As developers for tablets and smartphones we like to keep abreast of the latest mobile technology developments . This is a daily digest of mobile development and related technology news gathered from the BBC, the New York Times, New Scientist and the Globe and Mail to name a few. We scour the web for articles concerning, iPhone, iPad and android development, iOS and android operating systems as well as general articles on advances in mobile technology. We hope you find this useful and that it helps to keep you up to date with the latest technology developments.
WSJ claims GT Advanced collapse came from iPhone 6 display failure
More details continue to be dug up in the unexpected filing of bankruptcy by Apple sapphire supplier GT Advanced Technologies, with the Wall Street Journal reporting for the first time that the failure of the company in meeting Apple’s contract requirements stems directly from a failure to deliver sapphire glass in quantities intended to be used for the iPhone 6 line. The paper does not clarify if the sapphire glass was not up to par, or the company simply couldn’t make enough to meet demand.
Opinion: Why you might want to opt for the iPhone 6 Plus
Apple has certainly made life difficult for would be iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus customers. This year, it revealed not one, but two high-end iPhones that are both highly desirable making it the first time buyers have been faced with such a choice. Unsurprisingly, early tracking data from Mixpanel shows that the iPhone 6 is outselling the iPhone 6 Plus at a ratio of about 4.5:1. However, there are a few compelling reasons that you might want to consider before you choose the iPhone 6 over the iPhone 6 Plus.
Tesla Unveils The D At Event In Los Angeles
Elon Musk has finally unveiled the D.
Tesla’s chief executive announced the faster and all-wheel-drive version of the Model S electric sedan late Thursday night at Hawthorne Municipal Airport, just outside of Los Angeles. While the new model does not have the self-driving capability that had been rumored, it does pack a lot more power and several features sure to please prospective drivers.
Engadget tweeted photos of the new model from the event.
Here’s a few more shots of the #TeslaD: http://t.co/EtxWzTMeLe pic.twitter.com/jXANcJgvAN
— Engadget (@engadget) October 10, 2014
The D will be able to accelerate to 60 miles per hour in just over 3 seconds thanks to its dual motors, making it one of the fastest-accelerating sedans ever, Engadget reported. Musk said, “The ‘D’ stands for dual,” according to KCBS. It will also have a longer range of travel on a single charge, 275 miles, an increase of 10 miles from its rear-wheel drive models.
Other features of The D include a system that can change lanes for the driver when prompted by a turn signal, and a computer that reads speed-limit signs and sets the car speed accordingly. The autopilot will even enable the car to park itself after the driver hops out, Mashable notes. The safety features are enabled by a network of 12 sensors that monitor the car’s environment for assisting the driver in spotting pedestrians and moving in reverse. Musk said of the suite of driver-aid features, “It’s like active safety [within] the limit” of affordable science and regulations, NBC News reported.
Business Insider reported that there will be three versions of The D, each with a different size battery. The top model of the D fleet, the AD P85D, is expected to start shipping in December, followed by other models in February.
Musk had teased the event last week when he posted a cryptic tweet promising to “unveil the D and something else.” Theories about what he would reveal abounded. The tweet alone caused the company’s stock to climb 6 percent — a roughly $2 billion value.
An all-wheel drive version of the Model S, the company’s flagship car, had been in the works since late last year. It was rumored that this would be the focus of Musk’s announcement after a photo of a black-colored copy of the car emblazoned with the nomenclature P85D leaked on a Tesla Motors Club forum.
“I have heard some people in cooler climates question the handling,” Carter Driscoll, a senior analyst of clean technology at investment bank MLV & Co., told The Huffington Post hours before the event on Thursday.
Tesla has been popular in chillier climates. Last year, the company made Norway the focus of its European expansion and the country quickly became the carmaker’s largest overseas market. Tesla has sold an average of 436 Model S sedans per month for the past year, according to data cited by International Business Times from OFV, Norway’s automotive industry association. In March, Tesla broke Norway’s all-time record for monthly sales of a single model car.
But sales of the car in the U.S. slumped for much of 2014 while other electric car sales remained stagnant. That fueled fears that the electric car craze was fizzling out. And though sales soared back to about 2,500 units last month, according to estimates by the electric car site InsideEVs, the Model S still trailed its main competitor, the Nissan LEAF.
InsideEVs estimates Tesla’s monthly U.S. sales by reconciling quarterly totals from earnings reports.
