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December 26, 2016

Study Shows Early Promise for Ebola Vaccine

Researchers may have discovered a vaccine for Ebola.

Published in The Lancet, rSV-ZEBOV is a vaccine studied in Guinea. The randomized sample found that nearly six thousand people who received the vaccine did not develop the deadly Ebola disease.

However, 50% of the human trial patients who received the vaccine did experience side effects including, muscle pain, fatigue, headaches and anaphylaxis. However, everyone recovered without any long term problems.

One of the worst outbreaks of the Ebola virus occurred in West Africa. The disease spread from Guinea, West Africa to Liberia and to Sierra Leone. From 2013 to 2016, the World Health Organization reported over 11,000 deaths. By, March of this year the director of the World Health Organization, ended the International cause for concern. However, researchers argue that the virus could still resurface.

The World Health Organization’s Assistant Director-General for Health Systems and Innovation, Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, explained that while the results are exciting, the news comes too late for those who died in the Ebola epidemic.

That being said, the Global Vaccine Alliance invested $5 million to fund the creation of 30,000 vaccines, in case the next outbreak does occur.

What is Ebola?

Ebola starts off like a sudden flu with symptoms of headaches, sore throat and joint pain. However, diseased patients will have a slightly higher fever followed by vomiting and diarrhea. In addition, 50% of people with the disease will develop a rash. Over time, internal and external bleeding will occur and after two weeks patients fall into a coma and die. That being said, those who do not die develop an immunity against that can last for at least years.

Two years ago, the world was on high alert after the reported spread and outbreak of the virus. By July 2014, Atlanta’s Emory Hospital had received two patients. In turn making history as the first hospital to treat someone with the disease. Emory University was one of four hospitals that had the medical equipment with the equipment to hold and treat the patients.

Cyanogen is Shutting Down

Business

Jonathan Antonio

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December 25, 2016

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In a two sentence statement Cyanogen announced the end.

Starting December 31st, the company would no longer be providing service to Android phones. In addition, Cyanogen explained that the company will be consolidating their services. However, the source could will remain available to anyone who is interested in building upon the CyanogenMod operating system.

What is Cyanogen?

Cyanogen, also known as CyanogenMod, is an operating system designed for Android tablets and smartphones. The application was first released as a free program, which gave Android users access to other third-party applications not available on the traditional Android operating systems.

The news to shut down their operating system comes only two months after the release of a new OS. The new OS included an artificial intelligence cloud service that helped developers utilize the operating system by introducing “smarter and more effective ways to resolve intent and interact with smartphones in a personalized and highly contextual way.”

In a 2015 Forbes report, Cyanogen had a mission to overtake Google’s Android operating system. At the time, Cyanogen CEO said “Google is the common enemy.”

What about Google’s Android?

Cyanogen is cleaning up shop leaving the future of the operating system in the hands of a group of community developers. Meanwhile, Google’s Android application and newly released mobile phone is doing well in the tech industry. Prior to Christmas, Google’s Pixel phone had a growing share in the mobile phone industry. In fact, Pixel accounted for 0.5% of phone sales prior to November. In addition, earlier this month Google announced the release of Android Things – the ability to use the Android OS to create connected devices. The company explained on their website that, “if you can build an app, you can build a device,” using their Android Things programming.

Looking Back Microsoft Wishes It Handled the Windows 10 Updates Differently

Business

Jonathan Antonio

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December 25, 2016

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Looking Back Microsoft Wishes It Handled the Windows 10 Updates Differently

Looking backing Microsoft wishes is handled the Windows 10 Anniversary Update differently. It would not be the first time. The company has a history of dropping the ball with software updates. This includes several painful incidents over the years – such as Windows 8.

However, the execution of this years’ Windows 10 Anniversary Update was especially poor, even by Microsoft’s standards. Not only was the update pushed on users but then there was a raft of complaints about the update and then a series of patches to fix self-inflicted problems.

Stock Photo: NOVEMBER 2013 – BERLIN: logo/ electronic sign for “Microsoft”, Berlin.(360b / Shutterstock.com)

One of the problems with updating any Windows operating system is the complexity of the software. Windows has always been an expansive program, but it is has grown even bigger over the years and today the software includes the operating system, add-ons, and even virus protection. It has become the software equivalent of the blob – expanding with no end in sight.

