2017-06-30

a16z VC Marc Andreessen On Tech Valuations and More (podcast)



Marc Andreessen Answers the Tech Valuation Question | Bloomberg.com: "many investors don't grasp what's changed ..."
“We make our money on the ones that work and our reputations on the ones that don’t.”
Stock returns tend to be driven by a handful of big winners; for venture investors, it’s even more lopsided. Venture-capital funds typically have a 50 percent failure rate -- half of the investments lose money, with half of those being total losses. The third quartile breaks even, or returns two or three times their money over five to 10 years. The real action is in their top quartile, which can generate return on investments of anywhere from three- to 1,000-fold.
See also:

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DISCLAIMER

2017-06-29

Global Phishing Survey, New gTLD Domain Names, Malicious Registrations

graphic of APWG Global Phishing Survey major findings
source: APWG Global Phishing Survey, infra
"... the problem in the nTLDs [new generic top-level domains] are malicious registrations, made for the purpose of phishing. Of the 6,549 domains used for phishing in the 228 nTLDs, 86% (5,633) were registered maliciously ... 71% of those malicious registrations were found in just ten nTLDs [chart below] ... The TLD market is now more crowded and competitive than at any time in history, and some nTLD registries have been competing aggressively on price ..."--APWG, infra
Top ten nTLDs with malicious domain name registrations
source: APWG.org
APWG (Anti-Phishing Working Group | domain: apwg.org)  released its latest Domain Name Use and Trends report (embed below) on 26 June 2017:

"Some Key Findings in this report:
  • There were at least 255,065 unique phishing attacks worldwide. This represents an increase of over 10% from the 230,280 attacks we identified in 2015. An attack is defined as a phishing site that targets a specific brand or entity. A single domain name can host several discrete phishing attacks against different banks, for example.
  • The attacks occurred on 195,475 unique domain names. This is the most we have recorded in any year since we began these reports in 2007. The number of domain names in the world grew from 287.3 million in December 2014 to 329.3 million in December 2016.
  • Of the 195,475 domains used for phishing, we identified 95,424 domain names that we believe were registered maliciously by phishers. This is an all-time high, and almost three times as many as the number we found in 2015. A little over half of these registrations were made by Chinese phishers. The other 100,051 domains were almost all hacked or compromised on vulnerable Web hosting. This means that nearly half of all domains that hosted phishing sites were maliciously registered.
  • Seventy-five percent of the malicious domain registrations were in just four TLDs: .COM, .CC, .PW, and .TK. More than 90% of malicious domains were found in just 14 TLDs. Please see pages 16-17 for more detail.
  • We counted 679 targeted brands. This dropped from 783 in 2015. Phishers are still creating kits dedicated to attacking both popular targets and new targets.
  • Phishing occurred in 454 top-level domains (TLDs). Two-hundred twenty-nine (228) were new top-level domains launched since 2013." (emphasis added)
The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG)is a non-profit industry association focused on eliminating the identity theft and fraud that result from the growing problem of phishing and email spoofing. The organization provides a forum to discuss phishing issues, define the scope of the phishing problem in terms of hard and soft costs, and share information and best practices for eliminating the problem.

Global Phishing Survey: Domain Name Use and Trends in 2016 (embed below)


See also:


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DISCLAIMER

2017-06-28

EVIL GOOGLE: European Commission €2.42B (US$2.73B) Antitrust Fine

EU's Vestager Sees 'No Reason' Google Shouldn’t Comply

June 27, 2017: European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager discusses the EU’s antitrust case against Google and compliance from the company. She speaks with Bloomberg.com's David Westin on "Bloomberg Daybreak: Americas."

