Texas weather: Are frozen wind turbines to blame for power cuts? | BBC News

February 19, 2021February 18, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As freezing temperatures grip the southern United States, there have been major power failures across Texas as increased demand for heating has overwhelmed the energy grid.

Supplies of both electricity and gas have been intermittent, with the authorities saying they need to “safely manage the balance of supply and demand on the grid” to avoid another major power cut.

Republican representatives and media commentators have blamed green energy policies, in particular the increased use of wind turbines.

“So it was all working great until the day it got cold outside,” Fox News’s Tucker Carlson said.

Relief for New SBA Loans Shortened to 3 Months | Inc.com

February 19, 2021February 18, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The U.S. Small Business Administration said that new SBA borrowers between now and the end of September will get three months of payment relief–up to $9,000 per month–instead of six months. The move is due to budgetary constraints, according to the SBA announcement. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act allocated $3.5 billion for these payments, which the SBA believes will not cover six months of payments.

Paying $115B for Stripe or $77B for Coinbase might be quite rational | TechCrunch

February 18, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

CoinDesk reported yesterday that crypto trading startup Coinbase is being valued at $77 billion on private exchanges. And Forbes reported that Stripe is being valued at $115 billion on secondary markets, where private shares can be bought and sold, albeit in a limited fashion.

I instantly wanted to write a piece headlined “Beware those super hot secondary market valuations,“ but after a little digging, I cannot. It turns out that the public markets are so hot, there is historical precedent for seemingly aggressive secondary market transactions being conservative compared to later IPO valuations. And there is further precedent for private market transactions that are more conservative in price terms than venture-determined valuations also working out.

COVID-19 vaccines: What does 95% efficacy actually mean? | Live Science

February 15, 2021February 14, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

You have likely heard that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine efficacy is 95%, Moderna’s is 94% and Johnson & Johnson’s is 66%. But what do these numbers actually mean?

It’s not just an academic question. How people understand these numbers affects how they think about the vaccine, whether they get it and how they behave after getting it, all of which have implications for the pandemic on a larger scale.

So how should people interpret these numbers?

Rolls Royce plans summer shutdown to help cut losses | BBC News

February 8, 2021February 7, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Rolls Royce is considering a plan to close its jet engine plants for civil aircraft for two weeks in a bid to stem losses. The engineering giant has suffered a drop in sales with fewer jets in the air requiring servicing. The plans are tentative as the company aims to thrash out an agreement with unions. The plan, first disclosed by the Sunday Telegraph, will not affect its defence or energy divisions. “As part of the agreement reached with the union last summer we agreed in principle to enter into negotiations about delivering a 10% productivity and efficiency improvement across our Civil Aerospace operations in the UK,” Rolls Royce said in a statement.

How Amazon’s New CEO Andy Jassy Could Impact Small Businesses | Inc.com

February 8, 2021February 7, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Andy Jassy will be leading Amazon through a pivotal period when he takes the e-commerce giant’s helm from founder and CEO Jeff Bezos this summer. On the one hand, the pandemic has further expanded Amazon’s impact on consumers, businesses, and governments. It’s little wonder that the company ended the fourth quarter of 2020 with more than $125 billion in sales, its biggest quarter ever.

At the same time, Amazon is facing unprecedented scrutiny, including in regard to how its actions affect small businesses and third-party sellers on its platform. The company is facing multiple antitrust lawsuits and may face more regulatory action this year in the U.S. and the E.U. How Jassy handles it will have important consequences for small businesses trying to compete with Amazon. And regardless of the outcome, his selection as CEO will also influence the fortunes of private companies hoping to get acquired by Amazon, as well as those that rely on it for their sales.

The iPhone’s Face ID Will Soon Work With a Mask—if You Have an Apple Watch | WIRED

February 4, 2021February 2, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

APPLE IS FACING our face-masked future. This week, the company started testing some new software for the iPhone that will let device owners unlock the handset while wearing a face covering. There’s a catch, though, one that lines up with Apple’s strategy of locking people in to different Apple products, and it highlights how challenging it can be to develop accurate facial recognition technology: The new face-unlock feature requires an Apple Watch.

The first developer beta of iOS 14.5 includes updates to app tracking controls and Siri alongside the face-mask function. App-makers typically get early access to the newest version of iOS in order to launch or retool their apps well in advance of the formal software release. (Brave souls who don’t mind the risk of potentially bricking their iPhones can also enroll in public beta releases.) The fully baked version of the software is expected to be made available to the general public this spring.

3 Covid-Safe Systems All Workplaces Need | Getentrepreneurial.com

February 3, 2021February 2, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Companies are learning to create enhanced systems to keep everyone safe from Covid. Some of these systems including using products that can be introduced into the work environment and others are more procedural adjustments. Used in combination, they can create a work environment that’s secure to enter and work inside.

Here are some Covid-Safe Systems worth employing in the workplace.

Former prison site to transform into green mixed-use district | Inhabitat

February 2, 2021January 31, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In the Copenhagen suburb of Albertslund, the former Vridsløselille prison site will take on new life as an attractive mixed-use district with a strong emphasis on nature. The development plan for the 160,000-square-meter district will combine the design proposal by Danish architectural firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects and landscape architects BOGL with the scheme put forth by COBE Architects. The masterplan will center on the adaptive reuse of the historic star-shaped structure that once housed the state prison.

Google Play Store will soon let Android users download gambling apps | Mashable

February 2, 2021January 31, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Non-iPhone gamblers rejoice: The Google Play Store will soon allow gambling apps.

There are, of course, a few catches. The apps will only be allowed in countries and states where the specific type of gambling in the app is permitted by law.

But the fact remains, starting March 1 Android users in the U.S. and 14 other countries — Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Spain, and Sweden — will join Brazil, France, Ireland, and the United Kingdom as places where Google-sanctioned in-app gambling is allowed.

“We allow real-money gambling apps, ads related to real-money gambling and daily fantasy sports apps that meet certain requirements,” Google’s support page now reads.