This creates numerous challenges for the project manager. But what has really hurt Microsoft is the fact that they forced the update on users – many of whom did not want it. The company’s Chief Marketing Officer, Chris Capossela, admitted the process was ‘annoying and at times obnoxious’ and he conceded the company has to work harder to win back customer trust.

Ultimately, the company is on the right track with Windows 10, but the operating system is only one part of its business model going forward. Granted this does not include mobile – at least not cell phones. The company has opened its office suite across multiple platforms, and its cloud offerings have become one of the main public cloud offerings. The company is also investing heavily in Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR).

Microsoft Surface 3 — Stock Photo: TORONTO, CANADA – APRIL 15, 2015: The new Surface 3 tablet sits at the Microsoft Store in Toronto. (Canadapanda / Shutterstock.com)

Another area where the company is making progress is the Surface RT. While some pundits have slammed the tablet, CNET writer Ian Morris has called the latest Surface Pro one of the best professional-grade tablets on the market. While it is still early, the device might be the just what Microsoft needs to break back into the mobility market.

Even with the missteps, Microsoft has successfully repositioned itself for the post-PC age. However, bigger challenges are likely to appear, especially as the company moves into an ecosystem where its operating system is not a dominant – i.e. mobile devices.

U.S. Consumer Sentiment Rises As Trump Becomes President

Business

Reginald Edward

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December 24, 2016

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U.S. Consumer Sentiment Rises As Trump Becomes President

Following the 2016 US Presidential election, Americans are feeling extremely optimistic about the economy.

Months before Barack Obama became the next President of the United States in 2008, consumer confidence was at an all time low. America was in the middle of a housing crisis and facing a major economic recession. A NYC based research group, The Conference Board, found that by October 2008 the Consumer Confidence Index dropped to 38, the lowest numbers since the index was first created.

Now, researchers found that people are overwhelming positive about the future of the economy.

According to a Surveys of Consumers, chief economist Richard Curtin explained that following Donald Trump’s election, Americans are experiencing the highest levels of consumer sentiment in 12 years.

Consumer Sentiment - Donald Trump Economy — Stock Photo: Mobile, Alabama – 12/17/2016. US President-Elect Donald J. Trump speaks to a crowd at Ladd-Peebles Stadium during his “Thank You Tour”. (Brad McPherson / Shutterstock.com)

Basically, many Americans believe that having Donald Trump in office would help strengthen the economy. In fact, positive outlook for the new president is twice as high as the prior peak, which occurred when Ronald Reagan took office.

The positive outlook on 2017’s economy has many Americans believing that next year will bring in new jobs. Curtin explains, “Consumers anticipated that a stronger economy would create more jobs, although expected wage gains were quite meager.”

Ultimately, Curtin argues that the survey illustrates a picture of Americans excited about the expected policy changes created by Donald Trump. This in turn, could lead to a jump start in the economy even before Trump’s policies are ever enacted.

Stock Markets After 2016 Election

Stocks seemed to follow America’s economic optimism. Dow Industrials had their best week since 2011, climbing up 5.4% for the week. In fact, since the November election the Dow has gone up more than 14%.

Consumer Sentiment - Stock Market — Stock Photo: New York, NY: August 27, 2016: Flag draped NYSE on Wall Street. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the largest stock exchange in the world by market cap. (Michael Gordon / Shutterstock.com)

But, the biggest sector affected by Trump’s Presidential election seems to be the financial sector. Financial stocks have also gained in value since Donald Trump became the next President of the United States. Both, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan have increased by 14% and 11%, respectively since November. Analysts argue that Trump’s presidential policies would lead to fewer banking regulations.

You Can Now Track Santa with Google!

Business

Jonathan Antonio

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December 24, 2016

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It is Christmas Eve and millions of kids around the world are waiting to see what is underneath their Christmas tree. In an effort to keep up with the Christmas cheer, Google has released an app that allows for kids to track where Santa is in real-time.

By visiting SantaTracker, kids can see where Santa left and where he is going to next.

It is hard to believe, but Google is a company going through a massive reorganization. The changes started with the announcement in August 2015 that ownership would be transferred to a holding company called Alphabet and has continued unabated since then.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Google CFO, Ruth Porat, is the driving force behind the company’s transformation. The goal is the simplify management structures and to help the company get more disciplined. However, some company insiders have bemoaned the loss of ‘freedom’.

