Hasta La Gadget!

Not too long ago OnePlus emerged on the scene. Its a relatively nascent company that recently released its very first smartphone called the OnePlus One. At an incredible price point this smartphone offers specifications that can rival the best of them. While it still has a long way to go before it becomes truly popular, the Android community has already started working on third party development tools. The official TWRP for OnePlus One has been released.

Given the fact that the OnePlus One’s availability is extremely limited at this point in time its not surprising to see that there hasn’t been enough work as far as aftermarket development is concerned. Moreover since a custom recovery like TWRP wasn’t available for the device it further held up developers who were willing to tweak the software.

An official port of the Team Win Recovery Project has been created by a senior recognized developer of the XDA developers forum. It brings an updated instance of SuperSU root tool as well as faster graphics rendering and more. Since its an official port TWRP for OnePlus One doesn’t seem to have any major bugs.

Those who have already got their hands on a OnePlus unit and have been itching to tinker with it can find the download and install instructions here.

TWRP For OnePlus One Released

, original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Cellphones, OnePlus One,

There have been countless rumors about the new products that Apple is believed to be working on. The company itself hasn’t confirmed anything but has said in the past multiple times that its going to enter into new product categories this year. A senior company executive effectively reiterated the same statement while also adding that later this year Apple is going to release “the best product” he has seen being developed in his entire 25 years at the company.

The reason why this statement carries weight is because it comes from Eddy Cue, an Apple senior vice president looking after iTunes and iCloud. Cue is part of the top brass and has been with Apple for more than two decades.

While teasing the possibility of Apple releasing some of the best products it has developed for a long time, Cue doesn’t offer any hints about what exactly those products are. As far as rumors are concerned Apple is developing a smartwatch that features wireless charging. It is even believed that the company is developing a full fledged television set.

Recent rumors suggest that at WWDC 2014 Apple might unveil new hardware, which could include a new iPhone and its much rumored as well as highly anticipated smartwatch. There has also been chatter about a revamped Apple TV set-top box. For now it looks like the best course of action for us is to wait and see, since Apple rarely confirms any of its products prior to launch.

Apple Executive Hints At Release Of ‘Best Product’ In 25 Years

, original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Apple, Apple TV, iwatch, WWDC 2014,

Success. Such a powerful word, isn’t it? But yet, it carries a different meaning for all who utter the word. It seems we are all chasing it in some way. Financial success. Academic success. Business success. Life success.

It used to be that you were only considered successful, in the eyes of others, if you followed the expected path of college and then landing a corner office to call home until retirement. If you didn’t follow the norm, you were considered different.

But thanks to the many trailblazers out there, who dared to be different and follow their own path to success; this has opened up a whole new world for the rest us, especially women.

Along with it, came a new powerful meaning of success.

We get to define what success means to us. Whether that’s building a million-dollar business, staying home to raise a family or traveling the world while working from our laptop.

Although I spent my own time following the norm — a house in the suburbs, a job in corporate — which would symbolize success to many, to me, success meant being able to do my own thing.

I had always dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur. Only I seemed to be more worried about what other people would think about me striking out on my own, rather than following my heart.

Until one day, I finally made the decision to just do it.

But then, once an entrepreneur, I caught myself following the norm as entrepreneur. Thinking to myself: To be successful, I must do things just like all the successful people in my industry had done before me.

Only to learn that this doesn’t make you successful, because you end up being someone else and not you.

What makes you successful is being you!

Being successful on my terms has allowed me many opportunities that I would have missed out on had I kept following the norm.

For two years, I lived, worked and traveled in an RV with my husband, Ron, who’s a pipeline welder. During those two years, I saw more of the beautiful United States than I had my whole life. There’s nothing like traveling the open highways, meeting new people and learning about the different cultures in each state, all while eating some amazing food along the way.

