Chester Bennington, Linkin Park lead singer, dies of suspected suicide aged 41

Police say that the singer, who struggled with substance abuse, is suspected to have killed himself in a private residence in Los Angeles County

Police have confirmed that Chester Bennington, the lead singer of band Linkin Park, has died.

His death at his private residence in Palos Verdes Estates in Los Angeles County at approximately 9am Thursday morning was confirmed by the coroner and is being treated as a suspected suicide.

Bennington, who was 41 years old, joined the group in 1999 and became a household name the year after with the release of the band’s debut album Hybrid Theory, which was nominated for a Grammy award for best rock album. Their second album, Meteora, has sold over 27m units and the band collaborated with Jay-Z for 2004 EP Collision Course.

Bennington also fronted the Stone Temple Pilots from 2013 to 2015 and made small appearances in the films Crank and Saw 3D. When his close friend and fellow musician Chris Cornell, lead singer of the bands Soundgarden and Audioslave, killed himself this past May, Bennington honored him on Twitter and performed at his funeral.

“You have inspired me in many ways you could never have known,” Bennington wrote. “Your talent was pure and unrivaled. Your voice was joy and pain, anger and forgiveness, love and heartache all wrapped up into one. I pray you find peace in the next life. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your life.”

In past interviews, Bennington has spoken candidly about his struggles with drugs and alcohol. “It’s not cool to be an alcoholic — it’s not cool to go drink and be a dumbass,” he said to Noisecreep in 2009. “It’s cool to be a part of recovery. This is just who I am, this is what I write about, what I do, and most of my work has been a reflection of what I’ve been going through in one way or another.”

He also shared details of an abusive childhood. In a 2011 interview with the Guardian, he said: “When I was young, getting beaten up and pretty much raped was no fun. No one wants that to happen to you and honestly, I don’t remember when it started ... My God, no wonder I became a drug addict. No wonder I just went completely insane for a little while.”

Bennington is survived by six children, Jaime, Isaiah, Draven, Tyler Lee and twins Lily and Lila, and his wife Talinda Ann Bentley.

His Linkin Park bandmate Mike Shinoda tweeted that he was “shocked and heartbroken” at the news while other tributes have arrived from Rihanna, Nikki Sixx, Stormzy (with whom Bennington recently worked), Ohio governor John Kasich and Chance the Rapper.

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Online Censorship: A Global Map & Ranking of Every Country’s Internet Restrictions (Infographic)

Do you know what internet activities are illegal in your country?

Online censorship is the latest battleground in the fight for freedom of information, and every country is handling it differently. Russia restricts access to political media, while Finland – their neighbor across the border – only restricts torrents. Some countries’ rankings are obvious (we all know the UK and USA  have relatively few internet restrictions), although others come as more of a surprise.

Many different elements can determine a governments’ desire to restrict access in their country. For example, the blanket ban on all internet access in North Korea is strongly related to a fear of its populous understanding life outside of the closely guarded country. China, Taiwan, and Vietnam restrict internet access for political reasons, while countries like Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen have religious motives. Whatever the reason, it is good to know what your country’s policy is.

Check out the map below to see what’s restricted in your country, and compare it to other countries to see where you rank in the world of online censorship.

Click to see image in full size

This article was originally published on vpnMentor blog.

The link for the article is here.

www.vpnmentor.com/blog/online-censorship-country-rank

5 Tools to Help Protect Yourself From Ransomware

A DEVASTATING GLOBAL cyberattack called WannaCry has alerted millions of people to the dangers of ransomware. Hospitals, utilities, businesses, and more were locked out of their computers, facing payment demands from anonymous hackers. And while it’s too late for over hundreds of thousands of devices across 150 countries that WannaCry hit, there are a few tools you can use to help limit your own risk, both now and going forward.

After all, WannaCry’s hardly the only ransomware out there. Protect yourself now, before the next one hits.

WD My Passport Hard Drive
Really, any external hard drive backup will do; we just like the WD My Passport for its built-in hardware encryption and three-year warranty. What specific model you go for, though, matters much less than how you use it. The key here? Regularly back up your system, but keep your hard drive disconnected from your desktop. Otherwise, the ransomware will find and encrypt your backup just like it did your main system. 

