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Microsoft Acquires Artificial Intelligence Startup Maluuba

Jonathan Antonio
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Microsoft Acquires Artificial Intelligence Startup Maluuba

Microsoft announced on Friday their acquisition of an artificial intelligence startup, Maluuba.

Microsoft boasts in an announcement posted on their website that Maluuba is a “deep learning research” laboratory company with technology that can understand “natural language”.

Microsoft reveals in a press release that the Maluuba specializes in artificial intelligence that has the ability to learn and make decisions. In addition, Microsoft explains that they are going to “democratize” artificial intelligence by making it more accessible to Microsoft users.

Microsoft
Amsterdam, Netherlands-may 5, 2016: Microsoft Corporation, an American company. Microsoft develops computer-related products (JPstock / Shutterstock, Inc.)

“Maluuba’s vision is to advance toward a more general artificial intelligence by creating literate machines that can think, reason and communicate like humans — a vision exactly in line with ours,” Harry Shum, Microsoft’s Executive Vice President of their Artificial Intelligence Group, explained in a statement. “Maluuba’s impressive team is addressing some of the fundamental problems in language understanding by modeling some of the innate capabilities of the human brain, from memory and common sense reasoning to curiosity and decision making.”

Microsoft also explains that they will be using their Maluuba’s machine to provide additional benefits for a wide range of applications ranging from organizing information to answering questions using an organization’s documents, emails and other personal details.

“We believe that together, we can achieve greater scale for Maluuba’s groundbreaking work and accelerate our ability to develop software so computers can read, write and converse naturally,” Shum added.

More and more tech companies are investing in artificial intelligence. Last July, research firm CB Insights discovered more than $1 billion dollars was invested into Artificial Intelligence companies in 2015. Then, last month Apple released their first AI paper and just last week, Wikileaks revealed their plan to use AI software to track verified Twitter accounts. Not to mention, IBM’s Watson is now working with genomics companies and oncologists to develop individualized treatment options for cancer patients.

Homeless Man Reveals How to Live Inside a Storage Locker

Jonathan Antonio
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0
Homeless Man Reveals How to Live Inside a Storage Locker

More and more companies are starting to layoff their employees. Earlier this month, Macy’s announced that 10,000 people are going to lose their jobs, Pandora Music reveals that they are firing 7% of their work force, and the hardware store Lowes revealed that they will be decreasing their workforce by around 1%. At the end of the day, many people may be looking for a new job and a small percentage may become homeless.

While, this YouTuber’s solution to rising house costs is not legal, nor living inside a Penthouse apartment, it does show how someone can live in a storage room for only $200/month.

In the video above, YouTuber 007craft nearly built an entire studio apartment out of a 10x10x6 storage unit after becoming homeless. The YouTuber documented his storage unit that he lived in for approximately two months. The unit includes electricity, shelves, and a water system. In a statement, 007craft explains how he made it work.

“Still super small, I managed to build shelves and organize it in a way where everything is accessible. But why stop there! I decided to build shelves and a water system and setup my actual apartment so I could live there,” he explained. “The cost of rent on my unit was $205 a month (which included insurance). A bargain, considering an apartment in the area was $1000+ a month,” he added.

This is not the first time this YouTuber redesigned his living space. Last year 007Craft revealed that he turned his Honda Civic into a home. In the civic he was able to include many amenities with his goal to show people how to live inside their cars.

While the YouTuber no longer lives in the storage facility, he probably could have made a lot of money especially with YouTube’s new feature Super Chat. YouTube’s Super Chat allows for subscribers to pay money for their message to be featured during a live-stream. The feature is expected to increase engagement between YouTubers and their fans.

‘Family Tree Now’ Shares a Large Amount of Your Personal Info

Jonathan Antonio
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0
‘Family Tree Now’ Shares a Large Amount of Your Personal Info

Since before Facebook existed, websites have existed on the inter-webs that compiled personal information and allowing users to search through it.

Nowadays, hackers work in groups to break into websites to collect personal information such as passwords, e-mail address and security questions. But, what if I told you that a website one website is making international headlines because it is making it easier for anyone to search personal information of people for free without ever making an account.

According to the Washington Post, FamilyTreeNow.com collects personal information from public records, then the website compiles that information creating profiles on people that includes a large array of personal details including their age, date of birth, family members, phone numbers and addresses. Because the website is so easily accessible and provides so much information, there have been privacy concerns about the website.

How to opt-out from Family Tree Now:

If you are interested in opting out of Family Tree Now here’s what you have to do:

  1. Search for your name and profile
  2. Click the opt-out button

While the website allows people to opt-out, the Washington Post reports that getting your request through to the website owners is not that easy.

