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31 billion honeybees plus 810,000 acres of almond trees equals 700 billion almonds—and one looming agricultural crisis

As Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled new iPhones yesterday, a complex operation had already kicked into gear behind the scenes to send millions of the handsets to store shelves worldwide.

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Zimmerman video from broken iPad may take months to extract Bay News 9 Police say they will release a lengthy report Wednesday afternoon on the domestic dispute between George Zimmerman and his estranged wife, but it could be months before they can effectively extract crucial video from an iPad that was broken during ... and more »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFJf1Y6ztZI&feature=youtu.be

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bmahersciwriter writes "When Rafe Brown started doing field research in the Philippines, he constantly found himself in the long shadow of Edward Taylor, an irascible giant of herpetology (the study of amphibians) from the mid-20th century, whose legacy was tarnished by accusations of fraud, questions about his naming methods, and rumours of a double life working for the U.S. government. Brown forged a bond with his predecessor and has begun to restore a collection of Taylor's specimens that were lost during the Second World War, and which could aid in allocating resources for conservation. He has meanwhile found out more about Taylor's extracurricular activities, which included work with the organization that would eventually become the CIA."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Unofficial Map: Boston “T” Map Made From Pipe Cleaners

In a similar vein to this London Tube Map made from paperclips, here’s a perfect little Boston “T” map made from other innocuous household objects. Created by the very talented Andy Woodruff of Axis Maps and Bostonography, who obviously had way too much spare time on his hands one day.

Since last year in China, people have been retiring faster new workers are entering the workforce. Fourteen percent of the population is now at least 60 years old, and at this pace, China’s total population will start to decline in 2030.

And now even some of those retirees are contributing to population loss, increasingly spending their twilight years in Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines, according to a recent report in China’s state-run Global Times (GT). Thailand is already a big favorite among Chinese people; it was China’s fourth most-popular tourist destination in 2012, while Malaysia and the Philippines came in at #10 and #20, respectively.

It’s not just the dream of playing mahjong under the palm fronds that’s attracting older Chinese people. Though the GT report is light on exodus data, the reasons it cites aren’t surprising: quality of life and cost of living.

Quality of life may be a euphemism for breathing easy. China’s pollution is already an oft-cited reason for emigration. Not only does it make life dreary, but the air can shave years off your life.

Southeast Asia is pristine compared to China. Plus, Thailand’s health care system is famed for the quality (and affordability) of care. And though elderly Chinese would normally turn to their children for support, one upshot of the one-child policy is that it places the burden of care for aging parents on a single child, leaving many elderly without the care they need.

Then there’s rising living costs. Beijing, for example, is way more expensive than, say, Chiang Mai. That factor is increasingly important given the shaky state of China’s pension system. In addition, emigrating allows retirees to invest in overseas stock and bonds, which is exceptionally hard for Chinese residents.

But doesn’t Thailand already have too many old people? Yes. (It’s a more distant worry for the Philippines and Malaysia.)

Another country’s elderly aren’t the same as your own, though. Old people become an economic drag when there aren’t enough workers to support the pensions and state benefits drawn by elderly. Assuming Chinese retirees claim fewer social welfare benefits in their adopted country, the taxes they pay would actually help Thailand. On top of that, they spend on things like housing, medical care and domestic workers—labor intensive jobs that keep an economy growing.

Southeast Asian countries appear wise to this. Thailand already offers renewable, one-year retirement visas. A Malaysian program welcomes applicants over the age of 50 who have at least $45,000 in a local bank. The Philippines, meanwhile, has already attracted more than 21,000 retirees, mostly from China, Japan, and South Korea, says the GT.

Losing old folks is bad for China, though. Even though unused medical care costs offset its pension obligations, it’s missing out on the consumption boost of retirees spending down their wealth. And by the looks of it, this trend is only just beginning. China’s economy only truly took off around 2000; those currently planning retirement only had around 15 years to amass their wealth. That means the upfront cost of picking up and resettling overseas is still probably prohibitive to many—for now.

Yesterday, Ouya CEO Julie Uhrman voiced her support for the company's Free the Games Fund, noting that nothing about the program would be altered. Since then, indie developers have expressed their displeasure over Uhrman's statements.

Sophie Houlden, who launched Rose and Time on Ouya in July, announced that she will be pulling the game from the Ouya store. Houlden said that after reading Uhrman's response, "it became very apparent to me that the company does not support indie developers who need the support most, and that they are incapable of ever correcting their mistakes. I'm simply no longer comfortable supporting the company."