CrashPlan Data Backup
When you think “cloud backup,” you might think “Dropbox.” Don’t! At least not for these purposes. Dropbox offers a lot of value as a syncing service, keeping your files straight across multiple devices. Handy, but not much help if ransomware hits. Instead, look for a true cloud backup service that backs up and encrypts all of your files in a server far, far away. If a hacker locks up your digital life, a cloud backup means you can just wipe and start over with an uninfected version. Crash Plan gets solid reviews from a range of sites for its ease of use and cost, but competitors like Carbonite and Backblaze offer similar functionality.

Windows 10
Are you on an older version of Windows? Are you even still using Windows XP? Please stop that immediately. In fact, thanks in part to a big release of NSA tools by a hacking group called Shadow Brokers, you should consider any Windows version other than the very latest a potential risk. You’re past the free Windows 10 upgrade period at this point, but it’s still worth the investment for the added peace of mind. Just make sure that even once you’re up to date, you’re downloading each patch as soon as it becomes available.

Bitdefender Internet Security
Anti-virus software gets a bad rap sometimes, and not without reason. It gets its hooks into so many parts of your computer that if something goes wrong with your AV, your whole system’s at risk. Then again, if ransomware takes over, you don’t have a system to begin with. There are a lot of fine choices here, but Bitdefender stands out for having repeatedly aced real-world protection testing from independent reviewer AV-Comparisons over the last year. And yes, it protects against WannaCry, as would almost any top AV product.

An iPhone
Don’t get us wrong, Android phones are wonderful! But ransomware doesn’t just hit desktop computers. It’s surging  on smartphones as well. And while both the iOS App Store and Android’s Google Play do a pretty good job of keeping malicious apps off your phone, the prevalence of third-party app stores for Android make it a much bigger risk for ransomware infection. An iPhone is your safest bet; just don’t click on any links in spammy text messages. And if you prefer Android regardless, stick with official downloads only.

How to Improve Your Online Privacy as a Journalist?

What precisely needs to be done to ensure that a journalist’s sources and data are secured and well? In Online Privacy for Journalists, the former Haaretz Deputy Editor, Michael Dagan, will teach you tips and tricks to project your sources and valuable information.

You would be hard-pressed to find a journalist who would disagree that it is harder than ever to protect your data and your sources. And it is only becoming more difficult as technology continues to develop, with a perpetual “technological arms race” between those who want to protect their information and those who want to steal it. It is not enough now just to be a good journalist; one must be tech-savvy and stay up-to-date with the latest communications technologies and know how to protect your information, lest you send a message which is intercepted and ends up in the wrong hands.

One of the worst parts is that merely searching the web for privacy-enhancing software tools can very well cause the NSA to track you. Even if a journalist is to use the Tor network (and many do), this can be easily detected, only causing to be flagged as a suspicious character. So while there is no golden bullet to protecting yourself as a science, political, technology or other journalists, there are steps that you can take to protect yourself from the prying eyes of the government or anyone else who stands to gain from stealing your information.

The guide Online Privacy for Journalists outlines topics such as how to communicate with sources and safeguard sensitive data, how to use two-factor authentication, how to become anonymous online, how to secure your email, and even which search engines are safer to use.

Here is the direct link for vpnmentor
https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/online-privacy-journalists/

KAARI - the film

Synopsis:
Kaari is the story of a girl who went a bit too far, to rope in the crush of her life. She forgets that she will pay a price to play with the entities of the other side. Utlimately she finds it's too late to take charge of the situation.

The film is under production process but sources say that Hallucination Pictures will upload the official trailer soon on the website. There are some teasers available on the Facebook, to see click here.These are uploaded to let people know what is coming next. Although we do not have full information about the project and story but still we can say that this will be something new on Pakistani Cinemas. In the past decade, Pakistan's film industry has entered to the international standards and also producing some top films with brand new concepts. The biggest business on the Box Office of any Pakistani movie till now is of US$2.2 million. Nowadays, this industry is earning a good revenue as so many foreign investments are turned into it.

It is also been observed that there are so many Pakistani students learning film in New York which then are expected to return to their homeland for film making. The production cost in Pakistan is comparatively less than any other country so near future if the social and economical conditions become stable of Pakistan, the talented people who are roaming around the world seeking work will head towards this country.

Arsalan Jilani wishes the luck for the Hallucination Pictures and the film KAARI.
Details:

For more details click here. 

Rihanna Reveals Rogue Fall Fragrance Campaign!

Rogue by Rihanna.