Graphic of Google Anti-Competitive Conduct using Google Search and Google Shopping
source: European Commission
"... Google has abused this market dominance by giving its own comparison shopping service an illegal advantage. It gave prominent placement in its search results only to its own comparison shopping service, whilst demoting rival services. It stifled competition on the merits in comparison shopping markets. Google introduced this practice in all 13 EEA countries where Google has rolled out its comparison shopping service, starting in January 2008 in Germany and the United Kingdom. It subsequently extended the practice to France in October 2010, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain in May 2011, the Czech Republic in February 2013 and Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Poland and Sweden in November 2013 .... 
"The Commission Decision requires Google to stop its illegal conduct within 90 days of the Decision and refrain from any measure that has the same or an equivalent object or effect. In particular, the Decision orders Google to comply with the simple principle of giving equal treatment to rival comparison shopping services and its own service:
Google has to apply the same processes and methods to position and display rival comparison shopping services in Google's search results pages as it gives to its own comparison shopping service.
"It is Google's sole responsibility to ensure compliance and it is for Google to explain how it intends to do so. Regardless of which option Google chooses, the Commission will monitor Google's compliance closely and Google is under an obligation to keep the Commission informed of its actions (initially within 60 days of the Decision, followed by periodic reports).
"If Google fails to comply with the Commission's Decision, it would be liable for non-compliance payments of up to 5% of the average daily worldwide turnover of Alphabet, Google's parent company. The Commission would have to determine such non-compliance in a separate decision, with any payment backdated to when the non-compliance started.
 "Finally, Google is also liable to face civil actions for damages that can be brought before the courts of the Member States by any person or business affected by its anti-competitive behaviour. The new EU Antitrust Damages Directive makes it easier for victims of anti-competitive practices to obtain damages.
"Other Google cases
The Commission has already come to the preliminary conclusion that Google has abused a dominant position in two other cases, which are still being investigated. These concern:
1) the Android operating system, where the Commission is concerned that Google has stifled choice and innovation in a range of mobile apps and services by pursuing an overall strategy on mobile devices to protect and expand its dominant position in general internet search; and
2) AdSense, where the Commission is concerned that Google has reduced choice by preventing third-party websites from sourcing search ads from Google's competitors.

"The Commission also continues to examine Google's treatment in its search results of other specialised Google search services. Today's Decision is a precedent which establishes the framework for the assessment of the legality of this type of conduct. At the same time, it does not replace the need for a case-specific analysis to account for the specific characteristics of each market.
Background
See also Factsheet. [embed further below]
Today's Decision is addressed to Google Inc. and Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company.
Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and Article 54 of the EEA Agreement prohibit abuse of a dominant position. Today's Decision follows two Statements of Objections sent to Google in April 2015 and July 2016.More information on this investigation is available on the Commission's competition website in the public case register under the case number 39740." 
[emphasis added]--European Commission - Press release - Antitrust: Commission fines Google €2.42 [US$2.73]  billion for abusing dominance as search engine by giving illegal advantage to own comparison shopping service (embed below):

Antitrust: Commission fines Google €2.42 billion for abusing dominance as search engine by giving illegal advantage to own comparison shopping service - Factsheet (embed below):

Shares of Alphabet Inc. on the NASDAQ: GOOGL and GOOG, traded lower on Tuesday, June 27, 2017.

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DISCLAIMER

2017-06-27

Adam Alter & Scott Galloway: Why Technology Is Irresistible (video)

Scott Galloway: Why Technology Is Irresistible

Video above published Jun 8, 2017, by L2inc.com: Adam Alter & Scott Galloway

Loser: All of us addicted to the numerous screens in our lives. Guest Adam Alter, NYU marketing professor and author of Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked, discusses what makes our devices so hard to put down.

(0:18) “Smartphone Addiction Tightens Its Global Grip,” Statista, May 2017. http://bit.ly/2qZSxFQ

(0:26) eMarketer, February 2016.

(0:31) “Dealing With Devices: The Parent-Teen Dynamic,” Common Sense Media, May 2016. http://bit.ly/1Y5Wcd5

Editor's Note: Phone addiction is a problem: "Phubbing" (a portmanteau of ‘phone’ and ‘snubbing’) occurs when conversation is interrupted by attention being given to a smartphone rather than the person you’re with. See What is phubbing and could it hurting your relationship? | whimn.com.au.

Video transcript via YouTube.com 



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DISCLAIMER

2017-06-26

Interview With Daron Acemoglu, Author of Why Nations Fail



Interview With Daron Acemoglu: Masters in Business (Audio) by Bloomberg View: Bloomberg View columnist Barry Ritholtz interviews Daron Acemoglu, Elizabeth and James Killian Professor of Economics at MIT. He is the recipient of several awards, including the 2005 John Bates Clark Medal. He is the co-author of "Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty" and among the most cited economists in the world.

Daron Acemoglu on Why Nations Fail:

Video above published March 23, 2012, by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

All the difference in the world | MIT.eduEconomists Daron Acemoglu of MIT and James Robinson of Harvard University have another answer: Politics makes the difference. Countries that have what they call “inclusive” political governments — those extending political and property rights as broadly as possible, while enforcing laws and providing some public infrastructure — experience the greatest growth over the long run. By contrast, Acemoglu and Robinson assert, countries with “extractive” political systems — in which power is wielded by a small elite — either fail to grow broadly or wither away after short bursts of economic expansion. “You need political equality to underpin economic prosperity,” says Acemoglu, the Elizabeth and James Killian Professor of Economics at MIT.




