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☆ The internet is losing it over Apple's $3,500 mixed-reality 'uncool' headset
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Reena Koh | Nidhi Pandurangi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Apple's new mixed-reality headset, the Vision Pro, was unveiled on Monday. The internet has been having a field day dunking on Apple's new $3,499 mixed-reality headset, the Vision Pro. Vision Pro has been years in the making, reportedly with some setbacks and product-design compromises along the way. Yet, it may have one fatal flaw — the Vision Pro was just another pair of nerd goggles that would make most people look decidedly uncool, Insider's Alistair Barr wrote on Tuesday. "This sounds like the disappointed crowd from Wii sports," a tweet about the viral video said.

Persons: Insider's Nicholas Carlson, Insider's Alistair Barr, Apple's, barreling, gwyneth paltrow, Anne Hathaway, It's, Steve Jobs, — Robert Evans, Robert Evans Organizations: Vision, Morning, Worldwide, Twitter, Wii, Apple Locations: Cupertino

☆ The internet is losing its shit over Apple's $3,500 mixed-reality 'uncool' headset
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Reena Koh | Nidhi Pandurangi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Apple's new mixed-reality headset, the Vision Pro, was unveiled on Monday. The internet has been having a field day dunking on Apple's new $3,499 mixed-reality headset, the Vision Pro. Vision Pro has been years in the making, reportedly with some setbacks and product design compromises along the way. Yet, it may have one fatal flaw — the Vision Pro is just another pair of nerd goggles that will make most people look decidedly uncool, Insider's Alistair Barr wrote on Tuesday. And ever since the announcement, people have been relentlessly mocking Apple's first major product launch in over eight years.

Persons: Insider's Nicholas Carlson, Insider's Alistair Barr, Apple's, AppleVisionPro, barreling, gwyneth paltrow, that's, Anne Hathaway, It's, Steve Jobs, — Robert Evans, Robert Evans Organizations: Vision, Morning, Worldwide, Twitter, Wii, VR, Apple Locations: Redfin, Cupertino

☆ 7 life lessons from this year's most memorable graduation speeches
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Reena Koh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Billionaire Bill Gates said "you are not a slacker if you cut yourself some slack"Bill Gates has a net worth of $113.9 billion per Forbes. Alex Wong/Getty Images"My last piece of advice is the one I could have used the most. In his commencement speech, Gates shared that he "didn't believe in vacations." Only as he got older, he realized that "there is more to life than work." Take time to nurture your relationships, to celebrate your successes, and to recover from your losses," he added.

Persons: Bill Gates, Alex Wong, Gates, didn't Organizations: Forbes, Northern Arizona University

☆ You can now pay $40 to get an empty seat next to you on some Qantas flights, and people can't decide if it's a luxury — or the airline making easy money off people
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Reena Koh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Qantas's new 'Neighbor Free' program lets passengers block the seat next to them for a fee. 48 hours prior to departure, those eligible will be invited via email to buy a 'Neighbor Free' seat. The "Neighbor Free" program allows passengers to reserve the seat next to them for some extra space or perhaps to avoid an overly chatty neighbor. "I think I would pay the extra dollars, a little extra room would be lovely," said a man to Today News reporter Izabella Staskowski. On other airlines— including Singapore Airlines — hot towels and amenity kits are handed out to long-haul passengers in coach.

Persons: Izabella Staskowski, James Macpherson, it's, Macpherson, Rita Panahi Organizations: Morning, Qantas Airways, Sky News, Qantas, Air New, Singapore Airlines Locations: Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Air New Zealand

☆ Where to go this summer: A dozen destination ideas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Marnie Hunter | Jane Levere | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Peru"Peruvians are welcoming travelers back with open arms," says travel one travel expert. And perhaps most importantly, the city offers excellent value, in part because it will be the winter/low season there during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer. It’s home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including megalithic temples that date to the 4th millennium BC. Although summer is the rainy season, Gellis says showers are often brief and intermittent. AlbaniaAlbania is a Mediterranean gem that’s likely to be less crowded this summer than Greece and Croatia, says Joao Donadel, another EMBARK Beyond travel advisor.

