Saturday, December 10, 2016
Ask My Buddy - Amazon Alexa skill as seen on QVC with Bret Hamilton & Da...
This works.
I set up my Alexa with it and she heard the command while I was playing this video and called everyone on my Ask My Buddy lists. Freaked my family. I hadn't given them heads up that I had set this up.
Bad news - false alarm for my guys.
Good news - we know it works.
Hacking For the Greater Good
An excerpt from the LA Times -
These Stanford students are hacking the government to try to solve the world's problems
By Tracey Lien
They’re some of the brightest students in the country — a group of wunderkinds known for hacking their way through any problem thrown at them. So what could possibly stump a Stanford University student?
Government bureaucracy, it seems.
In a lecture hall nestled in Stanford’s Environment and Energy building, dozens of engineering, science and arts students were put through the bureaucratic wringer this year when they took Hacking 4 Defense and Hacking 4 Diplomacy.
The courses — taken for credit and taught by Stanford instructors — let teams of students choose from a list of real problems plaguing the government, paired them with sponsors from the Defense or State departments, and tasked them with not just finding a solution, but coming up with a viable product that the government would actually use.
http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-hacking-4-diplomacy-20161206-story.html
These Stanford students are hacking the government to try to solve the world's problems
By Tracey Lien
They’re some of the brightest students in the country — a group of wunderkinds known for hacking their way through any problem thrown at them. So what could possibly stump a Stanford University student?
Government bureaucracy, it seems.
In a lecture hall nestled in Stanford’s Environment and Energy building, dozens of engineering, science and arts students were put through the bureaucratic wringer this year when they took Hacking 4 Defense and Hacking 4 Diplomacy.
The courses — taken for credit and taught by Stanford instructors — let teams of students choose from a list of real problems plaguing the government, paired them with sponsors from the Defense or State departments, and tasked them with not just finding a solution, but coming up with a viable product that the government would actually use.
http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-hacking-4-diplomacy-20161206-story.html
Lost Luggage Lands Here
An excerpt from Thrillist -
WHERE DOES LOST AIRLINE LUGGAGE GO? TO AMERICA'S GREATEST THRIFT STORE.
By MATT MELTZER
Is that guy next to you on the subway REALLY wearing your one-of-a kind “Topher’s Bachelor Blowout 2014” T-shirt? He can’t be! It’s impossible! You lost that shirt on the return flight from Vegas two years ago. And now it's with THIS dude?
Well, if you never got your suitcase back there’s a decent chance your new nemesis made a trip to the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama. Part lost-and-found, part thrift store, this 40,000sqft superstore takes literally every lost suitcase in America, sifts through it, and puts the best stuff on its shelves. This is the story of how wayward luggage finds its way to the afterlife.
The store 45 minutes east of Huntsville has been around since 1970, when part-time insurance man Doyle Owens got the idea to purchase unclaimed bags from a local bus station, then sell the contents from tables a couple days a week. Eventually he expanded this practice to airlines, and 46 years later the store is stocking millions of items that Americans have lost on flights.
https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/unclaimed-baggage-center-scottsboro-alabama-thrift-store-lost-airline-bags-clothes-luggage
WHERE DOES LOST AIRLINE LUGGAGE GO? TO AMERICA'S GREATEST THRIFT STORE.
By MATT MELTZER
Is that guy next to you on the subway REALLY wearing your one-of-a kind “Topher’s Bachelor Blowout 2014” T-shirt? He can’t be! It’s impossible! You lost that shirt on the return flight from Vegas two years ago. And now it's with THIS dude?
Well, if you never got your suitcase back there’s a decent chance your new nemesis made a trip to the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama. Part lost-and-found, part thrift store, this 40,000sqft superstore takes literally every lost suitcase in America, sifts through it, and puts the best stuff on its shelves. This is the story of how wayward luggage finds its way to the afterlife.
The store 45 minutes east of Huntsville has been around since 1970, when part-time insurance man Doyle Owens got the idea to purchase unclaimed bags from a local bus station, then sell the contents from tables a couple days a week. Eventually he expanded this practice to airlines, and 46 years later the store is stocking millions of items that Americans have lost on flights.
https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/unclaimed-baggage-center-scottsboro-alabama-thrift-store-lost-airline-bags-clothes-luggage
Friday, December 9, 2016
New Orleans Travel Guide
From Thrillist -
THE ULTIMATE NEW ORLEANS TRAVEL GUIDE
https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/destination-new-orleans-travel-guide
THE ULTIMATE NEW ORLEANS TRAVEL GUIDE
https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/destination-new-orleans-travel-guide
This Little Piggy . . .
From the LA Times -
This little piggy is cheering up passengers at San Francisco's airport
By Mary Forgione
Many U.S. airports have brought dogs into gate areas to soothe stressed-out travelers. San Francisco International Airport has gone one step further with a touring pet pig named LiLou, who made her debut Monday.
