Entrepreneurship

Florida pot grower busted for manufacturing ‘high-end assault rifles’

"Police in Port St. Lucie, Florida announced on Wednesday that they had arrested a couple on charges related to a 'weapons manufacturing warehouse' and a marijuana growing operations, according to TCPalm. WPTV reported that a traffic stop made by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office earlier in the week led to a marijuana grow house, which then led to a warehouse facility where 'high-end' weapons were being manufactured. At a warehouse on Northwest Settle Avenue, investigators found about 150 marijuana plants and ten guns, including an AK-47 military-style assault rifle." Continue reading →

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Guy Spent $11,000 On A Coding ‘Bootcamp’ And Doubled His Salary

"These intensive training programs are not cheap — charging $10,000 to $15,000 for programs running nine to 12 weeks — and they're highly selective, typically only admitting 10 to 20 percent of applicants. And they're called boot camps for a reason. Students can expect to work 80 to 100 hours a week, mostly writing code in teams under the guidance of experienced software developers. One San Francisco school called App Academy doesn't charge tuition. Instead, it asks for a 15 percent cut of the student's first-year salary. Graduates who can't find jobs don't have to pay, but so far nearly all of them have." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGuy Spent $11,000 On A Coding ‘Bootcamp’ And Doubled His Salary

E-commerce in China: The Alibaba phenomenon

"On its way to becoming the world’s biggest economy, China is passing another landmark. Its e-commerce market is overtaking America’s. And one giant firm dominates the market: Alibaba, by some measures already the world’s largest e-commerce company. Last year two of Alibaba’s portals together handled 1.1 trillion yuan ($170 billion) in sales, more than eBay and Amazon combined. Yet despite such extraordinary success, many people outside China have barely noticed the rise of this privately held behemoth. That is about to change. Soon, the firm is expected to announce details of its initial public offering (IPO)." Continue reading →

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Aereo could bring down broadcast TV

"Could it really turn out that a company with a seemingly loopy business model -- capturing over-the-air TV signals and streaming them to subscribers over the Internet -- will be the thing that finally brings down the American broadcasting industry? Quite possibly. Chase Carey, News Corp.'s (NWSA) chief operating officer, said Monday that if the company in question, Aereo, is allowed to continue, his company's Fox Broadcasting, and all its affiliate stations, will stop broadcasting over the air and go all-cable. Those other networks, though, along with PBS and Fox, are fighting hard to put Aereo out of business. But so far, they're losing their legal argument." Continue reading →

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Bitcoin ATMs coming soon

"42-year-old media entrepreneur Jeff Berwick hopes to bring Bitcoin ATMs to a city near you soon. Berwick expects to put the first two ATMs in Los Angeles and Cyprus in the next two weeks and is choosing between several different retail locations in both areas. He added that orders are coming in by the hundreds from 30 different countries. Berwick will charge roughly $10,000 to ATM operators to maintain the machines and then split fees with those operators. So far, Berwick has used his personal savings to develop the software and build out the first prototype. He is currently hoping to raise between $1 million and $3 million in outside capital." Continue reading →

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Hunt for Dollars Sends Argentines Into the ‘Cave’

"As the government restricts access to foreign currencies, Argentines seeking hard-to-get dollars have been pushed into cuevas, or caves—clandestine operations where customers pay dearly to exchange pesos for greenbacks. Buying dollars for savings is banned, and authorities make only small amounts of foreign currency available for travel abroad. Travelers must submit an online request to the national tax authority just days before leaving. Businesses need government approval to import equipment and materials at the cheap official exchange rate. Dollar-sniffing dogs are posted at border crossings to catch those traveling with undeclared currency." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHunt for Dollars Sends Argentines Into the ‘Cave’

Rick Steves: Well Traveled

"What started out as a small European tour outfit has, over the years, grown into an enterprise of some 80 employees organizing tours, writing guidebooks, and producing the public television series and radio programs that make Rick Steves a welcome guest in millions of American homes. Having just gotten back from another day at the office, the author of Travel as a Political Act carefully considers the ounce of marijuana procured for this photo shoot as he plays selections from Les Miserables on the baby grand he’s owned since the days when he made his living as a piano teacher." Continue reading →

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Rick Steves: Well Traveled

"What started out as a small European tour outfit has, over the years, grown into an enterprise of some 80 employees organizing tours, writing guidebooks, and producing the public television series and radio programs that make Rick Steves a welcome guest in millions of American homes. Having just gotten back from another day at the office, the author of Travel as a Political Act carefully considers the ounce of marijuana procured for this photo shoot as he plays selections from Les Miserables on the baby grand he’s owned since the days when he made his living as a piano teacher." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRick Steves: Well Traveled

Rick Steves: Well Traveled

"What started out as a small European tour outfit has, over the years, grown into an enterprise of some 80 employees organizing tours, writing guidebooks, and producing the public television series and radio programs that make Rick Steves a welcome guest in millions of American homes. Having just gotten back from another day at the office, the author of Travel as a Political Act carefully considers the ounce of marijuana procured for this photo shoot as he plays selections from Les Miserables on the baby grand he’s owned since the days when he made his living as a piano teacher." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRick Steves: Well Traveled

Encryption and Privacy: Goodbye Copyright Laws

"Kim Dotcom really is his name these days. He had it legally changed. The federal government shut down his enormously profitable file-sharing business in 2011. It won’t shut down his latest version of file-sharing. His new company, Mega, offers 100% encryption. His company can’t crack it. The U.S. government can’t crack it — not at a price it can afford, anyway. So people can post movies, songs, or anything else on his site. You get 50 megabytes of free storage to start out. His lawyers can now say this: 'Our company will cooperate with the governments of the world. But, sorry, we have no idea what people are putting into their accounts.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEncryption and Privacy: Goodbye Copyright Laws