Corporate America Is Suppressing Wages for Many Workers

Even after eight years of economic recovery and steady private-sector job growth, wages for most Americans have hardly budged. It is tempting to think that wage stagnation is intractable, a result of long-term trends, like automation and globalization, that government is powerless to do anything about.
Read more: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/opinion/corporate-america-suppressing-wages.html?source=Snapzu

Coca-Cola, Nestle seek to privatize world's second largest aquifer

Coca-Cola and Nestle are pushing to take ownership of the Guarani Aquifer in Brazil. Named for the indigenous Guarani people, the world’s second largest aquifer lies beneath parts of Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina – and it may soon fall under private corporate control. According to Correio do Brasil, private meetings between the multinational corporations and representatives of Brazil’s government...
Read more: https://inhabitat.com/coca-cola-nestle-seek-to-privatize-worlds-second-largest-aquifer/?source=Snapzu

Why blockchain challenges conventional thinking about intellectual property

Blockchain technology is flourishing in an open-source environment, which raises the question of whether current intellectual property laws are the best tools to foster innovation.
Read more: https://theconversation.com/why-blockchain-challenges-conventional-thinking-about-intellectual-property-91469?source=Snapzu

Comcast challenges Rupert Murdoch with $31 billion bid for Sky

Cable giant Comcast on Tuesday announced a $31 billion takeover bid for Sky, potentially scuppering a previous offer for the European broadcaster from Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox. Comcast is America’s largest cable operator and the owner of NBC News' parent company NBCUniversal. The firm argued its offer was superior to the bid from Fox. “We believe we are a better fit,” Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said in a statement.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/comcast-takes-rupert-murdoch-31-billion-bid-sky-n851481?source=Snapzu

When the Supreme Court Doesn't Care About Facts

The conservative justices seem prepared to decide Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, a case that could harm public sector unions, without so much as a factual record.
Read more: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/02/when-the-supreme-court-doesnt-care-about-facts/554354/?source=Snapzu

Studies are increasingly clear: Uber, Lyft congest cities

One promise of ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft was fewer cars clogging city streets. But studies suggest the opposite: that ride-hailing companies are pulling riders off buses, subways, bicycles and their own feet and putting them in cars instead. And in what could be a new wrinkle, a service by Uber called Express Pool now is seen as directly competing with mass transit.
Read more: https://apnews.com/e47ebfaa1b184130984e2f3501bd125d?source=Snapzu

Making Sense of Tech’s Great "Awokening"

Former executives at Google, Facebook, and Apple are now decrying the negative effects of the products they helped build. What’s motivating them, and what can they do to atone?
Read more: https://www.theringer.com/tech/2018/2/26/17042748/facebook-twitter-google-awokening?source=Snapzu

10+ Best WooCommerce Plugins to increase conversion rates and sales

With 2,077,766 powered websites, WooCommerce is now the controlling leader in the eCommerce platform industry which helps online store owners to improve their products and sell successfully. However, over 50,000 plugins in the market make you exhausted and time-consuming to find the best WooCommerce plugins for your store. Therefore, we have comprehensively reviewed 10 best WooCommerce plugins to support you as much as possible. The good news is that they are all FREE or Premium. #1. Booster for WooCommerce #2. Beeketing for WooCommerce #3. YITH WooCommerce Wishlist #4. Better Coupon Box | Email popup with Exit-intent #5. ...
Read more: https://snapzu.com/LoriDinh/10-best-woocommerce-plugins-to-increase-conversion-rates-and-sales?source=Snapzu

The economy is more a messy, fractal living thing than a machine – George Zarkadakis | Aeon Ideas

Mainstream economics is built on the premise that the economy is a machine-like system operating at equilibrium. According to this idea, individual actors – such as companies, government departments and consumers – behave in a rational way. The sy...
Read more: https://aeon.co/ideas/the-economy-is-more-a-messy-fractal-living-thing-than-a-machine?source=Snapzu

Snapchat’s redesign was meant for your friends, and celebrities aren’t your friends, says CEO Evan Spiegel

