Thursday, 24 September 2015

Apple released the first bug fixes for iOS 9

Just a week after releasing iOS 9, Apple is today issuing the OS's first bug fix update. iOS 9.0.1 fixes a handful of problems for the new platform, including one issue that broke alarms and timers and another in Safari and Photos that caused paused videos to appear distorted. Download it now if you haven't already.
Apple is clearly doing everything it can to ensure upgrades to iOS 9 go as smoothly as possible, especially especially compared to iOS 8's rocky release last year. All told, though, new OS has enjoyed a relatively smooth debut, seeing iOS' fastest adoption rateto date. That consumer enthusiasm was not at all deterred by people having issues downloading the OS on the first day.

The Apple Watch is an extraordinarily small and personal device. It is designed to participate in nearly every moment of your day, but almost never directly interact with anyone else. It knows when you’re wearing it. You can talk to it. You can poke it — and it can poke back.

Every so often, the Apple Watch thinks about your heartbeat.
But the Apple Watch is also an enormous device. It’s the first entirely new Apple product in five years, and the first Apple product developed after the death of Steve Jobs. It’s full of new hardware, new software, and entirely new ideas about how the worlds of fashion and technology should intersect.
It’s also the first smartwatch that might legitimately become a mainstream product, even as competitors flood the market. Apple has the marketing prowess, the retail store network, and the sheer determination to actually make this thing happen.
It just has to answer one question: would you actually use the Apple Watch instead of your phone?

Tuesday, 22 September 2015

Twelve changes from All Blacks

New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen has made twelve changes to his team to face Namibia in the Pool C clash at the Olympic Park on Thursday.
Only Sam Whitelock, Julian Savea and Nehe Milner-Skudder retain their position in the starting line-up that faced Argentina at Wembley last week.
TJ Perenara and Beauden Barrett are the half-back pairing while Sonny Bill Williams and Malakai Fekitoa start at centre, with Colin Slade at full-back.
Captain: Sam CaneElsewhere there are starts for Victor Vito, Sam Cane, Liam Messam, Luke Romano, Charlie Faumuina, Codie Taylor and Ben Franks. Cane is captain.
If Richie McCaw comes on as a replacement, it will be his eighteenth RWC outing, breaking the record of seventeen he now shares with Sean Fitzpatrick.
There are 660 caps' worth of experience on the All Blacks' bench (average 83) and also three test centurions (Tony Woodcock, Keven Mealamu and McCaw).
Three of the All Blacks' replacement players have 100-plus Test caps, which is a record for a Rugby World Cup bench. Before this match, no team had ever named more than one centurion on their bench in a Rugby World Cup fixture.
New Zealand: 15 Colin Slade, 14 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Victor Vito, 7 Sam Cane (c), 6 Liam Messam, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ben Franks.
Replacements: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Tony Woodcock, 19 Kieran Read, 20 Richie McCaw, 21 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 22 Ma'a Nonu, 23 Ben Smith.

Monday, 21 September 2015

8 Great Online Business Ideas


In fact, some of the most successful businesses can be run entirely online. Keeping your business digital can save you thousands of dollars in rent and expenses, and it can help you reach a wider base of clients because you're not limited to one local area.

Ready to start a business this year? Here are 15 online business ideas to inspire you.

1. SEO consultant – Do you know the ins and outs of search engines and have skills in platforms like Google Analytics? A lot of smaller companies don't realize how much of an impact search engine optimization (SEO) can have on their business. You can start an online business to help other companies make their websites more SEO friendly by teaching business owners how to read and use their analytics data the right way, and how to properly use keywords and structure content to get more traffic.

2. Business coaching –If you have a lot of business knowledge and experience, why not start a business that helps other aspiring entrepreneurs find success? You can use your skills to help new business owners get off to a good start and help experienced entrepreneurs keep up with demand. You can also write articles about business on platforms like LinkedIn, to show off your knowledge and skills and bring in clients.

3. Specialized retailer – An online store lets you reach customers all over that world and that means you can afford to specialize. Whether it's dollhouse furniture or organic dog food, there's an audience for everything. Using a web hosting service with an integrated shopping cart or e-commerce sofware, your business will be operational in no time. Many vendors will even ship products to customers on your behalf, which means you don't need to own a lot of inventory.

4. Social media consultant – Larger firms can hire an agency or full-time staff member to run their Facebook and Twitter accounts, but small businesses often have to handle their own social media marketing. With so many other responsibilities, business owners are often too busy or overwhelmed to spend time developing and implementing a great social media strategy. As a consultant, you can help them determine the best tactics, posting schedules and content for their target audience. As their follower count grows, so will your business.

