Twitter announced it will be using "anti-spam" and "anti-abuse" tools to protect survivors of the Parkland shooting from harassment on its platform, along with verifying several of the students' accounts.
The survivors of the shooting had been targeted for harassment, with several conspiracy theories circulating on social media that the survivors are paid actors, or that the shooting itself was a "false flag."
Several of the Parkland shooting survivors have become outspoken critics of the gun lobby.
"Such behavior goes against everything we stand for at Twitter, and we are taking action on any content that violates our terms of service," the company tweeted from an official account.
Several of the survivors have come under fire from far-right groups and conspiracy theorists online, who have claimed that at least one of the survivors was a paid actor, and that the shooting itself was a staged, so-called "false flag" attack. These claims, in turn, have led to the harassment that Twitter is now trying to guard the survivors against.
Specificially, Twitter says via tweet that "We are also using our anti-spam and anti-abuse tools to weed out malicious automation around these individuals and the topics they are raising. We have also verified a number of survivors' Twitter accounts."
Twitter declined to comment beyond the content of those tweets.
For their part, the survivors of the Parkland shooting, which left 17 dead and many more wounded, have entered the public debate as high-profile supporters of gun control.
However, it seems that this heightened visibility has made them more of a target: Cameron Kasky, a 17-year-old survivor of the shooting who's become an outspoken critic of the gun lobby, has said that he was forced to quit Facebook over death threats he recieved from 'NRA cultists.'
We are actively working on reports of targeted abuse and harassment of a number of survivors of the tragic mass shooting in #Parkland. Such behavior goes against everything we stand for at Twitter, and we are taking action on any content that violates our terms of service.
We are also using our anti-spam and anti-abuse tools to weed out malicious automation around these individuals and the topics they are raising. We have also verified a number of survivors' Twitter accounts.
The father of a Parkland school shooting victim criticized a listening session President Donald Trump held with survivors and family members of victims of school shootings.
"I want them to look me in the eye and acknowledge the role that guns play in the hunting of my daughter," he said.
He criticized Trump's discussion for dodging what he believed was a glaring factor in school shootings.
Fred Guttenberg's 14-year-old daughter, Jaime, was killed in the deadly February 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
"My daughter was hunted last week," Guttenberg said on CNN. "She wasn't just a simple little thing. She was massacred. My daughter, who was the energy in the room. She brought beauty and joy to everyone she was around."
"I am enraged to hear our politicians, including in that little circular sit-down session in the president's office today not be able to use the phrase that guns are a problem," Guttenberg continued. "I am enraged. I want to hear our elected officials, I want them to look me in the eye and acknowledge the role that guns played in the hunting of my daughter."
During the discussion, Trump weighed the merits of eliminating gun-free zones in schools and allowing armed teachers who have "special training" to access their firearms in schools.
"Gun-free zone to a maniac, because they're all cowards ... is 'Let's go in and let's attack because bullets aren't coming back at us,'" Trump said. "If you do this, and a lot of people are talking about it, and it's certainly a point that we'll discuss, but concealed-carry for teachers and for people of talent, of that type of talent."
Guttenberg took exception to the idea: "And what I heard today, is that 'We need to arm students and teachers so that we'll have shoot-outs in the hallways?' I mean, come on. There was pandemonium. My daughter and other kids were running for their lives."
"So what are we supposed to have? More casualties? I'm enraged," Guttenberg said. "I want to hear real solutions, but you can't talk about real solutions until you can actually say what the problem is. And the problem is guns. And I don't diminish anything else with regard to mental health, or all the other factors because they're all critically important. But guns are the issue."
Guttenberg made his statement moments before a CNN town-hall meeting where lawmakers, such as Rep. Ted Deutch and Sens. Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio of Florida were set to engage with participants about the best ways to move forward.
"I want to hear people speak truth to action." Guttenberg said.
Roku, the streaming TV platform company, competes with giants like Apple and Amazon.
But even though those big tech companies have similar gadgets, Roku continues to thrive.
Roku CEO Anthony Wood attributed the company's success to a variety of factors like its superior software designed specifically for TVs.
Roku CEO Anthony Wood is not afraid to go toe-to-toe with industry heavyweights.
The scrappy streaming TV company he leads is tiny player, with a relatively modest $5 billion market cap, competing against giants like Google (market cap: $770 billion), Apple (market cap: $868 billion), and Amazon (market cap: $717 billion) in the quest to dominate the future of TV.
Yet against all odds, Roku appears to be holding its own. The company's 19 million users streamed more than 4 billion hours of video in the last three months of 2017 and its stock has tripled since its September IPO (Although the stock was down in after hours trading on Wednesday when investors got spooked by the company's outlook for 2018.)
Why hasn't Roku become road kill?
According to Woods, the smart TV is new playing field where size, history and TK don't offer any advantages for the tech giants that have dominated PCs, smartphones and other platforms.
"Look at the trends. Every time a new computing platform emerges, the operating system has changed," Wood told Business Insider in an interview on Wednesday..
"The way I think about these things, they used to be small companies too," Wood said of the tech giants Roku competes with. "They competed with ginormous companies. But when markets change, opportunities abound."
No original content means no conflicts
Roku sells inexpensive hardware gadgets that connect to TVs and allow users to stream online video. The company also licenses its software to TV makers so they can integrate its service directly into their products. Unlike some of its competitors however, Roku's goal isn't just to sell a bunch of dongles and boxes. The goal is to get its software platform onto as many devices as possible and to become the operating system of choice for the new generation of smart TVs.
