DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ The great venture-capital resignation is now the great uncertainty for many solo GPs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But what's gone almost unnoticed in the midst of the tech bloodletting is that consolidation is coming for venture investors, too. "Anyone who wanted to raise a fund could," said Nichole Wischoff, a solo venture capitalist. In essence, the great venture-capital resignation has become the great uncertainty. Family offices and institutions that front money to venture funds are being inundated with pitches, multiple sources said. "There's not going to be a rush by the big mega-platforms to hire them," said the principal at the early-stage venture firm.

☆ Telescope video shows part of the sun breaking off and forming a vortex, making scientists scratch their heads
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Video from a NASA telescope shows part of the sun breaking off and swirling around its north pole. More plasma is building up to liftoff at the sun's north pole, which is a once-a-decade event. She added that the telescope footage appeared to show a solar prominence — a large, bright filament extending out from the sun, but anchored to the solar surface. More extreme activity is building on the sun's north poleOn Friday morning, more plasma appeared to be swirling at the solar north pole. Cool plasma building at the surface of the sun's pole appears to be getting ready to lift off, or erupt, into space.

☆ Ukrainian troops equipped with devastating HIMARS are waiting for US targeting data before firing on Russian forces, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Chris Panella | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian troops usually won't fire their HIMARS without targeting data from the US, officials said. The US-provided HIMARS have been a key weapon for Ukrainian forces throughout the war. According to a senior Ukrainian official who spoke to the Post, the targeting process often involves Ukrainian forces identifying a Russian target, requesting more accurate coordinates from US partners, and then waiting to receive said coordinates. In one particular noteworthy incident from earlier this year, Ukrainian troops used their HIMARS to carry out a deadly strike on Russian positions in the eastern occupied city of Makiivka. The attack left scores of Russian troops dead and triggered widespread criticism of Moscow's military leadership.

☆ US allies bordering Russia are buying up HIMARS, weapons that have devastated Putin's forces in Ukraine, and longer-range rockets and missiles for them
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US State Department has approved the sale of HIMARS launchers, missiles, and rockets to Poland. The country is among several other US allies bordering Russia that have sought to obtain this capability. The HIMARS has proven to be a highly effective weapon for Ukraine, which has used the system to devastate Russian forces on the battlefield. With this sale, Poland would become the latest eastern European country that borders Russia to secure the much-celebrated HIMARS. The State Department last year approved a sale of HIMARS to Estonia, which borders mainland Russia.

☆ I tried to see the green comet and totally failed. I needed more planning and equipment than I expected.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

I tried to see the famous green comet in the night skies, far from the city, last weekend. The moon outshined most of the stars, and I couldn't locate the faint comet, even with binoculars. I've heard (and written) a lot of hype about this comet, called C/2022 E3 (ZTF), or Comet ZTF for short. Morgan McFall-JohnsenIf I had spotted the green comet, there's no way I would've been able to capture it on my iPhone X. Who knows, maybe I looked right at the green comet and didn't recognize it because it was too faint.

☆ The college student who tracks Elon Musk's private jet is launching his own flight-tracking website
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Grace Kay | Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sweeney shares data that tracks private jets of celebrities, including Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Sweeney has used the ADS-B Exchange website to keep tabs on flights since he started tracking private-jet data back in 2020. ADS-B Exchange founder Dan Streufert previously said in a statement that the acquisition would accelerate the site's growth. It was built using the same open-source code that was used to create ADS-B Exchange. Still, the agency acknowledges that these are not a "silver bullet" and can be skirted via ADS-B Exchange.

☆ Fact Check-Suspected Chinese surveillance balloon is not proof that satellites do not exist in space
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China’s suspected surveillance balloon that was shot down by the U.S. military on Feb. 4 is spurring online claims that it is proof there are no satellites in space. Examples of Facebook users sharing an image that says “Chinese Spy Satellite proves that there are no satellites in ‘space’” can be seen (here), (here) and (here). Images and videos of satellites and spacecrafts launched into space can also be found on NASA’s Image and Video Library (here), (here). According to the U.S. government, the “Space Force has been flying 31 operational GPS satellites for well over a decade” (www.gps.gov/systems/gps/space/). There is ample evidence to prove the existence of satellites, and the recent incident over a Chinese surveillance balloon in no way disproves their existence.

☆ A Swedish-made fighter jet could tip the scales against Russia in Ukraine, but it might not get there any time soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Ukraine's air force remains in the fight almost a year after Russia's shambolic invasion. Sooner or later, Ukraine must induct new jet fighters into service — and they sure aren't buying them from Russia. JAS-39 Gripen: background and capabilitiesA Swedish JAS 39 Gripen at Bobo, Norway in October 2018. A Hungarian Air Force JAS-39 Gripen in August 2010. JAS-39 Gripen vs. F-16A US Air Force F-16 takes off from Aviano Air Base in Italy in June 2020.