It’s important to note that Family Tree Now is not the only website that shares personal information with their users. Other websites have the same features but, the main difference is that Family Tree Now does not require a membership, subscription or login to use their features.

This is not the first time privacy concerns have drawn a lot of controversy. Earlier this year, there have several websites have been hacked including Yahoo, which led to one of the biggest hacks in history with over 1 billion accounts breached.

Holiday Sales Report Reveals New Record Highs

Reginald Edward
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0
Holiday Sales Report Reveals New Record Highs

Consumer sentiment is at an all time high just days before Donald Trump becomes inaugurated. In addition, Amazon revealed their holiday sales were a Christmas miracle as sales for the Amazon Alexa virtual assistants increased by over 900%. Now, a new report by the National Retail Foundation reveals a holiday sales increase that is higher than expectations.

According to the National Retail Federation, holiday sales from November and December have increased by 4% in comparison to 2015, resulting in a total of $658.3 billion. The Retail Federation explained that the rise in holiday shopping illustrates consumers were more encouraged to spend their money than before. Ultimately, $112.9 billion were spent in non-store sales, resulting in a near 13% percent rise from 2015’s numbers. In addition, the National Retail Foundation revealed that the holiday sales shopping numbers were higher than they initially expected.

 

NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay explained that these numbers show that America’s economic recovery is picking up. “Retail mirrors the economy. And while there might have been some bumps in the road for individual companies, the retail industry overall had a solid holiday season and retailers will work to sustain this in the year ahead.”

NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said in a statement, “Economic indicators were up, retailers offered great deals, confidence improved and all of that empowered consumers to spend more.”

However, it is important to point out that electronics and appliance stores suffered a 2.3% decrease in sales in comparison to 2015. Also, department stores decreased by 7.0% unadjusted from last year.

The drop in department store sales is not that surprising. Earlier this month, Macy’s announced that they were going to cut 10,000 jobs after suffering weak holiday sales. The company explained that it was part of their plan to cut costs and close 100 stores after that their sales dropped 2.1% in comparison to last year’s holiday season.

YouTube Announces a New Feature: Super Chat

Jonathan Antonio
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0
YouTube Announces a New Feature: Super Chat

In an effort to make it easier for YouTube content creators to share and connect with their audience, YouTube has announced a new tool called Super Chat.

What is YouTube’s Super Chat feature?

According to the website, Super Chat allows for anyone watching a live-stream broadcast the ability to purchase a highlighted message in the chatroom that stand out from the rest of the other chat messages. The goal of this new feature is to make that Super Chat message stand out and capture the live-streamer’s attention. In addition, Super Chat messages remained pinned to the top of the page for up to 5 hours.

Super Chat
(Image Credit: Youtube.com)

YouTube explains that this new feature allows for more meaningful connections between YouTuber’s and their community of followers. The program has already launched for popular YouTubers including iHasCupquake, Great Library (buzzbean11) and Alex Wassabi. In addition, the program will be launched across the YouTube app starting January 31st for content creators in 20 different countries.

Live-Streaming is becoming a big business model. Earlier this week Facebook announced their Journalism Project, which included a set of initiatives that will help stop fake news and benefit journalists. One of the programs included rolling advertisements in between video content published by journalists. Something Mark Zuckerberg’s social media company has yet to offer to their billion users.

In addition, one of YouTube’s competitors, Twitch, which is owned by Amazon, announced a plan to expand their business. At the moment, Twitch is targeted towards video gamers with live-streams of popular video games taking place 24 hours a day. However, Twitch is looking to take over the live-streaming market with a new section called “IRL”. In this section, streamers can share the live real-life experiences in real time with their followers. That means, for example, when a Twitch streamer is on vacation they can easily broadcast their experiences live with the world. In the process, followers can tip, donate, or even pay to subscribe to the Twitch user.

Update (Tuesday, January 17, 2017): Updated the story to reflect that Twitch is a subsidiary of Amazon and not Microsoft.

You Can Now Book an Uber with Google Maps

Jonathan Antonio
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0
You Can Now Book an Uber with Google Maps

Getting an Uber has just gotten a lot easier.

Google is not only working on self-driving cars, the company is also making it easier for people to use ride-sharing services via their Maps app.

On Thursday, Google announced on their website a new ride services mode on the Google Maps app. The company explains that the new feature will make it more easier for people to get to where they need to go.

The new features include a carousel that features several different ride options and more information. In fact, the new feature will include a map featuring all of the ride service providers in the area. Along with a list of promotions and special offers.