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DISCLAIMER

2017-06-25

News Review: ICANN59 Policy Forum, June 26-29, Johannesburg

News Review | ©2016 DomainMondo.com
Domain Mondo's weekly internet domain news review (NR 2017-06-25):

Features •  1) ICANN59 Policy Forum, 2) Other ICANN news - Holding ICANN Accountable, 3) Names, Domains & Trademarks, 4) ICYMI, 5) Most Popular.

 1) ICANN59 Policy Forum | Johannesburg | June 26-29
ICANN59 Schedule--"ICANN59 will be ICANN’s second ever Policy Forum. This four-day meeting will be focused on sessions which are core to current policy development work and outreach"--no official opening ceremony, no public forums. The pre-ICANN59 Policy Report embed below:

  • Note the Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice Review Team (CCT Review Team or CCTRT) meeting in Johannesburg on 24-25 June. More info here.
"... even with this huge threat [GDPR] looming over it, ICANN still can’t handle the data protection issue wisely and fairly. All of its efforts to prepare for the crisis reveal the same bias that got it into the problem to begin with. ICANN’s internal efforts involve only registries and registrars – the supply side of the industry – and not registrants .... [ICANN] blog [post by Akram Atallah and Theresa Swinehart] says that ICANN has formed an internal task force “comprised of senior leaders and subject matter experts” to focus on this important matter. Who is on this task force? Just contracted parties (registries and registrars), other registries and ICANN staff ... Not a single representative of domain name registrants, not a single privacy advocate, not a single data protection authority was allowed on the panel. And when we say “not allowed,” we mean it. The person responsible for organizing the session, Peter Vergote of Belgium’s .BE registry, was repeatedly asked to include a registrant representative on that panel. In particular, the name of privacy advocate Stephanie Perrin, an internationally recognized privacy expert, winner of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Pioneer Award, and someone familiar with the workings of ICANN, was put forward. Vergote refused ...."--How ICANN is manipulating its GDPR discussions | InternetGovernance.org by Milton Mueller (link and emphasis added)

2) Other ICANN news: 
a. Holding ICANN Accountable:
What is taking ICANN CFO Xavier Calvez so long (see embed below) to respond to Domain Mondo's inquiry of May 28, 2017? Perhaps "hiding" compensation of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of ICANN, a 501(c)(3) non-profit California corporation, is something that neither the IRS nor the California Attorney General condones? However, it may speak "volumes" of how ICANN is really run and what ICANN leadership really thinks of the global public interest, accountability, and transparency. As I have said before, with ICANN (like dead fish), the rot starts at the top.


b.  ICANN's dysfunctional Centralized Zone Data Service (CZDS) and Registry Operator Monthly Activity Reports | Advisory and Recommendations (pdf) from ICANN's SSAC (Security and Stability Advisory Committee):
"Top level domain (TLD) zone files are vital resources for performing Domain Name System (DNS) research, security research, and anti-abuse operations. The stated goals of the Centralized Zone Data Service (CZDS) program were standardization and easy, reliable operations for participants who have a requirement to access these zone files ... after three years of operation, community members have documented problems where the CZDS does not deliver on these objectives. Policy and process difficulties prevent subscribers from gaining and then maintaining reliable access to zone files. These problems affect the ability of subscribers to perform research and security functions that benefit the public interest. Furthermore, certain registry metrics related to zone files and WHOIS queries are being reported in an inconsistent fashion. This advisory details these problems and recommends improvements."
source: SSAC SAC097
The above "recommendations" are all based upon minimal common sense, which begs the question: where is ICANN's bloated and overpaid management? Asleep or just incompetent?

c. WS2 Dashboard 23Jun17 final.pdf "this version was rushed for ICANN 59, statistics cover 6-01 thru 6-23 only, not the full month."

d.  Information for Domain Name Registrants | ICANN.org June 20, 2017. How to find these resources on the ICANN website--"RESOURCES" drop-down menu to "Domain Name Registrants":
See also: Informed and Active Domain Name Registrants are Essential for a Secure and Stable DNS | ICANN.org

3) Names, Domains & Trademarks
•   Update: Systemic Copyright Alternative Dispute Resolution (SCADR) Policy | pir.org June 20, 2017: "... the feedback we have received to date indicates that this solution lacks sufficient support from our stakeholders. Accordingly, PIR will not implement the SCADR."

•  Afnic Study: The Global Domain Name Market in 2016 | afnic.fr: Country code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs) experienced zero growth in 2016. Overall market growth in 2016 was 7.1%, down from 11.7% in 2015.

