Parrot's Zikmu Solo speaker goes Duo, two make a pair over WiFi

It was only last October when we took a close look at Parrot's new Zikmu Solo (as well as chatting up CEO Henri Seydoux, pictured above), so we were a bit surprised when the company made an announcement for the same Bluetooth speaker at CES. You see, while the original Starck-designed Zikmu was sold in a pair, the slightly smaller Zikmu Solo -- powered by a 1GHz Cortex-A8 processor no less -- was designed with small rooms in mind and is therefore sold singly. However, at some point this year, Parrot will offer a "Duo" option that lets you hook up two Zikmu Solos over WiFi to form a 2 x 100W RMS stereo system, which is conveniently twice as powerful as the Zikmu. Obviously nothing has changed in terms of audio input methods and sources for the high-end Zikmu Solo: iPhone, iPod, PC, Mac, WiFi, Bluetooth mobile phone, Ethernet and more. So, how about a discount when we buy two then, Parrot? $999 times two is quite a lot (insert wink here).

Continue reading Parrot's Zikmu Solo speaker goes Duo, two make a pair over WiFi

Filed under: Home Entertainment

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/07/parrot-zikmu-solo-duo-option/

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Nine Steps to Embracing Risk Analysis in the Enterprise

In the commercial environment, businesses make decisions daily, irrespective of whether they are operating in a boom or a recession. Each decision has an associated level of risk: where to invest, what product to produce, what quantity, which vendor to use, what price to charge, what marketing activity to pursue. The list is endless. Although these decisions have potentially business-critical consequences, many organisations do not take a strategic approach to decision-making.

The concept of risk analysis and management has been around for many years, but is still not well executed within many industries. However, given the current state of the global economy, there has been a lot of talk recently about the need for ?proper risk analysis.?

Today, organisations are focusing on methodologies that can help them assess risks more accurately. By exploring the full space of possible outcomes for a given situation, effective risk analysis can both identify pitfalls and uncover new opportunities. Instead of taking a siloed approach to managing risk, organisations should address risk holistically. All risks are interrelated, so an organisation?s risk modelling must follow this pattern. A key concept is the necessity to model correlations ? or dependent relationships ? between risks. For example, it is unrealistic to assume that what goes on in the legal risk department is not going to affect what happens in R&D risk.

If risk management & analysis seems like a mere image within an endless strip of film, you may be overlooking what it means to the big picture. Image courtesy of Damian Gadal @Flickr, re-used with permission

Increased use of risk analysis in the form of quantitative risk management (QRM) and decision-making under uncertainty (DMUU) is helping organisations to be prepared for unforeseen risk. Simply put, QRM and DMUU mean thinking more quantitatively, with numbers and probabilities. It means recognising that uncertainty exists in nearly every decision, and accounting for it in a quantitative way. One good example of this is the use of Monte Carlo simulation, which is an analytical technique that evaluates and measures the risk associated with any given venture or project. A computerised mathematical process, it allows users to define uncertain variables in their models and see, as a result, a range of possible outcomes and the probability that each will occur.

Monte Carlo simulation is a highly flexible tool used extensively in risk management to gain insight into what could happen so that resources can be allocated more effectively, better strategies designed, mitigation plans developed, and better decisions made. The technology is simple to use and available on any desktop computer, even as an add-in to the common spreadsheet. Combined with greater public awareness, risk managers are currently in an ideal position to progress a cultural change towards making risk analysis an integral part of corporate operations.

There are many benefits of conducting risk analysis, with key advantages including:

1. Identifying pitfalls and uncovering previously unidentified opportunities
2. Understanding the risk factors that are the most important and have the biggest impact on the bottom line
3. Targeting specific variables to avoid wasting resources on low-impact or extremely unlikely events
4. Improving credibility, making the case more persuasively to upper management, corporate, investment banks or other stakeholders when funding is needed or advancing a project
5. Getting buy-in from those on the team when implementing a project

The downfalls of not conducting risk analysis can be significant. Not to over-simplify, but it can be argued that the recent financial crises had roots in improper or nonexistent risk analysis. Risks were ignored for the sake of short-term profitability. Not employing risk analysis strategies means ignoring what could happen and allowing an organisation?s business model to be disrupted by the surprise of unexpected ? yet inevitable ? emergencies and disasters.