Roku's lack of history in the tech industry is actually one of its biggest advantages, Wood argues. Roku is wholly focused on building an operating system for smart TVs from the ground up instead of trying to shoehorn existing software into the TV, the way Google, Apple, and Amazon do. (Apple TV's operating system is based on iOS, and Google and Amazon base their TV platforms on Android.)
Roku's software is designed specifically for TV and TV hardware. Wood said that rival TV operating systems from Apple and others were originally designed to run on pricey smartphone hardware, which can cost hundreds of dollars. Roku's software can run on hardware that costs a lot less and is optimized for TV.
Wood also credited Roku's openness for allowing it to compete against its larger rivals. Roku doesn't produce or sell its own video shows. Roku is effectively a neutral player that supports any and all streaming services, from Netflix to Hulu to Youtube.
By contrast, Apple, Amazon, and Google all make or sell their own content, which creates competing interests as they try to establish their hardware and software products as the smart TV standard. Amazon's Fire TV gadget doesn't support a native YouTube app, for example. Users who choose one of those companies' platforms miss out on content they want to watch.
That's not good for users, but it's great for Roku.
The Securities and Exchange Commission issued new guidelines on Wednesday for public companies regarding their duties concerning the disclosure of security breaches and vulnerabilities.
The guidelines come amid scrutiny of a massive stock sale Intel CEO Brian Krzanich made last fall after his company found out about — but before it publicly disclosed — the Meltdown and Spectre attacks.
The agency advised companies to disclose such incidents to investors in a "timely" manner.
It also warned executives and directors not to trade in their companies shares in the time in between finding out about a "material" security problem and disclosing it to the public.
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich sold millions of dollars worth of company stock after his company became aware of the Spectre and Meltdown security vulnerabilities, but before they became public.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has a bit of advice for other executives thinking of doing something similar: Don't.
In new guidelines issued on Wednesday, the agency warned that security breaches and vulnerabilities could constitute "material" information, noting that it's illegal under US securities laws for insiders to trade stocks based on such information before it becomes public. Such sales may also violate companies' ethics and insider trading policies.
"Directors, officers, and other corporate insiders must not trade a public company’s securities while in possession of material nonpublic information, which may include knowledge regarding a significant cybersecurity incident experienced by the company," the SEC said in the guidelines.
It continued: "Companies should have policies and procedures in place to [...] guard against directors, officers, and other corporate insiders taking advantage of the period between the company’s discovery of a cybersecurity incident and public disclosure of the incident to trade on material nonpublic information."
Additionally, the SEC encouraged companies to disclose security breaches and vulnerabilities to investors in a "timely fashion."
The new guidelines follow disclosures of the Meltdown and Spectre attacks
The guidelines come less than two months after Intel and other tech companies disclosed the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities. Those vulnerabilities, which take advantage of a feature found in nearly all computer processors, could be used in cyberattacks that would allow malicious actors to steal private data stored on computers, such as passwords.
The exploits were of particular concern to Intel. The vulnerability they take advantage of has been present in nearly all Intel chips for the last 20 years. And while just about all processors found in smartphones, tablets, and PCs are vulnerable to the Spectre attack, few chips other than Intel's are at risk of the Meltdown attack.
Intel was notified of the attacks in June, but waited some seven months to disclose them. In between the company becoming aware of the processor security problems, and their public disclosure, Krzanich gained $24 million by selling all of the shares and options he was allowed to sell under his contract.
The company has said his stock sale was unrelated to the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities, noting that it was done as part of a planned stock sale. But Krzanich put that plan in place just the month before — some five months after Intel became aware of the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities.
Intel is facing some 35 lawsuits related to Spectre and Meltdown
Intel's handling of the disclosure of the exploits is now the subject of some 35 lawsuits, including a pair of shareholder derivative suits specifically related to Krzanich's stock sale.
Similar questions were raised about stock sales by Equifax executives made last year, in between the company becoming aware of a massive security breach and it disclosing that breach to the public.
It's unclear whether the SEC's new guidelines were prompted by either the Equifax or Intel security issues. The Justice Department is reportedly investigating the stock sales at Equifax. It's unclear whether the department or the SEC is investigating Krzanich's sale.
The guidelines don't represent new rules. Instead, they're essentially a clarification of existing ones. As such, the fact that the agency didn't issue them until Wednesday wouldn't bar it from investigating Krzanich's sale, even though that sale predated those guidelines.
An SEC representative declined to comment on the guidelines or whether the agency is investigating Krzanich's sale. An Intel representative did not respond to an email seeking comment.
A former Google employee is suing the company, saying he was fired after speaking out about purported harassment and in favour of diversity.
It comes after another ex-Googler, James Damore, alleged the company discriminates against white male conservatives.
"An important part of our culture is lively debate," a Google spokesperson said. "But like any workplace, that doesn't mean anything goes."
SAN FRANCISCO — Google has been hit with another lawsuit alleging that it unjustly fired an employee who spoke out about politics — but this time, the employee is on the political left.
Software developer Tim Chevalier alleges that the technology giant was rife with harassment and discrimination, and that he was dismissed in November 2017 after he spoke out in support of diversity.
In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday, Chevalier's lawyers allege that he was wrongfully terminated and that Google violated the law by allowing a "hostile work environment."
The case comes after another former Google employee, James Damore, was dismissed after speaking out about the internal politics of the company. Damore's political stance was very different, however: He wrote a memo questioning the appropriateness of Google's pro-diversity efforts, and has sued the company claiming it discriminates against white male conservatives.
