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03 Nov 2011 23:42

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Tech: Playing favorites with search: Who’s more biased, Bing or Google?

  • pro-Google So, let’s say you wanted to find out if there was any bias from what search engines spit out at you. For example, a recent study not done by Google, said that Bing searches would promote Microsoft-related results twice as many times that Google would promote Google.
  • pro-Bing Don’t get too comfortable with those facts, though. A different study, performed by a paid Microsoft consultant, showed claims that Google put itself first most of the time. Do you already know who to trust? Or are you feeling lucky? source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Nov 2011 23:27

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Culture: Wait, is Chicago some kind of holy city and nobody bothered to tell us?

On April 26, the Dalai Lama is planning a second trip to Chicago in a year, because let’s face it, the Windy City is a happening place for spiritual leaders. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Nov 2011 23:19

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Tech: Ever wanted to rent a book on your Kindle? Well, now you can!

  • Kindle and Kindle Fire to have a lending library: The program, which launched today, allows readers to borrow one title at a time per month; when they rent a new title, the previous one will leave their device. Sounds like…not the best plan in the world. The library has over 5,000 titles for readers to choose from, so it’s a little limited. Also, the service is only available to users of Amazon’s Prime service, which costs $79 a year. Stock up! source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Nov 2011 21:57

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Biz: Study: Many corporations pay low tax rates; some pay none

  • 35% the corporate tax rate set by the U.S. government
  • 18.5% the average “real” tax rate paid by 280 Fortune 500 companies source
  • » And some companies don’t even pay: Two notably large companies that don’t pay any taxes … and in fact owe less than nothing somehow? General Electric and Pepco. (On a side note: DC residents looooooove Pepco, because the power goes out all the time around here.) Both companies defend their businesses practices.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Nov 2011 21:51

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U.S.: Oakland demonstrator questions violence and vandalism

  • I didn’t destroy any property yesterday, but destruction of property is not violent.
  • Derek Winslow • A demonstrator with the “Occupy Oakland” movement who was arrested early Thursday morning after overtaking a building in downtown Oakland. Winslow admitted that the occupation of the building, along with the ensuing fires that were set around the property to deter police, “wasn’t the best reaction, but we are frustrated.” More than 80 people were arrested after police deployed tear gas in the area.  source
Posted by Matthew Keys • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Nov 2011 21:38

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Biz: Groupon’s IPO downsizes, then upsizes again (just a little bit)

  • $13.3 billion Groupon valuation ahead of their IPO
  • $20 the cost of Groupon’s shares during its upcoming IPO
  • 35M the number of shares the company plans to sell, up from 30 million
  • $700M the amount of money the company plans to raise with the IPO source
  • » It was supposed to be way higher than this: Back when Groupon first floated the idea of their IPO, the expected valuation was $15 to $20 billion, a number which threw investors off and led to allegations that 1) they were overhyped, 2) Groupon was an elaborate ponzi scheme and 3) their IPO is a sign that a fresh tech bubble is on the way. They backed off some of the higher valuations, but then set the price at $20 per share, instead of the expected $16-18. When it finally hits, it’s going to be an interesting ride, to say the least.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Nov 2011 20:23

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World: Cuba’s crazy non-communist-sounding idea: Property sales

  • then For decades, Cuban gave its citizens socialist housing, which was tough to move out of because that required government approval; many families and even divorced couples stayed together under the same roof as a result.
  • now Cuba’s changing its policies in reaction to economic concerns, it’s now allowing people to buy and sell property — which sounds kinda like capitalism. The government, however, says they’re working hard to protect socialism.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

03 Nov 2011 15:33

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Culture: Universal Studios chief is definitely a straight-talker

  • We make a lot of @%#$ movies, and every one of them breaks my heart… Wolfman and Babe 2 are two of the &@!#tiest movies we put out.
  • Universal Studios president Ron Meyer • Providing a somewhat scattological assessment of some of his studio’s films over the years. He wasn’t just picking on Benicio del Toro’s wolflike manner, or Babe’s traipse through the big city, either — he hung Cowboys and Aliens and Land of the Lost out to dry as well. We only wish he’d speak with this sort of candor before the opening weekend box office results roll in, saving us all the trouble. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Nov 2011 15:22

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World: Syrian government already in defiance of Arab League deal

  • 30 Syrians killed in separate attacks just after the Arab League deal source
  • » It didn’t take long: Syrian citizens skeptical of the deal struck between the Arab League and the Assad government seem to have been proven right. The deal stipulated that Syrian security forces would withdraw from cities, a free domestic and international media presence would be allowed, and the government would free its political prisoners. And yet, just one day later, security forces (not having withdrawn from the city of Homs, obviously) have killed 11 people. Another 19 died in a tank shelling in the activist-heavy Bab Amro district. Maybe it wasn’t right to expect much to come of the Arab League deal, given the abysmal human rights record of Bashar al-Assad’s government, but this is horribly discouraging.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Nov 2011 14:28

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Politics: Occupy Oakland to discuss chaos from last night’s protests

  • It’s not us, it’s a bunch of guys who wear black masks. It’s messing with our movement. They leech off our numbers — they only show up when there’s a rally.
  • Oakland Occupier Michael Porter • Talking about the chaotic elements of last night’s protests, which culminated in the early morning break-in of a vacant building, eliciting teargas and flash grenades from the OPD. Porter’s comment on this is interesting — there have been reports of graffiti sprayed throughout the city bearing conflicting messages, such as “kill cops” versus “non-violence works better.” The protest’s General Assembly is expected to address this today. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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