Facebook bans first app since Cambridge Analytica, myPersonality, and suspends hundreds more | TechCrunch

August 23, 2018August 22, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Facebook announced today that it had banned the app myPersonality for improper data controls and suspended hundreds more. So far this is only the second app to be banned as a result of the company’s large-scale audit begun in March; but as myPersonality hasn’t been active since 2012, and was to all appearances a legitimate academic operation, it’s a bit of a mystery why they bothered.

The total number of app suspensions has reached 400, twice the number we last heard Facebook announce publicly. Suspensions aren’t listed publicly, however, and apps may be suspended and reinstated without any user notification. The only other app to be banned via this process is Cambridge Analytica.

Tech Giants Are Becoming Defenders of Democracy. Now What? | WIRED

August 23, 2018August 22, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

ON TUESDAY, A trifecta of tech companies announced that they had thwarted what appear to be significant cyber attacks from Russia and Iran. First, Microsoft CEO Brad Smith announced that the company had caught another round of phishing attacks on political groups in the United States, which it attributed to the Russian hacking group Fancy Bear. Then it was Facebook’s turn. On a call with reporters, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company had shut down 652 pages, accounts, and groups affiliated primarily with Iran, though some had ties to Russia. Twitter almost instantly followed suit, saying it too had taken 284 accounts offline, which appeared to have originated in Iran.

How Entrepreneurs Can Significantly Reduce 2018 Taxes by Choosing the Right Business Entity | Entrepreneur

August 22, 2018August 21, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you’re confused about what type of business entity to set up — entrepreneur or contractor — under the new Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017, you’re not alone.

Whether you’re an Uber driver, tech startup founder or medical professional contractor, you’ll find that the new tax law will significantly impact your 2018 returns. So, don’t waste any more time mulling this question because you have only a few months left to make changes that will affect your 2018 tax liability.

Sport Management Careers: Not Just About Stereotyping | Getentrepreneurial.com

August 22, 2018August 21, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When one starts to mention careers in sports management, the idea of an NFL coach quickly springs to a lot of minds.

Of course, this was the basis of the field a couple of decades ago. Now, things have changed.

A lot of universities are starting to offer graduates a path into sports management careers, and suffice to say, it doesn’t involve being the coach of an NFL team.

No-Spill Bottle | CoolBusinessIdeas.com

August 21, 2018August 20, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Opening the “sipping port” on a reusable bottle can be tricky, if you’re drinking from it one-handed. If you just leave it open, though, the bottle’s contents can slosh out as you drive, jog, etc. The Lyd bottle offers a solution, in the form of a lid that only opens when your lips are touching it.

Lyd’s lid has an integrated touch sensor, powered by an onboard rechargeable battery.

Why you should block big corporations on Twitter | Mashable

August 21, 2018August 20, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Nothing feels better than blocking an obnoxious branded Twitter account — whether you’re doing it to spite Alex Jones, to protect yourself from insidious marketing, or some combination of the two.

Look at what’s happening on Twitter, for example. As we reported earlier this month, #GrabYourWallet co-founder Shannon Coulter recently put pressure on the platform to remove Jones by creating a list of Fortune 500 companies on Twitter that people can block in protest.

Marketing to ‘Everyone’ or ‘Anyone’ Markets to No One | Peter Mehit

August 20, 2018August 21, 2018 ~ jtweetcustombpscom ~ Leave a comment

Growing top line revenue is survival. Without setting the table, you have no chance to make a profit, or even just stay in the game. With so much hype around the Internet and social media, more established forms of marketing are being discounted. Yet the elevation of social media as an end all, be all strategy does a disservice to those who must plot the direction of their company’s marketing efforts.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in small business where owners and managers are bombarded by sales pitches for different types of tactics. Some owners will be swayed by a good pitch and buy the tactic. Others will not feel comfortable and will not do anything. If neither of these persons has identified their customer, neither choice is helpful to their business.

Who is your customer? That is the single most important question you will ask in your business life. If you’re smart, you’ll ask it again and again because the answer is always changing. Most owners never ask it. The majority answer “anyone.” You can’t market to ‘anyone.’

The awesome beauty of Jupiter captured by Juno, in 13 photos | Vox

August 20, 2018 ~ jtweetcustombpscom ~ Leave a comment

On July 4, 2016, NASA’s Juno spacecraft arrived at Jupiter traveling at a blistering 130,000 mph. Its mission — to orbit the gas giant closer than any craft had done before — was not easy.

Like Earth, Jupiter is surrounded by a field of magnetic radiation. But Jupiter’s is much, much stronger. If Juno didn’t hit a precise region at the poles where the magnetic field is the weakest in its entry, it wouldn’t have survived; the radiation would have fried the craft.

Juno hit its mark, and Scott Bolton, who leads Mission Juno, called it “the hardest thing NASA has ever done.” Since then, Juno has been completing an orbit of Jupiter once every 53 days.

In June, Juno’s mission was approved to continue through at least July 2021. After that, NASA can choose to extend the mission — or it could end it, plunging the craft into Jupiter’s gauzy atmosphere, where it would burn up. If this dramatic ending sounds familiar, it’s because last year NASA crashed Cassini, the spacecraft that orbited Saturn, into that gas giant. It was awesome.

How the motorcycle industry is attracting new riders | Money CNN

August 17, 2018August 16, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Motorcycling in America is getting a makeover. Industry stalwarts and upstart competitors are trying to attract new riders who want something different from Harley-Davidson’s big burbling cruisers or screaming Japanese and European performance bikes.

The changes are in response to younger riders who are attracted to the efficiency and fun of two-wheel travel, but who don’t want to buy into all the “biker” baggage.

Please, Please, Please Don’t Sleep in Contact Lenses, CDC Says | Live Science

August 17, 2018August 16, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

It’s late, you’re tired, and the last thing you want to do is get out of bed and take out your contact lenses. If so, you’re not alone: Around one-third of people who wear contact lenses have reported that they sleep or nap in them.

But people who do this have six to eight times the risk of developing eye infections, according to a new report published today (Aug. 16) in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.