The End of the ‘Developing World’
So what makes an economy “fat”? The United States is a prime example. Plenty is normal. Gross national income is close to $50,000 per person. There are downsides. The United States has one of the world’s highest obesity rates and has grappled with other, more figurative “fat” problems: a subprime mortgage epidemic, pay-to-play politics, a dangerous taste for fossil fuels. Other countries are also struggling to pay the wages of wealth. South Korea has declared Internet addiction a public health concern. Aging nations in Europe are scrambling to defuse the time bomb of generous pension programs. The consumption-fueled financial crisis exposed bloat from Iceland to Italy. Subsequent “austerity” measures have put fat economies in jeopardy for decades to come.
Dayo Olopade argues that the term “developing world” is not adequate anymore. There are fat countries (the US, Europe) and lean countries (African countries who avoided the crisis because of their insulation). An interesting idea.
“Her” raises two questions that have long preoccupied philosophers. Are nonbiological creatures like Samantha capable of consciousness — at least in theory, if not yet in practice? And if so, does that mean that we humans might one day be able to upload our own minds to computers, perhaps to join Samantha in being untethered from “a body that’s inevitably going to die”?
Some real-world research on artificial intelligence.
“Her” raises two questions that have long preoccupied philosophers. Are nonbiological creatures like Samantha capable of consciousness — at least in theory, if not yet in practice? And if so, does that mean that we humans might one day be able to upload our own minds to computers, perhaps to join Samantha in being untethered from “a body that’s inevitably going to die”?
Rumor: Design of Apple's new big-screen iPhone will be cross between iPhone 5c & 7th-gen iPod nano
Rumor: Design of Apple’s new big-screen iPhone will be cross between iPhone 5c & 7th-gen iPod nano
I bet it’s going to look like an iPad Mini or an iPod Touch. Basically, curved metal.
Rumor: Design of Apple’s new big-screen iPhone will be cross between iPhone 5c & 7th-gen iPod nano
I bet it’s going to look like an iPad Mini or an iPod Touch. Basically, curved metal.
BBC: Crimea explained
In case you were wondering what was up in Ukraine, the BBC has a nice, comprehensive breakdown.
BBC: Crimea explained
In case you were wondering what was up in Ukraine, the BBC has a nice, comprehensive breakdown.
During a dim sum lunch with staff, someone asked Koum why he wasn’t crowing to the press about it. “Marketing and press kicks up dust,” Koum replied. “It gets in your eye, and then you’re not focusing on the product.”
How Whatsapp was born, a very interesting read.
During a dim sum lunch with staff, someone asked Koum why he wasn’t crowing to the press about it. “Marketing and press kicks up dust,” Koum replied. “It gets in your eye, and then you’re not focusing on the product.”
Minimalist effect in the maximalist market. Artists take mainstream products and minimalise them. Amazing.
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Minimalist effect in the maximalist market. Artists take mainstream products and minimalise them. Amazing.
iWatch May Use Optical Sensors to Measure Heart Rate and Oxygen Levels
iWatch May Use Optical Sensors to Measure Heart Rate and Oxygen Levels
How I think this is going to play out:
1. Apple releases sensor-laden bracelet that won’t be branded as a watch. Innovative because of the miniaturisation of its sensors—but not incredibly feature rich. Will be a great success.
2. Apple releases iWatch 2 with more sensors and it’ll be an even bigger success.
Their recruiting of talent surely cannot become fruitful as early as the first release of the iWatch.
iWatch May Use Optical Sensors to Measure Heart Rate and Oxygen Levels
How I think this is going to play out:
1. Apple releases sensor-laden bracelet that won’t be branded as a watch. Innovative because of the miniaturisation of its sensors—but not incredibly feature rich. Will be a great success.
2. Apple releases iWatch 2 with more sensors and it’ll be an even bigger success.
Their recruiting of talent surely cannot become fruitful as early as the first release of the iWatch.
“I found, in 1733, a young woman who thought as I did, and who decided to spend several years in the country, cultivating her mind.” So begins the description by Voltaire in his memoirs of a relationship that would define the most productive years of his life. The most famous man in Europe had met his match: the twenty-seven-year-old mathematical prodigy Émilie, Marquise du Châtelet.
Voltaire In Love.
“I found, in 1733, a young woman who thought as I did, and who decided to spend several years in the country, cultivating her mind.” So begins the description by Voltaire in his memoirs of a relationship that would define the most productive years of his life. The most famous man in Europe had met his match: the twenty-seven-year-old mathematical prodigy Émilie, Marquise du Châtelet.
Oh Whatsapp, you were worth every penny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeI1B_6F9U8
Now that people are starting to digest the news that Facebook bought Whatsapp for 19 billion dollars, it’s time for reflection. I believe that Whatsapp is one of the best acquisitions Facebook ever made—indeed, one of the best any tech giant could have made. Ready for some controversial claims?
