Future War: Military satellite could stream live, ultra-zoomed in video of the Earth’s surface (Yahoo! News)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Yahoo! News – If you’re paranoid about eyes in the sky, a new project from the Pentagon’s zaniest department sure isn’t going to help you sleep at night. The Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (better known as DARPA) is at work developing a video-capable spacecraft …

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[unable to retrieve full-text content]Yahoo! News – If you’re paranoid about eyes in the sky, a new project from the Pentagon’s zaniest department sure isn’t going to help you sleep at night. The Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (better known as DARPA) is at work developing a video-capable spacecraft …

Occupy Wall Street, Unions Learn How To Work Together, Slowly

WASHINGTON — During a recent demonstration in Washington, D.C., several hundred progressives gathered on K Street were protesting the same outrage but had heated arguments over how to protest. Their differences were emblematic of a key conflict facing Occupy Wall Street today.

View original post here:

WASHINGTON — During a recent demonstration in Washington, D.C., several hundred progressives gathered on K Street were protesting the same outrage but had heated arguments over how to protest.

Their differences were emblematic of a key conflict facing Occupy Wall Street today. In its short three-month existence, the Occupy movement has received support and participation from prominent progressives, civil rights leaders, labor unions and other activists, perhaps more than the original protesters expected. But shared goals don’t necessarily mean shared methods. The very independent Occupiers are now struggling to figure out how to work fruitfully with more established groups.

On Dec. 8, a day that saw more than 70 arrests of protesters in the nation’s capital, two groups — one led by Occupy DC, the other by labor unions — demonstrated against the same target: high-dollar lobbyists. As several hundred protesters organized by the Service Employees International Union and OurDC marched down K Street, some self-appointed “safety officials” tried to keep the group within one or two lanes of traffic. When a few hundred Occupy DC protesters met up with them, the Occupy group quickly expressed opposition to the idea that they shouldn’t take up the entire street.

Occupy DC has consistently chosen to march in the street, with or without police blocking traffic, often walking directly against traffic and between cars. On that day, Occupy protesters decided to advance ahead of the mainly SEIU protesters and ended up shutting down several intersections on K Street, leading to a standoff with police for a few hours. At one point, the SEIU-lead group walked past and on to the White House and the Capitol. Occupiers tried to get the other marchers to stay and hold K Street with them, and a few arguments broke out.

Rob Fisher, an Occupy LA protester who had come to Washington on a bus with the SEIU, said there wasn’t a problem between the two factions, just a disagreement over tactics.

“We’ve all come to the realization that Occupy is a progressive movement that is seen as radical,” Fisher said. “These unions aren’t radical. And they’re much more controlled and much more dictated to.”

The next day at the tent city set up for Take Back the Capitol events on the National Mall, a teach-in was held to explain what Occupy Wall Street is all about to the non-Occupy protesters. People from Occupy sites in D.C., Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia and a few other locations met with organizers of Take Back the Capitol that week to discuss how the Occupy movement and labor unions could help each other.

Since the start of Occupy Wall Street, progressive groups and unions have embraced the protesters. At the Conference for America’s Future in early October, union leaders such as Richard Trumka, head of the AFL-CIO, and Van Jones, who is now leading the Rebuild the American Dream coalition, boasted about the momentum that Occupy Wall Street had. The crowd applauded wildly in approval.

DC Vote, Catholics United and National Nurses United regularly participate with Occupy DC on events. OurDC and Occupy DC have also worked together on a number of protests. In New York City, Mary Kay Henry, president of the SEIU, was arrested while participating in Nov. 17 demonstrations with Occupy Wall Street.

Although OurDC helped organize the Key Bridge demonstration on Nov. 17 with the American Dream coalition, media attention focused on the presence of Occupy protesters. James Adams of OurDC said he doesn’t mind who gets credit for the demonstrations.

“There is a flood of frustration that you see in the District and across this country, and it’s like a river cutting its way,” Adams said. “Anyone who wants to join is welcome.”

