Google has acquired personal home security camera company Dropcam for $555 million and intends to put it under the Nest brand, which it also acquired recently. Dropcam makes home security cameras that are simple to set up and can be accessed quickly and easily via an app or web browser. The company had previously raised about $50 million over five years to continue developing its product, and now that investment has paid off to the tune of more than half a billion dollars. In a blog post, Dropcam described itself and Nest as "kindred spirits" aiming to improve historically frustrating home management technology. Google, via the Nest blog, assured current users that nothing would change in the short term, although later on the brands, apps and things like privacy policies will merge. Dropcam concluded: "Our products and technologies are a natural fit and by joining up with nest we can fully realize our vision."

Sign up for top Technology news delivered direct to your inbox

Devin Coldewey, NBC News

First published June 20 2014, 5:39 PM

Go here to see the original:
Google Buys Dropcam for $555 Million

CNET

Home automation company Nest Labs will acquire the video-monitoring startup Dropcam, which makes Web-connected home security cameras, in a deal worth $555 million in cash. The deal, signed Friday, has yet to close.

Nest will fold the company into its existing line of smart-home products, which currently includes the Protect smoke detector and Learning Thermostat. Dropcam's products will now be under Nest's privacy policy.

Despite that assurance, the deal is likely to prompt privacy concerns considering Google bought Nest in January for $3.2 billion. The deal, however, was sealed solely by Nest, the company said, and will be used to expand the Nest brand into home security and video monitoring.

Following its acquisition by Google, Nest has ballooned from 130 employees at the end of 2012 to more than 460 this year. Dropcam will relocate from its San Francisco office to Nest's Palo Alto, Calif., headquarters.

News of the acquisition was first reported Friday by Recode, as well as The Wall Street Journal.

Nest, founded in 2010, is the brainchild of former Apple executive Tony Fadell -- who headed up the company's iPod division -- and Apple colleague Matt Rogers. Hitting the market in 2011 with its thermostat and following in 2013 with the Protect smoke detector, Nest established itself early on as an industry favorite in the nascent smart-appliance market by bringing refreshing design and powerful software to once-immutable and ignored devices.

Nest has used the thermostat and smoke detector as the linchpins and starting points for its smart-home philosophy, which starts with hardware and aims to expand into a software platform layered over a web of connected home appliances.

Dropcam, which has thus far raised $47.8 million in venture capital funding, was founded in 2009 by Greg Duffy and Aamir Virani, who spun the company out of camera-software development that the two engineers had performed for Swedish technology company AXIS.

"The teams are very well aligned and we love the product," Rogers, Nest's acting vice president of engineering, told Recode. "We both think about the entire user experience from the unboxing on. We both care deeply about helping people stay connected with their homes when they're not there."

Continued here:
Google's Nest Labs acquires Dropcam for $555M

(PRWEB) June 19, 2014

Here is a sampling of the infographic. To see the full infographic click this link [2014 home security checklist infographic

2,000,000 Burglaries are reported each year in the United States resulting in 4.6 billion dollars in damages.

Of those 2,000,000 burglaries 60% enter forcibly. 30% entered through an unlocked door, window or other opening.

Here is a sample of 2014's checklist:

1. Check all your locks each night. 2. Secure your garage. 3. Install motion lights 4. While on vacation stop your mail and newspaper. 5. Do you have a sliding door? Put a door jam in it. 6. Have someone to mow your lawn if you're away. 7. Make sure valuables are not visible from first floor windows. 8. Get to know your neighbors. Neighbors can be your biggest ally when you travel. 9. Install a home security system especially a home security sign. 90% of convicted burglars said they avoided homes with signs of an alarm system. 10. Add security stickers to windows and doors.

Remember most burglars spend less than 60 seconds gaining entry to the home. The more difficult you make it, the better your chances are they will move on.

Continue reading here:
SecuritySignSolutions.com Releases the 2014 Home Security Checklist Infographic

Floor Furnace Repair Valley Village ca 800) 215-8151 Climate Control
http://www.climatecontrolla.com/ (800) 215-8151 Floor Furnace Repair Valley Village ca Air Conditioning and Furnace Repair in Sherman Oaks When you live in Southern California, where extreme...

