Author: JD
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a reality.” -Earl Nightingale
APPSINSIDER Shazam will now use beacon technology to recommend songs based on your location
Just as the company teased last week during CES 2015, Shazam has officially announced it is adding context awareness SDK Gimbal to its software to provide location-based recommendations. Using beacon technology to locate the user’s proximity, the app will provide a more contextual recommendation based on when and where the user is at any given time. The move is on par with what Shazam CEO Rich Riley told us last week in the company’s effort to link Shazam closer to users in real life. Instead of being just a search-based app to figure out who sings what song, it wants to deliver content in a personalized manner. Now that its recent updates include beacons, Spotify and Rdio integration and a news feed based on songs users have Shazam-ed, it might not be long before the company unveils its wearable app.
’60 Minutes’ Explore the Legalized Marijuana Business in Colorado
It’s been a year since Colorado became the first state to legalize recreational marijuana – joined in subsequent months by Washington and Oregon. In total, twenty-three states and the District of Columbia currently have laws legalizing marijuana in some form. 60 Minutes recently aired an exploration of the burgeoning business associated with the industry in Colorado who in 2014 did $295 million USD in sales and $51 million USD in tax revenue. Touching on issues of availability as well as the need to be a “cash only” business because banks refuse to accept money deemed illegal on the federal level, the segment unearths a bevy on information, and expands on just how quickly the industry could be shut down. http://youtu.be/M6tT38Upb_0
XON Snow-1 Bindings
To help you figure out what you could improve on and what you’re doing wrong while up on the mountain comes the XON Snow-1 Bindings and app that will analyze your snowboarding. Visualize Your Riding You’ll be able to visualize your load balance of each foot thanks to the four load sensors at the bottom of each of the foot bindings. You’ll also be able to see a bending level of your snowboard via two flex sensors. And learning new tricks (like Ollies and Nollies) will be easier thanks to the bend sensors that are placed on both the head and the tail of a snowboard. The system will even help you perfect your takeoff on jumps so that you’re on point. It’s not only a great tool for beginners, but even advanced snowboarders who could really benefit from this type of feedback. Analyze Data The XON device easily connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth 4.0 and its app and will track in real-time all sorts of useful data while you’re boarding. The data is then visualized on the app and you’ll get tips on how to improve your riding as you’re out practicing. And its Video Overlay function will record your snowboarding data like GPS, acceleration of your movement, load balance and flex so after each ride, you can easily and quickly check your snowboarding style while riding on a ski lift. Strobe Lights The bindings have 4 built-in LED strobe lights in the heels and toes that you can program to light up when you jump or turn. They also come in handy when you’re riding at dusk so that you could see a bit better. The Snow-1 bindings are scheduled to come out later this year, with pricing TBD (somewhere around the $400-$600 range).
Nigerian bishop hopes for solidarity, as thousands already killed in the new year
Jos, Nigeria, Jan 12, 2015 / 02:56 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Boko Haram having killed as many as 2,000 in an attack on the town of Baga last week, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos hopes that Nigeria will see demonstrations of solidarity and unity in the face of such violence. “I am thinking about the big demonstration which took place in Paris against the killings in France,” Archbishop Kaigama told Fides Jan. 12. “I hope even here a great demonstration of national unity will take place, to say no to violence and find a solution to the problems plaguing Nigeria.” He also told the BBC the same day that the international community must show Nigeria the same spirit and resolve as it had following the attacks in France, charging that the West has ignored Boko Haram’s threat to Nigeria. “We need that spirit to be spread around. Not just when (an attack) happens in Europe, but when it happens in Nigeria, in Niger, in Cameroon.” The radical Islamist group Boko Haram launched an attack on Baga, an isolated town on the shore of Lake Chad in Borno, Nigeria’s northeasternmost state, on Jan. 3. The following day, multinational troops abandoned a military base there, and thousands of residents fled for Chad. Boko Haram launched a second assault on Baga Jan. 7, burning down nearly the entire town and raiding nearby villages. Musa Alhaji Bukar, a senior government official in Borno, suggested that some 2,000 were killed in the attacks, while other reports estimated deaths in the hundreds. “Baga … was the last town in the Borno North area under government control,” according to the BBC. Boko Haram control an estimated 70 percent of Borno state. In Maiduguri, the capital of Borno, three female suicide bombers killed around 20 on Jan. 10. One of the bombers was reputed to be 10 years old. The following day, two female suicide bombers killed four and injured 40 in Potiskum. Over the weekend, Boko Haram attacks on a Cameroonian military base and on Damaturu, capital of Nigeria’s Yobe state, were repelled. Baga had been attacked by Boko Haram in August, 2014, at which time 26 were killed, and 50 kidnapped. It was also the scene of an April, 2013 massacre in which some 200 villagers were killed and 2,000 homes and businesses destroyed. Villagers claimed that the massacre was carried out by the Nigerian military, while the Nigerian military in turn blamed Boko Haram. Baga’s multinational military base formerly hosted troops from Niger and Chad, as well as Nigeria. Niger withdrew its force in October, after a nearby town was captured by Boko Haram. Boko Haram, which means “Western education is sinful,” launched an uprising in 2009 and hopes to impose sharia law on Nigeria. It has targeted security forces, politicians, Christian minorities, and moderate Muslims in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north. Boko Haram’s attacks have killed thousands since 2009, and displaced more than 1.5 million from their homes. The U.S. recognized Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organization in November 2013, after a lengthy advocacy effort from human rights and Christian groups. On Jan. 1, days before the assault on Baga, the Diocese of Maiduguri – of which Baga is a part – posted this message on its Facebook page: “Despite the violence, despite the hatred, in spite of the blood, sweat, and tears shed last year, we are still standing. Whatever this new year may bring: good or bad, our faith will stand. We will survive everything the devil and his minions throw at us as a diocese, for the battle is not ours it is the Lord’s.” “May he take control of our destiny, may he wipe our tears, may he give us relief from oppression, may he make the seeds -planted by the blood of so many- grow. This year, May God arise and let his enemies be scattered! May he establish his reign of peace and justice. We pray for this with all our hearts. We pray for patience to carry on, keeping in mind that it always seems darkest shortly before dawn. May this year bring about a turning point in our good fortunes.” “On this world day of peace, that elusive quality and great good that we all need, may our blessed mother, the Queen of Peace intercede for us and our beloved diocese. Happy New year to you all.”