Michael Premo took part in planning meetings prior to the Sept. 17 birth of Occupy Wall Street. Before that, he worked with Organizing for Occupation, a group that strives to highlight the housing crisis. Organizing for Occupation and other groups joined Occupy Wall Street in taking over foreclosed homes on Dec. 6.

Premo said that progressives who had been targeting the same institutions at which Occupy Wall Street now aims have found a natural ally. And early on, they began seeking meetings with Occupy organizers to figure out how they could interact. For their part, said Premo, Occupy participants are pushing the older groups to move from traditional coalition building to movement work.

There’s a lot of excitement, said Premo. “Now that they know the political and social space has been created by Occupy for these ‘radical’ actions, they see the value and the transformative potential of the actions.”

Mike Rodriguez, a 28-year-old from California who participates in Occupy DC, has been involved in various left-wing protests for the past decade. He said he doesn’t see any need to worry about the Occupy movement being co-opted because the movement has taken new and different approaches.

For example, said Rodriguez, “the action the other night with the barn raising seems so out of left field for people to understand — even I have trouble understanding — that it almost seems way too theatrical to be considered status quo.” He was referring to the temporary construction of a barn-like structure at McPherson Square on Dec. 4.

Fisher argued that major change will only come if Occupy and labor unions work together, but he also believes that unions must be more than Democratic Party enforcers. They need to be “a protector and enforcer for the people,” he said.

“We will unify on our actions,” Fisher added. “Our desires are the same. It’s just the way to go about it is just two different ways.”

Earlier on HuffPost:

Occupy Wall Street, Unions Learn How To Work Together, Slowly

WASHINGTON — During a recent demonstration in Washington, D.C., several hundred progressives gathered on K Street were protesting the same outrage but had heated arguments over how to protest. Their differences were emblematic of a key conflict facing Occupy Wall Street today.

Read more:

WASHINGTON — During a recent demonstration in Washington, D.C., several hundred progressives gathered on K Street were protesting the same outrage but had heated arguments over how to protest.

Their differences were emblematic of a key conflict facing Occupy Wall Street today. In its short three-month existence, the Occupy movement has received support and participation from prominent progressives, civil rights leaders, labor unions and other activists, perhaps more than the original protesters expected. But shared goals don’t necessarily mean shared methods. The very independent Occupiers are now struggling to figure out how to work fruitfully with more established groups.

On Dec. 8, a day that saw more than 70 arrests of protesters in the nation’s capital, two groups — one led by Occupy DC, the other by labor unions — demonstrated against the same target: high-dollar lobbyists. As several hundred protesters organized by the Service Employees International Union and OurDC marched down K Street, some self-appointed “safety officials” tried to keep the group within one or two lanes of traffic. When a few hundred Occupy DC protesters met up with them, the Occupy group quickly expressed opposition to the idea that they shouldn’t take up the entire street.

Occupy DC has consistently chosen to march in the street, with or without police blocking traffic, often walking directly against traffic and between cars. On that day, Occupy protesters decided to advance ahead of the mainly SEIU protesters and ended up shutting down several intersections on K Street, leading to a standoff with police for a few hours. At one point, the SEIU-lead group walked past and on to the White House and the Capitol. Occupiers tried to get the other marchers to stay and hold K Street with them, and a few arguments broke out.

Rob Fisher, an Occupy LA protester who had come to Washington on a bus with the SEIU, said there wasn’t a problem between the two factions, just a disagreement over tactics.

“We’ve all come to the realization that Occupy is a progressive movement that is seen as radical,” Fisher said. “These unions aren’t radical. And they’re much more controlled and much more dictated to.”

The next day at the tent city set up for Take Back the Capitol events on the National Mall, a teach-in was held to explain what Occupy Wall Street is all about to the non-Occupy protesters. People from Occupy sites in D.C., Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia and a few other locations met with organizers of Take Back the Capitol that week to discuss how the Occupy movement and labor unions could help each other.

