It’s no secret Apple, one of the most valuable public companies in the world, is making major cash off today’s tech gadgets — but how much?

This week, the company reported a record net profit of more than $13.6 billion for its quarterly report lasting 14 weeks and ending Dec. 31, 2011. Apple’s income is 207 times the average annual salary for a U.S. worker. A rumored summer release of the iPhone 5 will help keep the money flowing in this year for the more than $400 billion company.

“We’re thrilled with our outstanding results and record-breaking sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs,” Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said in a statement. “Apple’s momentum is incredibly strong, and we have some amazing new products in the pipeline.”

Cook alone raked in $378 million last year, naming him the highest-paid CEO. In the past three months, Apple brought in four times more profit than Walmart, the world’s largest retailer.

It seems unimaginable to see how far $400 billion could be used. The infographic below puts into perspective Apple’s monetary power and influence around the world. First off, $400 billion could cover 42% of the United States if dollar bills were laid flat across the South.

Apple could pay off the public debt of eight European Union countries. Apple could also write $6,622,516 checks to each of its employees before exhausting its fortune. More than $97.7 billion of Apple’s money is in cash reserves, and two-thirds of the money is stored offshore.

How could Apple’s money be better spent? Should Apple spend more money on its China suppliers to improve working conditions for workers?

Infographic created by MBA Online; Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, wdstock

More About: apple, infographic, ipad, iphone, ipod, tim cook

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“Harley Davidson Motorcycles. Handpicked By The Establishment.”

Advertising Agency: McCann-Erickson, UK Creative Director: Vince McSweeney Art Director: Shaun Loynds Copywriter: Vineet Raheja Photographer: Martin Brent Post production: Martin Brent

It’s not always clear how Facebook apps interact with the data you share on the social network. Are they allowed to broadcast it? Sell it? Compile it in a way that you never intended?

“When you turn all Platform applications off, your User ID is no longer given to applications, even when your friends use those applications,” says a portion of Facebook’s privacy policy. “But you will no longer be able to use any games, applications or websites through Facebook.

Simply, should you choose not to share with apps at all, they are taken away from you. If you want to use some, but limit their functionality, you have to carefully customize your privacy settings in order to ensure your information is used appropriately. With the Open Graph, which can push any information to your Facebook page without explicit permission each time, it becomes more of an imperative.

Here are seven things you may not realize that Facebook knows, and is using to interact with your friends or advertisers. Concerned about what you share on the social network? Be sure to check the Apps You Use in the Privacy Tab to ensure that you have full control of your privacy in a way that makes you feel comfortable.

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1. Where You’ve Been

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You’ve always kept your location up to date on Facebook, ensuring everyone knows when you change cities — but you’re not interested in geotagging. Watch out, because your exact location can still be picked up by Facebook and broadcasted.

One of the more prominent design features in Facebook’s new Timeline is the “Maps” feature, which gathers the meta data from a user’s location and prominently displays check-ins, life events, photos, and the like on the map. The issue is, for those who aren’t necessarily keen on sharing discrete location details, this feature is virtually unavoidable. According to Facebook’s privacy policy: “We receive data from the computer, mobile phone or other device you use to access Facebook. This may include your IP address, location, the type of browser you use, or the pages you visit.” This data is collected every time, even when a friend of yours has GPS turned on and tags you in a picture she’s uploading from her mobile phone.

Even if you’re stringent about your whereabouts not making it to a highly visible plane, Facebook has already gathered data from you retroactively, ensuring that every time you’ve changed your city location — or listed your home town– it will show up on the map as well.

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2. What You’re Listening To

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You just downloaded Spotify and you’re really excited to get started. You signed up and were asked to link to Facebook before launching the app, so you clicked the boxes and everything seems ready. But don’t click play on that MC Hammer track just yet…

Since September, Spotify has required that new users sign in through Facebook, thanks to a partnership forged after the music giant hit the U.S. Essentially, anytime a regular Spotify user turns on the app and clicks play, whether via desktop or through mobile, the app can beam information right into Facebook and broadcast it to friends without prior notice. In response to major backlash, Spotify now includes a “Private Listening” mode, which blocks sharing immediately to Facebook. However, it will turn off after a restart or an extended period of time.

The only way to circumvent the compulsory posting is to turn it off permanently in both places. Spotify’s desktop app does have a “turn off publishing to Facebook” within its settings, but the only way to ensure posting does not occur is to revoke Spotify’s publishing abilities within Facebook apps.

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3. When You’re Creeping

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That girl you met at the event you went to last week. Your ex from college. Your worst enemy from middle school. Odds are, they’re all on Facebook, and you can’t resist the urge to creep. Just remember that Facebook is watching, too.

