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Tag: Brazil

  • Brazil Looking to Standardize on USB-C for Phone Chargers

    Brazil Looking to Standardize on USB-C for Phone Chargers

    Brazil is investigating the possibility of mandating USB-C for phone chargers, the latest country to consider such measures.

    The European Union recently passed rules requiring smartphone and device manufacturers to use USB-C chargers in an effort to cut down on e-waste and improve the consumer experience. US Senators have since asked the FCC to consider a similar measure. According to Ars Technica, Brazil is considering taking similar action.

    The National Telecommunications Agency has announced a public consultation for a proposal that would follow the EU’s example. The one big difference is the scope of the proposal. The EU’s mandate applies to smartphones, tablets, handheld gaming consoles, cameras, and more. Eventually, it will also extend to laptops. In contrast, Brazil is only investigating a mandate for cell phones at this time.

    Apple is the company that will be most impacted by these rules and, in all likelihood, will opt to adopt USB-C across its entire lineup rather than have specific hardware models for different jurisdictions.

  • Brazil Poised to Adopt Bitcoin as Legal Currency

    Brazil Poised to Adopt Bitcoin as Legal Currency

    Brazil is poised to follow in El Salvador’s footsteps and adopt bitcoin as a legal currency.

    El Salvador became the first country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender in June. According to Coin Rivet, Brazil is preparing to vote on a crypto regulation bill that could pave the way for widespread use.

    “We want to separate the wheat from the chaff, create regulations so that you can trade, know where you’re buying and know who you’re dealing with,” Federal Deputy Aureo Ribeiro said.

    “With this asset you will be able to buy a house, a car, go to McDonald’s to buy a hamburger – it will be a currency in the country as it happened in other countries.”

    While the bill still must pass a vote, there appears to be widespread support and minimal remaining barriers to the bill’s passage.

  • Brazilian Carriers Not Keen On Excluding Huawei

    Brazilian Carriers Not Keen On Excluding Huawei

    Brazilian carriers are rejecting an invitation to meet with a US official who has been pushing for Brazil to exclude Huawei.

    The US has been working to alienate Huawei and blunt its worldwide business over security and privacy concerns. In particular, the company has been accused of being an extension of Beijing’s spying apparatus. While all Chinese companies are required to work with the ruling Communist party, Huawei is seen as having closer ties than the average company, both with the government and intelligence community.

    As a result, the US has banned Huawei and pressured allies to do the same. Many, including the UK, Australia and New Zealand have followed suit. It appears Brazil, however, has not been swayed by US arguments and will not exclude Huawei.

    An invitation went out to the four major Brazilian telecom companies to meet with Keith Krach, U.S. under secretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, according to CNBC.

    “This invitation is not compatible with free-market choices that we are used to. We should be able to freely make our best financial decisions,” CNBC’s source said.

  • US Warns Brazil Over Looming Huawei Decision

    US Warns Brazil Over Looming Huawei Decision

    US officials are not letting up on their campaign to isolate Huawei, as they are now threatening Brazil with “consequences” if the country chooses Huawei.

    The US has been engaging in a campaign to isolate and contain Huawei, a firm believed to represent a security threat. While all Chinese firms are required to cooperate with the government, Huawei is seen as having unusually strong ties to Beijing and Chinese intelligence. As a result, US officials believe the company could serve as a means for Beijing to spy on governments and companies around the world.

    The US’ efforts recently forced the UK to reconsider its decision to include Huawei in its 5G plans. Australia and New Zealand have both already instituted bans, after deeming Huawei a threat. That leaves Canada as the sole member of the ‘Five Eyes’ countries that has not yet made a final decision on whether to include or ban Huawei.

    Now the US is ramping up pressure on other countries, including Brazil.

    “I wouldn’t say there would be retaliation, but there would be consequences” said Ambassador Todd Chapman, according to The International Business Times when speaking of a possible decision to include Huawei.

  • Facebook Suffers Setback As Brazil Suspends WhatsApp Payments

    Facebook Suffers Setback As Brazil Suspends WhatsApp Payments

    Facebook’s plans for WhatsApp have suffered a setback as Brazil’s central bank has suspended payments within the app.

