Maxim Bange

In addition to obtaining music from file-sharing networks, those looking for free tracks often get them from so-called tube-rippers, sites and services that transform YouTube videos into downloadable MP3s.

These tools are available in several formats including desktop packages, apps for mobile devices, and more commonly browser-based tools. In mid-2012 YouTube owners Google, believed to be under pressure from the music industry, started to make life more difficult for web-based YouTube converters and some cases issued threats to sue.

While some sites decided to shut down, many others continued business as usual, including the German site YouTube-MP3, one of the largest YouTube ripping services around with around 30 million visits per month. The site has long insisted that it has a right to provide ripping services but having fought off Google it recently found itself up against fresh adversaries.

Three music companies under the umbrella of industry group BVMI challenged YouTube-MP3′s assertion that it operates legally and sued it in the Hamburg District Court. The companies said that while YouTube-MP3 claimed to be offering only a rip-and-download service, there were serious technical issues behind the scenes that rendered the site in breach of copyright law.

YouTube-MP3 claimed that users of its service could enter the URL of a YouTube video and have the site convert and churn out an MP3 for download. Apparently, however, that wasn’t always the way it worked. Once a video had been converted to MP3, that audio was stored on YouTube-MP3′s servers. If another user subsequently entered the same YouTube URL, no conversion or ripping was carried out. They were simply handed a copy of the previously stored MP3 for download.

In a statement sent to TorrentFreak, BVMI said that this was a clear breach of copyright law.

“Contrary to the common assumption that YouTubeMP3 is a streamripper that allows users to record songs from the Internet (much as cassette recorders were used to record music from the radio back in the day), in fact the online converter often simply made the pieces available for download without a license,” BVMI said.

BVMI said that by the time the case had arrived in court last month the owner of YouTube-MP3 had already signed cease and desist declarations and agreed to refrain from reproducing and distributing copyright content.

“The current case provides deep insights into the workings of so-called ‘recording services’
and exposes a trick that not only hoodwinks the rights owners but also misleads the users of
these services,” said BVMI Managing Director Dr Florian Drücke.

“Under the guise of private copying [YouTube-MP3] deceives people into thinking that
everything is above-board, even though the user – unwittingly – avails himself of an illegal download platform. We have for some time pointed out that the vague definition of ‘private copies’ encourages cat-and-mouse games in matters of streamripping, so a clarification at the political level is needed here.”

With the signing of the declarations the Hamburg District Court considered the case closed but ordered YouTube-MP3 to pay everyone’s costs.

TorrentFreak contacted the site’s owner for a comment but as yet we’ve received no response. Presumably life at YouTube-MP3 will continue, but without storing converted MP3s for subsequent download. The end result, of course, is that users of the site will still get ripped MP3s just as they did before, a point not lost on BVMI.

“One thing is clear: this platform, as well as most other streamripper sites, generate considerable advertising income that is not shared with the artists or their partners. This has nothing to do with fairness, nor does it fit with our current digital age, when many music sites – some of them free – can be used perfectly legally on the Internet,” BVMI conclude.

Source: YouTube MP3 Converter Loses Court Battle But The Music Plays On

Along with new iPads, MacBook Pro notebooks and the donut-shaped Mac Pro announcements, Apple quietly released Tuesday an update for iOS 7, with a range of improvements and bug fixes.

BRUSSEL - Nederland en België willen vanaf 2016 gezamenlijk het luchtruim in de Benelux bewaken met jachtvliegtuigen. Daarover hebben Defensieminister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert en haar Belgische ambtgenoot Pieter de Crem in Brussel een Letter of Intent (LoI) ondertekend. Op korte termijn zal een formeel verdrag worden opgesteld, meldt Defensie woensdag.

Facebook yanked a beheading video from the social network following outrage over its lifting of a ban on the gory imagery.

The flip flop came as Facebook aimed to balance the diverse sensitivities of its billion-plus members with a desire to be a platform for free speech and real-world news stories.

"People turn to Facebook to share their experiences and to raise awareness about issues important to them," it said in a statement emailed to AFP.

"Sometimes, those experiences and issues involve graphic content that is of public interest or concern, such as human rights abuses, acts of terrorism, and other violence," the California-based company added.

