August 10, 2015

Top News Stories –

Google unveils surprise restructuring under Alphabet –
Google has unveiled a surprise restructuring, creating a new parent company called Alphabet Inc. Under the rebranding, Google will retain its best-known businesses, such as search, apps, YouTube and Android. Some of the newer entities, such as the investment and research divisions, the “smart-home” unit Nest, and the drone arm will be run under Alphabet. Google founder Larry Page said it would create a simpler structure for what had become a diverse group of businesses. The name Alphabet was chosen for two reasons, Mr Page said. It represents language, “the core of how we index with Google search”, and because Alpha-bet means “investment return above benchmark, which we strive to do”. [BBC]

Tom Davies, 19, becomes ‘youngest person to cycle the world’ –
A British teenager is thought to have become the youngest person to cycle around the world. Tom Davies, 19, from Battersea, England, finished an 18,000-mile journey on Sunday raising more than £50,000 for several charities. Around 100 of his family and friends welcomed him home. During the six months he was away, he had to run away from a group of monkeys, was chased by dogs in Albania and raced an emu in Australia.

Video of the Day –

PATAGONIA 8K from Martin Heck | Timestorm Films on Vimeo.

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9 #LaLluviaSeHizoPara #MondayMotivation #AlcoholCelebs
10 #تغريده_تشفع_ل�… Buddy Baker #IWillGoToHellBecause

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August 11, 2015

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Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson makes emergency landing as plane runs low on fuel –
Bruce Dickinson, the Iron Maiden frontman, was forced to make an emergency landing at a Royal Air Force airfield when his replica war plane started to run low on fuel. The heavy metal star pilot made an unexpected appearance in his Fokker triplane at RAF Halton, near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Dickinson took advantage of the Strasser Scheme, set up thanks to the work of Charles Strasser, the vice president of the Aircraft Operators and Pilots Association. It was established so that aircraft in can divert with no extra charge in the event of an emergency. All Ministry of Defence airfields, as well as 99 per cent of the UK’s civilian airfields, are signed up to the scheme. [Daily Telegraph]
Bruce-DickinsonBruce Dickinson

Google unveils Alphabet… but that’s already trademarked by BMW –
The general reaction to Google’s announcement that it would create a new holding company called Alphabet, of which Google would be a subsidiary, was one of surprise and approval.
But perhaps the most surprised recipient of the news was BMW, which already runs a registered business called Alphabet. The German carmaker told WirtschaftsWoche, the German business magazine, that it will be “necessary to examine the legal trademark implications” of the name of Google’s new parent company. BMW also said it had not been contacted by Google before the surprise restructuring on Monday. In his announcement, Google co-founder Larry Page said Alphabet’s website would be http://abc.xyz, a decision that may have been influenced by the fact that alphabet.com is owned by BMW’s subsidiary, which operates in 18 countries and supplies 530,000 vehicles to corporate customers. [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Men In Black Safety Defenders #AirNZSafetyVideo

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1 #FAceToFace #FAceToFace #FAceToFace
2 #MiFraseFavorita Oath Keepers Alphabet
3 #DeNoSerPorTwitter #RobinWilliams Robin Williams
4 Fran Rivera #WhyIWouldMakeAGreatPresident #TravelTuesday
5 Mehmet Topal Geno Smith #CharityTuesday
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8 쿠키런 Kim K Orton
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10 Geno Smith Top Secret Seth Rollins

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  • In talks held regarding the course of the Syrian Civil War, Russia and Saudi Arabia fail to reach agreement over cooperation in the fight against ISIL, with the Saudi representative refusing any common struggle with Assad‘s regime. (The News Hub)
  • Georgia accuses Russia of cutting off its citizens from their farmland by installing border signposts demarcating the breakaway South Ossetia region, calling on Moscow to refrain from “escalation”. (The Daily Star)
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August 12, 2015

Top News Stories –

China blasts: Shipment explodes in Tianjin port –
Massive explosions have hit China’s northern port city of Tianjin, reportedly injuring many people. According to Chinese state media, the blasts occurred when a shipment of explosives blew up at about 23:30 (16:30 GMT). Pictures and video shared on social media showed flames lighting up the sky and damage to nearby buildings. Latest reports in state media suggest that hundreds of people have been taken to hospital. The first explosion was followed by another 30 seconds later. [BBC] See Video of the Day