Driscoll said Musk likely drummed up excitement for the all-wheel drive announcement to accelerate sales and burnish the reputation of the Model S — as of now Tesla’s sole product for sale — as an innovative, evolving vehicle.
“Anything that continues to support that this is the best electric vehicle on the road today is clearly the near-term focus,” Driscoll said. “They want to continue to generate buzz about this great vehicle and that it’s continuing to move forward, it’s not a stagnant vehicle.”
Amazon's Monopoly Must Be Broken Up: A Radical Plan For The Tech Giant
It’s too big. It’s cannibalizing the economy. It’s time for a radical plan.
Symantec to split in two companies
Software maker Symantec becomes the latest tech company to announce that it will split its operations into two.
Microsoft CEO Tells Women To Trust The System And Not Ask For Raises
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella caused a stir on Thursday when he told an audience of tech industry women they should trust they will get raises when they deserve them — despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
“It’s not really about asking for the raise, but knowing and having faith that the system will actually give you the right raises as you go along,” Nadella told a crowd at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, ReadWrite reported.
“That’s good karma. It will come back,” Nadella continued. “That’s the kind of person that I want to trust, that I want to give more responsibility to.”
Nadella backtracked on his comments after outraged reactions from women in the audience began appearing on Twitter.
Was inarticulate re how women should ask for raise. Our industry must close gender pay gap so a raise is not needed because of a bias #GHC14
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) October 9, 2014
Nadella’s tone-deaf advice reflects a problem that plenty of other executives have been hesitant to recognize. Despite touting itself as forward-thinking, the tech industry largely remains a boys’ club, and the “system” Nadella asks women to trust does not favor them.
Like Apple and Google, Microsoft’s female employment hovers around 30 percent, and one study found that fewer than 3 percent of the 6,793 companies that received venture capital funding from 2011 to 2013 were headed by women.
Women are already hesitant to promote themselves, and when they do ask for raises, they negotiate for far less than men do.
Obama: White House Expects FCC To Uphold Net Neutrality
President Barack Obama says his administration “expects” that the Federal Communications Commission will not allow Internet service providers to offer multiple tiers of service.
Speaking at a town hall in Santa Monica, California on Thursday, Obama reiterated his support for net neutrality, or the principle that all Internet data and traffic should be treated equally. Asked by a questioner at start-up incubator Cross Campus for his thoughts on the issue, Obama said he opposes paid prioritization of Internet service.
“I made a commitment very early on that I am unequivocally committed to net neutrality,” Obama said. “I think it is what has unleashed the power of the Internet and we don’t want to lose that or clog up the pipes.”
He continued: “My appointee, [FCC Chairman] Tom Wheeler, knows my position. I can’t now, that he’s there, I can’t just call him up and tell him exactly what to do. But what I’ve been clear about, what the White House has been clear about is that we expect whatever final rules to emerge to make sure that we’re not creating two or three or four tiers of Internet. That ends up being a big priority of mine.”
Watch video of Obama’s remarks here.
Earlier this year, the FCC proposed new regulations that would allow Internet service providers to charge websites like Facebook or Netflix more to operate at higher speeds, creating what net neutrality advocates have described as an Internet fast lane. Many tech companies have spoken out against the proposed regulations, which could relegate smaller Internet companies that can’t afford to pay providers’ “tolls” to the slow lane. The proposal also drew public outrage: the FCC (which operates as an independent entity within the executive branch) received over 3 million public comments on the issue.
Although Obama campaigned on net neutrality in 2008, he remained on the sidelines of the debate until an August speech at the U.S. Africa Business Forum.
“One of the issues around net neutrality is whether you are creating different rates or charges for different content providers. That’s the big controversy here,” Obama said. “You have big, wealthy media companies who might be willing to pay more but then also charge more for more spectrum, more bandwidth on the Internet so they can stream movies faster or what have you. And I personally — the position of my administration, as well as I think a lot of companies here is you don’t want to start getting a differentiation in how accessible the Internet is to various users.”
Wheeler, a former telecommunications industry lobbyist nominated by Obama to lead the FCC last year, has said he too opposes paid prioritization, downplaying his differences on the issue with the president. However, critics say the proposed regulations would create a tiered Internet, with telecommunications giants benefitting the most. Consumer advocates have called on Wheeler and the FCC to instead reclassify Internet providers as public utilities, thus eliminating the threat of tiered service.