Free the Games Fund was first announced in July with the intention of encouraging Ouya development by rewarding successful Kickstarter project creators with extra funding in exchange for at least six months of Ouya exclusivity. Two eligible games came under scrutiny as they met their funding goals in late August: Elementary, My Dear Holmes and Gridiron Thunder. While Elementary was recently suspended due to suspicions over Kickstarter accounts that backed the game, Gridiron Thunder was successfully funded, bringing in $171,009 from only 183 total backers.

Houlden isn't the only developer backing away from the platform. Kairo developer Richard Perrin noted via Twitter that he "had an Ouya on my desk since launch. Nearly finished porting Kairo to it. Gonna pack that away until a time when they become credible again." In the comments of Uhrman's response to the growing concerns over the program, 100 Rogues Ouya developer Wes Paugh said that "the campaigns that aren't setting off red flags are failing tragically, and that is a real shame, because some of those ideas are ones gaming would greatly benefit from."

Thomas Was Alone developer Mike Bithell also criticized Ouya's response in the post's comments, saying it "isn't an acceptance of criticism, or an explanation of how clearly dodgy as hell schemes are being supported by [Ouya] publicly," but that it "reads like a press release from a console company locked into a foolish policy and using aspirational language to shift the blame, weirdly, onto its critics."

Developers react to Ouya's defense of Free the Games Fund originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 11 Sep 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The 38 Studios epilogue continues with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigating the $75-million loan provided by the state of Rhode Island to the defunct studio. WPRI reports the SEC probe is examining the taxpayer-backed loan the R.I. Economic Development Corporation (EDC) gave to former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's failed operation.

Neither the SEC nor EDC would comment on the specifics of the investigation. EDC spokesperson Melissa Czerwein told WPRI that lawyers were retained to deal with the SEC inquiry and the organization won't "discuss ongoing matters related to 38 Studios and maintains a level of confidentiality as requested by the SEC."

Rhode Island taxpayers have begun paying back the loan, which Governor Lincoln Chafee (who inherited the debacle from the previous administration) said the State had a "moral obligation" to do. To the best of our knowledge, Rhode Island continues to hold on the Amalur intellectual property.

SEC investigating Rhode Island's 38 Studios deal originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 11 Sep 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More than a year since Coursera launched, the startup offers more than 400 free classes to reach 4 million students around the world. Massive online course offerings, better known as MOOCs, have been touted as higher education’s savior, but more likely are taken by people looking for training and skills development.

According to Coursera’s demographic data, more than 75% of people in its system already have a bachelor’s degree. Just over half were motivated to take a course for a new job; 61% were doing it for personal fulfillment. While the 10 courses with the highest enrollment affirm interest in acquiring coding skills, the list is dominated by classes that explore decision-making, why people behave the way they do, and learning how to reason.

A propensity toward courses about human thinking and behavior isn’t new. Introductory psychology courses have always been among the largest on college campuses. Essentially, these classes teach students how to navigate the world of humans, in both a personal and professional sense. While the tuition scourge has prompted many to argue against liberal arts education, in favor of STEM (science tech engineering math) graduates or shorter three-year degree programs, perhaps the answer to revamping higher education lies in offering people more practical real-life skills.

Critical thinking, behavior, and communication—key facets of the two most popular classes—are rooted in such soft skills. A high emotional quotient (paywall) is integral to career success, as is learning how to work the system. That was true when college campuses were just brick and mortar—but maybe less apparent to young people yet to enter the workforce.
We welcome your comments at ideas@qz.com. 

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Artist Alan Lee created a great 3D model of actor Danny DeVito that depicts him wearing a full suit of armor from the Gears of Wars video game series.

via Neatorama

The latest from Colorado: Both Democratic state senators have been recalled over their votes earlier this year in favor of new restrictions on guns. This is a win for the NRA and its allies.

Rise of the tech intellectuals. Their books, neither interesting nor good, are exercises in branding. They aspire not to original thought but to big speaking fees… more»

(via @pandorablake)

After endless dithering, that’s how long it took me to know the iPhone 5C would cost $549.

It was at two minutes, fifty-six seconds¹ that Tim Cook said there would be a video – a video! – about the iTunes Festival.

And it was awesome.

In case you didn’t watch the whole thing (and you really should – it’s only a couple of minutes), this clip of the ending captures why it matters:

This was Apple, standing up and saying to all the pundits, to all the analysts, to everyone demanding a low price iPhone:

NO

No, we will NOT compete on price, we will offer something our competitors can’t match.