Naturally, anything you do on Facebook is seen and gathered by Facebook, and creeping on people is no exception. Facebook specifically tracks all clicks done within its platform in order to better tailor an experience for the user. Do you ever wonder why certain people show up in your feed, while others are hardly ever reported on? That’s your creeping doing its work. Visit your frenemy’s page enough times, and he or she will end up gracing your feed more often than you may like.

Don’t worry, Facebook does not specifically share this data with other users, though it will assume that this person is important in your life. Marking someone as a VIP can lead to their appearances more often in your advertisements or apps in addition to the extra face time on the feed.

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4. Where You Run

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Social running is all the rage these days, and you’re ready to load up your iPhone with RunKeeper, connect it to Facebook and get to stepping. But there’s more, and it has to do with that sneaky little GPS…

Runkeeper is one of the poster children for Facebook’s new “frictionless” user experience. A social network for avid (and aspiring) runners, Runkeeper packs sophisticated technology usually reserved for GPS watches and other athletic gear into a handy iPhone application and has the option of linking material to Facebook. Except, with the Open Graph, linking gives companies an opportunity to simply push all of the info that they collect into a user’s Timeline. And in this case, that means valuable GPS data.

Say that you go on a run with Runkeeper around the park. The GPS data routes the run you made and then pushes it to Facebook so your friends can see where you’ve been and for how long. This may not be much of a problem for you, but what if one day you forget to turn off Runkeeper and go to work? Anywhere you go from that point on is at risk of becoming common knowledge among your social circle, which can be unnerving at best and dangerous at worst. Runkeeper does a great service for those motivated for fitness, but in participating in the Open Graph, the information is fair game.

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5. Your Saturday Night Plans

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Your local bar is having a comedy night, and you have to RSVP on Facebook to get on the guest list. But when you click “Attending,” your plans can be broadcast to your social network — whether you realize it or not.

One of the trickier features of Facebook is the “sponsored stories” section, which is a particular form of advertising. Companies can sponsor particular Facebook actions, called “stories,” that double as advertising for a brand. However, this also means that your information could be used as an advertisement for another brand.

“Sponsored Stories” are a possibility every time you like a brand or location or respond positively to a public event. When you do this, companies can tap into your friends and let them know that you like or are attending an event — with the hopes of getting them involved, too. Liking a brand or attending its event automatically makes your information available for brand ambassadorship, and you can become an advocate for the event or the brand without implicitly signing up.

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6. When You’ve Slacked on Your Diet

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You have a Fitbit and you’re ready to get your connected fitness in gear. You allow your account to connect with Facebook so you can broadcast your successes to friends and family, but the Open Graph does change things.

Fitbit is not currently on Facebook’s list of fully-adopted Open Graph apps, but its potential (and partnership with Runkeeper) can create quite an issue for users who are concerned about privacy. The nuances of Facebook’s Open Graph mean that everything is done for the user as soon as permission is granted, rather than approving every singular action within an app. Combine that with an app that already makes those decisions for you, and the possibility of sharing information you actually don’t want to share is high.

The key issue with Fitbit is that it already uploads very personal information automatically whenever the portable device is near its connected docking station. Combined with Open Graph, data could be broadcasted to friends without even logging into Facebook.

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7. What News Articles You Just Read

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A friend read an article that catches your eye through the Washington Post Social Reader. You click on the title and realize that the app requires permission before linking to the article. You may think little of it and click through to the article, but Facebook watches as you keep reading.

The main news app that has adopted Facebook’s Open Graph structure is the Washington Post Social Reader. You may have already seen the app in your News Feed, highlighting some articles read by friends that could be of interest to you. However, if you’re interested in one of the articles, you’re going to have to allow the app to access your personal information.

That can be an inconvenience for some, but the real issue lies after you read that first article. Because of the app’s structure, you aren’t prompted whether you want to share a particular article with your peers. So, once you begin clicking around the Post’s website, all of your articles become fair game for posting onto someone else’s mini-feed. The result is, from that point forward, even without accessing the app directly through Facebook, your connection to your reading habits is already cemented and anyone can access it.

More About: apps, Facebook, facebook open graph, features, mashable, Open Graph, privacy, trending

Dennis Maitland takes urban photography to new heights by taking pictures of himself leaning down the side of rooftops in this daring new series.

