The hectic evacuation of the sinking cruise liner Costa Concordia has been compared with the likes of the disastrous Titanic disaster. In fact, Swiss survivors even told the newspaper La Tribune de Genève that Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On," the theme song to the 1997 film "Titanic," was playing in their dining room as the ship hit the rocks.So how do the two shipwrecks match up? While the loss of life on the Titanic was much worse than on the Costa Concordia, even the Titanic's poorly planned evacuation may have been less chaotic than the one off the Tuscan coast. By the numbers, here's a side-by-side look at the two cruise ship disasters:Date of wrecks: The Titanic went down on April 15, 1912. The Costa Concordia capsized on Jan.13, 2012.Size of ships: The Titanic was 882 feet and 8 inches long (268 meters) and had a tonnage of 46,000. The Costa Concordia was larger, with a tonnage of 114,500 and a length of 951 feet and 5 inches (290 m). The width of the Titanic was 92.5 … [Read more...] about Costa Concordia vs. Titanic: Do They Compare?
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India’s web professionals have digital opportunities worth $700 million: Report
NEW DELHI: There is some great news for the around 100,000 web professionals in India. According to a report the digital presence opportunity for them is $650-750 million. The report estimates that the opportunity for web professionals in mobile and web applications is the most significant. With 12 billion app downloads, India ranks second in mobile app downloads. This was highlighted in the report released on Thursday by Endurance International Group (EIG) and Zinnov Consulting. The report is titled “The Web Pro Ecosystem: The Catalysts to Unlocking India’s Digital Dividend”. The report provides an overview of the current digital transformation underway amongst small & micro businesses and the opportunities it opens up for web professionals, said a release. Web professionals collectively include web designers, developers, digital agencies, IT service providers and any business that helps other businesses get an online presence. The report estimates about … [Read more...] about India’s web professionals have digital opportunities worth $700 million: Report
French terror suspect reportedly streamed attack on Facebook Live
A 25-year-old Frenchman accused of killing two police employees outside Paris Monday night reportedly broadcast the attack on Facebook Live, according to reports in French media. The suspect, identified as Larossi Abballa, stabbed a police commander to death in front of his home Monday evening, before taking his partner and three-year-old son hostage. Security forces later stormed the home and killed the attacker. The son was rescued, but his mother, also a police employee, was found dead. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, which French President François Hollande described as "unquestionably a terrorist act." The slain police commander has been identified as Jean-Baptiste Salvaing, 42. Au début de son Facebook live, le tueur de #Magnanville commence par prêter allégeance à Abu Bakr al Bagdadi pic.twitter.com/HGRa946gpz — David Thomson (@_DavidThomson) June 14, 2016 David Thomson, a Paris-based journalist who specializes in … [Read more...] about French terror suspect reportedly streamed attack on Facebook Live
France’s alt-right has turned Pepe the frog into Pepe Le Pen
On November 10th, two days after the election of Donald Trump, a Reddit user posted an image to a subreddit for supporters of Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader running for president of France. “I understand you require memes,” the user, globalism_sux, wrote. “I bring you Pepe Le Pen. Rare, from across the pond.” The image attached to the post portrayed Pepe the frog as Le Pen — with long blond hair and a dark blouse — against a tri-color, French flag backdrop. In a comment on the post, the Reddit user called on others to “spread it far and wide.” As French magazine Les Inrocks reported last month, Pepe Le Pen has since spread across social media and forums like Reddit and 4chan, marking yet another permutation of what began as a harmless internet meme. During last year’s US presidential election, Pepe the frog became a mascot for the alt-right: the pro-Trump online movement that has been linked to white nationalism and … [Read more...] about France’s alt-right has turned Pepe the frog into Pepe Le Pen
This little translator gadget could be a traveling reporter’s best friend
If you’re lucky enough to get to travel abroad, you know it’s getting easier and easier to use our phones and other gadgets to translate for us. So why not do so in a way that makes sense to you? This little gadget seeking funds on Kickstarter looks right up my alley, offering quick transcription and recording — plus music playback, like an iPod Shuffle with superpowers. The ONE Mini is really not that complex of a device — a couple of microphones and a wireless board in tasteful packaging — but that combination allows for a lot of useful stuff to happen both offline and with its companion app. You activate the device, and it starts recording and both translating and transcribing the audio via a cloud service as it goes (or later, if you choose). That right there is already super useful for a reporter like me — although you can always put your phone on the table during an interview, this is more discreet, and of course a short-turnaround translation … [Read more...] about This little translator gadget could be a traveling reporter’s best friend