Afraid there may be peanuts or other allergens hiding in that cookie? Thanks to a cradle and app that turn your smartphone into a handheld biosensor, you may soon be able to run on-the-spot tests for food safety, environmental toxins, medical diagnostics and more. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org
Leading physicists last year turned game theory on its head by giving selfish players a sure bet to beat cooperative players. Now two evolutionary biologists at Michigan State University offer new evidence that the selfish will die out in the long run. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org
Just before the second quarter earnings from Angie’s List was announced last week, the company published a press release touting its growing membership strength in Los Angeles that has now surpassed 100,000 paid memberships. Given that the total membership of Angie’s List is 2.16 million, why did this L.A. milestone deserve its own announcement? …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
We only have 2 days left in the Ubuntu Core Apps Hack Days! I hope everybody who has participated has enjoyed it and found it informative and helpful. If you haven’t participated yet, it’s not too late! Come join us in #ubuntu-app-devel on Freenode’s IRC network anytime from 9am to 9pm UTC and ping either myself (mhall119) or Alan Pope (popey) and we’ll help you get setup and show you where you can start contributing to the Core Apps.
Today we get another chance to play while we work, because the focus is going to be on Dropping Letters, a simple, fun, yet surprisingly addictive little app written by Stuart Langridge. Stuart has since handed off development of the app to others, but not before having it already in perfectly usable state. Because of it’s simplicity, our list of dogfooding requirements wasn’t very long:
Short as the list may be, it’s only half done! We still need to integrate a high scores screen, which means we need you Javascript and QML developers! Dropping Letters also needs to be tested, which means Autopilot, which of course means we have something for you Python hackers too! So come and join us today in #ubuntu-app-devel and help make this great game even better.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Planet Ubuntu
These are very exciting times for Ubuntu Touch. Not only is the Ubuntu Edge, an Ubuntu super-phone, being funded right now, but we are also making lots of progress on getting Ubuntu running perfectly on phones and tablets near you.
I blogged about this a couple of times now, but Ubuntu Touch has been ported to LOTS of devices in the meantime. If we consult our Touch Devices list, there are 45 working ports, with 30 more in progress, and across 21 different brands. This is awesome. Now it’s time to bring all of them into the fold.
There are two things we have to do:
Updating your image to the new world order is something we are discussing today, 1st August, in #ubuntu-touch on irc.freenode.net. We are having an Ubuntu Touch Porting Clinic today. So bring your device, your questions and we’ll help you get set up for the new image formats.
If you want your images to be supported by phablet-flash, that can be easily arranged too. Follow this process, to document how the flashing of your image works. Check out the latest branch of phablet-flash (not yet landed in trunk) to try out if your image works: lp:~sergiusens/phablet-tools/flash_change.
As always: if you have any questions, talk to us on #ubuntu-touch on irc.freenode.net or on the ubuntu-phone mailing list.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Planet Ubuntu
Buzzing like an oversized electric razor, hairdresser Wang Qiang’s home-made airplane skids over grassland before soaring into a vast blue sky, in a rare flight allowed by Chinese authorities. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org
Filed under: Retirement Living, Retirement Plans, 401K, 403B, IRA
Saving for your retirement is a big deal. Barring the income you might get from pensions (not what they once were) and Social Security (not likely to stay what it once was) all you’ll have is the money you save to last you the rest of your life. And it’s no secret that if your accounts run dry, it’s incredibly difficult for a retiree to rejoin the workforce a decade or more after leaving it.
Given all that, it’s understandable if you’re a bit worried about coming up with enough money that you’ll be able to retire comfortably on your terms. While building and maintaining that nest egg is a long-term commitment, it’s important to remember that you have the rest of your career to get there. With a solid plan and the flexibility to handle life’s curve balls, you can greatly improve your chances of retiring with a portfolio that can last as long as you do.
3 Steps to Get From Here to Retired
The toughest part of investing for retirement is that you face so many unknowns. How long will you live? What will the market do? Will your Social Security benefits get cut? How tame (or wild) will inflation be? Will your mental and physical health hold out, or will you need the help of a caregiver?
Those are all wise questions to ask, but unfortunately, they can’t be answered with any certainty until it’s too late to do anything about it. The best any of us can really do is develop a reasonable plan based on decent assumptions, and then adjust as life happens. With that in mind, here is a three-step foundation for a solid plan:
1. Set a target. What sort of lifestyle do you want in your retirement? Are you the kind of person who’d be happy rocking away on the stoop, watching the world go by? Or do you picture a retirement filled with world travel, box seats at the symphony, and generous philanthropic gifts to your favorite charities?
Whatever your plans, start by estimating your anticipated monthly expenses. Subtract from that your anticipated net Social Security check and any monthly pension payments you may get, then multiply the remainder by 300. That’s about how large your total portfolio will need to be to cover your costs. At that size, your portfolio should generate enough growth and income that you can take advantage of the 4 percent rule, a solid (if rough) estimate that will help reduce the odds that you’ll outlive your money.