When I would share with people how we were living and working at the time, I would either hear… You do what? I could never do that. How do you get your mail? or You do what? That is so cool. That’s on my bucket list followed by, I already have my RV picked out.

It really opened my eyes to one person’s dream being another person’s nightmare, while showing me that you can be different to some and an inspiration to others.

Now, I’m living in sunny California, a place I had always wanted to visit since I was a kid. A place I never thought I would ever have the pleasure of calling home. As I continue to live life on my own terms and work hard to reach my goals and dreams, I’m often reminded of Steve Jobs’ beautiful quote.

Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Here are my top tips to living life on your terms.

1. Just own who you are! Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a Fortune 500 executive, if you’re following your passion, then own it. Don’t let anyone tell you that you should be doing something different.

2. Ignore the rest! Don’t listen to everyone’s opinion. Everyone has one, but the only one that matters, is yours.

3. Determination trumps everything! Living life on your terms requires tenacity. Whether you are packing up life to follow your dreams of living abroad or launching your startup. Be prepared for some tough times. Just remember this… it’s all worth it, because you will be living life on your terms.

People love a good story. And for some, the story is all the more compelling if it’s filled with lurid details of the human condition like lying, cheating, and backstabbing. That’s why some people gossip: It provides the ability to tell someone else’s story and insert one’s own “spin” (truthful or not) on the events. It’s part of human nature, this insatiable curiosity that draws us to interpersonal drama.

And now, those with smartphones have two more ways to feed that voracious appetite. Two new mobile apps — Whisper and Secret– are the latest players on the technology scene to feed on humans’ undesirable tendencies. Both apps allow people to post anonymous information, with no way to track back to the poster. Each app has a slightly different protocol, but the end result is the same: people are free to say whatever they want with absolutely no accountability.

Secret and Whisper have been amassing funds in a bid to capitalize on this market. According to Business Insider, Whisper has recently raised an estimated 36 million dollars and the Wall Street Journal reports that Secret’s most recent cash-raising efforts garnered 10 million dollars. That’s a lot of cash invested in encouraging people to rant, gossip and share personal details that are none of their business.

From a venture capital perspective, these two companies are on their way to launching successful start-ups. But what about from an organizational perspective? How will these companies build the solid infrastructure of people-related practices needed to successfully bring this product to market? These products present three leadership challenges, all stemming from the apps’ problematic foundation: How do you create a thriving organization when the product itself runs counter to creating a positive and healthy workplace environment?

Leadership Implications for Workplace Culture
Offering these apps raises an interesting leadership question: How does a leader create a positive workplace culture around a product that is based on secrecy? In the Business Insider article, Whisper’s CEO purportedly says that his company’s product helps you “get things off your chest in a safe, anonymous place.” Well, how very warm and fuzzy. Do you suppose he will support his employees’ use of the company product to air “their” grievances? How will he react to the over-the-top, destructive comments that anonymous posting encourages?

How does company leadership merge a product that encourages gossip with the positive attributes needed to run a healthy organization? What do team meetings sound like? “OK, guys, let’s get out there and make a difference through gossip!” or “When you’re programming, be sure nobody’s identity gets out because we want this product to completely protect the poster.”

It will be difficult for the management team of this company to tout teamwork, honesty and loyalty when their core product does nothing of the sort. That’s no way to build a company culture.

What Kind of Talent Can You Attract?
A product that has, at its core, no basis for accountability, is a very tough sell for employees who value transparency and openness. Given that management transparency is the top factor for determining employee happiness, a company whose products are diametrically opposed to this critical employee engagement element would have a hard time reconciling the differences. Promoting secrecy and gossip has the potential to destroy lives. Isn’t face-to-face resolution of conflict a more positive communication tool to foster in your workplace?

The anonymity of the app’s posts certainly can bring out the worst in people. When testing the two apps, a writer for Hubspot admitted that she “felt freer to be sarcastic, mean, and goofy, all because my name wasn’t attached to it.”