    Facebook has been looking for ways to monetize WhatsApp and help recoup its investment in the messaging service. After flirting with the idea of ads, it decided to focus on financial services instead.

    Brazil was the first country in which Facebook integrated payments into WhatsApp, although it now appears that rollout was short-lived. According to TechCrunch, “Brazil’s central bank said it was taking the decision to ‘preserve an adequate competitive environment’ in the mobile payments space and to ensure ‘functioning of a payment system that’s interchangeable, fast, secure, transparent, open and cheap.’”

    Facebook will likely continue rolling out the payment service in other countries, and it remains to be seen if the company can do anything to address Brazil’s concerns. Either way, this is a significant setback for the social media giant.

  • Facebook Integrates Payments Into WhatsApp

    Facebook Integrates Payments Into WhatsApp

    For the first time, Facebook has added the ability to send and receive money to WhatsApp.

    Facebook has been looking for ways to monetize WhatsApp, after buying the messaging platform for $19 billion in 2014. The company had previously looked at including ads in WhatsApp, something its original founders were bitterly opposed to. In fact, they went so far as to change the terms of service to expressly prohibit ads, and make it difficult for Facebook to do so at a later date. Facebook’s ongoing attempts, however, are one of the big factors that led WhatApp’s cofounders to exit the company, leaving behind some $1.3 billion in deferred compensation.

    The ongoing backlash seems so have been successful in convincing Facebook to abandon its efforts to include ads and focus on commercial transactions instead. Today’s announcement is a major step in that direction, with the new feature rolling out in Brazil.

    The feature is powered by Facebook Pay, which is available in the US via Facebook and Messenger. Integrating it with WhatsApp is sure to be a big hit, given the worldwide popularity of the messaging platform.

    Needless to say, this feature will likely be rolling out around the world sooner rather than later.

  • Brazil Sides With Apple In iPhone Throttling Case

    Brazil Sides With Apple In iPhone Throttling Case

    Brazilian courts have sided with Apple against accusations the company improperly throttled the performance of iPhones with weak batteries.

    Apple has faced worldwide criticism for an iOS update that slowed down iPhone performance if the phone’s battery was below a certain health threshold. Owners around the world were in an uproar when the feature was discovered, claiming the company was trying to obsolete older iPhones. Apple, however, claimed the feature was designed to do the exact opposite.

    Since batteries naturally degrade over time and lose their original capacity, older devices need to be recharged more frequently. If a battery has degraded enough, and the device is pushed hard enough, it can result in the device shutting down. Apple’s performance throttling was designed to prevent that scenario, by slowing the processor down if the battery couldn’t support the device running full tilt. Apple’s explanation lent weight to their claim they were trying to prolong the life of older devices, rather than obsolete them. That didn’t stop multiple courts around the world from slapping the company with fines.

    AppleInsider is reporting that Brazilian courts are siding firmly with the iPhone maker. According to the report, at least one lawsuit brought by the Brazilian Institute of Computer Science and Law (IBDI) has been dismissed by a court—without even looking at the evidence.

    Similarly, the Federal District Public Ministry’s (MPDFT) appeal was defeated, with Judge João Egmon saying “there was no obvious planned obsolescence on Apple’s part, adding that he believed Apple implemented performance throttling to mitigate random shutdowns and preserve usability.

    “Egmon added that he believed Apple did enough to comply with local consumer protection laws by offering discounted battery replacements in Brazil, as it did in other countries.”

    This situation represented a no-win scenario for Apple. Batteries degrade, that’s a fact of life. If Apple did nothing and iPhones kept randomly shutting down when their batteries had degraded to the point of being unable to maintain peak performance, Apple would have been sued for that. Instead, the company did what it could to mitigate the effects of naturally aging batteries and got sued for that.

    At least one country’s courts see Apple’s efforts for what they were—an attempt to preserve iPhone usability.

  • Judges Orders Facebook To Hand Over Data About Possible Privacy Issues

    Judges Orders Facebook To Hand Over Data About Possible Privacy Issues

    According to The Wall Street Journal, “a Massachusetts judge has ordered Facebook to turn over data about thousands of apps that may have mishandled its users’ personal information.”