Chevalier's lawyers allege that Google employees used the company's internal messaging systems and "posted discriminatory and harassing comments," and that Chevalier — who identifies as transgender, disabled, and queer — called it out and "[asked] his peers to reflect on perspectives different from their own."
Damore's memo was among the posts that Chevalier criticised, the suit says, allegedly describing it as "misogynistic."
"Chevalier’s supervisors were critical of Chevalier’s political participation and dismissive of his attempts to change Google’s culture," the suit alleges. "Ultimately, Google fired Chevalier. Human Resources explicitly told Chevalier that Google was ending his employment because of his political statements."
Reached for comment about Chevalier's lawsuit, Google spokesperson Gina Scigliano said in a statement: "An important part of our culture is lively debate. But like any workplace, that doesn't mean anything goes. All employees acknowledge our code of conduct and other workplace policies, under which promoting harmful stereotypes based on race or gender is prohibited."
In a statement, Chevalier said: "It is a cruel irony that Google attempted to justify firing me by claiming that my social networking posts showed bias against my harassers. The anti-discrimination laws are meant to protect marginalized and underrepresented groups- not those who attack them."
The full statement from Google is as follows:
"An important part of our culture is lively debate. But like any workplace, that doesn't mean anything goes. All employees acknowledge our code of conduct and other workplace policies, under which promoting harmful stereotypes based on race or gender is prohibited. This is a very standard expectation that most employers have of their employees. The overwhelming majority of our employees communicate in a way that is consistent with our policies. But when an employee does not, it is something we must take seriously. We always make our decision without any regard to the employee’s political views."
Here's the full complaint from Tim Chevalier's lawyers:
The media landscape is almost shifting more quickly than consumers can keep up.
But certain trends have emerged that will carry the media industry into the future.
For the past eight years, IGNITION, Business Insider’s flagship conference, has collected the best minds in media and technology to share what they see as the future. Through unscripted interviews, cutting-edge demos, and insights from industry pioneers, attendees learn what key trends to be aware of and what they need to do to stay ahead.
Henry Blodget opened the latest sold-out IGNITION conference with a presentation entitled 14 Things You’ll Want to Know About The Future of Media. And he should know...Blodget is co-founder, CEO, and editor-in-chief of Business Insider, one of the most-read business and tech news sites in the world with more than 80 million visitors a month worldwide.
The presentation was put together with the help of the team at BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service.
Here are some of the key takeaways:
We're nearing "peak media" in the U.S.
This phenomenon will spread to the rest of the world as four billion more people come online
Digital ad spending is still growing
Video is not the be-all, end-all of media
And much more
To get your copy of this FREE slide deck, simply click here.
Students, parents, educators, and the NRA gathered under one roof on Wednesday night to talk about how best to move forward one week after a mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school claimed 17 lives.
The town-hall style event hosted by CNN's Jake Tapper follows days of heated discourse over gun rights in America.
President Donald Trump held a listening session with school-shooting survivors earlier Wednesday, but declined an invite to attend the town hall, CNN said, though he has indicated his willingness to explore new gun-reform options.
A town-hall meeting held in Sunrise, Florida, on Wednesday night brought together students, parents, educators, politicians, and the NRA under one roof to talk about ways to move forward, one week after the February 14 school shooting that ended the lives of 17 people.
The event, hosted by CNN's Jake Tapper, comes after days of heated discourse around gun rights in America. That discussion focused acutely on whether laws should be changed in order to help prevent mass shootings. Such incidents have increased in regularity over the past two decades.
Dubbed "Stand Up: The Students of Stoneman Douglas Demand Action," the town hall opened with a tribute to the 17 people who were killed in the February 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Within the first five minutes, Bill Nelson, the Democratic senator from Florida, called for "getting assault rifles off the streets," prompting a standing ovation.
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida followed Nelson, acknowledging the shortcomings of his own party with regard to gun-law reform, and lamenting the fraught political discourse currently roiling the US. Rubio soon got an earful from Fred Guttenberg, the father of a 14-year-old girl who was killed in the Parkland, Florida, shooting.
Guttenberg told Rubio that his words and those of President Donald Trump on the matter of gun violence have been "pathetically weak."
Trump earlier Wednesday floated the possibility of arming teachers as a deterrent. The idea received mixed reaction, including from a Stoneman Douglas High School teacher, Ashley Kurth, who asked Rubio for his thoughts on the proposal. Rubio said he does not support it. Sen. Nelson echoed the same.
In another particularly heated exchange, a student confronted Rubio, asking him to say whether or not he would accept contributions from the National Rifle Association. Rubio did not answer the question, prompting some jeers from the audience. Rubio insisted that his campaign donors buy into his agenda, and he asserted that he does not serve theirs.
Technology is increasingly disrupting every part of our daily lives.
Smart speakers and voice assistants let us interact with our homes and with retailers in new and seamless ways.
Smartphones are taking over as the dominant shopping device.
Viewers continue to move away from traditional TV toward digital platforms.
And the list is growing.
Nearly every industry has been disrupted by digital technologies over the past 10 years. And in 2018, we expect to see more transformative developments affect our businesses, careers, and lives.
BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has put together a list of 35 Big Tech Predictions for 2018 across Apps and Platforms, Digital Media, Payments, Internet of Things, E-Commerce, Fintech, and Transportation & Logistics. Some of these major predictions include:
Cryptocurrencies will become more widely accepted
Google and Apple will challenge Amazon in the smart speaker space
The resurgence of the VR market
The real self-driving car race will begin
Drone regulations will relax
Alibaba’s international expansion
Gen Z will become a major focal point for media companies and advertisers
Payment security will become paramount
Smart home devices will take off
This comprehensive list of 35 predictions can be yours for free today. As an added bonus, you will gain immediate access to our exclusive free newsletter, BI Intelligence Daily.