Click here to read more on the history of the net neutrality debate.
'Air' plastic and mushroom cushions
Growing mushroom cushions and making plastic from air
Meerkat-cam uses TV white space
A wireless technology is being tested at London Zoo to film meerkats, giant tortoises and otters and stream their daily lives to YouTube
What Global Warming, Energy Efficiency and Erlang Have in Common
Impact of Software Language Choice and Architecture on Energy Efficiency Abstract
Hidden in the discussion of rising energy costs and consumption in datacenters is the selection of software language. A physical server is an easy concept for the general public to understand since it compares so closely with a personal computer. Even the concept of virtualization, in which a host operating system, such as OS X, runs a guest operating system like Windows is somewhat intuitive, since it allows a “Mac person”, to run their “Windows software on their Mac”. Virtualization of servers in datacenters isn’t that big of a leap from this concept, since it allows the running of multiple operating systems on one physical server.1
Energy efficiency gains with virtualization in a data center seem very logical since an operator can place multiple guest operating systems onto a physical server until that physical server is running at close to 100% utilization. Conceptually this is not much different than carpooling, in which a driver decided to add 3 more passengers to a 4-passenger car. Operating at a layer below the operating system level, software languages and software architecture offer a complex set of tradeoffs where efficiency is often unknowingly comprised by default choices of an architecture or language.
Amdahl’s Law: Virtualization’s “Inconvenient Truth”
While virtualization is a significant energy efficiency friendly technology, it is only one part of the story in the datacenter, and it can be a very coarse, imprecise solution to software efficiency. In 1967, Gene Amdahl presented at the AFIPS Sprint Joint Computer Conference a way to find the maximum expected improvement for a system using multiple processers. 2, In the diagram below 3, Amdahl’s Law shows how the parallel portions of a program mixed with the sequential portions of a program lead to different levels of efficiency, depending on the ratio. In a more technical article, I go into some of the details of how this affects the choices a software developer makes. 4 In layman’s terms, energy efficiency in software is much more complex than simply virtualizing servers in a datacenter.
The actual language used to write software can have a significant effect on the utilization of the processors. Many popular scripting languages, including Python, Ruby, and Node.js (based on Javascript), have limitations that effectively limit them to one processor. There are complex workarounds for this, but often the skill level and time required to implement them is a barrier that can be solved by “throwing hardware at the problem.”
In the real world, outside of Virtualization’s ivory tower, this creates an energy efficiency problem that virtualization cannot completely solve. A very simple example of this is highlighted by Amazon EC2, which sells computing resources by “computing units”. There are very few single processer choices and often the few offered do not have enough clock speed, memory, and disk size (other important resources needed to run software).5 The end result of this from a real world perspective, it may not be possible to actually buy a single CPU server that fits the performance characteristics needed for an application. As a result, a web application that could in theory, run on a machine with only one core, can in practice only run on a machine with 2 or more processers. As a result, a larger energy footprint is used then is necessary, because of constraints offered by the real world, and by the language itself.
To add even more complexity to the problem, energy can be wasted in scripting languages from other problems as well. One problem is that they often do not have true operating system threads, which means that they cannot dispatch parallel portions of their work to other cores easily. Another problem is that they are often using event loop architectures, with event loop architectures; the skill level of the developer required to do distributed computing is often so high, that in practice, wasted efficiency is created. 4 Finally, high level, interpreted scripting languages often run orders of magnitude slower than compiled languages.
Erlang: An Inherently Parallel Language
One potential solution to the problem of writing web applications in scripting languages that are inefficient is to use a language that is inherently parallel. Erlang is a language that was originally developed to support “distributed, fault-tolerant, soft-real-time, non-stop applications” by Ericsson. 6 One of the accidental successes of this language is that this original design features enable it to transparently scale to all of the processors and to distribute work to all of the processors on all of the servers in a datacenter. The practical result of using Erlang in lieu of Python, Ruby or Node.js is that a more efficient utilization of all of the processors in a distributed system is accomplished.
Companies such as Whatsapp, AdRoll, Spilgames, Cloud Mafia, Facebook, Klarna, T-Mobile, and Sqor have caught onto Erlang and using the language in their backend. Sqor, a social media app/platform is built to measure the social media ranking of athletes by measuring their content creation, curation, and engagement. Sqor has used Erlang since the beginning because of Erlangs scalability, fault tolerant, faster results, and reliability. Erlang is definitely not a magic bullet, and it won’t be the best solution for many software applications. But, in the niche of multi-server distributed applications and controlling multi-node networks, Erlang Rules.
