The fund will be headed by Roy Bahat, former president of IGN, an online gaming news site owned by NewsCorp. Called Bloomberg Beta it will operate as a separate legal entity from Bloomberg LP, and will be based in San Francisco. Bloomberg Beta will invest in early stage start-ups (Series A) as well as seed investment, but can also internally foster projects. The fund will use parent company Bloomberg LP’s fund to offer investments on nebulous start-ups, and VentureBeat reported it has already invested in start-ups Newsle, Nodejitsu, Codecademy, Errplane, and ProsperWorks. Codecademy, is a web site that provides online coding tutorials, and Newsle is a web service launched by Harvard grads which compiles news activity in social media circles. In the last month, the company has almost doubled its programming hours for Bloomberg West, the technology branch which reports on smartphones, cars, cyber security, and of course, start-ups. Many of Bloomberg’s technology reporters are based in San Francisco. The independent venture will focus on start-ups that are “producing insights from data” and “making the experience of work better,” according to a news release, reported by VentureBeat. Beta’s critics fear the cozy (and monetary) connection will give Bloomberg an advantage in its reporting, because start-ups could see investment as a free press pass. Bahat said Bloomberg News, will follow existing protocol on relationships between companies and journalists, which forbids the company to cover itself out of self-interest. “If an entrepreneur wants Bloomberg Beta’s money because they think they’ll have a higher chance of getting covered by a Bloomberg journalist, then they shouldn’t take our money,” Mr. Bahat said on Tuesday. “We were set up to have confidentiality protections, and we will only share when appropriate.” An industry leader in financial information, Bloomberg was accused of ‘snooping’ when a Goldman Sachs employee came forward with a complaint the company authorized excessive surveillance of customers through its data terminal. The New York Times Company has invested in some technology start-ups, and like Bloomberg, cite disclaimers when reporting on firms in which it has an interest. NYT Co lists the websites on their website and has a stake in Wordpress.com, a blogging website, Brightcove, an online video platform, and seven others. Recently Bloomberg ran Bloomberg Ventures, a similar venture capital project which helped incubate news businesses that could later be made into Bloomberg products. The investment vehicle is not currently operating. Karin Klein, a Bloomberg executive, and James Cham, from Trinity Ventures, will join as partners on the Beta fund. … Read More
Harvard conservative tries to gay-bash deceased economist Keynes
Controversial British expatriate author and Harvard professor Niall Ferguson said on Friday that economist John Maynard Keynes’ ideas were fundamentally flawed and lacked concern for future generations because Keynes was gay and childless. According to Financial Advisor magazine, Ferguson…
Harvard scientists successfully make fly-like robots that can hover, fly around
US scientists have devised tiny winged robots inspired by flies that could one day help pollinate crops or aid the search for survivors at collapse sites — once they get off the leash, that is. The prototypes by researchers at Harvard University weigh 80 milligrams and have managed short…
What you need to know about Gabriel Gomez
If a secret cabal of scientists designed the perfect politician for today’s GOP from the DNA up, it might look something like Gabriel Gomez, who won a GOP primary last night to face off against Democrat Ed Markey in a special election to fill the Massachusetts Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State John Kerry.The bilingual first-generation former Navy SEAL is a Harvard Business School graduate with a successful business career, some moderate political stances, and a penchant for running marathons. He crossed the finish line at the Boston Marathon just a few minutes before the bombs went off last month. While stationed in South America in the early 1990s he met his furutre-wife, who was working in the Peace Corps at a school for students with special needs. “I’m exactly what the American dream is all about,” Gomez said in an April GOP debate against two other Republican challengers.Continue Reading… … Read More
Reinhart & Rogoffs regnefejl
De seneste dage er der skrevet en del om datagrundlaget for sparepolitikken. (En introduktion kan findes her: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austerity). Den sparepolitik, der føres mange steder i verden idag har bl.a. sit fundament i Harvard-økonomerne Carmen Reinhart og Kenneth Rogoffs ’Growth In A Time Of Debt’… … Read More
En fejl i et regneark og vupti – en teori ligger i ruiner
Det var en studerende, som opdagede en basal regnearksfejl i to Harvard-økonomers analyse, der har dannet akademisk fundament for politikernes argumentation for nedskæringer i kølvandet på finanskrisen. Dette er historien om en banebrydende teoris fald … Read More
Human rights group seeks ban on autonomous ‘killer robots’
The New York-based Human Rights Watch has announced the creation of an international coalition, which it hopes can push for a global treaty for a pre-emptive ban on artificially intelligent weapons before they can be fielded in battle.These “killer robots,” as the group calls them, are not yet being operated by any army in the world, though the pace at which drone technology and robotics are advancing has led to speculation that they could be developed within the next few decades.According to Humans Right Watch, which cites a report it co-authored with Harvard Law School in November of 2012, a fully autonomous machine that could select and fire upon a target selected of its own volition could be available within 20 years, if not sooner.That report, entitled “Losing Humanity: The Case Against Killer Robots,” outlines the legal, ethical and policy concerns surrounding the development of self-directed weaponry. While in certain contexts advanced weaponry already possesses some semblance of “intelligence,” such as guided missiles or drones capable of adapting to battlefield conditions, present technology still requires human input, and in that sense involves basic humanitarian law.Leading the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots is Jody William, a Nobel Peace laureate for her efforts to enact a ban on anti-personnel landmines. She believes that exposure of the issue will bring about public opposition.”As people learn about our campaign, they will flock to it. The public conscience is horrified to learn about this possible advance in weapons systems. People don’t want killer robots out there,” William said in comments to the BBC.”Normal human beings find it repulsive,” she added.Already the use of semi-autonomous weapons, such as aerial drones, has led to mounting criticism over the legal processes behind both the selection of foreign targets, and also their unilateral use on foreign soil. More recently in the US, there’s been a heated debate over whether they should be used on American citizens at all.Current semi-autonomous technology at least requires a human operator, and in theory does not kill without proper authorization. As Human Rights Watch points out, the development of artificial intelligence-equipped machines presents a number of issues circumventing conventional law, and might even lead to an international arms race not unlike the one currently happening within the field of drone tech.For its part, a directive issued by the US Department of Defense in 2012 and quoted by the BBC has stated that weapons with a degree of autonomy “shall be designed to allow commanders and operators to exercise appropriate levels of human judgment over the use of force.”While in March of 2012, Lord Astor of Hever – the UK’s parliamentary undersecretary of state for defense – stated that the Ministry of Defence “currently has no intention of developing systems that operate without human intervention.”According to a report produced by the Teal Group, in 2011 its market study estimated that in the coming decade worldwide spending on drones will reach $94 billion, with countries such as China looking to quickly close the gap with US technology. … Read More