Via: theinspirationgrid.com

This falls under the "Now, why didn't I think of that?" category. Mother and daughter fashion and design team from Iceland, Dimmalimm, did and call them "Stay On Coasters." Cute felt coasters that attach to the bottom of your wine glass, attractively absorbing any condensation the glass may leave on a surface. The coasters, which slip onto the base of your glass in two sizes, perform double duty - protecting surfaces and helping to distinguish ownership of the beverage. above: Hibiscus, Fest and Citrus are the three designs available. The wool/ rayon blend of coasters absorb condensation and can be hand washed and simply laid flat to dry. Three different designs and several different colors are available and sets can be mixed and matched. See their site for details regarding sizes and prices. Note: these are on sale for 30% off at Fab.com right now and for the week. If you aren't already a member, use the invite link below: http://fab.com/y06r4g

Don’t get upset - we’re not eating them, just admiring these adorable felines in their snuggly crescent shapes.

Via: metaphorlookout.files.wordpress.com

Via: funnycatsite.com

Via: pictures-of-cats.org

Via: great-pictures-of-cats.com

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via http://www.malikafavre.com/#2041949/CODE

Twitter‘s new approach to censoring tweets has users rallying around the hashtag #TwitterBlackout — a call to boycott the microblogging service Saturday.

The change lets Twitter withhold content on a country-by-country basis, when a government deems the tweets inappropriate. Rather than wholly removing the content from the site, it will now only be blocked locally.

“When we receive a request from an authorized entity, we will act in accordance with appropriate laws and our terms of service,” a Twitter spokesperson told Mashable Thursday.

Many users have expressed dissatisfaction with the change. Tweets have been streaming in, in various languages, Friday with the #TwitterBlackout hashtag.

Anonymous has also supported the blackout. One of its tweets read: “SPREAD THE WORD #TwitterBlackout I will not tweet for the whole of January 28th due to the new twitter censor rule #Twitter #J28″

On the other hand, as Mashable‘s Josh Catone argues in this column, this change could be good — not bad — for activists. Instead of blocking tweets globally, they’ll only be blocked within specific countries.

Check out the video above to learn more about the boycott. And tell us in the comments: will you be participating in the blackout? Do you think Twitter’s new method of blocking tweets makes sense?

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, SimmiSimons

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Fan boy Dogan Can Gundogdu made this dark and visceral sequence — feels like I was watching the opening to Se7en. The real “Dark Knight Rises” doesn’t drop until July 20th.

Via: firstshowing.net

Today, twitter gave us the most intricate cake made to look like breasts I’ve ever seen. (It also has Dane Cook’s name and face on it, too.) Plus, Jenny McCarthy’s youngest fan, and achy-breaky Billy Ray Cyrus is apparently a fan of My Morning Jacket.

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What’s got six legs and goes great roasted with potatoes during the Super Bowl? This lamb that was just born in the tiny village of Velistsikhe, Georgia.

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CBS has shown the door to the blogger who tweeted an erroneous report of legendary Penn State University football coach Joe Paterno’s death last weekend.

Blogger Adam Jacobi wrote on Friday, “I had an awesome 17 months with CBSSports.com. I’m sorry to everyone, most importantly the Paterno family, for how it ended.”

He followed it with this message:

In the end, CBS had to let me go for the Paterno story going out the way it did, and I understand completely. Thanks, everyone, for reading.

— Adam Jacobi (@Adam_Jacobi) January 27, 2012

The fiasco began last Saturday when Onward State, an online publication run by Penn State students, tweeted that Paterno had passed away. The 85-year-old coach was previously reported — and confirmed — by many news outlets to be gravely ill with lung cancer and in the hospital.

The @OnwardState Twitter account posted this: “Our sources can now confirm: Joseph Vincent Paterno has passed away tonight at the age of 85.”

The story quickly spread online as an attributed rumor, while many news outlets held off on reporting it as fact. But CBSSports.com tweeted that “Joe Paterno has died at the age of 85.” The message was ostensibly sent by Jacobi, and did not name a source.

The false reports were soon debunked by the Paterno family. Joe Paterno died the next day.

Onward State‘s managing editor resigned from his position shortly after Paterno’s family denied the premature reports.

Jacobi’s dismissal announced Friday is not the first time CBS has cut ties with a blogger over erroneously tweeted reports. In September, blogger Shira Lazar was let go after tweeting that Steve Jobs had died. Jobs died the following month.

Media commentator Alan Mutter, who writes the blog Reflections of a Newsosaur and is a former newspaper editor and Silicon Valley CEO, said that the recent propensity of false reports like the one that cost Adam Jacobi his job are symptomatic of today’s perpetually in-motion news cycle.

