Uber vs. Lyft: The $500 Million Battle | WIRED

The pink mustache on the front of the car is the giveaway. Lyft isn’t like a regular taxi company. In fact, Lyft will tell you it’s not a taxi company at all. Instead, the company markets itself as a way to share rides: regular people with their own cars making their empty seats available to strangers via an app in exchange for money.

All that sharing has apparently started to add up. Yesterday, Lyft announced it had made a deal for $250 million in new financing. The company plans to use the money to expand its ride-sharing service across the U.S. and around the world after growing from two cities to thirty over the past year, says CEO Logan Green. Ride-sharing rival Uber secured about the same amount last summer. Lyft tries to distinguish itself from Uber by emphasizing the “sharing” part of ride-sharing, while Uber focuses on the “ride.” Now that the two are on more equal financial footing, the contest can truly get underway to determine which vision will decide the future of transportation — and whether sharing will really have anything to do with it at all.

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How Google Picks New Employees (Hint: It’s Not About Your Degree) | forbes.com

I’ve been having disagreements for years about the usefulness of college degrees as a measure of someone’s ability to be an outstanding employee.  Now, don’t get me wrong – I don’t think it’s ever a bad thing to have a degree.  I just think people make an assumption about formal education that’s often untrue.  They assume that if two people are exactly the same in terms of age, life and job experience and demographics, and one has a college degree and the other doesn’t – that the one who has the degree will be a better employee and have a more successful career.

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Wineist Wine Delivery | CoolBusinessIdeas.com

European startup Wineist is disrupting the wine industry with it’s unique way of online wine tasting.

Curated premium wine tasting experience delivered to your home. Enjoy a monthly delivery of new quality wine samples, from the wine cellar to your doorstep. A new way to explore the beautiful world of wine.

Each month wine professionals, from all over the world, choose a new theme and new wines for your tasting pleasure. The Wineist package, is delivered to your home, your office or your friend’s house. Ready to be tasted.

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A Graceful Solar Eruption from NASA! | greenpacks.org

The phenomenon of solar flares is nothing new. We are already well aware of the 11 year solar cycle that sees this fiery cosmic show ebb and flow and this has been going on for millions of years now.

Currently, we are heading towards another solar maximum; a period that sees a spike up in the solar flare and sunspot activity. And NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory has just captured what it dubs as a graceful solar eruption.

Check It Out.

10 Questions to Ask When Working With an Accountant | Entrepreneur.com

Solely relying on free or inexpensive online small-business accounting tools instead of investing the services of a trained professional accountant can be a costly mistake that entrepreneurs make all too often. Don’t be one of them.

Springing for a licensed accountant can be worth every extra penny you spend, says ff Venture Capital chief financial officer Alex Katz. A qualified, certified public accountant (CPA) can tip you off to potentially irreversible financial missteps and brand new tax savings opportunities that you might not know exist. And we doubt most barebones digital accounting solutions could bring red flags like these to your attention as effectively as an accountant.

When you do invest in the services of a reputable accountant, it’s important to know what to ask and when — not only to be sure you’re getting your money’s worth, but also to ensure he or she helps you do what’s best for your business and your bottom line.

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