DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ When grief and AI collide: These people are communicating with the dead
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

People have wanted to reconnect with deceased loved ones for centuries, whether they’ve visited mediums and spiritualists or leaned on services that preserve their memory. In September 2023, it introduced ChatGPT voice, where users can ask the chatbot prompts without typing. HereAfter AI, founded in 2019, allows users to create avatars of deceased loved ones. “Remembering is very important; it reflects the human condition and importance of deceased loved ones.”But she noted the relationship we have with our closest loved ones is built on authenticity. Creating an AI version of that person could for many “feel like a violation of that.”Bill Abney said he feels uneasy about communicating with his late fiancée through AI platforms.

Persons: Ana Schultz, Kyle, ”, Schultz, “, Schutz, they’ve, ” Ana Schultz, ElevenLabs, Joe Biden, Biden, ChatGPT, OpenAI, Danielle Jacobson, she’s, Phil, Cole, ” Jacobson, “ Cole, Replika, Rohit Prasad, Val Kilmer, It’s, Mary, Frances O’Connor, ‘, ’ ”, Bill Abney, Kari, ” Abney, “ I’m, Jodi Spiegel, Sims Organizations: CNN, Davidson College, Tech, Alexa, MARS, Amazon, University of Arizona Locations: Rock Falls , Illinois, Alabama, Johannesburg, South Africa, “, San Francisco, Newfoundland, Canada

☆ Columbia protesters' demands have worked before. This time may be different.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Paul Squire | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Read previewThe unrest at Columbia University isn't showing signs of slowing down. In the 1980s, student protesters at Columbia took over the same building and called for divestment of the Ivy League school's investments over a different cause: South African apartheid. Student protesters at the 1985 demonstrations at Columbia University. Protesters there locked and chained the doors to Hamilton Hall — the same building now occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters — and demanded the school completely divest from South Africa. A more fraught situationOn its website, the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group likened itself to the protests from nearly 40 years ago.

Persons: —, It's, Lockheed Martin, Alex Kent, Joe Biden, Mike Johnson, she's, Barbara Alper, didn't, Ronald Reagan, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Nemat, Shafik, Nicholas Dirks, Divesting, Christopher Marsicano, Al, Marsicano Organizations: Service, Columbia University, Columbia, Ivy League, Business, Lockheed, Boeing, NPR, Hamilton Hall, Getty, Columbia University Apartheid, White, Student, New York Times, Times, Coalition, Columbia Spectator, Spectator, The New York Times, Hamas, University, Socially, University of California, CNN, North Carolina's Davidson College Locations: Israel, Gaza, Columbia, divesting, Hamilton, South Africa, Vietnam, Rafah, Berkeley, Al Jazeera

☆ Mental Acuity Questions Catch Up With Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Susan Milligan | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +9 min

"Some people at Biden's and Trump's age are in a nursing home. Still, questions about the mental capacities of both Biden and Trump have been an issue in the campaign. How could they go after Trump's mental state without drawing attention to Biden's age – a factor polls show is one of his greatest vulnerabilities? Her youth and GOP membership make her a good person to challenge Trump on his mental acuity, but it's "too little, too late," he says. "The reason Trump's age has generally not been an issue is [because of] the energy around his supporters and the energy directed at him from his supporters.

Persons: Donald Trump, –, Joe Biden, Trump, Biden, It's, Steven Austad, Biden's, …, Joe, missteps, He's, Viktor Orban, Orban, Barack Obama, Obama, you'd, John Gartner, Trump's, Gartner, Trump –, Goldwater, Barry Goldwater, Donald Jurivich, Jurivich, Ronald Reagan, Reagan, Nikki Haley, Nancy Pelosi, Haley, I’ve, ” Haley, let’s, Donald, Basil Smikle, Smikle, Melody Crowder, Meyer, " Crowder Organizations: United Nations, Capitol, ABC, Washington Post, Biden, University of Alabama, Conservative, Fox News, New York Post, New Hampshire, Johns Hopkins University, Gartner, American Psychiatric Association, Donald Trump View, University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences, GOP, Democratic, Columbia University, Davidson College, Trump Locations: Biden's, Hungarian, Turkey, Baltimore, United States, South Carolina

The bestselling spiritual author and one-time advisor to Oprah Winfrey didn’t make it to the 2020 primaries in a wide-open Democratic field. But Williamson worries that negative perceptions detract from her policy positions, which include financial reparations for Black Americans and creation of a Department of Peace. “The way to sell books is by going on a book tour, not a presidential campaign," she said. Williamson talks at times in religious and spiritual terms to describe America as a nation in need of confession and atonement. "To say, ‘We need a politics of love’ without explaining what that is,” he said.

