Reading News: February 2014

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

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Warren Buffett’s 5 rules for investing

Fortune Magazine has an excerpt from Warren Buffett’s annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders. CNN Money reported his five rules for better investing.

1. “You don’t need to be an expert in order to achieve satisfactory investment returns.” But Buffett also warns that investors should recognize their limitations and “keep things simple.”

2. “Focus on the future productivity of the asset you are considering.” Buffett notes that no one can perfectly forecast the future profitability of an investment. “[O]mniscience isn’t necessary; you only need to understand the actions you undertake.”

3. “If you instead focus on the prospective price change of a contemplated purchase, you are speculating.” Buffett has nothing against price speculation. But he emphasizes that it’s important to be able to know the difference between investing for the productivity of the asset versus investing on hopes that the price of the asset changes.

4. “With my two small investments, I thought only of what the properties would produce and cared not at all about their daily valuations. Games are won by players who focus on the playing field -- not by those whose eyes are glued to the scoreboard. If you can enjoy Saturdays and Sundays without looking at stock prices, give it a try on weekdays.” In other words, focus on the long-run.

5. “Forming macro opinions or listening to the macro or market predictions of others is a waste of time. Indeed, it is dangerous because it may blur your vision of the facts that are truly important.” So mute CNBC, Bloomberg TV, and Fox Business. Unless Warren Buffett comes on.

Monday, February 24, 2014

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Health information webpage Authority Nutrition introduced six reasons why eggs are among the healthiest foods:

1. Whole eggs are among the most nutritious foods on Earth.

2. Eggs improve cholesterol profiles and do not raise the risk of cardiovascular disease.

3. Eggs are loaded with choline, an important nutrient for the brain.

4. Eggs contain high quality proteins with a perfect amino acid profile.

5. Eggs are loaded with lutein and zeaxanthin, which protect the eyes.

6. Eggs for breakfast can help get rid of body fat

0224

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Lie detector’ for social media on the way

A system that could identify the accuracy of information on social media is being developed by five European universities, AFP reported.

The three-year project, PHEME, named after the Greek mythological character who was famed for spreading rumors, is being funded by the European Union.

With Sheffield University at the helm, two colleges from the United Kingdom -- King’s College London and Warwick -- along with Saarland University in Germany and MODUL University Vienna are participating in the project.

“Social networks are rife with lies and deception,” the project leaders said in a statement. She added that the rumors spread rapidly, making it difficult to respond.

The researchers told AFP on Tuesday that they hope the system will allow governments, emergency services, media and the private sector to respond more effectively to claims emerging and spreading on social media before they get out of hand.

The goal of the project is to classify information on social media into four categories -- speculation, controversy, misinformation and disinformation -- then model the process through which the rumors spread.

The veracity of the information will be identified through the information itself, by cross-referencing it with trustworthy data sources and studying the information’s diffusion.

The Times newspaper noted that the EU may be presented with a final version within 18 months.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

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CEO of Wichcraft, ‘We only hire people who are willing to take out the trash’
Successful New York restaurant owner Jeffrey Zurofsky thinks that too many of today’s college graduates want a quick path to making money and don’t want to get their hands dirty, business and technology news website Business Insider reported.

In an interview with Business Insider, Zurofsky made it clear to young, ambitious professionals that they‘re going to have to get their hands dirty.

If someone wants to work for him, “You’re going to learn how to be the porter, be the delivery guy, be the cashier, be the cook,” he said.

Zurofsky started working in restaurants because he needed to pay for college. He had a dream to go to law school and become a politician, but working at a restaurant inspired him to start his own business.

In 2003, Zurofsky co-founded Wichcraft with Sisha Ortuzar and celebrity chef Tom Colicchio.

His sandwich shop grew to 15 locations in New York, San Francisco and Las Vegas. He is going to open the restaurant Riverpark.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

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Korean students sleep just 5.5 hours a day: survey
Korean high school students sleep an average of 5 hours and 27 minutes a night, an hour less than four years ago, with 70 percent acknowledging that they are sleep deprived, a survey suggested Monday.

The poll by the National Youth Policy Institute asked 9,521 elementary and secondary school students about their sleep, rest and causes of stress.

Korean students reported an average of 7 hours and 6 minutes of sleep per night, with elementary school students sleeping for 8 hours and 19 minutes and middle school students for 7 hours and 12 minutes, both down about 10 minutes from 2009, according to the survey.

