Новости за 22.12.2016

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

When Jared Kushner swooped in to buy the New York Observer in 2006, he embarked on a mini-media tour, posing with the paper at parties and sitting down with esteemed media reporters from The New York Times and New York magazine.

But after a decade as the owner of the iconic New York newspaper, Kushner appears to be potentially angling for a much more quiet exit.

WWD reported Wednesday that Kushner was exploring a sale, potentially to American Media Inc.... Читать дальше...

NASA recently released this stunning animation of the dwarf planet Ceres' mysterious white spots that scientists have only just begun to understand. 

Uber

After a week-long feud with California regulators, Uber's self-driving car program is leaving the state after regulators delivered a death-blow to its self-driving car plans.

The cars left for Arizona on Thursday morning, where Uber will try to restart its self-driving car pilot, according to the company. 

“Our cars departed for Arizona this morning by truck. We’ll be expanding our self-driving pilot there in the next few weeks, and we’re excited to have the support of Governor Ducey,” an Uber spokesperson said. Читать дальше...

Flicker/Oracle PR

Oracle is denying that it is increasing audits of customers using a flavor of its popular Java software that is mostly, but not completely, free.

Earlier this week, Business Insider reported on the industry scuttlebutt that Oracle had hired more people in its auditing department to help it target Java users. The goal would be to find companies who have been using, but not paying for, the parts of that software that Oracle charges for.

At issue is a hugely... Читать дальше...

Courtesy of Jim Manning

Not everyone can play Santa Claus for a living.

Sure, anyone can don a Santa hat, beard, and suit and invite parents to plop kids on their lap.

But to play a convincing Santa Claus that kids will forever cherish, and to make a living at it, you must become Santa Claus — and that process takes a lot of work.

For Jim Manning, a full-time children's entertainer who has played Santa Jim in the Boston area for 13 years, learning how to become the... Читать дальше...

WRAL

North Carolina Governor-elect Roy Cooper slammed Republicans on Wednesday for failing to repeal House Bill 2, the polarizing state law that critics say discriminates against LGBT residents.

Lawmakers had convened in Raleigh that day for a special session dedicated to repealing the law, but came up empty-handed after the meeting descended into a fiery partisan debate. Democrats ultimately refused to sign off on a Republican-backed proposal that would have repealed the law, but... Читать дальше...

YouTube

The INSIDER Summary:

• Christmas commercials always make us cry.
• These are the eight best ones this year.
• Apple and Amazon made the list, but Allegro was number one.

If the Super Bowl is prime time for wacky and hilarious commercials, then the holiday season is for anyone who wants to bawl openly in front of their TV.

There’s something about the month of December that makes companies feel the need to bring on the waterworks, whether it’s a happy or bittersweet cry. Читать дальше...

Bill Wippert/AP

The holidays are upon us, which means that after you read this you should turn off your computer or phone and do something with your family!

To the picks!

LAST WEEK: 10-6

SEASON: 114-110-6

New York Giants (-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET)

I'm still not convinced that the defense can continue to play this well or that the Giants can keep on winning with such a nonexistent run game, but hey, I'll take it! Читать дальше...

In this season of giving, when not-for-profit organizations make their final push for donations, it’s interesting to take a look at how the world's wealthiest individuals are choosing to donate their money.

Allego

Allego's CEO Yuchun Lee is probably better known for being part of the infamous MIT blackjack team that inspired the movie "21."

But Lee has quietly carved out a successful tech career over the past two decades, taking his first startup, a marketing software maker Unica, public in 2005, before selling it to IBM for about $500 million in 2010.

Now he's running Allego, a sales education startup that he describes as a "corporate YouTube" for the vast number of training videos available on its platform. Читать дальше...

Around 76 countries and territories use left-hand traffic, and the practice is believed to have originated in ancient Rome to help defend against enemy attacks. 

AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin

It's laughably easy to overspend during the holidays — from catering feasts and baking treats to stocking stuffers and Yankee swaps, the expenses seem to never end.

What's more, most stores are carefully engineered to get you to overspend. Particularly during the last month of the year, they'll tug on your emotions with holiday cheer and load the checkout aisle with tempting holiday delights that are nearly impossible to turn down.

If you want to curb your spending this holiday... Читать дальше...

Samantha Lee/Business Insider

'Tis the season for office holiday parties, which can be fun and festive if everyone is on their best behavior — or disastrous when too many people decide to let loose.

Unfortunately, the latter happens far too often.

