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December 27, 2016

While many analysts predicted virtual reality was going to become the biggest items this Christmas, a press release by Amazon illustrates 2016 was the year of virtual assistants.

Christmas maybe over but the party is still getting started for Amazon. The online retail shopping company reported some of the highest number of orders, sales, and Amazon Echo sales in the company’s history.

In fact, Amazon announced that 2016 was the “Best-ever season for Amazon” with the bevy of technological devices including Echo Dot, Amazon Echo, and Amazon Fire.

Amazon revealed that the Echo Dot was the best-selling item on Amazon with millions of units sold worldwide. In addition, sales of the Echo devices increased more than 900% since last year.There were so many Amazon echo orders that the company had “trouble keeping them in stock”.

So what did people do with their Amazon Echo?

According to the press release, Echo owners asked Alexa for “hundreds of thousands” of cocktails with Tom Collins and Manhattans being the most requested drinks. In addition, “Home Alone and “Elf” were the most Alexa requested movies. And the three most requested Christmas songs? “Jingle Bells” by Frank Sinatra, “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey and “Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano.

This news should not be that surprising as the Internet of Things is becoming more popular among US consumers. An analyst for Oppenheimer reported earlier in December that home assistants would grow to 12 million units during the holidays.

However, Amazon Echo is currently in the middle of a murder trial. Multiple outlets report Arkansas police have issued a warrant to Amazon asking for audio and other Echo related recordings for a murder trial.

Amazon Prime

Outside of Amazon Echo, Amazon had more than billion items shipped around the world with Prime. In addition, more people tried Amazon Prime than any other holiday season. As a matter of fact, the fastest delivery taking place on Christmas Eve. The delivery was so fast it only took took 13 minutes. Furthermore, Amazon.com sold 36 toys per second on a mobile device during Cyber Monday.

Following the news, shares of Amazon were trading up 1.42% on Tuesday.

Legalized Recreational Marijuana Changes Washington Teens’ Views Towards Pot

Business

Brent Edward

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December 27, 2016

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Legalized Recreational Marijuana Changes Washington Teens’ Views Towards Pot

For the states that have legalized recreational marijuana, how has cannabis legalization impacted teens and kids?

In many states where recreational weed is illegal, synthetic marijuana is extremely popular in lower-class neighborhoods. In fact, synthetic cannabis is 100 times more powerful than tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical that gives marijuana its effects. But, what about the teens in communities where recreational cannabis is legal?

How does legalized recreational marijuana affect teens?

Researchers at the University of California Davis School of Medicine and Columbia University’s Department of Psychiatry examined marijuana legalization in a new study. After pot was legalized, Researchers found cannabis use among eighth and 10th graders in Washington increased by 2 and 4 percent, respectively.

In addition, in Washington the perceived harmfulness of pot decreased by 16.1 percent among 10th graders. In comparison to 7.2% in states that classify marijuana as an illegal drug.

Meanwhile, in Colorado, cannabis use among adolescents did not increase after legalization.

Researchers used data of over 250,00 students in eighth, 10th and 12th grades from 2010 to 2015. The researchers examined the differences of cannabis use after the drugs became legalized.

Overall, researchers argue that among eighth and 10th graders in Washington, harmfulness perceptions decreased and pot use increased following the legalization of recreational marijuana.

However, in Colorado there weren’t many changes in the perception or use of recreational marijuana among adolescents.

Researchers in the study call for communities, lawmakers, and parents to remain cautious about legalized recreational cannabis use among adolescents. In addition, scientists argue for additional funding be spent towards substance abuse programs for teens.

legalized receational marijuana — Stock Photo: BOISE, IDAHO/USA – MAY 7, 2016: woman in support of making marijuana legal at the Global Marijuana march (txking / Shutterstock.com)

“A cautious interpretation of the findings suggests investment in evidence-based adolescent substance use prevention programs in any additional states that may legalize recreational marijuana use,” researchers explained.

Drug use among teens

This news comes after a National Institute of Health study. In the study scientists found teens overall are using drugs less than previous generations. For example, nationwide weed use has declined from from 6.5 percent to 5.4 percent among eighth graders. In addition, 44 percent of 10th graders found pot as harmful.

Neuroscientists Discover Emotional Experiences Can Improve Memory

Business

Brent Edward

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December 27, 2016

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Neuroscientists Discover Emotional Experiences Can Improve Memory

Emotional experiences can have an impact on future memories. For instance, someone’s first kiss, marriage and pregnancy are very moving experiences and those powerful moments can produce long-lasting memories. However, prior to now, scientists were not too sure how heart-rending incidents affected memory.

Published in the journal of “Nature Neuroscience”, University of California and University of Geneva researchers Arielle Tambini and Ulrike Rimmele, have published a study titled “Emotional brain states carry over and enhance future memory formation”. The results of the study found that emotional experiences led to better memory formations.

In order to test their hypothesis, researchers put people into different groups. The groups looked a several different kinds of images. But, one group was exposed to emotional images prior to regular images. Several hours afterwards, the subjects were tested to see what the remembered.

The group that saw emotion-provoking images first had a better memory recollection than those who saw neutral images then emotional images.

Brain activity

Scientists argue that emotion-provoking images causes the brain to remember things better. “One mechanism that may support prospective memory enhancements is the carry-over of emotional brain states that influence subsequent neutral experiences,” Tambini and Rimmele explained in their study.