For elementary school students, 61.6 percent responded that studying at home is the primary cause of their lack of sleep, followed by watching TV and films and listening to music at 60.2 percent.

The majority of middle school students, or 67.6 percent, watch TV and films and listen to music at night, which leads to sleep deprivation.

As for high school students, 52.6 percent lack sleep because they spend time studying at night.

Not enough relaxation, coupled with too much stress, may have resulted in the high rate of suicidal thoughts among the secondary school students.

Notably, 36.9 percent of those attending secondary school answered that they had had suicidal thoughts in the past year due to poor grades (40.4 percent) and family problems (27.6 percent).

Among those surveyed, about 60.5 percent said they had less than two hours of time to relax on weekdays; 29.7 percent said they had less than an hour.

Seven in 10 Korean students are under great stress due to poor grades, and 51.6 percent because of concerns about the future.

Monday, February 17, 2014

02/19

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title: Using the media is not that simple

Over the last few days, “look back” videos were uploaded by many Facebook users. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the social media company sent a surprise present to its users. Users got a message saying that a video summary of their Facebook lives was ready to be viewed, and if you clicked the link you could see a one-minute video.

The main character of the movie is you, and the movie presents a summary of your posts and photos from the date you joined Facebook. It is presented by “Mark and the Facebook Team,” meaning, of course, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Users were moved to see a drama about them. It reminded them of the memories that they had almost forgotten. Those who posted photos of their children got to appreciate how they grew up. The customized sentimental marketing garnered positive reactions. Facebook brought back precious moments from the past 10 years. And it came from Mark and Facebook. While the video is a product of an automated algorithm, it created the illusion that it had been created just for you. The video ends with Facebook’s iconic “Like” symbol, a thumbs up.

Then people began to get a little scared. One of Facebook’s ultimate goals is building personal archives online. Users voluntarily write their histories on their Facebook wall. It is an ambitious project, gathering people’s digital diaries. It is eerie that Facebook remembers your life better than you do. Recently, a woman used the photos and information from Facebook friends to pose as someone completely different. While the news made users wary about identity theft, their fears did not last long and people continued to share information. I also noticed another interesting point. Some people shared their “look back” videos but others didn’t. Some people viewed people’s videos, while others did not. Some didn’t realize the videos were even offered, and some didn’t check their own video.

The media’s influence is mighty, but people use it as they wish. There are as many different ways of using the media as there are users. Using media is not simple. That’s why you often fail to read the world just by looking at the surface.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

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12 easy, fast ways to save money

(continued)

7. Need new furniture? Before heading off to Ikea, check out Freecycle.org, a site that offers decent secondhand furniture. Or, try your local Craigslist.com listings for moving sales (oftentimes people are in a pinch and will sell items for “best offer” just to get rid of them).

8. Look for free work out offerings; Look up donation-based yoga studios in your area so you can pay what you can (instead of a normal $12-$20 per class). Similarly, many yoga, dance and Pilates studios offer new student incentives such as two weeks of classes for only $20. Can’t afford a personal trainer? Check out iTrain.com, where you can download personalized workouts for your iPod for as little as $7.99 a session. Other cheap options: Go for a hike in the fall foliage, jog outdoors or organize a game of touch football with friends (a great excuse to get them to invite single guys!).

9. Always know exactly how much money you have on you, how much you spent. It will prevent mindless spending (and the shock when you realize you’re out). Also, plan out your day so you withdraw the money you need from your home bank, avoiding ATM fees.

10. Do your holiday shopping on the cheap by hunting down cool stuff at thrift and vintage shops where you can find heartwarming items for less than 20 bucks. Think music boxes, quirky costume jewelry, vintage postcards to frame or collectors’ plates.

11. Go for home potlucks or bring-your-own-bottle parties, instead of eat-outs. Ask friends to come over with a bottle of wine for a game night on Saturday. Offering a simple, homemade dessert like cookies or a pie won’t cost more than a few bucks if you already have the basic ingredients on hand. If you absolutely have to get out, then organize a get-together at a bar with a happy hours special. Make the occasion more festive by creating a Facebook invite with a quirky theme like “International Talk Like a Pirate Day!” One more tip: check out Myopenbar.com, a site that lists events at bars with free booze in several cities including New York, Miami and Chicago.