No, we are NOT selling a phone, we are selling an experience.

No, we will NOT be cheap, but we will be cool.

No, you in the tech press and on Wall Street do NOT understand Apple, but we believe that normal people love us, love our products, and will continue to buy, start to buy, or aspire to buy.

Oh, and Samsung? Damn straight people line up for us. 20 million for a concert. “It’s like a product launch.”

This attitude and emphasis on higher-order differentiation – the experience of using an iPhone – dominated the entire keynote and the presentation of features, with particularly emphasis throughout on the interplay between software and hardware.

• Retail Look at our new store with an entire room devoted to service. Paying more for an iPhone is worth it.
• iOS 7 You get all our new features, right away, for free. Only Apple gives updates immediately. Paying more for an iPhone is worth it.
• iWork, iPhoto, and iMovie You get amazing software, that’s only available on iOS, with your new iPhone. Paying more for an iPhone is worth it.²
• iPhone 5C It looks and feels amazing, with a “bespoke” assembly and “solid dense feel you would not expect from a plastic product.” Paying more for an iPhone is worth it.
• A7 iPhone has the best performance. Paying more for an iPhone is worth it.
• Infinity Blade Look at this game that is only possible on an iPhone. Paying more for an iPhone is worth it.
• M7 iPhone fully integrates into every part of your day, and has exclusive apps like Nike+. Paying more for an iPhone is worth it.
• Camera We don’t focus on stats, we focus on helping you take better pictures through our integration of hardware and software. Paying more for an iPhone is worth it.
• Touch ID Apple notices and spends time on the tiny annoyances that you didn’t even notice, and does so by integrating hardware and software. And we want to protect your data, not use it. Paying more for an iPhone is worth it.

If you disagree, well, we won’t sell you an iPhone.

---

I wrote after the WWDC presentation that Tim Cook Was a Great CEO:

I had the good fortune of being an intern at Apple, which gave me the opportunity to spend an hour (along with a few hundred of my closest intern friends) with every member of the leadership team, including Jobs and Ive. Cook was, by a significant margin, the most impressive of all of them.

It’s difficult, in retrospect, to explain why he was so impressive, but I find my struggles eerily similar to the struggles business historians and sociologists have in explaining what company culture is, and why it matters. Tim Cook, at least to my young, rather unjaded eyes, was Apple. He spoke to me – and to every person in the room – as if I were the only person in the world, and that he truly wanted me to understand what made Apple unique. Oh sure, the words were there – he spoke about Apple’s focus, and willingness to say “no,” and about design – but it was the way in which he said it that made you believe. For me anyway, his reality distortion field was far more powerful than Jobs’.

Today’s presentation – which, make no mistake, had Tim Cook written all over it – reminded me of something else: Cook’s incredible sense of self. Cook is his own man, one of the few in the world who could follow in the footsteps of someone like Steve Jobs without losing himself in the shadow. It’s why Jobs picked him.

That assuredness and self-confidence was on full display in this presentation. This was Apple, confidently, and without a glimmer of doubt, declaring that the iPhone is special, that it’s worth paying for, and that people all over the world will do just that.

---

The strategy, then, is clear. The questions remains, of course, as to whether or not it is right.

First off, this will result in more iPhones sold. I posted this chart Sunday in Thinking About iPhone Pricing (which is worth reading³ if you missed it):

To the general public, the iPhone 5C is not an old iPhone 5. It’s a new iPhone 5C, and the demand will be much greater than it was for last year’s 4s. The price of a new iPhone is now 16% less than it was last year, and demand should rise by at least that much (and I think most pundits are seriously discounting the attractiveness of color). Moreover, it’s no accident that the traditional closing advertisement was focused on the 5C. I expect the vast majority of ads to be the same, and the iPhone 5C to be the best seller in the line. Sure, it’s not $199 (unsubsidized), but it’s also not $649; to pretend nothing has changed is wrong.

Second, I expect Apple to move to a dominant position in the US market. iPhone has been gaining share for several years now, and the iPhone 5C at $99 will only accelerate that. I know the US market is special, but it still matters, particularly to Apple and a great number of app developers.

