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Trivia games aren't new or inventive by any means, but Icelandic native Thor Fridriksson found a way to turn the age-old game of knowledge competition into an innovative and community-driven app called QuizUp, which boasts more than 220,000 questions and 700 topics to choose from.
Trivia games are often hit or miss — they can make you feel like the smartest person in the room, or they can make you want to bury your head in the sand and ask for another drink as you lightly joke about how no one could possibly know the answers to these ancient questions. Part of the beauty of QuizUp is the vast an...
Mashable sat down with Fridriksson to talk about his advice for app developers, his personal style and why he decided to headquarter his game development company, Plain Vanilla, in Reykjavik instead of Silicon Valley.
Your official headquarters for Plain Vanilla is in Reykjavik. Do you think you're limiting your company’s success by being so far away from startup and media hubs like San Francisco or New York City?
I love being able to operate Plain Vanilla and QuizUp in my native country of Iceland. There are also a lot of benefits that our location brings, like very good access to the pool of talent here. We're fortunate to employ some of the brightest minds in Iceland — a country that is located right between two of our strong...
That said, there’s really no other place like San Francisco. It’s important to stay in the loop, so I do spend considerable time in Silicon Valley. It’s a good thing that I've really mastered falling asleep in airplanes, otherwise I probably couldn't survive my job.
Why do you think QuizUp is so much more successful than other trivia apps?
QuizUp is evolving into so much more than just a trivia app. We have a very strong community that’s continually growing, and we devote a lot of time to building a great experience for our users. We have an incredible depth of content that’s provided to us in part by our users, but what I think really sets us apart is t...
What advice do you have for app developers in today’s over-saturated app space?
When I get pitched with a great app idea, the first question that pops into my mind is the go-to-market strategy. So many great apps have failed because they didn't have a solid method of getting users to download them. Before QuizUp, we developed a pretty great game (I'm biased) that never got any real traction. We na...
In a previous interview you said that you went to San Francisco with little more than a pitch of, 'I’ve got this idea for a quiz app!' You go on to state, 'It’s not really the strongest idea for a pitch... In retrospect, if I had done a lot of research, I probably never would have gone.' Do you believe this approach ca...
In the last two years, QuizUp has raised close to $30 million throughout several funding rounds. The hardest part of that journey was definitely getting to the first million we raised in our initial seed round in San Francisco. We really had no idea what we were getting into when we moved to San Francisco with little m...
It’s funny, before I started the company I used to work in a more corporate setting where I wore a suit all the time. I really think I can count the times I've worn a suit in the last three years on one hand. I would say that I have a pretty relaxed personal style that includes jeans, a shirt and a blazer. It's kind of...
I find inspiration in all the great people that decided to join me on this crazy journey. It is such an unbelievable privilege to work with some of the greatest minds in Iceland. I'm also a sucker for scenic views, and that’s why we have always emphasized having a great view of the ocean when choosing a location for ou...
What do you like to do in your free time, and what are your hobbies?
I spend most of my free time with my two kids. I have a 10-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy that I try to spend as much time with as I can. I recently moved into a new apartment by the sea that I'm currently renovating. It’s been a lot of work, but the view is worth it.
Video of Visitors at the show-flat of Riverfront Residences.
Video of People waiting to enter Park Colonial sales office on July 5, 2018.
Condominium show-flats were swamped on Thursday (July 5) night, with buyers hoping to secure units before the higher additional buyer's stamp duty (ABSD) kicks in on Friday (July 6).
The Government announced that the ABSD will be raised by 5 percentage points for individuals.
This, however, excludes Singapore citizens and Singapore permanent residents buying their first residential property.
At new developments such as the 1,472-unit Riverfront Residences in Hougang, where two-bedroom units start at $755,000, buyers would pay at least $35,000 more under the raised ABSD.
Large crowds and full carparks were seen at Riverfront Residences and Park Colonial show-flats in the north-east of Singapore on Thursday night.
The former is developed by a consortium led by Oxley Holdings, while the latter, a project led by CEL Development, has 805 units and is situated next to Woodleigh MRT station.
When The Straits Times visited the Riverfront Residences show-flat at about 9pm, hundreds of people were in the queue that extended into the carpark. Buyers and agents were also seen walking briskly towards the show-flat with project brochures in hand.
Some in the queue were poring over the condominium layout in the brochure, making last-minute decisions about which unit to buy. Others were chomping down on takeaway dinners.
In the queue were housewives May Lim and Calista Ng, who are neighbours at Starville condominium in Kembangan.
Said Madam Ng, 52, who is looking to buy a two-bedroom unit: "I was midway through my dinner when my agent told me to rush down. But looking at the crowd, we may not get our choices."
Huttons property agent G. Manogaram, who was looking for his clients in the crowd, said: "It is stressful and overwhelming as there is a window period of only four hours to get the deals done."