•  Of course, most know of the decline in new gTLD domain name registrations in 2017:
Source: ntldstats.com In just 3 months, new gTLD registrations have declined by 2.5 million
ICANN's Theorem of Greed + Incompetence = Choice & Innovation has been proven FALSE.

•  Thinking of Moving Your Website To A New Domain Name? It can (and probably will) take 3 months (or more) for Google Search to pick up all the changes, in the meantime your website will  lose traffic, customers, business and $$, no matter what that SEO guru or new gTLD huckster told you--SERoundTable.com.

•  US Supreme Court (pdf) says in the U.S., a disparaging remark is free speech and can be a registered trademark. See also: SCOTUS Strikes Down Disparaging Trademark Ban | foxrothschild.com.

•   Questions Mount Over Future Of IP [Intellectual Property] | ip-watch.org.

4) ICYMI Internet Domain News:

5) Most popular post (# of pageviews Sun-Sat) this past week on DomainMondo.com: 

-- John Poole, Editor, Domain Mondo 

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DISCLAIMER

2017-06-24

Tech Review: Uber ex-CEO Travis Kalanick & Silicon Valley Culture (videos)

Tech Review (TR 2017-06-24)--Domain Mondo's weekly review of tech news:

Features • 1) Uber ex-CEO Travis Kalanick & Silicon Valley Culture, 2) Ant Financial is an AI company, 3) Cisco Live 2017 Las Vegas Keynote, 4)  Amazon Web Services | AWS re:Invent 2017, 5) Google for Jobs, 6) FTC vs DraftKings-Fanduel merger, 7) ICYMI Tech News.

1) Uber ex-CEO Travis Kalanick & Silicon Valley Culture (videos)

The Rise and Fall of Uber's Controversial CEO:

Video above published Jun 21, 2017: Bloomberg Profiles looks at the story of Uber's Travis Kalanick and how he went from UCLA dropout to CEO of the world's most valuable technology startup.

The Story Behind Travis Kalanick's Ouster as Uber CEO:

Video above published Jun 22, 2017: Matt Cohler and Peter Fenton, partners at venture capital firm Benchmark, hand-delivered a letter urging Travis Kalanick’s resignation as Uber's CEO, people familiar with the matter said. Bloomberg's Eric Newcomer reports on "Bloomberg Technology."

Uber Technologies Inc. is a US-based technology company headquartered in San Francisco, California, operating in 570 cities globally. It develops, markets and operates the Uber car transportation and food delivery mobile apps. The company is a privately-held VC-backed "unicorn" having raised about $11.56 billion from 16 rounds of venture capital and private equity investors.

Principal domain: uber.com

Uber’s Lesson: Silicon Valley’s Start-Up Machine Needs Fixing | NYTimes.com"... this was a clear failure of oversight — of investors, boards of directors, partners and anyone else who could have altered Uber’s course and clearly failed to do so. Overlearning the lesson of Steve Jobs’s first fall at Apple — and of founder-led hyper-successes at Google and Facebook — Silicon Valley’s investors created a culture where founders are given carte blanche, their pronouncements and tactics elevated to the level of divine infallibility."--Farhad Manjoo.

See also:

Other Tech News:

2)  The Chinese Finance Giant That’s Secretly an AI Company"The smartphone payments business Ant Financial is using computer vision, natural language processing, and mountains of data to reimagine banking, insurance, and more."--MIT TechnologyReview.com

3)  Cisco Live 2017 Las Vegas Broadcast | CiscoLive.com:  Opening Keynote by Chuck Robbins, CEO, Cisco, Monday, June 26, 10:30 am PDT

4)  AWS re:Invent 2017 | Amazon Web Servicesregistration now open for the world's largest global cloud computing conference, 27 Nov - 1 Dec 2017; campus: ARIA, Encore, MGM, Mirage, The LINQ, The Venetian in Las Vegas, NV (US).

5) Google for Jobs--The World’s Largest Job Board: "search something like “jobs near me” or “restaurant jobs in Chicago,” you’ll be ushered to a new part of Google Search that falls under the umbrella Google for Jobs."--fastcodesign.com

6) The FTC, jointly with the Attorneys General in California and the District of Colombia, is attempting to block the DraftKings-Fanduel merger--TechCrunch.com.

7) ICYMI Tech News Quick Takes:

-- John Poole, Editor, Domain Mondo  

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DISCLAIMER

2017-06-23

Ex-Goldman Sachs Tech Exec Paul Walker Joins OpenFin Board

OpenFin: A Secure HTML5 Container for finance

Video above published Dec 8, 2015: OpenFin is the Leading Provider of HTML5 Container Technology for the Global Financial Industry. Built on Google Chromium and tailored for financial firms, OpenFin is a powerful HTML5 engine that enables seamless desktop deployment, native experience and application interoperability. The world’s largest financial institutions and trading platforms use OpenFin’s patented technology to deploy applications both in-house and to over 250 buy-side and 40 sell-side customers.


