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Monopoly is Letting Fans Vote for the Next Game Tokens

Reginald Edward
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Monopoly is Letting Fans Vote for the Next Game Tokens

For over 80 years, Monopoly has been one of the most popular board games in the country. Now, Monopoly is letting fans to vote and choose the next pieces for the upcoming updated version of the game.

Starting January 10th through January 31st, Monopoly fans can visit www.VoteMonopoly.com and choose eight different tokens that they would like to see in the updated version of the game. Voters have the chance to choose from over 50 tokens ranging from emojis, to sunglasses, to even mopeds.

The most popular game pieces or tokens will appear in the upcoming updated version of Monopoly called “Token Madness”.

This is not the first time Hasbro has changed a Monopoly game token. Three years ago, Monopoly held a poll on Facebook which led to the replacement of the classic iron with a cat. Then in 2015, Hasbro commented on their “Here & Now” version of the game to update cities and in 2016, the company created the “Ultimate Banking” Monopoly version getting rid of paper money for debit cards.

Monopoly Emoji tokens?

The decision to feature emojis may not be a bad idea. A study composed by Facebook found that older people tend to say “LOL” in comparison to younger generations. In fact, the study found younger people use emojis more frequently. Facebook said that after they analyzed comments in May 2015, they found young people prefer to use emojis in conversations, while older people use “LOL”. In addition, women also prefered emojis to letters in conversations.

Not to mention, a recent 2016 study by researchers at the University of Michigan examining over 400 million conversations featuring emojis, researchers found that the way people use emojis change depending upon where they live. In addition, the tears of joy emoji was the most popular emoji in the world.

 

The FBI Reportedly Has Paid Informants Working at Best Buy

Jonathan Antonio
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The FBI Reportedly Has Paid Informants Working at Best Buy

A new court case has many people questioning a relationship between the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Best Buy.

It should not come as a surprise that the FBI has a number of paid informants. But, what is surprising is that the FBI has paid informants working at Best Buy.

In the case United States of America v. Mark A. Rettenmaier, Rettenmaier, who is a California physician and surgeon, dropped off his HP Pavilion desktop computer at a Mission Viejo Best Buy’s Geek Squad.

According to Federal court documents, Geek Squad technician John Trey Westphal was an FBI informant and reportedly found child pornography on a Rettenmaier’s computer. Westphal told his boss, another FBI informant, who alerted another coworker, who was also an FBI informant. Ultimately, they shared those photos with FBI agent Tracey Riley, who seized the hard drive.

While, this sounds like a traditional act of heroism to stop child pornography from spreading across the Internet, it is important to highlight that those three individuals were actually paid informants for the FBI. In fact, it was reported that one supervisor was paid $500 for their involvement.

According to a Washington Post report, Best Buy and the FBI did not force employees to actively search for child porn on behalf of the government agency instead, if an employee discovers illegal content to report it to the FBI. However, the defendant in this case claims that the FBI’s involvement actually encouraged Best Boy employees to search computers for illegal content.

Jeff Shelman, a spokesman for Best Buy, issued a statement yesterday saying the company and Geek Squad does not have a relationship with the FBI. However, if a repair agents discovers child pornography, then Shelman argues that the company has a “legal and moral obligation” to share that information with law enforcement. Shelman asserts that it is a policy they are proud of and something they share with their customers before any repair service.

With that being said, Shelman continued on by saying, “Any circumstances in which an employee received payment from the FBI is the result of extremely poor individual judgment, is not something we tolerate and is certainly not a part of our normal business behavior.”

Meanwhile, James D. Riddet, Rettenmaier’s defense attorney, argues that the relationship between the FBI and Best Buy is “so cozy” that “you run the risk that Best Buy is a branch of the FBI.”

With that being said, child pornography is the sexual exploitation of children. The Department of Justice reports that child pornography has exploded since more people started using the Internet. “The Internet provides ground for individuals to create, access, and share child sexual abuse images worldwide at the click of a button.”