With the increased focus on organisational risk analysis, it is worth considering the following guidelines for implementing a strategy:

Embrace risk management
Risk management is not an optional extra. It is a business critical tool that is an asset and an integral part of the project. Company culture ? not just an isolated department ? must be developed to embrace QRM and DMUU in order that everyone understands their benefits and the need for them.

Invest budget
Business tools cost money, but managing risk is an investment, not an overhead. Allocating resources and making it a formal business process should be seen as an insurance policy that, by identifying potential risks, can protect the organisation against unexpected costs in the future.

Communicate clearly
As with any organisational change, it is essential that everyone is clear on the new processes. Create a common risk language ? using numbers, not fuzzy ?what-ifs? ? which everyone can understand to avoid confusion and ensure a consistent approach to risk and decision analysis.

Illustrate with numbers
Qualitative assessment is essential, but numbers are more powerful. For example, talking about the percentage chance of meeting a deadline or budget is much clearer than discussing how it ?probably? will or won?t happen. This is critical for avoiding miscommunication regarding assumptions. Monte Carlo simulation provides the actual probabilities of various scenarios occurring, and is a good way to illustrate the consequences of different courses of action.

Create structure
Create the right organisational structure. Individuals and groups need clearly defined roles, and must take responsibility for their own area of expertise.

Think laterally
No enterprise operates in isolation, so other external variables must be included in the decision-making model and process. For example, even a small rise in fuel costs could have a major effect on revenues if raw materials need to be transported across long distances.

View the complete picture
Political, cultural and social risk factors can be explored by involving all stakeholders. Investing time and money in consultation and research ensures that businesses have a clear idea of the complete environment in which they operate, and therefore minimise the chances of products and services failing.

Report, review and learn new tricks
Risks, and their management, must be reviewed regularly ? and the programme amended if necessary. Instigate a reporting process in which risks are clearly identified and prioritized. Businesses should be careful to avoid ?the way we?ve always done it? approach, instead keeping up-to-date, learning new tricks and being prepared to be bold.

Supply evidence
Back up the commitment to a thorough QRM and DMUU programme with documentation on why it works. This validates the budget and buy-in requested at the start. And it?s good for business ? organisations this thorough are guaranteed a competitive edge.

It must also be remembered that paying close attention to the way risk models are constructed is the key to ensuring an accurate outcome, along with re-examining the assumptions underlying the models. Ask questions such as ?Which probability distribution do I use??, ?How do I properly model my situation?? and ?What is the worthwhile analysis to do?? before embarking on a risk analysis project. Ensuring that the model is accurate is the most important step ? after that the simulation is easy.

Image courtesy of Damian Gadal @Flickr, re-used with permission

Source: http://www.arraspeople.co.uk/camel-blog/projectmanagement/nine-steps-to-embracing-risk-analysis-in-the-enterprise/

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Oil falls as uncertainty hits energy markets

The price of oil fell Monday, hit by uncertainty about what the U.S. Federal Reserve might do with its bond purchase program and data showing the U.S. unemployment rate unchanged.

By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude for February delivery was down 44 cents to $92.65 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Friday, the Nymex contract closed up 17 cents at $93.09 a barrel after the U.S. Energy Department's Energy Information Administration reported that the nation's crude supplies fell by 11.1 million barrels during the last week of 2012, much more than analysts expected.

The impact of last week's release of a transcript of the Federal Reserve's December meeting showing that policymakers disagreed over how long to keep a bond-purchase program in place was still being felt on the market.

Traders inferred the Fed might shorten the program, which could send U.S. interest rates, and therefore the dollar, higher. That in turn would hurt the price of oil. Oil, which is priced in dollars, tends to fall as the dollar strengthens and makes crude more expensive for investors holding foreign currencies.

On Monday, the euro was down at $1.3030 from $1.3065 on Friday.