Since the start of Occupy Wall Street, progressive groups and unions have embraced the protesters. At the Conference for America’s Future in early October, union leaders such as Richard Trumka, head of the AFL-CIO, and Van Jones, who is now leading the Rebuild the American Dream coalition, boasted about the momentum that Occupy Wall Street had. The crowd applauded wildly in approval.

DC Vote, Catholics United and National Nurses United regularly participate with Occupy DC on events. OurDC and Occupy DC have also worked together on a number of protests. In New York City, Mary Kay Henry, president of the SEIU, was arrested while participating in Nov. 17 demonstrations with Occupy Wall Street.

Although OurDC helped organize the Key Bridge demonstration on Nov. 17 with the American Dream coalition, media attention focused on the presence of Occupy protesters. James Adams of OurDC said he doesn’t mind who gets credit for the demonstrations.

“There is a flood of frustration that you see in the District and across this country, and it’s like a river cutting its way,” Adams said. “Anyone who wants to join is welcome.”

Michael Premo took part in planning meetings prior to the Sept. 17 birth of Occupy Wall Street. Before that, he worked with Organizing for Occupation, a group that strives to highlight the housing crisis. Organizing for Occupation and other groups joined Occupy Wall Street in taking over foreclosed homes on Dec. 6.

Premo said that progressives who had been targeting the same institutions at which Occupy Wall Street now aims have found a natural ally. And early on, they began seeking meetings with Occupy organizers to figure out how they could interact. For their part, said Premo, Occupy participants are pushing the older groups to move from traditional coalition building to movement work.

There’s a lot of excitement, said Premo. “Now that they know the political and social space has been created by Occupy for these ‘radical’ actions, they see the value and the transformative potential of the actions.”

Mike Rodriguez, a 28-year-old from California who participates in Occupy DC, has been involved in various left-wing protests for the past decade. He said he doesn’t see any need to worry about the Occupy movement being co-opted because the movement has taken new and different approaches.

For example, said Rodriguez, “the action the other night with the barn raising seems so out of left field for people to understand — even I have trouble understanding — that it almost seems way too theatrical to be considered status quo.” He was referring to the temporary construction of a barn-like structure at McPherson Square on Dec. 4.

Fisher argued that major change will only come if Occupy and labor unions work together, but he also believes that unions must be more than Democratic Party enforcers. They need to be “a protector and enforcer for the people,” he said.

“We will unify on our actions,” Fisher added. “Our desires are the same. It’s just the way to go about it is just two different ways.”

Earlier on HuffPost:

Occupy Wall Street, Unions Learn How To Work Together, Slowly

WASHINGTON — During a recent demonstration in Washington, D.C., several hundred progressives gathered on K Street were protesting the same outrage but had heated arguments over how to protest.

Read more:

WASHINGTON — During a recent demonstration in Washington, D.C., several hundred progressives gathered on K Street were protesting the same outrage but had heated arguments over how to protest.

Their differences were emblematic of a key conflict facing Occupy Wall Street today. In its short three-month existence, the Occupy movement has received support and participation from prominent progressives, civil rights leaders, labor unions and other activists, perhaps more than the original protesters expected. But shared goals don’t necessarily mean shared methods. The very independent Occupiers are now struggling to figure out how to work fruitfully with more established groups.

On Dec. 8, a day that saw more than 70 arrests of protesters in the nation’s capital, two groups — one led by Occupy DC, the other by labor unions — demonstrated against the same target: high-dollar lobbyists. As several hundred protesters organized by the Service Employees International Union and OurDC marched down K Street, some self-appointed “safety officials” tried to keep the group within one or two lanes of traffic. When a few hundred Occupy DC protesters met up with them, the Occupy group quickly expressed opposition to the idea that they shouldn’t take up the entire street.

Occupy DC has consistently chosen to march in the street, with or without police blocking traffic, often walking directly against traffic and between cars. On that day, Occupy protesters decided to advance ahead of the mainly SEIU protesters and ended up shutting down several intersections on K Street, leading to a standoff with police for a few hours. At one point, the SEIU-lead group walked past and on to the White House and the Capitol. Occupiers tried to get the other marchers to stay and hold K Street with them, and a few arguments broke out.

