ARABIAN POST SPECIAL

Top Hedge Funds Predict How It All Will End

In early 2009, roughly at the time when this blog was launched which coincided with the start of the greatest monetary experiment of all time, we warned that there are two ways it will end: either in hyperinflation, or a deflationary supernova, the failure of currency and, eventually, barter. Now, almost 8 years later, some of the world’s top hedge funds are in agreement, and they are […]

December 10

Electronics-sniffing dogs: How K9s became a secret weapon for solving high-tech crimes

Electronic storage detection canine Iris of the New Jersey FBI helps investigators search the home of New York City terror suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami, who set off bombs in Manhattan and on the Jersey Shore, in September 2016. Image: Connecticut State Police This article originally appeared on TechRepublic. The call came at 5:30 am on a hot July morning in 2015. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department told […]

Why I Left MacOS for a Surface Book

The Mac is in trouble. And that’s not due to a decline in quality (okay, maybe a little); you can attribute it to more robust competition. As a writer at PCMag, my primary laptop has been a MacBook Pro for the past eight years; I also had an HP Z420 desktop. I’d been holding on to my 2011 MacBook Pro, waiting for the new machines […]

Going public: tycoon BR Shetty

In 2011, as skincare brand Nivea marked its centenary with a string of parties across the world, Indian billionaire BR Shetty hosted his own private celebration in his extraordinary apartment in Dubai’s Burj Khalifa. No humble pied-à-terre, this pad occupies the entire 100th floor of the tallest building in the world — not bad for the former pharmaceutical salesman, who was one of the first people to […]

Arts & Culture

10 things to do today: tennis lessons, festive celebrations at Yas Mall and more

Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for December 9, 2016, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. newslide Abu Dhabi Tennis event Take part in the ZSC Academy Tennis Festival, a fun way to experience and learn more about the sport. There will be lessons for children ages 2 and older, tennis […]

Apple sees spike in number of US demands for customer data

Apple has seen a sharp year-over-year increase in the number US government demands for customer data. It’s the company’s first biannual report this year covering how many demands were made from global law enforcement and intelligence agencies, including the US government, for data the company stores. Apple was embroiled in a legal battle with the FBI earlier this year over locked iPhones. Read more. Apple said it […]

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RAK developer inks deal to start work on Anantara Resort & Spa

RAK Properties has signed a AED30 million ($8.1 million) enabling works contract with Al Nuaimi Group for its upcoming Anantara Resort & Spa within the Mina Al Arab development. The contract between Al Nauimi Group and RAK Properties includes piling and earthworks for a 306-room resort, which will be operated by Minor Hotels under its Anantara brand when it opens in late 2018. The property will feature […]

Iran Races to Clinch Oil Deals Before Donald Trump Takes Office

The deals, if finalized, would bring much-needed expertise and foreign investment to Iran’s ailing energy sector. Continue reading the main story Just as important, the agreements provide a lifeline to the rest of the world, experts say, critical to keeping dollars flowing and in cementing relations with European and Asian countries. Few Iranian officials like to acknowledge that in public, insisting that the country is immune to […]

This is 'year zero' of a virtual reality revolution say filmmakers

In a glass cube inside a MK2 cinema near France’s national library in Paris, viewers can choose between HTC Vive, Playstation VR and Oculus Rift headsets, or they can go for “full body immersive” simulators The first wave of virtual reality cinemas, heralding what their creators claim will be an entertainment revolution, rolls out across the world this month. The first screening room in France opened Wednesday […]

Saudi Journalist Banned From Media After Criticizing Trump

Submitted by MiddleEastEye.net via TheAntiMedia.org, Saudi authorities banned journalist Jamal Khashoggi from writing in newspapers, appearing on TV and attending conferences, the Alkhalij Aljadid reported in Arabic. This came after Khashoggi’s remarks during a presentation he made at a Washington think-tank on 10 November in which he was critical of Donald Trump’s ascension to the US presidency. Two weeks ago, an official Saudi source was cited by […]