To get your copy of this FREE report, simplyclick here.
The father of a Parkland school shooting victim criticized Rep. Sen. Marco Rubio during a CNN town-hall event.
Rubio appeared to agree with the idea of enacting new gun measures, including raising the age limit to purchase AR-15-style rifles.
But he stopped short of supporting a ban on assault-style weapons.
The father of a victim of the Parkland school shooting criticized Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida during a CNN town-hall event on Wednesday.
Fred Guttenberg's 14-year-old daughter, Jaime, was one of the 17 people killed in the deadly February 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
"I just listened to your opening, and thank you. I want to like you," Guttenberg said after Rubio gave his opening remarks. "Here's the problem — and I'm a brutally honest person so I'm just going to say it up front. When I like you, you know it, and when I'm pissed at you, you know it. Your comments this week and those of our president have been pathetically weak."
"You and I are now eye-to-eye. Cause I want to like you," Guttenberg continued. "Look at me and tell me guns were the factor in the hunting of our kids in this school this week, and look at me and tell me you accept it and you will work with us to do something about guns."
Rubio's next words were met with boos from the crowd.
"The problems that we are facing here today cannot be solved by gun laws alone," Rubio said.
"Were guns the factor in the hunting of our kids?" Guttenberg said.
"Of course they were," Rubio replied. "I absolutely believe that in this country, if you are 18 years of age, you should not be able to buy a rifle and I will support a law that takes that right away."
"Fantastic," Guttenberg said approvingly.
What Rubio can — and can't — support
Rubio then appeared to hint he could support some new restrictions on guns, including banning bump stocks, a device that can be added to a semi-automatic weapon to make it fire more rapidly. President Donald Trump on Tuesday directed the Justice Department to propose a ban on the devices, but many think a solution would need to come from Congress.
"I will support the banning of bump stocks," Rubio said. "I will support changing our background system so that it includes more information than it includes now, and that all states across the country are required or incentivized to report all the information into it."
Rubio also said he would support raising the age limit to buy a rifle. But he wavered on what Guttenberg appeared to be trying to push him to support — a ban on assault-style weapons.
"If I believe that that law would have prevented this from happening, I would support it," Rubio said amid shouts from the crowd. "But I want to explain to you why it would not."
"My daughter running down the hallway at Marjory Stoneman Douglas was shot in the back with an assault weapon," Guttenberg said. "The weapon of choice. OK? It is too easy to get. It is a weapon of war. The fact that you can't stand with everybody in this building and say that? I'm sorry."
Rubio appeared to agree with the danger that assault-style weapons posed and gave a few examples of problems with a proposed assault weapons ban, such as a wide range of other guns that would be banned due to the language of the bill.
"My belief remains, that rather than continue to try to chase every loophole that's created ... is we instead should make sure that dangerous criminals, people that are deranged cannot buy any gun of any kind," Rubio said.
"Your answer speaks for itself," Guttenberg said.
At least 17 people were killed after 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz used an AR-15-style weapon to gun down students and teachers at the high school. The Florida state legislature voted 71-36 to reject a measure to consider banning the sale of assault weapons on Tuesday.
Walmart has redesigned its online homeware shopping experience.
The new layout allows customers to shop by style and browse curated collections created by in-house stylists.
The store is doubling down on its efforts to capture the $58 billion homeware market in the US, which is expected to grow by 11% annually between now and 2022, according to Statista.
Walmart wants to furnish your home.
The retailer has spruced up the experience of shopping for homeware and furniture on its online store by creating a new layout that allows shoppers to search by style and browse curated collections put together by in-house stylists.
The store is doubling down on its efforts to capture the home goods market, which generates around $58 billion in sales in the US and is expected to grow by 11% annually between now and 2022, according to Statista.
Online stores such as Wayfair — which is now the largest online-only furniture retailer — have increasingly taken market share here. Amazon has also made investments in homeware. In November 2017, it launched two of its own furniture brands, called Rivet and Stone & Beam, which sell sofas, accent furniture, chairs, rugs, lamps, and decor.
The new layout launched Thursday, two days after Walmart reported fourth-quarter earnings that showed that online sales had lagged during that period. They were down 50% from the previous quarter. As a result, the company's share price tumbled by more than 10%, its biggest drop since 1988.
Walmart's new layout is designed to make the shopping experience more appealing. In a similar way to rival home goods stores such as Wayfair and Ikea, products are styled together in different rooms so that customers can visualize what they will actually look like in the home setting. It's a way to tempt them into buying more.
There are nine "shop-by-style" options: modern, mid-century, traditional, glam, industrial, bohemian, farmhouse, transitional, and Scandinavian.
House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes sent a list of 10 questions to top US officials to get answers on how they handled information contained in the so-called Trump-Russia dossier.
That dossier, compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele, is the subject of an ongoing investigation by Republicans into corruption and bias against President Donald Trump at the FBI and the Justice Department.
Nunes said he will "initiate compulsory process" if his questions are not answered by March 2.
As his investigation into corruption and bias at the FBI and the Department of Justice enters its next phase, House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes sent a list of 10 questions to current and former intelligence, law enforcement, and US State Department officials about the infamous dossier on President Donald Trump.
"If you do not provide timely answers on a voluntary basis, the Committee will initiate compulsory process," Nunes wrote in his February 20 letter, obtained by Fox News. He told the officials to respond by March 2.