12. Do more research. It might be painful to actually look at the breakdown of your expenses, but it’s the best way to cut down on costs. Check out David Bach’s book, “Smart Women Finish Rich,” which explains savings strategies in a totally understandable manner. Another great read is Suze Orman’s “Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny.” (Hint: you can probably get both used or at your local library instead of paying full price).

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02/14

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12 easy, fast ways to save money

“The 12 Ways to Save Money Fast,” an article introduced by the online edition of U.S. magazine Cosmopolitan, suggests some austerity tips to help people cut down on their personal expenditure and save extra money.

1. Shed some extra cents off your gas fees by checking out GasPriceWatch.com, where you can find the cheapest offers in your area.

2. Forget name brands and start buying generic everyday necessities, such as toiletries and cleaning products, in bulk. Take shopping trips with friends to Costco and split that bulk pack of items for a lesser price.

3. Join your local library. You might be shocked to find that its DVD collection is stocked and up-to-date (not to mention totally free). If you normally rent one movie per week from the video store or Netflix, you can save over $200 in a year.

4. Keep your appliances -- coffee pots, toasters, hair dryers and computers -- unplugged when you are not home. According to Energystar.gov, it costs you $100 per year to power appliances in standby mode (especially ones with features like clock displays). When you go on vacation, it’s a good idea (both for your wallet and the environment) to unplug large energy consuming devices.

5. Cliché as it may sound, avoid the morning Starbucks latte. You’ll save about 190 calories and $3 per day. You can still make your homemade coffee feel special by adding a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg.

6. Getting cash back on your clothing purchases is another good way to make some extra money. It is disappointing to buy a piece of clothing full-price, then see it on sale a week later. Hang on to your receipts, because large apparel chains -- Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy to name a few -- will refund you the difference on items that go on sale as long as you present a receipt within 14 days of the original purchase.

(to be continued)

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0213-Jang Bogo Station opens in Antarctica

Seen above is the Antarctic Jang Bogo Station in Terra Nova Bay, South Pole. Korea became the world’s 10th country to run more than one year-round research center in the Antarctic with the completion of the new research base. / Yonhap

Korea opened its second Antarctic research station, Wednesday, making it the 10th country to run more than one year-round station on the southernmost tip of the planet.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said that it has completed construction of the Jang Bogo Station in Terra Nova Bay on the eastern part of the frozen continent, and the station will begin operations from early March.

The new base was built 25 years after the country set up its first research center, the King Sejong Station, on King George Island in 1988. The two stations are 4,500 kilometers away from each other, and are run by the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) under the ministry.

The two research bases are expected to boost the country’s efforts to enhance its knowledge of Antarctic sciences and contribute to international collaboration on related academic disciplines, according to KOPRI.

The Jang Bogo Station, named after an admiral who controlled the southwestern coast of the Korean peninsula during the Shilla dynasty (57 BC-935 AD), was built on 4,458 square meters of land with international approval.

It comprises 16 buildings, including residences, laboratories and 24 observatory facilities, according to the ministry. It added the new research base can accommodate up to 60 people.

The station was constructed by the country’s No. 1 builder, Hyundai Engineering & Construction (E&C), starting in December 2012. It is designed to endure temperatures dropping to 40 degrees Celsius below zero, and to withstand winds speeds of up to 65 meters per second, the company said.

The ministry said 11 of 15 researchers to be stationed at the new base were selected from the King Sejong Station to share their knowhow about what is needed for survival at the South Pole.

The new station will be used for geographical research purposes, including the collection of data on glaciers, meteorites and the ozone layer, the ministry said. It also said the new base will serve as a test center for new plants, equipment, robots and materials that are developed by industrial and academic research centers in Korea for use in extreme conditions.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

0212-2013 CITIZEN SATISFACTION STUDY

http://www.banff.ca/DocumentCenter/View/1751

Monday, February 10, 2014

0211-Caffeine does not hinder memory but boost it

A study conducted by a research team from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore showed that 200 mg of caffeine per day can increase long-term memory. The study was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

The researchers launched an experiment to find more solid facts about the effects of caffeine as a cognitive enhancer. They analyzed responses to a set of questions from 160 participants aged between 18 and 30 years.

