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It seems that Google is set to enter the arena of wearable technology this month, with rumours of an incoming Nexus watch circulating. Unofficially dubbed the 'Google Gem', the watch would compete with Samsung's Galaxy Gear and Sony's Smartwatch 2 for a share of the growing wearable technology market. It would also represent a tactical move to pre-empt the release of Apple's fabled iWatch. Artem Russakovskii, founder of Android Police, posted on his G+ account that "Google will announce a Nexus watch, codenamed Gem, likely together with the KitKat announcement." He also tipped the date of the announcement to be 31 October. Google's watch will likely be compatible with all Android devices, and cheaper than the £300 Galaxy Gear.
GCHQ is facing a legal challenge against its mass data collection programme in the European Court of Human Rights after three campaign groups launched proceedings this week. Big Brother Watch, the Open Rights Group and English PEN, along with the German Internet activist Constanze Kurz, allege that GCHQ breached the privacy rights millions of people across the UK and Europe through its collection of Internet users' email communications and metadata. The groups claim that spy agency's actions are illegal under European laws and are pushing for UK laws to be changed to remove and leeway that allows the government to collect such large volumes of data. The UK agency has the capacity to scoop up and store over 21 petabytes of data a day.
Britain is a nation in "digital chaos", with most people in the UK still failing to back up their data, according to a report commissioned by storage firm Western Digital. Hundreds of people surveyed admitted that they never save multiple copies of their documents, citing lack of motivation and knowledge as common factors in their decision. Of the 1,500 people surveyed, 22 per cent said they could not be bothered to back up files, and 20 per cent said they did not know how. The report found that the average UK household has personal files dispersed between as many as 14 different devices, with laptops, smartphones, tablets and USB sticks coming up as primary storage locations.
More than half of lawyers have seen an increase in recent years in the number of clients using a prenuptial agreement.
Using a prenup or a postnup doesn't mean you won't end up in court should you divorce. Certain missteps can boost the odds of a legal challenge.
Even if you don't fancy yourself the next Jeff Bezos, it can be worth thinking about your current assets and potential for future wealth before you get married.
Amazon's billionaire CEO and his wife, MacKenzie, announced Wednesday via a tweet that they intend to divorce. TMZ reported Thursday that the couple did not have a prenuptial agreement, and it's unclear whether they had a postnuptial agreement. Experts say the distinction could be costly for the world's wealthiest man, whose fortune is estimated at $136 billion.
Prenups and postnups set out rights to property and responsibilities for a couple in the event of a death or divorce, said Michael Stutman, a founding partner of Stutman Stutman & Lichtenstein in New York. Prenups are agreements made before a marriage; postnups, after. Absent either of those legal documents, state laws come into play that can govern distribution.
"There are as many reasons as there are people in Manhattan to want to see your assets handled in a different way," said Stutman, who is a past president of the New York chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
Washington state, where Bezos and his wife reside, is one of a handful of "community property" states where, as legal guide Nolo puts it, "money earned by either spouse during marriage and all property bought with those earnings are considered community property that is owned equally by husband and wife." Put another way, Bezos — who got married before he founded Amazon — could be half as wealthy after a trip to divorce court.
More couples are looking to prenups. Subscription legal services site LegalShield.com says it has seen a sevenfold increase in the use of prenups among its members over the past year. A 2016 survey from the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers found that 62 percent of respondents had seen a rise in the number of clients seeking a prenup over the preceding three years, and 51 percent noted an uptick specifically among millennial clients.
Reasons for putting one in place can vary widely.
Among younger couples, there's often an interest in keeping future assets and earnings separate, said Joslin Davis, a principal of Allman Spry Davis Leggett & Crumpler in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. One party may want to protect an interest in a family business, or the potential for future income from an entrepreneurial venture. Older couples and those in second marriages often look to prenups to preserve assets they already have, or protect inheritances for children from a prior marriage.
Among other aims, a prenup could also outline support for a spouse who gives up his or her career to care for the couple's children, or on the flip side, include a provision to waive the right to spousal support if state law allows, she said.
Attorneys say postnups aren't as common. For starters, spouses are often unwilling to sign one: If state law favors you in a divorce, how likely would you be to sign a document that treats you less favorably?
Even if your spouse is on board, your home state may not be.
"There's a fair number of states that will not allow postnups," said John Slowiaczek, a managing partner at Slowiaczek Albers in Omaha, Nebraska — which is one such state. "From a public policy standpoint, they're deemed to be unenforceable."