"When people share this type of graphic content, it is often to condemn it. If it is being shared for sadistic pleasure or to celebrate violence, Facebook removes it."

Facebook was adamant that it did not reverse or change any policies as a result of the controversy, but that criticism of the video prompted it to be scrutinized more closely in the context of existing terms of service.

But it said that, as part of an effort to "combat the glorification of violence" on the social network, it was "strengthening" enforcement of its policies.

Facebook had introduced a temporary ban on videos of beheadings in May following complaints that the graphic footage could cause users long-term psychological harm.

But it confirmed on Monday that it had reversed the decision on the grounds that the site is used to share information about world events, including terrorist attacks and human rights abuses.

According to screen shots, it had added a warning to the beheading video that it "contains extremely graphic content and may be disturbing" before re-evaluating the post and removing it.

British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday condemned Facebook as "irresponsible" and said "worried parents" needed to hear an explanation from the tech giant.

"It's irresponsible of Facebook to post beheading videos, especially without a warning," Cameron said on Twitter.

Facebook had reasoned that it would allow such material because "people are sharing this video on Facebook to condemn it."

It has been criticized for allowing this type of violence while banning other content such as nudity.

On its standards page, Facebook says "we remove content and may escalate to law enforcement when we perceive a genuine risk of physical harm, or a direct threat to public safety... Organizations with a record of terrorist or violent criminal activity are not allowed to maintain a presence on our site."

The world's biggest social network said it seeks to avoid censorship and its policy notes that "graphic imagery is a regular component of current events, but must balance the needs of a diverse community."

"When we review content that is reported to us, we will take a more holistic look at the context surrounding a violent image or video, and will remove content that celebrates violence," it said.

Facebook will also evaluate whether posted content is being shared responsibly, perhaps with warning messages or age-restrictions for audiences.

"Based on these enhanced standards, we have re-examined recent reports of graphic content and have concluded that this content improperly and irresponsibly glorifies violence," it said of the beheading video.

"For this reason, we have removed it."

 Copyright (2013) AFP. All rights reserved.

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I didn't have a kid with me, but the staff didn't stare. I was in the aisle outside the video game area, looking at the Skylanders collection, checking for rare figures. Some of the Skylanders — a collection of physical toys that interact with a video game series of the same name — are harder to find than others, and the scarcity hooked me, and made me ruthless.

One time I snatched a Wrecking Ball away from a 4-year-old before he even had a chance to reach for it; would this be one of those days? I was swinging through around noon, when I landed my best find ever: a Ninjini, the purple, vaguely Christina Hendricks-like genie/ninja that was one of the scarcest figures in the series. They had one left, and as I plucked it off the hook...

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As the Chinese state media’s recent attack on Starbucks’ coffee pricing in China demonstrates, the business environment for a foreign company in the country can certainly be tricky. In order to analyze just what the obstacles are for international brands in China, the U.S.-China Business Council recently released a report listing the top 10 challenges for foreign businesses.

This list, which includes problems with cost, intellectual property, competition with Chinese companies, and uneven enforcement of laws is meant to cover a wide range of industries, but several items on the list ring uniquely true for luxury companies in particular. Below are four of the listed challenges that are particularly irksome to luxury brands:

Intellectual property problems. From counterfeits to trademark trolls, intellectual property violations are a huge problem for luxury companies whose success relies on brand perception. When it comes to fakes, the bigger the brand, the more there are, and too many counterfeits can dilute its image. Recently, Louis Vuitton took a major step to counteract this problem by signing an agreement with Alibaba to crack down on the sale of fakes on Taobao. This business-to-business strategy was a smart move for LV, as the Chinese government doesn’t seem to be doing much about it: 58 percent of foreign business representatives surveyed said that the intellectual property situation for foreign companies in China has either “greatly deteriorated” or “remained unchanged.”

High costs. Currently, Chinese consumers only buy one third of their luxury products on the mainland, instead opting to travel to Hong Kong or abroad due to the fact that prices are around 40 percent more expensive at home. This is due in large part to the country’s tariffs, which are high when it comes to imported goods. With an affluent customer base, luxury brands have responded with various strategies aimed at giving its top spenders a customized, “VIP” experience to show that the price is worth it, such as a recent dinner hosted by Hublot which allowed some of its top buyers to meet with basketball star Kobe Bryant in Beijing. Brands are also working hard to court Chinese travelers buying goods abroad, and even fly high-spending customers to Hong Kong or Europe to take advantage of cheaper prices.

