched questions about themselves. Still haven’t subscribed to WIRED on YouTube? ►► http://wrd.cm/15fP7B7 CONNECT WITH WIRED Web: http://wired.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/WIRED Facebook: http://ift.tt/1dBz3Oa Pinterest: http://ift.tt/1JeJD7O Google+: http://ift.tt/1Ch4gR7 Instagram: http://ift.tt/1lUgynY Tumblr: http://WIRED.tumblr.com Want even more? Subscribe to The Scene: http://bit.ly/subthescene ABOUT WIRED WIRED is where tomorrow is realized. Through thought-provoking stories and videos, WIRED explores the future of business, innovation, and culture. Tom Cruise & Doug Liman Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions | WIRED
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Why Does Sonic Drive-In Air Ads In Places Where No Sonic Exists?
If you’ve ever been vegging on the couch and found yourself wondering why you’re watching a commercial for Sonic Drive-In — starring those two vaguely familiar actors — when there’s no Sonic restaurants nearby, you’re not alone. The chain purposely airs nationwide ads even in markets where the nearest Sonic is an hour away.
Why spend ad money to target folks who don’t have access to your restaurant? First of all –it doesn’t cost much, the company’s head honcho explained recently.
“It’s cheaper and more efficient, because we do business in 45 out of 50 states, to buy nationally,” CEO Cliff Hudson told Business Insider. “You get the airtime cheaper and you get better placement.”
However, of those 3,500 locations across the country, some states may have hundreds of Sonic locations while others, not so much. Here in New York City, the closest Sonic restaurants to me are in New Jersey and Long Island, a lot farther than I’m willing to travel for fast food.
But just because there’s currently no Sonic locations in a given area doesn’t mean there never will be one. That’s another reason Sonic is willing to talk itself up anywhere it can — to create buzz in case it ever expands into that market.
And by the time a new location is finally open, customers have seen so many Sonic commercials, restaurants are often hit with long lines, Hudson notes.
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
Demo: Cisco Tetration and Avi Networks
Learn how to attain enhanced security infrastructure. Click here for more information: http://cs.co/60008Ndzo.
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WeTravel Payments Platform | Disrupt SF 2017
WeTravel is a payment platform that helps travel organizers create a one stop experience for their clients. Find out more about Disrupt SF: http://ift.tt/2xa2PY2
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Demo: Cisco Tetration and Turbonomic
Learn how to achieve network-aware workload placement and IT optimization with Cisco Tetration Analytics and Turbonomic. Click here for more information: http://cs.co/60078NdEL.
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Demo: Cisco Tetration and Algosec
Watch this demo and learn how to attain compliance and application connectivity visibility with Cisco Tetration and Algosec. Learn more here: http://cs.co/60038NjxV.
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Tesla and Google competitor Bosch shows us it's autonomous future
Subscribe to Engadget on YouTube: http://engt.co/subscribe Get More Engadget: • Like us on Facebook: http://ift.tt/1k1iCZT • Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/engadget • Follow us on Instagram: http://ift.tt/1k1iCZV • Add us on Snapchat: http://ift.tt/1UqS18a • Read more: http://www.engadget.com Engadget is the definitive guide to this connected life.
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Demo: Locating Hosts and Virtual Machines on Cisco Nexus 9000Â VXLAN-EVPN Fabrics
Learn how Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) can find and track workloads on a Cisco VXLAN fabric. Learn more: http://cs.co/60058Njc5
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Mingis on Tech: Android vs. iOS – How they stack up
Android blogger JR Raphael and Apple expert Michael deAgonia get ... animated, shall we say ... as they tackle the basics of which mobile OS is better when it comes to security, updates, app stores, customization and innovation. Can there really be one winner? Follow Computerworld to satisfy your tech business needs! ------------------------------Â---- SUBSCRIBE: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Computerworld FACEBOOK: http://ift.tt/1YryaLM TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Computerworld WEBSITE: http://ift.tt/pqCrME
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Instagram Now Lets You Pick Who Can Comment On Your Posts
For the better part of the last year, Instagram has introduced new tools intended to keep the social media platform a “safe and positive place for self-expression” by allowing users to filter out unwanted or offensive comments. Now, the photo sharing site is launching another initiative letting users pick just who can comment on their posts in the first place.
