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NEW YORK — President Barack Obama said on Tuesday he had no sympathy for those who engaged in violence during the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, but pledged to work with minority communities to improve underlying tensions with law enforcement.

Obama said that the frustration in Ferguson was a manifestation of larger frustrations in minority communities that laws were being unfairly enforced.

“The frustrations that we’ve seen are not just about a particular incident, they have deep roots in many communities of color,” Obama said during an appearance in Chicago, where he was scheduled to speak about immigration

Obama also said that the issues underlying the protests in Ferguson extended beyond the Missouri suburb.

“If any part of the American community doesn’t feel welcomed or treated fairly, that’s something that puts all of us at risk, and we all have to be concerned about,” he said. “The problem is not just a Ferguson problem, it is an American problem.”

Obama said that training police properly and having police forces that were representative of the populations that they served were things that could make a difference.

“Those who are prepared to work constructively, your president will work with you,” he said.

Despite pledging to work with communities across the country, Obama also strongly condemned violent actions in Ferguson Monday evening.

“Nothing of benefit results from destructive acts,” he said. “To those who think that what happened in Ferguson is an excuse for violence, I do not have any sympathy for that.”

Obama also called actions like torching buildings and burning cars “criminal acts” and said those who committed them should be prosecuted.

Obama also made brief comments late Monday evening and urged calm after St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch announced that a grand jury would not bring charges against Darren Wilson, a Ferguson police officer who shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown in August.

“I join Michael’s parents in asking anyone who protests this decision to do so peacefully,” Obama said. “Let me repeat Michael’s father’s words: ‘Hurting others or destroying property is not the answer. No matter what the grand jury decides, I do not want my son’s death to be in vain.'”

Despite Obama’s call for order, there were violent protests in Ferguson on Monday, and at least 80 people were arrested in the St. Louis area. There were also demonstrations across the country in solidarity with those in Ferguson.

Obama was briefed on the situation in Ferguson by Attorney General Eric Holder before he left for Chicago on Tuesday.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) also announced on Tuesday that he would deploy an additional 2,200 Missouri National Guard troops to assist the 700 who had initially been put in place on Monday.

More On Ferguson From HuffPost:

Photographic Evidence Reveals | ‘First Year Law Student Could Have Done Better Job’ | 61 Arrested | Ferguson Smolders After Night Of Fires | Protest Locations | Americans Deeply Divided | Police Chief: ‘Worse Than The Worst Night We Had In August’ | What You Can Do | Darren Wilson Interview | Darren Wilson Could Still Face Consequences | Timeline | Students Protest | Photos Of Darren Wilson’s Injuries Released | Shooting Witness Admitted Racism In Journal | Peaceful Responses Show The U.S. At Its Best | Reactions To Ferguson Decision | Prosecutor Gives Bizarre Press Conference | Notable Black Figures React | Jury Witness: ‘By The Time I Saw His Hands In The Air, He Got Shot’ | Thousands Protest Nationwide |

We all have one of those holiday travel stories. That time you got to the airport and realized you forgot to click the buy button. That time you stepped onto the train platform and the zipper on your suitcase broke sending all of your sweaters onto the tracks. That time you got on a bus and your carsick neighbor barfed on his shoes. Life is just a John Candy movie waiting to happen.

Read more…

Spotify may be a big name when it comes to music streaming, but the company is hardly rolling in the dough. The private company disclosed today that it took in 747 million euros (around $1.03 billion at the time) in 2013, up about 74 percent from 201…

Remember how we mentioned the new billboard that was unveiled at New York City’s Times Square more than a week ago? Well, that particular electronic billboard is the largest of its kind to date, where it is large enough to cover the whole city block. There is value in being the first, and Google happens to be the very first company to be featured on this humongous display.

Android users who happen to be in the vicinity might find this to be a boon, since if you were to create your very own bugdroid character in Androidify, there is a chance that you can let the whole of Times Square see your creation on this massive, 25,000 square foot billboard. Of course, if you are waiting for that chance to come by, just wait in line and control control your bugdroid character via motion capture controls. Heck, there are also contests organized so that your bugdroid character will end up on a t-shirt or postcard.

It seems that Google forked out approximately $2.5 million for four weeks of ad time, which is pocket change for the tech company. Google also has taken the decision to donate some time from all four weeks of ad time to half a dozen non-profit organizations – Made with Code, Charity Water, WWF, Khan Academy, NRDC, Donors Choose, and Give Directly.

Androidify Yourself Ad, Now In Times Square , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

While tablets are pretty ubiquitous at this point in time, it seems that recent numbers released by the IDC has revealed that the tablet market is starting to slow down rather drastically, telling a completely different story from a few years ago when many had expected tablets to become possible PC replacements.

According to the IDC, tablets have seen a 7.2% year-on-year growth rate for 2014, which is still in the positive, but compared to 2013, it definitely pales in comparison. Last year’s figures had a 52.5% year-on-year growth, so safe to say the 7.2% is nowhere near the speed or rate compared to last year, thus indicating that the market for tablets is indeed starting to slow.

However this doesn’t mean tablets are doomed, but rather it reflects a more accurate representation of a tablet’s lifecycle. Unlike smartphones, tablets are less likely to be upgraded with every new model that is released, but early predictions had assumed that tablets would see the same lifecycle as smartphones.

According to IDC executive Ryan Reith, “In the early stages of the tablet market, device lifecycles were expected to resemble those of smartphones, with replacement occurring every 2-3 years. What has played out instead is that many tablet owners are holding onto their devices for more than 3 years and in some instances more than 4 years.”

This seems to be in line with an investors note released by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who had similarly predicted that sales of Apple’s iPad is expected to see a massive drop by as much as 40% in Q1 2015. That being said, sales tend to slow/stabilize as a market begins to mature so perhaps that is what we are looking at here, but what do you guys think? Is there anything companies can do to help boost the growth of the tablet market?

IDC: Tablet Market Sees Massive Slow Down In 2014 , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.