ST understands the ballot for Riverfront Residences units was due to take place on Friday. However, units were sold on a first-come-first-served basis last night.
Police searched a home following an investigation into crack cocaine sales in the City of Elmira.
Elmira police arrested a city man on drug charges early Friday following a search of a home on Davis Street.
Following an investigation in the sale of crack cocaine in the city, the Elmira Police Drug Enforcement Unit and New York State Police Community Narcotic Enforcement Team served a search warrant at a home on Davis Street around 6 a.m., police announced Friday.
As a result of the investigation and the search warrant, police said Cory McCray, 30, of Elmira, was taken into custody on a Superior Court warrant charging him with two counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Police said they seized marijuana, cash and packaging materials from the home.
McCray is being held in the Chemung County Jail.
Elmira Police Department SWAT and Chemung County Emergency Response teams assisted the investigation by securing the home, a news release stated.
British Paralympic athlete Sophie Hahn says having her impairment classification questioned by the father of a rival was "heartbreaking".
Michael Breen, father of sprinter and long jumper Olivia Breen, cast doubt on her classification at a Parliamentary select committee in October.
"I was very angry and upset," Hahn told BBC Sport. "I work unbelievably hard on the track."
Hahn, who has cerebral palsy, won T38 100m Paralympic gold in Rio.
She also has four individual world titles.
Speaking to a Culture, Media and Sport select committee, Michael Breen named Hahn as an athlete who he had been told was benefiting from being wrongly classified, and therefore running against athletes with a more severe disability than herself.
But 21-year-old Hahn, who took up the sport after watching the London Paralympics, has rejected the claims.
"I put in hours of training on the track and in the gym," she told BBC Sport's Kate Grey. "I was very surprised. I never imagined seeing my face all over the internet and newspapers and on television."
Hahn, a twin, had a complicated birth and was diagnosed with brain damage which affected her growth and development as a child.
She could not stand until she was two and did not walk or talk until after her third birthday, having numerous scans and tests over her young life.
Even now she struggles with her co-ordination and balance, and says that she sometimes cannot tie her shoelaces. In addition, the right side of her body is weaker than the left and she has tight hamstrings and a tight back and fatigues easily.
Athletes have clear evidence of hypertonia, ataxia and/or athetosis on physical assessment that will affect running. Co-ordination impairment is mild to moderate and can be in one to four limbs. Co-ordination and balance are typically mildly affected, and overall these athletes are able to run and jump freely.
"All Sophie can do is run in a straight line," says her father, David. "She can't run the 400m because her muscles won't allow her to. She can't throw or do the long jump like others in her class can."
Last year, Hahn said she had been investigated by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) as a result of Breen's "constant questioning".
However, the IPC has previously criticised Breen's testimonies, referring to him as "a disgruntled father".
But a review of its rules mean many athletes will face being reclassified again this year, including Hahn, who says she has "no problem" with the IPC's decision to make her go through classification again.
It comes in a year where she will make her Commonwealth Games debut for England in Australia in April before the Para Athletics European Championships in Berlin in August.
Watching their daughter's abilities and achievements being called into question has been a difficult experience for David and his wife Jane but they say they are proud of how Sophie has dealt with it all.
"I'm disappointed and a little bit angry but sad for Sophie because it really affected her," said David. "She is a vulnerable girl and she didn't need or want any of this.
"As a parent you are protective - you don't want anyone to start attacking your daughter - and I'm very disappointed that someone felt that was a good thing to do.
"The worst thing was she was named where nobody else was, and that was the thing that annoys me most."
Jane also admits that it was tough to watch the impact the affair has had on her daughter.
"Sophie's way of dealing with it was to train harder but it was very sad to watch her going through it," she says.
"She always said she wants to be the best that she can be on and off the track and be a role model for others.
"She feels that this has taken all of that away. She doesn't want to be remembers for that. She wants to be remembered for being good on the track and being good and polite off it.
"But she has dealt with it better than we did. She is grimly determined."
Hahn burst onto the scene at the 2013 IPC World Championships in Lyon as a 16-year-old, setting a new world record to win the T38 100m.
In some ways she seemed mature, but in others she seemed overawed by the whole experience, especially the media attention.
She was so new to the sport that she hadn't even learned how to use starting blocks.
Just a year earlier she had been watching London 2012 on television, now she was on the same team as the likes of Paralympic champions Richard Whitehead and Hannah Cockroft.
Since then the Pocket Rocket, as she is affectionately known, has grown in confidence and added to her medal haul.
On the start line, she looks focused and fierce and she is a determined competitor, but off the track, she is softly-spoken and unfailingly polite.
Watch more on this story in Friday's Victoria Derbyshire programme at 09:00 GMT on BBC Two, or catch up on iPlayer.
