This is a leaky time of the year for the tech industry. Just today we mentioned LG’s new (and circular!) smartwatch was coming and also touched on Microsoft’s supposed plans to bring a Chromecast-like device to market . Now, Sony (possibly intentionally) is the one giving us a look at what’s coming.
China’s next try at a government-supported operating system may soon become a practical reality. The Chinese Academy of Engineering tells the People’s Post that a desktop version of China Operating System (COS) should be ready by October, with mobile…
iPhone fans can’t get enough of all the leaks and rumors coming in these days regarding the upcoming Apple smartphones. The company is expected to unveil them next month and both new models might go on sale a week after they have been announced, that’s the way Apple usually releases new iPhones. Chinese carriers offer the company’s smartphones as well and apparently China Telecom has leaked the iPhone 6 quite a bit ahead of time.
China Telecom, a nationwide carrier down in the People’s Republic, posted an image on Weibo which not only confirmed the upcoming launch but also reinstates belief in some of the rumors that we have heard about the iPhone 6′s design.
It can be clearly seen in the image that the iPhone has rounded edges similar to the iPod touch and its shape is similar to many of the leaked iPhone 6 shells that we have seen up till now.
Many saw this Weibo post with some skepticism since it includes a rendered image of the upcoming iPhone. Carriers usually keep whatever they know about new smartphones under wraps until the official announcement from the manufacturer, so its difficult to wrap our head around exactly why China Telecom went ahead and posted this on Weibo.
Expected to be announced on September 9th, the iPhone 6 is believed to have a 4.7-inch display with a slightly different design and improved specifications. A 5.5-inch iPhone 6L is also in the rumor mill these days.
iPhone 6 May Have Been Leaked By China Telecom
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Ecommerce is one way that Twitter can open up a new revenue stream for itself. Twitter needs to generate revenue since its a public company now and investors will want to see some green on the balance sheets. Promoted accounts and tweets got the ball rolling but that’s not enough. According to new reports Twitter is going to partner up with Stripe to add a “buy” button in tweets. The button will do what the name suggests, allow users to buy stuff mentioned in tweets.
The reports suggest that back in January the microblogging network was close to signing a deal with Stripe, a payments startup, but somehow it got delayed. It looks like both parties are now ready to form the partnership, Re/code says that the plans have significantly progressed and that the ability to purchase items from tweets is “nearing.”
Once a user clicks the buy button he or she will be able to enter shipping and payment information. The aim here is to enable them to shop without having to leave Twitter. The scribe claims that many retailers, businesses and brands have already signed up for this service through Stripe.
It is claimed that the “buy” button will be launched this holiday season, which we all know is a lucrative shopping season. Twitter may choose to work with other payment companies in the future, but for now it may stick with Stripe.
Twitter May Add ‘Buy’ Button To Tweets
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There is a glitch that has been irking PlayStation 4 owners for the past couple of months. It was widely reported on the official PlayStation forums and even on some private forums. The PS4 CE-33945-4 issue prevented gamers from playing games and even accessing third party services like Netflix. Essentially it transformed the powerful gaming console into an expensive paperweight. There has been a response from Sony on this and there’s hope that a solution will be released soon so that PS4 owners suffering from this issue can get back to the business of playing games.
It has not been figured out up till now what exactly causes this issue. There are conflicting theories though, the popular being that this is caused by pre-ordering a digital title via the PlayStation Network and later cancelling it through the Sony customer support. This practise may cause a database error.
The PS4 CE-33945-4 issue is frustrating because it doesn’t let the console owner play anything. Naturally people started asking questions, wondering if and when Sony will be coming to the rescue.
Sony tells Kotaku that it is aware of this issue that has “affected a very small number of users.” The company states that it is investigating the cause of this issue and has made progress towards a possible solution.
PS4 CE-33945-4 Issue Might Be Fixed Soon
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Gene Takagi, noted San Francisco attorney, who specializes in nonprofit organizations recently published an article listing 12 reasons for resigning from a nonprofit board. It is worth reading. (http://bit.ly1r2M5Hi)
BUT
Nonprofit directors often become impatient with the slow pace of progress toward positive change. Here are some actions that may change the situation, improve service to clients and prepare the organization for any long-term mission disruptions.