Instagram announced the new tool in a blog post today offering users another option to manage their comment experience on the site.
Comment Culling
Starting today, users with public accounts will be able to choose who can comment on their posts. Users can limit comments to only those who follow them, only people they follow, or anyone.
Additionally, users with both public and private accounts will be able to block other accounts from commenting on their posts.
Instagram notes that the tool — which joined others that filter out unwanted comments on their photos by keyword or hide offensive comments automatically — will improve over time.
Offering Help
In addition to rolling out the new comment filtering tool, Instagram also announced today that it has increased its efforts to provide mental health resources for users.
To do so, the company has added anonymous reporting to live video.
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
JetBlue May Finally Start Offering Flights To Europe
Even though JetBlue makes multiple international flights to the Caribbean and Latin America, the airline has yet to crack the European market. That may change, as JetBlue is now mulling over the idea of finally offering transatlantic flights.
Speaking this week at the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) Expo in Long Beach, CA, JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said the airline will make a decision whether or not to take on Europe by the end of the year. Currently, JetBlue serves 101 cities, but none of them outside of the Americas and the Caribbean.
While his exact comments weren’t reported, JetBlue confirmed to Consumerist that it’s considering offer transatlantic flights: Under the terms of its Airbus purchase agreement, the airline has the option to take delivery of the Airbus A321LR, which it says could potentially fly to Europe from the East Coast.
“Europe suffers from the same lack of competition and high fares as transcontinental routes have,” a JetBlue spokesperson told Consumerist. “We have not committed to the LR, or to adding Europe to our network, but that is certainly an environment that JetBlue competes well in.”
The airline doesn’t have to decide until the end of this year, and until then, it will “consider opportunities in Europe against other opportunities we are looking at.”
(h/t The Street)
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
What Will Happen To Cabela’s Nebraska Hometown After Merger With Bass Pro?
Located in western Nebraska, a couple hours’ drive to either Denver or Cheyenne, WY, the small city of Sidney has been home to outdoors outfitter Cabela’s for more than 50 years, as it grew from a little catalog operation to a retail chain with billions of dollars in annual sales. But now that Cabela’s has been purchased by Bass Pro Shops, what will happen to the 2,000 jobs that the company had provided to the local economy?
This is an understandable fear. Mergers are about efficiency, and combining two very similar companies means that some functions will move to departments already doing the same thing at Bass Pro headquarters in Springfield, MO.
The Associated Press reports that Bass Pro Shops maintains that it will keep some operations and employees in Sidney, but that the combined headquarters will be in Missouri.
Sidney is a town of 7,000 people, and 2,000 people in the area work for Cabela’s. The town suffered a similar level of job losses when the Sioux Army Depot, a munitions storage facility that also employed around 2,000 locals, closed in 1967.
Just six years before that, a local man named Dick Cabela started selling fishing flies from his kitchen with the help of his wife and his brother.
The business grew over five decades from three people at the Cabelas’ kitchen table to a catalog and superstore giant that sold to Bass Pro shops for $4 billion. Is there an up-and-coming local business that will grow and employ people from the town this time?
The town of Sidney, meanwhile, is happy to work with the newly merged companies to keep as many jobs in town as possible. A year ago, the mayor of Sidney hoped to persuade Bass Pro to put more of its operations in town.
The city government is still willing to employ incentives to keep as many Cabela’s jobs as it can.