The letter contains a series of questions that attempt to uncover who knew what was contained in the Trump dossier and when, as well as whether intelligence officials shared information in the dossier with any third parties.
The dossier, compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, alleges that the Russian government has compromising information on Trump. Nunes contends that the FBI and the DOJ unjustly used the dossier to obtain a surveillance warrant on Carter Page, a former Trump campaign adviser.
Former FBI Director James Comey described some aspects of the dossier as "salacious and unverified," but earlier this month, Trump cleared for release a memo — spearheaded by Nunes — that admitted that Steele's reporting was at least "minimally corroborated." As far as we know, many of the allegations remain unverified.
The Nunes memo claims the FBI and the DOJ withheld pertinent information about the partisan nature of the origins of the Trump dossier. Steele's work on the dossier was funded by the Democratic National Committee and a law firm connected to former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign.
Nunes' latest query is part of what the Republican congressman has called "phase two" of his investigation, focusing on potential corruption at the State Department. Nunes has said he hopes to release up to five more memos.
Here are the 10 questions Nunes wants answered:
"When and how did you first become aware of any of the information contained in the Steele dossier?
In what form(s) was the information in the Steele dossier presented to you? By whom? (Please describe each instance)
Who did you share this information with? When? In what form? (Please describe each instance)
What official actions did you take as a result of receiving the information contained in the Steele dossier?
Did you convene any meetings with the intelligence community and/or law enforcement communities as a result of the information contained in the Steele dossier?
When did you first learn or come to believe that the Steele dossier was funded by a Democrat-aligned entity?
When did you first learn or come to believe that the Steele dossier was funded by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and/or Hillary for America (Clinton campaign)?
When did you first become aware that the Steele dossier was used to obtain a FISA order on Carter Page?
Was President Obama briefed on any information contained in the dossier prior to January 5, 2017?
Did you discuss the information contained in the Steele dossier with any reporters or other representatives of the media? If so, who and when?"
SpaceX launched two experimental satellites on Thursday.
The satellites are designed to test Starlink, a concept to bathe all of Earth in high-speed broadband internet using a fleet of 12,000 satellites.
Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, posted a video of the new satellites deploying into orbit.
Musk named the satellites "Tintin A" and "Tintin B."
The first pieces of a radical plan to bathe Earth with high-speed internet access just launched into space.
SpaceX, the rocket company founded by Elon Musk, piggybacked two experimental spacecraft onto a rocket that deployed a Spanish radar satellite into orbit.
Officially known as Microsat-2a and Microsat-2b, the spacecraft will test technologies that would enable the creation of a pervasive broadband network with connection speeds roughly 180 times the global average.
"Today's Falcon launch carries 2 SpaceX test satellites for global broadband," Musk tweeted on Wednesday (before a launch delay). "If successful, Starlink constellation will serve least served."
The scale of plans for the space-based network, known as Starlink, boggles the mind. In the coming years, SpaceX may launch 4,425 Starlink satellites into orbit some 700 to 800 miles above Earth, plus another 7,500 similar spacecraft into lower orbits.
That's nearly 12,000 satellites — more than twice the number of all satellites launched in history, according to a count by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
If the project is successful, people around the world would get internet that's about 40 times faster than current satellite internet providers, even in incredibly remote and rural areas.
SpaceX and Musk released the first-ever public images and video of the satellites shortly after their launch on Thursday.
The first images of Starlink satellites
The Spanish satellite, called Paz, deployed about 11 minutes after the Falcon 9 rocket launched, followed by Microsat-2a and Microsat-2b some time after that.
A live webcast of the Paz mission launch on YouTube offered the first-ever (though somewhat fuzzy) glimpses of the two Starlink satellites (above).
An announcer said during SpaceX's live webcast that the company couldn't show the deployment of the Starlink demonstration satellites because of poor signal coverage. However, the rocket later beamed down high-resolution video of the satellites deploying.
"First two Starlink demo satellites, called Tintin A & B, deployed and communicating to Earth stations," Musk tweeted with a clip of them floating out into space.
Musk later said the two satellites "will attempt to beam 'hello world'" on Friday when they pass over Los Angeles — a critical moment that would show the spacecraft can talk to ground stations.
"Don't tell anyone, but the wifi password is 'martians,'" Musk joked.
The list of Starlink test ground stations, according to Federal Communications Commission documentation released earlier this month, includes the offices of Musk's electric-car company, Tesla, which sells internet-connected vehicles. Here's the full list:
SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California.
Tesla Motors headquarters in Fremont, California.
SpaceX test center in McGregor, Texas.
SpaceX in Brownsville, Texas.
SpaceX in Redmond, Washington.
SpaceX in Brewster, Washington.
Three mobile "test vans."
In November, the FCC gave SpaceX permission to launch the two spacecraft and test its space-based internet concept.
How Starlink customers would get online
Musk and SpaceX have said little about their plan since announcing it in 2015, but the full, nearly 12,000-satellite fleet ultimately needs approval from the FCC, which regulates internet access.
It may seem like an absurd task to launch thousands of satellites, but SpaceX regularly deploys 10 at a time with its reusable Falcon 9 rocket system.
The company has also successfully test-launched its Falcon Heavy system, an even larger reusable rocket that can send twice as much payload into low-Earth orbit as the next-largest launcher on the market — at perhaps one-fourth the cost.
Thus, it's feasible that Falcon Heavy could deploy dozens of Starlink satellites in a single launch.
Musk hopes to get Starlink in an operational (though not complete) state sometime around 2024, according to Florida Today, and start selling access around that time.