☆ The US Navy has its eyes on a new submarine base that will help it keep track of China's growing undersea fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

As part of the AUKUS agreement, US and British subs will operate out of western Australia by 2027. The deal on the base comes as rivals, mainly China, increase their submarine activity in the region. Ray Mabus, then US navy secretary, departs a Chinese Yuan-class submarine in Ningbo in November 2012. The Defense Department report also says China's six operational Jin-class nuclear-powered ballistic-missile subs are likely already conducting "near-continuous at-sea deterrence patrols," a sign that China's submarine force continues to improve its operational capabilities. For the US Navy, those developments make the ability to base subs closer to the Western Pacific a greater priority.

☆ A viral TikTok video of a strap-on shoe that helps you walk faster has gotten 25 million views. The founder says it's designed for everyone — even though it costs $1,400.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Reena Koh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A TikTok video of shoes that claim to help you walk 250% faster went viral earlier this year. That's because the shoe will make you walk 250% faster, according to Xunjie Zhang, who developed it. An average person can cover about three miles per hour at a walking pace, Zhang says in the TikTok video. "The faster you walk, the faster the shoes walk with you," Zhang said. "For the small small price of $1399," a sarcastic comment read on the viral TikTok video.

☆ I Got My Name From Connie Chung. So Did They. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Connie Wang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +21 min

In my freshman class alone, there was a Connie Zheng, a Connie Guo, a Connie Xu, a few Connie Chengs, and multiple Connie Wangs. That ayi was Constance Yu-Hwa Chung, or, as the world knows her, Connie Chung. Connie Chung hosting the “CBS Evening News” in 1991, the year after the author named herself Connie. Connie Wang Connie Koh Connie Yang Connie Tang Connie Jang Connie Chung Connie Moy Connie Huang Connie Kwok Connie Chang Connie Sun Connie Chung, center, surrounded by 10 members of Generation Connie. Clockwise from top right, Connie Yang, Connie Tang, Connie Moy, Connie Sun, Connie Chang, Connie Kwok, Connie Huang, Connie Jang, Connie Wang and Connie Koh.

Thailand was the most popular outbound destination for Chinese travelers during the May labour day holiday, data from website Trip.com showed, followed by Japan and South Korea. "There is definitely demand from China for properties in Thailand," said Mesak Chunharakchot, the president of the Thai Real Estate Association. "Chinese are buying houses, sending their children to international schools and having their parents come stay in Thailand to take care of the grandkids." Nearly 270,000 Chinese tourists visited Thailand in March, government data shows, a three-year high, though well below the figure of 985,227 in March 2019, before the pandemic took hold. Therefore some would sell one of the houses in China and buy a property here for retirement."

☆ Analysis: Icahn's mark-up of meat packager extraordinary but possible, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Koh Gui Qing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Hindenburg said Icahn Enterprises LP (IEP) (IEP.O) valued a meat packing company in which it owns a 90% stake three times over its market value. IEP cited "the lack of material trading volume" in Viskase's stock as grounds for the valuation mark-up in the filing. Viskase's shares are traded in the over-the-counter market rather than a major exchange such as Nasdaq or the New York Stock Exchange. On Thursday, IEP said after the stock market closed that it would preserve its dividend at $2 per unit for the first quarter. IEP's stock rose 10% in afterhours trading on the announcement.

Landing of aircraft at night and in bad weather, for instance - crucial to regular offshore carrier operations - remain far from routine, several of the attaches and analysts said. "Carrier operations are a very complicated game, and China's got to figure this out all by itself. A new plane, the KJ-600, designed to perform a similar role to the E-2C/D Hawkeye launched from U.S. carriers, is still in testing, according to the Pentagon's latest annual report on China's military. Several countries operate aircraft carriers but the U.S. remains the most dominant, running 11 carrier battlegroups with global reach. A September editorial published in a magazine run by a PLA weapons manufacturer, titled "Four great advantages the PLA has in attacking Taiwan", did not mention the role of Chinese carriers.

☆ If Charles wants a coronation, he should pay for it himself
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Opinion Ahmed Twaij | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

If Charles III wants the pomp and ceremony of a coronation, he should instead use a negligible portion of the vast sums of money he has accrued over the years thanks to his birth-given status as a royal. Spain’s last formal coronation was all the way back in 1555, while Belgium’s monarchy doesn’t even have a crown with which to conduct a coronation. It also found that a plurality of 45% believe Charles is “out of touch” with the experiences of the public. However, these tourist dollars might well continue whether or not the royal family does. Maybe if a tighter budget is applied to the British royal family, Charles rather than taxpayers will be paying the next time he opts to board a £32,000 ($40,200) charter flight to attend a James Bond premiere.