“I believe that Bass Pro will find Sidney very attractive, and the city will be very willing to work with the company just as it did with Cabela’s,” a city council member told the AP.
by Laura Northrup via Consumerist
Kardashians & Jenners Continue Posting Stealth Ads, Despite Warnings
The federal government has repeatedly advised both advertisers and celebrities that it’s against the law for someone to advertise a product without disclosing that it’s an ad or that the celeb was compensated. Yet it looks like reality TV’s most well-known family either didn’t get that memo or is choosing to ignore it.
The folks at Truth In Advertising (TINA) have been on the Kardashian and Jenner brood for a year, complaining in 2016 to the Federal Trade Commission about the sisters’ alleged stealth ads on Instagram and other social media platforms.
In the months since, the FTC has blasted out warning letters about this practice, some of which involve members of the Kardashian family. One letter [PDF] cites a Kourtney Kardashian Instagram post where she and one of her siblings chows down on some Popeyes chicken, complete with ideal product placement.
Scott Disick, Kourtney’s ex-boyfriend and father to their three children, has been the subject of multiple FTC warning letters. He’s also been caught blatantly copy/pasting advertising text written by others into his Instagram captions.
Yet, TINA now claims to have found another 200 posts on Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook from Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe Kardashian, and Kendall and Kylie Jenner that fail to disclose the fact that they’re ads.
“The Kardashian/Jenner sisters are masterful marketers who are making millions of dollars from companies willing to turn a blind eye to the women’s misleading and deceptive social media marketing practices,” Bonnie Patten, executive director for TINA, said in a statement. “It’s time the Kardashians were held accountable for their misdeeds.”
Making The Distinction
As the FTC has reminded celebrity social media users many times in the past, if they are being paid by a brand to post such photos, they have to “clearly and conspicuously” disclose that relationship.
Merely burying “#ad” among multiple other hashtags is not sufficient. The same goes for a disclosure at the end of a very long caption that is automatically truncated by the social media app of choice.
Related: After FDA Warning, Kim Kardashian Posts Corrected Endorsement Of Morning Sickness Pill
It’s not all on the reality stars, though; TINA points out that brands are legally obligated to ensure so-called “influencers” adequately disclose their material connection — which can range from compensation to free products to a business or family relationship — in posts.
Here We Go Again
While TINA notes that the Kardashian and Jenner sisters fixed, deleted, or modified about 45% of the posts in violation of disclosure following the group’s complaint last year, that still left another 55% either unchanged or with insufficient disclosures.
Additionally, several of the brands contacted last year for failing to hold up their end of the disclosure requirement are once again involved in ad violations when it comes to the Kardashian and Jenner posts.
For instance, TINA found that Puma, Manuka Doctor, Jet Lux, Fit Tea, and Sugar Bear Hair were repeat offenders. Brands such as Adidas, Diff Eyewear, Alexander Wang, and Lyft were new additions.
TINA has alerted the family and their associated brands, as well as the FTC, to this latest batch of allegedly deceptive social media posts.
It’s Not Enough
Even when the Kardashian and Jenner sisters do attempt to disclose their material connection with brands on social media, they don’t do a very good job of it, TINA claims.
The group contends that the post disclosures fail to meet the FTC’s standards on clear, unambiguous language.
TINA claims to have found dozens of instances in which the sisters made “half-hearted attempts at disclosure” by using “cryptic hashtags” such as #sp (meaning sponsored), #PWCollab (Protein World collaboration), and #KJ4EL (Kendall Jenner for Estee Lauder).
In other posts, TINA notes that the reality stars have belatedly disclosed when posts are sponsored, sometimes waiting hours or even days before revealing their material connection.
This, the group contends, does little to inform the public, as studies have shown that most posts’ likes or comments occur within the first 10 hours of publication.
As a result, “when the sisters use this delayed-disclosure tactic many of their followers have viewed the post prior to it being disclosed as an ad.”
In once instance, TINA found that Kourtney took at least two days to disclose in an Instagram post that she had a sponsorship deal with Jet Lux — a jet charter company. By the time the disclosure was made, more than a million of her followers had already liked the post.
