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☆ Asian actors and filmmakers dominate Oscar nominations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Brahmjot Kaur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Asian American-led projects have been the standouts at this year’s award shows, and the Academy Awards nominations, which were announced Tuesday, were no different. Golden Globe-winning stars Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan were also nominated for best actress and best supporting actor, respectively. Stephanie Hsu, who played Yeoh’s daughter, Joy, and Jamie Lee Curtis, who played Deirdre, an IRS inspector, were also nominated for best supporting actress. The film was also nominated for best picture, best costume design, best original screenplay, best original score, best film editing and best original song. “Then along came the best gift: ‘Everything, Everywhere All at Once.’”Hong Chau, who plays Liz in A24’s “The Whale” with Brendan Fraser, was also nominated for best supporting actress.

☆ Google staff sent each other memes about layoffs to console each other and created spreadsheets to track firings, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google employees created spreadsheets to keep track of who was laid off, CNBC reported. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet and Google, told staff in a memo he took "full responsibility for the decisions that led us here." Following the announcement, Google employees demanded answers from executives about how the layoffs were determined, CNBC reported. It included the caption: "The sad thing is, I actually thought you were different," next to Google's logo, CNBC reported. Google staff have submitted questions on the company's Q&A system called Dory, CNBC reported.

☆ ‘The Wandering Earth II’ Review: It Wanders Too Far
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Brandon Yu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Upon its release, “The Wandering Earth,” Frant Gwo’s 2019 film about a dystopia in which Earth is perilously pushed through space, was minted as China’s first substantial, domestic sci-fi blockbuster, with the box office returns to prove it. The film was entertaining enough, but its ambitious scope had something of an empty gloss to it, partly because the story’s drama wasn’t grounded in anything beyond the showy cataclysm. Its audaciously messy sequel, “The Wandering Earth II,” seems to have taken note and sprinted, aimlessly, entirely in the other direction. Losing all of the glee of its predecessor, the movie instead offers nearly three hours of convoluted story lines, undercooked themes and a tangle of confused, glaringly state-approved political subtext.

☆ LG, Whirlpool Target Customers Disconnected From ‘Smart’ Appliances
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Isabelle Bousquette | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Whirlpool Corp. said that more than half of its smart appliances remain connected, but the company declined to be more specific. Development of these smart devices is a core priority for Whirlpool and LG, the companies said. The smart-home trend began gaining traction around 2014, according to Mr. Kim, and has grown since then. Whirlpool declined to comment on the percentage of its sales represented by smart appliances. According to Murat Genc, Whirlpool’s global data, experiences & transformation officer, smart appliances are generating data from consumers and are producing new revenue opportunities.

☆ 'I wouldn’t change my past if you gave me a trillion dollars,' will.i.am says on his humble beginnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"I wouldn't change my past if you gave me a trillion dollars," he told CNBC's Tania Bryer at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday. "If you say here, here's a trillion dollars, give me your memories of the past or this trillion bucks. When he was a child, his mother signed their family up to hand out food to poor families in their neighborhood, he explained. So, my family signed up to give the free food to the poor families, and we were one of the poor families," he said in the interview. Many of the students in the program go on to high-ranking colleges and study engineering-related degrees, will.i.am told CNBC.

☆ ChatGPT-style A.I. replaced crypto as the hot tech topic for Davos crowd at 2023's WEF summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Jonathan Raa | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesAttendees of the annual World Economic Forum couldn't get enough of a new development in the realm of artificial intelligence: generative AI. Most machine learning tools rely on existing information and identify patterns in the data to pick out trends or reach a preferred outcome. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Dall-E stand out from the crowd through their ability to take data inputs and create new content. This week at the WEF forum in Davos, Switzerland, generative AI virtually replaced crypto and so-called "Web3" as the hyped technology of choice for top business executives and policymakers. "Generative AI has a huge potential," said Hiroaki Kitano, CEO of Sony Computer Science Laboratories, on Tuesday's generative AI panel.

U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap said halting the lawsuit until the Patent Trial and Appeal Board reviews the patents would unnecessarily delay the court case and prejudice Caltech. Representatives for Samsung and Caltech did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The school's 2021 lawsuit alleges Samsung's Galaxy phones, tablets, watches and Wi-Fi-enabled Samsung products like televisions and refrigerators infringe its data-transmission patents. The Texas case is scheduled to go to trial in September. The case is California Institute of Technology v. Samsung Electronics Co, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, No.

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☆ These van-lifers stay in scenic mansions for free as traveling house-sitters — here's how
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Claire Turrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Danielle Gross and Gunnar Michels got married as strangers on TikTok on Valentine's Day in 2021. Michels posted a video on TikTok for a stranger to be his bride and selected Gross from around 1,000 responses. Courtesy of Danielle Gross and Gunnar Michels"The house was absolutely gorgeous," Gross said. "We pull up with our ambulance and then we slowly bring our belongings into the house," Michels said. Courtesy of Danielle Gross and Gunnar MichelsMichels and Gross said horse-sitting at another house was a breeze.