$2 Billion Copyright Lawsuit Against Facebook Starts in Dallas

Jonathan Antonio
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$2 Billion Copyright Lawsuit Against Facebook Starts in Dallas

On Monday, a $2 billion copyright lawsuit against Facebook started in Dallas. The suit claims that Oculus VR stole key parts of its technology from video game company ZeniMax – Oculus was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for $2 billion. Lawyers for Facebook denied the claims but a prolonged trial could lead to a number to top Facebook executives being subpoenaed to testify – including founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg.

At question is whether Facebook was aware of the potential copyright issue when it acquired Oculus. However, proving the connection may be a challenge for ZeniMax’ legal team. While one of its former employees left the company to join Oculus in 2013; lawyers will have to prove that he shared secrets with his new employers.

Furthermore, it is uncertain how this will impact Facebook. While the company now owns the intellectual property of Oculus, proving that Facebook was culpable in the theft will mean presenting evidence which shows that the company knew about the issue and decided not act.

In absence of proving its claims, the case will probably be thrown out of court. If this happen, the only option left to ZeniMax might be to sue the former executives of Oculus who profited from Facebook’s acquisition.

Some believe this might be a more winnable position for ZeniMax given some lingering questions about Oculus founder Palmer Luckey, who was only 17 when he developed his first Virtual Reality (VR) headset, the PR1.

In fact, a critical aspect of ZeniMax’ case is the ability to poke holes in the Oculus genesis story. According to Mr. Luckey, he developed the prototype for what became the Oculus Rift in his parent’s garage. However, the ZeniMax claims he lacked the equipment and expertise to accomplish this task.

As with most civil cases, the burden of proof is with the Plaintiffs and while lawyers for ZeniMax appeared confident in court on Monday, the first hurdle will be to make sure the case is not dismissed. If they can overcome this challenge, then it is likely that Facebook might seek an out-of-court settlement to ensure many of its senior executives are not called to testify.

Based on the regulatory filings the company currently has a free cash flow of $6 billion.  While $2 billion would represent a sizable chunk, a structured settlement would probably be significantly less than the total amount ZeniMax seeks in this case.

Along the lines of generating cash for Facebook, the company announced on Monday that it will start to embed ads in videos of 90-seconds or longer. The deal structure is somewhat similar to how Google’s YouTube has been selling advertising and many observers believe this could be a big revenue driver for Facebook going forward.

In other Facebook-related news, the company is under fire for censorship. Observers in Thailand noted the company has started to redact posts which are critical of the country’s new king. While the UK newspaper The Guardian ran an opinion piece on how Facebook’s failure to remove videos of people committing suicide is harmful.

Both developments highlight the challenges presented to Facebook as it seeks to take a more responsible approach to how it verifies and manages news and other events for its users.

Need to Getaway? Flights to Europe Are Now Only $69

Reginald Edward
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Need to Getaway? Flights to Europe Are Now Only $69

Looking for a getaway? WOW airlines announced that flights from California to Europe are now only $69; making it the cheapest trans-Atlantic flights between North America to Europe in the market.

The Icelandic carrier WOW announced on Tuesday that their flights from San Francisco and Los Angeles to Copenhagen, England and Scotland are only $69.99 one-way. The deal works for any flights from January 15th through April 5th.

The company’s CEO, Skúli Mogensen, explained that, “It’s exciting to be driving change in the industry and to stimulate the market by offering these super low fares across the Atlantic.”

Mogensen added that he is proud to enable more people to travel to places they would typically be able to afford.

Wow Airlines
(Image Credit wowair.us)

However, it is important to note that return flights are more expensive costing between $199.99 to $219.99.

WOW air’s discounted flights are flown by three new Airbus A330 aircrafts, which are the first planes of its class added to the airline.

What is WOW Airlines?

Launched five years ago by Mogensen, the airline travels to over 30 different destinations in Europe and North America. According to their press release, the company plans on having 17 different aircrafts by the end of 2017. In addition, in 2016 the company flew over a million passengers, increasing the number of travelers by 130% in comparison to 2015.