Finding qualified staff. According to the report, demand for qualified workers “continues to outstrip availability.” This problem, which is the third-largest challenge for foreign companies across the board, is especially acute for luxury brands trying to expand their stores into lower-tier cities. The quality of service at a brand’s stores is vitally important to its overall image, and it is currently difficult for companies to find staff in smaller cities that are able to represent the company at the same standard of service as in larger cities. This means companies may need to allow for more hiring time and make stronger investments in training if they want to be pioneers in China’s smaller, yet rapidly growing cities.

Protectionism. China’s state-run media often runs criticisms of foreign companies. Starbucks may be the latest brand to come under attack, but it isn’t the only one feeling the heat. Recent criticisms of Apple and foreign auto companies have also occurred this year, as have numerous reports of luxury brands reportedly selling defective goods and refusing to refund their customers in China. These issues put brands in a tricky situation, and Apple eventually decided to issue a vague apology as a result. However, bad PR campaigns by Chinese tend to be relatively unsuccessful at the moment, as the anti-Apple and Starbucks campaigns both caused extensive criticism of CCTV on Sina Weibo, and recent auto company attacks prompted users to simply say that Chinese models were worse.

In addition, one issue on the list that is not yet—but may soon be—a challenge for foreign luxury brands is competition with Chinese companies. As of yet, Chinese luxury brands such as fashion designers, automakers, and watchmakers have not been able to compete with foreign luxury giants, but this is likely to change as local talents continually rise. This doesn’t necessarily mean one will replace the other, but rather that luxury brands will have to market with a deep knowledge of Chinese culture and continuously adapt to changing tastes.

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Some users with legacy versions of iLife and iWork that were not purchased through the Mac App Store are having difficulties upgrading to the new versions released earlier today, according to Macworld.

Users who own iWork ’09 or iLife ’11 are supposed to receive the latest versions of both those app suites for free through the Mac App Store, but some are having difficulties.

Some users (including yours truly) are reporting issues where the Mac App Store doesn’t recognize their copies; when they click on an iLife or iWork app’s price, they receive the following alert: “[App] is already installed and was not purchased from the Mac App Store. Do you want to buy [app]?” Macworld spoke with an Apple spokesperson who noted that there’s currently an issue with some legacy customers, and the company is working on a fix.

Users who do not yet own iLife ’11 or iWork ’09 can purchase them from the Mac App Store. The iLife apps are $14.99 each, while the iWork suite is $19.99 per app.

iPhoto for Mac – [Mac App Store]
iMovie for Mac – [Mac App Store]
GarageBand for Mac – [Mac App Store]

Pages for Mac – [Mac App Store]
Numbers for Mac – [Mac App Store]
Keynote for Mac [Mac App Store]

The post Some Users With Older Copies of iLife and iWork Having Difficulties Upgrading to New Versions [Mac Blog] appeared first on AIVAnet.

The government signs a deal with a Franco-Chinese consortium for the construction of the UK's first nuclear station in a generation.

Switchr is a new app from Mohammad Adib that wants to shine new light on how we multi-task on our devices. Bring on the sexy.

Now many of you are probably wondering why you would need to change the way you perform tasks on your device. Sometimes change is good, and this change is just too pretty to pass up. There is not just one way to utilize this app. Adib gives you two different ways to use Switchr.

• Switchr Flow: Featuring a graceful Coverflow animation, Switchr Flow provides elegance in operation, as well as functionality.
• Switchr Slide: Inspired by Windows 8 swipe gestures, Switchr Slide aims to provide a more simple and intuitive experience.

There are two versions of this app in the Play Store. Free version of course, then a $2 version that will give you more features. I would suggest checking out the demonstration video below, then go grab the free version for a test flight. Let us know if you like it.

The post Switchr Tries to Reinvent the Way We Multi-task [Video] appeared first on AIVAnet.

Amid news reports of groups paying users to write Wikipedia entries, the online encyclopedia has blocked or banned more than 250 accounts, the site announced Monday.

SI Kids brings us this awesome video of the best moments from this years NLCS and ALCS recreated with LEGOs. The Red Sox even have beards!

