Battery Startup Stem Just Raised Money from Peter Thiel"s Mithril

Peter Thiel: being contrarian & right, AI, Elon, drug reform, overrated trends & wealth polarization

While billionaire investor Peter Thiel has been grabbing headlines for his reported support of Hulk Hogans lawsuit against Gawker (as well as his backing of Donald Trump), one of his investment firms has shown interest in something thats a lot less contrarian: batteries.

On Wednesday, battery startup Stem announced that its raised a new round of $15 million, led by Mithril Capital Management, a fund co-founded by Thiel and Ajay Royan to invest in tech startups that are growing quickly. Mithril is reportedly out raising a second fund of $600 million.

A battery from Stem to help building owners lower electricity bills.Photo courtesy of Stem.

Stem buys batteries from battery giants like Panasonic and Samsung, then installs them in the basements or backyards of companies buildings. The startup then uses smart software to shift the energy load of the building over onto the batteries when the power grid rates are high.

With this battery tech, Stems customers like Wells Fargo WFC, Safeway SFY, Whole Foods WFM, and Reliance Steel RS can lower their monthly energy costs significantly. Energy geeks call this type of battery application behind the meter, and its seeing growing interest from businesses with a lot of facilities and high energy costs.

For more on new battery technology watch our video.

Utilities can also work with Stem so that they can shift the energy loads of buildings that plug into their grid over onto batteries during peak times of day, like a hot summer afternoon. In this way, they have another option for how to manage the demand on their grids.

Stem is one of only a couple startups that won huge deals to work with utility Southern California Edison to use batteries to help the utility manage its grid. Stem plans to deploy a whopping 85 megawatts of batteries to Southern California Edison customers by 2021. For comparison, there were only 221 megawatts of energy storage deployed in the U.S. in 2015, according to GTM Research.

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Stems business model relies on the recent drop in the costs of lithium-ion batteries, which began when these rechargeable batteries became the de facto choice for most cell phones, laptops, and many gadgets. Now battery giants like Samsung and Panasonic are investing in growing their manufacturing, and dropping the costs, of these batteries to be plugged into the grid, paired with solar panels and used to power vehicles, like Teslas electric cars.

With this funding Stem has raised $105 million to date ($68 million in the Series C round). Other investors in Stem include Japanese conglomerate Mitsui, Germanys RWE Supply & Trading, the Angeleno Group, power giant Iberdrola, GE Ventures, the investment arm of GE GE, Constellation New Energy, and Total Energy Ventures, the investment arm of French oil giant Total TOT.

Stem will use the funds to grow its customer list. The company says its battery tech has been installed at 440 facilities in California and Hawaii.

Other companies that are competing with Stem include Green Charge Networks, Greensmith Energy Management Systems, Advanced Microgrid Solutions, Tesla TSLA, and even GE. Earlier this month, French power company Engie acquired an 80% stake in Green Charge Networks.

Updated at 9:30 AM PST on May 25th to correct that Stem raised $68 million in its series C round and $105 million in total.

Source: http://fortune.com/2016/05/25/battery-startup-stem-peter-thiel/

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Why Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT), Dicks Sporting Goods Inc (DKS) and Dillard"s, Inc. (DDS) Are 3 of Today"s Best ...

Kayaking Down an Escalator
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Stocks finished off their highs of the day, but still ended in strong form Friday as the S&P 500 gained 0.6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average could not avoid a weekly loss, extending its weekly losing streak to four, but the blue-chip index rose 0.38%. Thanks to some soaring semiconductor names, the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.2%.

The dollar rose for a third consecutive week amid ongoing speculation the Federal Reserve will boost interest rates next month, but on Friday investors paid the most attention to retailers and technology stocks.

And that theme explains why Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT), Dicks Sporting Goods Inc (NYSE:DKS) and Dillards, Inc. (NYSE:DDS) are three of todays best stocks.

Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT)

Shares of semiconductor equipment maker Applied Materials surged 13.8% on volume that was more than quadruple the daily average after the company forecast a fiscal third-quarter profit of 46 to 50 cents a share.

Analysts are expecting AMAT to earn 36 cents a share. AMAT said it expects net sales to rise 14% to 18% from the second quarter.

In its fiscal second quarter, AMAT earned 34 cents a share on an adjusted basis on revenue of $2.45 billion. Analysts expected AMAT to earn 32 cents on sales of $2.43 billion.

Dicks Sporting Goods Inc (DKS)

Dicks Sporting Goods saw its shares climb 5.1% on almost triple the usual turnover after the stock earned two upgrades from sell-side analysts.

Goldman Sachs upgraded DKS to a buy rating with a $53 price target, implying significant upside from Fridays close. Morgan Stanley chimed in as well, lifting its rating on DKS to equal-weight from underweight.

Dillards, Inc. (DDS)

Department store operator Dillards fought off a slide after a disappointing earnings report to finish higher by 5.8% on heavy volume.

In its most recently completed quarter, DDS earned $2.17 per share, well below the $2.52 a share Wall Street estimate. Same-store sales for DDS declined for a third straight quarter, reports CNBC.

DDS reported a same-store sales decline of 5%, double what analysts expected.

At the time of this writing, Todd Shriber did not own any of the aforementioned securities.

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Source: http://investorplace.com/2016/05/applied-materials-inc-amat-dicks-sporting-goods-inc-dks-dillards-inc-dds-3-todays-best-stocks/

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Rachel Roy Hints She"s Beyonce"s "Becky With the Good Hair"

Who Won Dancing With the Stars?

Rachel Roy may have just confirmed that shes the one alluded to as Becky in Beyonces new track Sorry, off her latest album Lemonade.

The 42-year-old fashion designer took to Instagram after the song dropped, writing, Good hair dont care, but we will take good lighting, for selfies, or self truths, always. live in the light #nodramaqueens.

The lyrics to Beys song imply Jay Z cheated and she sings, Wave it in his face, tell him, boy, bye. Tell him, boy, bye, middle fingers up. I aint thinking bout you. He better call Becky with the good hair.

A lot of people on social media think this refers to Rachel, who used to be married to Jays former partner Damon Dash. They also think it relates back to the 2014 elevator incident with Beys sister Solange.

Meanwhile, fans of Beyonce have taken to Rachels Wikipedia page and edited it to say that she died under a lemonade stand.

Rachel has since made her Instagram account private, but you can see the photo she posted below.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about all the Rachel Roy speculation?

Source: http://www.justjared.com/2016/04/24/rachel-roy-hints-shes-beyonces-becky-with-the-good-hair/

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Who was Frankie Manning and what is the Lindy Hop?

Frankie Manning"s class, part 1

Manning then started a group called "Whitey"s Lindy Hoppers", with whom hetoured extensively and made several films. He also danced with Norma Miller, who became known as the Queen of Swing.

A resident ofCorona, Queens, Manning died inManhattanon April 27, 2009, aged 94.

What is the Lindy Hop?

If you"re into 20s and 30s dancing, you"ve probably heard of the Lindy Hop. It popularised the Swing era and was a fusion of many dances, including jazz, tap, breakaway and Charleston.

It was born in and important to the African-American communities in Harlem, but entered the mainstream in the 1930"s.

The dance can be wild and spontaneous, with frenzied kicks and body movements, or it can be cool and sophisticated, and it is usually partnered. It can be fascinating and interesting to watch.

Where did theLindy Hop get its name from?

Dance Marathons were popular as away of winning prize money during the Great Depression. It wasduring one of these that the Lindy apparently got its name.

In 1927, Charles Lindbergh became the first person to fly solofrom New York to Paris, and people were absorbed with his "Hop" across the Atlantic. He became a huge global superstar as a result.

