Новости за 19.08.2016

Photo by NASA/Illustration by Dave Mosher

First, the good news: You have not been killed by a black hole.

The bad news is that it's possible the universe is teeming with microscopic black holes that formed at the dawn of time, all of them hurtling through space like cosmic bullets.

Some could weigh nearly as much as Earth's moon, others an asteroid, and still more somewhere in between. Whatever their weight, most would be smaller than the period in this sentence.

If this sounds like science fiction, it could be. Читать дальше...

Jim Urquhart/Reuters

In late June, 1986, Larry Harvey and Jerry James joined a handful of friends on San Francisco's Baker Beach in search of radical self-expression. They didn't come empty-handed.

Earlier that day, Harvey and James had collected scrap wood and built an eight-foot statue of a man. Later that night, the two hoisted it up and set it on fire. A crowd of 20 formed to watch it burn. Little did they know that a 30-year tradition had just been born.

Today, Burning... Читать дальше...

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Shutterstock / Andrea Willmore

When countries face complicated global issues —immigration, terrorism, climate change — progress is usually slow.

But often, those problems hit cities first, and mayors have to find solutions while national leaders (or political candidates) are still busy debating which policies to enact.

“There is a sense in which cities are beginning to assume a part of what was traditionally attributed to national sovereignty: the responsibility to secure the life... Читать дальше...

AP Photo/Misha Japaridze

When McDonald’s opened its first store in Russia back in 1990, one of the biggest challenges was getting employees to smile.

“We were always a little bit afraid of America’s smile,” a former worker from that McDonald’s told Alix Spiegel in the podcast Invisibilia.

Three decades later, things have changed radically. Russia's retail workers now smile more than Americas, according to the 2016 Smiling Report, compiled by Better Business World Wide from... Читать дальше...

Sentient Jet

Most of us non-celebrities don't get the chance to fly private whenever we need to get around. 

But there may come a time in the future when you'll be invited — by a business colleague or a friend — to take a flight on a private jet. This could be an intimidating experience for first-timers. 

We chatted with Andrew Collins, CEO of on-demand jet membership company Sentient Jet, to get his advice for conquering this milestone with grace. Sentient's Jet Card offers... Читать дальше...

Flickr/Ashley Mather

For years, I’ve enjoyed the writings of James Altucher (recommended reading: his book "Choose Yourself").

Although the man has made millions over the years, in part through a very successful web design company, I recently learned that he is now living out of a small bag with about 15 items in it – by choice, not by financial need.

He no longer has a permanent residence and is essentially a vagabond, living with friends and staying at hotels and hostels and through Airbnb. Читать дальше...

There has been much grumbling on the internet about Netflix's recent price hike, which will raise the monthly fee either $1 or $2 on over 22 million US accounts.

Images released by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed rebel group, reveal the latest tactic from Islamic State militants as they start losing territory.

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The average fee assessed to consumers for using an ATM not affiliated with their bank decreased slightly, according to the latest edition of the semi-annual MoneyRates Bank Fees Survey.

When consumers use an out-of-network ATM, they’re typically assessed two fees: one from the customer’s own bank, and one from the ATM operator. Both of those fees... Читать дальше...

20th Century Fox

Each company has its own office culture, different traditions and perks for its interns.

We interviewed current interns at a handful of the biggest tech companies to give you a feel for what it's like to intern with them today. 

Since not all of the interns had permission from their companies to share their experiences, their names have been changed to protect their identities. 

Uber

Role: Fusion/Strategy Intern at Uber

Major... Читать дальше...

Tim Regan/Flickr

I want you to do something for me. Ready? Okay.

Forget about your arms for a second.

Go on. You can do it. Now fold them up against your body, and stick out your hands so your fingers seem to stick straight out from your shoulders.

Flap them a little. (I'll know if you don't.)

Isn't this a treat? You make a beautiful fish, really.

Now look at your fingers. See how they splay out, hanging a bit limp from your knuckles? Your hand could almost be the fin of an honest-to-god fish. Читать дальше...

Reuters

BELBEK AIR BASE, Crimea/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin flew into annexed Crimea on Friday a day after staging war games there, and said he hoped Ukraine would see "common sense" when it came to resolving a diplomatic crisis over the peninsula.