Bills to block the app on state devices in California, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont have also been proposed. University of IdahoSchool’s policy: TikTok must be removed from university equipment "regardless of funding source," according to the school's help page. South Dakota University SystemSchool’s policy: The South Dakota Board of Regents, which governs six universities including Black Hills State University, University of South Dakota, Northern State University, Dakota State University, South Dakota State University and South Dakota Mines, told employees they could not use, download or access TikTok on university devices. University of Texas — AustinSchool’s policy: On Dec. 16, university officials announced that TikTok would be banned on state-issued devices. Texas Tech UniversitySchool’s policy: University employees are prohibited from using TikTok on school-issued devices and official university TikTok accounts must be deactivated.

HONG KONG — Marvel films are set to be released on screens in mainland China for the first time in more than three years, the endgame for an apparent ban in the world’s second-largest movie market. The China Film Administration, a division of the ruling Communist Party’s propaganda department that approves all foreign film releases, gave no official explanation for the blocking of those films. Marvel’s brief announcement did not mention the earlier films or say why “Black Panther” and “Ant-Man” were being released. Marvel fans in China welcomed news of the two new releases. Others lamented the films that had not made it to Chinese theaters.

☆ We welcome Cisco CEO's upbeat view on the economy, but remain cautious on future order growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

But it's still unclear whether new order growth will slow down the line, once those previously booked orders are fulfilled. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. Chuck Robbins, CEO & Chairman of Cisco, speaking on Squawk Box at the WEF in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 18th, 2023.

☆ 'Netflix correct your mistake' is trending on Twitter as fans vent about the cancellation of 'Warrior Nun'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Netflix canceled its fantasy drama series "Warrior Nun" in December, and fans are not happy. This snowballed into "#NETFLIX CORRECT YOUR MISTAKE" trending on Twitter. Over 108,000 people have signed an online petition on Change.org to renew "Warrior Nun" for its third season. Henry T. Casey, a senior editor at Tom's Guide, an online publication that reviews tech products, tweeted: "Honestly, respect to the Warrior Nun fans. We learned a lot from Sense and we're going to try not to do this in the future," Netflix tweeted.

MacBook Pro preorders start at $1,999; they'll ship January 24 and arrive in stores that same day. The 2023 MacBook Pro's M2 chips promise a big performance boostThe new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will utilize Apple's M2 Pro and M2 Max processors, which provide an upgrade over the previous M1 Pro and M1 Max models. Meanwhile, the M2 Max has twice the memory bandwidth of the M2 Pro, delivering even better performance for tasks like video rendering. AppleThe new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros with M2 Pro and M2 Max processors replace the M1 Pro and M1 Max versions released in 2021. 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro with M2 Pro (512GB)16-inch Apple MacBook Pro with M2 Pro (512GB)

[1/3] The sun sets on the U.S. Supreme Court building after a stormy day in Washington, U.S., November 11, 2022. Solicitor General's input on a lower court decision that prevented Apple and Broadcom from arguing the patents were invalid at trial. Apple and Broadcom also told the Federal Circuit that they should have been allowed to challenge the patents' validity at trial. The companies appealed that decision to the Supreme Court last September. The case is Apple Inc v. California Institute of Technology, U.S. Supreme Court, No.

☆ Netflix plans biggest-ever slate of Korean content in 2023 as Korean fever explodes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Netflix is planning its largest-ever lineup of South Korean content, with 34 new and returning titles set to roll out this year. It said that audience data showed “over 60% of all Netflix members” watched Korean titles last year. In 2021, company executives said Netflix (NFLX) planned to invest about $500 million into Korean content, on top of $700 million already spent since 2016. The move underscores how Netflix is increasingly doubling down on Korean content as fans worldwide continue to buzz over it. Other media behemoths, such as Disney (DIS), are also betting big on Korean content.

☆ Google's massive New Year billboard ad told Apple to fix 'pixelated' photos and videos in texts between iPhones and Androids
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Google ad told Apple it doesn't have to "drop the ball" on fixing "pixelated photos and videos." The ad is part of Google's #GetTheMessage campaign urging Apple to adopt the RCS standard. In the New Year's-themed ad, Google shared lines of RCS code to help Apple "get the ball rolling." In December, Google continued its campaign against Apple with a "happy birthday" post for SMS which turned 30 in 2022. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said he doesn't hear many requests from Apple users to fix texting between iPhones and Android phones.

☆ A busier movie calendar will lead to a 15% jump in box office sales, JPMorgan predicts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Slow and steady will win the race at the box office this year, according to JPMorgan analyst David Karnovsky. The first is tied to the depressed state of the box office last year . However, if additional movies are released, here's where there could be upside to his box office forecast. DIS 3M mountain Disney shares have gotten a boost from a proxy battle, but box office gains could be ahead. Paramount's "Top Gun: Maverick" topped the box office charts last year, while NBC Universal had new films in the Jurassic Park and Minions franchises.