The name was coined by one of Manning"s fellow dancers George "Shorty" Snowden.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/05/25/who-was-frankie-manning-and-what-is-the-lindy-hop/

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Siapa Frankie Manning?

Frankie Manning"s class, part 1

PARA pengguna Google akan dibuat terhibur dengan doodle yang ditampilkan Kamis 26 Mei 2016 ini. Berbeda dengan doodle yang tampil sehari sebelumnya, kali ini animasi sepasang penari berkulit hitam menari dengan sangat ceria dan atraktif. Tulisan yang tertera adalah "Frankie Manning"s 102nd birthday".

Lalu, siapa Frankie Manning?

Frankie Manning adalah penari berkebangsaan Amerika sekaligus instruktur juga koreografer. Frankie adalah penemu tarian lindy hop yang sangat terkenal pada era 1930 hingga 1940-an sebagai pengiring musik swing. Frankie meninggal pada tahun 2009 pada usia 95 tahun. Jika masih hidup, maka hari ini, Kamis 26 Mei 2016, adalah ulang tahun Frankie Manning yang ke-102.

Sepertinya Google sangat menghormati mendiang Frankie Manning sebagai sebuah semangat seperti tarian yang kerap ia mainkan. Lindy hop adalah tarian atau dansa Amerika yang berkembang di wilayah Harlem, New York pada era 1920 dan 1930-an. Saat itu, tarian ini sebenarnya merupakan pengiring musik jazz. Tarian lindy hop menyatukan banyak sekali tarian seperti jazz yang ekspresif, tap yang mengentak, breakaway, dan charleston hingga menjadi sebuah tarian baru. Kebanyakan orang kemudian menyebutnya dengan tarian jazz yang merupakan bagian dari tarian swing. Salah satu ciri dari tarian lindy hop adalah gerakannya yang cepat.

Di Indonesia, tarian swing memang tak terlalu populer. Tarian swing kalah populer dengan salsa atau tango yang kental dengan aroma Amerika Latin meski dibesarkan di Amerika Serikat. Namun, di benua Amerika maupun Eropa, lindy hop yang mengiringi musik swing sangat populer pada era 1930 dan 1940-an. Dalam beberapa tahun terakhir, tarian ini kembali digemari karena menggambarkan keceriaan dan semangat muda.

Kata hop dalam lindy hop banyak diartikan sebagai lompatan yang sering ditunjukkan dalam tarian ini. Lihat saja gerakan animasi dalam Google doodle yang tampak hari ini. Ada lompatan-lompatan kecil yang diperlihatkan. Namun, banyak kalangan menyebut bahwa hop di sini diartikan sebagai kenangan atas jasa Charles Lindbergh, orang pertama yang terbang melintasi Laut Atlantik pada tahun 1920-an. Hop di sini dimaksudkan sebagai lompatan melintasi Altantik.

Kembali ke Frankie Manning, jasanya sangat besar dalam mengembangkan lindy hop sebagai tarian swing. Ia juga dikenal sangat baik hati serta kharismatik. Seperti dikutip FrankieManning.com, Frankie merupakan penari terkemuka di Harlem, tepatnya di Savoy Ballroom, tempat inovasi tarian lindy hop yang revolusioner ini berkembang.

Saat menari, Frankie kerap diiringi oleh para peman jazz terkenal pada masanya seperti Ethel Waters, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, dan Cab Calloway. Setelah runtuhnya era swing, Frankie sempat bekerja di Kantor Pos selama 30 tahun hingga generasi tahun 1980-an kembali menggelorakan tarian swing. Saat itu, Frankie kembali melantai, mengajar, membuat koreografi, serta menjadikan tariannya mendunia. Frankie memenangi Tony Award pada tahun 1989 untuk koreografi terbaik di "Black and Blue" dan menjadi konsultan dalam film "Malcolm X" besutan sutradara Spike Lee pada tahun 1992.