While the establishment of a holding company was the first public step, there have been several internal initiatives to rationalize the diverse projects under the Google banner. This includes the company’s test laboratories which are simultaneously working on Artificial Intelligence (Deep Mind) and autonomous vehicles (Waymo). The latter is reportedly in talks with Japanese automaker Honda to share its technology for next-generation cars.

Granted, customers have not really notices the changes – at least not yet. But as time passes it is likely that subtle differences in branding or product placement could creep into the mix. Industry experts believe this is most likely to be noticed in the company’s mobile phone until as it seeks to differentiate its Android operating system from search and other functions.

Part of the reason might be to evade potential antitrust investigations in the U.S. and Europe. Especially as the company grows to dominate just about every aspect of life online. However, another part of the reason is that the company was just becoming too big to effectively manage.

In fact, many of Google’s ‘project managers’ are managing what amounts to major corporations in their own right. This creates a challenge for Google’s senior management as they need to allow these managers the flexibility needed manage the inherent complexity in each project while keeping the same managers satisfied with the career prospects. Not an easy task in Silicon Valley where the battle for talent at all levels shows no sign of letting up.

An advantage is that a reorganized Google is better suited to target certain niche. This includes planned upgrades to its office productivity package dubbed ‘G-Suite’ or its cloud offerings. Combined, these offering are a challenge to Microsoft’s Office/Office 365 offerings – an area where Google hopes to gain share.

While it is too early to tell whether Google’s transformation is complete it is certain that the changes are having a profound impact on the company. Not only in its day-to-day operations, but also in how it develops and brings new products to market.

Shares of Google’s parent company Alphabet has responded well to the changes and have trend up for most of the year, closing at $807.80 on subdued trading before Christmas.

Amazon Announces Box Recycling Program

Business

Jonathan Antonio

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December 24, 2016

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Not sure what do with your unused Amazon boxes this holiday season? The online retailer announced a box recycling program earlier this week. The move was welcomed by environmental advocates who noted that Amazon is the largest user of cardboard boxes in the U.S. In fact, only Chinese internet giant Alibaba uses more cardboard boxes.

The program’s goal is to motivate customers to use their old shipping boxes to make donations to Goodwill Industries and was announced on a website post. To make donations, customer will ship food or clothing to Goodwill via UPS or the U.S. Postal service by printing out a shipping label from Amazon’s website and the company will pay the shipping costs.

If the program sounds familiar it is because it has been around in one form or another since 2015. Goodwill has been participating since 2012 and during that time the charity has partnered with other retail giants including Bonobos, Ann Taylor, Overstock, REI, and Overstock.

Advocates welcomed Amazon’s support of the program saying that it not only helps disadvantaged families by making donations of unused goods but also helps to give a second life to the shipping boxes.

Amazon Boxes — Stock Photo: PARIS, FRANCE – SEP 4, 2016: Cat inspecting multiple Amazon Prime boxes delivered by courier and left by the door by Hermes delivery courier (Hadrian / Shutterstock.com)

While the exact number of cardboard boxes used by the company is hard to determine. Analysts estimated that the company shipped roughly 1 billion orders per year. That works out to just over 31 orders per second.

Even with the company is using recycled paper for its cardboard boxes, the sheer demand requires the harvesting of just under 2 million trees per year. This is on top of the recycled content in Amazon’s boxes.

Furthermore, it is unlikely that any reuse program will reduce this amount. This is not due to a lack of trying. Instead, the company’s growth rate means that the volume of paper used to ship every item the company sells is likely to increase.

As The New York Times noted in a February 2016 article, it is not just the shipping boxes. When a customer receives a shipment, it is usually packed like a ‘Russian nesting doll’ with a master container filled with several smaller containers.

Ultimately, this is the conundrum of online commerce as its continued growth will on exacerbate the demand for packing materials. While much of this can be often by increasing the recycled content of the boxes which the kitchen supplies, shoes, and camping items come in, it is up to consumers and the companies to find second uses for boxes or ways to eliminate boxes altogether.

Will Disney Make a Play for Netflix?

Business

Reginald Edward

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December 23, 2016

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In October the market lit up with news that Disney was considering an acquisition of Netflix. In fact, the proposed transaction seemed to make a lot of sense. Netflix is a ‘new’ media company with a stable of hit shows, millions of subscribers, and distribution deals with almost every major studio in Hollywood. This includes Disney, which has agreed to make all their movies available on Netflix. In addition, ‘old’ media company is in the process of building their own streaming service – DisneyLife.