States that look askance at postnups often do so because of that presumed shift in power after you marry. People often want to sign one when their marriage is in stress, he said, and so may give away more or demand more than they might otherwise.
Of course, signing either a prenup or a postnup doesn't mean you won't end up in court should you divorce, or that your interests would be protected as intended.
"There are ways to challenge premarital agreements," said Davis, past president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
"The biggest mistake lawyers make is they try to be too stingy for the wealthy party, or too greedy for the needy party," said Slowiaczek, who is also a past president of the academy. "There's a sweet spot for the two sides."
Think of it this way, he said: If your premarital agreement gives nothing or almost nothing to your spouse, he or she has nothing to lose by challenging that document in court to try to have it set aside. Providing adequate support and a fair split provides incentive to accept the agreement instead of litigating.
Each spouse should be represented by independent counsel, Davis said. There should also be a "full and fair" disclosure of assets, or a waiver of that right to disclosure. Failing to follow those rules opens the door to legal challenges of the agreement.
As detailed above, prenups and postnups can cover a lot of ground. But just because you can include certain terms doesn't mean they'll hold up in court, Davis said. More unusual terms can provide incentive for one spouse to challenge the entire agreement.
"Some people even try to contract how they are going to conduct themselves in the marriage, … for example, who's going to take the trash out, how many children you're going to have," she said.
Other typically unenforceable prenup terms include child-related issues like custody or parental support of the child. Depending on your state, waivers of alimony may or may not be allowed.
If you and your fiance are living in different states (or even different countries) before marriage, your prenuptial agreement will need to reflect any variance in state laws and include a provision on which state's law will prevail, Davis said.
"There may be some things you can contract in in one state, but not in another," Davis said. "You have to consider the laws of those jurisdictions."
A prenuptial agreement should lay out how the growth in value of nonmarital assets will be treated. Courts have been taking a closer look at that, he said, and in some cases, have determined that the appreciation in those assets' value is shared, rather than individual, property.
Slowiaczek gave the hypothetical example of an executive who owns stock in his company. Because of that executive's good management, the value of the company stock skyrockets. A court might deem that the value of the stock at the time of the marriage belongs to the executive, but its appreciation is marital property because his actions caused it to grow.
"If you don't have that in your premarital agreement, you're likely to get your basis back but you'll lose all your marital appreciation," he said.
Conditions of your prenup may require additional actions after the wedding, Slowiaczek said. Some spousal rights can't be effectively waived until you're officially married (and hence, a spouse).
Say, for example, your fiance signs an agreement waiving his or her spousal right to an interest in a qualified retirement account, such as your 401(k) plan.
To make sure that part of the prenup sticks, you'll need to have your newly minted spouse sign a document reaffirming the agreement, he said. Your retirement plan provider may also require signed waiver of beneficiary forms.
Red Hat doesn't like Microsoft's new pledge for openness. Go figure.
Eight years ago the U.S. regulatory authorities, and four years ago the European regulators made clear to Microsoft that its refusal to disclose interface information for its monopoly software products violates the law. So, it is hardly surprising to see even Microsoft state today that "interoperability across systems is an important requirement" and announce a "change in [its] approach to interoperability."
Of course, we've heard similar announcements before, almost always strategically timed for other effect. Red Hat regards this most recent announcement with a healthy dose of skepticism. Three commitments by Microsoft would show that it really means what it is announcing today.
Michael then goes on to call for a commitment to open standards, cooperation with open source, and competition on a level-playing field. This is fair, but doesn't really do more to clarify Microsoft's stated intentions. It's up to us to push Microsoft to deliver.
However, one thing that Microsoft could do is extend its Open Specification Promise to the API and protocol information it's opening up, rather than demanding license fees for these. I called it a clever "channel sales" play (allow noncommercial development lawsuit-free, but bring in the guns once that software is commercialized), but I do think that we should applaud even baby steps. It's absolutely appropriate, however, to push for the OSP to be applied to these APIs and protocols.
Yes, there's much for Microsoft to do. It's an imperfect commitment on Microsoft's part, almost undoubtedly driven by the need to placate European Commission regulators and to preemptively allay US antitrust fears as a Yahoo! deal nears. But the key is to take what has been given (which, in Microsoft's view, is massive - I think many underestimate just how hard this must be for many within the company, including Ballmer to swallow), and to continue pushing for more.
