Jeff Stibel's Blog, page 7
July 25, 2013
What Biological Networks Tell Us About Business Networks
Now that Breakpoint has been released I’d like to tease to you with some of the insights unleashed in the book.
Hunky Ant
You’re probably wondering why there’s a hunky ant in our promo video. I can’t give it all away (I’ve got to lead you on a little bit) but I’ll give you a little something:In Breakpoint, author Jeff Stibel explains that “science and history give us a guide for just around everything.” Ant colonies, as such a stable network formed of such simple organisms, model this concept well. In fact, a collective ant colony has the same number of neurons as the human brain and consequently functions similarly. All networks follow the same pattern–let it be the neuronal network of your brain, the social network of facebook, or a network of ants
For more insight on how ant colonies, and biological networks in general for that matter, relate to business networks, get your copy of Breakpoint!
The post What Biological Networks Tell Us About Business Networks appeared first on Breakpoint Book.
Being #1 Feels Pretty Great
It has only been two days since the official release of Breakpoint and we are ecstatic about the wonderfully warm response. Thank you to all our incredible fans and supporters who have gone out and purchased the new book. The book is now #1 on Amazon’s Best Sellers list for Internet & Web Culture!
Keep checking here for more updates as we keep climbing the Amazon Best Sellers list for all books.
The post Being #1 Feels Pretty Great appeared first on Breakpoint Book.
July 22, 2013
Seagulls Get ‘Drunk’ on Flying Ants
With incurable diseases such as Huntington’s, Scientists have now realized that the rates of proteostasis may be the clue in figuring out why certain nerve cells die. Proteostasis is the biological machinery dominating the environmental movements of the cell. By studying this, scientists learn that recycling in cells helps the brain.
A study using rat cells indicates that quickly clearing out defective proteins in the brain may prevent loss of brain cells.
Seagulls Get ‘Drunk’ on Flying Ants
There have been multiple sightings of inebriated seagulls in southwest England. Known as “anting”, these birds flail around acting, as some say, like drunk birds. And unlike alcohol making humans drunk, can you guess what animal causes seagulls to act drunk?
Seagulls in southwest England are getting ‘drunk’ off the formic acid in the bodies of flying ants, creating a nuisance of themselves.
Google Now Serves 25 Percent of North American Internet Traffic
With a jump from 6% to 25% persuasion is key in Google’s huge leap forward in taking over the North American internet traffic. To handle this amount of growth google is expanding like crazy and now has data centers on four different continents.
Everyone knows Google is big. But the truth is that it’s huge. On an average day, Google accounts for about 25 percent of all consumer internet traffic running through North American ISPs. That’s a far larger slice of than previously thought, and it means that with so many consumer devices connecting to Google each day, it’s bigger than Facebook, Netflix, and Instagram combined.
How Microsoft SkyDrive Is Making Cloud Storage Less Painful
With people’s data needs increasing by 50% every year, and the capacity of device capacity only increasing by 25% there is a clear issue confronting the amount of data storage a person can have. That is why Microsoft has fallen in love with the idea of Cloud Storage. Through the Microsoft SkyDrive they make cloud storage a lot easier for anyone to use to the cloud.
With Windows 8, Microsoft integrated SkyDrive more deeply into the Windows experience, making it easy to save documents and providing a pre-loaded SkyDrive app. In Windows 8.1, the integration advances to the next level; SkyDrive becomes the default place to save new documents.
The Man Who Helped Hire Marissa Mayer Resigns From Yahoo Board
Dan Leob certainly took advantage of his many roles and opportunities laid out for him at Yahoo. After making great appointments, such as helping hire Marissa Mayer, raising huge inflows for the company and much more, Leob is now retiring form Yahoo and hopefully Yahoo will continue to grow and follow in the footsteps of Leob’s ways.
