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Talk less about Microsoft’s strategy and more about the city it just threw on the scrap heap

Jul08
by on July 8, 2015 at 4:11 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, finland, job cuts, nokia, Opinion, Salo

Screenshot 2015-07-08 16.51.35
Microsoft announced some big decisions today, writing off $7.6 billion from the Nokia acquisition and sacking 7,800 employees. A significant number of those staff (2,300) are based in Salo, Finland. Salo is basically a Nokia company town – 1,000 employees at the factory were laid off back in 2012 – and the latest round of job cuts means Microsoft is slashing the workforce by 66 percent. For the people of the city, it could have a similar effect to the base closing in a military town. The local economy has relied heavily on that presence for a very long time. The workers in…

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Amazon Echo review: Alexa’s a great listener, but is awful at search

Jul08
by on July 8, 2015 at 4:06 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets, Insider

amazon echo review
“Alexa, what do you think of the Amazon Echo?” “I don’t have preferences or desires.” Cozying up to Alexa, Amazon’s voice-controlled Bluetooth speaker, was not going to be easy. Announced last November, the Amazon Echo first launched on an invite-only basis for Prime members – up until two weeks ago. The nine-inch tall cylinder is designed to be a personal assistant of sorts, helping answer simple questions, catching you up to the latest news, reminding you of appointments or shopping lists, playing music and occasionally telling jokes. The personal assistant portion of the Amazon Echo is the most important aspect…

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NYSE trading halted due to ‘technical issue’

Jul08
by on July 8, 2015 at 4:02 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

NYSE-feat
It’s a pretty rare day when the whole of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) halts trading due to computer glitches, but today is one of those days. There’s a technical problem stopping trading, but a spokesperson says it’s working quickly to fix the problem: “We’re currently experiencing a technical issue that we’re working to resolve as quickly as possible. We will be providing further updates as soon as we can, and are doing our utmost to produce a swift resolution, communicate thoroughly and transparently, and ensure a timely and orderly market re-open.” We’ll keep you updated when trading resumes.…

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Adobe Flash is terrible and it’s time to kill it

Jul08
by on July 8, 2015 at 3:12 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider, Opinion

Flash
It’s been long enough. Vulnerability after vulnerability is found in Adobe Flash and yet most of us continue to put up with it and blindly install it on every computer. Even when Adobe started packaging rubbish with Flash we kept installing it. With the latest revelations that a surveillance company was exploiting it to take control of computers, it’s time to just stop using it entirely. It was understandable for a while; it was simply one of those pieces of software you had to put up with to use the internet properly. If you didn’t have it, you couldn’t watch videos or listen to…

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Win 1-year unlimited access to TNW Academy

Jul08
by on July 8, 2015 at 3:02 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider, tnw academy

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By now you’ve probably heard of TNW Academy, an online institute aimed at helping you improve your personal and professional life. Although only in its fifth month, TNW Academy has already helped more than 1000 students worldwide. And you know us, we love a milestone, so we’ve decided it’s time to celebrate! For the next 2 weeks we’re hosting a giveaway with a prize of 1-year unlimited access to TNW Academy! Pretty cool, right? With one year of classes, you’ll get the opportunity to work closely with our expert instructors to learn everything you need to know about building your own website, growth hacking,…

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