2017

advertisement advertisement advertisement My mother enjoys a codependent relationship with Umbrella, the company that connects senior citizens with $20-hour “neighbors” who do all the tasks that people like my mom need: minor home repairs, tech help, furniture assembly, moving large items. advertisement advertisement IAC has taken note. Its ANGI Homeservices arm (in which IAC is majority shareholder, with over 80% ownership) recently acquired Umbrella for an undisclosed sum, the companies announced today, adding to its extensive portfolio of internet brands. As is fitting for these rainy times, the deal was negotiated via Zoom. Umbrella stormed onto the scene in 2017 as the brainchild of Harvard Business School grad and co-founder Lindsay Ullman, who previously spent a decade investing in and incubating other companies through Google Ventures and other firms. Members pay an annual $199 membership, and 75% renew. My mom likes Umbrella because the … [Read more...] about Exclusive: IAC’s ANGI Homeservices acquires Umbrella, the popular household-help service for senior citizens

advertisement advertisement advertisement Okay, quick, name the first ad to run during the Super Bowl! advertisement advertisement Of course you can’t remember. It doesn’t help that most brands have been teasing out or just flat out releasing their ads for weeks now, all trying to squeeze another drop of attention out of the entire spectacle. It’s easy to be a cynic, but there is no doubt that despite our eyeballs being inundated with tens of thousands of ads every day, we still all watch this game and actively pay attention—even look forward to—the commercials. It’s that one magical day a year for brands used to the exact opposite every other day on the calendar. This past year was a weird one, not the Super Bowl’s first, but you’d never really know it watching these ads. Not a mask in sight. Social distance . . . huh? Ah well, chalk it up to the fine art of escapism and a very real desire to avoid having made … [Read more...] about The best Super Bowl ad of 2021 (and 5 really bad ones)

advertisement advertisement advertisement Just in time for Valentine’s Day, here’s the big 2021 love story: Tesla and bitcoin. advertisement advertisement The electric-vehicle maker has invested $1.5 billion in the cryptocurrency. The information was revealed in Tesla’s annual report, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission this morning. In it, Tesla also revealed that plans to start letting customers use bitcoin to buy its products “in the near future.” The cryptocurrency news sent bitcoin’s price soaring to record highs. It shot up around 8 a.m. ET, peaking shortly before 9:30 a.m. at more than $44,000. Tesla’s stock also benefited from the announcement. It was $868.20 per share, up $15.97 or 1.87%, in mid-morning trading. advertisement “We believe our bitcoin holdings are highly liquid. However, digital assets may be subject to volatile market prices, which may be unfavorable … [Read more...] about Tesla invests $1.5 billion in bitcoin, sending the price soaring to new heights

advertisement advertisement advertisement The year 2020 broke disaster records across the country in destructive and expensive ways. The Atlantic had so many hurricanes, meteorologists ran out of tropical storm names for only the second time. Across the Midwest, extreme storms flattened crops and tore up buildings. Western states repeatedly broke records for their largest wildfires on record. Globally, it was tied for the hottest year on record. advertisement advertisement All told, in 2020 the U.S. had 22 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, six more than any previous year, NOAA announced on January 8. Such disasters affect millions of Americans and are particularly devastating for low-income communities and communities of color. They destroy homes, schools, and businesses. They put lives at risk. Families, communities, and taxpayers are paying the price, yet many of these losses could be avoided with smart policies. For example, the National … [Read more...] about Billion-dollar natural disasters hit the U.S. a record 22 times in 2020

advertisement advertisement advertisement An intruder accessed a computer network in Oldsmar, Florida, on Friday and apparently attempted to pump sodium hydroxide, or lye, into the city water supply, the Tampa Bay Times reports. advertisement A legitimate operator in the water-treatment system noticed the intruder changed settings to raise the sodium hydroxide concentration from 100 parts per million to 11,100, a potentially dangerous level. But the employee set the level back to the normal setting, so there was never any danger, officials say. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, along with federal agencies, are investigating the hack and have some potential leads, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Monday. Even if the hack had initially gone undetected, other failsafe systems should have noticed the alkaline chemical being added and prevented it from poisoning water users, officials said. Hacks targeting utility infrastructure have been relatively rare in the … [Read more...] about Report: A hacker tried to poison the water supply of an entire Florida city