Google Calendar’s Enforced Birthdays Show The Ugly Side Of Algorithms | TechCrunch

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You may recall that Google’s mission is to “organize the world’s information”. So if you’ve been seeing the Birthdays of people you hardly know appearing UFO-like in your Google Calendar lately, never fear — this is just Mountain View doing its thang organizing your stuff.

Specifically, this bit of Googly info-admin boils down to its algorithms harvesting the birth dates of all of your Google contacts (which means anyone you might email regularly) and any Google+ users you added to the circles of your (in all likelihood Google-enforced) Google+ profile, and then inserting those dates into your calendar so you don’t have to.

Ta-da!

Q: how useful is it to have the birthdays of people whose birthdays you don’t at all need to have in your calendar mixed in with the birthdays of people you do need in your calendar, cluttering up the place where you record other stuff you do really need to know?

A: not useful at all!

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The Autopilot Tech That Could Be a Total Game-Changer for Drones | WIRED

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Intel invented a new sport on stage at the Consumer Electronics Show this year: drone pong.

To play, four men stood around around a drone hovering in place. As each one approached the drone, it would float away from him, much like the digital ball in the classic video game Pong, and drift toward another person. He could then “pass” it to the next person by approaching the drone.

It’s a simple game, but it was one of the most talked about demos at CES this year because the technology that makes it work is quite complex. The drone had no remote control operator; instead it could “see” people approaching and and move away from them thanks to an autopilot system built by German company Ascending Technologies based in part on Intel’s RealSense 3D cameras.

This was more than a flashy demo. The AscTec Firefly pong drones are a real product from Ascending Technologies, and they will ship with the new autopilot technology later this year. Intel likes them so much, the chipmaker has bought a minority stake in Ascending.

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9 Tips For Improving Your Bookkeeping in the New Year | Business News Daily

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Doing a less than stellar job keeping track of your business finances? Maybe your New Year’s resolutions should be to get your financial house in order.

To help, Greg Jones, CEO of Bookkeeping Express, a franchise bookkeeping services offers the following financial tips for business owners to financially prepare for the New Year.

  • Review bank statements and credit card statements

These statements should always come to the business owner or card holder unopened.  Review them thoroughly before passing them to the bookkeeper or other employee, thereby preventing unauthorized checks or credit card usage.  These are the biggest losses within a small business.

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The Science Of Spanking: What Happens To Spanked Kids When They Grow Up? | Up Worthy

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You know what the most annoying thing in the world is when you are a parent? Other people telling you what to do as if they know better. Backseat parenting drives me crazy. Until I’m the one doing it. I have dear friends who spank their kids, and I always try to talk to them about the science of it. They always respond with, “I know what’s best for my kids, just like you know what’s best for yours.” Which is exactly what I’d say if someone told me that I was doing it wrong. Every kid is different. Every kid has their needs.

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The SBA and Serendipity | Jim Ely

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Serendipity

(ser-uhn-DIP-i-tee)

Luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for

Coined by novelist Horace Walpole based on the fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip. The Princes were supposedly making these happy discoveries they were not looking for.

_____________________________________________

TIP OF THE WEEK

Serendipity comes with SBA 7(a) loans.

The IRS has issued a new Form 4506-T and all SBA 7(a) and 504 related requests for IRS tax transcripts must be submitted to IRS Service Centers using the new IRS Form 4506-T (Rev. August 2014).

Continue reading “The SBA and Serendipity | Jim Ely” →

18 Google Maps Tricks You Need to Try| PCMag.com

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Regardless of how you feel about it, Google Maps (and its cousin Google Earth) remain powerful and versatile tools—and most of us are only scratching at the surface of what they have to offer. (And we’re just talking about the Web version, the mobile incarnations are a whole other bag of magic.) Here, we present 18 cool things you didn’t know Google Maps could do. Click on through and experience just a little bit of the power of the everyday.

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How Waking Up Can Change Your Life | Care 2

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Perhaps the most common complaint is the number of hours in a day. We use it as an excuse for why we don’t exercise enough (there’s just never enough time) and it’s also a go-to excuse for why we can’t seem to get ahead in life or in work.

Become a Morning Person and Change Your Life

However, it really is just an excuse. And it’s one that many successful people have completely overcome. They are the ones who do find time to hit the gym, who feel healthy and refreshed, and who get their work done. The secret to their success?

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Verizon Has Approached AOL for Possible Takeover or Joint Venture | Bloomberg

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Verizon Communications Inc. has approached AOL Inc. (AOL) about a potential acquisition or joint venture with the Internet company to expand its mobile-video offerings, people with knowledge of the matter said.

The wireless carrier hasn’t made a formal proposal to AOL, and no agreement is imminent, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. Speaking at a conference today, Verizon Chief Executive Lowell McAdam said the company isn’t having “significant acquisition discussions” and is more interested in partnerships with media companies and content providers, rather than buying them.

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New Fitness Tracker from Withings Doesn’t Scream ‘Tech Geek’ | Live Science

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activite-popA new fitness tracker from Withings may appeal to those with an eye for fashion who don’t want to break the bank.

The new tracker, called Activité Pop, has a sophisticated clock-face design, but costs only $150 — much less than the company’s previous fashion-forward tracker, Activité, which costs $450.

Like the Activité, the Activité Pop has two hand dials: one that shows the time of day and a smaller dial that shows users’ progress toward their activity goals (such as how close they are to achieving 10,000 steps), according to Withings.

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