Similarly, Kylie Jenner’s Instagram post about her obsession with new jeans had more than a million likes before she disclosed the photo was a paid endorsement.
“As Kourtney and Kylie’s posts clearly demonstrate even when the sisters do get around to adding a disclosure, there’s no telling where that disclosure will end up in their narrative,” TINA states, noting that it has numerous examples of the sisters burying #ad in the middle or end of posts.
A Discrepancy
Although TINA found that the reality stars weren’t great at disclosing when posts were ads on all social media avenues, they also claim the women’s posts show they know when to note a post is an ad.
For instance, Kendall Jenner shared the same post about Jet Lux on Instagram and Facebook. However, in the Instagram post the model includes the #ad disclosure at the beginning of her caption, while the Facebook post doesn’t include the disclosure at all.
Looking For Action
TINA says it has notified the FTC of its latest findings related to the Kardashian and Jenner sisters’ posts.
To date, however, TINA points out that the reality stars have largely escaped the FTC’s attempts to rein in bad ads.
Earlier this month, the FTC escalated its crackdown on stealth-advertisements by sending warning letters [PDF] to 21 celebrities including supermodel Naomi Campbell, actresses Vanessa Hudgens, Lindsay Lohan, Lucy Hale, Sofia Vergara, and reality stars — like Snooki from Jersey Shore who show off clothing, food, alcohol, and other products or services through posts on Instagram.
None of the Kardashian or Jenner sisters were included in this list, however, Kourtney’s former boyfriend Scott Disick — who is continuously hanging around the family — was included.
TINA adds that the FTC has recently stated that action against an individual endorser might be appropriate “if the endorser has continued to fail to make required disclosures despite warnings.”
In that case, the group believes the FTC could “take its pick of any of the five Kardashian/Jenner sisters. Or better yet, go after them all.”
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
NVIDIA GTC China 2017 keynote recap
Desc: Summarizing the news from NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote address at GTC China, in Beijing, NVIDIA Vice President of Developer Relations Greg Estes recaps the company’s partnerships with China’s leading IT providers -- including Alibaba Cloud, Baidu, Tencent, Huawei, Inspur, Lenovo, Hikvision, and JD – to bring AI to cloud computing, services, smart cities, self-driving vehicles, robotics, and autonomous machines. Learn more at http://ift.tt/2ypO4Nt.
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United Airlines Will Let Passengers On Overbooked Flights Bid On Bumping Compensation
Ever since the public backlash against United Airlines for forcibly removing a ticketed passenger from a flight last April, the company has been revamping its policies in an effort to make it up to customers. Next up: Letting passengers on overbooked flights bid on how much they can receive for giving up their seats.
United is creating an automated system that will allow passengers who are willing to change their plans to bid, auction-style, for how much money they should receive to give up their seats. It’s wort noting that although Dr. David Dao was not pulled from his seat on an oversold flight, the incident was prompted in part by United’s failure to find someone willing to give up their seat.
“As part of our commitment to further improve our customers’ travel experience with us, we plan to test an automated system that will offer customers an opportunity to voluntarily bid for a desired compensation amount in exchange for potentially changing travel plans if faced with an overbooked flight,” a United spokesperson told Consumerist, adding that the airline has already seen “a 90% year-over-year reduction in involuntary denied boardings.”
RELATED: United Airlines Ups Compensation For Bumped Passengers To $10K
The airline will roll out the program next month, a person familiar with the matter told Consumerist. United declined to offer more details about how the bidding system will work or which flights will offer it.
The news was first aired on Twitter last week by Skift reporter Brian Sumers, who says United wants to start testing the system by Oct. 3.
Business Insider confirmed the news shortly after.
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
Equifax CEO Resigns Following Massive Data Breach
Among the items on that list of “Things a CEO Doesn’t Want on Their Resumé” is “Being the one in charge at the time of one of the biggest data breaches in U.S. history.” So perhaps it’s not a shock that Equifax CEO Richard Smith is stepping down only weeks after admitting that his credit bureau failed to secure the personal information of about half the U.S. adult population.