Dang, y'all—between Rihanna's River Island clothing line, MAC makeup collection, and, um, WORLD TOUR, we're not even sure how she has time to breathe, let alone create a brand new perfume. Today RiRi announced her latest scent, Rogue, which will hit Macy’s, Dillard’s and Belk in September. This is her fourth fragrance (following Nude, Rebelle and Reb'l Fleur), which she told WWD has "a flirty, sensual Oriental" scent that combines lemon blossom, jasmine, rose, plum, patchouli, and vanilla—just to name a few.
But, guys, can we talk about this oh-so-sultry photo of Ri for a minute? The black and white image, which was shot by Mario Sorrenti and styled by Mel Ottenberg (duh), features Rihanna looking simply chic in just a slip dress and her signature half-shaved blonde 'do. The entire campaign is supposed to reflect Rihanna's ever-evolving image. She said, "People are always changing and evolving and with Rogue I wanted to switch it up to reflect who I am today. I made it for all women, for every mood, because we all want to project our true selves." The bottle (which has inverted spikes at the bottom!) will retail between $18 and $69, and limited-edition accessories (think: clutches and fashion bracelets) will be available with gift sets. But tell us, will you be swiping up RiRi's Rogue fragrance this fall? Let me know in the comments below!

Pitt Blasts Zombies; ‘Attack’ Blames Muslims, Jews: Film

Brad Pitt, Abigail Hargrove, Mireille Enos in "World War Z." The film, from Paramount Pictures, is playing across the U.S.

How to fight the Zombie Apocalypse? 

Israel builds walls. North Korea yanks teeth. Somewhere in the Middle East, a nuke explodes.
America recruits Brad Pitt. Smart move.
Director Marc Forster’s “World War Z” is a throwback to the full-throttle horror films of the 1970s, posing its zombie what-ifs with the same realism summoned to imagine what might happen if a Georgetown girl met the devil.
Early on, Pitt, as a former United Nations investigator turned stay-at-home dad, sits in a car with the wife and kids on a jammed Philadelphia street.
Within moments, “WWZ” explodes in urban panic (and cinematic panache) as thrilling as anything we’re likely to see this blockbuster season.
Loosely adapted by, among others, Damon Lindelof (“Lost”) and Max Brooks (son of Mel) from the latter’s bestselling 2006 faux oral history, “WWZ” sends Pitt’s Gerry Lane on a global hunt to find the source of a virus that’s turns humans into howling, convulsive, flesh-chomping ghouls.

Hot Zones

Recruited by his old U.N. boss (Fana Mokoena) to join the battle (Gerry’s qualifications, other than being Brad Pitt, are hazy), Lane leaves his wife (Mireille Enos, AMC’s “The Killing”) and two daughters for the world’s undead hot zones.
A series of set pieces follows, some better than others, with hoards of snarling zombies stampeding Jerusalem, a U.S. military base in North Korea, and, in the most horrific scene, an airborne jetliner (word to the wise: pay for that upgrade).
Finally, at an isolated medical facility in Wales, Lane and a small staff of brainy researchers plot to infiltrate a closed-off, zombie-infiltrated wing of the building, where deadly viruses and bacteria -- and a possible vaccine -- are stored.
This troubled, extended final segment -- re-shoots reportedly were a cause of the film’s six-month delay -- scales back the massively populated chaos, recalling, if not matching, the tense isolation of John Carpenter’s “The Thing.”
After the earlier CGI spectacles, the quieter finale can’t help but seem a bit of a let-down.
Pitt, thankfully, isn’t. He’s vulnerable as the family man (Enos gets to do little more than fret), and credible as the world’s possible savior.
The director uses his large cast well, keeping many around just long enough to leave a good impression. To name just two: James Badge Dale as a gung-ho Navy Seal and Daniella Kertesz as an Israeli soldier.
“World War Z,” from Paramount Pictures, is playing across the U.S. Rating: ***1/2 (Evans)

‘The Attack’