It’s important to note that low-price trans-atlantic fares are becoming more and more commonplace. Norwegian airlines announced last December their plans to cut the price of their flights from London to New York City for less than $70 one-way, which made it the cheapest flights in the industry at the time. The airlines were able to cut costs by leaving and arriving into smaller airports and using more fuel-efficient planes such as the Boeing 737MAX plane.

Tesla’s CEO Takes Customer Service to a New Level

Jonathan Antonio
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Tesla’s CEO Takes Customer Service to a New Level

Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk received a complaint on Twitter and six days later implemented a solution.

While some CEOs may take to Twitter to boast about their latest product, one CEO is taking comments, retweets, and hashtags seriously.

Last week, one Tesla owner tweeted the CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, “The San Mateo supercharger is always full with idiots who leave their tesla for hours even if already charged.”

In a manner of a few minutes, Musk responded by saying, “You’re right, this is becoming an issue. Supercharger spots are meant for charging, not parking. Will take action.”

Tesla Charging Station
Stock Photo: BRENNER, ITALY – MAY 8, 2016: Tesla charging stations are located throughout EU to accommodate owners of the electric car. (Jag_cz / Shutterstock.com)

In less than a week, Musk responded by creating a solution to the problem. How did the CEO of Tesla fix the Twitter complaint? According to a blog post, Tesla explained that they will be introducing a “fleet-wide idle fee that aims to increase Supercharger availability.”

Tesla continued by saying that for every extra minute a car remains connected to the Supercharger, they will be charged a $0.40 idle fee. But, before you grab your phone and tweet to Elon Musk to complain about the new parking fee, Tesla explains that if the car is moved within five minutes, the fee is waived.

Elon Musk is focused on his products. On Tuesday evening, Tesla announced that they hired Chris Lattner as the vice president of their self-driving software. Lattner previously worked for Apple and was the head of the Developer Tools Department. While working at Apple, Lattner helped developed the Swift programming language – a computer language that is used and seen in nearly all of Apple’s OS applications. Tesla continued by saying, “We are very excited that Chris is joining Tesla to lead our Autopilot engineering team and accelerate the future of autonomous driving.”

Ultimately, investors are keeping their eyes on Tesla. Baird & Co. expects the stock price to increase by nearly 60% in 2017. In addition, the investment firm called the Tesla stock the top choice for 2017.

With that being said, Tesla has struggled with meeting delivery goals. In the final quarter of 2016, Tesla delivered only 22,200 cars out of the projected 25,000. In fact, Tesla was a little less than 4,000 vehicles short of the 80,000 Musk promised to deliver by 2016.

Alzheimer’s Drug Can Fill Cavities, Study Finds

Brent Edward
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Alzheimer’s Drug Can Fill Cavities, Study Finds

A new drug therapy may change the way millions of people visit the dentist. An Alzheimer’s drug was able to fill cavities without the need of visiting a dentist.

Researchers at King’s College in London, UK found that they could manipulate cells within teeth in order to build stronger teeth. Basically, King’s College researchers discovered that by inserting a drug inside a cavity the drug will activate stem cells filling in the cavity. The drug? Tidesglusib – a therapy that is currently undergoing clinical trials to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

The study was published in Scientific Reports, Victor C. M. Neves and his team of researchers explained that they see this drug can be a cost-effective treatment for cavities and tooth decay.

“This simple, rapid natural tooth repair process could thus potentially provide a new approach to clinical tooth restoration,” researchers explained in their study.

What are Cavities?

With more than 3 million cases in the US every year, dental cavities are permanent damage to parts of the teeth. Essentially, a cavity is a tiny hole caused by bacteria, sugar drinks or bad hygiene habits. Depending on the size of the cavity. Dentists treat cavities with fluoride treatments, fillings, and even crowns. With that being said, a cavity can be so bad that dentists may be forced to remove the tooth.