The airport now claims to have the first known airport therapy pig in the United States.
“She’s so unique and such a charming sweetheart,” spokesman Doug Yakel says. “Her personality is outgoing and willing to greet people.”
http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-tr-san-francisco-airport-therapy-pig-20161207-htmlstory.html
This little piggy is cheering up passengers at San Francisco's airport
By Mary Forgione
 |
| This is #LiLou, the first #TherapyPig! She's stationed in San Francisco and calms down nervous flyers! http://ow.ly/LjnW306S5Mz #aww - Daily Dish |
Many U.S. airports have brought dogs into gate areas to soothe stressed-out travelers. San Francisco International Airport has gone one step further with a touring pet pig named LiLou, who made her debut Monday.
The airport now claims to have the first known airport therapy pig in the United States.
“She’s so unique and such a charming sweetheart,” spokesman Doug Yakel says. “Her personality is outgoing and willing to greet people.”
http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-tr-san-francisco-airport-therapy-pig-20161207-htmlstory.html
For Love or Love of Money?
From the LA Times / Quartz Africa -
Uganda is worried about the number of Chinese men marrying their women
Contractors, petty traders, investors, and entrepreneurs from China have been pouring into Uganda for the past decade. China is a top investor in the east African country, accounting for as much as half of total foreign investment between 2014 and 2015, according to the Uganda Investment Authority.
But according to Ugandan immigration officials, there’s one major downside: an increasing number of Chinese men are marrying Ugandan women to gain residency and continue their business interests in the country.
Officials told a parliamentary committee in late November that they are seeing more and more Chinese-Ugandan couples, often in sham unions. Couples are normally interviewed before spousal status is granted and Chinese men involved in sham marriages are deported.
http://qz.com/857156/uganda-is-worried-about-the-number-of-chinese-men-marrying-their-women/
Uganda is worried about the number of Chinese men marrying their women
Contractors, petty traders, investors, and entrepreneurs from China have been pouring into Uganda for the past decade. China is a top investor in the east African country, accounting for as much as half of total foreign investment between 2014 and 2015, according to the Uganda Investment Authority.
But according to Ugandan immigration officials, there’s one major downside: an increasing number of Chinese men are marrying Ugandan women to gain residency and continue their business interests in the country.
Officials told a parliamentary committee in late November that they are seeing more and more Chinese-Ugandan couples, often in sham unions. Couples are normally interviewed before spousal status is granted and Chinese men involved in sham marriages are deported.
http://qz.com/857156/uganda-is-worried-about-the-number-of-chinese-men-marrying-their-women/
God Help Us
From the Washington Post -
Donald Trump is going to get somebody killed
By Paul Waldman
We in the media are sometimes told not to write stories about Donald Trump’s latest Twitter tantrum, and that’s often good advice. But the latest one shows something incredibly troubling, and which is likely to be an ongoing feature of his presidency. We’ve long known that Trump is so petty and insecure that he can’t stop himself from lashing out at anyone who criticizes him.
But now we have to seriously ask how long it’s going to be before his vindictiveness gets somebody killed.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/12/08/donald-trump-is-going-to-get-somebody-killed/?utm_term=.97befcc73c0a
Donald Trump is going to get somebody killed
By Paul Waldman
We in the media are sometimes told not to write stories about Donald Trump’s latest Twitter tantrum, and that’s often good advice. But the latest one shows something incredibly troubling, and which is likely to be an ongoing feature of his presidency. We’ve long known that Trump is so petty and insecure that he can’t stop himself from lashing out at anyone who criticizes him.
But now we have to seriously ask how long it’s going to be before his vindictiveness gets somebody killed.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/12/08/donald-trump-is-going-to-get-somebody-killed/?utm_term=.97befcc73c0a
Consider This When Deciding on College Majors
From AOL -
The highest-paying college major in every state
http://www.aol.com/article/finance/2016/12/07/8-private-college-presidents-raking-in-more-than-2-million/21622577/#slide=4247278#fullscreen
The highest-paying college major in every state
http://www.aol.com/article/finance/2016/12/07/8-private-college-presidents-raking-in-more-than-2-million/21622577/#slide=4247278#fullscreen
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Best Companies to Work For 2017
From Thrillist -
THE 50 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR IN 2017
By TONY MEREVICK
https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/the-50-best-companies-to-work-for-in-2017-according-to-glassdoor
THE 50 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR IN 2017
By TONY MEREVICK
https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/the-50-best-companies-to-work-for-in-2017-according-to-glassdoor
This Gadget Could Save Lives
From the Washington Post -
A rocket scientist says his gadget could end distracted driving. Will smartphone companies go along?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/tripping/wp/2016/12/07/a-rocket-scientist-says-his-gadget-could-end-distracted-driving-will-smartphone-companies-go-along/?utm_term=.a1926aa9576d&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
A rocket scientist says his gadget could end distracted driving. Will smartphone companies go along?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/tripping/wp/2016/12/07/a-rocket-scientist-says-his-gadget-could-end-distracted-driving-will-smartphone-companies-go-along/?utm_term=.a1926aa9576d&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
From Prison to School
An excerpt from the New Yorker -
BUILDING A PRISON-TO-SCHOOL PIPELINE
Formerly incarcerated undergrads started a group on campus to offer mentoring, support, and advocacy to other onetime inmates.