From the outside, the deal would seem to make sense for both parties. But since the initial report in October, there has been no movement by either side. According to sources, the delay is largely due to strategic conversations within Disney and Netflix might not be the only acquisition.

In fact, Twitter is another company which Disney is said to be considering. While a deal for Twitter would be less expensive for Disney, it is hard to see how an acquisition of the Twitter would help the Mouse. While the microblogging site and its Periscope division might be a nice add-on for marketing and brand extensions, it does little to help Disney’s core businesses of media and entertainment. Even Twitter’s attempts at live streaming NFL games have been met with lackluster ratings.

On the other hand, Netflix has been able to hit it out of the park with several its original productions – House of Cards and Orange is the New Black – and the company has acted as the prime disruptor of media distribution. Remember Blockbuster?

Orange is the New Black Netflix — Stock Photo: NEW YORK -JUNE 21: Netflix mural in Williamsburg section in Brooklyn on June 21, 2014.

As such, an acquisition might make perfect sense as it would position Disney as the penultimate movie production and distribution company in the world. This might be where the trouble starts. Any such deal would be complicated by regulatory oversight, which would include antitrust and data privacy reviews. In addition, potential changes to the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) ‘net neutrality’ rules would significantly alter Netflix’ market cap.

Given these variables Disney might choose to pass, or they might decide to wait for regulatory clarity before making a formal offer. In the meantime, the Mouse will continue to expand the scope of DisneyLife and add more content via competing sites such as Hulu and Amazon.

Netflix Stock — Stock Photo: MONTREAL, CANADA – FEBRUARY, 2016 – NFLX – Netflix stock market ticker with chart on the web under magnifying glass. (dennizn / Shutterstock.com)

While shares of Netflix have been trending up during the post-election rally, it is still below highs reached in October when news of Disney’s interest in the company first surfaced.

Analysts Question the Value of Facebook’s Shares

Business

Reginald Edward

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December 23, 2016

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Analysts Question the Value of Facebook’s Shares

While the momentum from the post-election rally tapered in recent days, a growing number of analysts have begun to be concerned about the prospect for Facebook. The current consensus earnings forecast for the company is $1.12 for the quarter ending December 2016. But the forecast falls to $0.89 for the quarter ending March 2017.

The fall has some analysts scratching their heads and asking whether Friday’s opening price of $117.40 is worth it. In fact, J.C. Parets of All Star Charts has already issued a warning for the company, calling the stock’s current trend a ‘disaster’.

Yes, shares of Facebook have gained ground since the since the election. But the movement has been uneven and as of the Friday before Christmas, the stock was trading off its post-election highs of $121.77 which was reached on November 21. Even that high was well off its three-month high of $133.28 posted on October 28.

That being said, the company has performed well over the past year. Shares of Facebook opened the year at $102.22, so it has made money for investors this year. However, Facebook has underperformed the broader market, which is on pace to post gains of 14% for 2016.

Why is Facebook underperforming?

Facebook Headquarters — Stock Photo: MENLO PARK, CA – MARCH 18: A sign at the entrance to the Facebook World Headquarters located in Menlo Park, California on March 18, 2014. Facebook is a popular online social networking service. (Katherine Welles / Shutterstock.com)

What is unclear at this point is why Facebook’s shares have underperformed the broader market. Part of the reason might be that the company is closely tied to other technology stocks which faces a certain amount of regulatory uncertainty.

Net Neutrality

This uncertainty is tied to increasing odd that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) which looks set to reverse its stance on ‘Net Neutrality’. While such a decision might not impact Facebook as much as companies like Netflix, it will impact the sector and this is likely to weigh on the both companies.

User Growth

Another issue which might be impacting Facebook’s prospects is user growth. The company currently boast nearly 1.8 billion users, but growth is slowing and Facebook is effectively locked out of the all-important Chinese market. Slowing growth could impact profitability, especially as advertisers cut back on their marketing spend with the company.

Fake News

Yet another issue which is impacting sentiment on Facebook is the specter of fake news and online bullying. For all of Facebook’s benefits, it has done little to stop either and some observers believe the company made be an unwitting enabler.