It also begs the question: If employees are totally on board with the app, is that the best sort of worker to employ? Here are examples from the same Hubspot article of “secrets” posted from the workplace:

• I play Candy Crush when I’m bored in meetings

• When I was a cashier, I would jam my finger into rude people’s bread

• I slept in my office last night. A co-worker found me pantless at noon

Let’s see, who gets the award for Employee of the Month from this stellar group?

Anonymity Isn’t Leadership
Then, there’s the element of cowardice. When a person posts something anonymously, he or she has no skin in the game. Sure, there are times when it’s appropriate to protect the speaker (think: whistle blowing programs), but in general, it’s better to work toward being able to speak the truth in a civil manner. The internet has long since acclimated us to trolls, but this is denigration at a new level: a product whose entire existence depends on people’s willingness to air dirty laundry, “out” people and gossip.

Anonymity has no place in leadership. Those who lead step up. This requires the courage to be “front and center,” taking all the hits, and being visible, available and present. How will the people leading these tech start-ups do this for their teams and still remain faithful to the core purpose of their product?

Hiding behind secrecy and whispers is a poor excuse for positioning a product’s place in the market. Attempts at altruism by claiming the product let’s people blow off steam in a safe environment is like saying that smoking is a great stress reliever because it relaxes the person doing the smoking. Perhaps it’s true, but at what cost? Loss of integrity is an enormous price to pay for any company, no matter what the balance sheet says.

Most people understand there’s a difference between selling a puppy and selling a toaster oven, but do our laws? It depends where you look.

Across the country, puppy mills — which in many cases are legal — are allowed to put profits ahead of pet welfare in the sole interest of their own profit-driven desires, churning out puppy after puppy like household appliances on a conveyor belt.

The good news is that states are finally addressing cruel breeding and animal selling practices, as well as strengthening industry accountability, with a variety of laws designed to protect and save lives. While some of the laws are stronger than others, they’re all no-brainers to those who see animals as more than products, yet many state legislatures are still resistant to regulation. Two current battlegrounds are North Carolina and Illinois, but many more states are tackling these issues.

You can play a part in ending puppy mills by refusing to buy anything, including both dogs and pet supplies, from a pet store that sell puppies, as well as supporting enactment of strong state humane laws. While the federal Animal Welfare Act sets minimum standards of care, these standards are grossly inadequate — enforcement is underfunded and too often lacks teeth. As a result, state and local laws often offer better protection for these animals.

Monitoring progress in every state provides a good snapshot of how attitudes are changing nationwide. Here’s a very current overview of recent animal welfare struggles and wins in state legislatures across the country as well as at the national level:

• Right now in North Carolina, legislation to prohibit certain inhumane breeding practices passed the House of Representatives in 2013 thanks to the strong leadership of House Speaker Thom Tillis. What the Senate will now agree to isn’t clear, but we fortunately have great friends in Governor and First Lady McCrory who have made the puppy mill issue a priority. We hope for a successful resolution in the coming weeks as the legislature is in session, but you can still help push this bill through.
• Last week, Minnesota lawmakers passed the state’s first puppy mill bill, which will help vulnerable animals in puppy and kitten mills thanks to the creation of a licensing program, annual inspections, and compliance with minimum standards of care for dogs and cats in commercial breeding facilities. The bill was signed into law on May 20 by Gov. Mark Dayton. This landmark legislation passed in large part thanks to Gov. Dayton’s admirable work with local advocates for many years.
• In Illinois, state legislators enacted a pet lemon law last year to hold pet stores accountable if they sell dogs or cats who later become ill. Very recently, at the urging of Gov. Pat Quinn, a bill was introduced to ban the sale of puppy mill dogs in pet stores. Several communities in the state had already enacted similar bans, making this state-wide push possible. However, with so little time left in the legislative session, this measure will likely not be considered before the legislature adjourns for the summer. Learn how you can still take action.
• In Connecticut, a bill awaiting the governor’s signature holds pet shops, breeders, and brokers more accountable for the welfare of the animals they sell by significantly increasing pet shops’ obligation to reimburse for veterinary care, prohibiting the sale of dogs from breeders and brokers with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) violations, and requiring pet shops to post federal breeder inspection reports.

