Groupon's New CEO Insists The Company Is 'Misunderstood'

Raise your hand if you think that the problem with Groupon is that the company is just misunderstood by everyone. Anyone?

Last week Groupon's shares hit an all-time low, only days after appointing Rich Williams as its new CEO in place of co-founder Eric Lefkofsky. What's more, Groupon recently ceased operations in Puerto Rico, Taiwan, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and a handful of other countries, adding to notable layoffs the company announced back in September. All of this is to say that Groupon, which offers coupons and deals to online customers, is at a crucial point in its short history -- how much longer can it go on like this?

Another Kickstarter Disaster: The Coolest Cooler

I guess I'd be pretty upset too if I was a backer of this Kickstarter. Nothing sucks worse than seeing the product you've been waiting a year for show up for sale to the public on Amazon. 

Last August, one of the most financially successful Kickstarter campaigns of all time concluded. It was a cooler called the Coolest, which was pricey but promised to contain most of what you need for a beach party. $300 backers were supposed to receive the Coolest, which would retail for $500. Then backers noticed that the product was available on Amazon’s crowdfunded products section… even though original backers from over a year ago hadn’t received theirs yet.

Intel’s 72-core processor is coming to desktop computers next year - 2016

You think your PC gaming rig has a powerful processor? You haven’t seen anything yet. PC World reports that Intel wants to put its so-called Knights Landing chip into a limited number of workstation desktop computers starting next year. Knights Landing, which Intel says is its most powerful chip to date, is a 72-core processor with 8 billion transistors. Next year will mark the first time it’s been used in workstations.

Why Boeing's Design For A 747 Full Of Cruise Missiles Makes Total Sense

After the Carter Administration's cancellation of the B-1A program due to fiscal concerns, the rise of air-launched cruise missiles and the possibility of developing a stealth bomber, Boeing put forward a low-risk, relatively cheap, cruise missile delivery vehicle alternative based on the mighty 747. It was called the Cruise Missile Carrier Aircraft, or CMCA for short.

The idea was relatively simple, turn the premier long-range commercial hauler into an arsenal ship capable of carrying between 50 and 100 air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs). At the time the AGM-86 air-launched cruise missile was all the rage (it is still in service today) so the 747 CMCA concept was built with the 21ft winged missile in mind.

Charlie Sheen to Make ‘Revealing Personal Announcement’ on ‘Today’ Amid Tabloid HIV Reports

Charlie Sheen will appear on NBC’s “Today” on Tuesday to make “a revealing personal announcement” during an interview with Matt Lauer,  the network announced Monday.

News of the live in-studio interview comes just as National Enquirer publishes a report that the former “Two and a Half Men” star is HIV positive, and has been concealing his status.

"Cowardly murder": Ex-drone operators speak out about their jobs

Washington (AFP) - America's use of drones to kill suspected jihadists around the world is driving hatred toward the United States and causing further radicalization, four former airmen have said.

In an open letter to President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and CIA Director John Brennan, the four former drone operators said they were involved in the killing of innocent civilians, and had gone on to suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Science Says Super Bacteria Coming to Kill Us Is Imminent, "People Will Die"

According to a study published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, scientists in China have discovered significantly increased levels of bacteria resistant to the antibiotic colistin in pigs. The drug is a last line of defense against a host of bacterial infections, many of which are common in people. Researchers said they expect the resistant bacteria to spread outside of China, if it has not already done so.

"What is particularly worrying about this is the mechanism of this resistance means that it can spread very easily between species. So global spread is likely." Liz Tayler of the World Health Organization told BBC4 Radio. "This paper suggests that this has already spread out of China and into Malaysia."

Exclusive: U.S. probes Bosch in VW cheating scandal - sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. authorities are investigating German auto supplier Robert Bosch GmbH [ROBG.UL] over its role in Volkswagen AG's massive scheme to cheat U.S. emission standards, according to people familiar with the matter.

Federal prosecutors with the U.S. Department of Justice are examining whether Bosch, the world's largest auto supplier, knew or participated in Volkswagen's years-long efforts to circumvent U.S. diesel emissions tests, the people said. Bosch built key components in the diesel engine used in six Volkswagen models and one Audi model that the automaker has admitted to rigging to defeat emissions tests. Federal authorities are also investigating how deeply the scheme permeated VW’s hierarchy, according to people familiar with the matter.