2. Take what help you can get, and ramp up when you can. While that 300-times-monthly-expenses estimate may seem daunting, there are a number programs available to help you build your nest egg faster. Qualified retirement accounts like IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and the government’s Thrift Savings …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By U.S. News
Filed under: Personal Finance, Credit Cards, Budgeting, Long Term Care Insurance, Life Insurance
Norma Yaeger, 83, of Encino, Calif., thought she was making a smart financial decision last fall, when, after pulling into a Ralph’s supermarket, she impulsively hired two men to fix her car.
Yaeger isn’t a rube — she was, in fact, the first female stockbroker to work at the New York Stock Exchange (and recently wrote an autobiography, “Breaking Down the Walls”). She also served as president of two stock brokerage firms. The men who approached her seemed honest, and Yaeger was self-conscious about her fender. She paid the $50, a snap decision that seemed perfectly reasonable.
Instead — and you knew this was coming — when she returned from grocery shopping, her car fender hadn’t improved. In fact, it looked far worse. Yaeger drove to a mechanic and was told that it would take several days and $1,000 to fix her car.”The worst part was that I had to tell my husband about this embarrassing story,” Yaeger says.
[See: 12 Money Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes.]
Most people have made a financial mistake that seemed sensible at the time, but in hindsight turned out to be pretty stupid. With that in mind, here are some thoughts from a slew of personal finance experts on five financial decisions that sound smart but are likely a waste of money.
Why It Can Seem Smart. It’s tempting to buy something with a zero-interest window, such as a “90-day, same-as-cash” offer, in which you’re charged no interest if you pay for the product within 90 days.
Why It May Be Stupid. Many people don’t end up saving the money or putting it aside when they get it, “and they end up paying accumulated interest at a high rate plus compounding interest on the balance going forward,” says Kelley Long, a Chicago-based certified public accountant.
She says consumers make such mistakes when they open a store credit card to get a 15 percent discount, for example, but then carry a 22 percent balance. Paying for things with a rewards credit card to earn frequent flier miles can also be a mistake if you’re not paying off the card in full each month. “The interest expenses end up far outweighing the price of an airline ticket,” Long says.
Why It Can Seem Smart. Who wouldn’t want long-term care insurance? It helps pay for basic activities that people need to do on a daily basis, …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
Less than two months after release, Marvel Heroes has received a major update introducing sweeping changes across the board.
Among the most significant of the changes is the addition of what are called Eternity Splinters. These are a new form of currency which replace the existing hero token drops and Cosmic Keys, the latter of which will be converted into Splinters upon their removal from the game on August 2.
Rather than unlocking them through rare, random drops, additional heroes can now be purchased in any order players wish with Splinters.
According to the official update notes, drops of Splinters are affected by players’ Special Item Find stat. They are intended to dropped at a rate which will “make Marvel Heroes slightly faster than other free-to-play games in terms of getting free heroes.” New heroes are currently the primary thing that can be purchased with Splinters, but there are plans to add more options in the future.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at IGN Video Games
London shares opened higher on Thursday as BAe Systems and Lloyds Banking Group rose after results, though gains were restricted by a sharp fall in Shell after the oil giant revealed a plunge in net profit. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Britain’s state-rescued Lloyds Banking Group on Thursday announced a return to first-half net profits as the government looks to return the lender to the private sector. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Real Madrid are in talks to try to sign Gareth Bale, coach Carlo Ancelotti has revealed, amid speculation that the Spaniards could be prepared to break the world transfer record for the highly rated winger. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Japan’s electronics giants Sony and Sharp on Thursday indicated better times ahead after announcing improved quarterly results thanks to an overhaul of their businesses and a weaker yen. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org
Check out this short fan film Resident Evil: Vengeance, featuring Chris Redfield in action against zombies.
Here’s the official synopsis for the film: “Years after the original T-Virus outbreak and the events at the mansion, Chris Redfield finds himself battle weary and alone, unable to trust even his closest friend.”
Via GeekTyrant.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at IGN Movies
Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso has retracted a comment he made this week suggesting Japan should follow the Nazi example of how to change the country’s constitution, following complaints from neighboring countries and human rights activists. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
By NFL.com San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis reportedly injured his right hand at practice on Wednesday and will have an X-ray on Thursday. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at NFL
Before Kate Middleton, Issa was a little-known label in a world dominated by the likes of Donna Karan, Lanvin and even Jason Wu. That changed when Prince William and the would-be Duchess of Cambridge announced their engagement. Kate wore a silk blue wrap dress from Issa and immediately ignited a fashion frenzy. According to British Vogue, the Issa dress sold out within hours after the engagement was announced. Since then Kate has been spotted wearing different Issa dresses on several occasions, which has been instrumental in raising the profile of the brand globally. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
A director at the Smithsonian Institution has expressed interest in acquiring the hooded sweatshirt worn by Travyon Martin on the night he was fatally shot by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
Several passengers who became ill while on a Qantas flight from Chile to Sydney have been met by ambulance officers at Sydney airport. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