“It’s been a great tradition in the news business to always want to be the first with the most, but the problem is that the traditional latency between news gathering and news production — the different editing layers and time it took to actually go to the press and things like that — is gone today, ” he told Mashable.

“The good news with tools like Twitter is that we have many more people contributing to the conversation,” Mutter said. “But if they’re wrong, or especially trying to mislead or missing the facts, then that’s the price we pay for instantaneous communication.”

What’s more important to you — the speed or accuracy of news delivery? Do you think people such as Adam Jacobi deserve to be fired, or do large publications like CBS deserve equal blame? Let us know in the comments.

More About: Media, sports, Twitter

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“The new 8-speed automatic transmission comes standard with the 1, 3 and 5 series.”

Advertising Agency: JWT, Netherlands Creative Directors: Massimo van der Plas, Joep de kort Art Director: Joep de Kort Copywriter: Massimo van der Plas Photographer: Simon Warmer Postproduction: Magic Group

Two years ago this Friday — Jan. 27, 2010 — Apple unveiled the iPad to the world. At the time, critics and analysts were quick to mock the name, criticize the devices shortcomings and predict that while the Apple name would sell the product, it wouldn’t create a new market.

Boy, were they wrong. The device was an immediate success, quickly becoming the fastest-selling gadget of all time.

Even those of us who were bullish on the iPad have had our expectations blown out of the water.

As a company, Apple just had its most successful financial quarter ever and sold 15.4 million iPads. Apple CEO Tim Cook says he can envision a time when the tablet market will be larger than the PC market, at least in numbers of units sold.

Looking at the trends in computing — especially with the rise of Ultrabooks — the merging of the tablet and the computer into one device certainly seems possible. Some Windows laptop makers are already attempting such a hybrid, with mixed success.

Two years after its introduction, the iPad has not only created the modern tablet market, it has had a transformative effect on publishing, education and entertainment. The rate at which the iPad has become a widely-adopted piece of technology — from the car service in my neighborhood to hospitals to airlines — is staggering.

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Why the iPad Matters

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I was discussing with a friend the changing nature of entertainment, and the role that the iPad has had in convincing networks and content producers to embrace the future.

I remarked that the iPad is the first device that has shown what can happen when you meld the TV and the computer. The size, touchscreen and supported applications has turned the iPad from a simple consumption device to something much more robust.

Two years ago, I watched Steve Jobs unveil the iPad. My reaction: This is the future. Two years later, I’m even more convinced. This is why the iPad matters. No other device in memory has had the ability to integrate into so many different worlds so quickly and will so little resistance.

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All Hail the King

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Over the last two years, plenty of so-called “iPad Killers” have entered the market. Very few found success. The Kindle Fire, the first product to significantly undercut the iPad on price while matching its content ecosystem, has garnered a decent amount of interest — especially at Best Buy. But as Apple’s first-quarter figures showed this week, it’s not eroding iPad sales.

Android is the leading platform on mobile. But on the tablet, the number of optimized apps are still extremely low. I’d be surprised if there were as many tablet-specific apps for Android now as there were for the iPad at its launch.

This isn’t to say that competition is impossible. With Windows 8 and the Metro UI, Microsoft has shown that it has some chops. Still, as Marco Arment is fond of pointing out, “we still don’t know if there is a tablet market. We know there is an iPad market.”

The iPad represents the cornerstone of the next era of computing, both for Apple and for the industry. Here’s to many more years of disruptions.

More About: apple, ipad, Opinion, steve jobs, tablets

via http://www.iheartmyart.com/post/7793522155/yoon-du-jin-protecting-body-suit-series

President Barack Obama spoke this week in the State of the Union message about creating "an economy built to last." Who could argue with this admirable goal? It's one all Americans should be able to get behind. But unfortunately, there's a major obstacle to making progress toward it: the judgment capacity of the US Congress.

The two of us have been thinking a lot in the past year about how some organizations manage to be decisive—and wise—consistently over time. Our book, Judgment Calls: Twelve Stories of Big Decisions and the Teams that Got Them Right, comes out in March. Perhaps needless to say, none of those twelve stories features the US Congress as a hero of organizational judgment. In fact, it's got to be one of the worst decision-making bodies on earth right now.

Consider the evidence: several weeks spent debating whether to pay our bills or not; "kicking the can down the road" for a couple of months on the payroll tax reduction issue; spending lots of energy on silly things (like HR 1022—"The Buffalo Soldiers in the National Parks Study Act"). And how about 23 short-term extensions of funding for the FAA since 2007—the latest one, passed yesterday, funding it for all of 3 weeks!