By: Michael E. Mueller

Read this article:
Floor Furnace Repair Valley Village ca 800) 215-8151 Climate Control - Video

Winter Garden, FL (PRWEB) June 20, 2014

As a leader in the heating and cooling industry for over 35 years, Armstrong Air and Heating continues to be a top company in providing service to both commercial and residential properties. Armstrong is one of the top air conditioning repair companies in central Florida and has what it takes to get the job done right. Armstrong stands apart not only because of the first-rate level of service that it provides to its customers, but also the company continues to give back to the Orlando community.

An important part of Armstrongs mission goes beyond air conditioning repair in Orlando, Florida but the company believes in giving back to the surrounding community. Within the last year, Armstrong Air and Heating has been instrumental in attending and organizing a number of key events that have helped support local charities. Of recent, the company was involved in providing donations to Matthews Hope Ministry, Strides Against Breast Cancer and Habitat For Humanity.Armstrong realizes that people are at the core of any community and tries to live by example by paying it forward.

The most recent charitable event that the company has been apart of was Matthews Hope Ministry. A local non-profit homeless outreach program, the ministry has a track record of bringing businesses together to help provide services to the homeless in the Orlando area. The Armstrong team was able to not only donate funds to the charity, but the team also spent some time serving those in homeless shelters.

Another charity that is close to the Armstrong heart is the Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. Breast Cancer is something that seems to touch every family these days and Armstrong is committed to doing its part to help find a cure as soon as possible. Last October, dozens of Armstrong employees and their friends and families banded together to form a team for the 5k fundraising walk. The event was a true success and the company was able to fundraise a sizable donation that was given directly to help fund breast cancer research.

The Habitat Humanity project was especially a very generous way to give back. Not only did Armstrong Air and Heating team members donate their time to help construct a home for a deserving West Orange County family in need, but the company donated heating and cooling systems free of charge. Armstrong has had the privilege of being apart of the Habitat for Humanity foundation for the last three years and pledges to continue to shape the lives of other area families in need. In fact, Armstrong employees are gearing up for the next build this summer.

Armstrong Air and Heating is much more than your typical heating and cooling company. Sure, the company has provided AC repair to Orlando for over 35 years, but its the ways in which Armstrong continues to give back that will always make the company a true asset and proud member of the Orlando community. To find out more about how you can give back, or to learn more about Armstrong Air and Heating visit armstrongairinc.com.

Contact Information

Armstrong Air & Heating

671 Business Park Blvd #104 Winter Garden, FL 34787 United States Phone Number: 407-877-8090

Read the original:
Armstrong Air Conditioning and Heating Supports Local Charities in Orlando, FL

Portland, OR (PRWEB) June 19, 2014

As temperatures rise and the days grow longer, homeowners are looking for ways to easily and more efficiently cool their homes during the summer months. To help, Jacobs Heating and Air Conditioning, a Portland HVAC company, recommends servicing or replacing air conditioning units at the start of the season to maximize energy savings, decrease utility bills, and improve comfort.

Servicing your air conditioner at the start of the season will not only remove dust, debris, and allergens, but will also help air conditioning units maintain their original efficiency. Without seasonal maintenance, an AC unit can lose 5% of its original efficiency each year. However, servicing your air conditioner with an annual tune-up will allow it to maintain up to 95% of its original efficiency, year after year. Additionally, monitoring coolant levels can cut down on operating costs. An AC unit that is 10% low on coolant can cost up to 20% more to operate. That means the cost of servicing air conditioning units can quickly be recovered in savings on monthly utility bills.

In addition to an annual tune-up, homeowners can guarantee a high level of comfort and keep AC units operating properly by regularly changing filters and keeping bushes or materials away from the outside unit of an air conditioner. Lastly, dont forget to keep air supply outlets open throughout the home to maintain system efficiency.

For AC units that are more than 10 years old, inefficient, or oversized, it may be time to replace the air conditioning system. Increased humidity, noise, or uneven cooling may be a sign that the air conditioning unit is no longer working adequately. Replacing an outdated AC system can increase cooling efficiency, while also lowering energy bills. Air conditioning systems manufactured before 2006 were required to have a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) number of 10, while todays central air systems must have a minimum rating of 13, and highly efficient models can have SEER ratings of up to 26. This considerable increase in energy efficiency can result in substantial savings for homeowners. Additionally, tax credits and other financial incentives may be available for homes upgrading to a new energy-efficient model.