☆ A woman said her Apple Watch regularly 'thinks I'm dead' during her spin classes, NYT reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A spin-class teacher told The New York Times her Apple Watch often "thinks I'm dead" during classes. Torman added that, at moments "I want to celebrate," her watch "thinks I'm dead." If it senses the person has been immobile for "about a minute," it will automatically call emergency services. The Times article focussed on how emergency services in Colorado were flooded with false emergency calls from skiers' Apple devices. The feature only works for iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro and for Apple Watch Series 8, the second-gen Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Ultra.

☆ Pro poker player rants at airline over lost luggage during live broadcast — and says he still can see it pinging at the airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Aidan Pollard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Steve O'Dwyer griped on Twitter and during a live broadcast that Lufthansa airlines lost his luggage. He told CNN he tracked the bags with an AirTag, which indicated they were at Heathrow, but he still hasn't gotten them back. The pro player took to Twitter to share other airline customers' accounts of mishandled luggage. Following the tournament, O'Dwyer recounted to CNN his journey from Ireland to the Bahamas with a connecting flight at Heathrow Airport. After O'Dwyer bashed Lufthansa during the tournament broadcast, he continued to tweet at the airline and some of its employees.

☆ Larry Summers says he's encouraged the Fed can pull off a soft landing, but not to get hopes up
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —After a shocking jobs report, Larry Summers, treasury secretary under Bill Clinton, said he is more encouraged the Fed can pull off a soft landing, but cautioned it is a “big mistake” to think the economy is “out of the woods” on Fareed Zakaria GPS Sunday. Friday’s job’s report saw an astonishing 517,000 jobs added in January and unemployment tick down to 3.4%, the lowest since 1969. Economists had predicted 185,000 jobs, expecting a slower jobs market after almost a year of aggressive rate hikes from the Federal Reserve. It brings up the question: Can the United States pull off a soft landing, bringing down inflation without triggering a recession? “That some in the Republican Party may bow to the demands of the extremists does not mean that the President of the United States should do that.”

"This could slow down [a Russian assault] significantly," said Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Ukraine's former defence minister. This was a major boost for the Ukrainian military, allowing it to destroy Russian ammunition dumps and weapons storage facilities. "We are currently unable to reach Russian military facilities more than 80 kilometres away," said Ukrainian military analyst Oleksandr Musiyenko. Beyond the logistical impact, the addition of a longer-range weapon to Ukraine's arsenal could help shake Russian confidence. Still, said Karako, it is possible the Ukrainians could end up receiving an even longer range weapon in the future.

☆ U.S. readies $2 billion-plus Ukraine aid package with longer-range weapons -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Mike Stone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The aid is expected to be announced as soon as this week, the officials said. It is also expected to include support equipment for Patriot air defense systems, precision-guided munitions and Javelin anti-tank weapons, they added. At the time it was expected GLSDB could be in Ukraine by spring. That aid was expected to include mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPs), guided multiple launch rocket systems (GMLRS) and ammunition. The U.S. has sent approximately $27.2 billion worth of security assistance to Ukraine since Russia's February 2022 invasion.

☆ Mercedes is the first automaker to deploy actual
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Mercedes’ Drive Pilot system is designed to work on highways in dense traffic at speeds of less than 40 miles per hour. The Mercedes system is considered Level 3 Automation, as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers. Even Tesla’s Autopilot and so-called “Full Self-Driving” technologies require that the driver pay attention to the road outside the car at all times. Among other technologies, the Mercedes system relies on lidar, which is similar to radar but uses laser light, rather than radio waves, to detect objects in its surroundings. The Mercedes system also uses a rear-facing a camera in the back window, a microphone to listen for emergency vehicles and road wetness sensors inside the wheel well.

☆ Investing in Space: Doing well to do good
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. I met up with Planet CFO Ashley Fieglein Johnson here in NYC earlier this month, and one thing she said has really stuck with me: "We have to do well in order to do good." And it's true: Space technologies have changed life around the world in a variety of ways, from GPS to communications and more. "The carrot of being able to do good doesn't tend to survive the nuclear winter of a tough economy," Fieglein Johnson said. Planet's stock slid last year alongside other recently debuted pure-play space companies, but Fieglein Johnson sees the company at a "tipping point" because "awareness of Planet is just at a fundamentally new level."

☆ Student who tracks Elon Musk's jet blasts sale of flight-tracking site he uses to keep tabs on aircraft
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Taylor Rains | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jet-tracking student Jack Sweeney is calling for people to boycott ADS-B Exchange. Sweeney uses the site to share flight data on celebrities, including Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Aviation data company JetNet said on Wednesday that it bought ADS-B Exchange, a free website that tracked thousands of commercial aircraft around the world. Sweeney uses ADS-B to follow certain aircraft, like those owned by Musk, Donald Trump, and Taylor Swift. He said he's looking for alternatives to ADS-B Exchange, like creating his own version or using another tracking websites, like Open Sky Network and airframe.io.

☆ Volkswagen's adaptive cruise control system attempted to accelerate one owner's car to 100 miles-per-hour in a 30 zone, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Two Volkswagen Tiguan owners told the Times of London about problems with adaptive cruise control. "I thought the car was trying to kill me," said one man, whose car tried to accelerate to 100 miles-per-hour. In a statement sent to Insider, Volkswagen noted that the adaptive cruise control system is "certainly not designed to create a fully autonomous vehicle nor supersede the responsibility of the driver." According to Volkswagen's website, adaptive cruise control works with front assist's radar sensors which detect if you're too close to a vehicle in front. ACC also uses front and rear cameras, as well as GPS information, to work out the road's speed limit.