Baseball is just more fun this way:

[h/t Deadspin]

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Google Is Clamping Down On The Android Open Source Project (ARS Technica)
Google originally launched its mobile device Android Open Source Project in 2007 as a way to package Google mobile services like Maps, Gmail, and others within an open source mobile platform that third-party developers could fork for their mobile devices. Bigger picture, this was also a way for Google, which had zero mobile market share, to fend off the possibility of an Apple mobile monopoly. 

Now, Android is the leading mobile computing platform, and Google's open source policies are turning its own platform against it. The proliferation of open-source Android means the proliferation of millions of generic Android apps that could pass for an entire platform ecosystem on their own. Amazon has already done this with its Kindle Fire apps. 

In order to protect its standing, Google must now close the loop on parts of its open source project. Most importantly, it is locking down its Google services and taking back more and more apps under the Google umbrella, including Search, Music, Calendar, and Messaging. Read >

In other news...

David Pogue, popular tech columnist at the New York Times, will be joining Yahoo to expand the site's consumer tech coverage.  (Yahoo)

Netflix Q3 earnings were released. The service added 1.3 million subscribers during the quarter and generated revenue of $1.1 billion. Netflix also surpassed HBO in U.S. subscribers. (TechCrunch)

Gartner claims tablet shipments will grow 54.3% in 2013 while PC shipments will decline 11.2% for the year. (Gartner)

Facebook launched video ads for its mobile app. It is targeted to companies promoting their own mobile apps, and is tied to Facebook's existing app install ads. (Venture Beat)

Is is truly bad news for Apple that the iPhone 5S is vastly outselling the 5C? (Stratechery)

American Express is partnering with electronic payments company Verifone to allow NYC cab riders to pay for fares with AmEx rewards points. (TechCrunch)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made his first public angel investment in Panorama, an education company that utilizes data analytics. (All Things Digital)

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Don't call the Thermomix a food processor. Seriously.

Vorwerk, the German-based company that launched the all-in-one kitchen appliance in 1971, won't have it.

After more than 40 years on the market, the Thermomix is finally hitting its stride and having a full-on moment: Megan McArdle called it "possibly the most hypertrophied kitchen gadget in existence" in The Atlantic.

What exactly is a Thermomix (sold in parts of Europe under the name Bimby)?

The Thermomix can perform up to 12 jobs, including weighing, puréeing, steaming, emulsifying, kneading and milling, among others.

You could actually mill your own flour in the Thermomix, then leave it in the body of the machine while you add the other ingredients to make a nice pizza dough, kneaded right there in the appliance, of course. Internet chefs have already prepared everything from a macchiato to steamed salmon and veggies using only the Thermomix to do it.

"The interesting thing about this thing," Australian chef and restaurant owner Mark Best told The Sunday Telegraph over the summer, "is not only its speed and strength, but the fact it heats at the same time from 0-100 degrees (Celsius)."

"We can bring the temperature up to 80 degrees and blend in order to make smooth and thickened sauces which maintain the proteins from the original ingredients," Best explained.

Are you sold yet? Unfortunately, you shouldn't expect to just purchase the Thermomix with the click of a mouse.

It's only sold by direct sales agents in certain countries, and is not even technically available in the U.S. (McArdle ordered hers from Canada).  

Even if you do find an authorized retailer, or import one from another country, plan to shell out.

The Thermomix retails for $2,000 AUD in Australia, according to The Sunday Telegraph. If you're willing to play the bidding game, Ebay sellers price the Thermomix in the neighborhood of $1,500. Amazon is selling one for $3,500.

Have we piqued your interest? There are thousands of Thermomix demonstrations on YouTube. Check out some of our favorites, below.

Australian MasterChef winner Julie Goodwin makes a chicken and chorizo stew:

An Australian chef makes a pear souffle:

And a chef makes walnut bread, hummus, and pate:

SEE ALSO: How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds Without A Recipe

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Nuclear launch officers in charge of safe guarding and launching nuclear missiles in the event of a global emergency not only took naps on duty, but left the blast doors open during those naps, reports the Associated Press.

The AP notes that nuclear officers are taught to follow every step meticulously, since the cost of failure is so high.