In addition, Google announced Uber riders can book a ride through the Google Maps app. After an Uber user logs into their account, they can book an Uber, track the driver on the map, and connect with the driver from within the Google Maps app. Moreover, Google Maps update also allows for Uber rides to look up information about their destination along the way.

Google has been actively working on the Google Maps application to enhance the utility of the application by providing more features that other direction software apps do not have. For example, earlier this year Google Maps allowed for Google Maps users to book reservations and even schedule fitness classes via the the app.

Uber is also actively working on their business model. Earlier this week, Uber released a new website called Movement. Uber Movement’s opens the company’s private data information to researchers, city officials, and educational institutions to help construct better urban planning models, which might just work. Earlier this month, MIT researchers found that 98% of New York City taxis could be replaced with 3,000 four passenger cars powered by ride-sharing apps such as Uber.

Analysts Eagerly Await Netflix Earnings Report

Reginald Edward
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0
Analysts Eagerly Await Netflix Earnings Report

Earnings season is in full swing and one company in focus is Netflix. The online entertainment company is scheduled to present its fourth-quarter results next Wednesday and consensus expectations point to earnings of 13 cents per share. If the company is able to meet or beat expectations, then it would make it eight of 10 quarters – an impressive streak for any company.

While the top-line numbers will make headlines, analysts will be interested to see what guidance the company gives for the coming 12-months. One challenge facing Netflix is a possible rejig of ‘Net Neutrality’ rules issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Under current rules, internet companies need to treat all internet traffic equally. However, incoming President Donald Trump has voiced his displeasure with the rules. In addition, some of his picks to join the FCC point to an increasing probability that ‘Net Neutrality’ will be reversed.

Netflix Stranger Things
The cast of “Stranger Things” arrive at the Weinstein Company and Netflix 2017 Golden Globes After Party on Sunday, January 8, 2017 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. (CarlaVanWagoner / Shutterstock, Inc.)

Such a change could have a dramatic impact on the prospects of companies such as Netflix.  In the U.S., the change would impact operating costs and even more importantly a shift in domestic policy could give international regulators the lead they need to take the steps.  This would dramatically alter the landscape and could benefit cable operators who have been struggling to fight off the rise of streaming video sites.

While a potential change would have a big impact, the fact is that the company’s current financial position is quite solid. Analysts expect that revenue for the quarter will grow by more than 35 percent to $2.47 billion. More importantly, the company is inching towards the billion-dollar mark for international revenues – an important threshold as it points to the company’s ability to expand its market.

That being said, there is some reason to believe that shares of Netflix might be overpriced at the moment.  FactSet noted that the average 12-month price target per share is $125.97, roughly 2.5% lower than Thursday’s close. Add to this the fact that Netflix shares for the last year have underperformed the broader markets and some observers believe this might lead to a correction.

Another issue which might impact the company’s growth prospects, at least in the U.S., is subscriber growth.  Netflix has always seen itself as a premium content provider, as such, it has eschewed advertising. But given the likelihood of a changing landscape, its views on advertising might change.  If not, then it will need to continue investing in original content – a risky bet, even when it pays off.

This is the same conclusion which J.P. Morgan analyst Doug Anmuth reached in his comments on the company. Looking forward, Mr. Anmuth noted the belief that the company will need to create ‘stronger content’ to ‘increased global profitability’.  However, he remained confident that the company would add subscribers at a faster rate in 2017 than it is likely to have done the year just ended.

Pandora is Laying Off 7% of Their U.S. Employees

Reginald Edward
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0
Pandora is Laying Off 7% of Their U.S. Employees

Pandora boasts themselves as the “world’s most powerful music discovery platform” but, even the most powerful platform in the world has to cut employees.

On Thursday, Pandora announced on their website that their company will be reducing the number of U.S. employees by 7% in the next few months. In addition, the company explains that they are going to leverage their analytics platform and ad insertion technology to increase revenue. Pandora hopes to make more money without needing additional capital to fund future investments that would in turn increase advertising revenue and the number of paid subscribers.

Tim Westergren, the CEO of Pandora, explained in their press release that, “While making workforce reductions is always a difficult decision, the commitment to cost discipline will allow us to invest more heavily in product development and monetization and build on the foundations of our strategic investments.”

Apple Music
BANGKOK, THAILAND – NOVEMBER 26, 2016: Man using Iphone7 Plus jet black serie choosing music from apple music store online (Vasin Lee / Shutterstock, Inc.)

