CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-21 17:11:40 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 6 +1s)

Did Google's London sales staff close deals? #tax  
All Google's UK sales are booked through Ireland, handing the UK only about £10m in corporation tax over the period 2006-11. Google is able to record the revenues in Ireland because the UK company allegedly does no selling, with sales staff in Dublin supposedly executing all deals.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/may/21/google-faces-new-tax-pressure

2013-05-21 05:55:56 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

A Little Respect, Erasure 1988 #music  
I try to discover
A little something to make me sweeter
Oh baby refrain from breaking my heart
I'm so in love with you
I'll be forever blue
That you give me no reason
Why you're making me work so hard

That you give me no
That you give me no
That you give me no
That you give me no

Soul, I hear you calling
Oh baby please give a little respect to me

And if I should falter
Would you open your arms out to me
We can make love not war
And live at peace in our hearts
I'm so in love with you
I'll be forever blue
What religion or reason
Could drive a man to forsake his lover

Don't you tell me no
Don't you tell me no
Don't you tell me no
Don't you tell me no

Soul, I hear you... more »

2013-05-21 05:54:08 (2 comments, 3 reshares, 31 +1s)

Masevaux Hostellerie Alsacienne #masevaux  

2013-05-21 05:44:11 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 6 +1s)

Four Students Win Groovystuff by Design Contest #productdesign  
Students from their respective schools were charged with designing an environmentally friendly product that reflects the Dick Idol Legends brand and can be produced using sustainable furniture manufacturing practices. Students produced miniature models and product display boards for market attendees to vote on during the High Point Market. The four student designs were voted “Most marketable” and “Most likely to show a profit” by retailers, interior designers and trade professionals attending market.
http://www.furninfo.com/Furniture%20Industry%20News/1794

2013-05-21 05:41:24 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Redesigning wasteful products #productdesign  
A new online platform aimed at harnessing the ‘collective intelligence’ of communities to design out waste, the People’s Design Lab, was launched in London on 25 April. Run by members of environmental services provider Cwm Harry and partners, the lab was first set up as ‘The Museum of Bad Design’ in Presteigne and Norton (home to a Welsh Government-funded zero waste project), after residents voiced their frustration at throwing away the same materials repeatedly.
http://www.resource.uk.com/article/Retailers/Redesigning_wasteful_products-3087#.UZpe_7WLDHQ

2013-05-21 05:36:00 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

When design leads function #productdesign  
Entrepreneurs Jason Lucash and Mike Szymczak folding cardboard speakers made Time magazine’s 2009 list of best inventions. BMW Group, General Motors Co., Walt Disney Co., Facebook Inc., Google Inc., Microsoft Corp., Pixar Animation and Tesla Motors Inc. all visited the company.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/business/digital-life/13715-when-design-leads-function

2013-05-20 08:52:13 (0 comments, 3 reshares, 15 +1s)

G+ active users up to 190 million from 135 million #socialmediamarketing  
Vic Gundotra announced Wednesday that Google Plus now has 190 million users who interact on the service each month, up from 135 million in late December.
http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/fighting-facebook-google-sprucing-up-photo-features-on-google-plus-1.1282871

2013-05-20 07:04:57 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

The Stars (Are Out Tonight), David Bowie 2013 #music
Stars are never sleeping
Dead ones and the living

We live closer to the earth
Never to the heavens
The stars are never far away
Stars are out tonight

They watch us from behind their shades
Brigitte, Jack and Kate and Brad
From behind their tinted window stretch
Gleaming like blackened sunshine

Stars are never sleeping
Dead ones and the living

Waiting for the first move
Satyrs and their child wives
Waiting for the last move
Soaking up our primitive world

Stars are never sleeping
Dead ones and the living

Their jealousy's spilling down
The stars must stick together
We will never be rid of these stars
But I hope they live forever

And they know just what we do
That we toss and turn at... more »

2013-05-20 07:01:02 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

Masevaux Gnomes     #masevaux  

2013-05-20 06:50:42 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

German minister opposes EU move on China solar #energy  
German Economy Minister Philipp Roesler said the European Commission made a "grave mistake" by agreeing to impose punitive import duties on solar panels from China and urged the Commission to work to prevent the eruption of a trade conflict. Germany's BDI industry association warned at the weekend about negative consequences for Germany's export-oriented industry of the Commission's move to impose average import duties of 47 percent on solar panels from China.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/19/us-eu-china-solar-germany-idUSBRE94I06720130519