Dysfunction on this level is an inconvenient truth for us, given the advice we give organizations. We urge enterprises not to rely on the wisdom of a lone "great man" chief executive, but rather to create decision-making processes that incorporate data, diverse perspectives, and due deliberation. These would seem to the hallmarks of Federal legislation.

The question, then, is why these aren't enough to make Congress work. What's wrong with its decision-making processes?

Well, perhaps a blog post does not afford the room to answer that question. But here at least are six things—chosen because they might prove instructive to other organizations—that are impairing the lawmakers' judgment.

1. Party-based factions: One of the findings from decision-making research is that, while debate is conducive to good outcomes, hardened factions definitely are not. And Congress, of course, has factions in spades. Thus, as Congress becomes more factionalized along party lines (with fewer and fewer moderates willing to cross the party aisle), it becomes less effective at making decisions.
2. Selfish money motives. Total spending on congressional races will likely top $2 billion this year, a new record. And the new SuperPACs are likely to distort decision-making in Congress as they are distorting the campaigns for the Republican presidential nominee.
3. Poor processes. The Congress has engineered itself a set of incredibly poor processes for decision-making. The Senate is particularly guilty here; a simple majority of votes in that body can accomplish almost nothing. A dizzying array of holds, pocket vetoes, and delaying tactics complete the picture.
4. Lack of accountability. US citizens disapprove of Congressional job performance by over 80% in most polls, but gerrymandering of electoral districts has made most senators and representatives relatively invulnerable to cross-party challenges. Over 90% of Congress's members were reelected in 2010.
5. Unclear roles and responsibilities. Despite a couple of hundred years to get it right, there still isn't agreement on which powers are held by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches in the U.S. Witness the most recent hubbub about whether Richard Cordray's recess (sort of) appointment to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was constitutional or not.
6. Little inspiration to change. Just as Congress has become more factionalized, so has the rest of the country. One might argue that Congress's dysfunctionality is mirroring—or at least responding to--that of the rest of the citizenry. Fewer and fewer people seem to want to listen to the other side and cooperate with them to help the country move forward.

It's a daunting list. We can only hope the same factors don't threaten your own organization's judgment. The only good news here is that there seems to be consensus that there is a problem: Almost everyone—even those in Congress—agrees the institution is broken

So here's an idea: why not convene a "blue-ribbon commission" to help the two houses make better decisions? And since Congress itself is unlikely to decide on passing the required changes, why not make the commission's recommendations binding? That's the only way that Congress was able to raise the debt ceiling. It may be the only way to raise the ceiling on its organizational judgment.

The formerly pint-sized pop star recently showed off some skin a sexy photo shoot for Vibe Magazine. Sadly for her, adult JoJo looks an awful lot like teenage Lindsay Lohan, which can’t be a great sign for the girl’s future. Also: could this be the world’s most unflattering dress?

Via: popoholic.com

Via: popoholic.com

Via: popoholic.com

Via: popoholic.com

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On the first day of the season, TNT aired the “NBA Forever” commercial, and it was perfect. Since then, a few skilled fans created versions on YouTube showcasing the history of their teams. Are there enough NBA fans with video editing game out there so that every team can get a remix? Note: This is a thinly veiled call-to-action for basketball lovers to make more of these videos immediately.

The Original

Featuring Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors' song "Live Forever" - a song I could listen to 30 times if it meant watching "NBA Forever" commercials for 30 NBA teams.

Source: youtube.com

The Golden State Warriors History

Created by YouTube user Kjestrada, and featuring Warrior greats such as Jamaal Wilkes, Wilt Chamberlain, Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway, and those classic "The City" uniforms. As a franchise, I couldn't care less about Warriors and watching this gave me chills.

Source: youtube.com

The Sacramento Kings History

I care even less about the team history of the Sacramento Kings, but again, a riveting tribute (courtesy of YouTube user MrMan6577). However, no clips of Oscar Robertson? Tiny Archibald?

Source: youtube.com

Then Someone Created One For Ohio State Basketball...

Not the NBA, but certainly no less awesome and no less compelling. (Well done, YouTube user tedwardoginn)

Source: youtube.com

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Can you name the superhero based solely on their predominant color? Artist Gidi Vigo created a series of hyper minimalist posters with nothing but a superhero's Pantone color match, now converted into a nerdy graphic design quiz. Answers at the bottom!

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No matter how Novak Djokovic does during the final at the 2012 Australian Open , he'll always be my number 1. Also, he looks good shirtless.

In the water. [via]

Posing for Vogue. [via]

Licking his lips. [via]

Staring at you intently. [via]

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