"That door is intended to help prevent a terrorist or other intruder from entering the officers' underground command post and potentially compromising secret launch codes," Robert Burns of the AP writes. "Transgressions such as this are rarely revealed publicly."

Just this month the Air Force made headlines when they canned the general in charge of the entire nuclear arsenal. He left in the wake of an abysmal inspection failure of nuclear facilities in Montana.

In a written statement posted to the the website for Barksdale Air Force Base, La.,  the missile command said there had been "tactical-level errors" during the exercise, revealing "discrepancies."

Despite coming up short of "calling [the failed exercise] a pattern," Gen. James M. Kowalski, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, would later fire Maj. Gen. Michael Carey, the officer in charge of the missiles.

It hasn't been a good few years for Air Force nuclear commands. In 2007, a B-52 bomber mistakenly left armed with six nuclear tipped warheads flew over the country.

The dangers of such flyovers was only recently made clear, when Freedom of Information Act files revealed how the military nearly nuked North Carolina.

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Trading isn't the only thing that happens in milliseconds nowadays, complicated exploits of computer systems happen just as fast — and with astounding potential consequences.

The newest competition out of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency aims to create "fully automatic network defense systems" in order to mitigate these real-world consequences.

In other words, they want software systems that automatically detect, repair, and repel hacker attacks. Shorter terms: Artificial Intelligence (AI).

“The growth trends we’ve seen in cyber attacks and malware point to a future where automation must be developed to assist IT security analysts,” said Dan Kaufman, director of DARPA’s Information Innovation Office, which oversees the Challenge.

Often, hackers employ software exploits — called "Zero Day" exploits — that are custom designed; hacks known only to the hackers themselves. Software engineers, developers and more importantly, cyber security analysts, sometimes go completely unaware their systems are compromised until the damage is done.

"Through automatic recognition and remediation of software flaws, the term for a new cyber attack may change from zero-day to zero-second,” said Mike Walker, DARPA program manager.

In less technical terms, DARPA wants software that detects when it's been exploited, analyzes how exactly it was exploited (identifies the Zero Day), and then automatically (writes code that?) patches itself — while red-flagging the problem to technicians.

Also they want the systems scanning themselves for weaknesses automatically, essentially identifying Zero Days before competing hackers.

From the DARPA website:

"What if computers had a “check engine” light that could indicate new, novel security problems? What if computers could go one step further and heal security problems before they happen?"

The Pentagon's defense research arm has made leaps and bounds recently in robotics due to their competitions, so they figured a competition for AI would yield similar results.

“With the Cyber Grand Challenge, we intend a similar revolution for information security. Today, our time to patch a newly discovered security flaw is measured in days," said Walker. 

From DARPA's website:

DARPA envisions teams creating automated systems that would compete against each other to evaluate software, test for vulnerabilities, generate security patches and apply them to protected computers on a network. To succeed, competitors must bridge the expert gap between security software and cutting-edge program analysis research. The winning team would receive a cash prize of $2 million.

Teams would score based on how capably their systems could protect hosts, scan the network for vulnerabilities and maintain the correct function of software. The winning team from the CGC finals would receive a cash prize of $2 million, with second place earning $1 million and third place taking home $750,000.

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Pulse oximeters that connect to your smartphone aren’t exactly new. In fact, a super-hackable Bluetooth model called smARtPULSE wound up as a finalist in our Insert Coin competition early this year out in San Francisco. What sets the iOximeter apart is its cross-platform compatibility and extremely low power requirements. In fact, it’s able to draw all the juice it needs from the headphone jack on your phone. The appropriate data is also transferred over a standard issue audio cable and presented in an app on your iOS or Android device. That leaves you free to charge your phone while watching your the oxygen saturation levels in you blood climb. Data is not only presented in real time, but recorded for later analysis.

You can see all of the Insert Coin semifinalists here.

Filed under: Peripherals

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The 7th Guest is Now Available on Steam!

Henry Stauf's mansion has been abandoned for as long as anyone dare remember. Stauf was a master toy maker, a maker of amazing puzzles and this strange house was his greatest creation. Now the mansion stands empty, rotting ever since the children started dying, ever since the six guests came. Now there are only the eerie lights and the terrible sing-song rhymes of the children.