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

While the study has revealed a possible alternative to the dentist’s office, the research would have never started if it were not for scientists searching for a cure to Alzheimer’s. In the US there are 3 million cases of Alzheimer’s. The disease begins when connections in the brain start to die and in turn destroying memories and mental functions.

At this point in time there is no cure to Alzheimer’s but, researchers have found a connection between a popular prostate cancer treatment and Alzheimer’s disease. After researcher examined thousands of health records, scientists discovered prostate cancer patients who received testosterone-lowering drugs were actually more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

Study Finds Why Mothers Hold Their Baby on the Left Side

Megan Diane
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Study Finds Why Mothers Hold Their Baby on the Left Side

Have you ever noticed that mothers cradle their newborn child on their left side? It may seem like common sense and many people argue that it is because most women are right handed. In turn, mothers hold their baby on the left side since their right hand is free.

But, a new study, published in the journal of Nature Ecology & Evolution, suggests where women hold their baby may be due to a “positional bias”, which is also seen in other mammalian species. In fact, scientists say the way mothers hold their children is actually controlled by the brain due to an “ancient evolutionary origin”.

Researchers from Saint Petersburg State University in Russia discovered that positioning a baby on the left actually activates the right side of the brain, also known as the right hemisphere, which is known for processing social interactions and bonding.

Saint Petersburg State University researchers examined horses, sheeps, orcas and kangaroos and found a “positional bias” that is linked to several mammalian species. In fact, scientists discovered newborn animals tend to stay near the left side of their mother.

Recent research has found multiple connections between the mother and how kids are developed. A study published last month found children from obese parents were more likely to have developmental issues including motor and social problems.

In addition, recent research examining viruses found viruses were actually deadlier for men than for women. Scientists published a study in the journal of “Nature Communications” arguing that viruses may have evolved to be less deadly to women than men in order for a virus to be passed onto future generations.

Does being right handed or left handed actually matter? Well, that’s hard to tell. A 1991 study found that left handed people were more likely to die 9 years sooner than right handed people in California. However, a 1994 study found left handed people lived 9 years longer than right handed people in the United Kingdom.

Bumble Bees are Now Endangered

Megan Diane
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0
Bumble Bees are Now Endangered

For the first time in history, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has listed the North American Bumble Bee as an endangered species.

Rebecca Riley, the senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) explained that by placing bumble bees in the endangered list, the species can have the opportunity to improve in numbers as well as save the major agricultural and dietary crops in America.

“Bee populations—including thousands of species of wild bees—are in crisis across the country, and the rusty patched bumble bee is one of the most troubling examples,” Riley explained in a statement. ” Today’s decision is a critical step forward. If finalized, the endangered species protections will improve the health of our ecosystem as well as the security of our national food supply,” Riley added.

The NRDC estimates that the number of bumble bees have decreased by over 80 percent, which is troubling. In fact, the White House reports that the economic value of the bumble bees and other pollinators are estimated to be $9 billion per year in the United States alone.

What are Bumble Bees?

Bombus affinis, also known as the rusty patched bumble bee, is a type of bee found in the the east and upper Midwest of the United States.

Bumble bee’s help pollinate up to 65 different types of plants and is the primary pollinator for many agricultural crops including: apples, cranberries and plums. Consequently, the decline in numbers could have a detrimental affect on the ecosystem as many animals and birds feed off of the agriculture the Bombus Affinis helps pollinates. In addition, crops sustained by the bumble bee’s pollination process can also be damaged putting apple, cranberry and plum crops at risk.

Why are Bumble Bees endangered?

A 2008 study published in the journal of “Biodiversity and Conservation” found three major reasons why bumble bee numbers had decreased. Sheila R. Colla and Laurence Packer, the lead researchers in the study found pesticides, loss of habitat and commercially-produced bumblebees spread pathogens to bumble bees, which in turn affected bumble bee populations.