    In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook has faced ongoing scrutiny and lawsuits related to how it handles user data. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission fined the social media giant $5 billion for its role in Cambridge Analytica. More recently, Brazil levied a $1.6 million fine on the company for the same thing.

    The most recent decision stems from Facebook’s own “admission last year that it had suspended ‘tens of thousands of apps for possible privacy violations.” Unfortunately, that was all Facebook was willing to admit to, providing neither the specific apps that were suspended, nor the alleged violations they were guilty of. As a company that has long since lost the trust of many customers and lawmakers, Facebook’s protestations that it shouldn’t be forced to turn over the data fell on deaf ears. Now the Suffolk Superior Court judge has given the company 90 days to turn over the data.

    “We are pleased that the Court ordered Facebook to tell our office which other app developers may have engaged in conduct like Cambridge Analytica,” Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement.

    Facebook says it is reviewing its options and may appeal the ruling.

  • Brazil Fines Facebook Over Cambridge Analytica Scandal

    Brazil Fines Facebook Over Cambridge Analytica Scandal

    Bloomberg is reporting that Brazil has levied a $1.6 million fine on Facebook for its role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

    The fine is the result of an investigation that began in April 2018, finding that Facebook illegally shared data for some 443,000 users.

    “It’s evident that the data of about 443,000 users of the platform were made available by the developers of the app ‘thisisyourdigitallife’ for reasons that are at least questionable,” Brazil’s justice ministry said in a statement.

    Facebook has said there is no evidence the data from Brazilian users was transferred to Cambridge Analytica, but the justice ministry said Facebook and its local unit failed to prove that less users were impacted.

    As Bloomberg points out, Facebook agreed in July to pay a $5 billion fine to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. It is not clear if Facebook will immediately pay the Brazilian fine or fight it, however. The company simply said “we are currently evaluating our legal options in this case.”

  • Ericsson Investing Over $230 Million in Brazil 5G Assembly Line

    Ericsson Investing Over $230 Million in Brazil 5G Assembly Line

    Reuters is reporting that Ericsson is on the verge of investing $238.30 million in an assembly line in Brazil dedicated to 5G technology.

    Latin America is a competitive market for 5G suppliers, with China recently expressing confidence Huawei would be selected to help build out Brazil’s network, following Huawei’s announced intention of investing $800 million in a new Brazilian factory. Ericsson doesn’t seem to be willing to concede the market, however, if the news is any indication.

    “We already export 40% of all equipment assembled in Brazil to Latin American countries, and it will be no different with 5G,” Eduardo Ricotta, president of Ericsson Latam South, told Reuters. “We expect this new assembly line to be operating as of the third-quarter of 2020, but the schedule will also depend on the 5G auction.”

    Ricotta pointed out that Ericsson is the only 5G manufacturer to have operating networks on all continents, with all of them being large networks.

    According to MarketWatch, the Latin American market is expected to expand at an “overall compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 121% and will be worth of 6.37 Bn by 2025.”

    With so much on the line, it’s little wonder that two of the three major 5G manufacturers are investing so heavily in Brazil. Ericsson’s commitment will likely be a welcome alternative for companies hesitant to partner with Huawei.

  • China Confident Brazil Will Choose Huawei For Its 5G Mobile Network

    China Confident Brazil Will Choose Huawei For Its 5G Mobile Network

    Huawei has come under fire from countries throughout the West, with allegations the telecommunications equipment company engages in spying for the Chinese government. The United States, Britain, Australia and Germany have expressed concern in some cases, and gone as far as to ban the company in others.

    In spite of Huawei’s reputation, at least one major country is undeterred: Brazil. Bloomberg is reporting that the Chinese government is confident Huawei will be chosen to build out Brazil’s 5G mobile network.

    “I am confident in terms of the cooperation between China and Brazil over 5G technology”, China’s Ambassador to Brasilia Yang Wanming told Bloomberg in response to emailed questions. He added that Brazil “will take into account its own development interest” when analyzing Huawei’s bid.

    Yang also indicated that Brazil has remained objective and had not been moved by what he described as the United States’ campaign of “bad faith and defamation.”

    Nonetheless, if China’s assessment is correct, and Huawei is chosen, it could ratchet up tension between the U.S. and Brazil. The U.S. has been warning allies of the dangers of relying on Huawei and has already informed Brazil it may downgrade security cooperation if Huawei is chosen.

