Unicorns zombie

New York (CNN Business)In a year when the Dow Jones Industrial Average has risen almost 20%, shattering one record after another, some newly public companies have been left in the cold. Uber (UBER), Lyft (LYFT) and Slack (WORK) all struggled due to questions about when (or if?) they will turn a profit. Beyond Meat (BYND) and Peloton (PTON) have endured some growing pains, too. WeWork blew up before even making it to Wall Street. Will the Class of 2020 fare any better? The market is clearly looking to Airbnb, which is likely to be the most prominent unicorn to go public next year. "Airbnb wil be next year's Uber. The attention, hopes and dreams will all be put on them," said James Gellert, chairman and CEO of RapidRatings, a research firm that analyzes the financial health of companies. But Gellert thinks Airbnb should fare better than Uber because it has stronger fundamentals and less competition. Investors are also betting that food delivery service Postmates, trading app Robinhood … [Read more...] about Uber and other unicorns flopped on Wall Street this year. Will IPOs rebound in 2020?

It's had huge success around the world and now The Masked Singer is finally coming to the UK after originating in South Korea in 2015. And to kick things off in style, judge Davina McCall was lighting up the stage at the launch on Thursday, as she donned a sizzling ensemble and dramatic hair.  The former Big Brother star, 52, shunned her usual heavy fringe in favour of a slicked back do while dazzling in a feathered jumpsuit as she was joined by her co-stars Jonathan Ross, Joel Dommett and Ken Jeong. Stunner: Davina McCall was lighting up the stage at The Masked Singer launch on Thursday, as she donned a sizzling ensemble and dramatic hair Last week, a first look teaser showed judges Davina, Rita Ora, Jonathan Ross and Ken Jeong trying to work out the identity of the 12 mystery celebs behind the masks on the singing competition.  The premise of the show sees 12 stars disguised in elaborate costumes singing for the panel, who will test their guessing skills along with … [Read more...] about Davina McCall, 52, shuns her usual heavy fringe in favour of intricate plaits… as she larks around with a unicorn contestant at The Masked Singer launch

Five years ago Aileen Lee, founder of Silicon Valley investor Cowboy Ventures, coined the term “unicorn” for a private company valued at more than $1bn. Back then unicorns were almost as rare as their mythical namesakes – just 39 existed, according to Lee. Now there are 334 around the world, worth more than $1tn. And this week some of the very biggest beasts started stampeding towards the public markets. On Friday Lyft, the ridesharing company, went public on the US stock markets, soaring 21% before ending the day up a more modest 8.7%. The company is now valued at $22bn, creating many new millionaires among the Lyft staff and generating big profits for investors who have backed the business as it has developed. Soon it is expected to be joined soon by Airbnb, Palantir, Pinterest, Slack, Uber, WeWork and more than 200 other companies, largely in tech, that could raise over $1oobn between them – more money than was raised by the dotcom bubble at the turn of the … [Read more...] about Stampede of the unicorns: will a new breed of tech giants burst the bubble?

Sniper Elite 4 is great, but I have not played any of the Zombie Army games. That will probably change soon, as PC Gaming Show sponsor Rebellion's trailer for Zombie Army 4: Dead War makes it look like Sniper Elite, but co-op, and with three non-sniper classes. And there are zombies, obviously, which makes it a little different, but they are still Nazis.The campaign will feature 4-player drop-in, drop-out co-op, and will span Italy and "beyond"—a zombie zoo is one of the locations promised. There are unlockable skills, attacks, and upgrades ("Harness divine devastation! Stun hordes into shock with electricity!") as well as traps and the return of the Sniper Elite series' X-ray cam.For all the zombie slaughtering in it, the trailer above feels oddly subdued. I find the squad's too-casual shouts to each other reassuring. Zombie Hitler's horde has overrun Europe, sure, but everything'll be fine, probably.Zombie Army 4: Dead War is releasing in early 2020 for PC (obviously), PS4, and … [Read more...] about Zombie Army 4: Dead War is a co-op battle against zombie Hitler’s hordes

close Video Deadly fungus creates 'zombie ants' and hijacks their jaws to cause suicide Zombies are real but they only found in one insect. If you thought fictional zombies walking around on film were scary, the condition that turns creatures into mindless eating machines actually exists in nature. In ants. According to research published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, ants that come in contact with the deadly fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis have their jaw muscles taken over until they eventually die. The study's lead author, Colleen Mangold, notes that the fungus does not attack their brains directly. Instead "the mandibular muscles ... of infected ants are extensively colonized by the fungus," she said in a statement. Image of an ant who received honeydew from aphid. (Credit: Dawidi, Johannesburg, South Africa) ZOMBIE ANTS ARE SCARIER THAN YOU EVER IMAGINED Mangold, along with her other researchers found that the infected muscles showed evidence … [Read more...] about Deadly fungus creates ‘zombie ants’ and hijacks their jaws to cause suicide