Persons: Marianne Williamson, Oprah Winfrey, Joe Biden, Williamson, ” Williamson, it’s, ”, Oprah, “, Issac Bailey, “ I’m, Bernie Sanders ’, “ cringeworthy, Donald Trump, Galen Watts, Biden, Jose Serna, Serna, Marianne, Marie Griffith, Louis, ” Griffith, Jay Michaelson, Michaelson Organizations: Democratic, Black, Department of Peace, Davidson College, University of Waterloo, Williamson, Augustana University, Washington University, America, ”, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: America, New York City, Houston, North Carolina, California, Canada, Sioux Falls , South Dakota, St

Only after he was awkwardly pulled aside on stage and informed that he was in Sioux City did he make a correction. Trump's Sioux flub caught the attention of Florida Gov. “I don’t think he’s senile. A Trump spokesperson noted that Trump hasn’t criticized Biden directly on age, and Trump has long argued that Biden's problem isn't actually his age but his mental state. But when a reporter noted Trump’s actual age, neither woman saw it as problem.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, Viktor Orbán, “, ” Biden, Biden, ”, Skylar Swan, it’s, Melody Crowder, Meyer, they’ve, they’re, ” Crowder, Cecelia S, Curtis, ” Curtis, Sioux flub, Ron DeSantis ’, Chris Christie, ” Christie, flubs haven't, Trump hasn’t, isn't, Harris, Josh Schwerin, Trump’s, ” Schwerin, Nikki Haley, Haley, Heidi Morin, ” interjected Kristin Brand, ” Brand, Janine Whitcomb, ” ___ Colvin Organizations: WASHINGTON, Hamas, Trump, Democratic, Republican, Associated Press, NORC, for Public Affairs Research, Davidson College, United State, Democrat, Biden, Florida Gov, Former New Jersey Gov, National, Fox News, Former South Carolina Gov, United Nations Locations: Hungarian, Turkey, U.S, Summerville , South Carolina, North Carolina, Iowa, United, Summerville, Sioux City , Iowa, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Sioux City, Israel, Gaza, Derry , New Hampshire, Bourne , Massachusetts, Morin, Epping

☆ A teacher-turned-entrepreneur shares the 'brilliantly simple' business book that helped her buy a local bookstore and make it profitable
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Main Street Books sits, appropriately, on Main Street in Davidson, North Carolina, where Fitzgerald has lived since 1997 when she started her freshman year at Davidson College. When asked about her top choice in the business book category, she cited "The E-Myth," written by small-business consultant Michael E. Gerber. "There are a million business books and 'The E-Myth' is brilliantly simple," said Fitzgerald. It's a nuts-and-bolts business book." However, you won't find it at Main Street Books, where shelf space is precious.

Persons: Adah Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald, Michael E, Gerber, —, Noble, it's Organizations: Davidson College, Woodlawn School, Barnes Locations: Davidson , North Carolina

☆ A former biology teacher who bought a small-town bookstore explains how she made the business profitable and competes with behemoths like Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Outside the front door of Main Street Books sits a three-tiered cart with neatly stacked brown bags filled with books. The "Curbside Pickup" cart, which sits outside Main Street Books, was born out of the coronavirus pandemic. Courtesy of Main Street BooksMain Street Books is on Main Street in Davidson, North Carolina, nestled between another local business, Summit Coffee, and a Fifth Third Bank. In 2018, the best-selling author David Sedaris came to Main Street Books for a reading. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, like most businesses, Main Street Books was forced to close.

Persons: Adah Fitzgerald, she's, she'd, —, bookstore's, They're, it's, Fitzgerald, — Barbara Freund, Betty Reinke —, stepdad, David Sedaris, Fitzgerald didn't, That's, Andrea Jasmin, Beth Helfrich, Catherine Edmondson, Kendra Adachi, QuickBooks Organizations: Small, Service, Fifth Third Bank, Books, Woodlawn School, Davidson College, Street Books, American Booksellers Association Locations: breakeven, Davidson , North Carolina, Davidson

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell swore in three members of the central bank's governing board Wednesday, including Philip Jefferson as vice chair and Adriana Kugler to fill a vacant seat as the central bank's first Latina governor. As Fed governors, they will vote at the Fed's eight yearly meetings on interest rate policies as well as on changes to financial regulations. Political Cartoons View All 1157 ImagesJefferson, who first joined the board last year, was sworn in as vice chair and will therefore work closely with Powell on interest rate policy. His term as vice chair will end Sept. 7, 2027, though he can remain on the board as a governor until 2036. She was a Marshall scholar at Oxford University and holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Philip Jefferson, Adriana Kugler, Joe Biden, aren't, Kugler, Lael Brainard, Obama, Jefferson, Powell, Biden, Lisa Cook, Cook Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Latina, Georgetown University, Fed, United States ’, World Bank, Labor, Davidson College, University of Virginia, Michigan State University, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, Oxford University, University of California Locations: Georgetown, United States, North Carolina, Marshall, Berkeley

☆ A Look at Philip Jefferson, the Fed’s Likely Next No. 2 - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Philip Jefferson, an economist who joined the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors in May 2022, was nominated by President Biden on Friday to be its vice chair. I didn’t write about his appointment last year; his proposed elevation gives me a second chance to discuss his ideas. He became a Fed staff economist, a professor and then the vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty at Davidson College in North Carolina. On the Board of Governors he is considered a centrist. If confirmed as vice chair, as is expected, Jefferson would become the second Black person to serve in the post, following Roger W. Ferguson Jr., who held it from 1999 to 2006.