Dan Loeb won. Loeb, an activist shareholder and member of Yahoo’s board, was largely responsible for pushing out one of Yahoo’s CEOs and hiring current CEO Marissa Mayer, boosting the company’s stock in the process. Now, he has agreed to sell back most of his shares and resign from the board with a hefty profit.
The post Seagulls Get ‘Drunk’ on Flying Ants appeared first on Breakpoint Book.
One Day to Go! Read the Reviews Before the Release – Updated
UPDATE: The book is now available on Amazon! We are thrilled about the thoughtful and positive reviews we have already received.
Just last night, Elaine Pofeldt from Forbes praised “Many of us instinctively know that bigger isn’t better…Breakpoint offers some interesting insights into the natural forces behind this, and how entrepreneurs can respond, while still building their businesses to an ideal size.”
The book finally launches tomorrow! We are beyond excited for the book to be widely available for everyone to read and enjoy. Get prepared for the big official launch with these wonderful reviews:
Kirkus Reviews enthusiastically proclaimed that the book “offers a provocative view on the future of the Internet” and eloquently expressed the quality of Jeff Stibel’s writing in two words, “Lucid and authoritative.”
Mary Whaley from the Booklist Online kindly and earnestly declared Breakpoint “a fascinating book with important ideas for a wide range of library patrons.”
Be sure to keep checking the “Reviews” section of our site for updates!
The post One Day to Go! Read the Reviews Before the Release – Updated appeared first on Breakpoint Book.
One Day to Go! Read the Reviews Before the Release
The book finally launches tomorrow! We are beyond excited for the book to be widely available for everyone to read and enjoy. Get prepared for the big official launch with these wonderful reviews:
Kirkus Reviews enthusiastically proclaimed that the book “offers a provocative view on the future of the Internet” and eloquently expressed the quality of Jeff Stibel’s writing in two words, “Lucid and authoritative.”
Mary Whaley from the Booklist Online kindly and earnestly declared Breakpoint “a fascinating book with important ideas for a wide range of library patrons.”
Be sure to keep checking the “Reviews” section of our site for updates!
The post One Day to Go! Read the Reviews Before the Release appeared first on Breakpoint Book.
July 2, 2013
Gold at the end of the Brainbow
It’s summer time and to a kid just out of school, it’s fun time. The last thing a kid wants to think about is school, books, teachers or projects. So how do you keep their brains sprightly throughout their exciting summer? Here’s a video with a few tips and ideas in keeping your child’s brain up and running throughout their summer vacation.
Middle school teacher Jessica Lahey and psychologist Jennifer Hartstein discuss the “summer slide”: kids losing months of learning over the summer. They share tips and book suggestions to get your kids reading this summer so they’ll do better when they return to school. (TODAY)
How the Rest of Us Can Build the Internet of Things
The amount of “things” connected through the internet remains endless and that’s where Ayla Networks sees the greatest opportunity. Ayla plans to connect “things” in as many ways possible in order to make “things” as simple as possible for it’s customers. See what Ayla Networks has already done and what they plan on doing in the future.
THE INTERNET OF THINGS Ayla The Internet of Things seems like a slam dunk if your perspective comes from roaming the halls of Google, Apple, Qualcomm or upstarts like Nest. Simply connect that “thing” to an Android or iPhone app and make it do what you want with a tap on a touchscreen.
Gold at the end of the Brainbow
15 neuroscientists have been given the task to map out every brain circuit. Difficult? Obviously, yes. Now add a 10 year time limit. See what these neuroscientists have to say about the challenge given to them by President Obama, and how difficult, yet interesting this assignment proves to be.
Imagine opening a computer and finding that the manufacturer hasn’t bothered to provide multicoloured wires in the tangle of cords. Now multiply that tangle of grey wires by 100m, unplug the power …
Traumatic Brain Injury May Raise Stroke Risk
New studies show that in the future, traumatic brain injuries may add an extra risk of stroke. After undergoing a traumatic brain injury, compared to those who just go through a trauma, people gain an extra 30% chance of experiencing a stroke.