LOS ANGELES — Vimeo is rolling out three new originals from female filmmakers, the latest additions to its Share the Screen initiative, designed to "elevate and empower female filmmakers."
The slate includes Marina Abramovic in Brazil: The Space in Between, a feature length documentary from the titular artist; Loyiso Gola: Live in New York, a comedy special from the South African comic; and 555, a comedy miniseries from John Early, Kate Berlant and Andrew DeYoung.
"We are really, really proud that we were able to fulfill the commitment we made in January at Sundance Film Festival to have original programming from talented female creators," Sam Toles, Vimeo's Head of Global Content Acquisition and Distribution, told Mashable. "The new slate celebrates the fact that we can get gender equality in the programming, and that's something we will continue to push and strive for."
Vimeo, which launched in 2004, had been primarily known as the go-to for independent creators looking to sell content directly to consumers. The division of IAC attracted talent with favorable revenue splits and tools that give the site the opportunity to set up its own paywalls.
But after the success of the 2012 hit High Maintenance, which got picked up by HBO, the New York-based company has been building up its original content library and investing heavily in its creators.
Recently, Lionsgate announced it is partnering up with Vimeo to launch a Global Television Store.
The service, which will roll out Oct. 18, offers premium scripted U.S. content — from Lionsgate's movie and TV library — to consumers in over 150 countries. That means Orange Is The New Black, Mad Men, Hulu's Casual, The Royals, Weeds, Nurse Jackie, Boss, Blue Mountain State and Manhattan will soon be available on Vimeo.
Toles said the hope is that other studios and networks will join Lionsgate in partnering with the video platform.
Having diverse programming from across the globe, he said, will help both draw in viewers and Hollywood studios.
"Two out of three of our new programs in this slate come from global territories," Toles said. "Vimeo clearly has global ambitions and we want to lean into our worldwide audience. We are hoping many other studios and producers of great TV content join the party."
Kesha is ready to face the music.
The lengthy caption accompanied a picture of the sun shining across a beach and the star summed up that she had “zero control” left in her fate.
In 2014, the “Die Young” singer, 28, filed a lawsuit against the music producer, alleging he sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally abused her for a decade.
Dr. Luke, 42, then filed a countersuit, claiming Kesha and her mother, Pebe Sebert, planned to extort him, alleging that the mother and daughter threatened to go public with the assault allegations if he refused to release Kesha from her long-term recording contract and give her publishing rights to her music.
At the same time, Dr. Luke also claimed Kesha’s manager, Jack Rovner, and her mother convinced Kesha to question their recording contract’s validity.
Earlier this month, New York Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich granted a motion by Pebe to dismiss Luke’s claims against her after determining there was no jurisdiction over her; however, Dr. Luke filed a similar suit against Pebe in Tennessee, which is still in play.
Additionally, the judge dismissed Dr. Luke’s claim that Kesha’s manager Rovner wrongfully interfered in their business relationship, determining that Rovner’s moves were in the scope of his authority as her manager.
On March 8, Bengaluru techie Prabha Arun Kumar was stabbed to death while returning home in Sydney. A month later, the Sydney police are still struggling to solve the murder mystery.
Image: Bengaluru IT consultant Prabha Arun Kumar's final rites being performed in her hometown, Amtoor, Karnataka.
It has been a month since Bengaluru techie Prabha Arun Kumar was brutally murdered in Sydney.
Detectives investigating the case are yet to arrest the murderer or even decipher the motive behind the vicious attack.
Prabha, 41, an IT consultant, was talking to her husband, who was based in Bengaluru, on her mobile phone as she was crossing Parramatta Park on the night of March 8 when she was stabbed to death.
Since then, the New South Wales police has collected a large amount of information about Prabha and her movements leading up to her murder.
A NSW police spokesperson told Rediff.com that while the police are still working to determine the motive behind the crime, they have ruled out that the attack as a racially motivated incident.
There was no evidence to suggest that a sexual assault had taken place, a police official involved in the investigation added, and ruled out robbery to be the motive for the murder.
"As with any homicide investigation, detectives are meticulously and methodically examining each and every line of inquiry which takes time," the police official said, adding that they are also working closely with the Indian community in Sydney.
The New South Wales police has sought assistance from the public and asked that anyone with any information about Prabha's murder should come forward.
Will Yuvraj justify his Rs 16 crore price?