By Larissa MacFarquhar
The first day of his first semester at the University of California, Berkeley, Danny Murillo walked into the Cesar Chavez building and saw a white man with tattoos on his arms. Something about the man felt familiar. He could tell from the tattoos that the man was, like him, from Los Angeles, and he was around his own age, mid-thirties, but it was something else that he recognized. He went up to the man and said, “Damn, I feel old around all these youngsters.” The man said, “Yeah, me, too.” Murillo said, “I haven’t been in school for a long time.” The man said, “Yeah, me, too.” Murillo said, “I was on vacation.” The man said, “Yeah, me, too.” Murillo said, “I was in the Pelican Bay shu.” The man said, “Yeah, me, too.”
The Pelican Bay shu—Security Housing Unit—is where California sends some of its most recalcitrant inmates. Both Murillo and the white man, Steven Czifra, had spent much of their lives in prison, including many years in solitary confinement, but by the time they met they were pretty sure they were never going back. Neither had finished high school—Czifra got sent to juvenile hall at twelve—but now they were undergraduates at U.C. Berkeley. They knew that although most people who had lived lives like theirs were still in prison, many were capable—given the right advice, incentives, and money—of making it to college and leaving prison forever. They started talking, and during the next few months they formed a plan to get those people out.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/12/12/the-ex-con-scholars-of-berkeley
BUILDING A PRISON-TO-SCHOOL PIPELINE
Formerly incarcerated undergrads started a group on campus to offer mentoring, support, and advocacy to other onetime inmates.
By Larissa MacFarquhar
The first day of his first semester at the University of California, Berkeley, Danny Murillo walked into the Cesar Chavez building and saw a white man with tattoos on his arms. Something about the man felt familiar. He could tell from the tattoos that the man was, like him, from Los Angeles, and he was around his own age, mid-thirties, but it was something else that he recognized. He went up to the man and said, “Damn, I feel old around all these youngsters.” The man said, “Yeah, me, too.” Murillo said, “I haven’t been in school for a long time.” The man said, “Yeah, me, too.” Murillo said, “I was on vacation.” The man said, “Yeah, me, too.” Murillo said, “I was in the Pelican Bay shu.” The man said, “Yeah, me, too.”
The Pelican Bay shu—Security Housing Unit—is where California sends some of its most recalcitrant inmates. Both Murillo and the white man, Steven Czifra, had spent much of their lives in prison, including many years in solitary confinement, but by the time they met they were pretty sure they were never going back. Neither had finished high school—Czifra got sent to juvenile hall at twelve—but now they were undergraduates at U.C. Berkeley. They knew that although most people who had lived lives like theirs were still in prison, many were capable—given the right advice, incentives, and money—of making it to college and leaving prison forever. They started talking, and during the next few months they formed a plan to get those people out.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/12/12/the-ex-con-scholars-of-berkeley
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Cleaning House
From Medium -
12 Things You Need to Really Get Rid of in the Next 12 Months
By Lolly Daskal
1. Stop giving up.
Success in life and in business comes when you simply refuse to give up — because failure doesn’t come from falling down, failure comes from giving up.
2. Stop letting everyone else make decisions for you.
If you want to be successful, never allow anyone to tell you what’s good for you. You’re the one who knows what you need and what works for you. So stick to what you know and do what you know is right.
3. Stop thinking you’re on your own.
Success is not an individual undertaking. Be smart and brave enough to ask for help when you need it and allow others to help you along the way.
https://medium.com/small-business-playground/12-things-you-need-to-really-get-rid-of-in-the-next-12-months-c8d7d18ddb59#.a9okuago1
12 Things You Need to Really Get Rid of in the Next 12 Months
By Lolly Daskal
1. Stop giving up.
Success in life and in business comes when you simply refuse to give up — because failure doesn’t come from falling down, failure comes from giving up.
2. Stop letting everyone else make decisions for you.
If you want to be successful, never allow anyone to tell you what’s good for you. You’re the one who knows what you need and what works for you. So stick to what you know and do what you know is right.
3. Stop thinking you’re on your own.
Success is not an individual undertaking. Be smart and brave enough to ask for help when you need it and allow others to help you along the way.
https://medium.com/small-business-playground/12-things-you-need-to-really-get-rid-of-in-the-next-12-months-c8d7d18ddb59#.a9okuago1
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