Business

If you've always wanted to play around with the same animation software that created some of the world's most beloved animated films, this is your lucky day. 3D computer animation studio Pixar has made available a version of its state-of-the-art RenderMan visual effects software to the public for free. Aspiring computer animators can now use the tools that created films like Toy Story and Monsters, Inc. to create their own masterpieces at no cost. It originally cost $500 to purchase and use RenderMan, according to geek.com. There are a few rules for acquiring RenderMan, the studio's in-house version of 3D rendering software, according to the Huffington Post: for example, you can only use the software for free only if it's for non-commercial purposes. Pixar explained its reasoni...

Could better Point of Sale (POS) technology help your restaurant stay on top of employee theft? According to a new survey, it could be. Previously, National Restaurant Association research has indicated that restaurants and other food service operators experience unusually high levels of internal employee theft. According to a paper titled "Cleaning House: The Impact of Information Technology Monitoring on Employee Theft and Productivity" published by professors at MIT, Brigham Young University, and Washington University, POS technology could potentially solve this industry-wide problem. Their study, using restaurant guard technology that monitors employee interactions with POS systems, found that not only were losses reversed, but restaurants actually experienced greater profit beyond...

In a groundbreaking study published this week in Science Translational Medicine, researchers say that a low-powered laser could be the key to creating new tooth growth. In the lab, the Harvard-led team were able to use lasers to "turn on" a natural healing cycle, which caused dentin to regrow inside teeth. This technology could allow a cavity to essentially "fill itself" back in with healhy tooth tissue, or enable a broken tooth to regrow again.Although the technology has only been tested on rats so far, it is possible that human clinical trials could begin within the year. "There's potential for this to be broadly useful," says David Mooney, the paper's senior author and a Harvard University bioengineer. If the approach works, the implications stretch beyond just avoiding the “drilling an...

More and more Internet users are making the shift from the desktop to their smartphones or tablets, new research is showing. Global financial services firm Morgan Stanley calls 2014 "the year that mobile internet usage will match desktop use," a May 6 Bdaily.com article reported. As mobile web usage continues to grow, so will the need for responsive web design, according to the Huffington Post. Rather than creating two separate websites, one for desktop users and one for mobile platforms, responsive web design allows a website to detect the type of device used and adapt to it, optimizing its display. In June 2012, Google -- which accounts for 67% of search engine market share worldwide -- announced that it prefers responsive web design over other mobile web design configurations, acc...

Is Google to blame if its search results give you a bad name? An Argentine model, Maria Belen Rodriguez, is currently suing both Yahoo and search engine giant Google over search results that link her name to pornographic online sites and escort services.The adult websites are using older images of Rodriguez without her permission. Although she was awarded a reduced sum of $6,200 in an earlier legal action suit back in 2006, the TV personality is seeking further damages owing to ongoing emotional distress, and so that her name can be unlinked to the websites once and for all. In an interview with CNN, Rodriguez is critical of those who would dismiss her claim because of free speech rights. "They have ruined my life and now say that what I'm asking for is censorship? It suits them, but...

If you have ever considered hiring a financial adviser, you probably expected that your adviser would be a man. You wouldn't be wrong in your assumption -- because the financial services industry severely lacks in female financial advisers and planners, a recent study has shown. While females represent 51% of the U.S. population and are more likely to graduate college than men, only 23% of all certified financial planners (CFP) are female. According to the Motley Fool, women are generally turned away from becoming financial advisers because of barriers to entry into the profession they face. The gender disparity in the financial services profession comes as a surprise, especially when one study by two University of California professors proved that women tend to be better investor...

Smartphones have been getting more intelligent for years now, so it was only a matter of time before mobile developers added TV remote capabilities to their products. Universal Electronics, a top technological provider for wireless remote control of consumer electronics and digital media, announced last month that Samsung would be incorporating their WatchOn technology into the company's latest smartphones, which would allow users to control their TVs with the device's built-in infrared sensor. Meanwhile, Apple has made their Apple TV all the more usable by allowing people to control it with their iOS devices, like the iPhone or iPad. The product comes with a nice, little remote, but users often have several troubles with it. Firstly, it's easy to lose. Secondly, it doesn't have a QW...