Smith’s exit was announced this morning by the Equifax board of directors, with today being the CEO’s final day. Smith has also stepped down from his spot as Chair of the Equifax board.
“The cybersecurity incident has affected millions of consumers, and I have been completely dedicated to making this right,” said Smith in a statement. “At this critical juncture, I believe it is in the best interests of the company to have new leadership to move the company forward.”
The board doesn’t have a new CEO lined up, but is giving Paulino Barros — head of Equifax’s Asia-Pacific operations — the interim CEO gig while the company decides on the best person to steer the company in the right direction after the embarrassment of the data breach that compromised information for some 143 million people.
Smith was slated to testify before the Senate Banking Committee on Oct. 4 at a hearing about the Equifax hack. It’s not yet clear if he’ll still be expected to take a break from scouring the Help Wanted ads for a few hours to explain what happened at his now-former company.
by Chris Morran via Consumerist
High Sierra's day-one exploit, Apple chooses Google
The biggest tech news of the day includes a day-one exploit inside Apple's latest OS and Apple choosing Google over Bing for default search results. Plus Instagram posts another round of impressive metrics. Subscribe to CNET: http://cnet.co/2heRhep Check out our playlists: http://cnet.co/2g8kcf4 Download the new CNET app: http://ift.tt/2fmiQ6l Like us on Facebook: http://ift.tt/1930vfU Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/cnet Follow us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2icCYYm
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What Are The 10 Biggest Money-Making Prescription Drugs, And What Do They Treat?
It’s no secret that big pharma is big business. Americans spend hundreds of billions on prescription medications every year, with that figure projected to keep growing. And now a new report shows that the top-selling brand-name prescription drugs in the U.S. earn more than $60 billion a year for their manufacturers, with the biggest money-maker topping $13 billion per year in sales on its own.
Axios compiled a handy chart of the top 20 top-selling drugs in the U.S. in 2016, based on data from the QuintilesIMS Institute.
The figures, Axios notes, are pure gross figures, and so don’t reflect what individuals or their insurers are paying, and don’t include any negotiations, discounts, rebates, coupons, or promotions. Still, they show a clear pattern of how many billions of dollars the top blockbuster drugs are bringing in.
Below is some more information on the ten biggest earners in the U.S. prescription drug business. Combined, they represent more than $60 billion a year in sales. Only three of these drugs have generic versions available; some of them have generic versions that could be released but are being held up by lawsuits. In terms of the ailments treated by these pharmaceutical money-makers, rheumatoid arthritis shows up most frequently, followed by diabetes.
1. Humira (adalimumab): $13.6 billion
Manufacturer: AbbVie
Introduced: 2003 (granted FDA approval Dec. 31, 2002)
Treats: First introduced to treat rheumatoid arthritis; now also prescribed for psoriatic arthritis, juvenile ideopathic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, plaque psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease.
Currently costs: $49,752 – $58,044 per year [PDF]
Generic available? No.
The FDA approved a biosimilar drug, Amjevita, from Amgen in late 2016. However, AbbVie sued Amgen over it, claiming patent infringement. Due to that ongoing litigation Amgen executives have said not to expect their product to ship until 2018 at the earliest.
2. Harvoni (ledipasvir/sofosbuvir): $10 billion
Manufacturer: Gilead
Introduced: 2014 (granted FDA approval Oct. 10, 2014)
Treats: Hepatitis C
Currently costs: $94,500 for 12-week regimen; $113,400 – $226,800 per year [PDF]
Generic available?: No.
Harvoni is the specific combination of two drugs, ledipasvir and sofosbuvir. Generica drug company Mylan, after entering a deal with Gilead, has launched a generic equivalent in India, but it is not currently approved or for sale in the U.S.