Meanwhile, U.S. employers added 155,000 jobs in December, but the increase wasn't enough to reduce the unemployment rate, which remained 7.8 percent last month, the Labor Department said Friday.

Analysts expect the Nymex contract, which finished 2012 around 7 percent lower on the year, its first annual fall since 2008, to continue trading near its current range in the near term.

"The (2012) decline was brought on by ... comfortable supply, wobbly demand, and high inventories, all of which managed to reverse the occasional spikes we saw set in over the course of 2012," said Edward Meir of INTL FCStone in New York. "None of these variables are expected to dissipate anytime soon."

Meir forecast an average price of $92 a barrel for the Nymex contract during 2013.

Brent crude, used to price international varieties of oil, was down 44 cents to $110.87 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

In other energy futures trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange:

? Wholesale gasoline retreated 1.47 cents to $2.7496 a gallon.

? Heating oil lost 0.22 cent to $3.0155 a gallon.

? Natural gas added 4.3 cents to $3.33 per 1,000 cubic feet.

___

Pamela Sampson in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-01-07-Oil%20Prices/id-0df30780511c43f9be058e0afd1be674

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Photo of teen princess-to-be Diana set for auction

AMHERST, N.H. (AP) ? A photo marked "not to be published" that shows a teenage Diana Spencer before she became Princess of Wales, with a young friend seated beside her, will be featured in an auction this month in New Hampshire.

The photograph might never have been seen publicly until now, RR Auction said.

Stamped February 1981 on the back, the photo was taken around the time Charles, the Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer ended months of speculation and announced they were to be married.

The photo came from the Caren Archive, a major private collection of rare newspapers and other publications, and was purchased seven years ago from the Daily Mirror newspaper.

Bobby Livingston, vice president of RR Auction, said Saturday that neither the auction house nor Caren Archive, knew the identity of the young man in the photo. However, he said he understood that a British newspaper had been able to identify him.

British media have identified the young man as Adam Russell, the great-grandson of former Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin.

In 1981, Diana first told news of her engagement to her friends, then moved out of her apartment Feb. 23 and into Buckingham Palace. What was widely labeled the wedding of the century took place on July 29, 1981, at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1996, and Diana died in a Paris car crash in 1997.

Another Diana photo to be included in the auction is an original 1988 news photo of the princess observing a marriage conflict resolution seminar.

The auction is scheduled for Jan. 17-24 in Amherst.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/photo-teen-princess-diana-set-auction-203716895.html

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Samsung announces new Bluetooth speaker with NFC and apt-X codec support

Samsung has just announced a new set of digital audio equipment, most importantly to us smartphone nerds being a new Bluetooth speaker for pairing with phones and tablets. This newest speaker, model DA-F60, supports both NFC pairing and the apt-X audio codec. This is a not-so-common yet interesting use of NFC, which lets users tap a tablet or phone to the speaker to initiate the bluetooth pairing connection meaning there's no messing around with a manual Bluetooth setup -- pretty neat.

Apt-X, if you're not familiar, is a relatively new audio codec available in some devices that improves the dynamic range and quality of streaming bluetooth audio. The list of supported devices is small but growing -- including the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2, the HTC One (X, S, V) line and Motorola RAZR (original, HD, Maxx, i, M) line.

We should see a bit more of the new speaker (and Samsung's other offerings) at CES this week, and hopefully have some time to play around with these new ones. No pricing or availability is out just yet, but we should expect those shortly as well.

Source: Samsung (BusinessWire)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/CSMmKPN58p4/story01.htm

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Video: Rep. Camp delivers weekly GOP address (cbsnews)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/275020241?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Online Gaming Affiliates - All For One, One For All

Back then, a lot of people could care less about google and instead concentrated on PPC engines. And that was a quagmire of it's own, you would have competitors clicking your listings until you ran out of money and had nothing to show for it. It was just as hard for newcomers then as it is now. Just with different types of issues.

On the positive side, there was a finite number of programs and a finite number of affiliates. The majority of people knew each other, if not in person, then through lots of exposure online.