2013-05-20 06:44:42 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Cambodian factory collapse kills workers   #reshoring  
A ceiling collapsed at a shoe factory south of Phnom Penn in Cambodia, raising fresh concerns about industrial safely following last month’s disaster in a garment plant in Bangladesh in which up to 1,200 people lost their lives. The factory was operated by Wing Star Shoes, a Taiwanese-owned factory that has employed up to 6,000 workers. It was making sports shoes Asics, a Japanese sportswear label. The shoes made at the factory were exported to the US and Europe.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/new-fears-over-safety-standards-as-two-workers-die-in-cambodian-factory-collapse-8619663.html?origin=internalSearch

2013-05-20 06:39:35 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Dutch Groningen gas earthquake zone           #energy  
Earthquakes are becoming more intense and more frequent in the north of the Netherlands and there is mounting pressure on the government to reduce the amount of gas being extracted there. In 2012 the Dutch government made about 14bn euros (£12bn; $18bn) from the Groningen gas fields. Without these revenues, the Netherlands' deficit would be similar to that of crisis-struck Cyprus (6.3%).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22542982

2013-05-19 18:58:56 (15 comments, 2 reshares, 14 +1s)

Google+ struggles to attract brands, some neglect to update   #socialmediamarketing  
Google is struggling to win over the brands and businesses that have been its most loyal customers in the Internet search market. For Google+ to thrive, it is vital to draw in household names, not just to lay the groundwork for potential future business, but also because users of the site have come to expect being able to follow, comment on or even vent about their favorite brands.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/12/net-us-google-social-idUSBRE94B04W20130512

2013-05-19 17:35:57 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

G+ use is merely 2% of Facebook use (Nielsen Media)
#socialmediamarketing  
G+ is up 112% from 3.3 minutes per user per month in 2012 to 6.75 minutes per user per month in 2013 but Facebook is 6 hours 44 minutes in 2013.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/12/google-plus-social-media-analysis-idINDEE94B05T20130512

2013-05-19 07:08:59 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Is Yahoo's Marissa Mayer buying Google's G+? #socialmediamarketing  
Yahoo invited press today to a product event in New York saying only that it will “share something special” soon after reports that the company is going to buy another blog platform. It seems Yahoo has been very product-focused in the months since Marissa Mayer both took the chief executive corner office and demanded that critical employees not work from home. It has done a lot on the mobile front, releasing apps for the weather as well as Yahoo mail.
http://venturebeat.com/2013/05/17/yahoo-ny-event/

2013-05-19 06:57:15 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

L'Enfer et Moi, Amandine Bourgeois 2013           #music  
This was my favourite Eurovision entry, last night  ...
Tu m’as mise K.O. d’entrée
Il faut croire que j’ai bien aimé
Liens de cuir et mains de soie
Qui blesses-tu et dans quel port?
Jusqu’à faire rougir l’aurore
Tu m’as jeté comme un sort

Je vais te faire l’enfer
De là où tu te perds
Regarde bien derrière
Et ce sera moi

Tu m’as fait pleurer à vif
Mon cou porte encore ta griffe
J’aimais échanger de peau

No limits, c’est un classique
J’aimais nos amours toxiques
Celles qui font que tout est beau

Je vais te faire l’enfer
De là où tu te perds
Regarde bien derrière

Je vais te faire l’enfer
De là où tu te perds
Regarde bien derrière
Et ce sera moi
J’vais te faire l’enfer
Tu vas man... more »

2013-05-19 06:54:22 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 28 +1s)

Masevaux Riverside               #masevaux  

2013-05-19 06:52:21 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Washington State leads in renewable energy           #energy  
Washington, where hydroelectric dams provide over 60 percent of the state’s energy, was the US’s biggest user of renewable power in 2011. Hydro continued to be the overwhelmingly dominant source of renewable power consumed in the US, accounting for 67 percent of the total, followed by wind with 25 percent, geothermal with 4.5 percent, and solar with 3.5 percent.
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/climate_desk/2013/05/renewable_energy_map_wind_solar_hydroelectric_power_use_by_state.html

2013-05-19 07:02:58 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

US shale oil shifts global power balance           #energy  
US shale oil reserves are about to change the global balance of power between new and existing oil producers. The US will account for a third of new oil supplies in the next five years. The US will change from the world's leading importer of oil to a net exporter. Demand for oil from Middle-East oil producers is set to slow as a result.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22524597