3. Enbrel (etanercept): $7.4 billion
Manufacturer: Amgen
Introduced: 1998 (granted FDA approval Nov. 2, 1998)
Treats: First introduced as to treat rheumatoid arthritis; now also prescribed for psoriatic arthritis, juvenile ideopathic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and plaque psoriasis.
Currently costs: $49,762 – $62,202 per year [PDF]
Generic available?: No.
In Aug. 2016, the FDA approved a biosimilar drug (Erelzi) made by Novartis. However, as with the generic version of Humira, this drug is being held up because Novartis is being sued for alleged patent infringement by Amgen. That legal action is expected to delay any biosimilar to Enbrel from hitting the market until 2018 at the earliest, and possibly not until 2029.
4. Lantus Solostar (insulin glargine): $5.7 billion
Manufacturer: Sanofi-Aventus
Introduced: 2000 (granted FDA approval Apr. 20, 2000; Solostar is specifically an automatic pen-style delivery mechanism)
Treats: Diabetes
Currently costs: Approx. $75 per pen (annual dosing varies widely; one pen may last from less than a day to more than a week)
Generic available? Yes.
The FDA approved the biosimilar Basaglar, made by Eli Lilly, in Dec. 2015. At launch, Basaglar was priced at 15% less than Lantus.
5. Remicade (infliximab): $5.3 billion
Manufacturer: Johnson & Johnson
Introduced: 1998 (granted FDA approval Aug. 24, 1998)
Treats: Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Currently costs: $39,223 per year [PDF]
Generic available?: Yes.
The FDA has approved two biosimilars to Remicade: Inflectra, in Apr. 2016, and Renflexis, in Apr. 2017. The two are made by Pfizer and Merck, respectively.
6. Januvia (sitagliptin), $4.8 billion
Manufacturer: Merck
Introduced: 2006 (gained FDA approval Oct. 17, 2006)
Treats: Diabetes
Currently costs: Price varies widely by dose; anywhere from $8 to $15 per pill
Generic available?: No.
7. Advair Diskus (fluticasone/salmeterol), $4.7 billion
Manufacturer: GSK
Introduced: 2000 (gained FDA approval Aug. 24, 2000)
Treats: Asthma, COPD, and other respiratory issues
Currently costs: Price varies widely depending on formulation, and dosage varies from person to person. Price for one inhaler is approximately between $230 and $370.
Generic available?: No.
Competitor Hikma did apply for approval for a generic; however, its application was denied earlier this year, as was another potential generic version from Mylan. Neither is expected to reach market before 2018 at the earliest.
8. Lyrica (pregabalin): $4.4 billion
Manufacturer: Pfizer
Introduced: 2005 (gained FDA approval Dec. 30, 2004)
Treats: Nerve pain, including from fibromyalgia, diabetes, or shingles; epilepsy; generalized anxiety disorders
Currently costs: Price varies; 60-capsule supply runs approx. $500.
Generic available?: No.
In 2014, Pfizer won a lawsuit blocking the entry of a generic competitor to Lyrica onto the market until Dec. 2018 at the earliest.
9. Crestor (rosuvastatin): $4.2 billion
Manufacturer: AstraZeneca
Introduced: 2003 (gained FDA approval Aug. 13, 2003)
Treats: High cholesterol (statin)
Currently costs: Price varies; an average of around $170 for 30 tablets.
Generic available?:Yes.
The FDA approved the first generic version of Crestor in Apr, 2016.
10. Neulasta (pegfilgrastim): $4.2 billion
Manufacturer: Amgen
Introduced: 2002 (gained FDA approval Jan. 31, 2002)
Treats: Reduces the chance of infection in patients undergoing chemotherapy
Currently costs: $23,5900 per year [PDF]
Generic available?: No.
Novartis applied to have a biosimilar drug approved, but that application was rejected in 2016.
[Sales figures via Axios.com]
by Kate Cox via Consumerist
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