“They Used To Be Okay With Just A Kiss. Now They All Want To Bang-Bang!”

If you don’t think the casting couch exists, ask someone who’s faced it many times…

I was more than a little nervous when Sharika Raina, a film and television actor, greeted me at her front door. It’s not every day that I get to meet cute, on-air personalities (or any women in general), but my anxiety wasn’t about that. It was about the ‘why’ of the meeting. I was here to talk to Sharika about her casting couch experiences.

As I entered, the first thing that caught my eye was her 'Bar Council of India’ Sanad (certificate), neatly framed over a sofa. “Of course, I’ve practiced law. I used to work with my father. I was a corporate lawyer!” You’re wondering, right – how does one go from corporate law to acting? “By auditioning, auditioning, and then auditioning some more.”

New charges for ex-Taco Bell exec - Benjamin Golden - in Uber fracas

A Taco Bell executive who lost this job after allegedly beating an Uber driver — an incident caught on video — was slapped Tuesday with further criminal charges that put him at risk of spending up to a year behind bars and paying a $10,000 fine.

Benjamin Golden, 32, who lives in Newport Beach, California, was charged with four misdemeanor counts by the Orange County District Attorney's office on Tuesday, a day after a YouTube video of the Uber car incident went viral.

The DA accused Golden of assault on public transportation property, battery on a public transit employee with injury, assault and battery. Golden originally was charged with misdemeanor assault and public intoxication by Costa Mesa police.

BAE Systems just invested $30M in a new rocket engine that could revolutionize space travel - Skylon/SABRE/Reaction Engine

British defense contractor BAE Systems, one of the world’s foremost purveyors of futuristic defense technologies, just officially announced that it plans to invest roughly $31.7 million to help develop a hybrid rocket engine with Britain’s Reaction Engines Limited. If completed, the Synergistic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine –or SABRE for short— would revolutionize the industry of space travel with its ability to operate not only in outer space, but within Earth’s atmosphere as well. Though testing is still likely many years out, the new cash infusion from BAE Systems will allow REL to expand its research and officially complete a test model.

“This investment by BAE Systems reflects the strength of British engineering and technology and our ambitions as a leading space nation,” says MP Jo Johnson, the United Kingdom’s Minister for Universities and Science. “I am sure that this partnership will strengthen both organizations — helping to create more jobs in the UK’s growing space sector and ultimately to make the SABRE engine a reality.”

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The SABRE engine

Death rate on the rise for middle-aged white Americans

For decades, nearly all Americans -- in every age and racial group -- have seen decreases in death rates. But in the last nearly 15 years, middle-aged white Americans have been left out, according to a study.

Death rates for white Americans ages 45 to 54 climbed half a percent each year between 1999 and 2013, researchers at Princeton University found using mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the previous two decades, the death rate for this group had dropped by 2% each year. Middle-aged blacks and Hispanics continued to see a 2% annual decline between 1999 and 2013.

"We have come to expect mortality rates in middle age to continue to decline, which they did throughout most of the 20th century...it was really a surprise to see a sustained period when mortality rates actually increased (among middle-aged white Americans)," said Anne Case, professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University.

Target - announces 13 U.S. store closures

Target is closing the doors to 13 of its stores.

On Wednesday, Target (TGT) confirmed that the locations across the U.S. would be closing by January 31, 2016.

A Target spokesperson said "the decision to close a Target store is not made lightly."

She added that before the company decides to make a closure, a store's financial health is evaluated over a long period of time. "Typically, a store is closed as a result of seeing several years of decreasing profitability," she said.

The Latest: Commander defends probe of Illinois cop's death

ROUND LAKE BEACH, Ill. (AP) — The latest developments in the investigation into the shooting death of an Illinois police officer in August. (All times local):

11 a.m.

Authorities are defending the time it took to conclude that an Illinois police officer killed himself and was not killed by others.

Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Commander George Filenko told reporters Wednesday that police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz elaborately staged a crime scene, scattering his pepper spray, baton and other equipment before shooting himself twice on Sept. 1.

Lake County Sheriff's Office spokesman Christopher Covelli added that investigators had to filter through thousands of pages of financial documents, 6,500 pages of text messages and 40,000 emails.