5. Web design – Have you ever been turned off by a business’s generic-looking website layout? If you know some HTML and have a good eye for design, you can launch a service to create attractive, easy-to-use websites for small businesses. You can put your skills to good use for business owners who want to take their online presence to the next level. Build up a portfolio of work with smaller freelance jobs, then create your own website to show it off and bring in a steady stream of clients.

6. Resume/cover letter writing – It's a tough truth to swallow, but a standout resume and cover letter can make all the difference when applying jobs. While listing career accomplishments might seem like an easy task, the fine art of “humble bragging” eludes some of us. Get hired to help others get hired by writing stellar resumes. Capitalize on the increasingly important social media branding bandwagon and offer to fix LinkedIn profiles as well.

7. Professional freelancer – You might not think of freelancing as a business, but with more and more companies turning to part-time contract workers to fill their skill gaps, it's not hard to imagine making a living providing businesses with a variety of freelance services. Depending on your skill sets, you could work for multiple companies in a variety of fields, offering flexibility and a refreshing change of pace. According to the freelance job listing website Freelancer.com, tech services, content creation and web design are popular fields for contract work.

8. Affiliate marketing – If you're a person that loves leaving customer reviews on sites like Amazon, stop doing it for free. Word-of-mouth advertising is still a huge lead generator for many companies, and a lot of businesses are willing to share a portion of their profits with persuasive individuals who will promote their products to the public. If you have a personal website with a large following, this might be easier to accomplish (PR reps are always seeking out brand advocates they can send free samples to). Smart Passive Income breaks down three types of affiliate marketing and explains which one is most profitable.