    Telecom companies in other countries have already been sounding the warning regarding the added cost and time that will be incurred building 5G networks without Huawei’s equipment. Countries, especially ones with limited options, will no doubt be watching closely to see who blinks in this game of 5G brinksmanship.

  • Twitter Moments Expands Into Second Country

    Twitter Moments Expands Into Second Country

    Twitter announced that it is launching Moments in Brazil. This is only the second country after the United States to get the feature.

    Twitter launched Moments early last month. Moments are curated stories made up of tweets, images, videos, Vines, and GIFs. These are curated by both Twitter and select partners like Bleacher Report, Buzzfeed, Entertainment Weekly, Fox News, Getty Images, Mashable, MLB, NASA, New York Times, Vogue and the Washington Post (more in the future).

    Twitter users can access and follow specific stories from a new lightning bolt tab. New stories appear throughout the day and are continuously updated and organized by topics like entertainment, sports, etc.

    Shortly after the launch of Moments, Twitter launched Promoted Moments with select partners as a clear way to monetize the new feature.

    During a conference call to discuss the company’s disappointing financial results, Twitter talked up Moments as one way it intends to grow its user base, which continues to grow at the rate of a snail’s pace. The Moments feature was the focal point of a recent television ad from the company.

    CEO Jack Dorsey noted that it’s still early and the company is collecting feedback on the feature, but that they’ve already seen how it has improved Twitter.

    He also maintained that rolling the feature out beyond the U.S. is a priority.

    Via TheNextWeb

    Image via Twitter

  • Amber Heard Cries While Helping Needy Brazilians

    Amber Heard and her new-ish husband, Johnny Depp, did a little giving back on Thursday while in Brazil.

    Johnny Depp and his band, the Hollywood Vampires, were attending the Rock in Rio music festival in Rio de Janeiro when Johnny and Amber Heard decided to do something for the people of the city.

    Johnny Depp and Amber Heard partnered with Starkey Hearing Foundation to help distribute hundreds of hearing aids to those locals who couldn’t afford them.

    The result of which was clearly a life-changing event for a teary-eyed Amber Heard.

    Amber Heard later told AP, “The reaction somebody has when they hear for the first time, in this case, you see it light up — changes their whole face. Just to be a small part of that for one moment, to watch someone’s life change in front of you, it’s moving to say the least.”

    Johnny Depp was also deeply moved as he recounted one experience.

    He said, “If you pass something over to someone that they haven’t had ever before, it’s very moving. This sweet little girl, I turned the volume up and I just sort of made a noise – ‘ba-ba-ba-ba-ba’ — and she went, ‘Yes! Escuchar, I can hear!’”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfEAwOnOt9c

    This heartwarming story about Amber Heard and Johnny Depp comes on the heels of a much less attractive one.

    Recently it was reported that Amber Heard was feeling decidedly less charitable when she ordered Johnny Depp to sell his beloved yacht.

    The yacht is dubbed Vajoliroja, which is a combination of the first two letters in the names of Johnny, his ex, Vanessa Paradis, and their two children, Lily Rose and Jack.

    An insider said of the situation, “Johnny loved that yacht. But he bought it for Vanessa. And Amber is still jealous of her.”

    What do you think of the accusation that Amber Heard is jealous of Vanessa Paradis?

  • Joe Jackson Laid Up in Brazil After Stroke, Heart Attacks Make Him Miss His Own Birthday PArty

    Joe Jackson Laid Up in Brazil After Stroke, Heart Attacks Make Him Miss His Own Birthday PArty

    Joe Jackson is still in Brazil, laid up in intensive care after he suffered a stroke and three heart attacks. Doctors are funny about allowing you to fly after you’ve had a pacemaker installed, so Joe could be convalescing in the land of Carnivale for a while.

    Joe Jackson’s publicist said Joe’s heart stopped beating for 10 seconds in the hospital. Obviously, he was revived. Nut that’s not something you just check yourself out and hop on a plane after.

    Joe Jackson, father of Michael, Rebbie, Janet, Jermaine — you know the rest — was in Sao Paulo to celebrate his birthday. He posted an announcement on his website once news broke that he had missed his on party on account of stroke and heart attacks.