Near the beginning of “The Attack,” a suicide bomber strikes at a Tel Aviv restaurant. We see the carnage -- graphically --through the eyes of Amin (Ali Suliman), an E.R. surgeon.
Amin is an assimilated Palestinian, loved and honored by his Jewish friends and colleagues. That night, he learns that the police have identified a suspect in the massacre: his wife.
Brutally interrogated by Israeli security forces, he refuses to accept her guilt and sets out to learn the truth. Eventually he travels to Nablus, in the West Bank.
Working from a novel by Yasmina Khadra, the Lebanese director, Ziad Doueiri, remains carefully if not coldly neutral.
He looks unsparingly at everyone: fanatical, hate-crazed Palestinians; Israelis whose ruthlessness has made life in the Occupied Territories hell; and, not least, Israeli liberals whose eyes turn icy as soon as they suspect Amin of harboring any sympathy for the enemy.
This is not a soft-hearted movie offering quiet hope. Despite -- or perhaps because of -- its refusal to take sides, the Arab League has called for a boycott against it, and it has been banned in Lebanon and other Arab countries.
“The Attack,” from Cohen Media Group, is playing in New York and Washington, D.C. Rating: *** (Seligman)
(Greg Evans and Craig Seligman are critics for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are their own.)
Muse highlights include Jeremy Gerard on theater and New York Weekend.

Nelson Mandela's family fights over funeral broadcast rights

THEY have fought over bodies, burials, trust funds and wine labels. Now Nelson Mandela's squabbling offspring are fighting over the broadcasting rights to his funeral. 

Makaziwe Mandela, the former president's eldest daughter, held talks with the South African Broadcasting Corp and government officials last month demanding "preferential" access for CNN, the American network.

Although details of Mr Mandela's state funeral have not been released - it is deemed inappropriate while he clings to life in hospital - it is expected to be one of the most widely watched send-offs in broadcasting history.

Ms Mandela's insistence on having CNN present comes despite the BBC spending months advising South Africa's state broadcaster on how best to manage a major ceremonial event.

The news is likely to inflame tensions with her nephew Mandla, who was accused by network executives of selling exclusive broadcasting rights to SABC in 2008. He denied the deal but lost control of the funeral arrangements last week after Makaziwe Mandela won a court ruling.

The ruling also forced Mandla to return the bodies of the former president's three dead children from his own village of Mvezo, in the Eastern Cape, to Qunu, where the anti-apartheid hero grew up.

A spokesman for CNN denied paying for special broadcasting rights, but sources inside the company confirmed they had been in touch with Makaziwe Mandela across many years and that discussions included how they could best cover the funeral.

It is understood CNN is hoping to have a camera and a correspondent inside Mr Mandela's house and at the graveside. If the plan goes ahead, it will be the only broadcaster with its own crew inside the Mandela compound. The rest of the world's media will be forced to rely on a live feed from the SABC.

Mr Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison for resisting the racist white government, was admitted to hospital on June 8 with a recurrent lung infection. He is on life support.

iOS 7 beta hints at AirPlay for your car

A setting discovered by a developer poking around the beta for iOS 7 lists "iOS in the Car" using a Wi-Fi connection.

 

Apple's upcoming iOS in the Car feature apparently will work via AirPlay, so you won't have to physically hook up your device.
Scouring through the "Accessory Developer" settings menu in the iOS 7 beta version, developer Hamza Sood uncovered two options -- one called "iOS in the Car over USB" and another called "iOS in the Car over WiFi." Revealing his findings in a tweet, Sood's conclusion was that iOS in the Car will tap into Apple's AirPlay.
Unveiled in June at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, iOS in the Car will integrate your iPhone with your auto's onboard receiver or "infotainment" system. This integration would let you control your phone through your car's dashboard so that you can play music, display maps, and talk to Siri without having to fumble with the device.
Using a Wi-Fi connection via AirPlay would further mean that you can simply leave your iPhone in your pocket or purse and that it will automatically communicate with your car.
So far, Apple has signed up such automakers as Honda, Mercedes, Nissan, Ferrari, Hyundai, Kia, and Infiniti to integrate more iOS features into their cars. At WWDC, Apple VP Eddy Cue said the iOS integration could kick off as soon as 2014, which means the feature itself may start to pop up in a few select 2015 models.

EID MUBARAK

May the Guidance and Blessings of Allah be with You and Your Family.
Happy Eid Mubarak to All.

LONDON OLYMPIC 2012: Executive Producers of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies

The Olympic and Paralympic Opening Ceremonies are being developed by world-class directors Danny Boyle, Bradley Hemmings and Jenny Sealey and their teams.

Executive producers

The Executive Producers overseeing the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games are:

Stephen Daldry CBEExecutive Producer, Creative (Chairman)

Stephen began his career at the Sheffield Crucible where he directed various award winning productions. He has won innumerable awards on Broadway as well as the West End. Daldry made his feature film directorial debut with Billy Elliot. His next film was The Hours followed by The Reader. Stephen has received an Academy Award nomination for all three of his films. His stage musical adaptation of Billy Elliot, with music by Elton John, opened in London in 2005.  The production opened on Broadway in 2007, winning 10 Tony Awards and is the most honoured British production in the history of the American theatre.