Photo above demonstrates Sqor software platform running on a virtualized datacenter.
In the short-term there is an energy efficiency problem in using high level scripting languages and in some software architectures, which Virtualization alone does not solve. A potential solution is to use the Erlang language if energy efficiency is desired in large scale distributed systems. Alternately, other choices like the .NET runtime and Java offer some of the same, but not all, of the advantages because they offer parallel tasks distribution frameworks.
Longer-term, new software languages are being developed like Scala and Go, which aim to emulate some of the advantages of inherent parallelism of Erlang and possibly improve upon it. Additionally, it seems logical that better utilization of multiple core systems by future software languages offers a compelling avenue for research into energy efficiency considering the widespread growth of software into almost every avenue of modern existence. If the very language we use is grossly inefficient, and uses the wrong paradigms, then the world may be optimizing, futilely at the wrong level.
References:
Sqor – https://sqor.com
Reduce Power Consumption: http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/WhitePaper_ReducePowerConsumption.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amdahls_law
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AmdahlsLaw.svg
Build a scalable architecture in the cloud: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/cloud/library/cl- optimizepythoncloud2/index.html
Amazon EC2 Instance Types: http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types/
Erlang Language: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlang_(programming_language)
As Surveillance Reforms Languish, New Tools for Consumers to Protect Data Criticized by FBI
Recent statements by FBI officials, including Director James B. Comey, are revealing and troubling. They criticize tech companies for deploying technology and privacy measures that more effectively protect customers’ and citizens’ communications and information from scrutiny.
These statements are in response to mobile security features in the updated operating system accompanying Apple’s recently released smartphones, as well as updates by Google. Other companies are expected to follow with similar long-overdue security enhancements in order to compete and meet consumers’ demand.
The newly strengthened smartphone encryption measures would simply remove device and software manufacturers from the middle of the security equation and instead let consumers take the steps needed to prevent hackers, identity thieves, stalkers — and indeed, the government — from easily intruding into their communications.
The companies will provide greater security for their users’ data by preventing would-be intruders from bypassing their smartphones’ passcode locks. Until this point, law enforcement has enjoyed the convenience of bundling up a consumer’s smartphone with a warrant, sending away to the manufacturer for a bypass and extraction, and receiving the requested contents in the mail soon after.
It’s easy to understand the unquenchable desire of many in government to want as much information as possible about everyone with minimal obstacles. But understanding this desire doesn’t make such an approach Constitutional, legal, or wise.
The Fourth Amendment preserves the “right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures…” Implicit is the understanding that it should not be an easy thing for the government to read our communications or avail itself of the most intimate details of our lives — regardless of the motivation or context. Reasonable limits on government intrusion are essential if we are to fully enjoy our other fundamental liberties — including the ability to speak freely and associate with whomever we choose, and to participate in the political process without fear or intimidation. The sheer quantity of information detailing a person’s life now stored on smartphones heightens risks related to search and seizure.
The past year of revelations about law enforcement and the intelligence community’s pervasive surveillance and collection of data from Americans, and others around the globe, has demonstrated how far the pendulum has swung away from reasonableness. Rather than an environment based on individuals’ freedom to act with limited intrusion from the government, the new norm being advocated is one where privacy-enabling technologies are decried as an intrusion on the government’s ability to act. The privacy tools that consumers seek from the tech industry are an effort to restore that traditional equilibrium.
Increased security for the contents of smart phones simply empowers consumers in the digital world, and leaves the government no worse off than it is in the physical environment. Law enforcement does not ask locksmiths to design easily picked locks. That would defeat the purpose of consumers buying them to make their homes secure from thieves and other intruders.
However, pursuant to a lawful search warrant which respects constitutional imperatives, government agents can use legal tools to compel the homeowner to let them in, or find a way in themselves. The same remedies remain available to the government when seeking information stored on a user’s smart phone — without putting manufacturers in the middle.
The tech community is perhaps uniquely appreciative of the importance of our constitutional protections in preserving the open and free environment in which ideas can be freely communicated, innovations inspired, and individuals empowered. It is inappropriate for the tech community to be in the business of building products with backdoors that make it just as easy for criminals to access consumers’ personal information as it is for the government. Increased privacy measures are just some of the many features logically available — and in demand — for a new smartphone.