  This bill, championed by tireless animal advocate Rep. Brenda Kupchick, grew out of a task force created by a statute in 2013 to examine possible legislative solutions to the puppy mill problem, including a full ban on the sale of puppy mill dogs in pet shops. A compromise, the present bill instead bans the sale of dogs from USDA licensed facilities that have certain violations of the Animal Welfare Act

• New York state law now authorizes local governments to crack down on cruel and unscrupulous pet dealers throughout the state. Until this change was made, only the state could control the fate of the animals in these facilities. As a result, a number of localities and counties have already introduced proposals to regulate pet dealers on the local level.
• A new law in Virginia requires pet stores to disclose the origins and health histories of dogs they sell, and expands the ability of customers to seek financial remedies if a purchased dog or cat becomes ill. Find out how to thank state lawmakers.
• California now prohibits the sale of animals at public outdoor venues including roadsides and parking lots. These sales endanger animals, and lead to both increased suffering and overpopulation.
• Nevada legislators banned the sale of animals at swap meets.
• Vermont lawmakers passed a measure that improves enforcement of the law protecting breeding dogs and the puppies they produce by providing clear definitions and eliminating legal loopholes.
• West Virginia passed a strong new law in 2013 requiring commercial breeders to be licensed. It also mandates inspections of breeding premises twice per year and sets minimum standards of care for dogs.
• Federally, the USDA now requires U.S. commercial breeders who sell puppies directly to the public sight unseen to be licensed and inspected. For the first time, thousands of breeders who sell dogs over the Internet will have to open their kennel doors to regulators.

Unfortunately, this leaves out puppies coming in from overseas. That’s why we’re still working to encourage the USDA to finalize a federal rule requiring non-U.S. breeders who import puppies to the U.S. to provide certification that each dog is in good health, has received all necessary vaccinations, and is at least six months of age.

Of course, the puppy mill and dog breeding industries are fighting tooth and nail to keep their industries alive with little or no accountability, which is why we need to be active and vigilant. Though contacting your representatives may seem like a futile effort, we’ve seen momentous change come from a loud community voice.

You can also help by taking the “No Pet Store Puppies” pledge not to buy anything from pet stores that sell puppies, and by encouraging others to do the same. Pet stores typically purchase puppies from USDA licensed breeders, many of whom are frequent violators of the federal Animal Welfare Act, and are allowed to sell even after repeated violations, including denying veterinary care to injured animals, keeping them in filthy and dangerous environments, performing invasive surgeries on their own animals without veterinary licenses, and, in some cases, shooting their unwanted dogs.

Our “No Pet Store Puppies” campaign also features over 10,000 photos taken by USDA inspectors at licensed breeding facilities, allowing consumers to see first-hand where pet store puppies really come from.

Puppy mills wouldn’t be the first inhumane industry to be stopped, banned, or criminalized thanks to public pressure. Child labor, animal fighting, sweatshops, horse slaughter, lead paint, and shark finning are all examples of one-time commonly accepted practices which now fall below the standards of civilized behavior. Strong laws, personal action, and collective outrage can make the price of doing this kind of business too high for even the most motivated entrepreneur.

The bottom line is this: Humane treatment is not our gift to animals; it’s our obligation. If your state isn’t doing enough to keep breeders in check, urge your elected officials to do more. If your community is tolerating puppy mills and pet stores that sell puppy mill puppies, bring the true nature of those businesses to light.

And if you think this is a problem that can’t be fixed, think again.

Matthew Bershadker is President & CEO of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Learn more about the ASPCA’s mission and programs at ASPCA.org.