Archive for the 'Economy' Category
The Solar Charging Kit for Africa You Want for Your Own Home
August 23rd, 2012Via: Good: Mike Lin and Brian Warshawsky find themselves in the unusual but enviable position of having stumbled on an unexpected business hit. The pair set out with a social goal and built a product for poor Ugandans. But this week, the gadget the pair built to help poor Africans without electricity start micro businesses […]
Private Crypto Key in Mission-Critical Hardware
August 23rd, 2012Via: Ars Technica: A private encryption key embedded into widely used mission-critical routers could be exploited by hackers to attack electric substations, railroad switches, and other critical infrastructure, security researchers have warned. The flaw, uncovered in devices made by Siemens subsidiary RuggedCom of Ontario, Canada, is the second this year to affect its Rugged Operating […]
Many in Middle Class Say They Are Doing Worse Financially
August 23rd, 2012The Onion’s satire is the best commentary for this one: Nation’s Lower Class At Least Grateful It Not Part Of Nation’s Middle Class: A survey released Wednesday by researchers at the University of North Carolina found that despite the many challenges they face, the nation’s lowest-income individuals are nonetheless thankful they don’t have to endure […]
40% of Food Wasted in U.S.???
August 22nd, 2012Via: Los Angeles Times: Americans are throwing out nearly every other bite of food, wasting up to 40% of the country’s supply each year – a mass of uneaten provisions worth $165 billion, according to a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council. An average family of four squanders $2,275 in food each year, […]
Skilled Work, Without the Worker
August 20th, 2012Via: New York Times: The next generation of robots for manufacturing will be more flexible and easier to train. Witness the factory of Tesla Motors, which recently began manufacturing the Tesla S, a luxury sedan, in Fremont, Calif., on the edge of Silicon Valley. More than half of the building is shuttered, called “the dark […]
Suicide of Deloitte Partner Daniel Pirron Linked to Standard Chartered’s Iran Scandal
August 19th, 2012Via: Telegraph: The family of a senior partner at Deloitte has called for answers after he apparently committed suicide days after the auditing firm was linked to the Standard Chartered Iran dollar trades scandal. Daniel Pirron, a partner in Delloite’s key General Counsel’s office in New York, was found dead in a car park near […]
Water Shortages Hit U.S. Power Supply
August 19th, 2012Via: New Scientist: As the United States’ extended heat wave and drought threaten to raise global food prices, energy production is also feeling the pressure. Across the nation, power plants are becoming overheated and shutting down or running at lower capacity; drilling operations struggle to get the water they need, and crops that would become […]
South Africa: ‘More Than 30’ Miners Killed by Police
August 17th, 2012Update: Police Planted Weapons Via: BBC: South African police have been accused of planting weapons near the bodies of workers killed during strikes at the Marikana platinum mine. Photographs taken by police suggested large knives had been placed near the bodies after they had been shot, a lawyer told an inquest into the deaths. Thirty-four […]
Saudi Arabia’s National Oil Company Kills Network After Cyber Attack
August 16th, 2012Via: Security Week: Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s national oil company and the largest in the world, has confirmed that is has been hit by a cyber attack that resulted in malware infecting user workstations, but did not affect other parts of its network. “On Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012, an official at Saudi Aramco confirmed that […]
No One Will Charged With a Crime for the MF Global Collapse
August 16th, 2012Lehman? Meh. The Squid? *pfft* AIG? Fuggetaboutit. This MF Global thing is noise level by comparison. Via: Atlantic Wire: Authorities are winding down their criminal investigation of the failed brokarage firm, MF Global, and despite the lack of oversight and the loss of more than $1 billion in customer funds, it now seems unlikely that […]