OpenFin-- "A Common Operating Layer for Financial Desktop Apps"--OpenFin software allows banks and hedge funds to create and upgrade trading applications quickly. OpenFin is used by 40 of the world's largest banks and trading platforms, currently powering applications on 125,000 desktops. The company has raised $22 million in capital, including a $15 million venture capital second round in February, led JPMorgan, Bain Capital Ventures and Euclid Opportunities. See also Ex-Goldman Sachs tech executive Walker joins OpenFin board | Reuters.com"What got me excited about OpenFin is how they're making technology work across our industry to increase security and speed."--Paul Walker

Domain: OpenFin.co

@openfintech


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DISCLAIMER

2017-06-22

Stanford Seed Profiles of Purpose: Africa’s Silicon Valley (video)

Profiles of Purpose: Africa’s Silicon Valley

Video above published Jun 20, 2017, by Stanford Graduate School of Business: Ehi Binitie, co-founder of Rancard (domain: rancard.com), shares his journey of solving phenomenal problems that many parts of the world never get to see. Rancard Solutions Limited headquarters: Accra, Ghana.

See: Stanford Seed | Stanford Graduate School of Business | gsb.stanford.edu"Seed, the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies, is working to end the cycle of global poverty."

Profiles of Purpose video playlist:

Profiles of Purpose playlist above:
  1. Profiles of Purpose Intro: The Problem Solvers  4:44
  2. Yes She Can  4:14
  3. Putting Safety on the Front Burner  3:45
  4. The Art of Transformation  4:55
  5. Africa’s Silicon Valley  4:06
  6. How to Feed a Nation  4:55
  7. The Boy from the Streets  3:45
  8. A Business with Soul  3:43
  9. An Ace Entrepreneur  4:19
Stanford Seed
Stanford University
655 Knight Way
Stanford, CA 94305

Stanford Seed East Africa
Nairobi, Kenya
Stanford Seed East Africa is registered as Stanford University Global LLC - Kenya Branch.

Stanford Seed West Africa
Accra, Ghana
Stanford Seed West Africa is registered as Stanford University Global LLC.

Stanford Seed India
Chennai, India
*Stanford Seed India is registered as Stanford India PLC.


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DISCLAIMER

2017-06-21

Net Neutrality and the Economy: Investment, Jobs, Consumer Protection

Net Neutrality and the Economy:

LIVE at 2:00pm EDTJune 21, 2017. Presented by NewAmerica.org and InternetAssociation.org.

Net Neutrality and the Economy: How the FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules Promote Investment, Create Jobs, and Protect Consumers.

The Federal Communications Commission’s 2015 net neutrality rules were a landmark achievement for consumer rights online and the United States economy. Whether it’s large internet companies, up-and-coming digital platforms, or small businesses that rely on online services to reach customers, nearly every company in some way uses the power of the internet. The net neutrality rules, which prohibit broadband companies from blocking, throttling, and creating online “slow lanes,” are crucial for economic development, job creation, and serve as a democratizing force for communication.

The FCC’s recent decision to move forward on a proposal to repeal the net neutrality rules brings an urgent need for civil society, consumer advocates, and companies large and small to fight to retain the rules that were secured two years ago.

Without the net neutrality rules, a small number of broadband companies would become gatekeepers of the internet economy and control how every American uses the internet.

FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn will give opening remarks. Panelists include representatives from the business and public interest communities who will discuss the economic benefits that stem from the net neutrality rules. New America’s Open Technology Institute and the Internet Association present this two panel discussion about the importance of net neutrality for consumers and small businesses.

Agenda:
2:00 pm: Introduction
Sarah Morris, @sarmorris
Senior Counsel & Director of Open Internet Policy, New America’s Open Technology Institute

2:05: Opening Remarks
Mignon Clyburn
, @MClyburnFCC
Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission

Michael Beckerman
President and Chief Executive Officer, Internet Association

Kevin Bankston
, @KevinBankston
Director, New America’s Open Technology Institute

2:30 pm: Presentations and Discussion: Unpacking the economics of net neutrality and broadband investment

Dr. Christopher Hooto
n, @Hooton_Chris
Chief Economist, Internet Association

Matt Wood
, @mattfwood
Policy Director, Free Press

Libby Watson
, @libbycwatson
Tech Policy Writer, Gizmodo

Moderator
Noah Theran, @NoahTheran
Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications, Internet Association