The participants were asked to define pictures of different objects as “indoor” or “outdoor.” Soon after the process, they were randomly given a 200 mg caffeine pill or a placebo at varying times before and after the test. On the following day, the participants were asked to identify the pictures as “new,” “old” or “similar to the original pictures.”

The project’s results were astounding. Those who took the caffeine pill performed better at the experiment, however, those who took a caffeine pill one hour before the experiment showed no improvement in memory performance.

Further experiments conducted by the research team using 100 mg and 300 mg doses of caffeine showed that at least 200 mg were needed to see enhancement in memory. More than 300 mg of caffeine showed stagnated results.

According to a study reported in Medical News Today, caffeinated drinks may decrease the chances of suffering from a liver disease and another study showed that drinking 2 to 4 cups of coffee a day may reduce the risk of suicide.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

0210-How 'Frozen' takes over Korean cinema

30-something viewers drive frenzy over latest Disney hit

By Do Je-hae

Stella Chung, a 39-year-old mom with two pre-school girls, thought that she was well past Disney movies until “Frozen” started sweeping local theaters. Following a friend’s recommendation, Chung took her family to the theater over the Lunar New Year holidays.

“It was the best Disney movie I’d seen in a long time,” Chung said. “I was as impressed with Frozen as I was with the old Disney classics I grew up watching, like Sleeping Beauty (1959) and Beauty and the Beast (1992). Frozen really combines all the qualities women look for in an animated film — a gripping storyline, lovely characters and unforgettable music.”

Chung is among many Korean women in their 30s who are revisiting their youth through “Frozen.” A recent report showed that the women in their 30s were the driving force behind the movie’s record-breaking performance at the box office in the last few weeks here since its local release on Jan. 16.

Elsa from “Frozen”

According to ticketing site MaxMovie, 47 percent of the people who made advance bookings to see “Frozen” were in their 30s, and 17 percent in their 20s. Women in their 30s constitute 29 percent of the entire admission, larger than any other age group.

The Disney hit crossed the 7 million admissions mark Sunday and has grossed more than $45 million here, according to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). In just 18 days after its release, it had gathered 6 million viewers. The movie has easily removed “Kung Fu Panda II” as the biggest animation box office hit in Korea.

The film is a musical fantasy loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “Snow Queen.” The story follows the epic journey of two estranged sisters, Princesses Elsa and Anna, who try to break a spell that freezes their kingdom.

Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff

Some moviegoers were impressed with the distinctive theme and characters that set it apart from former Disney animations.

Shim Yoo-jin, a college lecturer with an 8-year-old girl, grew up watching films like Alice in Wonderland (1951), Cinderella (1950), and The Little Mermaid (1981).

“It was somewhat refreshing that a main character in Frozen ends up with a commoner and not a handsome prince,” the 37-year-old said. “And the theme revolves around sisterhood. That’s something I haven’t seen before in a Disney film.”

The strong-willed Anna falls in love with Kristoff, a mountain man, who helps her along the journey to reunite with her older sister Elsa, who abandons her kingdom in order to deal with her strange power to freeze everything she touches.

Film critics have taken notice of the strength of the two female leads. “In Frozen, we don’t see princesses waiting for their princes to show up and save them,” film critic Choi Han-wook wrote on his blog. “Elsa and Anna are strong independent women who solve their own problems.”

The 3D computer-animation has garnered many awards, including the Golden Globe Award for best animated feature film, five Annie Awards (including best animated feature), and two Critics’ Choice awards for best animated feature and best original song for “Let It Go.”

It is also up for Academy Awards in the best animated feature and best original song categories, in addition to BAFTA and Satellite Award nominations.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

0207-For more female workers

At stake is how to create women-friendly workplaces

Korean women’s college entrance rates exceeded that of men in 2009. But the female employment rate still lags behind males by 15 percentage points overall, and by 25 percentage points among workers in their 30s, the most productive age band.

Predictably, the main culprit in this male-dominated society is the heavy burden of bearing and rearing children as well as endless housework almost one-sidedly placed on the shoulders of wives and mothers.

Yet keeping women, especially those with higher education, at home is an unjustifiable waste of the workforce, and an unforgivable drag on growth.

The government is right in this regard to push for a policy aimed at jacking up women’s labor force participation rate by minimizing career disruptions. It also befits an administration led by the nation’s first female president, who pledged to increase the overall employment rate to 70 percent, by sharply reducing the number of women forced to stop work.