2013-05-19 07:01:20 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

Scottish Islands renewable jobs boost           #energy  
The renewable energy industry could create more than 10,000 jobs on Scotland's islands by 2030. Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles would benefit from wind, wave and tidal schemes. By 2020, 392 full-time jobs could be created on the Western Isles, 463 in Shetland, 416 in Orkney and 3,000 across the rest of the UK. By 2030 the job numbers on the islands could increase to more than 3,500 on the Western Isles, almost 2,900 in Shetland, and more than 4,500 on Orkney.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-22538297

2013-05-18 07:08:00 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Google's Schmidt to meet Cameron as tax row rages     #tax  
Google Inc's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt is due to meet Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday. Reuters investigations showed Google employed staff in sales roles in London.
http://www.4-traders.com/GOOGLE-INC-9469/news/Google-Inc-Google-s-Schmidt-to-meet-Cameron-as-tax-row-rages-16869451/

2013-05-18 06:37:26 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

My songs know what you did in the dark, Fall Out Boy 2013 #music  
Oh, whoa, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, whoa.
Oh, whoa, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, whoa.

B-B-B-Be careful making wishes in the dark, dark
Can't be sure when they've hit their mark, mark
And besides in the mean, mean time
I'm just dreaming of tearing you apart

I'm in the de-details with the devil
So now the world can never get me on my level
I just gotta get you out of the cage
I'm a young lover's rage
Gonna need a spark to ignite

My songs know what you did in the dark

So light 'em up, up, up
Light 'em up, up, up
Light 'em up, up, up
I'm on fire

So light 'em up, up, up
Light 'em up, up, up
Light 'em up, up, up
I'm on fire

Oh,... more »

2013-05-18 06:44:46 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

Masevaux Renovation                                                        #masevaux   

2013-05-18 05:38:56 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

UK Coal's re-nationalisation                                   #energy  
UK government ministers are discussing returning parts of UK Coal to public ownership in attempts to save the retirement savings for 6,000 members of Britain's largest coal mining business.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/may/12/uk-coal-nationalised-ministers-fire-pensions?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

2013-05-18 05:34:31 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

EDF's 10-year nuclear plant build duration           #energy
Not only have nuclear plant costs increased, also the schedule has lengthened very considerably. Instead of taking four to five years to build, EDF now want nine to 10 years to build a power plant.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/may/17/coalition-optimistic-nuclear-power-edf-china

2013-05-18 05:28:03 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

U.S. approves natural gas export                      #energy  
The U.S. government has approved a $10 billion natural gas export facility in Texas, a milestone in the U.S. transition into a major supplier of energy for world markets.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324767004578489130300876450.html

2013-05-17 21:45:07 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

The Social Media Guru            #socialmediamarketing  
There is no actual social media guru, he's an amalgam of a hundred different half-assed guru-wannabes I've encountered online and in real life. For every quality operator who knows his/her stuff, there seems to be ten cowboys peddling social media snake oil.

2013-05-17 06:01:26 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

Crack forces shutdown of nuclear reactor at Shearon Harris
#energy  
A quarter-inch crack in a reactor sensor at the Shearon Harris nuclear plant in southwest Wake County has forced Duke Energy to take the plant offline. A secondary review of those tests this week revealed the "primary water stress corrosion cracking" on a temperature sensor near where cooling rods attach to the reactor head.
http://www.wral.com/crack-in-nuclear-reactor-forces-shearon-harris-to-shut-down/12453472/

2013-05-17 04:48:44 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Keep Your Eyes Peeled, Queens of the Stone Age 2013
#music  
Don’t look, just keep your eyes peeled
Thoughtless, traipsing my minds field
Shotgun, never behind the wheel anymore
Danger, monsters of smoke & mirror
Slowly, can one so lost be found?

& I know. You will never believe
I play this as though I’m alright
If life is but a dream, then
Wake me up.

Fallen leaves realize they are no friend of autumn
The view from Hell is blue sky
So ominously blue.
I daydream until all the blue is gone

& I know. You will never believe
I play this as though I’m alright
If life is but a dream, then
Wake me.