Musk and SpaceX have not yet said what the monthly cost of the service might be. However, Musk said in 2015 that user terminals should be laptop-size and cost between $100-$300 each.
As a former recruiter, I hated when job seekers submitted résumés that lacked a measurable list of achievements.
Business Insider reached out to several résumé experts who agree that failing to include specific metrics on a résumé is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.
Don't count on your job description to sell what you've accomplished.
In my experience, when candidates failed to provide specific metrics and clear accomplishments on their résumé, they were often overlooked.
Business Insider reached out to various experts on the matter, and many of them agreed that job seekers who fail to include measurements of success are making a huge mistake.
"Lack of measurements and results in the file is my biggest résumé pet peeve," executive résumé writer and career strategist Adrienne Tom told Business Insider. "Without any measurements of success, the file is lacking proof of skill."
Overall, a laundry list of daily tasks does nothing to convince the recruiter that the job seeker will be able to provide value in the role at hand.
And while you may say that recruiters could just use job titles to gauge what a person did, this is not nearly as feasible as it might seem.
"A job title alone is not enough to clarify personal value, complexity of skill set, or breadth of expertise," said Tom. "What matters most in a résumé will be the results that each individual has generated within their roles, regardless of title or rank."
Also, it is important to remember that job titles do not have universal meaning. Tom explains this concept with the following example:
"A CFO at a small startup may be directing all aspects of daily finance and accounting activities as the only financial expert in the company, whereas a CFO at a major global organization will likely be focused on overarching financial strategy with several direct reports who manage smaller tasks."
While it's a good idea to quantify your success with numbers, your résumé needs to also include language that indicates that you are familiar with the industry.
"Numbers are great, but be sure to include categories, and even clients — anything that will give the reader a sense that you are familiar with the world that the role takes place in," career expert and résumé writer Andrea Gerson told Business Insider.
By including specific metrics and industry keywords on your résumé, you can show employers what you have done and what you can bring to a specific position.
Fast food has a lot going for it on paper: it's quick, convenient, and consistent — but sometimes it's a magnet for trouble.
When one Reddit user asked fast food employees to share some of the worst experiences they've had on the job, answers came in droves. And though INSIDER can't independently verify any of these tales, they do make for some wild reading.
Check out some of the most horrific experiences fast food employees have had below.
"He held up the drive thru and screamed and screamed at me."
"I had a rough-looking guy in a beat-up truck try to use one-year-old coupons. I refused to take them. That was a mistake. He held up the drive thru and screamed and screamed at me. Including, 'Smarten up son, or you're going nowhere in life.'"— Reddit user inosilic.
It was "like someone had a poopconfetti bomb."
"Wasn't bad until someone spread sh*t all over the men's restroom and they wanted me to clean it up. It was on the ceiling, toilet, all the walls. Like someone had a poopconfetti bomb. Just rubber gloves, no mask. I [...] quit."— Reddit user UsedPickle.
"We had to escort him out after calling the police."
"Someone said 'Give me some of those fresh-baked cookies, I can smell you baking them!' when, first of all, we just reheat frozen ones, and secondly, we just put one in the microwave for a guest who asked us to. When we told him this he started to yell, then walked behind the counter to go check. I called my manager and he started to push her around to go check, screaming 'I want my fresh cookies!!' He then tried to hit on one of our team members in the back, then took off his shirt and screamed when she asked him to go away. We had to escort him out after calling the police."— Reddit user WarlocksShadow.
Hawaii's Ala Moana Shopping Center was recently named the most valuable mall in America, with nearly $6 billion in total assets.
The mall has more than 350 stores and restaurants.
The retail apocalypse has claimed many malls across America, but some of the best in the country have continued to thrive. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, the Ala Moana Shopping Center was recently named the most valuable mall in America.
With over 350 stores and restaurants ranging from budget-friendly chains to high-end boutiques and department stores, the Ala Moana Center is worth roughly $5.74 billion, with about $1,500 in sales per square foot, according to a recent study by the research firm Boenning & Scattergood, which was reported on by CNBC.
The Ala Moana Shopping Center is the largest open-air mall in the world, with over 2.4 million square feet of retail space catering to tourists and Hawaiian locals of all ages and budgets.
An expansion in 2013, celebrated with a massive opening ceremony, brought over 300,000 square feet of additional retail space and 800 additional parking stalls. In the most recent expansion, a Target store was added.
After about 35 years of generally falling inflation, signs of an uptick has unnerved investors. Inflation expectations have been climbing, and have been showing up in recent wages and consumer price data. According to a recent research note from Fidelity Viewpoints, there are three key reasons to consider inflation risk:
Inflation erodes purchasing power
Rising inflation has historically been a drag on stock and bond returns
When inflation is higher and more volatile, correlation between stocks and bonds increases
According to Fidelity Investments, investors may be able to mitigate inflation risks by adding diversification with asset classes that have historically held up better in rising inflation environments. Consider commodities, commodity-producing equities, gold, and short-duration bonds.
This is a preview of a research report from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about BI Intelligence, click here.
It hasn't been smooth sailing for telecoms in recent years. Native voice and messaging services, which once accounted for the vast majority of telecoms' subscriber revenue, are struggling to compete with over-the-top (OTT) apps, like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Viber — and they're losing.
A fierce and ongoing price war among the Big Four carriers is only compounding the pressure telecoms are facing. The consequent resurgence of unlimited data plans is straining carriers' networks, and revenues are suffering.