Rob Fisher, an Occupy LA protester who had come to Washington on a bus with the SEIU, said there wasn’t a problem between the two factions, just a disagreement over tactics.

“We’ve all come to the realization that Occupy is a progressive movement that is seen as radical,” Fisher said. “These unions aren’t radical. And they’re much more controlled and much more dictated to.”

The next day at the tent city set up for Take Back the Capitol events on the National Mall, a teach-in was held to explain what Occupy Wall Street is all about to the non-Occupy protesters. People from Occupy sites in D.C., Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia and a few other locations met with organizers of Take Back the Capitol that week to discuss how the Occupy movement and labor unions could help each other.

Since the start of Occupy Wall Street, progressive groups and unions have embraced the protesters. At the Conference for America’s Future in early October, union leaders such as Richard Trumka, head of the AFL-CIO, and Van Jones, who is now leading the Rebuild the American Dream coalition, boasted about the momentum that Occupy Wall Street had. The crowd applauded wildly in approval.

DC Vote, Catholics United and National Nurses United regularly participate with Occupy DC on events. OurDC and Occupy DC have also worked together on a number of protests. In New York City, Mary Kay Henry, president of the SEIU, was arrested while participating in Nov. 17 demonstrations with Occupy Wall Street.

Although OurDC helped organize the Key Bridge demonstration on Nov. 17 with the American Dream coalition, media attention focused on the presence of Occupy protesters. James Adams of OurDC said he doesn’t mind who gets credit for the demonstrations.

“There is a flood of frustration that you see in the District and across this country, and it’s like a river cutting its way,” Adams said. “Anyone who wants to join is welcome.”

Michael Premo took part in planning meetings prior to the Sept. 17 birth of Occupy Wall Street. Before that, he worked with Organizing for Occupation, a group that strives to highlight the housing crisis. Organizing for Occupation and other groups joined Occupy Wall Street in taking over foreclosed homes on Dec. 6.

Premo said that progressives who had been targeting the same institutions at which Occupy Wall Street now aims have found a natural ally. And early on, they began seeking meetings with Occupy organizers to figure out how they could interact. For their part, said Premo, Occupy participants are pushing the older groups to move from traditional coalition building to movement work.

There’s a lot of excitement, said Premo. “Now that they know the political and social space has been created by Occupy for these ‘radical’ actions, they see the value and the transformative potential of the actions.”

Mike Rodriguez, a 28-year-old from California who participates in Occupy DC, has been involved in various left-wing protests for the past decade. He said he doesn’t see any need to worry about the Occupy movement being co-opted because the movement has taken new and different approaches.

For example, said Rodriguez, “the action the other night with the barn raising seems so out of left field for people to understand — even I have trouble understanding — that it almost seems way too theatrical to be considered status quo.” He was referring to the temporary construction of a barn-like structure at McPherson Square on Dec. 4.

Fisher argued that major change will only come if Occupy and labor unions work together, but he also believes that unions must be more than Democratic Party enforcers. They need to be “a protector and enforcer for the people,” he said.

“We will unify on our actions,” Fisher added. “Our desires are the same. It’s just the way to go about it is just two different ways.”

Earlier on HuffPost:

Occupy Wall Street, Unions Learn How To Work Together, Slowly

WASHINGTON — During a recent demonstration in Washington, D.C., several hundred progressives gathered on K Street were protesting the same outrage but had heated arguments over how to protest.

See the original post:

WASHINGTON — During a recent demonstration in Washington, D.C., several hundred progressives gathered on K Street were protesting the same outrage but had heated arguments over how to protest.

Their differences were emblematic of a key conflict facing Occupy Wall Street today. In its short three-month existence, the Occupy movement has received support and participation from prominent progressives, civil rights leaders, labor unions and other activists, perhaps more than the original protesters expected. But shared goals don’t necessarily mean shared methods. The very independent Occupiers are now struggling to figure out how to work fruitfully with more established groups.