Experiencing a traumatic brain injury could raise your risk of having a stroke in the future, a new study suggests. Researchers from the University of…
Mobile Web Problems and How to Avoid Them
At some point everyone runs into a web design problem or two. Here’s a full list of different problems one may endure and why it’s a bigger problem then you think. So learn a little! See what mistakes others have made before you, learn from them, and save yourself the hassle of fixing them in the future.
Lessons learned from two years of collecting screenshots of poor experiences on mobile websites. Direct Link to Article – Permalink Mobile Web Problems and How to Avoid Them is a post from CSS-Tricks
June 27, 2013
Are “Cheap” Carbs Really Like Drugs To Your Brain?
Beware of the “brain-eating amoebas” that roam in lakes throughout the US! Sounds scary, huh? These amoebas, commonly known as PAM, enter through your nasal passage and right into your brain. There it multiples and eventually kills about 3-8 people a year. Now it’s spreading further North in the US and researchers are beginning to worry. There’s no cure for this infestation of the brain, and it’s extremely hard to even diagnose. See where these amoebas are and were about they’re spreading to.
It’s a fatal infection without an effective treatment, and one that strikes in a decidedly gruesome manner: An amoebic organism lurking in water is inadvertently inhaled during a swim on a hot …
Babies Recognize Each Other’s Moods, Study Says
Looks like the show Rugrats was not just another fun kids show, but a portrayal of the scientific truth. Babies, starting at around 5 months, can communicate with other babies better than some adult could. They sense each others emotions and feelings, infants can understand what is going on. Here’s the study scientists conducted in order to find out the what’s going on. These little rugrats know more than we think.
Popsci
Babies know when other babies are behaving badly. Now if only they could scold each other… When I used to babysit my infant niece, I often panicked when she started to cry. Was she hungry? Tired? Cold? In need of a diaper change? I struggled to interpret her scrunched-up, tear-stained face.
Study: Are “Cheap” Carbs Really Like Drugs To Your Brain?
Are you addicted to “cheaper” forms of energy from your foods? That’s an odd thought, being addicted to food. Researchers conducted experiments on 11 over-weight men in order to see if these simple cravings some people may have come from the foods you eat, making them addictive behaviors. Check out this extremely interesting article to find out more about possible addictive foods.
Is sugar really like a drug to your brain? A new study suggests it may be so.
Reprogram Your Brain for More Success
Christine Comaford talks about how neuroscience can help you reprogram your brain to gain growth and prosperity instead of always playing it safe. She gives 6 main points on how you can reprogram your brain to get on the path to success.
I’m thrilled to have Christine Comaford as my guest today. She’s a global thought leader who helps mid-sized and Fortune 1000 companies navigate growth and change, an expert in human… Read the full post here “
Promising Alzheimer’s ‘drug’ halts memory loss
A new experimental approach in preventing memory loss and fixing damaged communication amongst brains cells is now showing positive results in mice. There is no other drug that has shown this particular effect on the central nervous system. This is a very exciting step forward in science and for the prevention of Alzheimers.
CHICAGO — A new class of experimental drug-like small molecules is showing great promise in targeting a brain enzyme to prevent early memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease, according to …
How to Drive More Facebook Traffic to Your Website
There are a few tricks on how to redirect facebook traffic straight to your businesses website. Using your domain is key, check out this article to see how to properly use the domain and tags throughout facebook.
Are you using Facebook ads to drive traffic to your website. Did you know that when people share your website content on Facebook, you can turn that shared content into a Facebook ad.
Why Does Growth Stagnate for Companies? For One Thing, It’s Natural
There are countless examples of companies whose life cycles can be represented by the adjoining graph. There is the period of rapid growth, after which the company hits a peak, then settles into a plateau or state of equilibrium. At this point, shareholders start to get worried, share prices go down, and everyone begins to speculate about the future of the company.