    “To my family, friends, acquaintances and fans all over the world. I want to thank you all for your prayers, unwavering support and kind well wishes during these trying times. Through God’s intervention the wonderful Doctors, Nurses and caretakers at the Albert Einstein Sao Paulo hospital have taken great care of me,” he wrote. “God willing, I should be able to make a quick recovery and travel back home soon. Thank you all once again for your prayers and support.”

    Joe Jackson has suffered minor strokes in the past, but this one laid him a bit lower than the rest.

    Sao Paulo holds a special place in the Jackson family patriarch’s heart. He recounted a story about his first trip there.

    “Back in the 70s when I was touring with my sons in Brazil. We had just done a show in Rio and traveled to Sao Paulo for the next show. We run into a problem because our music equipment from Rio did not arrive in time. It had been sent out late from Rio, very late. So we waited, and the crowd waited. Finally the crowd’s patience run out. They became hostile and started throwing stuff at us. I remember all of us with the school teacher “Miss Rose Fine” in tow, running for cover onto a Bus. The crowd was upset. Wow, that was something. Our music equipment finally showed up around 8pm, and we still went out there and put on a show. My boys worked hard and won the crowd back over. But, boy was it tough. From there it was off to Bahia. A few years ago when I visited Brazil, i made it a point of mine to visit “Bahia”. Michael filmed one of my favorite music videos “They don’t care about us” in Bahia. Coming full circle from the 70s.”

  • Joe Jackson, Father of Michael and Janet, in Brazil Hospital After Stroke

    Joe Jackson may be more popular in Brazil than he is in the United States. While the patriarch of the Jackson family of musicians has had to battle a public perception of him as an abusive father and opportunistic promoter, he seems to love going to Sao Paulo, where he is welcomed with open arms.

    In fact, Joe Jackson headed to Sao Paulo to celebrate his 87th birthday. Maybe he has to go that far because his wife won’t celebrate birthdays.

    The news before the party was that “hundreds of revelers” were expected to turn up to honor Joe Jackson. Samba dancers, Brazilian decor and local fare was on the offering — hosted by the Nexxing marketing group. Local celebrities Ivete Sangalo and Claudia Leitte were on the guest list.

    At any rate, according to news out of Sao Paulo, Joe Jackson never made it to his 87th birthday bash. Instead, he ended up in the hospital, where he still has irregular heartbeat issues.

    Joe Jackson issued a statement on his website.

    “To my family, friends, acquaintances and fans all over the world. I want to thank you all for your prayers, unwavering support and kind well wishes during these trying times. Through God’s intervention the wonderful Doctors, Nurses and caretakers at the Albert Einstein Sao Paulo hospital have taken great care of me,” Jackson wrote. “God willing, I should be able to make a quick recovery and travel back home soon. Thank you all once again for your prayers and support.”

    Joe Jackson hopes to leave Brazil early this week, but will have to see if doctors say he is well enough to travel. Joe Jackson has suffered minor strokes in the past and is in intensive care.

  • Andressa Urach In ICU Due To Botched Butt Implant

    Andressa Urach, runner up in the 2012 ‘Miss Bumbum’ pageant in Brazil, was hospitalized Saturday, due to a botched procedure intended to enhance her buttocks and thighs.

    Urach, 27, is said to be in “serious condition” in a hospital in the southern city of Porto Alegre. The Brazilian ingenue developed an infection following a procedure to remove a gel-like substance which was injected into her thighs. The television presenter is presently on a ventilator, and is sedated.

    The offending substance, hydrogel, is legal in Brazil in small doses, where it is used to increase the size of women’s thighs and buttocks. Urach reportedly had twice the recommended dose injected into her legs.

    A hydrogel is a network of polymer chains which are highly absorbent, and maintain a degree of flexibility similar to natural tissue, due to their significant water content. Urach also opted to be injected with another substance called PMMA, a transparent thermoplastic, which is used as a shatter-resistant alternative to glass.

    Urach began feeling the effects of the products in July, and commented, “The hydrogel was not absorbed by my body and started to harm me. Now I’ve discovered that the PMMA is sticking to my muscles and causing the tissue to rot. That’s why I am feeling such strong pains. I’m taking morphine every four hours and antibiotics to alleviate the suffering.”