Britain: Russian jetliner may have been downed by bomb

LONDON (AP) — British and U.S. officials said Wednesday they have information suggesting the Russian jetliner that crashed in the Egyptian desert may have been brought down by a bomb, and Britain said it was suspending flights to and from the Sinai Peninsula indefinitely.

Intercepted communications played a role in the tentative conclusion that the Islamic State group's Sinai affiliate planted an explosive device on the plane, said a U.S. official briefed on the matter. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss intelligence matters publicly.

Tarantino says he won't be intimidated by police boycotts

NEW YORK (AP) — After a week of backlash from police groups threatening to boycott his upcoming film, Quentin Tarantino stood by his comments about police brutality and said he wouldn't be intimidated from voicing his opinion.

Tarantino told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday that law enforcement groups are trying to bully him. "Instead of dealing with the problem of police brutality in this country, better they single me out," Tarantino told the Times.

Bunker-Like Underground Mansion Is One Way to Dodge Zoning Rules

Real estate developer and rugby team owner Steve O’Connor wanted to build a mega-mansion in the English countryside. The only problem: Local zoning codes wouldn’t allow a space as large as he envisioned to be built above-ground.

So he went underground.

The tragically powerful story behind the lone German who refused to give Hitler the Nazi salute

(Wikipedia/Amanda Macias/Business Insider) August Landmesser refused to do the "Sieg Heil" salute during a Nazi rally at the Blohm Adopted by the Nazi Party in the 1930s, Hitler's infamous "sieg heil" (meaning "hail victory") salute was mandatory for all German citizens as a demonstration of loyalty to the Führer, his party, and his nation.

August Landmesser, the lone German refusing to raise a stiff right arm amid Hitler's presence at a 1936 rally, had been a loyal Nazi.

Landmesser joined the Nazi Party in 1931 and began to work his way up the ranks of what would become the only legal political affiliation in the country.

The biggest tech deal ever: Dell buys EMC for $67 billion

In the biggest tech deal of all time, Dell announced Monday that it has agreed to buy corporate software, storage and security giant EMC for $67 billion.

The deal completes Dell's transformation from a consumer PC business to an IT solutions provider for companies. That process began when Dell bought Perot Systems for $4 billion in 2009 and went full throttle in 2013 when company founder Michael Dell took the business private.

North Korea stages massive military parade, says ready to defend itself against U.S.

(CNN)Presiding over a massive military parade in the nation's capital, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country was "fully ready" to defend itself against any U.S. threat.

In a carefully choreographed show of strength and celebration to mark the 70th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party, hundreds of troops marched in elaborate formations across Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square, which was festooned with national and party flags, footage from state broadcaster KCTV showed.

Kim watched the extravaganza from a viewing platform and gave a rare live televised speech. Last year, Kim didn't show during a mysterious absence that lasted over a month.

"Our party can confidently state that our revolutionary armament today can deal with any kind of war U.S. imperialists ask for, and we are fully ready to persistently defend the country's blue sky and the well-being of the people," he told the gathered crowds.

North Korea's regime is fond of saber rattling and has made plenty of threats before. Intimidating words about the United States and South Korea have been more the norm than not for years.

Foreign dignitaries, media and tourists gathered in Pyongyang for the spectacle, which saw fighter jets flying in a "70" formation.

U.S. delivers 50 tons of ammunition to Syria rebel groups

(CNN)U.S. military cargo planes gave 50 tons of ammunition to rebel groups overnight in northern Syria, using an air drop of 112 pallets as the first step in the Obama Administration's urgent effort to find new ways to support those groups.

Details of the air mission over Syria were confirmed by a U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly because the details have not yet been formally announced.

The $725m ranch bigger than New York and Los Angeles combined - Northwest Texas!

(CNN)The final countdown to the real estate sale of the century has begun.

Bigger than New York City and Los Angeles combined,Waggoner Ranch in Texas spans half-a-million acres, boasts more than 100 properties within its boundaries and oil reserves.

The ultimate equestrian estate is yours -- for $725 million. But be quick -- any potential buyers have until October 20 to raise the funds and submit an offer.

Bernard Uechtritz, an Australian realtor living in Texas, has been tasked with the sale of the equestrian estate that has stayed in one family for its entire 165-year existence. He's getting used to turning down the advances of some of the world's richest people in the sale.