And suddenly, you are in the house. You move from room to room, step-by-terrifying-step, as scenes from that night of horror come to life. Because Stauf's game isn't over. There were six guests the world knew about - and there was one other. Stauf's mad mansion lives again. And only you can end the nightmare and learn the secret of The 7th Guest.

This Award-Winning Game Features:

Groundbreaking use of full-motion video and dialogue recorded by live actors in a terrifyingly real virtual environment.

Old Man Stauf's bizarre puzzles to solve and games to play.

22 Stunningly rendered, devilishly surprising, 3-D rooms await you in this fully explorable haunted mansion.

2 CDs of extensive gameplay with an original musical score.

LEGO® Marvel™ Super Heroes is Now Available on Steam in North, Central and South America and is 10% off!* Please check the game page for details on availability in your area.


LEGO® Marvel™ Super Heroes features an original story crossing the entire Marvel Universe. Players take control of Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Wolverine and many more Marvel characters as they unite to stop Loki and a host of other Marvel villains from assembling a super-weapon capable of destroying the world. Players will chase down Cosmic Bricks as they travel across LEGO Manhattan and visit key locations from the Marvel Universe, such as Stark Tower, Asteroid M, a Hydra base and the X-Mansion.

*Offer ends October 29 at 10AM Pacific Time

This month, visitors to the Cryptoseal Privacy VPN service were met with a troubling announcement: the service is shutting down. Spurred by the same concerns that led to Lavabit and Silent Mail's shutdowns, the Cryptoseal founders left a statement saying the company was concerned by the courts apparent ability to compel cryptographic keys from otherwise untappable services, and "until this matter is settled, we are unable to proceed with our service." For any affected users, the service is offering a full refund of their service balance, as well as a one-year subscription to a VPN service based outside the US.

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While eBay’s same-day shipping is a beautiful thing for impulse buyers, its expansion has been slow. The company is speeding things up today by acquiring Shutl, a British startup focused on quick e-commerce deliveries. The deal will help eBay bring its speedy eBay Now service to a total of 25 cities in 2014, including London. Customers won’t have to wait to take advantage of the site’s growing ambitions, however. eBay Now is launching in Chicago today, and Dallas in the near future; the firm has also introduced product curators and collections to help web visitors who want expert shopping advice.

Filed under: Internet

Comments

Via: GigaOM

Source: Shutl, eBay

The post eBay buys Shutl, plans for same-day delivery in 25 cities by the end of 2014 appeared first on AIVAnet.

All eyes are on Stephen Elop. Just hours ago, he introduced Nokia’s first Windows tablet; he’s also overseeing his division’s integration into Microsoft; and Redmond is even considering him as its next CEO. During our interview today, Elop understandably couldn’t comment on the prospect of taking Steve Ballmer’s place, but he did say he’s ready to take up the challenge of bringing the two giants together, no matter what.

“I’m looking forward to being a part of driving that change within the company in whatever capacity,” Elop said.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia

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Several multiplatform games are set to enter the Windows Phone mobile ecosystem, according to a post today on the Windows Phone Blog.

The games, which were announced at Nokia World in Abu Dhabi and many of which are available for Android and iOS, include:

• Asphalt 8: Airborne (pictured above)
• Danger Dash
• FIFA 14
• My Talking Tom
• Rabbids Big Bang
• Rail Rush
• Rayman Fiesta Run
• Temple Run 2

Non-gaming apps like Instagram and Vine are also headed to Windows Phone, according to the blog. Check out our sister site, The Verge, to learn more about the latest in Windows Phone and Nokia World.

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According to a new report from Creative Artists Agency's Intelligence Group, young Americans are defining themselves less and less by which gender they are.

After polling a diverse group of 900 Americans aged 14-34, the Intelligence group found that a whopping 62% felt that people no longer need to conform to traditional gender roles that have long dictated how men and women function in society.

The shift in how these young consumers perceive gender is a seismic one for the advertising and retail industries to consider, since many advertisements, and in some cases the products themselves, are made with either men or women specifically in mind. Just think of all the pickup truck commercials that only feature men, or Bic's ludicrous pen made "just for her."

Jamie Gutfreund, chief strategy officer at The Intelligence Group, said that in the age of big data, brands will need to sharply tailor their messages to specific consumers based on personality traits and values, rather than marketing to a wide swath of men or women who all like and care about the same things.