Two More Atlanta Strippers File Lawsuits Over Minimum Wage Issues…
It seems like the words Atlanta and ‘Stripper’ go hand in hand these days…. especially in light of songs like Usher’s ‘I Don’t Mind’ ft Juicy J where crooner proclaims that since he was ‘raised in the ‘A” he doesn’t mind if you dance on the pole (cause that don’t make you a ho)…. but I digress. [FLASHBACK: For Discussion: Is Stripping a Recession Proof Profession?] Stripping in Atlanta can be quite lucrative with it being the new ‘hip-hop’ capital of the world and many Strippers take great pains to ensure that their jobs are secure. Over the years, several local clubs have been sued by exotic dancers including Magic City, Tattletale Lounge, Pin Ups and Pleasers. Last January, a federal judge ruled that strippers at Pin Ups were employees, not independent contractors, and were entitled to a minimum wage and overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act. [FLASHBACK: Pregnant Stripper Files ‘Unlawful Termination’ Lawsuit… ] Now two more Atlanta strippers have filed lawsuits against their club owners concerning their wages. Details below… According to the AJC, Brandy Mizner-Klearman and Suzette Maxey filed suit against Doll House II and their supervisor, Theo Lambros, in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. The two ladies said they worked for tips only at Stilettos Gentlemen’s Club on Marietta St. N.W. in Atlanta, a club owned by ‘Doll House II’ and that they were also required to kick back some of their earnings to pay for their security, the DJ and the house mom. “The business model for much of the industry is contrary to the Fair Labor Standards minimum wage and overtime requirements,” said Charles Bridgers, an attorney with DeLong Caldwell Bridgers Fitzpatrick, the Atlanta firm representing the dancers. DUH… really? Now correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t stripping a profession where you have to ‘shake your ass’ for some cash?? How can there be a minimum wage associated with making it rain? “The Onyx decision was the case that got everyone’s attention,” Bridgers said. FYI in 2009, popular Atlanta strip club Onyx, was also sued over wages. The case was settled with 73 dancers being paid a total of $1.55 million, according to court records. The latest lawsuit states that “At all times … defendants intentionally and willfully misclassified plaintiffs as independent contractors.” Legal experts say the distinction between determining whether a worker is an “independent contractor” or an “employee” turns on factors including how much control the employer wields over the worker, how much the employer determines the worker’s income, and the permanency of the relationship between the parties. Another key factor, Bridgers said, is “how integral the service rendered is to the business. In the case of adult night clubs, it is their entire reason for existing.” Mizner-Klearman and Maxey began working for Doll House II in 2013. They are seeking compensation including unpaid wages due them, plus legal costs. Yes… strippers are people too but how are they trying to impose regulations on all that CASH? I think these few ‘low paid’ strippers are going to mess it up for the rest of y’all… but that’s nunna my business tho. Read more: http://straightfromthea.com/2015/01/09/two-more-atlanta-strippers-file-lawsuits-over-minimum-wage-issues/#ixzz3OecWyqaj
YOUR SMARTPHONE JUST ENTERED LOCKDOWN.
THIS SHIT IS LIKE A TV LOL As the recent embarrassing Sony hacks show, top-notch security is crucial in preserving privacy. Toward that end, one would-be smartphone player is looking to create a secure mobile device for the age of Anonymous and Cyber Caliphate. Last week, a new crowdfunding campaign launched on Indiegogo for a product boldly called the BOSS phone, an unlocked Android-based device that claims to be “totally secure” and “completely anonymous,” boasts that are just begging to be tested. The campaign seeks to raise $150,000 from security-minded users. Two features set BOSS apart from other devices in the space. First, the product will take advantage of Tor, the Onion Router, an award-winning technology designed to enable users to protect transmitted data from any kind of network surveillance. Originally created for the U.S. Navy, Tor could also be useful to journalists, military personnel, activists, whistleblowers—and, of course, Sony executives. BOSS’s other most obvious quality—for better or for worse—is its Hagrid-size proportions (which are not related to any security features). The BOSS phone doesn’t bridge the divide between tablet and smartphone—it flat-out annihilates that bridge by offering a phone that few without a gym membership could likely lift. With a high-res display measuring seven inches, the BOSS dwarfs even popular phablet-esque devices such the iPhone 6 Plus. The BOSS is slated to arrive later this year, priced at $300 or more. [via TechRadar]