2016 Ford Explorer Test Drive and Review

2016 Ford Explorer.  Photo (c) Aaron Gold

The original Ford Explorer is one of the vehicles credited with kicking off the SUV craze in America, but in the last few years, the Explorer has fallen by the wayside. The previous iteration featured a useful interior, but its strange exterior styling didn't do it any favors.

Now Ford is back with an updated Explorer, and they haven't just made a few minor changes: The new Explorer has a new look, a new driving demeanor, new techno-gadgetry, and even a couple of new engines, with EPA fuel economy estimates ranging from 16 to 19 MPG in the city and 22 to 28 on the highway.

The Chicago-built Explorer is covered by a 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty with 5 years or 60,000 miles of powertrain coverage. So is the Explorer ready to retake its crown as the standard-setter for full-size SUVs? Let's drive it and find out.

Ferrari sets $1 billion IPO. Ticker symbol? RACE

RACE. That's the ticker symbol that Ferrari will use when it debuts on the New York Stock Exchange with a $10 billion valuation within the next few months.

Parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCAM) said Monday it plans to set a price of $48 to $52 per Ferrari share and intends to sell about 10% of the company in the initial public offering. The company hopes to raise just about $1 billion from investors.

After the IPO, Fiat Chrysler shareholders will be given the remaining Ferrari shares to split the luxury car manufacturer from its parent company.

China's 50-Lane Traffic Jam Is Every Commuter's Worst Nightmare

Reuters/China Daily

Traffic after the holidays tend to be pretty awful. But China may have just turned every driver’s worst nightmare into reality as hundreds of millions of people headed home at the end of a Golden Week, a week-long national holiday.

Thousands of motorists found themselves stranded on Tuesday in what looks from above like a 50-lane parking lot on the G4 Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressway, one of the country’s busiest roads. Some are dubbing the traffic jam a “carpocalypse,” while others are calling it “carmageddon.”

El Faro had leaks, holes, other structural issues, former crew members say

(CNN)Three former crew members of El Faro, a ship that apparently sank during Hurricane Joaquin, told CNN the ship had structural problems and questioned whether it should have sailed with a major storm in the region.

The 40-year-old cargo ship never made it to Puerto Rico after it left Jacksonville, Florida, last week, and appears to have sunk near islands in the Bahamas.

The ex-crew members, who each last traveled on the ship at some point this year, said the ship had issues with taking on water.

"The chief cook's room was constantly leaking water," Kurt Bruer, a quartermaster who spent six months on El Faro, said. There were other problems. "The drainage didn't work well on the ship."

Verizon Hiking Unlimited Data Plans By $20!!!

I have bad news for anyone that is still on Verizon's unlimited data plan. Starting in November, your monthly bill is going UP by $20.

The drastic increase, 66 percent, will affect some of its long-time customers who have until now survived the company's efforts to lure them away from prized unlimited plans in the era of data-gobbling mobile apps. Customers will see the higher price on their bills starting Nov. 15.

Major Ransomware Campaign Disrupted

I'm not saying these guys are stupid...BUT...buying over eight hundred servers with stolen credit cards wasn't the smartest thing to do.

Cisco's researchers thwarted the activity of a single group of cyber-criminals responsible for 50% of all deployments of ransomware via the Angler exploit kit. The group conducted operations on such a large scale that by the end of the year they would have potentially earned more than $34 million / €30 million.

The $1B City Where Humans Are Banned

First there was a fake town for testing self driving cars, now there is this billion dollar town that humans are banned from living in. Technology hates homeless people. 

Planned for a population of 35,000, the city will showcase a modern business district downtown, and neat rows of terraced housing in the suburbs. It will be supplied with pristine streets, parks, malls and a church. But no one will ever call it home.

Uber Hit With Lawsuit Over Alleged Sexual Assaults

Damn! We were so close to making it through the week without one of these stories.

The suit, filed Thursday in US District Court in San Francisco, claims Uber aims its marketing at young women who have been drinking but doesn't conduct adequate background checks on its drivers. That lapse has led to a number of sexual assaults, according to the 52-page complaint filed on behalf of two "Jane Does" who allege their Uber drivers sexually assaulted them.

North Charleston reaches $6.5 million settlement with family of Walter Scott

Former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager is charged with murder in the death of Walter Scott.