Nevertheless, telecoms are now better positioned than ever to play a bigger role in their subscribers' lives. Consumers spend more than half of their digital time on smartphones, compared with a third on PCs. This shift has effectively placed telecoms at the front door of consumers' digital experience.
In a new report from BI Intelligence, we examine where the wireless industry stands as a result of the price war and uptick in data demand from consumers. We also look at how technological advancements and the adoption of new product lines could incentivize the next wave of revenue growth for telecoms. Finally, we explore potential barriers to carriers' growth, and examine which of the Big Four carriers are poised to lead the pack.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:
Native voice and messaging services, which once accounted for the vast majority of telecoms' subscriber revenue, are struggling to compete with over-the-top apps.
A fierce ongoing price war among the Big Four is only compounding the pressure telecoms are facing.
Still, consumers' growing dependence on smartphones and data means telecoms are now better positioned than ever to play a bigger role in their subscribers' lives.
As digital continues to reshape the wireless industry, telecoms are preparing for the next wave of disruption, including connected cars, augmented reality, and 5G.
Despite a plethora of opportunities, several existing and emerging threats could impede telecoms' growth and expansion efforts.
In full, the report:
Describes how the US wireless carrier is shaping up.
Explores the effect of the fierce pricing wars taking place, and the methods carriers are using to retain their subscribers.
Highlights the new technology carriers are using to drive growth and revenue.
Looks at the potential barriers that could limit carriers' growth and examines who's best positioned to come out on top.
To get the full report, subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and more than 250 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. >>Learn More Now
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Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux recently announced their split after less than three years of marriage.
An anonymous source told Entertainment Tonight that the couple's disagreements about where to live reportedly played a major part in their decision to break up.
INSIDER spoke with two relationship experts about this "relationship deal-breaker" — and how everyday couples can address it, work through it, or prevent it altogether.
After seven years together — two of which were spent married — Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux announced their separation in a statement to the Associated Press. They claimed that the decision "was mutual and lovingly made," citing no concrete reason for the breakup.
An anonymous source, however, told Entertainment Tonight that distance may have triggered the end of their relationship. More specifically, the couple couldn't agree on where to live. While Aniston allegedly prefers Los Angeles, "[Theroux] much prefers being [in New York], and that's been a major issue for them for a long time,"the source told ET.
The couple allegedly made numerous attempts to compromise, including buying an apartment together in the West Village.
"He really wanted her to be comfortable [in New York]. He even negotiated with the paps to make a deal that they would only shoot her once per day and then leave her alone. He also agreed to move out of his apartment, which he loves," the source said. "She just never really could get settled in, she wasn't happy."
A post shared by @ justintheroux on Aug 5, 2017 at 4:23pm PDT on
Although the source stressed that Aniston and Theroux have always loved each other, it seems as though the fraught bicostal lifestyle took priority in their marriage.
Disagreements over where to live can be a "relationship deal-breaker."
"If Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux broke up because they couldn't agree between living in New York and living in Los Angeles, the reality is that their hometowns were more important to each of them than being together was," said April Masini, a dating expert who helms the popular relationship advice forum "Ask April."
Masini speculated that making and sticking to their compromises could have saved their marriage.
"In every successful relationship, people compromise," she said. "In this relationship, if geography was the deal breaker, it's because geography became more important than being together was, and ultimately it wasn't the distance that broke them up. It was the inability for one or both of them to be in the same place at the same time."
Masini added that there is no right or wrong way for a couple to barter and bargain, "as long as there is enough compromise to make the relationship work."
Resources play a major role in a couple's ability to make distance work — and it can be a double-edged sword.
Masini said that money tends to create options, which can eventually foster "relationship pressure that most of us without those resources don't have and can't understand."
On the other hand, when a couple has the luxury of flexible schedules and ample travel money, like Aniston and Theroux, compromise can be much easier. With a combined estimated net worth of $240 million, it certainly seems that this couple would be better equipped to handle a multiple-home situation than most.
Sameera Sullivan, matchmaker and CEO of Lasting Connections, told INSIDER that she is "99% sure the couple had other issues," because they were more than capable of seeing each other as often as possible — even while living on separate coasts.
"I'm sure they had other problems because you can always make it work. You can split your time evenly between two places, especially with the resources that they have," Sullivan said. "Financially, they're very well-off. So I don't think distance was necessarily the problem. It's not like either of them had to leave their jobs. With them, they can be very flexible and own two homes and spend time together on two different coasts. So I think it was a lot more than just the living situation."
Constant communication can help keep a couple's connection alive, despite distance.
In January, sources for both Us Weekly and People insisted that Aniston and Theroux's separate lifestyles actually help their relationship thrive. The couple simply "do their own thing a lot of the time," a source told Us Weekly. "They are both independent people and don't spend every minute together."
Aside from the obvious fact that, according to their statement, Aniston and Theroux had already split by the time those stories ran — Sullivan doesn't necessarily buy it.
"You get married so you can spend your life with your partner and share your life with them," she told INSIDER.
If distance is a temporary obstacle, Sullivan says that daily, meaningful communication can help a couple manage it.
"The most important thing is that before you go to sleep — if you're living in different cities and doing long-distance — talk to them on the phone at night. I think that keeps the relationship alive," she said. "Use FaceTime. Include the other person in your life. Throughout the day, if you're walking to work or something like that, take a picture. FaceTime them, say 'hi, I just wanted to see your face.' Keep in touch so that you both feel like you're a part of each other's lives."
Couples should discuss any geographical barriers before committing to a long-term relationship — especially marriage.
For two people that live in significantly different places, a "what should we do about our distance?" conversation is just as important as the classic "what are we?" conversation, according to Sullivan.