3:15 pm: Panel Discussion
: Understanding the full range of net neutrality benefits

Michael Cheah

General Counsel, Vimeo

Julie Stitzl
, @julie_stitzel
Senior Manager, Federal Advocacy and Policy at Etsy

Anika Navaroli, @AnikaNavaroli
Senior Campaign Manager, Media and Economic Justice at Color of Change

Rachel Wolbers
, @rachelwolbers
Policy Director, Engine Advocacy

Moderator:
Sarah Morris, @sarmorris
Senior Counsel & Director of Open Internet Policy, New America’s Open Technology Institute

4:00 pm: Open Mic Session and Q&A
4:45 pm: Reception and close

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DISCLAIMER

American Technology Council Roundtable & Broadband Hearing (video)

President Trump Participates in the American Technology Council Roundtable June 19, 2017:

Video above published Jun 19, 2017, by WhiteHouse.gov. See Presidential Executive Order on the Establishment of the American Technology Council.  See also: White House wants to create new surge of tech startups | FoxBusiness.com: “We will foster a new set of startups focused on [government] tech and be the new global leader in the field, making government more transparent and responsive to citizens’ needs,” said Kushner, who serves as senior advisor to the president and leads the Office of American Innovation.

Defining and Mapping Broadband Coverage in America

U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee | Communications and Technology Subcommittee Hearing Wednesday, June 21, 2017, at 10:00am EDT on “Defining and Mapping Broadband Coverage in America.”  For background: https://www.broadbandmap.gov/technology


Witnesses:

Mr. Doug Brake
Senior Telecommunications Policy Analyst, Information Technology & Innovation Foundation
Witness Statement  and  Truth in Testimony and CV

Mr. Bryan Darr
CEO, Mosaik

Mr. Brent Legg
Vice President of Government Affairs, Connected Nation
Witness Statement  and  Truth in Testimony and CV

Ms. Carol Mattey
Principal, Mattey Consulting LLC
Witness Statement  and  Truth in Testimony and CV

Dr. Robert Wack
President, Westminster City Council, Westminster, MD
Witness Statement  and  Truth in Testimony and CV

Documents: Hearing Notice  and  Background Memo

Related Content:
#SubCommTech to Examine Challenges and Opportunities to Achieve Nationwide Broadband Coverage  Jun 14, 2017 Press Release


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DISCLAIMER

2017-06-20

How Amazon Is Disrupting Retail & Changing Consumer Shopping (video)

Scott Galloway - How Amazon is Dismantling Retail

Video above published Apr 17, 2017, by L2inc.com: Scott Galloway speaks at L2’s Amazon Clinic about how Amazon is disrupting retail. Not only has Amazon changed consumer shopping habits, it has changed the relationship between shareholders and investors. Investors are no longer satisfied with steadily growing profits; instead they seek fast growth and strong vision – even at the expense of profitability. See video for insights on the future of brand, Alexa’s effect on households. See also: I’m in Awe of How Fast Brick-and-Mortar Retail is Melting Down | Wolf Street.com and The Global Impact of Amazon's Whole Foods Acquisition (videos) | DomainMondo.com.
"Amazon expects to reduce headcount and change inventory to lower prices and make Whole Foods competitive with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other big-box retailers, according to a person with knowledge of the company’s grocery plans. That included potentially using technology to eliminate cashiers. An Amazon spokesman denied any job cuts were planned."--Bloomberg.com
Infographic: The Billion-Dollar Race for Streaming Supremacy | Statista Source: Statista Apr 10, 2017
Infographic: Amazon Excels on Home Turf | Statista Source: Statista, Feb 22, 2017
Infographic: Amazon Has Yet to Crack the Chinese Market | Statista Source Statista Feb 22, 2017

Transcript:


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DISCLAIMER

2017-06-19

The Global Impact of Amazon's Whole Foods Acquisition (videos)

The Global Impact of Amazon's Whole Foods Acquisition

Video above published Jun 16, 2017: Bloomberg.com's Caroline Hyde takes a look at the global impact of Amazon.com, Inc.'s $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods Market Inc. (wholefoodsmarket.com). She speaks with Bloomberg's Emily Chang on "Bloomberg Technology."

NASDAQ: AMZN
What the Amazon Deal Means for Food Delivery Startups

Video above published on Jun 16, 2017: Bob O'Donnell, President of Technalysis Research (technalysisresearch.com), and Bloomberg's Ellen Huet discuss what Amazon.com Inc.'s purchase of Whole Foods Market Inc. means for tech startups. They speak with Bloomberg's Emily Chang on "Bloomberg Technology."