Whatsapp has the best engineering team in the world. They built their product with a rather unknown language (but it was the most adequate), Erlang:
“With Erlang you could build a messaging app with many connected users and not worry about how they communicate,” says Chad DePue, CTO of Whisper, an app for anonymous posts that has opted to use the language. Instead, he says, “You can worry about creating a great app.”
Not convinced? They are about 30 engineers and maintain a service used by more than 425 million people. Take a look at this Quora question: How strong is the engineering team at Whatsapp?
While Facebook was the king of the Web, Whatsapp is really close to being the king of mobile. It can be seen as the closest thing to a phone OS in itself (cross-platform & global service).
As per MG Siegler:
Both understand that the Facebook/WhatsApp deal is simply the strongest signal yet that we’ve fully entered a new age in the world of computing where mobile is now the kingdom. And the $19 billion price tag simply shows that there isn’t yet a king.
Facebook was a king in the last kingdom, the Web. And while they seem to be transitioning fairly well over to this new kingdom (after stumbling badly out of the gate), the $19 billion figure shows that they’re well aware that not only are they not anointed yet, they’re just as likely to be overthrown.
This kingdom is truly different. Many of the dynamics that led to Facebook’s rise as social engulfed the Web are no longer at play. This is why Facebook is transitioning from a hub of features behind a great wall to an unbundled island of apps. But this has to be terrifying for them because the glue that once held things together so tightly, the social graph, is starting to wear off. With no more wall and no more glue…
Whatsapp probably has the biggest number of daily active users in the world. Bigger than Facebook, YouTube or Twitter. 72% of their users return daily.
How much would you pay for the best engineering team in the world and the most actively used mobile service in the world? Zuckerberg wants to be sure that Facebook will still exist in 10 years, buying Whatsapp and adding its CEO to the Facebook board is a smart move.
In less than two years, Whatsapp will have at least 1 billion users, let’s wait and see.
Oh Whatsapp, you were worth every penny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeI1B_6F9U8
Now that people are starting to digest the news that Facebook bought Whatsapp for 19 billion dollars, it’s time for reflection. I believe that Whatsapp is one of the best acquisitions Facebook ever made—indeed, one of the best any tech giant could have made. Ready for some controversial claims?
Whatsapp has the best engineering team in the world. They built their product with a rather unknown language (but it was the most adequate), Erlang:
“With Erlang you could build a messaging app with many connected users and not worry about how they communicate,” says Chad DePue, CTO of Whisper, an app for anonymous posts that has opted to use the language. Instead, he says, “You can worry about creating a great app.”
Not convinced? They are about 30 engineers and maintain a service used by more than 425 million people. Take a look at this Quora question: How strong is the engineering team at Whatsapp?
While Facebook was the king of the Web, Whatsapp is really close to being the king of mobile. It can be seen as the closest thing to a phone OS in itself (cross-platform & global service).
As per MG Siegler:
Both understand that the Facebook/WhatsApp deal is simply the strongest signal yet that we’ve fully entered a new age in the world of computing where mobile is now the kingdom. And the $19 billion price tag simply shows that there isn’t yet a king.
Facebook was a king in the last kingdom, the Web. And while they seem to be transitioning fairly well over to this new kingdom (after stumbling badly out of the gate), the $19 billion figure shows that they’re well aware that not only are they not anointed yet, they’re just as likely to be overthrown.
This kingdom is truly different. Many of the dynamics that led to Facebook’s rise as social engulfed the Web are no longer at play. This is why Facebook is transitioning from a hub of features behind a great wall to an unbundled island of apps. But this has to be terrifying for them because the glue that once held things together so tightly, the social graph, is starting to wear off. With no more wall and no more glue…
Whatsapp probably has the biggest number of daily active users in the world. Bigger than Facebook, YouTube or Twitter. 72% of their users return daily.
How much would you pay for the best engineering team in the world and the most actively used mobile service in the world? Zuckerberg wants to be sure that Facebook will still exist in 10 years, buying Whatsapp and adding its CEO to the Facebook board is a smart move.
In less than two years, Whatsapp will have at least 1 billion users, let’s wait and see.
Five Hard Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before Starting Up
Five Hard Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before Starting Up
Ryan Hoover for some pragmatic, necessary questions you need to ask yourself before starting up. The most important one, for me, is passion. Would like to do what you’re doing for the next five years?
Five Hard Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before Starting Up
Ryan Hoover for some pragmatic, necessary questions you need to ask yourself before starting up. The most important one, for me, is passion. Would like to do what you’re doing for the next five years?
The Casually Interested Person's Guide To Investing In Bitcoin
The Casually Interested Person’s Guide To Investing In Bitcoin
How to make money with Bitcoin, how to get into mining and some other interesting and informative stuff about Bitcoin.