"People are not numbers; they have complicated personal positioning and brands cannot assume that someone is a type in a way that they used to," Gutfreund said. "A guy could be a killer at work, but also want to dress like a dandy."

Indeed, more than two-thirds of the men who took the Intelligence Group's survey said they felt men were portrayed poorly in the advertising they saw, and 36% said marketers don't understand today's man at all. 

One place the ads seem to miss the mark is in their depictions of fatherhood, which often gets overlooked in commercials that portray child-rearing as a exclusively a woman's duty. In fact, two-thirds of men polled felt that household duties should be split evenly between men and women, and a staggering 76% percent said they'd rather be the best father than the best employee.

Since 40% of Americans aged 18-34 are already parents, Gutfreund said that speaking to the thoughtful father demographic would be extremely important for brands moving forward. In order to reach them, she said brands would need to show fathers as real, three-dimensional people, instead of bozos who are too incompetent to cook breakfast.

"I'm not saying you come out with strategies like 'family man beer,' but men are not unisex. They're multi-dimensional," Gutfreund said. "They can be bros, but they're dads, too."

SEE ALSO: An incredible new Guinness ad breaks the industry stereotype

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Uruguay is moving forward with a plan that would combat drug trafficking by creating a government-run marijuana industry that could begin operation as soon as next year, reports the Associated Press. Smoking marijuana has reportedly been legal in the country for some time now, but growing, possessing, buying, and selling it haven't been. "The illegal market is very risky and of poor quality," Julio Calzada, secretary general of Uruguay’s National Committee on Drugs, reportedly told the local paper El Pais. The plan, he says, is to have Uruguay "offer a safe place to buy a quality product."

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Expedition 37 crew members aboard the International Space Station released Orbital Sciences' Cygnus spacecraft from the station's robotic arm at 7:31 a.m. EDT on Oct. 22. Orbital Sciences engineers now will conduct a series of planned burns and maneuvers to move Cygnus toward a destructive re-entry in Earth's atmosphere Wednesday, Oct. 23. Cygnus had been attached to the space station's Harmony module for 23 days. The spacecraft delivered about 1,300 pounds (589 kilograms) of cargo, including food, clothing and student experiments, on a demonstration cargo resupply mission to the station. Cygnus was launched on Orbital's Antares rocket on Sept. 18 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad-0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Image Credit: NASA/Karen Nyberg

After appearing in big summer blockbuster "Iron Man 3," Sir Ben Kingsley is working on a something else for Marvel.

While speaking with The Belfast Telegraph the actor let it slip he recently rejoined with some of his "Iron Man" crew.

"It's a secret Marvel project," said Kingsley. "I'm not allowed to say any more, you're going to have to wait and see."

What could the role be?

Well, the actor played villain The Mandarin in the film — or so we thought.

Spoilers if you haven't seen the film:

Rather, Kingsley turned out to play an actor, Trevor, playing the role of The Mandarin.

His role was hilarious, although rather unexpected.

Does this mean we'll see more of Trevor and get a possible backstory? Will we see more of "The Mandarin"?

Maybe.

Last week, Deadline reported Marvel has a possible four TV shows in the works in addition to S.H.I.E.L.D.

Next, Kingsley is set to star in the film adaptation of Orson Scott Card's sci-fi book "Ender's Game" due out November 1.

SEE ALSO: Fans were torn over the big twist in "Iron Man 3"

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When Richard Branson was starting Virgin Group, he turned to two people: Sir Freddie Laker, the founder of Laker Airways, and his mother.

Seeking advice and listening to it was an essential part of Branson's success, and remains crucial for entrepreneurs and business owners, Branson writes in a recent post for Entrepreneur. But, he adds, it can be hard to find the right person to answer your questions.

"When you’re trying to solve problems that come up, you need to find the right people to give you advice," he explains. "You may not even know who to ask."

You might need advice on accounting, marketing, legal issues, or something else entirely. To get it, you'll more often than not have to reach out to an expert. And that means that you have to cultivate a group of people you can consult on a wide range of problems.

"There is no quick and easy solution, except to start reaching out," Branson says. "As you work, look for answers wherever you can, continually building your network: your team members, business acquaintances, online forums — you can also ask me!"

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