Why the Amazon Deal Is a Seismic Shift in the Industry

Video above published Jun 16, 2017: Scott Mushkin, Wolfe Research (wolferesearch.com) senior retail analyst, discusses Amazon.com's Inc.'s $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods Market Inc. He speaks with Bloomberg's Julia Chatterley and Joe Weisenthal on "What'd You Miss?"

Berkowitz Says Amazon Deal Shows Need for Physical Stores

Video above published Jun 16, 2017: Bruce Berkowitz, founder of Fairholme Capital Management, (fairholmefunds.com) comments on Amazon.com Inc.'s $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods Market Inc. during an interview with Bloomberg's Erik Schatzker.

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DISCLAIMER

2017-06-18

News Review | New gTLD .AFRICA: ICANN Motion for Summary Judgment

News Review | ©2016 DomainMondo.com Domain Mondo's weekly internet domain news review (NR 2017-06-18):

Features •  1) .AFRICA: ICANN Motion for Summary Judgment, 2) Other ICANN news: a. Cure for ICANN Dysfunction, b. Realm of the Absurd, c. Who was arrested at ICANN? d. Public Comment Reports: .NET, new gTLDs, e. Fake Profiles at ICANN, f. ICANN Dept of Dysfunction, g. ICANN jurisdiction "coup from the top", h. Holding ICANN Accountable (IRS Form 990), i. ICANN Board Public Session,  3) Names, Domains & Trademarks, 4) ICYMI, 5) Investing: Donuts & Rightside $NAME, Neustar $NSR, 6) Most Popular.

 1) DotConnectAfrica Trust v. ICANN et al
“… DCA and Ruby Glen [Donuts affiliate] breached their agreement not to file a lawsuit against ICANN arising out of their [new gTLD] applications, as set forth in the Covenant [Covenant Not to Sue in the Applicant Guidebook].  The district court in Ruby Glen dismissed Ruby Glen’s complaint [re: .WEB] at the Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) stage because of the Covenant. Likewise, because DCA’s claims all pertain to the “processing and consideration of” a new gTLD [.AFRICA] application, DCA’s lawsuit is barred under the Covenant …”--ICANN's motion for summary judgment, p. 23, set for a hearing on August 9, 2017.

2) Other ICANN news
a. Cure for ICANN Dysfunction:
 Sheryl Sandberg on Organizational Failure
 Sheryl Sandberg on Organizational Failure
b. Realm of the Absurd
"Any Charter that recognizes GoDaddy as a closed brand, rather than a Registrar, has truly ventured into the Realm of the Absurd."--James Bladel, GoDaddy V.P., Global Policy, and Chair of the GNSO Council.
[council] FW: [RrSG-Members] GoDaddy Status and Resignation: "I’ve recently been notified that GoDaddy is not eligible to hold office under the current RrSG [ICANN Registrar Stakeholder GroupCharter, due to our having executed Specification 13 for the [new gTLD] .GODADDY Registry Agreement. While Specification 13 is not explicitly listed as a disqualification in our Charter, it contains provisions that are equivalent to Specification 9, which is called out as a disqualification under Section 4.3.6. I was not aware that our adoption of Spec 13 would also encompass Spec 9, and thus make GoDaddy (and by extension, me) ineligible to hold office. We have no immediate plans to launch .GODADDY, and the only active registration currently is NIC.GODADDY, and any Charter that recognizes GoDaddy as a closed brandrather than a Registrar, has truly ventured into the realm of the Absurd. But rules are rules, so… I’m hereby offering my resignation from the GNSO Council for the remainder of my term (ending at ICANN 60 Abu Dhabi in November). Should the ExCom & Members wish to retain me in office until the conclusion my term, I would be happy to do so on an interim basis, and stand for a special vote, as described under Section 4.3.7. Additionally, GoDaddy will not nominate or run any candidates for office under the existing Charter, and will not cast votes for any pending elections, or on the FY2018 RrSG Budget, or any other votes until our new Charter is adopted."--James Bladel, June 13, 2017. Postscript: "I (Bladel) have resigned my elected office as Councilor, but have been appointed by the Registrar ExCom to continue to serve in an interim basis until a Special Election can be held. On the whole, the net impact of all of this on the Council is….not much. My status changes from “elected” Councilor to “appointed” Councilor for the next few months, but I don’t see that this change necessarily affects the Council, or its work, or our upcoming election calendar."

c. Security Update - Los Angeles Office | ICANN.org: "On Tuesday, June 13, 2017, a person was taken into custody on ICANN’s premises in Los Angeles, CA, unrelated to ICANN’s operations. We are aware and are investigating.  We will provide an update as we learn more and as appropriate." [Editor's note: The police arrested someone at ICANN headquarters in L.A.]