• Talk With The CEO: He/s may feel the same frustrations and be delighted to find a board member who shares his goals. In fact, she/h may be thinking of leaving or be wedded to the current area only because of a family situation. As a result, your conversation may give chief executive new hope and energy. On the other hand, if the CEO is too aligned with the past, it will be unlikely that the board will terminate the current CEO, unless there are some performance malfeasances involved.* Then, estimate the CEO’s remaining tenure and use remaining time to find opportunities to make modest increments in change.
• Talk With Other Directors: Between board meetings, have informal coffee sessions with other directors to determine their views on the areas in which you feel change is necessary. Three or four board opinion leaders can garner positive movement, assuming there are no strong objections from the CEO.
• Outside Validation: If sufficient budget is available, ask the board to engage a consultant to examine the potentials for change. The rationale for the request might be: “We are doing well, let’s determine how we can better serve our clients.” If budget isn’t available or the CEO is against the expenditure, try to have the board arrange, for an outside speaker or two who might validate the need for change. This might be a person from the field or a local professor who has some insights aligned with change-focused board members .
• Seek Outside Financing: Personally seek sources for capacity grants that, if awarded, might be developed to further help clients. Ask the board to take leadership in applying for several of these grants. A single successful grant might be the linchpin to promote the type of change desired by the group having similar views.
• Chair The Nominations Committee: As chair, the director can be in a position to search for candidates who are forward looking. In addition, the committee, under the urging of the chair, can seek candidates who have served on other nonprofit boards and who have proven their meddle to bring about change.
Summary
For any single board member of a status quo nonprofit to lead a change on organizational culture will require tenacity, time and patience. The person will need to be extremely dedicated to the organization’s mission and want to improve the services to its clients. Very few board members have the grit to lead such a change. However, a small-motivated group can be an advanced guard to initiate some actions in the right direction. But the group will have to keep Peter Drucker’s insight in mind when seeking change: Culture eats strategy change for breakfast.
* An unusual current case of an ED accused of serious malfeasance, but the board refused to fire him. http://bit.ly/1om6XUw
More like a dame to flop for. “Sin City: A Dame To Kill For” was dead on arrival at the box office this weekend, grossing an estimated $6.4 million over the three-day frame. To put that number in perspective, consider this sobering statistic: The first “Sin City” earned nearly double that total during its opening day in 2005 ($11.8 million), en route to $29.1 million overall. “A Dame To Kill For” will be lucky to earn that much during its total domestic run.
“We weren’t prepared for this level of rejection by the public,” Erik Lomis, The Weinstein Company’s head of theatrical distribution, told Variety. “We thought the film would resonate more. It’s like the ice bucket challenge without the good cause.”
“Sin City: A Dame To Kill For” counted Jessica Alba, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Brolin, Eva Green, Rosario Dawson, Bruce Willis and Mickey Rourke among its star-studded cast, making it one of 2014’s most high-profile failures. Even “Transcendence,” the notorious Johnny Depp bust that opened in April, had a more lucrative debut frame ($10.8 million). In fact, some long-forgotten 2014 releases were also more widely seen than “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.” Ahead, 11 misfires that can shine a tad brighter today thanks to “Sin City 2.”
“Winter’s Tale”
Opening Weekend: $7.2 million (Feb. 14)
“Tyler Perry’s Single Moms Club”
Opening Weekend: $8 million (March 14)
“Devil’s Due”
Opening Weekend: $8.3 million (Jan. 17)
“Earth to Echo”
Opening Weekend: $8.3 million (July 2)
“I, Frankenstein”
Opening Weekend: $8.6 million (Jan. 24)
“That Awkward Moment”
Opening Weekend: $8.7 million (Jan. 31)
“A Haunted House 2”
Opening Weekend: $8.8 million (April 18)
“The Legend of Hercules”
Opening Weekend: $8.8 million (Jan. 10)
“Brick Mansions”
Opening Weekend: $9.5 million (April 24)
“Draft Day”
Opening Weekend: $9.7 million (April 11)
“Deliver Us From Evil”
Opening Weekend: $9.7 million (July 2)
The Internet has long wondered: Is T-Swift a feminist?
And now, finally, the age-old debate can be put to bed. Yes, the “BFF to planet Earth,” as Swift was described by friend Tavi Gevinson, is of the feminist persuasion.
In an interview with The Guardian published Friday, Swift discussed her recent come to Wollstonecraft moment. She says her awakening was due, in part, to her friendship with Lena Dunham, who is known for being an outspoken feminist on social media.