Mark FisherExecutive Producer, Production Design

Mark is an architect with an international reputation for creating spectacular live entertainment. He has designed some of the most memorable rock concerts ever staged, including ‘The Wall’ for Pink Floyd, every Rolling Stones show since 1989, and every U2 concert since 1992. He also designed the theatre, scenery and acrobatic effects for Cirque du Soleil’s ‘KÀ’ at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and the opening and closing ceremonies for both the 2006 Turin Winter Games and 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. 

Hamish HamiltonExecutive Producer, Broadcast

Hamish is a Grammy and BAFTA Award nominated British television director, arguable the best live television director in the world.  He is most known for directing concert videos and award shows. He has directed several concert DVDs for U2, Madonna, and Jennifer Lopez, as well as the MTV Video Music Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards, the Super bowl half time show and this year’s Academy awards. Hamish joins the team to ensure that, from the outset, our creative ideas evolve with television in mind.

Catherine UgwuExecutives Producer, Production

Catherine has been involved in some of the world’s largest and most prestigious public events, she was the Senior Producer for the Strategic Phase of the Opening, Closing and Victory Ceremonies of the Vancouver Winter Olympics, she produced the Opening Ceremony for the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar in 2006, the Closing Ceremony for the XVII Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002 and a large-scale performance spectacle to mark the opening of the Millennium Dome London in 2000. She has been a consultant and programmed numerous international arts festivals in Mexico City, Adelaide, Antwerp, Accra, Los Angeles and New York.  

London 2012 ceremonies board

The London 2012 Ceremonies Board is responsible for building and managing the huge team of people who will be developing and producing the ceremonies.

The members of the Board are Bill Morris, London 2012 Director of Ceremonies, Education and Live Sites; Martin Green, Head of Ceremonies; Catherine Ugwu, Executive Producer, Production; Scott Givens, Managing Director; Sara Donaldson, Chief Operating Officer; Dion Carter, Finance and Commercial Director; and Non-Executive Directors Frank McCormack and Alan Robertson. 

LONDON OLYMPIC 2012: Young people audition to take part in the Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony is a celebration showcasing the best of the Host Nation. It also features a parade of all competing nations and the highly anticipated entrance of the Olympic Flame, which ignites the Cauldron and signals the start of the Games.

The eyes of the world will be on London for the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The Ceremony will provide an opportunity for the world to view the artistic expression of the Artistic Director (Danny Boyle) and his team, and the culture of our Host City and the UK. There are certain elements that must feature in every Ceremony, as outlined in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) charter. The artistic performance of the Ceremony then gets underway and welcomes the world to the London 2012 Games.

The name of the Olympic Opening Ceremony show will be ‘Isles of Wonder’ and the worldwide broadcast will commence at 9pm. The Ceremony will kick off with the sound of the largest harmonically tuned bell in Europe, produced by the Whitechapel Foundry, and the Stadium will be transformed into the British countryside for opening scene ‘Green and Pleasant’, which includes real farmyard animals. The Ceremony will also include a special sequence celebrating the best of British, featuring volunteer performers from the NHS.

Danny Boyle, Artistic Director of the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, said: ‘Our Isles of Wonder salutes and celebrates the exuberant creativity of the British genius in an Opening Ceremony that we hope will be as unpredictable and inventive as the British people.’

Creative team

A host of world-class British directors and producers are leading the artistic team to stage the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Performers

A total cast of 15,000 will take part in the London 2012 Opening and Closing Ceremonies, which will be watched by an estimated audience of four billion. 

NASDAQ: Facebook stumbles on 1st trading day as shares

Facebook stumbled on its first trading day on Friday as shares ended barely above the starting price after a glitch-plagued market debut on the Nasdaq that failed to live up to its enormous hype.

The stock, priced at $38 on Thursday in the largest-ever initial public offering (IPO) for a technology firm, eked out a gain of just 0.61% to end at $38.23, amid record volume of more than 575 million shares traded.

Shares in the social network titan saw roller-coaster action in what was one of most keenly awaited stock issues in history. The day began with a 30-minute delay in trade, an incident which regulators are still reviewing.

Shares jumped 12% to $42.55 in opening trade but within minutes fell back to the offering price. A midday rally failed to sustain its momentum and the price tailed off before the close.