In a report published on Tuesday, Hindenburg accused IEP of overvaluing its holdings and relying on a "Ponzi-like" structure to pay dividends. The subsequent plunge in IEP shares wiped $2.9 billion off Icahn's net worth, leaving him with an estimated $14.7 billion, according to Forbes. NAV is a key gauge of a fund's performance, measuring the market value of securities held by the fund. Driving the frothiness in IEP's stock, Hindenburg argued, is its dividend yield of 15.8%, the highest of any U.S. large cap company by far. Hindenburg also offered examples it said showed IEP itself was valuing its holdings way above their market value.

☆ Facing China, the Philippines and U.S. Join in Biggest Military Drill Yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More weapons could come. After the foreign and defense ministers of both the United States and the Philippines held talks earlier this month, Washington said it would commit to adopt “a security sector assistance road map” in the Philippines, which “will guide shared defense modernization investments.” Mr. Marcos is set to meet President Joe Biden next week in Washington. Collin Koh, a research fellow and expert on maritime security in Southeast Asia, said that the Philippines could “help to complicate Chinese defense planning” in the South China Sea. “Even weaker actors can pull off certain victories,” he said, pointing to how Ukraine’s vastly outgunned military had shocked and stymied Russian forces over the past year. Now, they say they are more reassured, especially after several visits by high-level U.S. officials.

☆ An Airbnb host who was left with a $640 utility bill says that guests left the gas and water taps running after he did not meet their cancellation request
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Huileng Tan | Reena Koh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A South Korean Airbnb host was handed a $640 utility and water bill after a couple's stay, per SBS. Two guests, who booked the Seoul home for 25 days, had left the gas and water taps running. He visited the property only to find an empty home with the windows open, and the gas left on, per SBS. Lee was particularly vexed about the 170,000 won water bill — the charge for using about 120 metric tons of water, per SBS. Airbnb's AirCover protection program covers guest damage to homes and damage to guests' belongings, but not high utility bills.

☆ South Korean millennials and Gen Z are raging against the idea of a 69-hour workweek. They are tired, having fewer babies, and are even working themselves to death.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Nidhi Pandurangi | Reena Koh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The South Korean government wants to increase the workweek to 69 hours. The 69-hour limit relates to a six-day workweek, while the 80.5-hour limit is applicable for a seven-day workweek, according to South Korean outlet Han Kyeo Re. In 2020, 14 delivery couriers in South Korea died of overwork stemming from increased deliveries during the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reported, citing a union representative. Notably, the culture of long working hours and death linked to overworking is not specific to South Korea. However, the government is trying to disconnect longer working hours from low birth rates.

Paying more for deposits is an effective way for banks to keep customers loyal, analysts said. Smaller banks, which were most strained by the recent crisis, have been able to stem the exodus of deposits for now, according to weekly from the Federal Reserve. That said, the Fed’s data showed deposits at smaller banks were still down some $216 billion during the week ending March 22 from a December high. Meanwhile, large U.S. banks lost out on $96.2 billion in deposits in the week ending March 22, the Fed data showed. Deposits at large banks dropped some $519 billion from as high as $11.2 trillion in February last year.

The assessment of China's military said China's fleet of six Jin-class ballistic missile submarines were operating "near-continuous" patrols from Hainan Island into the South China Sea. Equipped with a new, longer-range ballistic missile, they can hit the continental United States, analysts say. Communications are crucial and complex for ballistic missile subs, which must remain hidden as part of their mission. The Chinese military has emphasised that the Central Military Commission, headed by President Xi Jinping, is the only nuclear command authority. Russia is thought to keep most of its 11 ballistic missile submarines largely in bastions off its Arctic coasts, while U.S., French and British boats roam more widely, three analysts said.

☆ Hong Kong transgender protesters say government is not abiding by landmark ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Jessie Pang | Thomson Reuters | Jessie Pang Joined Reuters In After An Internship. She Covers Hong Kong With A Focus On Politics | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Tyrone SiuHONG KONG, March 31 (Reuters) - A group of Hong Kong transgender people staged a small protest on Friday against a delay by authorities in changing the gender indicated on their identity documents, saying they have yet to be fully recognised despite a landmark court ruling in February. "The government is using administrative tactics to deliberately delay the whole process," Tse told Reuters. Another protester, Emery Fung, 28, who has a gender marker change application pending, said he had not been given a timeline despite trying to ask the authorities numerous times. The department would not confirm whether it had suspended applications for gender marker changes since the ruling, as reported by media, nor say how many people were affected. 'HUGE PRESSURE'Kelley Loper, an expert in human rights law at the University of Hong Kong, criticised the government's failure to implement the decision swiftly.