"When you're dating someone long distance and things start getting serious, and you feel like, 'oh my god, this is a great person, I'm really connected to them' — if you're having that conversation to be in a relationship, you need to talk about the distance," she told INSIDER. "Is one person going to move? Are they OK with moving? How's the job situation? Can they find a new job? Things like that."
Sullivan says that there's no hard-and-fast rule about when to tackle this issue — but if you can picture spending your life with another person, then these details are important.
"You can't just roll with the punches. If things are starting to get serious, you need to have a conversation about who can move if things progress. Being straightforward and honest with each other is a big piece of this working out," she said.
Although uprooting your life is generally unappealing for most people, ultimately, Sullivan believes that being physically with your partner is an important aspect of any long-term, healthy relationship.
"I've seen people move across the country, I've seen people move out of the country to be with the people that they love," she said. "If you really care for someone, you'll move."
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Just because your spouse has the flu doesn't mean you'll inevitably get sick.
It's hard to contain germs if you're sharing an enclosed space, but wearing a mask or staying at least six feet away from your sick loved one for a few days can help.
To keep yourself healthy, manage your stress, keep everything clean, and get lots of rest.
When the flu hits home and your partner or roommate becomes a flu-shedding germ-bag, many people resign themselves to getting sick.
Although flu viruses are extremely contagious and tough to contain, there are a few simple ways you can reduce your risk of getting hit — even while caring for an ill friend or loved one. We've rounded up some of the easiest things you can do to prevent yourself from catching a case of the flu at home.
If you've gotten your shot, you'll be in better flu-fighting shape.
The flu vaccine may not be as effective as usual this year, but that doesn't mean it's not worth getting.
In addition to preventing more than one in three cases of the flu, it can also boost your immunity and make your case of the flu a milder one if you do get it.
Flu season can last into May, so if you haven't gotten your shot yet, and you don't feel sick right now, it's not too late.
Be especially cautious for the first two to three days, and stay six feet away from the germy person during that time.
People are much more likely to get infected with the flu from being around other sick people than they are from touching virus-laden surfaces.
Person-to-person transmission of the flu can happen when an infected person is talking, coughing, sneezing, or even just breathing near someone else. The virus can be transmitted through the air to anyone within six feet, so the easiest way to avoid getting sick is to keep your distance.
A 2008 study in Hong Kong found that most “viral shedding” – when you’re really passing the germs around – happens in the first two or three days after a person gets sick with the flu. Day 2 tends to be the worst, but that can vary.
Once a person has been fever-free without the help of drugs for a full 24 hours, that's an indicator that they're ready to re-enter the world, and won't share their flu with you, either.
Consider wearing some protection.
If you live in a crowded household, it's best to assign a single person to care for the sicko and keep everyone else far away.
The care-giver may want to wear a mask and disposable gloves when they visit their "patient" to avoid breathing in or picking up any flu particles.
The virus lasts for about 15 minutes inside of a tissue, and on hard surfaces for a full day.
The NBA is seriously considering a play-in tournament for the last seeds in the playoffs.
However, there are still a lot of details to be sorted out and negotiations that must take place before this idea becomes a reality.
A play-in tournament would ideally reduce tanking and make the last part of the NBA regular season more exciting.
A new report from NBA writer Zach Lowe indicates that the NBA is seriously considering a major change to its current playoff structure.
According to Lowe, the NBA is weighing the possibility of adding a play-in tournament to determine the lower seeds during the regular 16-team playoff bracket.
A playoff play-in is an idea that's been popularized by sports media personality Bill Simmons. But this is one of the first indications that the idea has gone from an NBA internet fever dream to a serious possibility within league circles.
"Two specific proposals are circulating at the highest levels within teams and the league office," wrote Lowe. "The play-in proposal that has generated the most discussion, according to several sources: two four-team tournaments featuring the seventh, eighth, ninth, and 10th seeds in each conference. The seventh seed would host the eighth seed, with the winner of that single game nabbing the seventh spot, sources say. Meanwhile, the ninth seed would host the 10th seed, with the winner of that game facing the loser of the 7-versus-8 matchup for the final playoff spot"
Lowe also tempered excitement a tad by noting that any change to how playoff teams are determined, "falls behind the one-and-done rule and perhaps reseeding the playoffs 1-16 regardless of conference in the current reform pecking order."
Plus, such a proposal would ultimately have to be approved by 23 of the league teams, which is obviously a tall order. The rule change would also have to be negotiated into the collective bargaining agreement with the players, according to Lowe. In other words, don't expect a play-in tournament within the next couple of years.
In the big picture, this tournament is one of NBA's ideas for combating tanking, an issue that will only become more prominent as the league's regular season enters its home stretch. Such a tournament would, at least in theory, give teams in the middle of the lottery more reason to keep trying to win games as the season goes on, and also prevent teams from tanking out of the 7th or 8th seed and into the lottery.
Of course, as Lowe cautions, "The only way to eradicate tanking is a complete overhaul of how NBA teams acquire talent, and no one has the stomach for that."
Another potential benefit mentioned by Lowe is that such a system could generate more interest in the late months of the NBA regular season, when the playoff picture usually starts to crystallize.
For more details on what a potential play-in tournament would look like and what the talks around the league are like regarding the idea, check out Lowe's full report here.
Technology is increasingly disrupting every part of our daily lives.
Musk and SpaceX have said little about their plan since announcing it in 2015, but the full, nearly 12,000-satellite fleet ultimately needs approval from the FCC, which regulates internet access.