An interagency program, unveiled Tuesday, is also going in the proper direction by vowing to increase financial incentives for firms to allow their employees to have parental leave more freely, introduce flexible work systems, and provide more, and better, daycare facilities. If these measures bear fruit and raise the women’s employment rate as desired, the additional spending of about 1 trillion won will be cheap at the price.

In reality, however, good intentions do not always produce good results.

Considering a majority of women work at small- and medium-sized enterprises hiring 100 or fewer workers, taking a maternity leave, especially for the second time, is very difficult. Husbands who take out paternal leave in those firms receive suspicious, even ridiculing, treatment. The situation is not far better in larger companies. All this explains why the nation’s top female talent become government employees or knock on the doors of foreign-invested firms.

This means the government will need to come up with far more carrots and sticks. It ought to provide far bolder incentives for the companies which make no gender-based discrimination in pay and working conditions, while more harshly discipline those which demand pregnant employees quit. At stake is how to create female- and family-friendly workplaces, and change the social culture and popular awareness. President Park Geun-hye will leave a lasting legacy if she manages to introduce a female-friendly corporate certificate system, as the government has done to enhance businesses’ consciousness about environment.

It is regrettable in this vein the latest government policy is lacking in more fundamental steps toward that end, by, for instance, trying to narrow the still wide wage gap between men and women doing similar work, turning more of the women on non-permanent payroll into regular workers, and allowing them to return to the same workplaces and jobs after spending maternity leaves, instead of letting them fall to less-paying, simple works.

In this era of services industries and a feminized workforce when brain power, not brute force, matters, nations that make the most of womanpower will win. Korea, a notoriously macho society, is at a great disadvantage in this regard. That in turn shows why the government cannot do with just the "me-too” policy.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

0206-What to Expect From Samsung’s Next Galaxy Smartphone

This week, Samsung Electronics made it official that its new flagship product – most likely the successor to its Galaxy S4 smartphone – will be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in February.

The launch comes as the company tries to jumpstart its mobile business which has been suffering from tepid sales due to stiff competition. How the new smartphone is taken by the market will be key for Samsung’s future earnings growth as the majority of its profits today come from selling mobile devices.

While Samsung has officially declined to comment on upcoming products, here’s a roundup of what to expect and what may not be in the new device.

What’s Likely:

A 16-megapixel rear camera: Samsung’s new flagship smartphone is expected to come with a camera sensor that can take higher resolution photos. Stephen Woo, the head of the company’s logic chip unit that makes sensors, hinted during an analyst conference in November that in 2014 consumers can expect 16-megapixel camera sensors for mobile devices. He added that the application of the new camera sensors will not be limited to mobile devices. Samsung already has a smartphone-camera hybrid model in the market called the Galaxy S4 zoom that comes with a 16-megapixel camera.

A larger screen with WQHD resolution: Kim Ki-nam, a Samsung component division executive, said in November that the company expects to see WQHD (wide, quad high definition) resolution displays in mobile devices by 2014. WQHD screens have almost twice the number of pixels (2,560 × 1,440) compared to the full HD screen in the Galaxy S4. “To fit in that many more pixels, it’ll be easier to do so with a larger screen,” says Jerry Kang, a display analyst with IHS. Several local media including the Korea Economic Daily reported that the new Galaxy smartphone will sport a bigger 5.2-inch screen. While Samsung is hyping WQHD, for consumers, the difference from a regular full HD screen won’t be so apparent, according to analysts.

Maybe:

An iris scanner: Expectations for this feature were bolstered after the South Korean company filed for a patent with the U.S. authorities, which was published in November, suggesting that it was working to improve eye-recognition features currently available in Galaxy phones. So far, the S4 has a feature that recognizes a person’s eyes for adjusting the brightness of a phone screen or for scrolling up and down a web page. But James Song, an analyst with KDB Daewoo Securities, raised doubt as to whether companies are capable of supplying sensors for iris scanning.

A fingerprint scanner: As expectations over an iris scanner cooled, some market watchers have shifted their focus to the possibility of Samsung offering a fingerprint scanner like the iPhone. In fact, Samsung already has a patent registered with the Korean Intellectual Property Office for a technology that allows smartphones to recognize users through fingerprint scanning, while there are a few fingerprint sensor makers already capable of supplying sensors to Samsung. Some tech websites including Zdnet have reported that the new flagship Galaxy phone will likely come with such a feature.