Keceriaannya memainkan tarian lindy hop bahkan masih ditunjukkannya ketika ia telah berusia lanjut. Dokumentasi foto tahun 1999 (saat ia berusia 85 tahun) Frankie masih segar bugar sembari tertawa lebar saat event dansa swing diperlombakan di Arizona, Amerika Serikat.

Frankie memang sudah tiada, tapi tarian swingnya masih mengayun di hati para pemburu keceriaan dan kegembiraan.***

Source: http://www.pikiran-rakyat.com/hidup-gaya/2016/05/26/siapa-frankie-manning-370034

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Arrow Season 5 Premiere Date, Villain Details, and More

The Flash Season 3 - Hell Yeah

The show that really started it all for the CW will be back for at least one more season. The CW revealed plans for Arrow season 5 back in March, well ahead of this year"s upfronts. In fact, the CW renewed just about everything on the roster, including The Flash Season 3 and Legends of Tomorrow Season 2! Supergirl is joining the superhero party on the network, too, and there will even be a massive crossover between all four shows!

Arrow Season 5 Premiere Date

The CW hasn"t officially confirmed the Arrow Season 5 premiere date, but it happens at the same time every year. Arrow always premieres on the first Wednesday after New York Comic-Con in October. With that in mind, pencil in October 12th, 2016 as your Arrow Season 5 premiere date. If that changes, we"ll let you know.

Arrow Season 5 Villain

TV Line is at it again! Last year they were the first to report the early details of Damian Darhk joining the show, and they have the first word on what to expect from the Arrow Season 5 main villain, too. They report that they"re looking for someone named "James" (guess what? That"s almost never the real name!), who is "irrepressibly charming...a man on a mission."

Supposedly this character has a tragic backstory of his own, and he has some avenging to do. They"re looking for someone with some size and physicality, who could "just as easily shake your hand as your best friend or break your neck as your worst enemy and you never know which one is coming. Either way, hes more than capable of having a good time as he does it.

Stephen Amell added some clues while speaking to Variety. Ive heard that our big bad, our villain, is something that you can really only do once youre in the fifth, sixth or seventh season of a TV show, he said.

I have no clue who this character could be, or if he"ll feature in the present day, the flashbacks, or both. Although, I tell ya, I"d love to see this show mess with some Secret Six characters and have "James" turn out to be Thomas "Catman" Blake. Nah. Never happen, right?

If you have any ideas who this might be, hit us up in the comments.

Arrow Season 5 Flashbacks

One of the stumbling blocks for this year"s season has been the flashback sequences. But Arrow Season 5 would mark the fifth year of flashbacks, which would then have the show caught up to season one by the time we get to season six. So what will the flashbacks be in Arrow Season 5? I dont want to tip too much, Arrow showrunner Wendy Mericle told TV Line, but its a very good possibility that well finally find out how Oliver got that Bratva tattoo and how he learned to speak Russian.

Well, at least he won"t be on an island again.

Arrow Season 5 Cast and Crew

While season four isn"t even finished yet, we have the first bit of Arrow Season 5 casting news right now, courtesy of TV Line. I hope you like Echo Kellum as Michael Holt, because he has been upped to series regular status for next season. So, it"s a fairly safe bet that we"ll get to see his journey towards becoming something a little bit more like the Mr. Terrific of the comics begin soon-ish.

The series has been a little inconsistent during its fourth season, but has found its footing since the midseason break. Things can only get better in Arrow season 5, right?

Fresh off his stint as director on a very good episode of The Flash (our review of "The Runaway Dinosaur" is here), Kevin Smith wants to try his hand at Arrow Season 5 next year. He didn"t write "The Runaway Dinosaur" (that was Zack Stentz, who will serve as a consulting producer on The Flash Season 3), but it seems like he"d want to do that for Arrow.

