Why Yahoo is worth less than nothing

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A reader pointed out to me today that Yahoo, minus its Alibaba and Yahoo Japan stakes plus cash, is now worth less than nothing according to Wall Street. This says a lot about Yahoo but even more about Wall Street, since the core company is still profitable if in decline. If I were a trader (I’m not) that would argue Yahoo is a buy since there’s likely to be a future point at which the company will be free of those other riches and even Wall Street will be forced to give the carcass a positive value.

But when I heard about the negative value story the first thing that came to mind was something my old friend Joe Adler said long ago about one of my startups. "Your company is starting to have a stench of death about it", Joe said. And Joe was right.

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Western Digital acquires SanDisk in $19 billion deal

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Data storage company Western Digital is acquiring another data storage company, SanDisk, thus creating a true behemoth in the industry.

According to Western Digital, it has to shell out $19 billion (£12.3bn) for the acquisition, which means SanDisk’s stock is worth $86.50 per share (£55.9).

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Hulu brings James Bond to your TV, adds a second season of Casual

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James Bond is one of the longest running movie series of all time. From Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, Timothy Daulton all the way up to the present with Daniel Craig. The franchise has provided movie-goers with some of the greatest thrills to hit the big screen.

Now 007 is landing on Hulu beginning November 1st. Classics such as Live and Let Die, Goldfinger, Octopussy, A View to a Kill and number of others. The most recent in this release is 1989's A License to Kill.

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Will you pay Google $10 per month for ad-free YouTube Red? I sure as heck won't be

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Cord-cutters -- people that cancel their cable or satellite TV service -- often talk of the alternatives. Netflix and Hulu are two popular streaming video services, but don't forget about YouTube. If you are open-minded, you can actually discover a lot of great content on Google's video site . PewDiePie, for example, is brilliant; give him a chance, y'all.

Of course, the cool thing about YouTube is that it is free. Well, it does not cost money at least. You see, you pay by viewing the advertisements before, during, and after the content. The problem? Ad-blocking is rampant, so many viewers never even see these ads. Unfortunately, Google is launching a paid option called "YouTube Red" (ugh, terrible name). I know what you are thinking -- why is it unfortunate to have choice? Well, it is a slippery slope. If it proves popular (I don't think it will be), the search-giant could start charging for more services -- maybe as the only option. Google historically offers free services through advertising. This moves makes me wonder if the search-giant's "free" business model is realistically sustainable.

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What’s really running on your PC? Part 1: Windows System Processes

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PC too slow, possible malware infection, just not behaving as it should? Then you'll probably launch Task Manager or something similar to figure out what’s going on.

Sounds great, until you find 50 or more cryptically-named background processes and realize you’ve barely any idea what most of them do.

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Google's Amazon Problem

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I have long been a critic of the "Peak Google" argument because it is based on a flawed premise -- that deep engagement and consequently "brand advertising" are somehow a threat to Google's model of transactional engagement. While I strongly disagree with that line of reasoning, there are other threats that Google faces within the transactional realm.

Search advertising drives the vast majority of Google's revenue and the most profitable searches are frequently those that are made with the intent to purchase. These purchase-oriented searches are hardly monolithic but can broadly be categorized into B2B and C2B searches. C2B searches can be broken down further into products and services. Looking at taxonomy of transactional opportunities makes it clear that the threat from "deep engagement" is vastly overstated. Facebook is a great place to generate awareness but it's hardly a way to reach customers looking for something specific. Also, breaking down the gamut of transactional opportunities makes it easier to identify threats.

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Apple releases iOS 9.1, OS X 10.11.1 El Capitan, watchOS 2.0.1 -- here's what's new

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When Apple releases an update for iOS these days you can expect to find new versions of OS X and watchOS too. So, today, on top of making iOS 9.1 available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices, Apple is also bringing OS X 10.11.1 El Capitan to Macs and watchOS 2.0.1 to Apple Watch. So, let's take a look at what's new.

The common denominator between the three operating system updates is a refreshed collection of emoji, which now includes over 150 new items -- and, yes, the middle finger emoji is among them as the controversial photo above would suggest. But, probably, the most-awaited changes are under-the-hood.

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Windows 10 is a great platform for advertising

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The latest desktop buzz is about Windows 10, the new operating system from Microsoft that’s free to those who have Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. A lot of theories are going around about how Microsoft plans to monetize its software now that the company is giving it away.

Will it be a subscription like Office 365, will it go the advertising route or will it charge for extras, like playing Solitaire? It could very well be any of these options or all but one thing is certain; Microsoft needs to make money from its new and improved operating system.

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Microsoft's cheapest Surface Book is joined by a new dGPU model

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The Surface Book range just keeps on growing. After the initial launch, Microsoft added a 1TB model and today another makes its way to the Microsoft Store. Bringing the number of options up to seven, there is now a 128GB dGPU available.

This means that Microsoft now has a discrete GPU Surface Book in all four capacities: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. Apart from the addition of the dGPU, the specs are the same as the entry-level Surface Book, and $200 has been added to the price.

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Barnes and Noble releases waterproof NOOK GlowLight Plus

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Reading a book on a traditional tablet, such as the iPad, is a passable experience. However, a dedicated reader with an e-ink display is much superior for reading. Not only is it more comfortable for your eyes, but it works better in the sun too. Not to mention the super-long battery life.

While Amazon's Kindle e-readers are all the rage, Barnes and Noble's e-ink Nook models are great too. Choosing one over the other is more of a personal preference, really. Today, Barnes and Noble unveils the all-new waterproof NOOK GlowLight Plus with 300 dpi. Yes, you can safely read books in the bathtub or in the pool. This is a huge benefit.

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Scholarship scheme aims to attract new female developers

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We reported last month that women only make up 10 percent of the IT security workforce and there's similar under representation across the tech sector.

To address this, freelance developer network Toptal is announcing a scholarship scheme to support and empower women aspiring to become professional software engineers.

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Large number of businesses use Windows 10, claims security firm

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New research from end-point security software firm Avecto, conducted at this year's IP EXPO Europe event in London, has found that 54 percent of enterprises are already using Windows 10.

Microsoft’s latest and arguably greatest operating system has enjoyed a strong start to life, especially in the business environment where it is already making more headway than its predecessor Windows 8.

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Self-encrypting Western Digital drives have serious security flaws and backdoors

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Security researchers have discovered that a number of Western Digital drives -- including many My Passport and My Book devices -- are blighted with serious vulnerabilities that leave encrypted data stored on them accessible by attackers. The self-encrypting drives were found to be so insecure that it was possible to recover data without the need for the relevant password.

A paper published at the end of September provides details of how some Western Digital drives are susceptible to brute force type attacks, and there are even some models which store the decryption key on the drive. Western Digital would almost certainly rather people were talking about its purchase of SanDisk, but people are more likely to be interested in the company's seemingly terrible approach to security.

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Baby boomers spend more time online than millennials

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It's easy to assume that younger generations who have grown up with the internet spend more time online, but new research suggests that this isn't the case.

The 2015 State of the User Experience report from content delivery specialist Limelight Networks time spent online in the past year has dramatically increased, with 45 percent of respondents spending more than 15 hours a week on their laptop, tablet or phone.

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Samsung introduces a new IoT line of SmartThings devices

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The Internet of Things can be a mixed blessing. Sometimes all works as planned and sometimes things go terribly awry. Things are getting better, though. The trick is compatibility and we aren't there yet, but things keep improving and moving forward.

Now Samsung is beefing up its line of SmartThings products. This isn't new, but only improved. The company is doubling up its efforts, but others will need to adopt the standard, or any standard for that matter.

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