On Dec. 8, a day that saw more than 70 arrests of protesters in the nation’s capital, two groups — one led by Occupy DC, the other by labor unions — demonstrated against the same target: high-dollar lobbyists. As several hundred protesters organized by the Service Employees International Union and OurDC marched down K Street, some self-appointed “safety officials” tried to keep the group within one or two lanes of traffic. When a few hundred Occupy DC protesters met up with them, the Occupy group quickly expressed opposition to the idea that they shouldn’t take up the entire street.

Occupy DC has consistently chosen to march in the street, with or without police blocking traffic, often walking directly against traffic and between cars. On that day, Occupy protesters decided to advance ahead of the mainly SEIU protesters and ended up shutting down several intersections on K Street, leading to a standoff with police for a few hours. At one point, the SEIU-lead group walked past and on to the White House and the Capitol. Occupiers tried to get the other marchers to stay and hold K Street with them, and a few arguments broke out.

Rob Fisher, an Occupy LA protester who had come to Washington on a bus with the SEIU, said there wasn’t a problem between the two factions, just a disagreement over tactics.

“We’ve all come to the realization that Occupy is a progressive movement that is seen as radical,” Fisher said. “These unions aren’t radical. And they’re much more controlled and much more dictated to.”

The next day at the tent city set up for Take Back the Capitol events on the National Mall, a teach-in was held to explain what Occupy Wall Street is all about to the non-Occupy protesters. People from Occupy sites in D.C., Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia and a few other locations met with organizers of Take Back the Capitol that week to discuss how the Occupy movement and labor unions could help each other.

Since the start of Occupy Wall Street, progressive groups and unions have embraced the protesters. At the Conference for America’s Future in early October, union leaders such as Richard Trumka, head of the AFL-CIO, and Van Jones, who is now leading the Rebuild the American Dream coalition, boasted about the momentum that Occupy Wall Street had. The crowd applauded wildly in approval.

DC Vote, Catholics United and National Nurses United regularly participate with Occupy DC on events. OurDC and Occupy DC have also worked together on a number of protests. In New York City, Mary Kay Henry, president of the SEIU, was arrested while participating in Nov. 17 demonstrations with Occupy Wall Street.

Although OurDC helped organize the Key Bridge demonstration on Nov. 17 with the American Dream coalition, media attention focused on the presence of Occupy protesters. James Adams of OurDC said he doesn’t mind who gets credit for the demonstrations.

“There is a flood of frustration that you see in the District and across this country, and it’s like a river cutting its way,” Adams said. “Anyone who wants to join is welcome.”

Michael Premo took part in planning meetings prior to the Sept. 17 birth of Occupy Wall Street. Before that, he worked with Organizing for Occupation, a group that strives to highlight the housing crisis. Organizing for Occupation and other groups joined Occupy Wall Street in taking over foreclosed homes on Dec. 6.

Premo said that progressives who had been targeting the same institutions at which Occupy Wall Street now aims have found a natural ally. And early on, they began seeking meetings with Occupy organizers to figure out how they could interact. For their part, said Premo, Occupy participants are pushing the older groups to move from traditional coalition building to movement work.

There’s a lot of excitement, said Premo. “Now that they know the political and social space has been created by Occupy for these ‘radical’ actions, they see the value and the transformative potential of the actions.”

Mike Rodriguez, a 28-year-old from California who participates in Occupy DC, has been involved in various left-wing protests for the past decade. He said he doesn’t see any need to worry about the Occupy movement being co-opted because the movement has taken new and different approaches.

For example, said Rodriguez, “the action the other night with the barn raising seems so out of left field for people to understand — even I have trouble understanding — that it almost seems way too theatrical to be considered status quo.” He was referring to the temporary construction of a barn-like structure at McPherson Square on Dec. 4.

Fisher argued that major change will only come if Occupy and labor unions work together, but he also believes that unions must be more than Democratic Party enforcers. They need to be “a protector and enforcer for the people,” he said.