Kylie Jenner isn’t happy with Snapchat’s redesign. That probably means it’s working. Jenner, a member of the insanely popular Kardashian family, tweeted to her 24.5 million followers on Wednesday afternoon that she was no longer opening Snapchat. Bloomberg says Jenner’s tweet, which was “Liked” more than 327,000 times, cost Snap $1.3 billion in market value.
Read more: https://www.recode.net/2018/2/23/17045732/kylie-jenner-snapachat-tweet-stock-wall-street-evan-spiegel-redesign-app?source=Snapzu

The Nokia 8 Sirocco is a curved glass Android flagship with no headphone jack

HMD Global, the Finnish company that licensed the rights to produce Nokia phones, first revealed a Nokia-branded Android flagship back in August. At Mobile World Congress today, HMD is launching the Nokia 8 Sirocco, an upgraded variant that comes with some surprising design changes. HMD has opted for glass on 95 percent of the Nokia 8 Sirocco, with a tiny stainless-steel chassis than runs along the sides.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2018/2/25/17049950/nokia-8-sirocco-release-date-pricing-mwc-2018?source=Snapzu

Citigroup will refund customers $335 million after discovering it charged too much credit-card interest

The New York bank, one of the world’s largest credit-card issuers, said it will pay the money to U.S. customers whose annual percentage rate didn't reflect the full benefit of paying on time and other good behavior.
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-citi-credit-cards-20180223-story.html?source=Snapzu

More companies cut ties to NRA and member perks in wake of Florida school shooting

The National Rifle Association and the firearms industry are facing a growing backlash in the wake of the deadly Florida high school shooting, with calls to boycott the big lobby group spreading from social media to businesses.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/nra-guns-shootings-1.4548756?source=Snapzu

Car companies are preparing to sell driver data to the highest bidder

The confluence of the technology and automotive industries has given us mobility. It's not a great name, conjuring images of people riding rascal scooters in big box stores or those weird blue invalid carriages that the government handed out in the UK back in the last century. But in this case, it's meant as a catch-all to cover a few related trends: autonomous driving, ride-hailing, and connected cars.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2018/02/no-one-has-a-clue-whats-happening-with-their-connected-cars-data/?source=Snapzu

Dropbox files to go public with over $1.1 billion in annual revenue

Cloud storage company Dropbox filed to raise $500 million in a public offering on Friday, giving investors a first look at the books of a coveted unicorn start-up that was previously valued at $10 billion.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/23/dropbox-ipo-form-s-1-prospectus-filing-full-text.html?source=Snapzu

Bank of America Admits Bitcoin is a Threat in SEC Report

In an annual filing to the Security and Exchange Commission, America's second-largest bank has expressed fears over cryptocurrency's potential to undermine the control of major banks. It has long been speculated that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies pose a threat to major banks and traditional financial institutions. Now, Bank of America admits it could be forced to deal with the “substantial” costs associated with the emerging market.
Read more: http://bitcoinist.com/bank-of-america-bitcoin-threat-sec-report/?source=Snapzu

The Tallest Lighthouse in Oregon has a Haunted History

Yet there is more to Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport than these ghostly stories.
Read more: https://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/eco-tourism/blogs/tallest-lighthouse-oregon-haunted-history?source=Snapzu

Crazy new Swedish bill makes sharing music and TV as bad a “crime” as manslaughter (yes, really)

A new crazy bill in front of the Swedish parliament makes ordinary sharing of TV, music, and movies as severe a “crime” as some types of homicide. The Swedish IT industry and net community is in shock and disbelief, while the copyright industry lobbyists are cheering.
Read more: https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/2018/02/crazy-new-swedish-bill-makes-sharing-music-bad-crime-manslaughter-yes-really/?source=Snapzu

Ryan Reynolds just bought himself a gin company

Ryan Reynolds just bought himself a gin company. Looks like Ryan Reynolds is taking a page out of George Clooney's business plan. The Deadpool actor announced via social media Wednesday that he is the proud new owner of Aviation Gin, an American spirit company based in Portland, Ore.
Read more: http://www.kgw.com/mobile/article/news/nation-now/ryan-reynolds-just-bought-himself-a-gin-company/465-138f141f-4f84-4415-8165-aa9eaefe20b1?source=Snapzu