Third, this solidifies Apple’s hold on the Mercedes-Benz/BMW portion of the Asian market. Is it out-of-reach for the vast majority of consumers? Yep. But it will be aspirational, something you put on the table to show others you can afford it. And, to be clear, there are a lot of people that can afford it. Saying stupid things like “the iPhone 5C is equivalent to the average monthly salary in China” belies a fundamental misunderstanding of China, its inequality, and its sheer size specifically, and all of Asia broadly. Moreover, when you consider a Mercedes is tens of thousands of dollars more than a Toyota (and on down the line in luxury goods, for whom Asia is the largest market by far), $300 more isn’t that much.

Moreover, in Asia it’s Apple’s brand that is, by far, the biggest allure of the iPhone. Apps are free (piracy is mainstream), larger screens are preferred, and specs and customization move the needle with the mainstream far more than they do in the US. But no one else is Apple. Having a high price preserves that.

It is Asia, though, that is ground zero for potential Android-first development. While the 5C will move more iPhones, it will only very slightly slow Android’s massive market share domination, and it’s possible Apple will never break through in any significant way in markets like India or Indonesia.⁴ Moreover, the Samsung brand is very strong in Asia, and Korean culture as a whole is increasingly dominant; you can’t escape Korean pop, Korean soap operas are the most popular shows continent-wide, and they both include/endorse Samsung heavily. A combination of must-have Android apps and Samsung chic would be problematic.⁵

Apple, ultimately, has decided they’re ok with taking that risk.

As I wrote last week, strategy is about making choices, and Apple has decided to not even pretend to pursue market share, but instead embrace their up-market status. As long as they retain their app advantage, this will obviously be a profitable choice.

More importantly, it’s Apple doubling-down on what they are best at. I have railed against Blackberry and Nokia for trying to compete in areas they weren’t great at (OSs), instead of focusing on their strengths. Apple is doing just the opposite. They are avoiding a market share fight, which is ultimately about price and compromise, and are instead focusing on the experience of using their products and the advantages accrued by being fully integrated from the chipset to iTunes.

And that’s why they started with a concert; the iPhone is a brand, an experience, an aspirational lifestyle. Who wouldn’t want to pay just a bit more to be a part of that?

1. All times are from the official event podcast in iTunes
2. This is a tried-and-true strategy: iLife moved a LOT of Macs
3. Of course I think so
4. They will, however, be in better shape than Google in the aforementioned China no matter what happens; most Android there is Google-less
5. I don’t really know the European market; I’d suggest Benedict Evans for a better view

The post Two minutes, fifty-six seconds appeared first on stratēchery by Ben Thompson.

Sculpin:

Sculpin is a static site generator written in PHP. It converts Markdown files and formats Twig templates into a set of static HTML files that can be easily deployed.

earthandanimals:

Red fox sits among Ravens.

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In her latest column, CSBG's Kelly Thompson examines her concerns with J.H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman's departure from DC Comics "Batwoman."

Louisville sports anchor Adam Lefkoe of WHAS11 News recently managed to make 41 Seinfeld references during a five-minute “Seinfeldcast”. Earlier this month, Adam did the same thing with 31 classic wrestling references.

Here is Adam’s “Wrestlecast” report:

via The Big Lead, UPROXX

title - Sorcerian (Falcom/Sega - Mega Drive - 1990)

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• Japan-only port of the 1987 action RPG for PC-8801.
  
• Sierra also released an English version for PC in 1990.
  

Despite the high rate of unemployment in the US, 4 million job openings remain unfulfilled. Attrition and lost productivity contribute to $350 billion in annual losses for US businesses; outdated hiring and workforce management practices are largely to blame.

Used in the right way, big data technology can decode factors that contribute to smarter hiring and optimal employee performance. These findings challenge conventional wisdom about what makes great employees. Think experience matters? It doesn’t. Concerned that job-hoppers, the long-term unemployed, or even ex-convicts make bad hires? They don’t.

My co-founder Max Simkoff and I started Evolv after our own attempts at workforce management in executive roles failed. We personally struggled to retain and advance employees across a large workforce, even after painstakingly selecting and nurturing the “most qualified” candidates. This seemingly unsolvable problem left us wondering if there was a better way. We observed that success was clearly not about hiring and managing a workforce by intuition—it was about building a high-performing workforce using objective facts, hard data, and continuously using that data to improve decisions.  It was not about using touchy-feely management techniques, but rather creating a system that removed bias and challenged preconceived notions of what made an employee “good,” making the process fair and fact-based. And when we realized that there wasn’t a data-driven approach to workforce performance in the market, we built one that could have a real impact.