    Ameiiii minha calça @kissmymodas linda!!!!!!e top @desagi

    A photo posted by Andressa Urach (@andressaurachoficial) on

    The possible effects of injecting chemicals into one’s legs:

    Urach’s mother posted a message to the model’s Facebook fan page Wednsday- “I am certain because of my faith in God that she is going to be cured. I thank all of you from my heart and ask you to continue praying, because this is going to be just one more battle and I know my baby is going to come out of this victorious.”

    Brazil’s Miss BumBum competition is a big deal in that country. Last year two contestants were accused of bribing judges.

  • Commence Your ‘Steve Jobs Is Alive’ Theories

    Commence Your ‘Steve Jobs Is Alive’ Theories

    You can add Apple co-founder Steve Jobs to the list of dead people that could possibly be alive because they’ve been spotted but are also totally not alive (except in the hearts of fans, of course).

    Like Biggie, Tupac, Elvis, and Wilford Brimley, Jobs, reportedly deceased since 2011, has been sighted in a foreign country.

    A redditor posted this selfie Wednesday night, claiming to have found Steve Jobs alive in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

    You have to admit – the proof here is virtually impregnable.

    Steve Jobs or not, you have to feel bad for that caretaker, who is clearly sick of this shit.

    Image via Imgur, redditor TheHorseSizedDuck

  • Fifa World Cup: Winners And Losers

    Well, that’s all she wrote for the 2014 World Cup. It has been a crazy one, hasn’t it? I don’t think it played out one bit like ANYONE predicted.

    Did you predict an Argentina vs Germany final?

    Did you predict Brazil’s humiliating crash and burn?

    Did you predict Luis Suarez taking a bite out of someone?

    Well…maybe we should have seen that last one coming. After all, Suarez is a repeat offender. But the Uruguayan troublemaker aside, this has been one heck of a roller coaster ride.

    The winners and losers aren’t just decided by who makes it to the final and wins it all. In a way, more than a few people will walk away “winners” and “losers”.

    Winner: Germany

    By defeating Argentina in extra time in the World Cup final, they have the distinction of being the first and only European nation to win on American soil.

    They were denied by Spain four years ago, a team that went on to defeat the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup final. The Germans had to wait four years for vindication and sweet success.

    Loser: Brazil

    This is Brazil’s second World Cup; the South American nation hosted the event back in 1950. That year, they had to stand aside and watch Uruguay collect the big prize.

    Sixty-four years later it seemed the nation was destined to rise to the summit and correct the mistakes of the past. Instead the Brazil national team broke the record for most goals allowed during a World Cup. Yikes.

    Winner: James Rodriguez

    Forget about Messi, the player of the moment is this dancing, adorable Colombian sensation. He’s not egotistical and he’s inarguably talented. What’s not to love?

    As buzz grows for the young athlete, it’s likely a move to a big football club just might be in the cards.

    Loser: Luis Suarez (?)

    Hmm, did he? Did he really?

    On the surface, being booted from the World Cup and all football-related activities may seem like losing. However Suarez garnered international attention, spawned a massive meme and wound up sold to FC Barcelona, one of the top football clubs in the world.

    AND he remains Uruguay’s favorite son.

    Hard to call that losing.

    Who Are The Winners And Losers Of This World Cup In YOUR Opinion? Comment Below!

    Image via YouTube

  • Gisele Bundchen Unveils World Cup Trophy

    Gisele Bundchen Unveils World Cup Trophy

    Gisele Bundchen unveiled the World Cup trophy in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. The supermodel and wife of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was no doubt beyond disappointed that the trophy wasn’t going to her homeland team–Brazil–but that certainly hasn’t stopped her from having lots of fun.

    It was just prior to the start of the World Cup final between Argentina and Germany that Gisele Bundchen joined Spain’s Carles Puyol for the official trophy unveiling. Bundchen even considered for a moment keeping the trophy either for herself or for her Brazilian team, but then thought better of it instead. She definitely would have caused quite a stir if she had tried absconding with it–don’t you think?

    Post by Gisele Bündchen.