Exclusive: As Trump Trashes NAFTA, Mexico turns to Brazilian Corn

Mexican buyers imported ten times more corn from Brazil last year amid concern that NAFTA renegotiations could disrupt their U.S. supplies, according to government data and top grains merchants.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trump-effect-corn-exclusive/exclusive-as-trump-trashes-nafta-mexico-turns-to-brazilian-corn-idUSKCN1G61J4?source=Snapzu

Mueller Adds Tax, Bank Fraud Charges Against Manafort, Gates

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his former deputy, Rick Gates, were indicted on new tax and bank fraud changes as U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller mounted a fresh legal attack to strengthen his case against the men.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-22/manafort-faces-new-charges-of-tax-and-bank-fraud-in-russia-probe?source=Snapzu

Monster Hunter: World Is the Breakout Hit that Capcom Desperately Needed

Not even a full month after its release, Capcom confirmed that their latest big production Monster Hunter: World had passed 6 million copies worldwide between physical shipments and digital sales. That number confirmed ‘World’ as the fastest selling entry in the series and surprised even the top executives of the company, who had projected the game to have a much slower adoption by the public.
Read more: https://attackofthefanboy.com/articles/monster-hunter-world-breakout-hit-capcom-needed/?source=Snapzu

A Celebrity Philosopher Explains the Populist Insurgency

Peter Sloterdijk has spent decades railing against the pieties of liberal democracy. Now his ideas seem prophetic. By Thomas Meaney.
Read more: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/26/a-celebrity-philosopher-explains-the-populist-insurgency?source=Snapzu

The Great Online School Scam

Students are performing worse than ever, but private companies are making millions.
Read more: https://longreads.com/2018/02/20/the-great-online-school-scam/?source=Snapzu

Cinemark to ban big bags starting this week

Sad news for those who loved to sneak in lots of snacks into movie theaters. Starting Thursday, Feb. 22, Cinemark will no longer allow large bags in its establishments. Bags or packages larger than 12" x 12" x 6" won't be allowed inside. An exception to the rule includes medical equipment bags and diaper bags.
Read more: http://foxbaltimore.com/news/entertainment/cinemark-to-ban-big-bags-starting-this-week?source=Snapzu

Apple is not as good as its bottom line

Apple’s quarterly report may look golden, but there are fundamental problems behind its billions in profit.
Read more: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3256051/apple-phone/apple-is-not-as-good-as-its-bottom-line.html?source=Snapzu

Is the end of the traditional data center in sight?

The cloud and its hyperscale data centers are slowly crushing traditional data centers.
Read more: https://blogs.dxc.technology/2018/02/19/is-the-end-of-the-traditional-data-center-in-sight/?source=Snapzu

The Unsexy Truth About Millennials: They’re Poor

If you’re wondering why millennials don’t have much sex, and don’t buy cars, forget social theorizing: the harsh truth lies in their near-empty wallets. By Samantha Allen.
Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-unsexy-truth-about-millennials-theyre-poor?source=Snapzu

What's Behind One of the Biggest Financial Scams in History

The LIBOR scandal is one of the biggest financial scrams in history. In his new book, journalist David Enrich unravels what went down.
Read more: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/libor-scandal/?source=Snapzu

Bitcoin’s transaction fee crisis is over—for now

The median fee peaked at $34 in mid-December—now it's less than $1.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/02/bitcoins-transaction-fee-crisis-is-over-for-now/?source=Snapzu

The Case Against Google

Critics say the search giant is squelching competition before it begins. Should the government step in? By Charles Duhigg.
Read more: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/02/20/magazine/the-case-against-google.html?source=Snapzu

It's time for America to embrace guaranteed income

We should provide a guaranteed income of $500 a month for every working adult who makes less than $50,000, argues Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/20/america-guaranteed-income-chris-hughes?source=Snapzu

Gates says billionaires should pay 'significantly' more taxes

Bill Gates says he has paid more than $10 billion in taxes over a lifetime but billionaires like him should pay "significantly" more because they benefit more from the system. The Microsoft co-founder, the world's second richest man after Amazon's Jeff Bezos, was critical of a recent US tax overhaul that slashed corporate taxes and lowered the top bracket for individual income.
Read more: https://phys.org/news/2018-02-gates-billionaires-significantly-taxes.html?source=Snapzu