☆ World stocks gyrate as bank contagion fears bite
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Koh Gui Qing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"The growing sense of unease about the global banking system is heightening volatility in stock markets around the world," said Nigel Green, chief executive of deVere Group, a financial advisor. The failure of U.S. regional banks Silicon Valley Bank (SIVB.O) and Signature Bank (SBNY.O) this month triggered fears of a banking contagion and prompted U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday to pledge action to safeguard bank deposits. JP Morgan Chase (JPM.N) dropped 1.52%, the S&P 500 banks index (.SPXBK) was down 0.33%, while the KBW regional bank index (.KRX) climbed 2.92%. "I don't expect this volatility (in bank stocks) to subside anytime soon," said Peter Doherty, head of investment research at private bank Arbuthnot Latham in London. Doherty said issues of "contagion risk within the U.S. banking sector" were undoubtedly weighing on appetite for bank stocks elsewhere.

☆ Wall Street says TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew had a 'disaster' day in Congress — but the internet is loving him
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Reena Koh | Nidhi Pandurangi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

On Thursday, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew appeared before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Wall Street slammed Chew's testimony, dubbing it a "disaster moment" for TikTok. The video has over 1.2 million views, over 215,000 likes, and a range of comments expressing their approval for Chew. Two days before the Congressional hearing, TikTok's official account shared a rare video of Chew casually introducing himself to people. In the video, Chew gave context about the hearing and asked viewers to tell him what they enjoyed about the app.

☆ Stocks up, bond yields fall as markets mull a Fed policy pause
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Koh Gui Qing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Fed's hint of a pause after announcing a quarter-point rate rise on Wednesday, even as it re-stated its commitment to fight inflation, provided relief to markets. "Note the modern-day history book of Fed pauses is very bullish for stocks," Innes said. In Europe, news of the rate hikes in Switzerland and Britain helped push the European-wide STOXX 600 share index (.STOXX) down 0.21%. For bond markets it meant European government bond yields - which reflect borrowing costs - were heading down again. German Bunds were back at 2.25%, having seen 10-year U.S. Treasury yields dip back below 3.5%.

☆ Stocks, bond yields fall as Fed, with eye on inflation, signals pause
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Koh Gui Qing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Markets initially interpreted the omission as a sign that rates might be peaking, and drove Treasury yields to session lows after the Fed's statement was released. The two-year yield , which falls with traders' expectations of a less hawkish Fed, fell to 3.9597% from Tuesday's close of 4.177%. Data also showed British inflation unexpectedly rose to 10.4% in February, lifting expectations for a quarter point rate hike at Thursday's Bank of England meeting, boosting sterling. German two-year yields overnight recorded the biggest daily jump since 2008 as markets went back to pricing in more ECB hikes. The dollar index fell on the Fed's dovish note, shedding 0.62%, and a softer dollar lifted the yen to 131.39 .

China's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment about the researchers' findings. Reuters could not determine how closely the conclusions reflect the thinking among China's military leaders. A U.S. defence official told Reuters that despite differences with the situation in Taiwan, the Ukraine war offered insights for China. The conflict has also forged an apparent consensus among Chinese researchers that drone warfare merits greater investment. Beyond the battlefield, the work has covered the information war, which the researchers conclude was won by Ukraine and its allies.

☆ I asked ChatGPT to help me plan a vacation. Here’s what happened next
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Chris Dwyer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

So the idea that artificial intelligence chatbots, such as ChatGPT and Bing, can research travel destinations and create itineraries is intriguing. I went to the developer's website, clicked on the word "ChatGPT," registered for an account — and started chatting. "All of the places I recommended have great online reviews," ChatGPT replied, providing ratings from Tripadvisor, Booking.com and Google for each hotel. But ChatGPT couldn't show photographs of the hotels or help book them — although it did provide ample instructions on how to do both. Every city I asked ChatGPT about resulted in the bot praising the local food scene.

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