Twitter takes the chains off Direct Messages by removing 140-character limit –
Twitter is fairly conspicuous by its absence among the big messaging players. The service has allowed its users to send private messages back and forth for years, but for a long time, the feature seemed like an afterthought, with bugs such as unreliable notifications. This is slowly changing. On Wednesday, Twitter finally removed a 140-character limit on Direct Messages (DMs), meaning users can send up to 10,000 characters (which roughly allows space for 2,000 words). Sachin Agarwal, Twitter’s DM product manager, said this had been one of Twitter users’ most commonly-requested features. [Daily Telegraph]

RIP to LOL – the history of laughing out loud –
A Facebook study suggests that people are choosing to use “haha” and emojis over “LOL” to express laughter. The research claims more than half (51.4%) opt for “haha”, while just 1.9% are LOLers, although it didn’t look at direct messages. LOL was added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in 2011, but the origin of the phrase can be traced back to the 1980s. The Facebook study suggests a third of people use emojis for laughter. [BBC Newsbeat]

Video of the Day –

直击天津滨海新区爆炸瞬间 现场响声震天

Massive explosions have hit China’s northern port city of Tianjin

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1 #SonrioCuando #WorldElephantDay #WorldElephantDay
2 #NecesitariaYaMismo The Artist #YouthDay
3 #AlDubMaybeThisTime Jimmy Carter #CeCeIsA
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5 바퀴벌레 #ShoutOutDay Simon Danczuk
6 #MasterChefBR Hump Day #BiscuitsInAMovie
7 #الهلال_النصر #SoundsGoodFeelsGood The Artist
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9 #ايش_بتسمي_اول_… Rex Ryan Paulo Wanchope
10 鳩山元首相 The Hateful Eight #Inglorious12th

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August 13, 2015

Top News Stories –

Nigerian granted divorce over wife’s late meals –
A Nigerian court has recently granted a 57-year-old man a divorce on the premise that his wife was bringing him his meals too late at night, local media reported on Thursday. Olufade Adeyoka recently explained to a courtroom in Lagos that he was fed up, that his wife of 25 years, Olusola, continued to serve him his meals late. In an interview with the Nigerian newspaper ‘Vanguard’ Adeyoka claimed that his wife “had failed in her matrimonial obligations”. This is thought to be the first time a legal divorce has been granted due to problems regarding domestic mealtime arrangements, however Nigeria has seen many abnormal divorce cases granted. [Daily Telegraph]

Pants ‘for superheroes’: Underwear that protects sperm count by blocking smartphone radiation –
Smart underwear designed to protect male fertility from radiation emitted by smartphones and laptops has been unveiled by a British scientist. Described by Sir Richard Branson as “underpants for superheroes”, the Wireless Armour underwear contains a mesh of pure silver woven into the fabric. It shields against 99.9 per cent of electromagnetic radiation, which is emitted from devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops, and has been linked to fertility problems by scientists. [Daily Telegraph]
Radiation armour underpantsWireless Armour underwear

Modern Family’s Ariel Winter has had a breast reduction –
Modern Family star Ariel Winter has revealed she has undergone breast reduction surgery. The 17-year-old said she made the decision after suffering with back and neck pain as a result of her 32F cups. “It’s amazing to finally feel right,” she told Glamour magazine. The actress, who plays young teenager Alex Dunphy in the TV series, had the surgery in June and reduced the size of her chest to a 34D. [BBC Newsbeat]
Ariel_WinterAriel Winter

Video of the Day –

Beautiful Footage: Chameleons Are Amazing

List of the Day –

Chameleon scientific data [from Wikipedia]

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Infraorder: Acrodonta
Family: Chamaeleonidae
Genera

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August 14, 2015

Top News Story –

William and Kate issue furious warning over paparazzi pictures of their children –
The paparazzi are using children to lure Prince George into view as they take increasingly desperate measures to capture lucrative images of the young royal, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have revealed. The tactic is one of several “dangerous” and “distressing” methods detailed in an open letter published by the furious couple, warning that a line had been crossed. The letter, sent to 24 worldwide media industry watchdog bodies, says it is clear that Prince George has become the “number one target” in the Royal Family for unscrupulous freelance photographers who sell their images abroad. [Daily Telegraph] See List of the Day below
Prince_George_of_CambridgePrince George of Cambridge with his parents in 2014