d.  Public Comment Reports: 
(1) Report of Public Comment Proceeding (pdf) on Proposed Renewal of .NET Registry Agreement"As a next step, ICANN organization intends to consider the proposed renewal of the .NET Registry Agreement taking into account the comments added to the forum. Following the completion of the public comment process, the proposed renewal of the .NET Registry Agreement will be considered by ICANN's Board of Directors."
(2) Staff Report (pdf) of Public Comment Proceeding GNSO Community Comment 2 (CC2) on New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process;

e.  Fighting Fake Profiles on icann.org | ICANN.org"... To ensure the integrity of content on icann.org, and to mitigate the risks from fake or spam profiles, we have decided that the best short-term solution is to turn off the public aspect of profiles. This change will take effect on 23 June 2017. This temporary fix will afford us the time to work on a better solution, while ridding the site of inappropriate and obscene content. We have already deleted 6,000 of the most egregious and obvious fake profiles." See ICANN Profiles.

f.  From the ICANN Department of Dysfunction: 09 June 2017 unsigned letter from anonymous "members" of RySG [Registry Stakeholder Group] to Steve Crocker and Göran Marby (pdf) [published 12 June 2017] requesting the ICANN Board set a date certain now (before prerequisite reviews and planning are even near completion) for the "next round" of new gTLDs.

g. ICANN Jurisdiction (WS2)--from the CCWG WS2 public mail list--"It gives me no pleasure to report that a coup from the top was achieved at yesterday's call based meeting of the jurisdiction sub-group. The CCWG and sub group chairs together simply decided that the CCWG jurisdiction sub-group will no longer discuss the jurisdiction question, however paradoxical and comical it sounds. What they actually proclaimed was of course more circuitously worded -- something like, people can discuss the jurisdiction question as long as it is not, even by any distant implication, about any change in the jurisdictional status quo!! Wonder, what really then is the jurisdiction issue that they can discuss, but then Orwell did tell us a lot about such political speak ..." (emphasis added). Read more of the thread here:
CCWG Accountability Mail List Thread re Jurisdiction

h. Holding ICANN accountable re: FY16 Form 990: Still no response from ICANN since the June 1, 2017, acknowledgement:
Dear Sir,  As the signatory of the ICANN Form 990, I have been provided with your question on this document. I hereby acknowledge receipt of your email and question, and thank you for your time and effort in reviewing this document and inquiring about it. Your question and its upcoming response further enhance the transparency on this document. I will submit your email and question for publication on the “Correspondence” page of our website. Our response will also be published on this page, and you will be notified of such publication as soon as it will have occurred.--Xavier Calvez, ICANN CFO, 12025 Waterfront Drive, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90094
i.  ICANN Board to Hold Public Session During Johannesburg Workshop | ICANN.org"The session, Board Review of the FY18 Final Budget, will be held on Friday, 23 June, from 15:15 – 16:45 (13:15 – 14:45 UTC)." More info at link above.

3) Names, Domains & Trademarks


4) ICYMI Internet Domain News Quick Takes 

5) Investing
•  Form 8-K EX-99.1"Rightside and Donuts Announce Definitive Merger Agreement Donuts to Acquire Rightside for $10.60 Per Share in Cash Transaction Valued at Approximately $213 Million ... The transaction ... is currently expected to close during the third quarter of 2017. Following the transaction, Rightside will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Donuts, a privately-held company, and Rightside’s common shares will no longer be listed on any public market."
NASDAQ: NAME (June 14, 2017 chart belownote share price: (a) $15.85 August 1, 2014, right after spinoff of Rightside from Demand Media; (b) Closing price $12.09 July 27, 2016; and (c) $10.60 all cash tender offer via Donuts June 13, 2017, shares closed up Wednesday, June 14, 2017.
 $NAME stock chart June 14, 2017

•  Neustar (NYSE: NSR) Form 8-K June 12, 2017: "As previously reported, on December 14, 2016, NeuStar, Inc. (“Neustar”) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Aerial Topco, L.P. (“Parent”) and Aerial Merger Sub, Inc. (“Merger Sub”) ... On June 12, 2017, and in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement, Neustar extended the Outside Date from June 14, 2017 to September 14, 2017. On June 12, 2017, Neustar received written notification from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”) that it will not take action to prevent the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement from being consummated. Receipt of the written notification from CFIUS satisfies one of the conditions to the closing of the Merger, which remains subject to the receipt of approval from the Federal Communications Commission and the satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions. Neustar continues to expect the Merger to be completed no later than the extended Outside Date."

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