Swift told The Guardian:
“As a teenager, I didn’t understand that saying you’re a feminist is just saying that you hope women and men will have equal rights and equal opportunities. What it seemed to me, the way it was phrased in culture, society, was that you hate men. And now, I think a lot of girls have had a feminist awakening because they understand what the word means. For so long it’s been made to seem like something where you’d picket against the opposite sex, whereas it’s not about that at all. Becoming friends with Lena – without her preaching to me, but just seeing why she believes what she believes, why she says what she says, why she stands for what she stands for – has made me realize that I’ve been taking afeminist stance without actually saying so.”
Swift has previously skirted around labeling herself a feminist, but now we know that’s probably because she wasn’t so clear on what it really means to be a feminist.
When asked by The Daily Beast’s Ramin Setoodeh in 2012 if she considers herself a feminist, Swift, then 22, replied: “I don’t really think about things as guys versus girls. I never have. I was raised by parents who brought me up to think if you work as hard as guys, you can go far in life.”
Her past attempts to distance herself from that designation upset writers like The Frisky’s Jessica Wakeman, who wrote of Swift in 2012: “[S]he’s 22 now and has been exposed to a lot in these past few years. I do not expect that Taylor Swift would have the politics of Kathleen Hanna, India.Arie, Ani DiFranco or even Alanis Morrissette. But I do wish she could correctly identify what a feminist is — even if she does not want to identify as one.”
Swift’s avoidance of feminism even inspired the popular parody Twitter account @FeministTaylorSwift.
[[Breaking: Taylor Swift learns about feminism, decides she’s into it: http://t.co/xfXc8D5ZlM #proud ]]
— FeministTaylorSwift (@feministtswift) August 23, 2014
While you’ve been getting down and out about all the structural inequality of the world / You could’ve been getting down / To this sick beat
— FeministTaylorSwift (@feministtswift) August 21, 2014
Oppressors gonna oppress oppress oppress oppress oppress
— FeministTaylorSwift (@feministtswift) August 19, 2014
Now it seems Swift has grown up and gotten a proper schooling in feminism along the way.
Swift, welcome to the club.
DUBAI, Aug 24 (Reuters) – Kidnappers in Syria have freed a U.S. journalist missing since 2012, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday, following what Qatari-owned Al Jazeera said were efforts by the Gulf Arab state to win his release.
Kerry said in a statement announcing the release of Theo Curtis that the United States was using “every diplomatic, intelligence and military tool” at its disposal to secure the release of other Americans held hostage in Syria.
News of Curtis’s release emerged just days after Islamic State militants this week killed American journalist James Foley, who was kidnapped in Syria in 2012.
A Qatari source told Reuters Curtis had been handed over to a representative of the United Nations in Syria.
“Qatari intelligence agencies were behind the release of the American journalist in Syria. Qatar, like many countries, looks to free those in captive for humanitarian reasons,” the source added.
The Qatari source did not have details on what Qatar had done to free him, saying only that it had been a matter of “communication with the right people in Syria”.
The release happened just days after the Islamic State militant group fighting in Iraq and Syria issued a video shown Foley’s beheading.
That video, together with a threat to kill another American journalist being held hostage, Steven Sotloff, inspired widespread revulsion in the West and a desire to hunt down the killer.
The Qatari source said he did not know if Qatar was involved in seeking to free other journalists, but added that “any captives with (Islamic State) will be very difficult for Qatar to free, while others with different groups would be easier.”
The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists estimates that about 20 journalists are missing in Syria. Many of them are believed to be held by Islamic State.
In a video statement released by Curtis’s kidnappers at some point during his captivity, Curtis said he was a journalist from Boston, Massachusetts, Al Jazeera reported.
Commenting on his treatment in that video, Curtis said he “had everything” he needed and “everything has been perfect, food, clothing, even friends now”. (Reporting by Amena Bakr and Yara Bayoumy; Editing by William Maclean and Angus MacSwan)
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago is gearing up to cheer on the hottest sports team in town at the moment.
The buzz in the nation’s third largest city isn’t for the Chicago Bears, White Sox, Bulls or Blackhawks. It’s 11 and 12-year-old boys who are taking on South Korea on Sunday in the Little League World Series championship game.
Watch parties are happening across the city to support the Jackie Robinson West All Stars team, which is based on the city’s far south side.
There’ll be one on State Street outside the city’s iconic Chicago Theater. And Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn are expected to view the game at another public gathering.
Jackie Robinson West beat Las Vegas 7-5 in the U.S. final on Saturday.
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