Video of the Day –

The reason every meme uses that one font

List of the Day –

Succession to the British throne [as of August 14, 2015 – list from Wikipedia]

  1. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (b. 1948), eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II
  2. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (b. 1982), elder son of Charles, Prince of Wales
  3. Prince George of Cambridge (b. 2013), son of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
  4. Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (b. 2015), daughter of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
  5. Prince Henry of Wales (b. 1984), younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales (aka. Harry)
  6. Prince Andrew, Duke of York (b. 1960), second son of Queen Elizabeth II
  7. Princess Beatrice of York (b. 1988), elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York
  8. Princess Eugenie of York (b. 1990), younger daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York
  9. Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (b. 1964), youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II
  10. James, Viscount Severn (b. 2007), son of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
  11. Lady Louise Windsor (b. 2003), daughter of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
  12. Princess Anne, Princess Royal (b. 1950), daughter of Queen Elizabeth II
  13. Peter Phillips (b. 1977), son of Anne, Princess Royal
  14. Savannah Phillips (b. 2010), elder daughter of Peter Phillips
  15. Isla Phillips (b. 2012), younger daughter of Peter Phillips
  16. Zara Phillips (b. 1981), daughter of Anne, Princess Royal
  17. Mia Tindall (b. 2014), daughter of Zara Phillips

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  • Masked gunmen kill 19 people and wound seven others at multiple locations of São Paulo’s suburbs Thursday night. (BBC) (ABC)

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August 15, 2015

Top News Stories –

Miley Cyrus: Hannah Montana caused body image issues –
Miley Cyrus has spoken about how growing up as Hannah Montana led to body image issues. “I was made to look like someone that I wasn’t,” Miley told Marie Claire, “which probably caused some body dysmorphia.” The 22-year-old explained: “I had been made pretty every day for so long and then when I wasn’t on that show, it was like, who … am I?” Miley starred in Hannah Montana TV series from 2006 to 2011. [BBC Newsbeat] In April 2015 Cyrus revealed she wanted to have sex with Joan Jett.
Miley-cyrusMiley Cyrus

Michael Sam, first openly gay American Football player, leaves sport after mental health concerns –
The first openly gay professional American football player is taking a break from the game, after a difficult year that saw him dropped by two NFL clubs. Michael Sam made history when he was drafted by the St Louis Rams last year, sparking a flurry of media interest. However, he failed to gain a place in the team and recently made his debut in Canada with the Montreal Alouettes. He announced his decision on Twitter. [Daily Telegraph]
Michael-Sam-tweets Michael Sam on Twitter

Video of the Day –

NIGHTLIGHT from Emmanuel Adjei & Marleen Ozgur on Vimeo.

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August 16, 2015

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Guardian Angels return to New York’s Central Park –
With their bright red jackets and berets, the Guardian Angels were once a common sight in a city riddled with violent crime. And this week they made a pointed return to New York’s Central Park for the first time in more than two decades, citing a 26 per cent rise in crime there so far this year. “We realise things are much better than they were” in the crime peak of the 1980s and early 90s, said Curtis Sliwa, the group’s founder, but “we want it to stay that way.” After years of celebrating reductions in crime, the nation’s biggest city has seen murders rise by 9 per cent so far this year, although serious crime overall is down 5 per cent. [Daily Telegraph]

PGA Championship: Australia’s Jason Day breaks major drought with three-shot win over Jordan Spieth –
Australia’s Jason Day has ended a long wait for his first major, shooting a final round 67 to clinch victory in the PGA Championship by three shots. He led by three shots at the turn and held his nerve through the back nine to seal a memorable win over America’s Masters and US Open champion Jordan Spieth at the Whistling Straits course in Wisconsin. Day’s four-round total of 20-under was a record low score for a major championship. [ABC]
Jason_DayJason Day

Video of the Day –

Visualization of nuclear detonations from 1945 to present.

Trinity from Orbital Mechanics on Vimeo.

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