☆ Alejandro Jodorowsky’s ‘Dune’ Was Never Made, but With A.I., We Get a Glimpse of His ‘Tron’ - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Frank Pavich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

I was recently shown some frames from a film that I had never heard of: Alejandro Jodorowsky’s 1976 version of “Tron.” The sets were incredible. However, Mr. Jodorowsky, the visionary Chilean filmmaker, never tried to make “Tron.” I’m not even sure he knows what “Tron” is. caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption Generation Text prompt The A.I. caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption Generation Text prompt The A.I. If A.I.s were eligible for the Academy Awards, I’d vote for “Jodorowsky’s Tron” for best A.I.

Other cards offering increased welcome bonuses are the United Quest℠ Card, United℠ Explorer Card, and United Gateway℠ Card. For a limited time, four United credit cards are offering elevated welcome bonuses, worth up to 100,000 miles. Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases, at gas stations and on local transit and commuting. Earn 3x miles on United® purchases, 2x miles on dining, select streaming services & all other travel, 1x on all other purchases. Earn 4 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases including tickets, Economy Plus, inflight food, beverages and Wi-Fi, and other United charges.

☆ The DOJ is investigating whether 2 crypto developer brothers used 11 fake identities to triple-count deposits, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The DOJ is investigating two brothers behind a solana stablecoin exchange over alleged fraud, CoinDesk reported. The Macalinao brothers reportedly crafted 11 fake identities to triple-count crypto deposits to create a fake De-Fi ecosystem. The crypto industry is under heavy scrutiny following the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX exchange. The investigation follows CoinDesk's earlier exposé in August which revealed the Macalinao brothers crafted a fake decentralized finance ecosystem by passing the triple-counted deposits between themselves. "The metric to optimize for in Summer 2021 was [total value locked (TVL)]" Ian Macalinao wrote in an unpublished blog discovered by CoinDesk.

From start to finish, Tuesday's 80th annual Golden Globe Awards was a very queer affair. Here are some of the evening's queerest (and gay Twitter meme-worthy) moments. Jerrod Carmichael apologizes to Jennifer Coolidge 'on behalf of all the gays'Jerrod Carmichael hosted the 80th annual Golden Globe Awards on Tuesday. The 26-year-old actor, who already has two Emmy awards for the same role, was not present to accept her Golden Globe. The Burnett award was started in 2019, with its namesake, comedian Carol Burnett, being its first honoree.

☆ 10 best credit cards for elite status travel benefits
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Ariana Arghandewal | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

Best credit card for Delta SkyMiles elite status perksGetty ImagesElite status: No automatic elite status; however, you’ll earn up to 60,000 MQMs per year with Status Boost. Best credit card for United MileagePlus elite status perksGetty ImagesElite status: No automatic elite status; however, card holders can earn up to 8,000 Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) per calendar year toward elite status. The best credit card for IHG One Rewards elite status perksIHGElite status: Complimentary Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a card holder. The best credit card for Hilton Honors elite status perksHiltonElite status: Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond elite status. Frequently asked questions about credit cards with elite status benefitsIf you travel frequently enough, elite status can be worth it.

☆ Apple to replace key Broadcom chip with in-house design - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) plans to replace a Broadcom Inc (AVGO.O) chip from its devices with an in-house design in 2025, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. Apple plans to replace Broadcom's Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to the Bloomberg News report, which added that Apple is the U.S. chipmaker's largest customer. The Cupertino, California-based company accounts for about 20% of Broadcom's revenue. Apple's decision is likely to hit Broadcom revenue by about $1 billion to $1.5 billion, said Stacy Rasgon, an analyst with financial services firm AB Bernstein. Apple and Broadcom did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comments.

☆ 'Elvis' and 'Avatar' face off as Hollywood returns to Golden Globes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] The Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday in Beverly Hills, California, U.S. Photo taken on December 12, 2022. REUTERS/Mario AnzuoniLOS ANGELES, Jan 10 (Reuters) - The flashy "Elvis" biopic and sci-fi blockbuster "Avatar: The Way of Water" battle for the top honor at the Golden Globes on Tuesday when stars return to a ceremony trying to rebuild its reputation after scandals. The Golden Globes will be back on television after celebrities and broadcaster NBC abandoned the 2022 show because of ethical lapses at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the group that hands out the awards. "I think we're going to see 'Elvis' win and Austin Butler win," said Chris Beachum, managing editor of awards website Gold Derby. Golden Globes voters "have proven time and time again that they love spectacles and they love musicals."

Airline credit cards tout many flashy perks in order to entice new customers and maintain existing ones. However, one of the most underrated airline credit card benefits might just be a companion ticket. First, only a handful of airline credit cards actually offer them, which means consumers might not even be aware they exist. Let's look at the best credit card companion certificates by airline. What to know about airline credit card companion certificatesCompanion tickets offered by airline credit cards are amazing benefits that can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars each year — if you know how to maximize them.

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