☆ Cramer on the astonishing rise of offensive stocks — and what could come next
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

When I went over about 1,000 stocks this weekend, I was astonished to see that the stocks with the strongest charts were those in the most offensive categories. Not even a weaker U.S. dollar has meant anything to brace these stocks from a further fall. There's one group, though, that's just plain hard to call, and that's tech. (See here for a full list of the stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

☆ Forget Google Maps: Why Paper Map Sales Are Booming
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Kate Morgan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

GET LOST The Map Shop, in Charlotte, N.C., sells a wide variety of unique geographic charts. This one shows all the rivers in the U.S., with each color representing a different river basin. IN THE 1880s, Iraqi archaeologist Hormuzd Rassam found a small carved tablet with an image of Babylon at its center, surrounded by a vast salt sea. Historians consider this tablet, roughly 2,500 years old, the earliest existing map of the world. Even “modern” maps look quaint today, when apps like Google Maps put practically every intersection in the world a click away.

☆ The 3 biggest reasons startups failed in 2022, according to a poll of almost 500 founders
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Knowing the biggest risks that most commonly cause new startups to fail could make the difference between whether your own business sinks or swims. And roughly 20% of new businesses fail within their first year, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Luckily, some new research can shed some light on the biggest recent obstacles that have thwarted startups. Skynova, which makes invoicing software for small businesses, surveyed 492 startup founders in November 2022 and analyzed startup data from CB Insights for the new study that looks at the most common reasons behind startup failures in 2022. The study notes that 47% of startup failures in 2022 were due to a lack of financing, nearly double the percentage that failed for the same reason in 2021, based on CB Insight's data.

☆ Trump and lawyer sanctioned almost $1 million for 'frivolous' lawsuit against Hillary Clinton
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A federal judge on Thursday imposed nearly $1 million in sanctions on former President Donald Trump and his lawyer for filing a since-dismissed "frivolous" lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and many others, which had claimed they tried to rig the 2016 presidential election in her favor by smearing Trump. Middlebrooks in his order Thursday noted that "Mr. Trump is a prolific and sophisticated litigant who is repeatedly using the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries." "He knew full well the impact of his actions ... As such, I find that sanctions should be imposed upon Mr. Trump and his lead counsel, Ms. Trump, who is seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, filed his suit in March against Clinton, who was the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee. Middlebrooks earlier dismissed the lawsuit against Clinton and all other defendants "with prejudice," which bars Trump from refiling the complaint.

The app CBP One had already been in use by the administration for some purposes but was officially expanded to allow asylum seekers to be prescreened. Those who qualify are given appointments for a time and date and port of entry where they can enter the U.S. and begin their asylum request process. Many migrants have phones, but others arrive without them or have limited or no WiFi access. Groups have also raised concerns about how app users' personal information will be used and stored. He recommended migrants avoid taking the risks to cross the border and use the app instead.

☆ The US is scrambling to find what experts say may be the 'most important' hardware Ukraine needs to hold off Russia in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine and Russia have relied heavily on artillery to batter each other's forces. The US has vowed to ramp its munitions production. The US is buying 100,000 155 mm shells from South Korea that will be sent to Ukraine. Years after post-Cold War defense cutbacks, Europe is striving to supply Ukraine despite limited stockpiles and production capability. Ukraine's shopping list includes 152 mm and 122 mm howitzers, 122 mm rockets, and ammunition for tank cannons.

☆ Here are Wednesday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, IBM, Amazon, Tesla, Exxon, Gap, Netflix & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Morgan Stanley upgrades Gap to equal weight from underweight Morgan Stanley said it sees more "upside than downside" for the stock. Morgan Stanley downgrades Skechers to equal weight from overweight Morgan Stanley downgraded the stock on valuation. Morgan Stanley names Apple a top 2023 pick Morgan Stanley said Apple is a "rare best-of-both worlds outperformer." Morgan Stanley names Amazon a top 2023 pick Morgan Stanley said Amazon is operating from a "leading e-commerce profit generating position." Morgan Stanley downgrades IBM to equal weight from overweight Morgan Stanley downgraded IBM and said "late cycle outperformance [has] runs its course."

Organizations: & $

☆ Apple is reportedly talking with emergency call centers amid complaints that skiers' iPhones and Apple Watches keep triggering 911 calls
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Apple is reportedly talking with 911 call centers dealing with an increase in accidental calls. Some automated calls are coming from skiers with iPhone and Watches with the new crash-detection feature. The accidental automated 911 calls are coming from skiers who have newer Apple devices with its crash-detection feature. In Greene County in upstate New York, accidental 911 calls increased by 22% from December 2021 to last December, New York Post reported. Neither Greene County's 911 Center nor Carbon County's Communication Center immediately responded to Insider's request for comment.

Search resuls for: "GPS"

25 mentions found