Meanwhile, one of Pandora’s competitors, Apple, is currently in talks with producers to create original content to add to their $10/month Apple Music service. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Apple Music hopes to begin offering original scripted TV shows and movies before 2018. This news should not come as a surprise. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, revealed during last quarter’s earnings call his commitment on creating new and original content.

“I would confirm that television has intense interest with me and many other people here. In terms of owning content and creating content, we have started with focusing on some original content, as you point out,” Tim Cook explained.

Spotify Pandora
20 December 2015, Istanbul – Turkey: Spotify Swedish music service that offers legal streaming music. Was launched in October 2008. Rihanna album in Spotify mobile app. (endermasali / Shutterstock, Inc.)

Along with Apple Music, Pandora is facing additional pressure from Spotify. Last year, Spotify announced their plan to create 12 original series for their streaming platform. Some of the shows include a documentary series about major moments in music history, a series developed by Russell Simmon’s production company, and a mockumentary about a dance competition.

Here’s Why People Get Hungry After Getting Drunk

Brent Edward
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0
Here’s Why People Get Hungry After Getting Drunk

Researchers published a study in the journal of Nature Communications revealing why alcohol intake is linked to overeating.

Earlier this week, researchers discovered that going to the local bar is actually good for a person’s health. Published in the journal of “Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology”, Oxford University scientists revealed that people who regularly visit a bar feel more engaged and are happier.

Now, researchers have found a link to the human brain and alcohol-induced overeating.

In the study titled, “Agrp neuron activity is required for alcohol-induced overeating,” Sarah Cains and her team of researchers discovered that alcohol decreases activity in the brain allowing for people to experience the munchies.

Why this occurs has not been discovered, and researchers previously believed that societal pressures were the reason why people overeat after drinking alcohol. But, Cains discovered that specific neurons in the hypothalamus part of the brain, Agrp neurons, are becoming activated and controlling feeding behavior.

Traditionally, Agrp neurons are triggered during starvation causing people to become hungry. But, when Cains examined mice housed by themselves that engaged in alcohol-induced overeating, those mice also had activated Agrp neurons. In turn, researchers explain that neurons that get activated when people are starving or hungry are actually triggered when people drink alcohol.

Ultimately, researchers explain that Agrp cell activity causes animals to get hungry and when people drink alcohol, the ethanol in turn suppresses appetite signals, making people hungry.

What are Agrp neurons?

Agrp neurons are found in the arcuate nucleus inside the hypothalamus. The arcuate nucleus is known for many roles in the human body including the metabolism, fertility and feeding. According to a 2011 study examining the role Agrp neurons have on the human body, researchers found the proteins released by the neurons can actually influence eating habits. With that being said, researchers are not sure how the Agrp neurons actually cause people to become hungry or change behavior.

Scientists Discover Parasites in US Salmon

Brent Edward
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0
Scientists Discover Parasites in US Salmon

Here’s some more bad news for sushi fans, scientists have discovered that a tapeworm known to infect fish found in Asia is now also in the United States.

Earlier this week, researchers found nearly 50% of sushi in Los Angeles is actually mislabeled. Researchers visited 20 sushi restaurants in L.A. from 2012 and 2015 and found that 47% of all sushi were inaccurately labeled. Then researchers found that the problem expanded to grocery stores, with fish also being mislabeled. Now, researchers have found parasites in salmon in the US.

The CDC published the study in the February issue 2017 of Emerging Infectious Diseases. Roman Kutcha from the Institute of Parasitology explained that in 2013 he examined 64 different wild Pacific salmon obtained from local fisherman. After examining the fish, researchers found Diphyllobothriasis parasitic larva inside Alaskan pink salmon. Kutcha explained that this type of salmon from North America’s Pacific coast is a source of human parasite infection. Researchers also point out that because Pacific salmon is transported unfrozen, parasites are able to survive after being transported to other parts of the world.

This is not the first time researchers discovered tapeworms in salmon. In 2009, Naoki Arizona from the University of Medicine in Kyoto, Japan found the same type of parasite was being found in urban areas in Japan and Europe. Researchers at the time explained that people who eat raw seafood, accounted for the increase in parasitic infections in humans.

Diphyllobothriasis also known as the Japanese broad tapeworm has the ability to grow up to 30 feet long once inside the human body. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Japanese tapeworm typically doesn’t exhibit any symptoms. However, overtime the tapeworm can lead to vitamin B12 deficiency, weight loss, and stomach pain.

According to the CDC, the best way to diagnosis Diphyllobothriasis parasite is by a microscopic identification of eggs in the stool. In turn, the parasite can be treated with several medications including Praziquantel. However, the safety of the medication has not been established for children under the age of four.

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