"The negativity in the market overall has put a damper on the IPO," said  Darren Hayes, a Pace University professor and former investment banker.

"It's not uncommon in an IPO to see a big rise and then for the price to come back down, but I'm a bit surprised after all the hype to see such a small gain."

A report on the Business Insider financial blog said the price held at $38 because of a large number of standing orders at the offering price. The Wall Street Journal said the underwriting investment banks stepped in to support the price.

"It's hard to know what would have happened if the banks hadn't stepped in," said Lou Kerner of the Social Internet Fund, raising questions about what will happen to Facebook's share price when the Nasdaq reopens on Monday.

James Hughes, chief market analyst at London's Alpari, said "the real value of Facebook is not likely to be known until the hype of the IPO has died away and investors have been able to digest how the company is going evolve to be the money-making machine many expect it to be."

Investors were expected to be hungry to get a piece of Facebook, which has become a global phenomenon since its humble beginnings in 2004 as a project of then-Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg and his classmates.

Zuckerberg, 28, wearing his trademark hooded sweatshirt, remotely rang the bell to open the Nasdaq, marking the start of trade.

He told the crowd at the company's new campus in Menlo Park, California, that going public is a "milestone" but added: "Our mission isn't to be a public company. Our mission is to make the world more open and connected."

The market debut was disappointing compared with some recent tech IPOs. LinkedIn, a business-oriented social network, doubled its share price on its first day, and Groupon, a discount deal aggregator, jumped 30%.

Others have not fared so well. Pandora, an Internet radio site, rose a more modest 8.9% and online gaming site Zynga lost five% on its first day.

Trip Chowdhry, who follows Facebook for Global Equities Research, said the "lackluster" opening was because the company had failed to answer crucial questions about how it will boost revenues and adapt to the mobile Internet.

"Management cannot sing and dance around the key issues," he said.
There are concerns about Facebook's long-term ability to generate ad revenues, fueled by General Motors' decision earlier this week to pull its advertising.

GM had been spending about $10 million on paid advertising and $30 million on unpaid marketing on Facebook.

Another shadow hanging over Facebook is privacy.

Some consumer and privacy advocates say Facebook has been too loose with user data and hope that as a publicly traded company it may change its tune.

The IPO gave Facebook a dizzying value of $104 billion at its market debut.

It raised more than $16 billion, making it the richest after that of financial giant Visa in 2008, according to Renaissance Capital. The addition of a possible stock "over-allotment" could boost the total to $18.4 billion.

With its current market value, Facebook is now among the most valuable US companies, ahead of sector giants Amazon ($96 billion) and Cisco ($89 billion), and more than twice the value of Ford Motor Co. ($38 billion).

But it remains behind Google ($196 billion) and Apple ($496 billion).

Under the share plan, Zuckerberg holds 55.8% of the voting power of Facebook shares, and over 18% of the value of the company.

Despite the lingering concerns, some still see huge potential for growth.

"Facebook is a business that can succeed with far fewer employees than the technology behemoths of old," said Victor Basta of London-based Magister Advisors.

"Facebook's IPO filing implies a value per employee for its own business of $33 million. Microsoft, by contrast, has a value per employee of $3 million, reflecting the fundamental structural differences between the businesses."

Facebook posted a profit of $668 million last year as revenue vaulted to $1.06 billion.

 

Samsung Galaxy S III Launching Today

Will It Come to U.S.?

Samsung is expected to announce its Galaxy S III smartphone at 2 pm ET in London today.

The Galaxy S III is the most-anticipated Android smartphone launch of the year so far. It's the follow-up to the two most commercially successful Android phones ever, Samsung's Galaxy S and Galaxy S II. Samsung is now the world's largest phone maker, and according to Horace Dediu of Asymco, it's by far the most profitable maker of Android-powered mobile phones.

Very little is known about the new phone, and rumors have been frantic and contradictory. It may use a quad-core Samsung Exynos processor. It may use a dual-core processor. It might have a large 4.7- or 4.8-inch screen. (Samsung has had success with large screens of late, selling millions of the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note phone.) That screen may be Super AMOLED, Super AMOLED Plus, or an even newer technology. One thing is clear, though: to impress the phone market it's going to have to compete blow-by-blow with HTC's glamorous new One X phone, which we've currently rated the best smartphone on AT&T.