Not So Sure:

Metal frame: This hardware feature is a hallmark of iPhones, giving Apple’s smartphones a more sophisticated look. Samsung phones have traditionally come with plastic frames. But some tech blogs have hinted that Samsung may follow suit and use metal casings instead.

A 64-bit processor: Following Apple’s release of the iPhone 5S with a 64-bit processor, the market is expecting Samsung’s new phone to also come with a faster processor. But the transition would require a “multi-facet” improvement over time meaning the change has to happen not just in hardware but also in the Android operating system and the entire ecosystem, says Wayne Lam, an analyst with IHS.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

0205-With Tizen, Samsung Bets on Cash, Clout

Samsung mobile devices at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month.
So far no one uses Samsung Electronics Co.'s new mobile operating system, Tizen, which hasn’t even appeared on a commercially available smartphone.

So why would any developer want to build an app for it?

For the publishers of Apartment Finder, a U.S. apartment-rental listings magazine, website and mobile app, you can boil it down to size — specifically, Samsung’s hugeness and Apartment Finder’s relative smallness.

The company behind Apartment Finder, Norcross, Ga.-based Network Communications Inc., has already built an app for Apple Inc.’s iOS and Google Inc.'s Android mobile operating systems–in short, for all but a few U.S. smartphone users.

The company decided it was worth it to invest in a Tizen app, which it has rolled out to, well, nobody just yet. The hope is that Apartment Finder will be well-positioned should Tizen gain traction among smartphone buyers, it says.

Tizen’s success, of course, is far from assured. Skeptics argue that Android–on which all Samsung smartphones currently operate–and iOS are so dominant that there’s no room in the market for a third operating system–as Microsoft Corp., with its Windows Phone, and BlackBerry Ltd. have found. Both of those operating systems have managed to capture a percentage of the market only in the low single digits.

The trouble facing Samsung, as far as Tizen goes, is that consumers don’t want to buy a phone running an operating system that can’t support their favorite apps; and developers don’t want to build an app for an operating system that nobody is likely to use.

So Tizen’s backers, which include co-developer Intel Corp., are working hard to make sure that apps will be plentiful from day one. To do so, they’ve been offering money to developers who build apps for Tizen, as well as hosting developer contests like the Tizen App Challenge, which is handing out more than $4 million in prizes.

For Apartment Finder’s backers, Samsung’s sheer size and dominance in the smartphone business was a major factor.

Stuart Richens, Network Communications’ vice president of digital media, said in an interview that the company decided to develop its Tizen app because it believed that Samsung just might be able to carve out market share for Tizen as it attempts to build an Apple-like ecosystem. And an early bet on Tizen could help Apartment Finder earn a favorable spot in Tizen’s app store, he said.

“We’re a small shop, so utilizing limited resources to pursue a new and unproven technology like Tizen was not an easy decision for us to make,” he said.

Network Communications relies heavily on mobile devices, which Mr. Richens says drives about half of the company’s traffic.

Still, Mr. Richens wasn’t aware of Tizen until the summer, when a friend and app developer told him that Samsung had poured money into his business to fund a Tizen version of his app.

After doing some research of his own, Mr. Richens thought it was worth taking a chance with Tizen–particularly given the prospect of recouping some of the costs in the app contest.

Unlike with its Apartment Finder apps for iOS and Android, which the company developed in-house, Network Communications outsourced some of the work for its Tizen app, given the difficulty of building an app for an operating system that isn’t widely available yet.

Mr. Richens said the company had considered developing an app for BlackBerry or Windows Phone, but after sifting through market-share statistics and its own data, didn’t see the potential user base to justify building an app for either platform.

Can Tizen break through as a viable contender to Android and iOS? Samsung surely hopes so. But it will need a lot more third-party app developers–and much bigger ones too–to make the same calculation that Mr. Richens has.

Monday, February 3, 2014

0204-'Frozen': Music for the Whole Family

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Bobby Lopez, center, attend a premiere of 'Frozen' with their daughters, Annie and Katie, in California last week. WireImage

For the new movie "Frozen," the songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Bobby Lopez brought their daughters into the family business.