Thus, the FBI’s complaint about individuals placing themselves “beyond the law” rings a bit hollow. It both ignores the Constitutional realities of government access to individuals’ data and lacks self-awareness for government’s own role in consumers’ desire for these improved privacy measures. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies need to recognize the importance of industry maintaining a trusted relationship with its users.
The government’s tilt in past decades away from respect for civil rights in favor of intrusive measures in the name of security has already harmed our foreign relations in many ways. A myopic, non-strategic approach to the Internet and modern technology has similarly undermined our nation’s ability to lead the world toward greater openness, freedom, democracy, and real security. It’s time for government to embrace, not try to manipulate, the Internet era.
DIY Invisibility Is Now an Actual Real Thing
Scientists at the University of Rochester in the USA recently revealed how to make stuff invisible.
Kinda.
Most other articles and even the press release from the University of Rochester itself compared this discovery to Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak, and nothing else. Which was a bit dumb for two main reasons.
Firstly, this invention has nothing to do with Harry Potter as one is real, and the other is not.
Also, one works really well because it’s not real, while the other has taken a few good photos but that’s about all.
It’s an optical illusion which disappears immediately once you shift your perspective, similar to holiday snaps of someone holding the Eiffel Tower between their fingers, looking down on the leaning tower of Pisa, or stepping over a seemingly tiny Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Secondly, the concept of invisibility did not start with Harry Potter, although it’s the only reference ever used. There’s the invisible man, Wonder Woman’s invisible jet, the way I was made to feel invisible at my high school formal, along with countless other previous incarnations.
Magicians also have a right to feel miffed. They’ve been using mirrors, dodgy jokes and sleight of hand for centuries to make stuff ‘disappear’, and the ‘disappearing act’ is a trick several of my ex-girlfriends seem to have perfected, but still it’s all been about Harry’s cloak.
According to doctoral student Joseph Choi some possible uses of this invention include, ‘surgery, in the military, interior design, art, and possibly cloaking a trailer on the back of a semi so the driver can see directly behind him.’
More useful might be hiding all you can eat buffets from the overweight, drugs from addicts and rubbish tips from everyone. Which is the problem with invisibility. You’re never making anything actually disappear, you’re just hiding it.
The addict hasn’t learnt to deal with their addiction, and although you can’t see it, they’ll still be the same environmental ramifications for the rubbish dump.
It’s an old conversation starter, ‘What would you choose? Invisibility or the ability to fly?’
If you choose invisibility, it’s always with nefarious objectives. Stealing, eavesdropping, secretly seeing people naked. Surely that’s what the inventors were really thinking?
So are there any significant, world-changing applications for invisibility? I can’t think of one. If you can, be a champion and leave a comment? Cheers.
Really, these scientists should be focussing on something far more meaningful, and that’s working out how we can all fly. It’d seriously cut down your commute to work, eliminate cars and airport security checkpoints, and it’d be fun.
This invisibility experiment can apparently be repeated with minimal cost or know-how.
I’m not going to bother, I severely struggle with a set of instructions and an allen key, but if you want to have a crack, here’s how:
http://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/watch-rochester-cloak-uses-ordinary-lenses-to-hide-objects-across-continuous-range-of-angles-70592/
USAA support for Apple Pay coming on November 7
USAA will begin supporting Apple Pay on November 7, says the bank’s assistant VP, Vikram Parekh. Customers will be able to enter MasterCard and Visa cards into their iPhones. The announcement marks the first time a financial institution has given a specific timeline for Apple Pay.
Getting the Most Out of Your Old iPhone
As the weeks pass since the debut of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, there are less opportunities to get significant money from your old devices.
For those of you who are now using a newest model iPhone, there is no reason to sell your older one for peanuts or shove it into a drawer. Get creative, and realize that long in the tooth iPhone 5 (or event) ancient iPhone 4 has more computing power in it than just about anything you’ve ever owned. In fact, iPhones released within the last four years have more computing power than supercomputers had 20 years ago. Further, that old iPhone 4 you have lying around has four times the processing power as NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover. This is strong stuff!
Just because a phone is no longer connected to a cellular plan doesn’t mean it can’t connect to the Internet or other networks via WiFi. And you can still enjoy the majority of the apps and games, and basically all of the songs and videos you purchased from iTunes and/or loaded on older generation devices.