Tax Liabilities

Then, there are potential tax liabilities, privacy concerns, and unforeseen challenges to the company’s dominance in the social media space. If anything, this points to the need for the company to continue to refine and innovate its business model. However, this becomes much harder when trying to manage a $330 billion global corporation.

This does not mean that Facebook is not a buy. In fact, very few analysts have issued sell opinions on the company. But the charts and some of the associated warnings do point to caution going forward.

Stock Market is Bullish After Gas Prices Rise

Business

Reginald Edward

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December 23, 2016

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Stock Market is Bullish After Gas Prices Rise

As millions of Americans travel across the country for the holidays, oil prices are up nearly 30 cents per gallon, according to a new report by the AAA. While, US consumers are feeling the affects of rising gas prices at the pump, stockholders are seeing a bullish market with growing oil prices.

The Middle east and oil producing countries have recently agreed to cut oil production. Consequently, Brent crude prices have gone up some 8 percent. Other oil producing countries are also looking to cut production. Albeit at different levels. This news is starting to affect oil related stocks for the better. Oil related stocks have risen modestly in the past weeks. But a small increase is a good thing. Especially, considering there has been approximately 2 years of low oil prices.

OPEC Cuts Oil Production

The cutting of production is a strategy to increase the price of oil per barrel. This strategy will work, if all the countries cooperate. At the moment, OPEC members seem comfortable with the production of oil in the United States. But, if a country gets greedy and moves to increase their personal share of the market by increasing oil production, then you can expect OPEC to again flood the market with oil production.

Gas Prices — Stock Photo: SACRAMENTO, USA – SEPTEMBER 5, 2013: High Shell gas price on September 5, 2013 in Sacramento, California. California holds the leading position in continental US for the fuel cost. (Sergey Yechikov / Shutterstock.com)

In an odd way, this somewhat demonstrates the continued conversation of a world economy. Illustrating how much we all are interdependent on each other to cooperate. A balance between using resources and conserving natural resource raises the topic of reducing our dependence on fossil fuel and to move towards more renewable energy sources such as wind, natural gas, solar, etc.

As usual, there is little to no conversation about how much people will pay for gas at the pump in the United States due to rising oil prices. However, it is clear that OPEC’s decision to cut oil production is affecting Americans this holiday season.

Ultimately, the market for oil is bullish and it is anticipated to continue to be bullish into 2017 as well.

North Pole is 50 Degrees Above Average

Business

Megan Diane

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December 22, 2016

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With Christmas just days away, Santa’s “home” in the North Pole is experiencing some of the warmest temperatures ever recorded. In fact, the rising temperatures are 32 degrees – that’s right, the melting point of ice.

Researchers at Climate Central have released a report revealing that the Arctic region is experiencing record-high temperatures this month. In fact, the weather is typically 20 degrees below zero however, this December temperatures in the North Pole are reaching above 32 degrees.

Typically the fall brings in a new era of ice growth in the North Pole. But, this November there was actually a decrease in ice growth. A phenomenon that is that has not been since in the past 40 years, since researchers at the National Snow and Ice Data Center started studying the Arctic ice caps.

Researchers point out that the North Pole should be around 95% covered with sea ice. But, this year only 80 percent of the Arctic region is currently covered with ice.

It all started last November when temperatures were 27 degrees above normal for that time of year. The temperatures declined slightly however, it is continuing to get warmer and warmer in the North Pole.

What does this mean?

Researchers argue that extremely warm weather in the North Pole can have serious consequences. Including affecting feeding and behavior patterns of animals, which could arguably led to mass starvation. In fact, scientists pointed out that in 2013 61,000 reindeers died in the Russia as a result of warming temperatures.

Other animals affected by warming temperatures include whales and polar bears, as their habitat is largely changing due to smaller ice caps.

This is not the first time this has happened. Last year, temperatures on the North Pole rose above freezing temperatures. What is supposed to be winter in the North Pole, the Arctic was experiencing above-freezing temperatures in 2015.

With that being said, rising ocean levels, increasing carbon dioxide levels, and extreme weather patterns may continue to surge as long as the world’s climate continues to get warmer and warmer.

What is Ebola?

What is Cyanogen?

What about Google’s Android?

Stock Markets After 2016 Election

Why is Facebook underperforming?

Net Neutrality

User Growth

Fake News

Tax Liabilities

OPEC Cuts Oil Production

What does this mean?

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