If confirmed, Kugler, a Colombian-American, would be the first Latino to serve on the Fed board, marking the latest effort by Biden to improve the central bank’s diversity. Kugler, who is currently on leave from Georgetown University, previously worked in the Obama administration as the Labor Department’s chief economist. Getty Images/AlamyJefferson, who joined the Fed as a governor a year ago, has been tapped by Biden to the influential role of vice chair, serving as the No. He joined the Fed board in May 2022, after winning broad bipartisan support during his congressional confirmation process. He taught economics at Swarthmore College, Columbia University and the University of Virginia, and served as a high-ranking administrator at Davidson College.

☆ Fed Governor Philip Jefferson named as new vice chair to succeed Lael Brainard
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Federal Reserve Governor Philip Jefferson will be nominated by President Joe Biden to be vice chairman of the central bank's board, the White House announced Friday. As vice chair, he takes a position last occupied by Lael Brainard, who is now Biden's director of the National Economic Council. Before coming to the Fed, Jefferson was a professor of economics as well as vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty at Davidson College. The nomination was not unexpected; multiple media outlets had reported that Jefferson was Biden's likely choice as vice chair. If confirmed, Jefferson would be the second Black person to hold the vice chair position.

☆ Exercise can help addiction treatment, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —One key to fighting addiction may be exercise, according to a new study. “It’s very beneficial to do physical activity in addition to the treatments.”There are limitations to the findings. Physical activity can also help boost self-esteem and lower anxiety and depression, experts said. What exercise doesMost people can benefit from engaging in physical activity, Kandola said. The current Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans does recommend that adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and two days of muscle-strengthening activity.

☆ Here's an exclusive look at the pitch deck that Y Combinator alum Opkit, a health insurance verification startup, used to raise funding from investors like Plaid CEO Zach Perret's VC firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Opkit is a startup that helps telehealth companies verify and process patient health insurance. Software engineers Sherwood Callaway and Justin Ko first met as early employees at the fintech startup Brex and became fast friends. As more telehealth companies were popping up after the pandemic, they often had issues with quickly processing patient health insurance for care, Callaway told Insider. Opkit also offers providers an insurance dashboard, that allows telehealth employees to perform eligibility checks or inquiries to insurance companies about specific patients' plans. "Opkit was our first experience doing venture fundraising, and Y Combinator really helped us make connections with investors," said Callaway.

☆ Factbox: Some potential successors to Brainard at the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Meanwhile, analysts and Fed observers are already swapping notes on potential replacements for Brainard at the Fed from a bench of economists aligned with Biden's Democrats, who control the U.S. Senate. MARY DALYDaly is president of the San Francisco Fed, ascending to that position in 2018 after 22 years at the regional Fed bank, including a stint as its director of research. Furman has been a prominent, Twitter-savvy commentator on macroeconomic and Fed policy. He has a PhD from the University of Virginia and served as a Fed economist for a little over a year in the mid-1990s. With a PhD from Stanford University, he's held staff positions at the Fed board and the San Francisco Fed, where he also served as president before moving to the New York Fed role in 2018.

☆ Steph Curry says he'd accept 'a nice role' in 'Black Panther 3' if director Ryan Coogler offered it
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Alison Brower | Elaine Low | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Several of Curry's Davidson teammates are interviewed in the documentary, and some were at the premiere. "St. Francis of Assisi — and I'll paraphrase — said 'Preach without using words,'" McKillop told the crowd of Curry. "We all start from somewhere and we learn things along the way," Curry told the audience. "I can always get better," Curry told the Sundance crowd. Its streaming premiere date on Apple TV+ has not been announced.

☆ These colleges promise no student debt: 'Loans are not part of the deal'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

More than 20 schools now have "no-loan" policies, which means they will meet 100% of the undergraduate's need for financial aid — without education debt. "Loans are not part of the deal," said Anne Harris, the president of Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, which offers grants in the school's financial aid packages instead of loans. "I couldn't even afford to apply to go to college," Lambert said. Recently, Emory expanded its financial aid offerings to cover 100% of demonstrated need by replacing loans with grants. "Being able to support students and have a world-class financial aid program helps us have a world class student body," Emory's Leach also said.

Tameka Cage Conley, an assistant professor of English and creative writing, always had a love and an appreciation for Tyler Perry. Tameka Cage Conley, an assistant professor teaching of English and creative writing who created the "In the Language of Folk and Kin: the Legacy of Folklore, the Griot and Community in the Artistic Praxis of Tyler Perry" course. Since starting the class, Conley said she’s had engaging discussions with students from diverse backgrounds. Additionally, his Tyler Perry Studios helps to employ over 200 staff members, who are predominantly Black. And so I thought that Tyler Perry is the person who enables me to be a conduit for them to feel safe.”

Search resuls for: "Davidson College"

17 mentions found