The following article explains why this process is natural, and almost essential for a long life cycle of any company. These periodic slowdowns are inevitable, though management can and should strive to make decisions that slow down the decline and reverse it quickly. In order to make these decisions, it is crucial to understand the forces responsible for slowing down these seemingly unstoppable companies.
Read more in this article by Ron Ashkenas: Why Successful Companies Stop Growing
June 25, 2013
Not Just Ants, Thieves Too Target Circuit Wires
Ants that make a statement. Yes, you read that right, leaf-cutter ants are now activists for themselves and for the World Wildlife Fund. Ants protested with leaves reading “Help now!”, “Save Trees” and many other phrases supporting the environment. Look here for the awards won and a video showing the protest itself.
CANNES, France-One of the biggest cheers at Saturday’s award ceremony here at Cannes Lions was reserved for the Grand Prix for Good winner, which amusingly and ingeniously harnessed the power of …
Can conservation biology save the planet’s biodiversity?
A new, innovative though coming from wildlife perservers and nature lovers is that wildlife needs room to grow and expand. It simply cannot be constrained to isolated parks throughout the world if it is expected to completely flourish. Different people share their views of what wildlife should look like, their experiences in wildlife, and some of the bumps along the road.
A new school of thought argues that wildlife needs land to roam — and that preserving isolated parks isn’t enough
Not just ants, thieves too target circuit wires
Now we’ve all heard of the “Twanny Crazy Ants” by now, but in case you have not, they are ants that will destroy your technology. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) have contracted a number of complaints about missing copper and auxiliary foils from signal boxes. 5 culprits have been detained and arrested for such actions.
RPF nabs a gang of thieves that would rip off copper and aluminium foils from circuits at railway signals and sell them to scrap dealers, causing disruptions in train services
Google Ventures and its investing tactics a new formula for venture capital business
A short synopsis of how Google approaches venture capital for business. Instead of taking it as an art form, Googles look at if from a science. The key is to collect data, organize and finally study the information, only the will money begin to emanate.
Here is how the venture capital game used to be played around here:
Are fungus-farming ants the key to better biofuel?
With climate change and global warming everyone is constantly trying find new ways to fuel our society’s needs. Although ants are not everyone’s favorites, fungus-farming ants may be the next answer in creating biofuel to keep society going. The chemical enzymes used by these ants to breakdown leaves, can also be used to breakdown corn byproducts that will make fuel.
A group of scientists discovered a chemical key that could revitalize corn-based ethanol by allowing it to be made from stalks, leaves, and other bits beside the cob itself. Turns out, the savior of ethanol could be the South American leafcutter ant.
June 24, 2013
How much can our brain store? GB..TB… or more?
According to Paul Reber, professor of psychology, Northwester University, the human brain consists of about one billion neurons. Each neuron forms about 1,000 connections to other neurons, amounting to more than a trillion connections. If each neuron could only help store a single memory, running out of space would be a problem. You might have only a few gigabytes of storage space, similar to the space in an iPod or a USB flash drive. Yet neurons combine so that each one helps with many memories at a time, exponentially increasing the brain’s memory storage capacity to something closer to around 2.5 petabytes (or a million gigabytes). For comparison, if your brain worked like a digital video recorder in a television, 2.5 petabytes would be enough to hold three million hours of TV shows. You would have to leave the TV running continuously for more than 300 years to use up all that storage.
Hollywood by Steven Wiltshire
The human brain has always been one of the most intriguing mysteries on earth. Meet Steven Wiltshire, also known as the human camera. When he was 11, he drew a perfect aerial view of London after a helicopter ride.
Watch this living camera in action in this amazing video, where he draws a panoramic view of the city of Rome from memory after a single hour long helicopter ride. Miracles such as Steven have been given several names throughout history. But it is only today that scientists are beginning to be able to watch the brain as it is thinking, to unravel the mysteries it holds.
