No, Threads didn’t rate limit like Twitter. Here’s what Meta did. | Mashable

July 21, 2023July 19, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

It seemed like exactly the type of juicy hypocrisy that the internet lives for.

On Monday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced that in order to tackle the spam problem on its new Twitter competitor, Threads, the company was going to introduce tighter rate limits on the platform.

Sounds familiar? That’s because rate limits were one of the controversial decisions implemented by Elon Musk on Twitter in early July that resulted in massive backlash against the platform. Users were finding themselves blocked from seeing content on Twitter due to daily rate limiting, after viewing a certain number of tweets.

But, as it turns out, no, Threads did not deploy the same controversial rate limits on its platform that Twitter did. Threads instead strengthened the same type of rate limits present on most all social media platforms, limits that even Twitter used long before Musk even acquired the company.

How hot your iPhone or iPad can get before the battery is permanently damaged | Mashable

July 20, 2023July 19, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s very hot. Major heat waves have hit regions all over the world, including the U.S., Europe, and parts of Asia.

With dangerously high temperatures in some areas, authorities have advised staying indoors and taking it easy. The same can be said for your iPhone. According to Apple, “using an iOS or iPadOS device in very hot conditions can permanently shorten battery life.” Here’s how to protect your device and what to do if it gets too hot.

Tesla profits climb despite price cuts | CNN Business

July 20, 2023July 19, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Tesla reported a much bigger-than-expected increase in profits, despite a series of price cuts that trimmed the amount of revenue per vehicle sold.

Tesla (TSLA) reported adjusted earnings of $3.1 billion, or 91 cents a share, up 20% from the second quarter last year. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv had forecast earnings of 82 cents a share.

Its profit margin of 18.2% was also better than expected, although profit margins were still smaller than they were last year due to the series of price cuts the company announced since earlier this year. A year ago, Tesla’s margin was 25%, and even reported a 19.3% profit margin in the first quarter, when it first started to put the price cuts in place. But the forecast was that the continued price cuts would drop the profit margin under 17% in the most recent quarter.

Scientists discover ancient, underwater volcano is still active — and covered in up to a million giant eggs | Live Science

July 19, 2023July 18, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Researchers exploring an ancient, underwater volcano off the Pacific coast of Canada have discovered it is still active — and “covered” in thousands of giant eggs.

Before the expedition, the team thought the volcano was extinct and the waters around it frigid. However, they found the underwater mountain — which towers 3,600 feet (1,100 meters) above the seafloor — spouting warm water and encrusted with deep-sea corals. The hot, mineral-rich fluid keeps the surrounding waters toasty, providing ideal conditions for some marine creatures to survive in the deep sea. The researchers were even more surprised to see a Pacific white skate (Bathyraja spinosissima) weaving in and out of the fronds and laying eggs on the summit, nearly a mile (1.5 kilometers) beneath the surface.

‘MIND diet,’ intended to prevent dementia, doesn’t offer significant brain benefit, trial suggests | Live Science

July 19, 2023July 18, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The MIND diet — which is intended to guard against dementia, and is rich in fruits and veggies and low in saturated fats — has no short-term brain benefits beyond those seen in people who follow a standard, “suboptimal” diet, a three-year trial suggests.

The trial’s results, published Tuesday (July 18) in The New England Journal of Medicine, showed that participants who followed the MIND diet for three years showed slight improvements in their overall cognition, as measured with a dozen tests. However, those mental improvements were not statistically different from those seen in people who followed their usual diets.

A subset of people from both the MIND and standard diet groups also underwent brain scans, which revealed that their brains changed in the same ways over the three-year period, regardless of the diet they followed.

How to Use YouTube for Small Business | Business News Daily

July 18, 2023July 17, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

YouTube can be an effective video platform for small business marketing. Here’s how to use it to its full potential.

YouTube is home to more than 2 billion users worldwide and drives visits from more than 122 million people daily, making it a great platform for small businesses looking to market with video content.
Video is extremely engaging and useful for many types of businesses. Creating a YouTube channel for your business offers a centralized platform for your audience to view and engage with your videos.
Fill out your YouTube profile and follow these tips to upload engaging video content that will resonate with your audience and grow your followership.
This article is for small businesses looking to improve their marketing strategy by adding video content and boosting engagement with their audience.

What Is the Circle of Control (And How to Use It to Stop Feeling Powerless) | Life Hack

July 18, 2023July 17, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

I am a staunch believer in the saying, “Strike a balance.” However, I try not to dwell too much on events beyond my control. My gardener taught me that!

When I asked him how he knew that the plants would grow well, he replied, “I am good at what I do, but I am never sure if the plants would grow well. I can only control how I take care of them, not the outcome. I do my job well and then leave the rest to nature.”

In a way, he focuses on the Circle of Control.

Taking Advantage of Cross-Border E-Commerce Growth | AllBusiness.com

July 17, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Consumer attitudes are changing about ordering online from overseas, and global e-commerce market forecasts reflect that shift. Analysts predict 25% compound annual global e-commerce growth through 2028, when the market will be worth more than $3 billion, up from $794 million in 2021, per Vantage Market Research.

This growth represents an opportunity for brands and retailers to grow their customer base and insulate themselves from economic fluctuations in their home markets. To build a thriving cross-border presence, brands and retailers must understand why consumers shop across borders and how to adapt their customer experience (CX) for different markets.

In our 2022 Consumer Attitudes Survey on Ecommerce, Fraud & CX—which included more than 5,000 online shoppers evenly distributed among the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and the UK—6% of respondents said they prefer to buy from overseas retailers. That was an increase from 4% in 2021, and among that 6%, more than half said their preference for shopping internationally had increased over the past 12 months.

5 Smart Ways to Avoid Giving Too Much Equity to Investors | AllBusiness.com

July 17, 2023 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The startup ecosystem is currently evolving at a higher pace than ever. Investors’ expectations have changed, and fundraising is a huge challenge for startups. Crunchbase data shows that seed and angel investment to U.S. startups fell 45% year over year in the first quarter of 2023 to $3.1 billion. Seed and angel investments in the U.S. are facing their lowest quarterly level since the fourth quarter of 2020.

While there has been a decline in seed and angel investment, the drop in Series A investment for U.S.-based startups has been even more significant. Series A investment in the first quarter of 2023 decreased from $14.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021 to $5.7 billion.

Due to the current economic conditions, investors may ask for more startup equity to cover the increased risk. Founders, therefore, must carefully evaluate the trade-offs and decide whether venture capital is the right path for their startup’s growth and long-term vision.