On Pro Basketball: With Choice of Hotel, LeBron James Stays at the Forefront

Photo LeBron James said his decision not to stay at a hotel bearing the name of President-elect Donald J. Trump was “just my personal preference.” Credit Alex Goodlett for The New York Times LeBron James has done a lot and seen a lot over the course of his 14-year N.B.A. career. He has won championships. He has traveled the globe. He has become an icon in his […]

Arts & Culture

Top picks and tips by Ila beauty founder Denise Leicester

Over the years, Ila founder Denise Leicester has sourced and tested hundreds of oils and oil blends from all over the world. Here, she highlights some of her best discoveries and offers some useful skincare advice. Select Ila products and treatments are available in Abu Dhabi at Chi, the Spa at the Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri; in Dubai at the Natural Elements Spa at Le Méridien […]

Samsung prevails over Apple in $399 mn patent appeal (Update 2)

In this Dec. 12, 2013 file photo, a man passes by the Samsung Electronics Co. logos at its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. A unanimous Supreme Court on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016, sided with smartphone maker Samsung in its high-profile patent dispute with Apple over design of the iPhone. The justices said Samsung may not be required to pay all the profits it earned from 11 phone […]

Trump: Trojan, Traitor, or Tried and True?

This article by David Haggith was published first on The Great Recession Blog: I risked losing my fellow anti-establishment readers in September by suggesting Trump may be an establishment Trojan horse. After seeing Trump choose Pence as VP and a Goldman Sachs exec as campaign finance manager, I was concerned the establishment knew a citizen’s revolt was brewing and made sure that even the road to revolt led back to […]

Pebble ceasing all hardware operations, canceling the Pebble Time 2 and Core products

Image: Pebble Despite a rather rough third quarter, Fitbit continues to lead the wearables market. Its dominance of the market will continue with the purchase of Pebble’s software assets. Read this The History of Wearable Technology: A timeline Humans have always adorned their bodies with gadgetry — be it for show, for utility, or both. Our timeline documents examples such as body armour, spectacles, wearable calculating aids, […]

The Future of the Chatbots: Sales

Microsoft has unveiled a new chatbot named Zo, but this time, she’s available on Kik, instead of Twitter, where earlier this year, her predecessor—known as Tay—went on a rather racist tirade before being shut down. I’ve never heard a clear explanation as to why Microsoft is making chatbots, and I have to assume the worst: They are on track to deliver ads. If you ever […]

Taking back control of an autonomous car affects human steering behavior

Holly Russell, former graduate student in the Dynamic Design Lab, is lead author of a new study on the handover of control from an autonomous car to a human driver. She is shown in Stanford’s X1 experimental vehicle. Credit: Steve Castillo There you are, cruising down the freeway, listening to some tunes and enjoying the view as your autonomous car zips and swerves through traffic. Then the […]

GCC summit kicks off in Manama as Sheikh Mohammed meets British PM

Abu Dhabi // Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid led the UAE delegation to the two-day GCC Summit on Tuesday, which is also being attended by UK prime minister Theresa May as she looks to expand trade ties ahead of Britain’s exit from the European Union. The 37th annual talks among the six Gulf member states in Manama were expected to focus on security within the GCC, economic integration […]

Wall-jumping robot is most vertically agile ever built

Salto, for saltatorial locomotion on terrain obstacles, is shown. Credit: Stephen McNally Roboticists at UC Berkeley have designed a small robot that can leap into the air and then spring off a wall, or perform multiple vertical jumps in a row, resulting in the highest robotic vertical jumping agility ever recorded. The agility of the robot opens new pathways of locomotion that were not previously attainable. The […]

After a Setback, a Season Watching From a Distance

“I thought it would be a great opportunity to treat it like a college professor taking a sabbatical,” he said. Continue reading the main story So Thibodeau attended training camp with the Houston Rockets. He sat backstage with the performance troupe known as the Golden State Warriors. He hit the road with the Sacramento Kings. He met with coach after coach, trading ideas and jotting notes on […]