Here are the four best ways to get the most out of your old iPhone (and you can also view examples listed below from this recent ABC Chicago morning news segment)
Home entertainment remote control center
As we mentioned, the vast majority of apps and other media downloaded to an older iPhone is still operable. An old iPhone basically has the same functionality as an iPod touch. In addition to plugging headphones into your phone for a workout or viewing and listening to shows and songs from the device, you can wirelessly connect to most home speaker systems, an Apple TV, or other Smart TVs. I use older iPhones and iPads as remote controls for my Apple TV. This has a better and more controllable interface than the still not ready for prime time pre-installed Apple TV software.
A process called AirPlay Mirroring allows me to transmit anything on my iPhone 4 or later and iPad 2 or later to Apple TV. Android phones work similarly with Google’s Chromecast interactive TV chip.
For music, I can run Spotify, Pandora, Songza from iPhone through my home entertainment system. For television, I love to use Showyou, which is a free app that showcases all the videos shared by your Facebook and Twitter friends (along with other channels from major and niche broadcast networks).
Home Security
Did you know that you can turn your old iPhone or iPad into a video camera that can monitor any point or room in your home throughout the day while you are at home or away? You can use this for general security, monitoring pets, or keeping an eye on the kids.
An app called Presence – Smarthome Security lets users set this up without fuss. Free to download with monthly subscription fees, Presence needs to be installed on at least two devices for it to work properly. Download it to the newest device you carry around with to see video feeds in real time. The feeds come from one or more older iPhones you have situated around the house, which is far less creepy and more cost effective than hidden cameras in stuffed animals. Note that all of these devices will need to be connected to WiFi (or in the case of your new phone a cellular network) in order to work reliably. Also make sure that the older phones serving as cameras are fully charged and/or plugged in somewhere.
Learning tool
Many kids salivate at the availability of an older iPhone as they can play all of the games they enjoy on the iPod touch. While we are big fans of fun and games, know that iPhones (like iPads) are revolutionary learning tools. There are tens of thousands of educational apps available for early childhood, K-thru-12 and higher learning. Like with the iPad, many apps are designed to teach students specific lessons around Common Core State Standards, Advanced Placement Tests, and college entry exams. The trick, of course, is finding which apps are the most relevant for your kid, and his or her grade level and areas of study. At appoLearning, we showcase the best iPhone apps for learning by age group, and publish expert evaluations and report cards for all of our selections.
Second Screen
Many of our favorite television shows invite viewers to contribute to the conversation on Twitter and other social networks. Viewing what others are saying on a second screen is also great for topical events like the upcoming elections, awards shows, or sporting events. Let your old iPhone serve as a viewing companion of sorts to learn what others are saying about what you are watching on the bigger screen.
In addition to Twitter and Facebook, fun “second screen apps include Beamly TV (play along games tied to what you’re watching), Team Coco (bonus footage from Conan O’Brien’s show), and Shazam (identifies songs, casts, and other information from shows and commercials you are watching).
Grads From These Colleges Supposedly Have The Most (And Least) Dateable Alumni
Sorry, Princeton Mom. The prestigious university’s student body might not be the best place to find love after all.
Matchmaking site The Dating Ring analyzed 7,500 post-date feedback forms submitted by 1,600 New York and San Francisco singles over the course of 18 months, all to determine which college or university’s alums were most likely to get a second date — and which were most likely to be left hanging.
So which schools are producing the most crush-worthy prospects?
Private liberal arts college Colgate University claimed the title of most dateable grads among The Dating Ring’s clients, with 81 percent of suitors saying they’d like seconds with a former Raider. For some Colgate students, the school’s attractive student body apparently even helped them make their college decision.
“I looked at Colgate because my camp counselor said really hot guys went there,” alumna Laura McDonald told The Dating Ring, according to a company press release.
Although many of the schools featured in The Dating Ring’s datability rankings are considered elite, the least dateable list notably snagged two Ivies: the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University.
It also features the University of California, Berkeley. But Ryan Johnson, a 2013 grad who liked to take his dates to restaurants in Berkeley’s Southside neighborhood, thinks Oskis have a lot to offer despite his alma mater’s low ranking. He told The Huffington Post that if you’re looking for someone who’s passionate and talented at what they do, there’s no better place to find them.
Check out the most and least dateable schools lists below, but, like Johnson, don’t fret the results: with just 316 different colleges represented in The Dating Ring’s matchmaking pool — and only two cities’ singles reporting results — this poll is clearly just for fun.