What makes the announcement a little frustrating for Americans hoping to get their hands on the phone, though, is that it's in London. Typically, announcements held in Europe tend not to discuss the U.S. market much, because our market is so carrier-dependent and so different from other countries'.

In previous years, Samsung has released a global version of its Galaxy S that has shown up on T-Mobile (for the original) or AT&T (for the S II), and then each of the other U.S. carriers has gotten a customized version. Sprint's Galaxy S, the Epic 4G, had a QWERTY keyboard, for instance. T-Mobile's Galaxy S II had a larger screen and different processor from the global version. Verizon didn't get a Galaxy S II at all. So we'll be looking to see if there are any clues about the U.S. models, and whether they'll be different from the global device.

YouTube Cofounder Steve Chen Explains What He's Doing With His New Company

About a year ago, YouTube cofounders Steve Chen and Chad Hurley bought bookmarking service Delicious from Yahoo, and used it as the basis to form a new company called Avos Systems.

We haven't heard much from them since. Until today, when Avos announced its first round of outside funding. (PDF here.)

The company isn't saying how much it raised, but it got a group of pretty big names on board, including Google Ventures, NEA, and Madrone Partners, and Kai-Fu Lee, who previously set up Chinese research offices for both Google and Microsoft. (Lee's incubator, Innovation Works, was an investor.)

We talked to Chen today, and he explained a little more about what the company wants to do.
Basically, it's all about helping users make sense of the flood of new content coming on to the Web every day.

"Having worked with YouTube, there were already about 40 hours of video being uploaded every minute. That's doubled. There are now 60 to 80 hours of new video content being uploaded every minute -- on one web site. There's new content on Twitter, it comes from RSS feeds, from blogs, from Facebook, from social networks.... There are lots of new products and new services making adding content easier. But there's not many people on the other side, helping users digest that content."

Delicious and a Chinese-language equivalent, mei.fm, are parts of the equation. Those products are still about "people manually adding bookmarks and sharing sites in their social network. We want to try to make that process easier, more fun."

But Avos is also building a mysterious product called Zeen.  It sounds like a personalized collection of content arranged in a magazine-type format.

There are lots of other services doing similar things, from Flipboard and Zite on the display side, to Wavii and Trap.it, which focus on different ways of making sense of all the new content showing up online.

Chen said that Zeen would be similar to Flipboard "on the UI level" but different on the publishing side --  "We want to make sure you don't have to call our head of business relationships to strike a relationship before you publish something. Every user has something to say."

Sounds cryptic, but we'll hear more in the coming months, Chen told us.
The company currently has about 30 developers spread between San Mateo in Silicon Valley, Dunedin in New Zealand, and Beijing. The new round will be used to hire more talent, as well as to leverage connections from Google Ventures and NEA.

San Francisco 49ers president -- and former CFO of Facebook and YouTube -- Gideon Yu has also joined the board

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all Visitors :) Have a Blessed New Year.

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FarmVille Christmas Save the Children Campaign: Everything you need to know

This week marked the launch of Zynga's "A Very Merry Christmas" holiday video in FarmVille, which gave us just a taste of the game's "Save the Children" charity event for this year. Now that the event has actually launched in your game, you'll be able to give yourself the warm and fuzzies by knowing that you've helped those in need through one of three programs (or a combination of the three).

The next time you login to FarmVille, you'll be greeted with a window like the one below, asking you to consider donating one of three dollar amounts ranging from $10 to $20 to the Save the Children charity, which works to help impoverished children across the United States. You'll see exactly which area of the program your donation will benefit, with 100% of the proceeds going to support Save the Children's efforts.

At the $10 level, you'll receive a Teddy Bear Tree, with your $10 going to provide "Healthy Snacks" to children. At the $15 level, you'll help stock a Library and will receive a Holiday Pony. Finally, at the $20 level, you'll receive a permit to plant the Green Peppermint Crop, a limited edition crop that will be yours for a week. You'll be able to plant as many Green Peppermints as you like, with each rewarding you with 2 XP and 120 coins when harvesting after their 8-hour growing time. That contribution goes to fighting poverty in general, giving children a chance to participate in after-school activities or early learning programs (as two examples).

There's no time limit listed currently for how long you'll have to donate, but we'd assume the promotion will end shortly after Christmas. If you'd like to help those less fortunate, and receive something in your own game in the process, make sure to login to your game and check these options out in the store.

