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21 Jan 2012 17:48

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World: Madagascar’s former leader screwed out of trip back home

Marc Ravalomanana, exiled from his former country, was trying to get back in to Madagascar on a flight from Johannesburg. But his plane was forced to turn around mid-flight after the country shuttered a number of its airports before he could land. source
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21 Jan 2012 17:01

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Tech: On Apple, the U.S. economy, and China’s manufacturing prowess

  • The U.S. factories couldn’t get close enough to perfection for Steve Jobs. So Apple went to China. In perhaps the broadest profile you’ll read about the manufacturing process that creates most of the electronics you use today, The New York Times’ analysis of the structural reasons why the iPhone isn’t made in the U.S. manages to pull off a surprising trick: It turns a story which on the surface is about one of the world’s largest corporations into a story which shows weaknesses in the recession-laden U.S. economy. A quick roundup of what we learned from this article:
  • one Apple was a late-comer to the international manufacturing racket, and as recently as 2003 built their products in California. Before they went to Asia, they struggled to keep up with the rest of the tech industry, which used the kinds of contractors Apple uses now.
  • two In Asia, it’s much easier to get all their ducks in a row in terms of supply chain management. The lower labor cost helps, but it’s the ability to turn on a dime — such as when Apple changed its iPhone screen from plastic to glass — that really makes a difference in terms of cost.
  • three Despite the outsourcing, an important point to keep in mind is that Apple’s success does create jobs in the U.S., both directly — 8,000 in the past year alone — and indirectly, with companies like FedEx and UPS adding many jobs based solely on Apple’s needs. source
  • » What it means for the U.S. economy: With speed, flexibility and manufacturing prowess better in China, Apple’s move abroad has taken two types of jobs out of play: One, the low-paid but stable manufacturing job (which FoxConn offers both to Apple and numerous other manufacturers); and two, the mid-level engineer, which the article suggests is hard to find in the U.S., but easy to find in China. In fact, the story features a fascinating anecdote about a mid-level engineer who once worked a well-paying job at a U.S. Apple factory, only to get laid off and, years later, work another Apple job he was overqualified for — at a much lower salary. That’s the real story. Look past Apple. They’re the hook of the article, but the real story is how the U.S. economy is no longer the best spot for these kinds of jobs. How can the U.S. change that?
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jan 2012 15:35

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Tech: MegaUpload founder’s arrest: Electronic locking devices + sawed-off shotguns

  • Despite our staff clearly identifying themselves, Mr Dotcom retreated into the house and activated a number of electronic-locking mechanisms. … Once they gained entry into [Dotcom’s safe room], they found Mr Dotcom near a firearm which had the appearance of a shortened shotgun. It was definitely not as simple as knocking at the front door.
  • Organised and Financial Crime Agency New Zealand Detective Inspector Grant Wormald • Describing the insane chain of events that led to the arrest of Kim Dotcom (also known as Kim Schmitz), the founder of MegaUpload, on Friday. Among the things removed from the house included two cars, one of which is a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe — which has a retail price of $443,000. No matter how you feel about MegaUpload, Kim Dotcom certainly carries himself like a criminal mastermind, or more correctly, a James Bond villain. source
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21 Jan 2012 14:20

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World: Nigerian Islamic sect claims responsibility for coordinated attacks

  • 143 people killed in Nigerian sectarian violence Friday source
  • » Increasingly sophisticated attacks: The Nigerian terror group Boko Haram, whose name stands for “Western education is sacrilege” in the local Hausa language, has been responsible for at least 510 deaths last year and 219 killings this year alone. The latest attack, in the city of Kano, showed increasing sophistication as it targeted major governmental building in the city. While both Muslims and Christians were killed or injured in the attack, Boko Haram intends to target Christians living in the Muslim-leaning northern region of the country.
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19 Jan 2012 09:50

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Politics: Rick Santorum: Maybe possibly could be the sorta-winner in Iowa