"People need to remember that although the holiday party is a time to celebrate, this activity is still a business event and how you behave matters," says Barbara Pachter, an etiquette expert and the author of "The Essentials of Business... Читать дальше...

A lot of things will see a price cut in 2017. Here are nine things you may want to hold off on buying until next year.

Tyler Kaufman/AP

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr made his team practice at 9 p.m. ET after a cross-country flight to New York, and the idea could catch on around the NBA.

Speaking to reporters before the Warriors away game against the Brooklyn Nets, Kerr explained his logic, saying he thinks it can help a team (via Anthony Slater of the San Jose Mercury News).

"Just to get the blood moving after a long flight," Kerr said. "It's just what I remember as a player.... Читать дальше...

REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

The Islamic State published the names and addresses of thousands of churches in the United States and called on its adherents to attack them during the holiday season, according to a message posted late-night Wednesday in the group’s “Secrets of Jihadis” social media group.

A user going by the name of “Abu Marya al-Iraqi” posted an Arabic-language message calling “for bloody celebrations in the Christian New Year” and announced the group’s plans to utilize its... Читать дальше...

Reuters

At the beginning of 2016, China sneezed and global markets caught the flu.

That is why, as the year closes and the Chinese economy remains in a delicate phase, investors are watching the country very closely for signs that the beginning of 2017 could bring the same volatility as the year before.

Last time it was a declining yuan and capital outflows, in part caused by the Federal Reserve's first interest rate hike in around a decade, that caused market jitters.

Sometimes finding the right movie online can be a drag, but we scoured through Netflix to find the 7 best holiday movies for you to stream this Christmas.

Flickr / jseliger2

A few decades ago, when you wanted to learn something new it typically meant spending a couple of evenings a week at a local school, taking a photography or bookkeeping class from a bored night school instructor.

Today, the worlds of learning and personal or professional development are literally at your fingertips.

The open learning movement has made the opportunity to get smarter in your spare time completely accessible to anyone with an internet connection, and it's exploded in recent years. Читать дальше...

Thomson Reuters

The war in Yemen is the hidden conflict of the Middle East. According to U.N. figures, only 53 percent of the funds requested under the 2016 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan has been fulfilled, a shortfall in cash that has kept people from accessing medical care, food, water, and basic shelter.

The humanitarian situation in the country could get even worse next year, and despite eight in ten Yemeni children already suffering from malnutrition, the U.N. is projecting worsening conditions in the country next year. Читать дальше...

Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday announced his senior communications team, naming Sean Spicer, chief strategist for the Republican National Committee, his first White House press secretary.

Trump's selection of Spicer, which was widely expected, came amid several other key communications appointments.

The president-elect named Hope Hicks, who has been Trump's spokesperson since the start of his presidential bid, White House director of strategic communications. Читать дальше...

REUTERS/Beck Diefenbach

Tesla is gearing up to roll out a big update for its cars.

The automaker announced in October that its Model S and Model X cars will now come with new hardware that will boost Autopilot's current capabilities and set the foundation for a fully driverless Tesla later on.

Tesla cars have progressed a lot in just the last year alone. Here's a look back at how far the company has come.

Tesla garnered a lot of attention in 2008 when it released its very first electric car ... Читать дальше...

Evan-Amos/Wikimedia Commons

WASHINGTON (AP) — Don't cut that umbilical cord too soon: A brief pause after birth could benefit most newborns by delivering them a surge of oxygen-rich blood.

New recommendations for U.S. obstetricians, the latest in a debate over how quick to snip, suggest waiting "at least 30 seconds to 60 seconds after birth," for all healthy newborns.

That's double what often happens now. It's common in the U.S. for doctors to cut the cord almost immediately... Читать дальше...

Andrew Harnik/AP

President-elect Donald Trump has ties throughout the sports world, but that does not necessarily mean he's taking meetings with all of his sports friends.

According to Politico's Josh Dawsey, Trump's meetings have been so extensive that some people, like former Dallas Cowboys and University of Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer, have been able to fool assembled press at Trump Tower into thinking they're meeting with the president-elect.

On December 7, a pool report said Switzer arrived at Trump Tower. Читать дальше...

BI Intelligence

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Chinese fintechs may be among the world's largest and most well funded, but it appears some are not yet confident they would see success outside of their home market, as evidenced by Chinese online insurer ZhongAn abandoning its plans to pursue an initial public offering (IPO) in either the US or Hong Kong.

Instead, the insurtech will look to IPO in mainland China... Читать дальше...