Easy to Win

Craps is the fastest - and certainly the loudest - game in the casino. With the big, colorful table, chips flying everywhere and players yelling, it's exiting to watch and exciting to play.
Craps also has the one of the lowest house edges against you of any casino game, but only if you make the right bets. In fact, with one type of bet (which you will soon learn) you play even with the house, meaning that the house has a zero edge. This is the only casino game where this is true.
THE TABLE LAYOUT
The craps table is slightly larger than a standard pool table, with a wood railing that goes around the outside edge. This railing acts as a backboard for the dice to be thrown against and is sponge-lined on the inside with random patterns so that the dice bounce randomly. Most table rails also have grooves on top where you can place your chips.
The table surface is a tight fitting green felt with designs to indicate all the various bets that can be made in craps. It's very confusing for a beginner, but all you really need to concern yourself with right now is the "Pass Line" area and the "Don't Pass" area. These are the only bets you will make in our basic strategy (and for the most part the only bets worth making, period).
BASIC GAME PLAY
Don't let the confusing layout of the craps table intimidate you. The basic game itself is very simple. A new game with a new player (the person shooting the dice) begins when the current player "sevens out", which means he rolls a seven. That ends his turn and a new player is given the dice.
The new player makes either a pass line bet or a don't pass bet (explained below) and then throws the dice, which is called the "comeout roll".
If that first roll is a 7 or 11, this is called "making a pass" and the "pass line" betters win and "don't pass" betters lose. If a 2, 3 or 12 are rolled, this is called "craps" and pass line betters lose, while don't pass line betters win. However, don't pass line betters do not win if the "craps" number is a 12 in Las Vegas or a 2 in Reno and Tahoe. In this case, the bet is push - neither the player nor the house wins. All pass line and don't pass line bets are paid even money.
Barring one of the three "craps" numbers from winning for don't pass line bets is what gives the house it's low edge of 1.4 percent on all line bets. The don't pass bettor has a stand-off with the house when one of these barred numbers is rolled. Otherwise, the don't pass bettor would have a small advantage over the house - something that no casino permits!
If a number other than 7, 11, 2, 3, or 12 is rolled on the comeout (in other words, a 4,5,6,8,9,10), that number is called a "place" number, or simply a number or a "point". In this case, the shooter continues to roll until that place number is rolled again, which is called "making the point", at which time pass line betters win and don't pass bettors lose, or a 7 is rolled, which is called "sevening out". In this case, pass line bettors lose and don't pass bettors win. When a player sevens out, his turn is over and the whole process begins again with a new player.
Once a shooter rolls a place number (a 4.5.6.8.9.10), many different types of bets can be made on each subsequent roll of the dice, until he sevens out and his turn is over. However, they all have odds in favor of the house, many of them heavily in favor of the house, with the exception of two: odds on a line bet, and "come" bets. Of these two, we will only consider the odds on a line bet, as the "come" bet is a bit more confusing.
You should ignore all other bets, as they carry odds that are too high against you. Yes, this means that all those other players that are throwing chips all over the table with each roll of the dice and making "field bets" and "hard way" bets are really making sucker bets. They may know all the many bets and special lingo, but you will be the smarter gambler by simply making line bets and taking the odds.
Now let's talk about line bets, taking the odds, and how to do it.
LINE BETS
To make a line bet, simply place your money on the area of the table that says "Pass Line", or where it says "Don't Pass". These bets pay even money when they win, although it's not true even odds because of the 1.4 percent house edge discussed earlier.
When you bet the pass line, it means you are betting that the shooter either makes a 7 or 11 on the comeout roll, or that he will roll one of the place numbers and then roll that number again ("make the point") before sevening out (rolling a 7).
When you bet on the don't pass line, you are betting that the shooter will roll either a 2 or a 3 on the comeout roll (or a 3 or 12 if in Reno and Tahoe), or will roll one of the place numbers and then seven out before rolling the place number again.
Odds on a Line Bet (or, simply called "odds bets")
When a point has been established (a place number is rolled) on the comeout, you are permitted to take true odds against a 7 appearing before the point number is rolled again. This means you can bet an additional amount up to the amount of your line bet. This called an "odds" bet.
Your odds bet can be any amount up to the amount of your line bet, although many casinos will now allow you to make odds bets of two, three or even more times the amount of your line bet. This odds bet is paid at a rate equal to the odds of that point number being made before a 7 is rolled.
You make an odds bet by placing your bet directly behind your pass line bet. You notice that there is nothing on the table to indicate that you can place an odds bet, while there are indications loudly printed all over that table for the other "sucker" bets. This is because the casino does not want to encourage odds bets. You have to know that you can make one.
Here's how these odds are computed. Since there are 6 ways that a number 7 can be rolled and 5 ways that a 6 or 8 can be rolled, the odds of a 6 or 8 being rolled before a 7 is rolled again are 6 to 5 against you. This means that if the point number is a 6 or 8, your odds bet will be paid off at the rate of 6 to 5. For every $10 you bet, you will win $12 (bets smaller or larger than $10 are of course paid at the same 6 to 5 ratio). The odds of a 5 or 9 being rolled before a 7 is rolled are 3 to 2, so you get paid $15 for every $10 bet. The odds of 4 or 10 being rolled first are 2 to 1, so you get paid $20 for every $10 you bet.
Note that these are true odds - you are paid exactly proportional to your chance of winning. This is the only true odds bet you will find in a casino, so be sure to make it whenever you play craps.
AN EASY TO LEARN BASIC CRAPS STRATEGY
Here's an example of the three types of outcomes that result when a new shooter plays and how you should bet.
Assume new shooter is getting ready to make the comeout roll and you make a $10 bet (or whatever amount you want) on the pass line. The shooter rolls a 7 or 11 on the comeout. You win $10, the amount of your bet.
You bet $10 again on the pass line and the shooter makes a comeout roll again. This time a 3 is rolled (the player "craps out"). You lose your $10 pass line bet.
You bet another $10 and the shooter makes his third comeout roll (remember, each shooter continues to roll until he sevens out after making a point). This time a 4 is rolled - one of the place numbers or "points". You now want to take an odds bet, so you place $10 directly behind your pass line bet to indicate you are taking the odds. The shooter continues to roll the dice until a 4 is rolled (the point is made), at which time you win $10 on your pass line bet, and $20 on your odds bet (remember, a 4 is paid at 2 to 1 odds), for a total win of $30. Take your chips off the table and get ready to bet again.
However, if a 7 is rolled before the point number (in this case, before the 4), you lose both your $10 pass line bet and your $10 odds bet.
And that's all there is to it! You simply make you pass line bet, take odds if a point is rolled on the comeout, and then wait for either the point or a 7 to be rolled. Ignore all the other confusion and sucker bets. Your have the best bet in the casino and are playing wisely.
IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT ODDS BETS
Odds bets can be made any time after a comeout point is rolled. You don't have to make them right away . However, you'd be foolish not to make an odds bet as soon as possible considering it's the best bet on the table. However, you are permitted to make, withdraw, or reinstate an odds bet anytime after the comeout and before a 7 is rolled.
When you win an odds bet, be sure to take your chips off the table. Otherwise, they are considered to be automatically "off" on the next comeout and will not count as another odds bet unless you specifically tell the dealer that you want them to be "working". But in a fast moving and loud game, your request may not be heard, so it's better to simply take your winnings off the table and bet again with the next comeout.
BEST PLACES TO PLAY CRAPS IN LAS VEGAS
Any of the downtown casinos. Minimum bets will be low (you can usually find $3) and, more importantly, they frequently allow up to 10X odds bets.
Good Luck!