  • yeah … An early count showed Mitt Romney leading the Iowa Caucus, but a mere eight votes ahead of Rick Santorum, who peaked just before the caucus.
  • … but … Now the vote has been certified, and it seems that Santorum has the lead in votes — Rick is now 34 votes ahead of Mitt in the state.
  • … um But don’t call it a victory just yet; irregularities in some precincts prevent Santorum from declaring victory; Romney’s camp calls it a virtual tie. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Jan 2012 20:48

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Culture: Marketing experts: Paula Deen’s diabetes switch-up a weird branding choice

  • I think it’s completely gross that Paula Deen made $$$ pushing food that makes you sick and will now make $$$ pushing the medication for it.
  • Twitter user @BradWalsh • Discussing TV chef Paula Deen’s decision to announce that she suffers from diabetes — and at the same time using the opportunity to play spokeswoman for a major diabetes drug company, Novo Nordisk AS. Branding experts think this is an poor way to handle the issue. “It’s a big change to expect consumers to buy into,” said Allen Adamson, managing director of branding firm Landor New York. We’re with the branding dude. It’s as if she’s trying to reboot herself because she’s in a corner. source
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17 Jan 2012 11:21

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Politics: Wisconsin: Scott Walker could face a recall very freaking soon, guys

  • 540,208 signatures gathered source
  • » That’s way more than enough, but … In a huge sign of support for the unions that suffered greatly at the hands of Scott Walker, over half a million signatures were gathered against the Wisconsin governor. The signatures, which will get submitted to the state’s Government Accountability Board today, could be enough to force a recall election against the governor just over a year into his term. However, it’s important to keep in mind that gubernatorial recall elections are rare, and have only succeeded twice in U.S. history. The most recent, though, was the 2003 recall of Gray Davis in California, so it’s certainly not unprecedented in the modern political climate for a governor to lose a recall election. But will there be an opponent formidable enough to defeat Scott? Maybe Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who lost against Walker in 2010 but knows a thing or two about coming back strong after getting his butt kicked.
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16 Jan 2012 11:50

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Biz: Zappos nailed by security breach, millions of customers affected

  • 24 million customers affected by a major security breach source
  • » A consumer-focused brand suffers: A data breach with far-reaching implications, this couldn’t have happened to a better company. Anyone who’s ever bought shoes from Zappos knows the company has a rep for doing whatever it can to make the customer happy. “We’ve spent over 12 years building our reputation, brand, and trust with our customers,” wrote Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh. “It’s painful to see us take so many steps back due to a single incident.” According to the company, sensitive data, including the last four digits of customers’ credit card numbers, may have been acquired in the cyber attack.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Jan 2012 10:13

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U.S.: Penn State: Joe Paterno clears the record in first interview since firing

  • I didn’t know exactly how to handle it and I was afraid to do something that might jeopardize what the university procedure was. So I backed away and turned it over to some other people, people I thought would have a little more expertise than I did. It didn’t work out that way.
  • Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno • Speaking to the Washington Post’s Sally Jenkins about the situation with Jerry Sandusky — the first interview he’s given since leaving the school. Paterno’s firing (after a 61-year career) came late at night, under rushed circumstances. Since then, Paterno has fought a variety of health issues, including cancer and a broken pelvis, but agreed to the interview in an attempt to clear the record. Among other notable things in the interview: Paterno encouraged Sandusky to retire at an early age because he was spending too much time with the Second Mile foundation at the cost of football; and when told by assistant coach Mike McQueary that something was amiss, he said he “didn’t feel adequate” to deal with the issue, so he handed it off to superiors. And he was lost in terms of handling it further, afraid that he might mess something up by exerting too much influence one way or another. “In hindsight, I wish I had done more,” he said. Officials say that Paterno has no legal liability in the case, and that he worked with officials the whole way through. source
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16 Jan 2012 00:23

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World: UN’s Ban Ki-moon gets tough against Assad’s handling of Syrian conflict

“Today, I say again to President Assad of Syria: Stop the violence, stop killing your people,” the UN Secretary General said Sunday. “The path of repression is a dead end.” There’s no misinterpreting that. source
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