59 percent of online customers say chatbots are slow to solve their problems

PointSource published a survey that seeks to find a common ground between consumers and artificial intelligence (AI), specifically chatbots. And in the process, the company has discovered some of the pet peeves or frustrations that people are experiencing with chatbots. To this day, Chatbots have become the most popular AI application. But in the report, PointSource insists that the interest in chatbots still has not translated into full understanding or adoption of the technology.
Read more: https://businessdigit.com/59-percent-of-online-customers-say-chatbots-are-slow-to-solve-their-problems/?source=Snapzu

Eric Lundgren, ‘e-waste’ recycling innovator, faces prison for trying to extend life span of PCs

Lundgren wanted to provide buyers of used computers a restore disc of Windows, so they wouldn't throw their computers away. Microsoft, and the government, objected.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp/2018/02/15/eric-lundgren-e-waste-recycling-innovator-faces-prison-for-trying-to-extend-lifespan-of-pcs/?utm_term=.d37174f8a164?source=Snapzu

Five Growth Lessons from China’s Big Tech

By now, you've probably read Mike Moritz' article on the work culture of China's big tech companies, and what that means for Silicon Valley. Cyriac Roedig (Shopkick's founder) also wrote that Chinese startups just operate on a faster timetable: "Big startups are built in three to five years versus five to eight in the U.S. Accordingly, entrepreneurs who try to jump on the bandwagon of a successful idea scramble to outcompete each other as fast as they can."
Read more: https://www.reforge.com/blog/china-tech-growth?source=Snapzu

Evan Spiegel doubles down on new Snapchat redesign, says complaints only 'validate' changes

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel is not fazed by the uproar over his new redesign. Speaking to investors at the Goldman Sachs' Technology and Internet conference on Thursday, Spiegel said that he personally prefers the new version and thinks that users will like it too once they have had time to learn to use the new features.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/evan-spiegel-doubles-down-on-new-snapchat-redesign-says-complaints-only-validate-changes-2018-2?source=Snapzu

California-Grown Coffee Is Becoming The State's Next Gold Mine

Sure, a cup of California-grown coffee sells for about $18 a cup, but people are buying it. The niche industry is booming with no signs of slowing, and the state's farmers still can't meet demand.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/02/16/585409126/eureka-california-grown-coffee-is-becoming-the-states-next-gold-mine?source=Snapzu

Visa confirms Coinbase wasn’t at fault for overcharging users

Yesterday, we wrote that Coinbase customers were being charged multiple times for past transactions. While some speculated that the erroneous withdraws were down to a Coinbase engineering issue, Coinbase issued a statement saying it wasn’t liable for the duplicate charges. The blame, instead, rested with Visa for the way it handled a migration of merchant categories for cryptocurrencies, Coinbase said.
Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/16/visa-coinbase-not-at-fault/?source=Snapzu

Inside the Zany, Enormous, Amazing World of Activision Blizzard

What it’s like to work at a video game powerhouse.
Read more: http://fortune.com/2018/02/15/best-companies-activision-blizzard/?source=Snapzu

Google Legally Fired Diversity Memo Author, Labor Agency Says

Google did not break the law when it fired an engineer who wrote a memo critical of the company’s diversity efforts, a lawyer for a federal labor agency said. Last year, James Damore, a little-known engineer on Google’s search infrastructure team, incited outrage at the company and across Silicon Valley for making an argument that seemed to rationalize the pay and opportunity gap between genders at technology companies.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/16/business/google-memo-firing.html?source=Snapzu

James Damore’s labor complaint against Google was completely shut down

Google didn’t violate labor laws by firing engineer James Damore for a memo criticizing the company’s diversity program, according to a recently disclosed letter from the US National Labor Relations Board. The lightly redacted statement is written by Jayme Sophir, associate general counsel of the NLRB’s division of advice; it dates to January, but was released yesterday, according to Law.com. Sophir concludes that while some parts of Damore’s memo were legally protected by workplace regulations, “the statements regarding biological differences between the sexes were so harmful, discriminatory, and disruptive as to be unprotected.”
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/16/17021714/james-damore-google-nlrb-complaint-diversity-discrimination%20Labor%20board%20says%20Google%20could%20fire%20James%20Damore%20for%20anti-diversity%20memo?source=Snapzu