North Charleston, South Carolina (CNN)The family of the late Walter Scott and the city of North Charleston, South Carolina, have reached a $6.5 million settlement.

The North Charleston City Council approved the settlement on Thursday night.

MPAA and RIAA’s Megaupload Lawsuits Delayed Until 2016

It's been almost four years since this all started, what's another six months going to hurt?

Megaupload has asked a federal court in Virginia to postpone its legal battles with the MPAA and RIAA while the criminal proceedings remain pending. The movie studios and recording labels haven't objected to the request which means that it will take at least six more months before the civil cases begin.

Apple Moves Forward With Data Center Expansion Plans

Apparently Apple is moving forward with its plans for total world domination. Whoops, pardon me, I meant "data center expansion plans."

Back in April 2015, Apple filed an application with the County Court responsible for the area including their Prineville Oregon data center, to expand their existing data center operation by adding two additional data halls -- or, as Apple calls them in its own non-standard terminology, pods. While the application has not yet been approved, the company has moved forward by purchasing 200 acres of land directly adjacent to their existing 159 acre Prineville data center campus.

NVIDIA Introduces GeForce NOW Cloud Gaming Service

NVIDIA has taken the wraps of its new GeForce NOW cloud gaming service. With a library of over 50 games at launch, the service will cost $7.99 per month with the first three months free.

GeForce NOW is the first cloud-gaming service to stream at full high-definition 1080p quality and at 60 frames per second. Membership costs just $7.99 a month with the first three months free. GeForce NOW arrives on Oct. 1 in North America, the European Union and Japan with more than 50 popular games included. And it offers members the option to buy and play many more in an instant.

Make $1000 A Week Standing In Line

A thousand bucks a week to stand in line for stuff like iPhones, product launches and other stuff isn't half bad.

Samuel recently spent 48 hours outside the Apple store in the Meatpacking District waiting for the iPhone 6s. He was the first in line, slept in a fold-up cot for two nights, had pizza delivered to his spot and snagged $1000 for the gig

Yahoo's Latest Transparency Report

Yahoo published its fifth transparency report today. Aside from requests to take down images "promoting terrorism" on Flickr in the UK, the rest of the report is business as usual.

We carefully scrutinize each request to make sure that it complies with the law, and we push back on those requests that don’t satisfy our rigorous standards. When we are compelled to disclose data, consistent with our Global Principles for Responding to Government Requests, we disclose only as much data as is necessary to comply with the request.

What Shape Is The Internet?

What shape is the internet? According to these patent drawings, no one really knows. These are some of my favorites:

Microsoft Ditches Bing For Baidu In China

Whoa! Microsoft ditching Bing in favor of Baidu in China? I never thought I'd see that happen. They must really want Windows 10 to do well over there.

Today, we’re excited to announce another partnership with a leader in China – Baidu. With over 600 million active users, Baidu is one of the most frequently used Internet gateways in China. Together, we will make it easy for Baidu customers to upgrade to Windows 10 and we will deliver a custom experience for customers in China, providing local browsing and search experiences. Baidu.com will become the default homepage and search for the Microsoft Edge browser in Windows 10.

Netflix Knows Exactly When You Got Hooked

Netflix says that they have us all figured out. I don't know how they know what gets us hooked but you have to admit, they are doing something right.

It turns out that when commercial breaks and appointment viewing are stripped away and consumers can watch an entire season as they choose, you can see fandom emerge. That is, 70% of viewers who watched the hooked episode went on to complete season one or more poetically, when members were hooked and there was no turning back.

FBI Arrests Chinese Millionaire Once Tied to Clinton $$ Scandal

The FBI has arrested a politically prominent Chinese millionaire, the alleged secret source of foreign money in a campaign finance scandal during the Clinton administration, on charges he lied about why he brought more than $4.5 million in cash into the United States over the last two years.

Ng Lap Seng was arrested in New York last weekend by FBI agents working with federal prosecutors assigned to the public corruption squad in the Southern District of New York, according to federal authorities.

His arrest came on the same day the Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Seattle for a state visit to the United States.