Pupils from ten schools from across the borough came together to demonstrate their moves in a dance festival.
The Waltham Forest Primary Schools Dance Festival was held at Hillyfield Primary Academy, in Higham Hill Road, Walthamstow, for the first time since 2014.
Just before Christmas, older year groups from each school were given the task to choreograph and teach a themed dance routine to their younger peers.
Rachel West, dance specialist at Hillyfield, said: “Older pupils have been running their own clubs, leading the classes, doing the warm-ups and routines.
“The dances had to be about culture, with some choosing music or moves from around the world.
Whitehall, Chingford C of E, Chase Lane, Woodside, St Josephs, Greenleaf, Henry Maynard, George Tomlinson, Hillyfield Park and Newport all took part in the event.
Kirsty Efreme, PE co-ordinator at Chingford C of E School, took eleven Year 3 and 4 pupils along to perform at the festival.
She said: “Two Year 4 pupils have arranged our routine and taught the younger ones the dance, as well as sorting the costumes and make-up. They have been working on it for about seven weeks. It has been really good.
“The children have got a real sense of pride that they have put together a whole routine by themselves. Our teachers have been in awe watching them put it together.
Roger Ascham Primary School put forward 29 Year 3 to 6 pupils for the show, including five pupil choreographers.
Dance teacher Jamie Scott said: “I thought they did so good! I am so proud of what they have done. They have rehearsed for weeks, even when I have not been there; they have been practising during their playtimes.
The festival is one of many events put on in the borough by the Waltham Forest Schools Sport Network.
Shona Gordon, school games organiser, said: “We have worked with Rachel West and Hillyfield Primary to put this event back on again. The last time we did this was 2014, but after talking to Rachel we decided to host it once again.
“Part of our aim is to get all children in Key Stage 1 and 2 to have experienced one of our events throughout the year. We have our sports players and sport leaders, but we also have our dancers. We put on a whole diverse set of events.
The richest stand to gain more from the introduction of new technology than those in poorer sections of society, according to a report which warns that policymakers may be required to intervene to tackle the widening inequality.
The so-called fourth industrial revolution, following on from the introduction of steam power, electricity and electronics, will have less of an impact on developed economies, such as Switzerland, Singapore and the UK. Emerging markets – notably in parts of Latin America and India – will suffer when artificial intellig...
The report by Swiss bank UBS, published on Tuesday to coincide with the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos, warns that some skilled work is also at risk as robots become more sophisticated.
The report outlines a polarisation in the labour force and “greater income inequality imply[ing] larger gains for those at the top of the income, skills and wealth spectrums”.
“These individuals are likely to be best placed from a skills perspective to harness extreme automation and connectivity; they typically already have high savings rates and will benefit from holding more of the assets whose value will be boosted by the fourth industrial revolution,” the report says.
Last year, a report by Bank of America Merrill Lynch also pointed to the potential for a rise in inequality as a result of increased automation. That report cited research by Oxford University which said that up to 35% of all workers in the UK, and 47% of those in the US, are at risk of being displaced by technology ov...
The theme of this year’s gathering of business leaders and policymakers in Davos is the introduction of new technology. The WEF organisers have already predicted that 7 million jobs could go in five years, with women losing out the most.
Webber said it was up to policymakers to take steps to address any increases in inequality.
The report by UBS points to downward pressure on the wages of low-skilled workers. “By contrast, the potential returns to highly skilled and more adaptable workers are increasing,” the report says.
“Many labour-intensive firms should be able to boost profit margins as they substitute costly workers for cheaper robots or intelligent software ... For nations, the largest gains from the fourth industrial revolution are likely to be captured by those with the most flexible economies, adding a further incentive for g...
The US could “onshore” work back from low-cost labour markets, the report added, putting emerging countries at a disadvantage.
Workers already displaced by automation, such as those on assembly lines, could also feel the impact of the latest technology, as robots which are able to move around – so-called cobots – are able to perform more intricate tasks.
“The greatest disruption, however, could be experienced by workers who have so far felt immune to robotic competition, namely those in middle-skill professions,” the report says. It points to clerical work, such as customer service, being replaced by artificial intelligence. Insurance claims could also be settled with...
But as the reunification process unfolded, the Rexroads came to fear for the baby’s well-being. Unable to persuade county social workers to reconsider, they hired a lawyer, and pleaded their case in court, and lost.
The court proceedings were closed. The judge’s reasoning is sealed. Rexroad, an attorney, cannot discuss the case in any detail. All I know is that the young boy has been with his biological mother for a few weeks. Her name, like everything else in this area of law, is confidential.
Boards of supervisors are responsible for overseeing child welfare services. But in Rexroad’s nine years on the Yolo County board, there had never been any detailed discussion of the department, in no small part because of the confidentiality that surrounds the system. That changed at the Yolo County board meeting on T...

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