The Park Slope husband-and-wife team co-wrote the music and lyrics to the DisneyDIS -0.83% film, about Elsa ( Idina Menzel ), a queen whose magical icy powers accidentally trap her kingdom in eternal winter. Her younger sister, Princess Anna ( Kristen Bell ), sets off on a journey with Kristoff, a mountain man ( Jonathan Groff ) and Olaf, a snowman ( Josh Gad ), to find Elsa and bring back summer.

"When we first were approached by Disney, they showed us a piece of art that had projections of what the little girls would look like as kids in the castle playing together," said Mr. Lopez, who also co-wrote for the theater productions "The Book of Mormon" and "Avenue Q."

"That was what sold us on the whole movie," he added, "because they reminded us of our girls."

Their 8-year-old daughter, Katie, sang demos of a duet between the sisters, "Do You Want to Build a Snowman," and ended up being the voice of young Anna on the soundtrack. The Lopez's younger daughter, 4-year-old Annie, also contributed to a song sung by a family of trolls.

The Lopezes spoke with the Journal about "Frozen," which opens Wednesday, as well as writing for Disney and their next Broadway musical, "Up Here."

Edited excerpts follow.

This Disney princess feels very modern. Ms. Bell's Anna has lines like "Wait, what?" and "Totally." Ms. Menzel's Queen Elsa is strong and self-reliant. How did you find their voices?

Kristen: It was important to me—because I went through the '90s, I have two daughters—that we have a very empowering story for girls. When we came on, the first day that [co-director] Chris Buck pitched this, I kept saying "Wouldn't this be amazing if we had a funny Disney princess?" The sidekick characters don't have to be the only funny ones. She can make jokes and she can have a sense of humor, and she can be goofy. That would be a very subversive thing to do. I was thrilled when we got Kristen Bell, who sounds like your traditional ingénue. She's got this classic voice and yet has this modern sassiness.

Bobby: The song "Let It Go" really emerged from the palette that is Idina's voice. The low, vulnerable, fragile side of her low end, and then the power that's inherent in her belt range. We knew that we were writing a song that took the character from being very nervous and afraid, to letting her power out and shutting the door on her past.

The film also looks at "true love" in a unique way. A couple of the songs even poke fun at love and matchmaking.

Kristen: With [the song] "Love Is An Open Door," we knew we had a situation where a character we really had great affection for was making a bad choice because of this emptiness in her life. I had to think about myself in my 20s when I used to see people like this. You'd go on the best date ever, you'd play mini-golf and then you'd go to karaoke. At the end of the night, you decided to move in together. And then you spend the next four years trying to repair that mistake. We tried to make the most fun, karaoke-able kind of music, which at its core is a little bit shallow.

This cast is full of Broadway names: Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Santino Fontana.

Bobby: One of our first dates was to see this musical "Reefer Madness" in New York, off-Broadway. Kristen Bell was the lead, and after that she got snapped up by Hollywood. It's so ironic, like 10 years later, we get to work with her.

Are there plans of bringing "Frozen" to Broadway?

Kristen: I love that all these journalists keep asking us this. That it feels like an inevitability. It would be thrilling, but we're just thrilled to be at this point, one week before the movie opens. I guess we'll just see.

Is it harder to write for a Disney film than for Broadway?

Bobby: The trickiest part about it is it's Disney. Every song you write for them has the opportunity to be a classic, so they're very tough on you. There's no such thing as a throwaway song, like there is on Broadway. Secondly, there's a date when the movie is coming out. That date is not going to change. So you have your work cut out for you, whereas on Broadway you're lucky if you make it to that date. You just work and work and work until the musical seems ready. They can take years to develop, whereas we had a year and a half.

Can you describe "Up Here," the musical you're writing now?

Bobby: We're working with the director Alex Timbers, a very visual director ["Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" and the upcoming "Rocky"]. The piece is a high-concept musical where, on one level, it's a romantic comedy between a New York couple, and on the other side of it, the guy's very introverted but we see his consciousness reflected in a huge ensemble. We see all of his background thoughts, motivations, ideas and memory—

Kristen: Fears and neuroses—to see why he makes unlikable choices sometimes, because of this swirling, kaleidoscopic consciousness that's weighing in at all times.

Bobby: But she doesn't, that's the key. The girl doesn't see it. Sometimes there's an epic battle of good and evil going on the guy's brain while they're just talking on the phone, and the girl doesn't see it at all. It's all about consciousness and how we can't really know each other.

Write to Barbara Chai at barbara.chai@wsj.com