Why Silicon Valley billionaires are prepping for the apocalypse in New Zealand

The long read: How an extreme libertarian tract predicting the collapse of liberal democracies – written by Jacob Rees-Mogg’s father – inspired the likes of Peter Thiel to buy up property across the Pacific
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/feb/15/why-silicon-valley-billionaires-are-prepping-for-the-apocalypse-in-new-zealand?source=Snapzu

Anger at Google image search 'peace deal'

Google has made it more difficult for people to save pictures from its image search product, as part of a "peace deal" with photo library Getty Images. In 2017, Getty Images complained to the European Commission, accusing Google of anti-competitive practices. Google said it had removed some features from image search, including the "view image" button. Getty Images said it was a "significant milestone" but critics said the move was "a step backwards".
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-43085053?source=Snapzu

IKEA flags selling solar panels “at cost” in Australia, industry reacts

News that Swedish furniture giant IKEA is planning to sell solar panels “at cost” in its Australian stores has been met with mixed responses from the local solar industry, with many expressing fears that it will further destabilise – and perhaps undermine – an already over-crowded solar retail and installation market.
Read more: http://reneweconomy.com.au/ikea-flags-selling-solar-panels-cost-australia-industry-reacts-26603/?source=Snapzu

Facebook loses Belgian privacy case, faces fine up to $125 million

A Belgian court threatened Facebook (FB.O) with a fine of up to 100 million euros ($125 million) if it continued to break privacy laws by tracking people on third party websites. In a case brought by Belgium’s privacy watchdog, the court also ruled on Friday that Facebook had to delete all data it had gathered illegally on Belgian citizens, including people who were not Facebook users themselves.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-belgium/facebook-loses-belgian-privacy-case-faces-fine-up-to-125-million-idUSKCN1G01LG?source=Snapzu

The Real Reason Why Credit Card Companies Are Banning Bitcoin Purchases

Major banks around the world have started banning purchases of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies on credit including banks in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Europe. There have been a number of reasons behind the ban with most banks opting that they are trying to protect their customers from a risky unregulated market. Massive returns on cryptocurrency markets in 2017 saw so much growth that major exchanges had to block users making accounts due to not being able to keep up with demand.
Read more: https://medium.com/@coinloop/the-real-reason-why-credit-card-companies-are-banning-bitcoin-purchases-a75315c2b060?source=Snapzu

In two years, drug giant McKesson shipped 5 million pain pills to town of 400, House panel says

In just two years, drug giant McKesson Corp. shipped nearly 5 million prescription painkillers to a single pharmacy in a Southern West Virginia town with 400 residents, according to a letter released Thursday by a congressional committee investigating the opioid epidemic. McKesson, which ranks No. 5 in the Fortune 500, supplied more than 184,000 hydrocodone pills a month to a drive-thru pharmacy in Kermit in 2006 and 2007, the House Energy & Commerce disclosed in the letter.
Read more: https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/health/wv_drug_abuse/in-two-years-drug-giant-mckesson-shipped-million-pain-pills/article_2b00569a-d10c-5295-9775-8fb70f2c5840.html?source=Snapzu

The playboy who got away with $242m – using ‘black magic’

How Foutanga Babani Sissoko pulled off one of the most audacious confidence tricks of all time.
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/stories-42878021?source=Snapzu

Shaw to take $450-million hit after 3,300 employees accept buyout — far above original estimate of 650

Shaw Communications Inc. will eliminate 25 per cent of its workforce after about 3,300 employees accepted buyouts, five times more departures than originally anticipated as the company charts its path into a digital future. The Calgary-based communications giant announced Thursday the results of its voluntary buyout program, stating it expects to take a $450 million charge in the second quarter of fiscal 2018 in relation to the massive restructuring. That includes severance and other employee costs, as well as expenses for the initiative it’s calling a “total business transformation.”
Read more: http://business.financialpost.com/telecom/shaw-to-take-450-million-hit-from-workforce-cuts-after-3300-employees-accept-buyout?source=Snapzu