In addition to his role as a prominent real estate developer on the gambling center island of Macau, Ng has close ties to the Chinese government and is listed as a member of a senior advisory group, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

This 14-Year-Old Boy And His Homemade Motorbike Will Inspire You

As parents, we dream our kids will discover something in life that they’re truly passionate about — something that keeps them honest, free from perils, and away from the many armchair-based video games encompassing today’s youths. If that passion turns out to be our passion — something we can share together — well, then count your blessings. You just hit the lotto.  

Haven Jarel, 14, was three when he fell in love with the motorcycle. A full-face helmet dwarfed his tiny body, and yet the child that was likely not long out of diapers bombed around a grassy field, “free,” as he so eloquently puts it. It was this moment that birthed his passion for bikes. And yet young Haven didn’t just want to ride them, he wanted to work on them and, ultimately, make his own.

An RPG vs. 16-inches of bulletproof glass: Which do you think prevails?

Leave it to the Russian YouTube channel Crash Zone to come up with an answer to a question no one ever really thought to ask: What happens when you pit a shoulder-fired RPG (rocket propelled grenade) against 16 inches of fortified bulletproof glass?

Why a whole lot of destruction, naturally.

As you might expect, the RPG emerged victorious by a mile. Bulletproof glass, especially 16 inches worth, is certainly no joke. But when you start talking about military grade weaponry, well, that’s an entirely different level of destructive power to contend with.

Ahmed Mohamed Will Not Return To MacArthur High School, Family Says

Days after administrators called for the arrest of 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed for bringing in what they suspected was a “bomb” (actually a homemade clock), MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas, said that it would “certainly welcome” the teen back to school.

“We're confident that we can continue to provide him with an excellent education,” a school spokeswoman told ABC News.

But Ahmed’s family says the freshman is not at all interested in returning to MacArthur. His father, Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed, said Thursday that Ahmed will transfer out of the high school; the family is “still deciding where he will go next,” reports The Associated Press.

Associated PressAhmed Mohamed, 14, gestures as he arrives at his family's home in Irving, Texas, on Thursday.

Ahmed was arrested on Monday after teachers became suspicious of the homemade clock that he’d brought to school.

Police: Qatari sheikh left US with his speeding Ferrari

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — A Ferrari caught on video zooming through a Beverly Hills neighborhood last weekend is owned by a Middle Eastern sheikh who has since left the country and taken his million-dollar sports car with him, authorities say.

Police held a news conference Thursday to discuss the incident and identified the owner as Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani, of Qatar. He's a lover of fast cars who owned a champion drag-racing team and is a member of the ruling family of the oil-rich country.

Al Thani's bright yellow, 12-cylinder LaFerrari, which sells for around $1.4 million new, was recorded along with a white Porsche speeding down narrow streets and racing through stop signs Saturday evening. They eventually pulled into a driveway, the Ferrari's engine smoking.

Officers answering reports of reckless driving found both cars parked in the driveway. A man believed to be Al Thani told the officers that the cars belonged to him, and he denied speeding or driving recklessly, police said.

Owner Of Beverly Hills LaFerrari Does Not Have Diplomatic Immunity, Flees Country

The story of the Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 911 GT3 that were caught on camera speeding through a Beverly Hills neighborhood, ignoring stop signs and narrowly avoiding pedestrians, has taken another turn for the weird. Having been confronted by a video journalist, the cars’ owner — who’s name has not been released — reportedly told the man he had “diplomatic immunity” and could have him “killed and get away with it.”

The Air Force Will Have Combat Lasers On Its War Planes By 2020

I only have one question. Which company—Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, or Boeing—is best capable of creating the Vic Viper?

These armaments, dubbed directed-energy weapons pods, will be mounted on American warplanes and serve to burn missiles, UAVs -- even other combat aircraft -- clean out of the sky. "I believe we'll have a directed energy pod we can put on a fighter plane very soon," Air Force General Hawk Carlisle said at a Fifth-Generation Warfare lecture during the Air Force Association Air & Space conference earlier this week. "That day is a lot closer than I think a lot of people think it is."

US, China Seek Deal On Cyberspace Attacks

Despite ongoing negotiations between the superpowers toward an arms control accord for cyberspace, espionage and theft will likely go on as usual.

The agreement being negotiated would also not appear to cover the use of tools to steal intellectual property, as the Chinese military does often to bolster state-owned industries, according to an indictment of five officers of the People’s Liberation Army last year. And it is not clear that the rules would prohibit the kind of attack carried out last year against Sony Pictures Entertainment, for which the United States blamed North Korea. That attack melted down about 70 percent of Sony’s computer systems.