Servicing or replacing air conditioning units is a great way to start the summer, but to make sure you get the best performance, your existing equipment must be properly assessed by a professional said Brent Jacobs, President of Jacobs Heating and Air Conditioning. Improperly operating or outdated HVAC systems can reduce efficiency by up to 40 percent, while also shortening the equipment's total lifespan.

Prepare for a beautiful summer in the Portland-Vancouver area, and remain comfortable even during the warmest weather, by spring cleaning or replacing your air conditioning system with the help of Jacobs Heating and Air Conditioning.

About Jacobs Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc.

Operating out of Southeast Portland, Jacobs HVAC (CCB #1441) offers residential and commercial customers the best in heating and air conditioning equipment, installation and repair. Since 1952, Jacobs has provided solutions for energy conservation and reduction, backed by the companys extensive experience and expertise. The local HVAC company offers heat pumps, furnaces, air conditioners, water heaters, fireplace inserts and more. Jacobs is a Carrier Factory Authorized Dealer and a Daikin 3D Network dealer, as well as a trade ally of the Energy Trust of Oregon. For more information, visit http://www.jacobsheating.com.

Read more from the original source:
Beat the Heat This Summer by Servicing Or Replacing Air Conditioning Units at the Start of the Season

Heike Weber: The women are very artistic . . . They used their earnings to pay debts, repair their houses.

Heike Weber is a woman with a mission. For the past 32 years, she has worked to better the lives and lot of Palestinian and Syrian women by providing work in embroidery, weaving and dress design. Today she is in despair. She may have to abandon her mission due to the civil conflict that has killed between 100,000 and 160,000 across Syria.

Over tea and apple strudel with ice cream in the spacious courtyard of her 200-year-old Ottoman-era house near the eastern gate of Damascuss Old City, she says, I was born in Berlin and studied literature and musical science at the Free University of Berlin.

She married a Palestinian and arrived in Beirut just before Israel launched its 1982 war against the Palestine Liberation Organisation, then based in Lebanon. We were evacuated to Syria, where I held courses for Palestinian refugee women.

In 1988 she decided to launch a project to provide them with an income. We wanted to make something out of nothing. They started with $200. The project, named Anat after the ancient Semitic Earth mother who battled death, set up shop near the Omayyad mosque in the Old City. We could not pay the girls . . . so I went to Germany to sell what they made.

Anat prospered and grew. Syrian women who had come into the Damascus suburbs looking for a better life said help us, too. They showed us their embroideries, which are quite different from Palestinian cross-stitch. In 2003 we bought a car and started to go to the villages.

She recruited women in Jabal al-Hoss, an impoverished area near Aleppo where residents dwell in domed beehive mud houses; in a quarter of Aleppo City; in the northern province of Idlib; and in Sweida, the largely Druze area in the south.

She had to educate the women, spur them to do good work with extravagant praise and gentle criticism, to keep work clean in dusty homes without running water and finish it well. At first the work was poor quality and we threw it away. When it was better, we paid double.

The embroideries became so good Anat exhibited in Germany and Britain and sold them at a high price. The women are very artistic . . . They used their earnings to pay debts, repair their houses, and buy animals.

The women grew independent and the men became jealous. During a funeral in a village, I was warned, half-jokingly, by the man sitting next to me that I had made a revolution and should take care and do something for the men.

Go here to read the rest:
Conflict stalled an embroidery business and left it after years as stitches in time

Denver Thornton helps those who struggle with flatpack furniture He studied cabinet making at university and now co-owns Unflatpack.com He began his interest at 10 before working as a cabinet maker after school

By James Rush

Published: 04:48 EST, 17 June 2014 | Updated: 11:30 EST, 17 June 2014

270 shares

144

View comments

It's certainly not everyone's cup of tea and can cause those not used to DIY hours of agonising over missing screws and parts that don't fit as they become increasingly frustrated while putting up their flatpack furniture.

But one handyman has now come to their aid after becoming a full time professional flatpacker.

Denver Thornton, 36, who studied cabinet making at university, relishes the challenge of piecing together the household goods and says he regularly gets called out by those in a spot of bother.