THE MOST DATEABLE COLLEGES:
THE LEAST DATEABLE COLLEGES:
[h/t Time]
Admitting To Those Social Media Sins Aloud Makes You Sound 100 Percent Ridiculous
We are all guilty of doing embarrassing things on the Internet. Our minds can go to some pretty weird places when trying to decide which Instagram filter will make people most jealous of a meal, for instance.
Now, just imagine what would happen if you ‘fessed up.
“I take at least 10 selfies for every one that I post,” one person admits in the video.
The confessions just get better from there.
H/T BuzzFeed
Why I'm Anti-Social Media
Fun fact: I hate social media.
Before you start to say, “What is wrong with this girl? I couldn’t live without my Twitter/Facebook/Instagram!” let me explain my reasoning.
1. Social media makes people anti-social.
How many times have you gone to dinner with a group of friends and you have all sat at the table looking at your phones?
“Wow! Look what Becky posted on Instagram.” “My selfie has 35 likes!”
Seriously?
You literally have real people that you presumably care about in front if you, yet you’re more consumed about how many likes you got on Facebook than making memories right in front of you.
2. Social media can make you unhappy.
Sarah is in Florida, posting pictures of white sand beaches and margaritas. Leah is backpacking through Europe and is checking in at amazing locations, like Vatican City, the Acropolis, and the Eiffel Tower.
And where are you? On your butt on the couch for the fourth day in a row watching a “Mariska Knows Best” Law and Order: SVU marathon. You’re probably scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed and seeing posts about everyone else’s grand adventures.
Then you compare your (non)adventures to theirs and a feeling of intense self-depreciation descends upon you.
So you think they are “having fun” and you’re not? You have watched a collective and impressive 47 hours of Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler. That is dedication.
I bet Sarah is lobster red and has a ridiculous tan line from when she fell asleep on the beach. Leah probably got pickpocketed while waiting in line for gelato in Rome. But they’re sure not going to post that on social media.
3. Social media distracts from the present.
Have you ever missed the game-tying goal at a playoff game because you were too busy trying to take a picture of the bats flying around the stadium? Then you missed the winning goal because you were too busy tweeting about said bats?
Because I have.
Have you ever missed out on an inside joke in the making because you were glued to your phone, trying to pick the perfect filter for your latest Instagram, even though you’re still going to “#nofilter” even though there obviously is one.
Have you ever noticed that you spend more time at a concert trying to get a clear picture of the artist than actually enjoying the music? That picture of Beyoncé is going to be grainy, she’s two centimeters tall and the majority of your picture is other cellphones being held up in the air as other people try to do the same thing.
Look, I’m not saying all social media is bad, because it’s not! Social media allows us to connect with people we would normally never interact with. It is a fantastic marketing tool. It helps us millennials keep up with current events. It can act as a tool of self-expression. There is even a multitude of social media accounts dedicated solely to cats. And that’s all great!
However, when you become more concerned with what others are doing and how your life compares to theirs, then it becomes a problem. You can end up missing out on experiencing and genuinely enjoying life if you continue to do so.
So drink that pumpkin spice latte. But spend more time enjoying the deliciousness that is fall in a cup than worrying about getting the perfect filter for the eighth picture of the barista’s misspelling of your name. (But seriously, how many different ways are there to spell Carrie? A lot actually, but still.)
A few weeks ago, I deleted all social media apps (excluding Pinterest — how else am I supposed to figure out what to eat for dinner besides pasta?). Honestly, I think it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. I find myself going hours without even thinking about my phone and the battery definitely lasts longer. But most importantly, I have noticed that I spend more time reading, enjoying the scenery on my walk to class, or just simply talking to my friends.
Sure, it has some downsides, like when I’ve found the funniest meme that I just have to share on Facebook with my friend studying abroad but I remember that I can’t because I don’t have instant access to Facebook anymore.
But in the grand scheme of things, does it really matter? No.
I enjoyed the meme. That is what matters.
How Regulators Are Clumsily Undermining Their Plan to Let Rideshare Companies Thrive
Just when I thought cooler heads had prevailed, all hell has broken loose in California’s rideshare economy. Regulators gave the thumbs-up to companies like Uber, Lyft and Sidecar with one hand, and then used the other to layer on new rules.