Batband Is A High-Fidelity Bone-Conduction Headphone

I am really curious as to what these sound like. It seems like they’d be perfect for activities where you need to hear your surroundings, like cycling around traffic.

How one high schooler made $80K (without getting a job)

Abby Saxastar [center] earned $80,000 in guaranteed scholarship on Raise.me.

High schoolers can now earn money for college -- no job required.

Startup Raise.me developed a program that allows high school students to start banking college scholarship money.
What's the catch?
The money is tied to students' individual achievements. The better they do in school, the more engaged they are with their communities, the more money they earn from Raise.me's college partners.
There are 76 colleges on Raise.me's platform, including Penn State, UMass and Tulane. Raise.me cofounder Preston Silverman hopes to increase that to 100 colleges by the end of the year.
As long as students meet the college's GPA requirements, they can start earning money from as many as they choose -- between $500 to $1,000 per achievement. Students don't get the money until they are accepted to one of the colleges.

China Punishes Social Media Pranksters

You know how it is illegal to yell "fire" in a crowded theater? Well, in China, the same thing goes for posting zombie pictures. I'm not kidding.

Earlier this month, the police in the southern city of Guangzhou published a notice online that images posted on Weibo of a woman covered in blood and a note suggesting she was a zombie were fake. The online warning added a reminder for residents to avoid hallucinogens. A 21-year-old man from the area with the surname Zhang was given 10 days of detention for posting the item.

Robot Tells TV Host F**k You Live On Air

I guess they won't be inviting this robot back on the show any time soon.

GM agrees to $900M criminal settlement over ignition-switch defect

People who opted to sue GM instead of taking a previous settlement offer may get compensated as part of the settlement announced Thursday by Texas attorney Bob Hilliard.


General Motors agreed to pay $900 million as part of a Justice Department investigation into its failure to fix a deadly ignition-switch defect blamed for more than 120 deaths.
Federal prosecutors hit GM with a wire-fraud charge and a charge for "engaging in a scheme to conceal a deadly safety defect" from regulators. But those counts would be dismissed in three years if GM fixes its recall processes. GM's official plea is not guilty.


U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara left the door open to prosecuting specific GM employees. But he said it's difficult to pin blame on an individual who may have had only partial knowledge of a backward bureaucratic process that led to tragedy.


"We're not done, and it remains possible we will charge an individual," Bharara said at a news conference in New York. "If there is a way to bring a case like that, we will bring it."
GM engineers, attorneys and midlevel executives failed to fix the defect for more than a decade.
“To sum it up, they didn’t tell the truth in the best way that they should have, to their regulators, to the public, about the serious safety defects that risked life and limb," Bharara said.
As part of the settlement, GM admitted to having defrauded customers by marketing its vehicles as safe during that period.

'Pacific Rim 2' Could Be Cancelled For Same Reason As 'Tron 3'

Image from ‘Pacific Rim,’ courtesy of Warner Bros. and Legendary

If Pacific Rim 2 gets cancelled, it will arguably be for the same reason that Walt Disney DIS +0.96% pulled the plug on Tron 3.
There is a big, juicy piece in The Hollywood Reporter today about the push-and-pull between Legendary and Universal/Comcast CMCSA +1.72%. A lot of it has to do with the whole “Skull Island goes to Warner Bros./Time Warner TWX +0.00%” thing with a little bit of bad blood concerning Legendary’s Thomas Tull perhaps taking too much credit for mega-hits like The Dark Knight and Jurassic World over the years. I will admit that I am a little disheartened to hear that Universal wasn’t thrilled about a film as expensive as Crimson Peak going out as an R, but that may be for another day if I get a chance to discuss their still worthwhile slate of theatrical horror films this year. The big geek news concerns the now uncertain fate of Pacific Rim 2. The film was slotted for August 4, 2017, before it was pulled off the schedule a week or so ago.

World's first 8K TV costs $133,000

Sharp will begin selling the world's first 8K television just in time for Halloween.

Interested? You'd better be prepared to pay up. The 85-inch "LV-85001" ultra-high definition TV set will cost you ¥16 million ($133,000) when it goes on sale October 30.