Virginia Tech Snowflakes Unveil Definitive List Of Top 50 Microaggressions That Offend Them

Submitted by William Nardi via TheCollegeFix.com, Be careful what you say at Virginia Tech. Chances are, it could be a microaggression. Multiple groups at Virginia Tech have collaborated to collect “microaggression testimonials” from students, who came up with roughly 50 different expressions that offend them. The examples are currently displayed on the “Microaggressions: #hokiesspeakup” Facebook page. While the campaign lasted through the Spring semester, several posters reminding student […]

Gulf-Turkish investors to spend $322m on luxury Greek resort

A Turkish-Arab fund plans to spend up to about 300 million euros ($322 million) to redevelop a luxury seaside resort outside Greece’s capital Athens, bringing significant foreign investment into the cash-strapped country, the fund said on Tuesday. Greece concluded in October the sale of a 90 percent stake in the Astir Palace hotel complex to the Jermyn Street Real Estate Fund as part of a key privatisation […]

Saudi stock market rises to new one-year closing high

The petrochemical sector helped carry Saudi Arabia’s stock market to a fresh one-year closing high on Tuesday after crude oil prices hit a 17-month peak. The main Saudi index added 0.7 percent to 7,155 points in extremely heavy turnover with gainers outnumbering losers 139 to 18. The index is now up 3.5 percent year-to-date. The petrochemical sector stayed strong; it has been contributing to the market’s positive […]

UAE Armed Forces start using new advanced military vehicles

The UAE Armed Forces is now using two of the most advanced military vehicles, which have been both designed and manufactured in the Emirates. NIMR Automotive, a subsidiary of Emirates Defence Industries Company and which has a manufacturing facility in Abu Dhabi, has introduced the N35 and the Ajban-class Special Operations Vehicle (SOV). Both were on display at the UAE’s National Day parade. The N35 is a […]

System lets users design and fabricate drones with a wide range of shapes and structures

A four-rotor “bunnycopter” developed at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory features propellers at different heights. Credit: Jason Dorfman/MIT CSAIL This fall’s new Federal Aviation Administration regulations have made drone flight easier than ever for both companies and consumers. But what if the drones out on the market aren’t exactly what you want? A new system from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) is […]

Ally, Enemy or Both? Saudi Arabia’s Many Roles in Afghanistan

In interviews with The New York Times, a former Taliban finance minister described how he traveled to Saudi Arabia for years raising money while ostensibly on pilgrimage. The Taliban have also been allowed to raise additional millions by extorting “taxes” by pressing hundreds of thousands of Pashtun guest workers in the kingdom and menacing their families back home, according to Vali Nasr, a former State Department adviser. […]

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MIT lets you design your own drones

Jason Dorfman, MIT CSAIL MIT researchers have unveiled a new way for consumers and businesses to take to the skies — by designing and developing their own drones. The program, created by a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), is a prototype computer system (.PDF) which allows users to create a variety of drones. According to the lab, […]

Arts & Culture

Holly to Bolly: Jimmy Kimmel to host Oscars, Helen Marten wins Turner Prize for art, and more

newslide Jimmy Kimmel to host Oscars Late night television presenter Jimmy Kimmel has been give Oscar hosting honours for the next instalment of the Academy Awards in February. It will be a first for the comedian, who has hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC since 2003. Kimmel was praised for his work as host of this year’s Emmy awards. Kimmel tweeted, “Yes, I am hosting the Oscars. […]

World

Duterte administration stalling peace efforts — Karapatan – Inquirer.net

President Rodrigo Duterte. RENATO LUMAWAG/ Presidential Photo Human rights group Karapatan on Tuesday said President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration seem to be “stalling” the efforts of the peace negotiations as they refuse to release all political prisoners. “Lest the GRP’s use of the political prisoners as trump cards in the peace process will be seen as its vile attempt to set the stage to renege on […]