Your hub for Blerd news, mobilized by AT&T.
Samuel Massie Jr. (July 3, 1919–May 9, 2005)
Massie attended Fisk University. He earned a master’s degree from the university and went on to earn a doctorate in organic chemistry from Iowa State University. Massie is a pioneer in this field because he was the first African-American to teach at a U.S. military academy. In 1966, he became a professor at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he would become chairman of the chemistry department.
According to The Financial Express, the ‘Ultimate Player Edition’ PS4 comes with double storage, meaning 1TB, and will be released across Europe on July 15. There is no news on a wider release as of yet.
This new PS4 will be a direct response to Microsoft’s new Xbox One, which will also have more storage capacity. With the new storage, gamers can download games, save highlights, share experiences and extend play with more add-on content.
This announcement is just part of a slew of new products Sony is releasing in the next few months. The company will also release an updated 500GB model PS4 that will be slimmer and more energy efficient for those who are looking for an upgrade.
These two machines will more than likely be released stateside during the holiday shopping season.
Source: Sony/Youtube
Mission Main Street Grants
Chase Financial and LinkedIn are awarding the Mission Main Street Grant to lucky, qualifying small businesses. Chase awards $2 million in the form of 20 small business grants at $100,000 each. The deadline has passed for this year, but for more information on next year’s application process visit Missionmainstreetgrants.com.
New technologies that help us detect illness and disease.
Source: www.disclosetv.com
There hasn’t been a lot of good news about the fairly recent cryptocurrency Bitcoin. This new digital money has been recently connected with the illegal dark net site Silk Road. Because of its lack of regulations, cyber criminals have become attached to it. Even though the currency has a bad rap, many experts believe there is some good for it, and it could help the Black community.
Nicholas Colas Approves
To some financial wizards, Bitcoin will fill a void in the Black community that is currently occupied by pre-paid cards and payday loan services. According to Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist for the brokerage firm ConvergEx Group, believes that Bitcoin can replace these predatory services.
Dara Wilson talks about how she started an email group called Young Black in SF to socially help other Black people get used to the area.
Source: Blavity
Thanks to automation and robotics technology, we’ve already replaced a great deal of human labor with faster and cheaper alternatives. And the trend is only accelerating. So is YOUR job at risk? An increase in robotics could mean the creation of new jobs, but will it be enough to outweigh those we eliminate?
Source: FW:Thinking
Frank Cooper
The former PepsiCo marketing executive has been recently hired to act as chief marketing officer and chief creative officer for the digital media outlet BuzzFeed.
Kenneth Chenault
Chenault is the third Black person to lead a Fortune 500 company. Since 2001, he has been CEO of American Express.
In recent months, Jay-Z’s music streaming service, Tidal, has come under fire. There have been rumors and reports about artists jumping ship, internal conflict and failed business strategies.
On Monday, Apple revealed a multitude of products and services for Apple users at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2015. Celebrities like rapper and singer Drake and filmmaker J.J Abrams were at the San Francisco conference.
Drake was there to promote Apple Music. He said that the company’s new streaming service is a way for artists and their fans to interact better.
“Focus on your body of work. Instead of having to post your stuff on these different and sometimes confusing places, it’s all in one place: and that is Connect,” explains Drake.
One of the most surprising announcements was that Drake’s newest album will drop on the Apple Music service. That leaves many to wonder why not drop the album on Tidal and what happened to his business relationship with Jay-Z. Those questions have yet to be answered.
Connect, the social aspect of the streaming service, is designed to allow big and small artists to share and connect with fans with lyrics, behind-the-scenes photos, remixes and more.
“Apple’s shuttered social music network hinged on connecting listeners to artists. However, Drake stressed how Apple’s new solution, unlike competitors like, say, Spotify and Tidal, is a simple and elegant one for fans and musicians alike,” reports writer Kwame Opam for The Verge.
Also, there has been rumors of a $19 million contract with Drake. At this moment, that can’t be confirmed.