Two years after Russian troops seized the peninsula, it is again the focus of international tension, after the Russian president accused Kiev last week of sending saboteurs who clashed with Russian troops.

Kiev, which has also... Читать дальше...

Do you like "Blade Runner?" You do, right? It's so good — a sci-fi classic! And it's in a class of entertainment — the tech-Noir sci-fi thriller — that's woefully underrepresented.

NBC

French Olympic race walker Yohann Diniz was leading Friday's 50k — until he collapsed on the side of the track shortly after apparently defecating mid-walk.

Evidence of Diniz' severe gastrointestinal issues — including video of the athlete apparently attempting to soak up leaking fecal matter using a sponge — has surfaced on NBC. 

And while Diniz' problems are severe, it's not unusual for athletes to experience gastrointestinal problems while competing in long-distance events. Читать дальше...

Goldman Sachs

On the second floor of Goldman Sachs' headquarters in downtown New York, a group of 40 girls are diligently working on their final technology projects.

Many of them have never been introduced to computer science before, but after weeks of training, they are creating apps, computer games, and demos of their own.

Noor Kamal, a 16-year-old from Long Island, is working on an app that provides relaxing assistance for people affected by anxiety.

Rosa Olguin... Читать дальше...

Ryan Lochte made headlines when he claimed that he and three teammates were robbed while in Rio for the Olympics. He's now apologizing for his behavior last weekend.

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Facebook announced that it's currently developing a PC gaming platform in partnership with Unity Technologies, the maker of the popular game development framework (game engine) Unity.

The new gaming platform will likely expand expand upon the three-month old Facebook Games Arcade, as noted by TechCrunch. In the long run, this gaming platform... Читать дальше...

Hedge funds love making waves.

One of the easiest ways to make waves is to announce a huge bet against a giant company.

In Goldman Sachs' quarterly Hedge Fund Trend Monitor, the analysts round up the biggest splashes the hedge fund industry is making right now.

The "Very Important Short List" compiles the largest aggregate short positions of the 841 hedge funds that Goldman tracks. Essentially, these are the companies that hedge funds think will see a stock drop-off.

GE once again stops the list... Читать дальше...

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Tony Duffy/Getty Images

The hammer throw at the Summer Games peaked in 1988 and has been declining ever since—as charted by Rody Zakovich on Tableau.

RAW Embed

The Olympic record holder is Sergey Litvinov, with a 1988 throw of 84.80 meters for the Soviet Union.

The World record holder is his compatriot, Yuriy Sedykh, who threw 86.74 meters in 1986.

In Rio qualifying, the top throw was a mere 77.64 meters (the finals are on Friday).

Why the decline?

Sure... Читать дальше...

Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Yohan Diniz of France suffered a cruel fate in the 50 km race walk at the Rio Olympics, but somehow found the strength to keep going and finish seventh in the race.

Diniz, the world record-holder in the 50 km event, suffered intense "intestinal problems" early in the race and later was forced to stop multiple times, including once where it appeared that he passed out. And yet, each time, Diniz kept going.

Diniz didn't win a medal, but it was a courageous effort. Читать дальше...

Reuters/Will Burgess

Disrupting a whole business sector is the goal of many startups. Uber, Amazon, and Tesla all disrupted their sectors, and a lot of media attention has been spent analyzing them.

The companies on this list are those on the other side of the table — in danger of being disrupted by a startup, or savvy competitor, as well as being expensive relative to the market.

An analysis by Credit Suisse looked at disruption-prone companies "to be cautious on." To determine... Читать дальше...

Thomson Reuters

A Turkish soldier who fled to Greece after a failed military coup attempt in Turkey last month was interviewed by asylum officials in Athens on Friday, the first step in a legal process which will help determine whether he should be sent back home.

Eight soldiers flew a military helicopter to the northern Greek border town of Alexandroupolis on July 16, a day after the coup attempt unfolded. They immediately sought political asylum but were arrested and later sentenced... Читать дальше...

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Uber has just introduced a web app that will allow smartphone users in India to request a car without needing to download its app, according to Business Standard.

The move will open up Uber’s service to customers who can’t afford the high data costs, processing demands, and added storage space of smartphone apps.

The move will also help Uber one-up rival car service Ola. Читать дальше...