Underwater is another life
Disregarding every myth we write
Eagerly alive
Rag doll churning
Over & over, gasping in horror
So breathless yousurfac... more »

2013-05-17 04:46:12 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

Masevaux Building Site
#masevaux  

2013-05-17 04:39:25 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Make your manufacturing business startup easier
#manufacturing  
There are three vital ingredients to a successful startup business. First step: access to finance. Whether using your own money, inherited finance or cash sought through begging and borrowing, it really doesn't matter. You need some to get going, and probably more to keep going.

Access to market is also significant. If you can't find a market for your product, then there isn't really a business there.

Finally, you'll need access to the right skills: management skills to make sure investors want to invest in your business and delivery skills to get the product in the hands of your customers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/small-business-network/2013/may/16/howdy-partner-business-startup-easier?INTCMP=SRCH

2013-05-17 04:36:31 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 6 +1s)

The Brocial Network (Social Network Parody/Spoof)
#socialmediamarketing  

2013-05-16 19:09:40 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

Google branded “devious, calculating and unethical” #tax  
“You are a company that says you do no evil,” said Margaret Hodge the committee’s chair. “I think that you do do evil. You use smoke and mirrors to avoid paying tax.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hmrc-are-being-bamboozled-by-google-mps-confront-search-giant-over-devious-attempt-to-avoid-paying-uk-tax-8618695.html

2013-05-16 06:29:06 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 11 +1s)

And We Danced, Macklemore X Ryan Lewis 2011
#music  
oo lay hey hey
oo lay hey hey
oo lay hey hey

and we danced
and we cried
and we laughed
and had a really really really good time
take my hand
lets have a blast
and remember this moment
for the rest of our lives (our lives)
our lives (our lives)
our lives
oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
tonight (tonight)
tonight (tonight)
tonight
cause tonights the night
am I right?
DANCE

feels like a night for a party
my nature so naughty
theres a knock on the door
It's the neighbors
quit cock blocking
we're having a ho-down
you hoe's down?
don't make me pull my hose out
Cause it's big, long, pink, strong
and been known to dance like all night long
grab my hand
play... more »

2013-05-16 06:23:24 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 19 +1s)

Masevaux Rooftops
#masevaux  

2013-05-16 06:17:29 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

Tata Steel wipes £1bn from value of Europe operations
#manufacturing  
Fresh fears over the future of UK steel jobs were raised today after India's Tata Steel wiped £1 billion from the value of its European operations. The group, which has UK operations at sites including Port Talbot, Rotherham and Scunthorpe, blamed the tough economy in Europe where steel demand has slumped by about a third since the start of the financial crisis. Unions said the huge writedown will worry its 18,500 staff in the UK who are still reeling from 900 job cuts last year.

2013-05-16 06:13:00 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

'Like' Me, Maybe? ("Call Me, Maybe?" social media parody)
#socialmediamarketing  

2013-05-15 16:55:57 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Living in a Box, Living in a Box 1987
#music  
Woke up this morning, closed in on all sides, nothing doing
I feel resistance as I open my eyes, someone's fooling
I've found a way to break through this cellophane line
'Cause I know what's going on in my own mind

Am I living in a box, am I living in a cardboard box
Am I living in a box, am I living in a cardboard box
Am I living in a box

Life goes in circles, around and around, circulating
I sometimes wonder what's moving underground, I'm escaping
I've found a way to break through this cellophane line
'Cause I know what's going on in my own mind

Am I living in a box (living), am I living in a cardboard box
Am I living in a box (living), am I living in a cardboard box
Am I living in a box, woh oh

(Living)
I... more »

2013-05-15 15:21:02 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 26 +1s)

Masevaux Firewood
#masevaux  

2013-05-15 14:38:54 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 11 +1s)

Eurozone recession continues as GDP falls by 0.2%
#economy  
The eurozone has slumped into its longest recession ever, after economic activity across the region fell for the sixth quarter in a row. Economic output across the single currency area fell by 0.2% in the first three months of 2013, statistics body Eurostat reported today. France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands all saw their economies shrink as the economic crisis in the eurozone continued to hit its largest economies. Eurostat’s figures showed that the eurozone economy has now contracted by 1% over the last year, putting further pressure on leaders as unemployment climbs to new record highs.