“We will unify on our actions,” Fisher added. “Our desires are the same. It’s just the way to go about it is just two different ways.”

Earlier on HuffPost:

Japanese Stock Futures Little Changed on Oil Gains, European Debt Crisis

Japanese stock (MXAP) futures were little changed as lenders secured more cash from the European Central Bank than economists had expected while oil and commodities rose, making investors hesitant to take risks before a Christmas holiday. Australian equities fell.

Follow this link:

Japanese stock (MXAP) futures were little changed as lenders secured more cash from the European Central Bank than economists had expected while oil and commodities rose, making investors hesitant to take risks before a Christmas holiday. Australian equities fell.

American depositary receipts of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. (8306), Japan’s biggest lender, fell 1.7 percent from the closing share price in Tokyo. Those of Canon Inc. (7751), the world’s No. 1 camera maker whose largest market is Europe, rose 0.2 percent. BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP), Australia’s biggest oil producer, lost 0.7 percent.

Futures (TPX) on Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average (NKY) expiring in March closed at 8,455 in Chicago yesterday, compared with 8,440 in Osaka, Japan. They were bid in the pre-market at 8,450 in Osaka, at 8:05 a.m. local time. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index (CRY) fell 0.9 percent today. New Zealand’s NZX 50 Index lost 0.2 percent in Wellington even after a report showed the nation’s economy expanded in the third quarter.

“The ECB doesn’t seem to have stepped up to the plate for bond buying, which I think is negative, but at least they are acting as a lender of last resort for banks,” said Shane Oliver, Sydney-based head of investment strategy at AMP Capital Investors Ltd., which has almost $100 billion under management. “As we are heading closer to a holiday period, volumes decline.”

Futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (SPXL1) were little changed today. The index added 0.2 percent in New York yesterday after gains in energy and consumer shares helped the market recover from an early drop.

U.S. equities at first followed Europe’s shares lower as banks sought more funds from the ECB than economists predicted, reducing optimism that the debt crisis will be contained.

Crude oil for February delivery increased $1.43 to settle at $98.67 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The Thomson Reuters/Jefferies CRB Index of raw materials rose 0.7 percent yesterday.

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index declined 18 percent this year through yesterday, compared with a 1.1 percent drop by the S&P 500 and a 14 percent drop by the Stoxx Europe 600 Index. Stocks in the Asian benchmark are valued at 12.7 times estimated earnings on average, compared with 12.6 times for the S&P 500 and 10.3 times for the Stoxx 600.

Chinese stocks traded in the U.S. fell, pulling the benchmark index down from a one-week high, on concern growth in the world’s second-largest economy may slow as the European debt crisis hurts its exports.

The Bloomberg China-US 55 Index of the most-traded Chinese equities fell 2 percent to 93.20 as of 1:06 p.m. New York time.

To contact the reporter on this story: Yoshiaki Nohara in Tokyo at ynohara1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Nick Gentle at ngentle2@bloomberg.net

What’s New in Yelp’s IPO?

By Shira Ovide As a public service , we here at Deal Journal headquarters read and digest giant regulatory filings, so you don’t have to. This afternoon, we tucked into the updated IPO paperwork for Yelp , the online-review company that last month started down the road to its initial public offering

Excerpt from:

By Shira Ovide

As a public service , we here at Deal Journal headquarters read and digest giant regulatory filings, so you don’t have to. This afternoon, we tucked into the updated IPO paperwork for Yelp, the online-review company that last month started down the road to its initial public offering.

There were no juicy disclosures about how stock Yelp plans to sell or its valuation, but we’ve cobbled together some new wheaty nuggets we’ve gleaned from the IPO document chaff.

Ballot Stuffing

Like many tech companies including Google, Groupon and Zynga, Yelp has set aside a special kind of stock to give its founders, directors and other insiders more control over the company than ordinary stockholders. Yelp today said the special class of stock will give holders ten times the voting power of the owners of Yelp’s public stock — a fairly standard level of voting power.