Neuroscientists argue that parts of brain that become aroused during memory formation. Memory formations are created by the amygdala, hippocampus and medial temporal lobe.

Ultimately, after an emotional experience, those parts of the remain activated and that impacts future memory recollection. In turn, researchers argue that emotional experiences can impact not only previous memories but also future memories.

Memory collection is more than just remembering the date. It is a complex process that changes based around the external and internal environment. In fact, scientists found out that the way someone breathes has an impact on their memory. Researchers discovered people had better memory when they saw images while they were inhaling through their nose versus exhaling through the nose.

Hackers Hack Sony Music’s Twitter Launching a Britney Spears Death Hoax

Business

Jonathan Antonio

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December 26, 2016

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Hackers Hack Sony Music’s Twitter Launching a Britney Spears Death Hoax

The day after Christmas, Sony Music accounts received an unexpected gift as the company’s accounts were hacked.

Hackers hacked several Twitter accounts belonging to Sony Music. Hackers told the world that the pop-singer Britney Spears died in an accident. “britney spears is dead by accident! we will tell you more soon #RIPBritney,” Sony Music Global’s account tweeted. Reps for Britney Spears would later confirm that the singer was in fact alive and not involved in an accident.

The hacking group OurMine later tweeted saying they detected unusual activity and checked to see if Sony was hacked.

But it is important to point out OurMine’s recent history. Earlier this week, OurMine hacked the Twitter accounts of the NFL, Netflix and Marvel. The group also previously hacked Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai. In addition, OurMine also has a history of hacking websites including TechCrunch and BuzzFeed. The group labels themselves as a security company that analyzes accounts to see if they are secure. However, their services are not free. In fact, the company charges $10 to test email security.

Sony Hack Interview — Stock Photo: LONDON – DEC 25: A viewer browses Google Play store for the Sony Pictures film The Interview on Dec 25, 2014 in London, UK. The controversial film has seen limited online and cinema release in the US. (1000 Words / Shutterstock.com)

This is not the first time Sony was hacked. Two years ago prior to the release of Seth Rogen’s movie The Interview, a hacking collective known only as the “Guardians of Peace” hacked the Sony Pictures corporation. The group demanded the company stop distribution of a comedy that showed the planned assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

After threats of violence, Sony canceled the wide movie release of the movie and decided to release the movie online and at select theaters. However, hackers still released private emails, social security numbers and documents from Sony Pictures. Some of the emails were damaging and included offensive jokes referencing President Barack Obama. Not to mention, alleged abuse on set of American Hustle. US officials later revealed that hack was perpetrated by North Korea.

Apple Published Their First Artificial Intelligence Paper

Business

Megan Diane

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December 26, 2016

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Apple Published Their First Artificial Intelligence Paper

Apple’s team of AI researchers published their first paper on Artificial Intelligence.

Tim Cook has been working on artificial intelligence at Apple for a while. In October during a trip to Japan, Cook explained that the company is researching and developing programs surrounding “deep engineering” – a type of artificial intelligence that allows for a computer program to teach itself.

Apple Tim Cook — Apple broke the news during the NIPS conference that the company is focusing on Artificial Intelligence. Apple revealed that the company will recruit Artificial Intelligence researchers and publish the results of their studies to the public. (Marco Prati / Shutterstock.com)

Then in December, the company revealed that they will begin testing their artificial intelligence technology and publishing their findings.

Now, just in time for the holidays, Apple’s team of researchers have published their first study. Published on Cornell University Library’s website the paper is titled “Learning from Simulated and Unsupervised Images through Adversarial Training”.

Apple Artificial Intelligence — Stock Photo:
CUPERTINO, CA/USA – JULY 13: Apple headquarters on July 13, 2014 at Infinite loop in Cupertino. Apple Inc. is company that designs and develops electronics, software, online services and computers. (sp.VVK / Shutterstock.com)

Researchers tested a program that would allow for artificial intelligence to learn and recognize the context of picture, such as the different items in a photograph but, more technologically advanced. Ultimately, researchers explain the mixture of real images and computer generated images can be used to help create a functional image Artificial Intelligence program.

The research paper on artificial intelligence and images is similar to an announcement made by Mark Zuckerberg during the Facebook F8 conference. At the conference, Zuckerberg shared recent advancements in Facebook’s artificial intelligence programming. Zuckerberg explained that Facebook created an artificial intelligent program that allowed for “image segmentation”. In turn, this new type of artificial intelligence programming allowed for a computer to recognize objects inside an image and how they relate to the entire picture as a whole.

Meanwhile, Artificial Intelligence is becoming a staple of Silicon Valley’s tech industry titans. IBM has invested heavily into their Watson supercomputer, which is currently being used to help doctors to make better decisions. In addition, Google has their DeepMind project and the company partnered with Blizzard’s StarCraft II. The partnership will provide AI technology to research and develop programming that allows for a computer to play video games the same way humans do.

Study Shows Early Promise for Ebola Vaccine

Business

Brent Edward

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December 26, 2016

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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.

So what did people do with their Amazon Echo?

Amazon Prime

How does legalized recreational marijuana affect teens?

Drug use among teens

Brain activity

What is Ebola?

What is Cyanogen?

What about Google’s Android?

Stock Markets After 2016 Election

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