Smith was responding to a comment on Stephen Amell"s Facebook page, where a fan suggested he work on an Arrow episode, and Amell agreed. So this is all talk right now, but given the positive response to his Flash episode, I wouldn"t be surprised to see Mr. Smith make a trip to Star City next year.

Earlier this year, Stephen Amell put out an informal statement on Facebook revealing that he"s under contract through 2019. So, while that"s not a confirmation of anything, it"s possible that after Arrow Season 5, there"s room for season 6 and season 7, too! But as he cautions, "That doesn"t mean Arrow will run that long, but if it does... I"ll be here." And after season 5, they have to be done with the flashbacks...hopefully.

We"ll update this with more Arrow Season 5 info as it becomes available.

Source: http://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/arrow/251849/arrow-season-5-premiere-date-villain-details-and-more

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"Captain America: Civil War" gives Marvel"s games and media a big spike

Marvel"s Captain America: Civil War - Trailer 2

Marvels latest film is one of its most critically acclaimed releases ever, an its also pushing gamers tothe companys games and other digital products.

Following the release ofCaptain America: Civil Warlate last month, apps like Marvel Future Fight have seen a huge bump in popularity. That traffic has turned into some serious revenue, which reveals just how wellthe comic publishers strategy for the gaming market is working. Google Play and the iOS App Store are responsible for a $36.9 billion gaming industry, and Marvel has several games near the top of that list thanks to its licensing work with development partners. Marvel is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, which recently revealed it is applying the Marvel andStar Wars model to its entire roster of properties.

Marvel provided GamesBeat with an exclusive look at some of the numbers for its games from April 28 through May 11, which is the two-week period following the international release ofCivil War. And its clear that the movies are a huge reason that people get excited to install and play apps featuring Captain America, Spider-Man, and Iron Man.

Here are those figures:

• Marvel Future Fight: Revenues for the role-playing adventure jumped 300 percent from the preceding two-week period.
• Marvel Contest of Champions: The fighting games downloads increased by 50 percent from the previous period. It rose as high as No. 7 on the App Stores top-grossing list.
• Marvel Avengers Academy: The social-life sims downloads increased 200 percent compared to the previous two weeks.

But these impressive performance metrics are not limited to Marvels games. The entertainment company also saw people hop on its content apps and website as well:

• Marvel Unlimited: The Netflix of Marvel comics saw a week-to-week increase of 67 percent.
• Marvel Comics: This digital store for new Marvel comics is the No. 2 highest-grossing books app, and it had an increase in downloads from 98 percent compared to the previous two weeks.
• Marvel.com: The companys official website received 43 percent more pageviews.

Above: The movie is leading people into the games.

Image Credit: Marvel

MarvelsCaptain America: Civil Warhas had an incredibly significant and sustained impact on our digital portfolio, Marvel general manager for interactive and digital distribution Peter Phillips said in a statement provided to GamesBeat. Our top-performing games, apps,and digital comics have all seen an incremental lift in revenue and installs, which is especially meaningful for products that were already topping the charts.

Phillips explained that people were so quick to install these games in part because Marvel worked with its partner developers to introduce all of the characters and themes fromCivil War. But this is not a one-time bump, because Marvel purposefully held back certain heroes until the movie-going audience had a chance to learn about them.

The unprecedented number of characters in the film has presented an opportunity unlike past Marvel events by allowing us to offer an extended release schedule beyond the films debut, he said. We launched the films established characters in our games prior to the release of the film and are just beginning to roll out characters, such asBlack Panther, that the broader audience is just getting know.

While Marvel clearly uses its games to get its massive player audience excited about upcoming films and comics, this success shows that the movies also feed into the games. Disney recently canceled its Disney Infinity interactive-toy series, which was one of its biggest internal game publishing efforts. The company is obviously seeing what divisions like Marvel are doing with licensing, and it is planning to emulate that for all of its various brands.

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Source: http://venturebeat.com/2016/05/25/captain-america-civil-war-gives-marvels-games-and-media-a-big-spike/

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