Yelp, Now With More Risk Factor

Those eagle-eyes at the SEC also read through these voluminous stock-registration documents, and they make companies go back again and again to add in new financial numbers, warnings to investors and anything else John Q. Stockbuyer might ever want to know. In Yelp’s case, there are several new disclosures about the credibility of its online reviews. It is boilerplate disclosure, to be sure, but there have been questions (and lawsuits) about bogus or tainted Yelp reviews from business owners, their allies or enemies, and how Yelp filters them out. Here is a taste of the added disclosures:

“determining the credibility of reviews is difficult, and we cannot guarantee that our efforts will prove to be effective or adequate.”

“While we have designed our technology to filter content that we believe may be offensive, biased, unreliable or otherwise unhelpful, we cannot guarantee that our efforts will be effective or adequate. In addition, some consumers and businesses have expressed concern that our technology inappropriately filters legitimate reviews, which may cause them to stop or reduce their use of our platform or our advertising solutions. If the performance of our filter proves inadequate or ineffective, our reputation and brand may be harmed, users may stop using our products and our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.”

Some Plans for its IPO Money

From Yelp’s amended IPO filing: “We also expect to invest between $6.0 million and $10.0 million annually for the next two years in capital expenditures as we grow our business, the majority of which we expect to use to upgrade our technology and infrastructure to improve the ability of our platform to handle the projected increase in usage and enable the release of new features and solutions.

“We also plan to begin hiring an international sales force in 2012. While we do not currently generate any local advertising revenue internationally, we plan to do so in the near future as we seek to emulate the same model that we have employed in the U.S.”

Being a Startup Founder *Is* Hard on the Joints

Random factoid, yes. Yelp paid its co-founder and CEO, Jeremy Stoppelman, $225,933 last year. Some unknown chunk of that compensation was reimbursement for membership in a health club, Yelp disclosed its its IPO filing. We don’t know exactly how much; the gym membership was part of a category of “all other compensation” that also included company-paid premiums for life, health and dental insurance. For Stoppelman, “all other compensation” amounted to $5,933 in 2010. Thanks to crack Deal Journal reporting, we’ve found there’s an Equinox gym about half a mile from Yelp’s offices.  Let’s figure $150 to $200 a month for a membership, assuming no special discounts for startup founders. That’s $1,800 to $2,400 a year.

That’s a Lot of Gym Memberships

*(Ok, this one wasn’t new but it’s worth mentioning anyway) In Feb. 2010, private-equity firm Elevation Partners bought stock in Yelp and plowed $25 million into the company. Six founders and executives sold their shares to Elevation. Paypal alum and Yelp earlier investor Max Levchin and Stoppelman sold the most stock, each reaping $15 million in the deal.

Facebook Names Top Games of 2011 (Mashable)

Social gaming was a big trend in 2011 and we expect the market to continue to grow in 2012. Facebook, the biggest platform for social games, released its list of the most popular games of 2011. Unlike most year-end lists, this one actually has quite a few surprises.

Originally posted here:

Social gaming was a big trend in 2011 and we expect the market to continue to grow in 2012. Facebook, the biggest platform for social games, released its list of the most popular games of 2011. Unlike most year-end lists, this one actually has quite a few surprises. I fully expected CityVille, Zynga’s hit social game, to top the list. Nope. According to Facebook’s measurements, that honor belongs to Gardens of Time.

[More from Mashable: Facebook Wants You to Know How it Makes Money [VIDEO]]

In the update announcing the list, Facebook does say it is basing its ranking on “games that drew the most active users and received the highest user recommendations.”

That probably accounts for some of the discrepancies we found against other Facebook app data sources, like AppData.com. According to AppData, CityVille is the most popular game with 48.8 million monthly active users. Conversely, Gardens of Time ranks much further down the list with 8.5 million monthly active users.