Denver Thornton makes a living by building flatpack furniture for those who struggle with DIY

Read more:
Handyman makes a living building flatpack furniture at 30 an hour

Victoria, TX (PRWEB) June 21, 2014

One of the top rated aluminium gutter installer in the world, bespokeguttering.co.uk, has confirmed that it will begin a rigorous expansion of its workforce in the coming weeks in a move the provider says will help serve its ever expanding customer base better.

According to the companys CEO, the new expansion program is targeting to recruit a number of high profile specialists in this field together with a significant portion of supporting staff. The ultimate goal is to ensure bespokeguttering.co.uk has all the capacity it needs to deliver quality gutter installation services to the massive expanding customer base that relies on its team. In addition to this, the company is also confident that the move will be vital in promoting better accessibility to quality gutter installation services.

The demand bespokeguttering.co.uk has seen for its professional aluminium gutter installation services over the last few months have been nothing short of amazing. Analysts in the sector have noted that the planned expansion of the human resource capacity at the company is a great show of the increasing number of home owners who are looking up to bespokeguttering.co.uk for the ideal gutter installation services. With this trend set to continue in the coming months, there is no doubt bespokeguttering.co.uk is looking to cut a path forward towards even greater success in the future.

Although the provider has remained one of the few roofing experts focusing most of its attention on installing gutters, the extent it has gone in serving a significant portion of homeowners effectively and flexibly has been termed by many analysts in the market as outstanding. The planned expansion of the firms workforce is expected to be done and dusted by the end of July and the new staff will be immediately appointed to begin work as soon as possible. All the same, bespokeguttering.co.uk has assured its customers that all standards of integrity will be observed in the recruitment.

This is to ensure that only the best and capable professionals join the company. Getting quality aluminium gutters is not hard as many home owners across the world tend to think. Industry analysts note that a number of high profile aluminium gutters installers have emerged over the years and the role bespokeguttering.co.uk has played in promoting quality services is indeed exceptional. For more details on its services please feel free to visit http://www.bespokeguttering.co.uk.

About bespokeguttering.co.uk

Bespokeguttering.co.uk is a leading and highly rated aluminium gutters installer with decades of experience in the roofing industry. The firm offers custom services designed to meet the needs of each and every customer. For more on its services, its team and in general the company, please take your time and visit http://www.bespokeguttering.co.uk.

Company information

Bespokeguttering.co.uk

View post:
Leading Aluminium Gutters Installer bespokeguttering.co.uk to Begin a Rigorous Expansion of Its Workforce

GOSHEN Those used to parking in the subdivision of Larimer Greens and condos on Goshens west side will have to find somewhere else to park during the Celebrate America festivities celebrating the 4th of July.

Goshen Board of Works and Safety members Monday approved a request by Goshen Police Chief Wade Branson for a temporary order for no parking in the Larimer Greens subdivision from 8 a.m. to midnight July 6.

According to Branson, the temporary order will include all city streets in the area encompassed by the following roadways but not including: Berkey Avenue, Green Road, Plymouth Avenue and Indiana Avenue.

The request is to allow parking on one side of the street but not the other as determined by the Goshen Street Department, Branson said. The reason for the request is to ensure fire and other emergency vehicles can access these roads during the Celebrate America event and fireworks. It is anticipated that a very large number of vehicles will be attending this event. By limiting the parking to one side, we can have a path for fire and medical access to neighbors and visitors to the event.

The request was approved unanimously.

Other business

In other business, the board approved:

A request by John and Linda Sorg, 817 S. Seventh St., Goshen, for participation in the citys sidewalk and curb 50/50 program to replace their sidewalk and curb. Total cost for the project is $1,680, with the citys portion set at $840.

An agreement with Tractor Supply Co. to remove an inoperable and unrepairable private fire hydrant on the companys property, 2323 Lincolnway East, Goshen. City workers will then install a new public fire hydrant on an existing public main located just south of the companys property. All work will be done at the citys expense.

An agreement with Shane McKerchie where McKerchie will serve a minimum of six years as a paramedic with the Goshen Fire Department. Pursuant to this agreement, McKerchie would receive a one-time bonus in the amount of $7,500. McKerchie was hired by the department on May 14, 2012, and received his paramedic certification on May 19, 2014.

Read the original:
Parking restrictions adopted for Goshen's 4th of July celebration