 

Scientists Discover Asteroid Just Two Days Before Flying Between Earth and the Moon

Megan Diane
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Scientists Discover Asteroid Just Two Days Before Flying Between Earth and the Moon

Researchers discovered on Saturday that an asteroid was headed towards Earth on Monday.

While millions of Americans around were getting ready for work, school, and essentially getting out of bed, an asteroid slipped right between Earth and moon. And scientists barely saw it coming.

Asteroid 2017 AG13 traveled between the Earth and the moon on Monday morning. What’s surprising is that researchers at the University of Arizona’s Catalina Sky Survey discovered 2017 AG13 on Saturday, just two days earlier. While the asteroid was relatively small, about 110 feet tall, the asteroid was only discovered a few days before heading towards earth.

While this news is pretty disturbing, the White House is already working on a way to prevent an asteroid from hitting earth. For example, this news comes after NASA researchers called for more measures to be implemented to protect humanity from an extinction level asteroid or comet collision. In response, the White House launched the ‘National Near Earth Object Preparedness Strategy’. The program will prevent “Near Earth Objects” such as asteroids and comets from colliding into planet Earth. In addition, the new preparedness strategy will provide triennial updates regarding plans on how to prepare, prevent and stop asteroids from crashing into the planet.

In addition, earlier this month NASA is planning on two asteroid missions in the near future. The first mission is called “Lucy” which will explore a set of asteroids that have existed for over 10 million years. The second mission is “Psyche” and NASA will investigate an asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. Ultimately, the goal of the NASA space mission is to get an inside looking at the physical properties of the solar system’s earliest heavenly bodies. But, it may take a little while before the results of the asteroid study are published. In all honesty, we will not have data on the asteroid missions for at least another ten years.

Pentagon Reveals Their Autonomous Micro-Drone Program

Jonathan Antonio
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0
Pentagon Reveals Their Autonomous Micro-Drone Program

The Department of Defense has announced that they have completed a successful micro-drone demonstration with a 103 Perdix drones.

The test, which appeared on Sunday’s CBS News program ’60 Minutes’, featured over a hundred Perdix micro-drones launched from three F/A Super Hornets. The Department of Defense said  the micro-drones displayed “advanced swarm behaviors such as collective decision-making, adaptive formation flying, and self-healing.”

Developed by researchers at MIT in 2013, Perdix drones have the capability of being dropped out of the sky at high speeds and withstanding cold temperatures. Not to mention, the micro-drones are relatively inexpensive.

Named after the Greek mythology story of the student saved by the God Athena who transformed him into a small bird, Perdix weighs only 290g and is less than a foot wide. The devices are essentially controlled by an operator whose job is to predict the behavior of the swarm of drones, without ever having to manage each and every Perdix drone.

The first Perdix drone tests were completed in 2014 after being dropped from F-16 flare containers at Edwards Air Force Base. Then in 2015, 90 Perdix missions were flown in Alaska. These missions included ground and maritime surveillance missions as well as swarms containing 20 drones at a time.

The Secretary Defense Ash Carter explained that “This is the kind of cutting-edge innovation that will keep us a step ahead of our adversaries. This demonstration will advance our development of autonomous systems.”

The Department of Defense’s Strategic Capabilities Office’s director William Roper asserted that because combat is constantly changing, micro-drones technology allows a large group of drones to move in the form of a “collective organism” sharing one brain.

Roper added that the microdrones are not led by a single leader and they can easily adapt to the environment.

“Because every Perdix communicates and collaborates with every other Perdix, the swarm has no leader and can gracefully adapt to drones entering or exiting the team,” Roper explained.

A previous Washington Post report revealed that the micro-drone project was part of a $20 million Pentagon program to reinvent the military drone program. The Pentagon points out in their report that the military plans on producing micro-drones at a groups of up to 1,000.

This news comes after the Department of Defense implemented a new organization called the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx). The DIUx has offices in both Silicon Valley and Boston. According to their website, DIUx is the link between those in the U.S. military and companies innovating new technology.

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