Still, there were some very ugly fights being carried out on winneronline. Some of it was so silly that it was hilarious, some of it was outright character asassination.

Even though all this was going on, affiliates pulled together when there were issues with programs. CAP fixed countless issues with terms changes and such back in the day.

Since the affiliate programs were pretty much established and everyone promoted them, infractions by programs were very clear to see and usually everyone agreed.

Now we have tens of thousands of affiliates out there, and the programs and their rules change all the time. Many Brick and Mortar Casinos came online and brought a whole different outlook with them. One that is not usually favorable to affiliates. It's hard to keep track of it all, and that's why we have the affiiate guard dog constantly scanning terms and conditions.

No message board or individual has access to all the affiliates out there. Most never know that their colleagues are crying foul concerning a specific program, or a practice that is sneeking into the market and bad for affiliates.

Then, you have people with completely different experiences with the same programs. You have people with personal axes to grind, and people who completely depend on certain programs to put dinner on the table for their families. You have people who have had no issues, and people who cry foul regarding any specific program. The bag is very mixed.

Rogue programs can thrive for years in this climate, there are always affiliates who have never heard of their reputation and will happily promote them. Good programs can have their character assasinated by just one very vocal person with an axe to grind. It is difficult to make sense of it all anymore.

So it all boils down to avoiding emotional responses and looking only at cold, hard proof. Trust yourself and your own judgement. Enlist the help of other affs and message boards if you are sure you have been hurt and can prove it.

Sometimes you are up a creek with no paddle. Like Grand Prive settled with everyone who made a claim but me. Why? Because they owed me a large chunk of money. I wasn't about to accept hundreds of dollars in place of tens of thousands and took offense at the offer. That immediately broke the trust and negotiations went nowhere.

Which brings us to a crucial point - trust. Can you trust all the programs to do right by you? No. Can you trust all affiliates to tell the truth? No.

So, the playing field has changed enormously. Just the vast numbers of programs and affiliates make any effective communication impossible. Any small groups of affiliates boycotting a program has very limited effect. The days when we could communally blacklist a program and outrank it on it's own terms are gone. That was one way to get the message across to new affiliates, to have it displayed on google. But, with affiliates splintered every which way, and the majority never even visiting any affiliate board, this is impossible now.

Plus, most times people yell foul, there is no real proof. It's up to us as business people to make informed decisions, believing or not believing something really shouldn't figure into it, we need cold hard facts. And these are often hard to come by.

So we go by personal experience until and unless either party or better yet, both parties present us with concrete, provable facts.

So, keep track of things, take screenshots when something looks odd. And remember, everyone has "off months" when things are just not as profitable as in previous months, with any program.

Also, think about your target customers. Why is a certain program not performing for you? Is your site about free play and the bonuses are match bonuses? Not going to work as well as if you had freebie bonuses, that's what your visitors are looking for. Is the promo targeting mostly women in their 40s who play slots, but you have small print and the colors don't contrast clearly? Your customers can't read it, eyes go bad around 40 but no one wants to wear glasses yet... Just two examples here, there are many, many reasons why a program may not perform well on your site, but do perfectly well on someone else's site.

So, try to find possible other reasons for bad performance before you cry foul. Research the program, how many complaints are there from different people? If all the complaints come from one person, it may still be true, but maybe that person has an axe to grind.

Times are not the way they used to be, and they will never go back. The web is ever evolving, and we constantly have to look for new solutions to old problems.

PPC is pretty much gone and google rules. We don't know each other well anymore. The people we do know are but a tiny fraction of all the affiliates and programs out there. With the huge growth in numbers, communication between affiliates has fallen by the wayside.

So we all need to grow up, we can't function just on trust anymore, we need indisputable facts.
Programs need to prove themselves, affiliates need solid proof for allegations.

What else would be useful is cooperation between the major message boards when there are issues affecting all affiliates. Maybe one day we will get there.

Anyway, I am rambling here. I could likely write a book about the gambling affiliate industry back in the the day and all the way up to now.

Source: http://www.casinoaffiliateprograms.com/bb/48780-online-gaming-affiliates-all-for-one-one-for-all.html

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