Author: knjohn

Google Must Expand Privacy Delistings, Says French Watchdog | TechCrunch

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The French data protection watchdog has ordered Google to widen its implementation of the so-called European ‘right to be forgotten‘ so that links are also delisted from all Google domains, including google.com, not just (as is currently the case) from the .fr French subdomain.

Quick backgrounder here: the rtbf refers to a legal ruling by Europe’s top court last year. It identified search engines as data controllers and required they process requests from private individuals wanting outdated, inaccurate or irrelevant information delisted from a search result for their name.

Google, which is by far and away the dominant search engine in Europe, started processing these requests last summer. However the way Google implemented the court’s ruling has created a trivial workaround because it only delists links from European sub-domains (such as .fr and .co.uk), not from google.com.

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  Where Does Your Money Go? |Getentrepreneurial.com

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downloadWhen setting up a payments system for your business, it is important to do your research. Not only is it critical for you to get paid for your products and services, you also need to know how each potential option affects your bottom line. Interchange plus pricing and tiered or flat rate pricing both have their benefits, but it is also smart to understand how each works so you can make the best decision for your operation.

Interchange plus pricing is traditionally reserved for large companies and has the lowest possible costs for accepting cards as a form of payment. Fees applied to transactions are upfront, with rates determined on a per-card basis. Tiered pricing is the most common form of pricing for credit card processing services. This is also known as “bucket pricing,” and prices are usually high enough to cover fees.

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Nestle faces setback in KitKat trademark battle | BBC News

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Confectionery giant Nestle’s attempt to trademark the shape of its four-finger KitKat bar in the UK does not comply with European law, a senior European Court lawyer has said.

The opinion of the advocate-general effectively ends Nestle’s attempts to trademark the snack.

It also brings to an end the latest chapter in the internecine chocolate wars between Nestle and Cadbury.

The High Court had already rejected Nestle’s trademark application in 2013.

Advocate-general opinions are usually, although not always, followed by the European Court judges.

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How This Shark Tank Superstar Is Monetizing Bad Breath | Inc.com

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BreathometerMint_30599Landing an investment from all five hosts of ABC’s Shark Tank was just the beginning for Charles Michael Yim.

The 31-year-old entrepreneur, who closed the first million-dollar deal in Shark Tank history with his smartphone breathalyzer company Breathometer, is launching a second product, the breath-monitoring device Mint. Whereas Breathometer’s Breeze product focused on analyzing blood alcohol content (BAC) to prevent drunk driving, Mint measures oral health indicators, such as bacteria and hydration levels. It may even save consumers a trip to the dentist, according to Yim.

“A lot of people think halitosis is just bad breath, but it’s really a byproduct of poor oral health,” he says. “We measure what are called sulfuric compounds, which have a direct connection to the amount of bacteria in your mouth.”

The beta version of Mint, which works in conjunction with a mobile app, shipped this week to contributors to the company’s Indiegogo campaign that raised more than $94,000 in March. Yim says the final version will be available to consumers in September.

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The Americans studying medicine in Cuba | Mashable

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HAVANA, Cuba — After Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of Louisiana and Mississippi in August 2005, Cuba offered a cadre of doctors and medical supplies to help treat injured and displaced Americans. Cuba is renowned around the world for the quality of its doctors — but the United States government declined the offer.

Of course, that’s not exactly surprising given the two countries’ decades of animosity. Tension between Cuba and the U.S. is most visibly epitomized by a still-in-place trade embargo imposed by the U.S. in 1960, one year after Fidel Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevara led a revolution to turn Cuba into a communist state.

Given the frosty relations and how the U.S. declined Cuban medical aid in 2005, one might reasonably assume the island just 90 miles south of Florida is the last place an American would go for medical school.

One would be wrong.

Lillian Burnett, who is from Oakland, is proof — and she’s not alone.

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Some Thoughts on “Cutting Back” on Frugality | The Simple Dollar

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downloadIt’s a pretty typical story.

Person reaches a financial breaking point. Person begins to use frugality to cut back strongly on their expenses. Person pays down their debts and begins saving for the future. Person begins to feel a whole lot better about their financial state.

At that point, many people reach a crossroads. They begin to ask whether or not it makes sense to keep being so frugal. Once you have a healthy amount of savings or investments, is there really a reason to continue being so frugal?

Whenever I hear that question, it serves as a recognition to me that there are two ways to look at frugality.

Some people look at frugality as a tool. Frugality is something you choose to do to extract more money by doing things differently than you would normally do them. If you begin to feel like things are in a financially good place, it’s tempting to put that tool down and not “work” as much.

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Ikea Pledged $1 Billion To Fight Climate Change–And That’s Just A Small Part Of Its Green Agenda | Co.Exist

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3047177-inline-i-2-ikea-pledged-a-billion-bucks-to-fight-climate-copyIkea might still be better known for cheap flat-pack bookcases than sustainability. But the world’s biggest furniture company is in the process of transforming itself to fight climate change. The latest step—a pledge of 1 billion euros (or $1.13 billion) for renewable energy and climate adaptation projects—is one piece of Ikea’s bigger vision to bring you the greenest Smörboll and Ödmjuk.

“We looked at this issue and said there hasn’t been enough positive advocacy from the business community,” says Steve Howard, Ikea’s chief sustainability officer. “It’s only now that we’re starting to see more businesses step up in this space.”

Over the next five years, the Swedish giant will spend €600 million on wind and solar installations for its stores and factories. That’s on top of another €1.5 billion spent since 2009; by 2020, the company plans to run on 100% renewable energy. To put these sums in scale, these figures are higher than what some entire European nations have pledged to the UN Green Climate Fund. Germany, one of the biggest donors, pledged €750m. It’s also a not-insignficant chunk of Ikea’s net profit in 2014: €3.33 billion ($3.79 billion).

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Understand Your Entrepreneurial DNA Before You Start Up | Entrepreneur

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As an angel investor, I get requests almost every day to review a new product or website, and provide feedback on its potential success. Yet I can’t remember the last time any entrepreneur asked me to assess personal potential, despite the fact that most investors will admit they invest in the person more than the product. It is people who drive successful businesses.

So it behooves every aspiring entrepreneur to understand their own DNA before picking a project to bet their life on, and to facilitate effective communication with all constituents, including partners, investors, team members and customers. We all have strengths and special interests, and it always pays to capitalize on these, rather than assume all opportunities are the same.

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Fact or Fiction? 5 Myths About EMV Clarified | Business News Daily

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If they haven’t heard already, brick-and-mortar retailers are going to be hearing the term “EMV” a lot more in the coming months. As payment card issuers continue to roll out their newer, more secure cards containing a data-encrypting chip, merchants are feeling the pressure to upgrade their point-of-sale (POS) terminals to make sure they’re up to date with EMV technology.

As with any widespread technological update, many businesses may hear confusing or conflicting information regarding how the changes will affect them. Business News Daily spoke with security and payment industry experts to get to the bottom of five common beliefs (and misbeliefs) about EMV.

Myth 1: EMV will make credit card transactions completely safe and secure.

Verdict: False.

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