[More from Mashable: Digg Makes Sharing Its Links to Facebook Automatic]

Accounting questions aside, here are Facebook’s ten most popular games of 2011:

1. Gardens of Time (by Playdom)
2. The Sims Social (by EA)
3. Cityville (by Zynga)
4. DoubleDown Casino (by DoubleDown Entertainment)
5. Indiana Jones Adventure World (by Zynga)
6. Words With Friends (by Zynga)
7. Bingo Blitz (by Buffalo Studios)
8. Empires & Allies (by Zynga)
9. Slotomania-Slot Machines (by Playtika)
10. Diamond Dash (by wooga)

What Facebook game got your attention this year? Let us know.

This story originally published on Mashable here.

Facebook Names Top Games of 2011 (Mashable)

Social gaming was a big trend in 2011 and we expect the market to continue to grow in 2012. Facebook, the biggest platform for social games, released its list of the most popular games of 2011. Unlike most year-end lists, this one actually has quite a few surprises

Originally posted here:

Social gaming was a big trend in 2011 and we expect the market to continue to grow in 2012. Facebook, the biggest platform for social games, released its list of the most popular games of 2011. Unlike most year-end lists, this one actually has quite a few surprises. I fully expected CityVille, Zynga’s hit social game, to top the list. Nope. According to Facebook’s measurements, that honor belongs to Gardens of Time.

[More from Mashable: Facebook Wants You to Know How it Makes Money [VIDEO]]

In the update announcing the list, Facebook does say it is basing its ranking on “games that drew the most active users and received the highest user recommendations.”

That probably accounts for some of the discrepancies we found against other Facebook app data sources, like AppData.com. According to AppData, CityVille is the most popular game with 48.8 million monthly active users. Conversely, Gardens of Time ranks much further down the list with 8.5 million monthly active users.

[More from Mashable: Digg Makes Sharing Its Links to Facebook Automatic]

Accounting questions aside, here are Facebook’s ten most popular games of 2011:

1. Gardens of Time (by Playdom)
2. The Sims Social (by EA)
3. Cityville (by Zynga)
4. DoubleDown Casino (by DoubleDown Entertainment)
5. Indiana Jones Adventure World (by Zynga)
6. Words With Friends (by Zynga)
7. Bingo Blitz (by Buffalo Studios)
8. Empires & Allies (by Zynga)
9. Slotomania-Slot Machines (by Playtika)
10. Diamond Dash (by wooga)

What Facebook game got your attention this year? Let us know.

This story originally published on Mashable here.

Facebook Names Top Games of 2011 (Mashable)

Social gaming was a big trend in 2011 and we expect the market to continue to grow in 2012. Facebook, the biggest platform for social games, released its list of the most popular games of 2011.

Original post:

Social gaming was a big trend in 2011 and we expect the market to continue to grow in 2012. Facebook, the biggest platform for social games, released its list of the most popular games of 2011. Unlike most year-end lists, this one actually has quite a few surprises. I fully expected CityVille, Zynga’s hit social game, to top the list. Nope. According to Facebook’s measurements, that honor belongs to Gardens of Time.

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In the update announcing the list, Facebook does say it is basing its ranking on “games that drew the most active users and received the highest user recommendations.”

That probably accounts for some of the discrepancies we found against other Facebook app data sources, like AppData.com. According to AppData, CityVille is the most popular game with 48.8 million monthly active users. Conversely, Gardens of Time ranks much further down the list with 8.5 million monthly active users.

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Accounting questions aside, here are Facebook’s ten most popular games of 2011:

1. Gardens of Time (by Playdom)
2. The Sims Social (by EA)
3. Cityville (by Zynga)
4. DoubleDown Casino (by DoubleDown Entertainment)
5. Indiana Jones Adventure World (by Zynga)
6. Words With Friends (by Zynga)
7. Bingo Blitz (by Buffalo Studios)
8. Empires & Allies (by Zynga)
9. Slotomania-Slot Machines (by Playtika)
10. Diamond Dash (by wooga)

What Facebook game got your attention this year? Let us know.

This story originally published on Mashable here.

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