As long as rideshare companies checked certain boxes, like background checks for drivers and increased liability insurance, the California Public Utilities Commission, under the leadership of president Michael Peevey, was happy to let this nascent industry bloom in the state. A year ago, it looked like California was showing other states the right way to regulate rideshare.
But now the same commission is putting the kibosh on a simple, great idea: carpooling. Each of the ridesharing companies has come up with its own version of carpooling where a driver can pick up two different people heading the same direction and charge them separate fares. The scheme is a win-win. Passengers get cheaper fares — up to 50 percent off — and the rest of us get fewer cars on the road and reduced carbon dioxide emissions. The commission should be cheering for this kind of innovation.
Instead, it sent letters to all three companies warning them that the carpooling option violates a 1960s-era regulation that says cars classified as “charter-party carriers” (think limos and party buses) can’t charge individual riders separate fares.
The only problem with this — well, one of the only problems — is that companies like Uber, Lyft and Sidecar aren’t charter-party carriers. They have a completely different business model. While limos and other charter-party carriers must only have one contracting party and charge by time and mileage, shared-ride services tell their customers to plan on sharing a car with another rider in exchange for a discounted fare, which is also based upon time and mileage. When the commission passed the first regulations regarding rideshare companies, there was no discussion about charter-party carriers.
But the commission didn’t stop there. It also chided the rideshare companies for not coming to the commission first to get approval for the carpooling idea. From a commission letter to Sidecar:
“Sidecar has not yet approached the Commission regarding the Shared Rides service, nor submitted a request to modify its existing permit as a Transportation Network Company (TNC) to provide service under a different business model.”
Of course the commission has a duty to keep a close eye on ridesharing companies as they grow. But the focus should be on safety and ensuring a competitive marketplace.
These knee-jerk actions by the commission, and the threatened regulatory roadblocks that come with them, go against the spirit of regulatory innovation that the commission showed when it passed its original rule last year. At the time I wrote:
“By realizing the value of technology and innovation for California’s economy, and smartly supporting the trajectory of the digital revolution, the CPUC has shown regulations can indeed keep pace with the blazing speed of progress.”
But the commission isn’t the only culprit here. The San Francisco and Los Angeles district attorneys quickly joined the fray and issued threatening letters instructing the rideshare companies to remove the carpooling functions from their apps or endanger their “ability to continue operating.” There are few things more chilling in business than receiving such a letter from powerful district attorneys. These actions show a widening gap between consumer protection and common sense.
So where do we go from here? Open communication is key. Regulators need to have face-to-face discussions with the rideshare companies to keep this process from sliding further into the political gutter.
One possible solution is working with the state legislature to move the ridesharing industry under its own chapter of the law, which would avoid regulating the business under antiquated rules. Lawmakers should reconsider their uneven approach to regulating this sector and instead walk a more productive path.
Pornhub Times Square Billboard Meets Stiff Opposition, Comes Down
It was a case of premature evacuation.
A Pornhub billboard erected Monday in Times Square has come down almost as quickly as it went up.
The sign — which displayed the winning entry in a contest for a non-pornographic ad concept — read, “All You Need Is Hand,” with two hands forming a heart.
Ok @Pornhub we see you in Times Square pic.twitter.com/LSi9vh6jN6
— watchLOUD (@watchLOUD) October 8, 2014
But the relatively tame campaign seemed to meet stiff opposition. Pornhub Vice President Corey Price told The Huffington Post the DoubleTree hotel, which occupies the building where the sign was mounted, objected strongly enough to have it removed early Wednesday.
“Our initial agreement with City Outdoor, the company that owns the billboard space, was that we had full approval for the ad to be placed in the initial location,” Price said.
A DoubleTree employee contacted by HuffPost declined to comment. A request for comment to Hilton, the hotel’s parent company, was not immediately returned.
No more Pornhub Billboard in Times Square pic.twitter.com/hBH3fZvkz5
— Pornhub Katie (@Pornhub) October 8, 2014
Now Pornhub is scouting alternative sites for the ad in New York City and other metropolitan areas, Price said.
But the mainstream campaign hasn’t gone away entirely. To bolster the marketing, Pornhub put together a video with the Gotham Rock Choir that melds the Beatles’ classic “All You Need Is Love” with Pornhub’s “All You Need Is Hand” parody version.
We’re not sure the Fab Four would have approved, but what the heck:
Thanks for reading our digest. Opinions in the articles above are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Digital Workshed ltd.