    It was only an hour after unveiling the trophy that Gisele was clearly enjoying herself–sharing her ‘heart’ for her beloved sport–and her country–on her Facebook page.

    Post by Gisele Bündchen.

    About an hour ago she posted again–cheering on her favorite team.

    Post by Gisele Bündchen.

    On Saturday Gisele Bundchen’s Brazilian boys (could Tom Brady be even the tiniest bit jealous?) lost to Netherlands in the third place game, just days after Germany beat them 7-1.

    How many people in those stands do you suppose were distracted by the sight of Gisele Bundchen, and spent more time looking at her than at the World Cup final?

    Post by Gisele Bündchen.

    Gisele Bundchen wasn’t the only celebrity in the crowds, however. Rihanna was there, as were David Beckham and Ashton Kutcher. Shakira performed for the teams and their fans.

    Do you suppose any of these celebrities drew the kind of attention a supermodel draws?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Google Shuts Down Orkut After Ten Years

    Google announced on Monday that it is shutting down is original social networking service Orkut after ten years of existence.

    Orkut never quite caught on in our neck of the woods, but was pretty popular in Brazil at one point, with Facebook finally overtaking it in that country two years ago. Apparently there’s not even enough of an active user base left to justify keeping it around (although if Google Reader is any indication, an active user base isn’t even enough sometimes).

    The company says its other products like Blogger, YouTube, and Google+ have taken off, and outpaced Orkut’s growth, so it’s just going to stick with them (another indication that Google+ isn’t really going away anytime soon).

    Orkut, like many other Google products, was originally conceived as a “20 percent” project. According to Google, it “helped shape life online before people really knew what ‘social networking’ was.”

    Google will refocus its Orkut resources on its remaining social properties. Orkut will be shut down on September 30th. Users can export their data, posts, and photos using Google Takeout until September 2016. As of now, it’s no longer possible to create a new Orkut account.

    Google will leave up an archive of all public communities starting on September 30th, but users can opt out of having their posts included if they want to.

    “It’s been a great 10 years, and we apologize to those still actively using the service,” says engineering director Paulo Golgher. “We hope people will find other online communities to spark more conversations and build even more connections for the next decade and beyond.”

    More info about the site’s demise can be found here.

    Image via Google

  • Mick Jagger: Brazilians Claim He Is A World Cup Jinx

    According to Brazilian soccer fans, Mick Jagger is a “pe-frio.” In the United States pe-frios are known as jinxed or cursed. Some would just call them bearers of bad luck. Brazilians may like the music of The Rolling Stones, but they don’t want Jagger to root for their team, because they don’t want his apparent horrid luck to ruin their chances of winning this year’s World Cup.

    Let’s look at some of the facts that support Brazil’s theory that Jagger is a jinx. At a concert in Rome last Saturday, Jagger predicted that Italy would defeat Uruguay and advance to the next round of play.

    That didn’t happen.

    Italy wound up losing their match, and now the nation that has typically been a powerhouse in the world of soccer, is going home after two losses in the first round.

    Was Italy’s loss Jagger’s fault?

    Let’s further explore this so called Jagger jinx. It allegedly all began for Brazilians during the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals, when Brazil was set to square off the Dutch. Jagger was seen rooting for Brazil. The team lost and was eliminated from the tournament by Holland in a final score of 2-1.

    Jagger was also spotted in 2010 cheering for the United States. The U.S. subsequently lost to Ghana. Of course, Jagger was also seen rooting for his native England. They were quickly crushed by the Germans 4-1.

    Perhaps this Jagger tweet on June 19 didn’t help England’s chances.

    Now Brazil is taking a stand. Fans are carrying signs and making their voices heard. They are begging Jagger not to root for their team. Brazil has already claimed a spot and advanced to the next stage of the tournament, the Round of 16, which is an elimination round. They are set to square off against Chile on Saturday, June 28 at 12 pm. We don’t know who Jagger will be pulling for, of course, the Brazilians are hoping it’s Chile.

    You can get all the latest information, scores, and upcoming schedules for the 2014 World Cup by clicking here. The United States will face Germany, Thursday at 12 pm looking for a tie or win in order to secure a spot in the Round of 16.

    Image via Mick Jagger, Twitter