One of our Fortune 100 clients, for example, shared with me a story about an employee who held a great number of temporary jobs prior to her eventual employment. From the point of view of a traditional hiring manager, this job-hopping behavior would have screened her out for fear she’d be short term in this role, too. But our product accurately predicted that her history would not influence future performance in the right role. When she was interviewed for the position, she revealed that she volunteered as a soccer coach and at her son’s school, positive attributes that predicted success for the role and wouldn’t have been seen in a traditional application process. Since then, she has outperformed in her position and has been with the company for more than a year.

If the company hadn’t adjusted its practices prior to interviewing this employee, a traditional HR system would have never even called her in. The company has since adjusted, and continues to adapt its hiring practices, as it has consistently seen that our data-based recommendations have improved the company’s approach to their workers.

Other practices also were brought to light that counter-predicted success on the job. The same company found that promoting managers based on their tenure wasn’t making for effective management; instead, promoting employees based on aptitude and personality fit made for a more productive, healthy work environment.

Data analysis shows that median tenure for work-at-home employees is 28% higher than for their in-office peers. However, data also show that personality-wise, not everyone is suited for this role; particular behavioral characteristics contribute to the success of employees who work from home. For customer service employees working from home, these characteristics include reliability, working autonomously, and a preference for a non-verbal communication style. These characteristics are not found on a resume but they can be revealed through carefully constructed assessment tools and resulting big data analysis.

Research debunks these misconceptions that are a deep part of current business attitudes toward the workforce:

• Self-proclaimed “rule-followers” will act accordingly. On job application tests, employees who claimed to be “rule followers” were 67% more likely than other employees to be terminated for reasons related to rule-breaking, such as drug screenings and background tests.
• Former convicts make bad employees. People who have been convicted of a misdemeanor or a felony perform just as well, if not better, than employees with no record of charges.
• Employees distracted by social media/technology are less productive. Employees that took the time to install a non-standard browser, such as Chrome or Firefox, stay at jobs longer, miss fewer days of work, provide higher customer satisfaction, and close more sales. Additionally, employees who belonged to five or more social media networks make more sales.
• If an employee commutes a far distance, she’s less likely to stay. Research proves that the ability to do common errands nearby is actually more important to workers than how far they might have to commute every day.

The US economy is under rapid transformation due to globalization, a shift from manufacturing to service, generational differences and more. It’s time for businesses to adapt and to provide environments that are not only fair and beneficial to their employees but also contribute to the health and stability of the American recovery.

We welcome your comments at ideas@qz.com. 

Hampton Creek Foods — a startup backed by Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates, and Founders Fund — is working to replace eggs with plants in common food products. So far, Hampton Creek Foods has created Beyond Eggs, a plant-based replacement for eggs for baked goods, and Just Mayo, mayonnaise made from a variety of naturally grown plants rather than eggs. According to The Daily Mail and Hampton Creek Foods’ Facebook page, both products are available at Whole Foods in California starting today.

image via Hampton Creek Foods

via The Daily Mail

Apple’s share price fell nearly $20, or 4%, yesterday when it announced two new iPhones that will cost more than many analysts expected.

But disappointment for Apple doesn’t equal disappointment for ARM Holdings, the company that will design the new, 64-bit chips for Apple’s iPhone 5S . The old models of Apple phones all used 32-bit chips. ARM is up over 5% in London trading today.

This is huge news for the chip designer for two reasons. First, ARM’s 64-bit chip is still new to the market, but its inclusion in the new Apple phones could help make it the future industry standard. The 64-bit chip “should make the [iPhone 5]S version both much quicker and less battery hungry, likely helping with [the chip's] adoption in other products,” Mike van Dulken, head of research at Accendo Markets, wrote in a client note this morning.

And here’s the double whammy: ARM is likely to charge higher royalty fees for the new chips. Andrew Dunn, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, explained in a note, “Should this mark the beginning of 64-bit in smartphones, this should help underpin ARM’s upward trajectory in overall royalty rate following a decade of declines.”

ARM has had a killer year. As my colleague Christopher Mims has written, ARM is getting royalties on its chip designs from a rapidly-growing number of companies, sending revenues soaring. Little surprise, then, that ARM’s share price has risen more than 80% in the last 12 months.

Even so, murmurings that competitors—Intel, in particular—could take a bite out of ARM’s market have taken a toll on the stock over the last four months. But a new boost in royalties from the smartphone market could overshadow those concerns, at least for now.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that ARM Holdings was a chip maker. ARM is a chip designer, and the article has been edited to reflect that.