2013-05-15 14:30:11 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

I Don't Care About My Klout Score and You Shouldn't Either
#socialmediamarketing  

2013-05-14 05:23:22 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 10 +1s)

Fright Song, Monster High™ 2010
#music  
( Oh, You give me the chills )

Walking down in darkened hallway
Everybody turns to look at you
It's not because you're different
It's just because you're so scary cool

A sinistre style, Mystery with a smile
You're drop dead gorgeous, Drop dead gorgeous
This school gives me the creeps, but when I'm with my peeps
You can't ignore us
This is where the ghoul kids rule

Monster, Monster High
Monster High
Monster, Monster High
Come on, Don't be shy
Monster High
The party never dies

Monster, Monster High
Monster High
Monster, Monster High
Freaky chic and fly
Monster High
Where student bodies lie

Hey, Frankie's got me fallin' apart
Oh, Draculaura's stealin' myhe... more »

2013-05-14 05:20:21 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 18 +1s)

Masevaux Window Boxes
#masevaux  

2013-05-14 05:09:15 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

GE and E.ON Sign Service Agreement for 819 Wind Turbines
#energy  
GE announced it will provide operations and maintenance services for 819 wind turbines at eight wind farms in Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Texas for E.ON Climate and Renewables North America. The announcement marks GE's largest wind service contract to date. The service agreement between GE and E.ON includes GE's 1.5-77, 1.6-100 and 1.6-82.5 wind turbines at Settler's Trail Wind Farm and Pioneer's Trail Wind Farm in Illinois; Wildcat Wind Farm in Indiana; Stony Creek Wind Farm in Pennsylvania; and Pyron Wind Farm and the Panther Creek Wind Farm Phases 1, 2 and 3 in Texas.
http://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/GE-and-E-ON-Sign-Service-Agreement-for-819-Wind-Turbines-in-Four-States-20007951

2013-05-13 18:17:20 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

The Social Media Pessimist : Klout Scores
#socialmediamarketing  
Sean Ely hates social media. As the 'Social Media Pessimist,' you've got to assume he really hates Klout and it's made-up algorithm that literally doesn't DO ANYTHING for ANYONE. It's pointless, and to be honest, aggravating that it even exists. Expect plenty of Taylor Swift references. That's how he rolls.

2013-05-13 07:13:53 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Klout Scores Don't Matter | Social Media News
#socialmediamarketing  
We are so tired of people quoting us their Klout scores. We're talking about self-appointed social media experts , not Brands or Businesses. If a Brand or Business asks about a Klout score it's real easy to answer them. By asking that question, the Brand or Business really have shown that they don't have a grasp on social media engagement. Anyone actually involved in REAL marketing, we're not talking about social media experts but an actual marketing business, knows that Klout is a bunch of crap.
Thanks to +Barry Cunningham , Social Media News

2013-05-13 07:01:19 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 17 +1s)

Don't You Worry Child, Swedish House Mafia 2012
#music  
There was a time, I used to look into my father's eyes
In a happy home, I was a king I had a golden throne
Those days are gone, now they're memories on the wall
I hear the sounds from the places where I was born

Up on a hill across a blue lake,
That's where I had my first heart break
I still remember how it all changed
My father said,
"Don't you worry, don't you worry, child
See heaven's got a plan for you

Don't you worry, don't you worry now."
Yeah!

"Don't you worry, don't you worry, child
See heaven's got a plan for you

Don't you worry, don't you worry now"
Yeah!

There was a time, I knew a girl of a different kind
We ruled the world,
I... more »

2013-05-13 06:58:13 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Masevaux Wooden People
#masevaux  
Yesterday's photo of Masevaux Fountain contained a glimpse of some eerie figures in an attic. Here they are again, but closer. Who are they?

2013-05-13 06:51:32 (12 comments, 9 reshares, 31 +1s)

Solar panel payback is halved with electric car
#energy  
When planning a solar panel home project in 2011, a couple figured on paper that it would take nearly a dozen years to break even on the investment. It turned out that adding an electric vehicle has cut that figure roughly in half. They added 41 solar panels to their southern-facing roof in southeastern Pennsylvania. Each panel is rated for 230W of Direct Current (DC) so that works out to an array of 9.43kW DC. In their family of four, with two work-at-home adults, they average around 7,500 kWh of electricity usage.
http://gigaom.com/2013/05/12/adding-an-electric-car-cut-the-payback-point-of-our-solar-panel-investment-in-half/

2013-05-12 05:56:10 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

WTF is Klout Score!!
#socialmediamarketing  
What is Klout score? Why do we need Klout score? Who even pays attention to Klout Scores? If Vaden had his way no one would be using Klout because it's a useless and stupid platform that ranks people by their social media influence. Social Media is about connecting with people, not about ranking on Klout and getting free stuff.