Income inequality for dummies

And by dummies, I mean me. Analyzing income inequality has become a national pastime in recent years and threatens to remain so, since the extent of increased inequality seems so hard to put to rest. Some point out that high-income individuals are pulling in a greater share of total income than in the past. Others argue that the picture isn’t so simple, since tax reforms in the 1980s presented incentives to shift what was previously business income into personal income. And these questions only scratch the surface. What’s a simple man like me to make of it all? Here’s how I think about it. When you get a dollar of income, you can do one of two things with it: spend it or save it. So rising income inequality should lead to rising inequality of either consumption (the spending part) or wealth (the saving part). But has it?
Wojciech Kopczuk of Columbia University and Emmanuel Saez of the University of California, Berkeley, show that the share of wealth held by the top 1 percent of households has remained roughly constant since the 1940s and is actually somewhat lower today than it was in the mid-1980s. So if the rich are gaining more income, it doesn’t seem that they’re saving it.
So they must be spending it, right? Maybe not. Dirk Krueger of Stanford and Fabrizio Perri of NYU find that “from 1972 to 1998 the standard deviation of the log of after-tax labor income has increased by 20 percent while the standard deviation of log consumption has increased less than 2 percent.” Krueger and Perri argue that part of the measured increase in income inequality is a function of higher income volatility from year to year. But if households can borrow in bad years and save in good years, consumption can be smoother than income. And ultimately it’s consumption that matters.
None of this puts the question to rest. Survey data on consumption isn’t as high quality as for income, so it’s possible we’re missing something important. But it’s also possible that the income data that shapes our perceptions of inequality are missing something as well.

> By Andrew Biggs

Formula One: I hope to race in Pakistan one day, says Vettel

ABU DHABI: With sports fans in Pakistan experiencing dearth of international action, Formula One’s youngest double world champion Sebastian Vettel has showered them with hopes of seeing him in action in the future.

Vettel, who, at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi, equalled Nigel Mansell’s record of 14 pole position in a single season, has won 11 races this year including the inaugural Indian Grand Prix that marked the arrival of Formula One in the subcontinent.

With a huge following in the country – of the sport and the driver – the security situation and the infrastructure will hinder any possibilities of the sport coming to Pakistan but Vettel’s willingness may give authorities a push to get things moving.

“It is great to know that there are so many fans around the globe watching us race, especially if they don’t get a chance to see us live in action and on the track,” Vettel told The Express Tribune in Abu Dhabi.

“I hope that, one day in the future, there will be an opportunity for us to bring the sport closer to them. This will allow us to help them experience what it is all about.”

Vettel’s retirement in Abu Dhabi, his first since last year’s Korean Grand Prix over a year ago, ended his run as the only driver to finish every race in 2011.

The right rear puncture allowed on the opening lap allowed Briton Lewis Hamilton to take the lead, one that he maintained until the chequered flag to win one of his ‘best races’. Vettel’s unassailable lead in the championship, however, allowed him a smile despite such an early exit after a stunning qualifying lap that threatened another podium finish.

Massa issued warning

Meanwhile, Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo has issued a warning to Brazilian driver Felipe Massa to improve in the next season.

Massa has failed to finish higher than fifth this season and has seen his teammate Fernando Alonso win at Silverstone and sit third in the drivers’ rankings, just 10 behind former world champion Jenson Button.

Alonso’s 245 points are more than double Massa’s 108 and has led to speculation over the Brazilian’s future.

“Let’s hope 2012 goes well,” Montezemolo told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “I have great confidence in our drivers and there seems to have been a clarification as regards the regulations.

“I’m sure we’ll have a more competitive car. We have a contract with Fernando until 2016 and he’s the best driver in the world.”

Montezemolo was not satisfied with the team’s performance in the season, terming its reluctance to take enough risks during the winter the biggest reason behind its downfall.

“I’d give the team a five on ten which I’ll raise to six considering the effort and the victory at Silverstone exactly 60 years after Ferrari’s first win in F1. But the season started badly, we didn’t interpret the regulations well and we didn’t take risks in the technology of our project.”

Vettel’s show this season

Australia       -         1^st

Malaysia       -         1^st

China            –         2^nd

Turkey          –         1^st

Spain            –         1^st

Monaco         –         1^st

Canada         –         2^nd

Valencia       –         1^st

Britain          –         2^nd

Germany      –         4^th

Hungary        –         2^nd

Belgium        –         1^st

Italy              –         1^st

Singapore     -         1^st

Japan            –         3^rd

Korea            –         1^st

India             –         1^st

Abu Dhabi     –         DNF