So, will you wear these to your wedding?
Like the vanes of a turbocharger, our attention turns quickly to new projects once one ends. Which is why the owner of what's claimed to be the world's fastest 1989 Turbo Dodge Caravan — which can hit 11-second quarter-mile runs — is selling for $6,500 to fund other projects.
You can express interest in the real Man Van here. H/T to Jared from the 904!
Public high school students will soon be able to learn the Korean language in school, following an agreement between the Department of Education and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea.
Students under the Special Program in Foreign Language will be expected to develop skills in listening, reading, writing and speaking the new language.
“This is not a beginning. This is a continuation of very long years of fruitful relationship, including the field of education, between Korea and the Republic of the Philippines,” Briones said in a statement released last Friday.
According to the Embassy, the program aims to help Filipino students “better respond” to educational and employment opportunities in the Philippines and abroad.
“I’m very happy that Korean language is added as one of the second foreign languages. Language is very important so teaching and studying [foreign languages] in schools is very helpful to deepen the bilateral understanding between two nations,” Ambassador Kim was quoted saying.
Hundreds of Somalis have marched in Mogadishu denouncing their new Islamist rulers.
Thursday's march was the latest protest since the Islamic courts militia defeated US-backed regional commanders earlier this month.
About 700 protesters, including children from Quranic schools, marched for three hours through the capital's streets in the central Sinai district in a demonstration organised by the traditional Sufist group, Ahlu Suna Wal-Jammaa.
"We are Muslims and we do not want these fundamentalists who seized Mogadishu," said Muumina Ali, a demonstrator.
"Sheikh Sharif's group are fundamentalists," shouted another protester, referring to Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, chairman of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) which controls Mogadishu and other towns across a swathe of southern Somalia.
The protest comes as Somalia's interim government and the Islamist movement are holding direct high-level talks in Sudan, mediated by the Arab League and the Sudanese president.
While the ICU has brought relative peace and stability to Mogadishu for the first time in years, residents say some Islamist militia are imposing hardline practices, such as forcibly cutting hair and making women cover their heads and faces.
Ahmed, the moderate face of the ICU which also includes more radical Muslim leaders, has denied accusations that his organisation wants to establish a Taliban-style rule in Somalia.
The Islamist takeover of Mogadishu has complicated the attempts to restore central rule to Somalia since the 1991 removal of the president, Mohamed Siad Barre.
A weak interim government, formed in Kenya in 2004, is based in the provincial town of Baidoa.
However, it retains little control over the rest of the country, including the capital.
Abdullahi Yusuf, Somalia's interim president, said this week the Islamist militia could not have succeeded without support from Muslim fundamentalists across the world.
But the ICU says the government was formed without the consent or consultation of the Somali people and is conspiring with Ethiopia to attack them.
Thursday's march followed other anti-Islamist protests, including one organised by a defeated commander and another by people protesting over the breaking up of World Cup viewing in some cinemas.
The ICU said it was preparing a massive demonstration for Friday in Mogadishu to show the superior popular support it has and the people's opposition to a government plan to invite foreign peacekeepers into Somalia.
Fist bumps spread only one-twentieth the amount of bacteria that handshakes do, researchers report, while a high-five passes along less than half the amount as a handshake.
The Associated Press reported researcher David Whitworth of Aberystwyth University in Wales as saying fist bumps seem to be the wisest greeting, especially during cold and flu season.
The importance of hand hygiene is nothing new in medicine. But the researchers realized that while a lot of research focused on hands getting germy from touching doorknobs and other surfaces, only a few studies had looked at handshakes.
"And there are alternatives to handshakes. You see them on telly all the time – the fist bump and high-five and all that," Whitworth said.
He and a student, Sara Mela, shook hands, fist-bumped and high-fived each other dozens of times for the research. One wore a glove covered in bacteria, while the other had a clean sterilized glove. After each greeting, they measured how much bacteria had been transferred.
Their results were published online Monday in the American Journal of Infection Control.
What makes the fist bump more sanitary? Mostly, it's the smaller amount of surface area in contact between the two hands, an analysis suggests. The researchers did practice runs with paint to measure how much surface area each form of greeting involved.
"It's a novel study," though the results are not surprising, said Mary Lou Manning, president-elect of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Her organization publishes the journal.
She said she hasn't seen much fist-bumping or high-fiving in hospitals. Handshakes are more common- but they must be followed by good hand-washing, she added.

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