Bitcoin ATMs are a hotbed for scams, FTC says | TechCrunch

September 4, 2024September 3, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published a report about increasing fraud at Bitcoin ATMs. These ATMs allow people to turn their cash into crypto, but they’ve become a tool for scammers to perpetrate fraud. Since 2020, the FTC says, fraud at Bitcoin ATMs has ballooned nearly tenfold, and just in the first half of 2024, consumers have lost over $66 million to these scams.

Scammers use tactics like fake phone calls, messages, and security alerts to convince people that they’re in danger, and that they should deposit cash into a Bitcoin ATM to protect it. Then, the scammer may share a QR code to scan at the Bitcoin ATM, which deposits the cash into the scammer’s wallet.

How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile in 6 Easy Steps | Entrepreneur

September 3, 2024September 2, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

With more than 1 billion users in 200 countries worldwide, LinkedIn is currently the largest professional networking platform. So, whether for professional networking or job search purposes, it’s more important than ever to customize and optimize your LinkedIn profile. Similar to advertising, visitors to your profile page will likely spend just a few precious seconds to form an opinion, so it’s imperative that everything is clear, concise and on-message. Fortunately, LinkedIn has a robust feature set that enables a lot of customization. Unfortunately, many on the platform overlook key parts of their profile, in some cases not including them at all and often not optimizing what’s there.

As you craft your LinkedIn profile, the fundamental objective to keep in mind is that you want to clearly articulate four things in a concise and quick-to-digest manner: who you are, what you are doing professionally, what you have done and what you are looking for — especially for those who are job hunting. You should remove anything that does not contribute to any of these points

How to Keep Your Apps Up to Date | Entrepreneur

September 3, 2024September 2, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

I never considered the importance of app accessibility until I found myself struggling to zoom in on every app I was using. Whether I was reading the fine print in my banking app or verifying my identity for a flight, the lack of accessible design was a constant frustration.

This personal experience reassured me of the critical nature of user interface and user experience. I started investigating how we can improve our customers’ journeys during the identity verification process.

Mobile applications now allow users to check in for a flight, access a bank account, apply for a visa, and much more. The user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) determine the smoothness of these processes.

Although UI and UX are crucial, they still need improvement, especially in identity verification. Enhancing these aspects is essential for businesses aiming to optimize user experience and operational efficiency

America’s massive hotel strike just got even bigger | CNN Business

September 2, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Baltimore hotel workers are joining a massive nationwide strike against three major hotel chains during one of the biggest travel holidays of the year.

Unite Here, the union representing hotel workers, said approximately 200 hotel workers walked off the job in Baltimore at the Hilton Inner Harbor this morning.

Hotel union workers are now on strike across 25 US cities. More than 10,200 hotel workers at dozens of hotels stretching from Boston to the West Coast to Hawaii went on strike early Sunday morning.

“I walked out today because we just cannot keep working paycheck to paycheck, not able to pay our bills,” Jerome Roberts, a dishwasher at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor said in a statement. “Going on strike is hard, but not nearly as hard as trying to get by on what we are getting paid. We told the bosses in our negotiations how much we are struggling right now but they didn’t care. We are on strike to make them pay.”

‘A very serious situation’: Volkswagen could close plants in Germany for the first time in history | CNN Business

September 2, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Volkswagen is weighing whether to close factories in Germany for the first time in its 87-year history as it moves to deepen cost cuts amid rising competition from China’s electric vehicle makers.

In a statement Monday, the German automaker, one of the world’s biggest car companies, said that it could not rule out plant closures its home country. Other measures to “future-proof” the company include trying to terminate an employment protection agreement with labor unions, which has been in place since 1994.

“The European automotive industry is in a very demanding and serious situation,” said Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume. “The economic environment became even tougher, and new competitors are entering the European market. Germany in particular as a manufacturing location is falling further behind in terms of competitiveness.

Why do we shrink as we age? | Live Science

August 30, 2024August 29, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Have you noticed someone getting shorter as the years slip by? Some people may start hunching over and even get a few inches shorter. So what makes us shrink as we age?

It turns out that it’s a combination of our bones “eating” themselves, our cartilage thinning and our muscles being whittled away. But the rates at which these processes happen vary depending on genes, physical nutrition and activity levels across a person’s lifespan.

“We all age differently biologically,” Marian Hannan, an epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School who researches aging, told Live Science.

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket grounded for 2nd time in 2 months following explosive landing failure | Live Science

August 30, 2024August 29, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket on Wednesday (Aug 28), following a failed landing attempt that left the spacecraft toppled over in flames.

The reusable rocket booster had just completed its record-breaking 23rd mission, successfully launching 21 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit before touching down on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean roughly nine minutes later, according to Live Science’s sister site Space.com. However, immediately upon landing, the rocket tipped over, bursting into flames.

No injuries or public property damage were reported in connection with the failed landing.

Why Design Matters for Small Business | businessnewsdaily.com

August 29, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Your brand’s website communicates your business’s expertise and professionalism to current and potential customers. Your chosen website design is a crucial marketing tool that showcases and reflects your operation’s commitment to quality — or lack thereof. Investing time and resources into a well-crafted homepage ensures your site stands out and impresses. In contrast, using a default theme or overly simplistic layout conveys minimal effort and questionable professionalism.

We’ll explain more about why website design matters in business and outline the elements to consider when designing your business website.

What to Know About Accounts Receivable | businessnewsdaily.com

August 29, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Accounts receivable management is an essential part of running a small business. Effectively, it can help you better understand and predict cash flow, improve customer collections, and make better credit extension decisions. Here’s what you need to know about managing your accounts receivable process.

What are accounts receivable?

“Accounts receivable,” or A/R, is the accounting term for money a business should receive from its customers from the sales of goods or services. It’s the amount of money for which you’ve created invoices but haven’t yet collected payment.

Accounts receivable funds are considered assets because they represent money the company has earned and expects to be paid for.